Looking California, but Feeling Minnesota (With Apologies to Soundgarden)

While we were somewhat relieved to say farewell to Las Vegas, we loved the Cirque du Soleil show "Ka." It was the best thing on stage any of us had ever seen. We haven't included many recommendations in the family blog, but this one is unanimous. See Ka! It almost made up for the crowds, smokey lounges, and constant sensory assault. Almost.

Our crew of country mice headed back into the wide-open spaces of the desert. 

Our next stop was Joshua Tree National Park and it did not disappoint. While driving into the park and listening to U2's iconic album (of course), we were captivated by the rocks. Yes, the rocks.  

It is like an endless playground of things to climb over and on and jump around.  Walking through late in the day was beautiful. 

It was also the only time on our trip we saw another license plate from Vermont! Our plan was to camp but the frigid temps at night and high winds made us glad for our cozy Airbnb.

We headed through California to sunny San Diego. Ha!

However, we love this moment as it marks our travel from where Johannes grew up to where Liz grew up-  almost as far apart as you can get in North America as pictured below.

                            (Note: this was not our actual route as we were way more circuitous!)

Luckily we had some sunny days in California and the kids could appreciate the beauty of the town their mom grew up in (though they may have gotten a bit sick of the roots tour), ice skate at the mall where Liz learned, and share the joy of fish tacos. 

We got to visit family: Dan, Erin, Cadman, and Emma and learned about a new Danish game, Klask. Check it out! 

The tidepools near Liz's childhood home were just as great as she remembered.

As we rounded the bend of our around-the-continent tour, we started heading north. First stop was a family reunion in Huntington Beach to see more family - with surprise guests of Uncle Tom and Matt.

As noted at the beginning, time with family who we don't see as often was one of the goals of this year and we certainly did that. The cousins were so glad to be reunited.

We even got to see Liz's extended family as the kids got a taste of the Southern California lifestyle - beaches, In-N-Out Burger (spread!), and freeways.  

Johannes and Liz enjoyed a lovely dinner with Johannes' former colleague and now Dean of the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine Jon Gould and his partner Ann. They talked about life, travel, kids, and west coast living, while the kids got some extra GRANDMA TIME. 

Next, we headed to visit Liz's college friends in Pasadena, Linda and Rob and, most importantly, their adorable dog Disco. 

After a viewing of the iconic Hollywood sign and a stop at Liz's favorite LA attraction, the La Brea Tar Pits, we had a delicious Persian feast with Liz's elementary school bestie, Mina.

We had big plans but a BLIZZARD WARNING in LOS ANGELES led us to hole up in Oxnard, California for a few days until the weather cleared. Every now and then, we need a few down days. (Side note: the kids were so wiped from all the travel and visits that they decided against a trip to Disneyland. The adults may have been relieved.) There's not much to recommend in Oxnard but we stayed safe, had a super windy beach walk, and enjoyed the rest before heading north with a great stop in Pismo Beach between rain storms. 

Next up: Northern California and the iconic Redwoods! 

A Week of Winter

Before heading to the California coast, we drove north from Surprise, Arizona, to Flagstaff and the Arizona Snowbowl. It was cool, in just an hour, to drive from cactus and desert to ice and snow drifts. We skied for two days and had fun on this smaller hill, 10,000 feet above sea level. Our ski hills in Vermont might have more runs, but the highest mountain is just over 4,000 feet. 

It had been ten months since any of us had skis on, but we quickly found the runs we liked the most and had fun in the Arizona sunshine. Our hodgepodge of winter wear was just enough to stay warm. 

Next, we went to the Grand Canyon. Turns out, it is huge and very deep. Trev tested it by throwing a snowball (or four) in. We didn't hear it land. 

We had lunch in one of the canyon's original lodges. We watched a movie on the efforts by the Park to explore the area and encourage young people to appreciate the natural beauty of this unique landscape. Some in our family wanted to hike to the bottom of the canyon. Luckily, the majority still rules. Also, we didn't have our snowshoes.  

After a beautiful drive through the Painted Desert, we explored southern Utah. One of our serendipitous finds was these cool sand caves just north of Kanab, Utah. Definitely worth the scramble up the side of the mountain.

After a quick lunch, we headed to Bryce. This was a new park for all of us and quiet and beautiful. Unfortunately, pictures can't capture the uniqueness of the Hoodoos, which look like an impressive mixture of sand castles and gingerbread houses. Cool fact: the Paiute people who first lived in the area believed the structures were evil spirits turned into rock by the trickster god, Coyote, in punishment for their deeds, calling it the canyon of red faces and mostly avoiding the area -- which they called "oo'doo," meaning fear.  

After soaking up the views, we skated on a rink just outside the Park, and while Jo struggled with the rental figure skates (toepick!), Liz and Margaret had fun.  

Zion was one of the most beautiful parks we visited. We managed not to fall off the overlook and basked in the sun. 

We cruised along the relatively empty valley floor and hiked along the river to the slot canyon, the Narrows.

This was an incredible part of the world and one we would love to spend more time in. But just as some of us were experiencing "natural beauty overload," we headed to Las Vegas...

Mountains, Beaches, Cities

 On January 5th, we arrived in the small city of Liberia, Costa Rica. After renting our car for the next month -- a red Nissan Kicks, named Ramoon, we stayed in a small hotel before we headed out the next day to explore this beautiful country. 

The kids immediately noticed many subtle differences  For one, the currency is different: it's called colones, and 600 colones are equal to 1 US dollar. For another, Spanish is the main language, and while Liz was the only one who could speak Spanish somewhat reliably, soon, we were all more adept. 

Our next stop was Tamarindo, a lovely beachside town with dozens of beautiful white sand beaches. We spent a few days there, celebrating Margaret's 12th birthday and enjoying the incredible beach and waves. 

After Tamarindo, we went on to Samara, where we would stay for 2 weeks. The day after we arrived, the kids began Intercultura, a Spanish school where people ranging from 8 to 80 years old were learning the language. Some had English as their first language, but many others were French and German and came from all over the world. The kids remained in school until we left Samara, and their Spanish improved greatly. Almost as much as one "near-fluent" dad. 

For the first ten days, we stayed in a house called Casa Iguana. We could hear the Howler monkeys at night and could walk to the beach and the kid's school. It was small and sometimes cramped. However, the A/C worked, and the kiddos frequented the pool every day. 

Next, we moved to a condo overlooking the beach. While it was definitely fancier, we had to drive to get to the beach. We used this as an excuse to explore the coast, finding some of the largest body surfing waves we had ever endured. Great rides. A few dumpers too. 

In Samara, we swam every day, snorkeled, walked the beaches, took in some live music, and started to imagine what living on the Costa Rican coast would be like. Pura Vida is a phrase spoken in Costa Rica. It means pure life, for happiness, and toward balance. It is a thing.

Next, we braved the Costa Rican roads and headed to Monteverde. The drive up to the mountains was perhaps our least favorite 4 hours in Costa Rica. After enduring bumps, holes, narrow roads, and aggressive drivers, we were happy to relax in a beautiful rental with an incredible view.

 

Wandering around the city was interesting, and the coffee and chocolate tour was interesting and tasty. The night jungle tour was also pretty cool. Except when we met the tarantula. No, thank you, said dad.

Zip-lining through the cloud forest was absolutely incredible. Many places have zip-lining, but it pays to do your research. We loved this adventure park. 

Next, we headed to Proyecto Asis to volunteer to care for animals who have formerly been pets or had been injured and needed rehabilitation. It was an incredible educational program. The kids decided to develop their home school projects inspired by Proyecto Asis's message: to respect animals and raise awareness of the unintended consequences of domesticating wild animals. Staying on-site and listening to the animals go to sleep and wake up was unforgettable. 

Carlos was awesome.

One of the last things we did, was a homestay with a family that worked with Proyecto Asis. we were well-fed and had an interesting discussion about education, healthcare, politics, and even immigration. Staying in someone's home and getting a peek into their lives was a wonderful way to deepen our Costa Rican adventure.

We finished off with a few days soaking in the hot springs and hiking around Arenal volcano. 

It was a beautiful month of mountains, beaches, and cities. Yes, we will be back. Yes, we started looking for property.   

Area Dad Becomes Fluent Spanish Speaker in Just Two Weeks

By Margaret Wheeldon

Samara, Costa Rica - Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? The Wheeldon family arrived in Samara, Costa Rica on January 8, hoping the small town would soon feel like home. That very evening, area dad Johannes Wheeldon commented enthusiastically that "our Spanish is going to become so good" to his partner, Liz Suiter, and their kids, Margaret and Trevor Wheeldon. 

He couldn't have been more right. The very next day, the kids began Spanish immersion classes at a school not far from their rental, called Intercultura. 

The kids soon excelled at their new school. Liz used her Spanish often when conversing with the locals, freshening up on phrases and adjusting to the Costa Rican lingo. However, Johannes soon surpassed them all with a deep, intuitive understanding of the language - mostly. 

His approach involved learning a few key phrases and stringing them together with varying degrees of success. However, by generally bringing an optimistic attitude and unwarranted confidence to a variety of situations, he soon made many friends. In addition to "Gracias, amigo" when being assisted by a local, "Que lindo!" was common whenever he saw a pretty sight, and "mi amorcita" was in reference to Liz. He found a way to elongate "con gusto" (con guuuuusto), meaning with pleasure. He was quick to adopt the famous Costa Rican phrase: "Pura Vida!" His brave application of his learning showed as he began to use his rapidly expanding vocabulary in public, ordering food in Spanish much to his family's chagrin. 

However, not every interaction was successful. Johannes said often: "Everything is an experience, and learning from your mistakes is the most important thing." At one restaurant, his kids reported their father using a variety of fractured Spanglish words to order nachos, chicken wings, and a drink. "Yeah, it was totally cringe, bro," said Johannes' nine-year-old son, Trevor Wheeldon. 

"Um... nachos... con carne..." Johannes began shakily. When the patient waitress correctly interpreted the phrase, he continued: "Pollo and a Bloody Mary, por favor. Que lindo. Mucho gracias." 

Later that night, he heard two people refer to each other as "caballero" which is a word that literally means "cowboy" but is often used as slang for "dude" or "bro." Trying it out, Johannes accidentally called someone "caballo" which is the word for "horse." Thankfully, the error was fixed and no feelings were hurt. "It's an honest mistake that anyone could've made," Johannes explained. "I mean, horses and cowboys? Basically the same thing." 

By the end of the month, Johannes was confident enough to ask the kids if they needed any help with their Spanish homework. When asked what Margaret and Trevor's reactions were, Johannes was smug. "The kids were so jealous of my awesome Spanish skills that they couldn't possibly accept my generous offer," he reported. 

The newly bilingual dad is now looking for property near Samara. "Que lindo!" 

Challenges on the Big Year

We made it, folks: halfway through our journey! Reflecting on the adventures we've had so far, we realized that while this trip has been an amazing experience in so many ways, it's not all cool rentals and sightseeing. This year is not about being on vacation - even though sometimes it seems like it should be. In reality, it is about having experiences in new places as a family, while we try to keep up with work, school, and life. It can be a tough balancing act. 

Here are a few hard things from each of us as we look back on our Big Year thus far. 

MARGARET'S HARD THINGS

1. I always find it hard to leave a place full of family and friends that we love. 
2. We've been in a lot of new places, with routines and rules we've never encountered before. One of the hard things for me is adjusting to that new place and trying to find some structure.
3.  Our teachers (ahem, parents) are great, really they are, but it's hard to adjust to a new teaching  style.
4.  That time when we had car snacks for lunch, tacos for supper, hotel overnight, and a hotel breakfast in the morning... for two days in a row.  Not the best.
5. Getting fed up with each other on long car rides. It happens. 

LIZ'S HARD THINGS

1. Dealing with the day to day of life remotely. Thanks to a fabulous support team handling our mail (thanks, Mom!) and watching our property (thanks, Kevin!), it has been manageable, but the day to day of life - taxes, insurance, dealing with fallen trees and damaged sheds from a wind storm, is more annoying and harder on the road.

2. The unknowns of travel - As the chief hotel/Air BnB booker, I always worry that the place I've booked is not up to snuff, or I got the day or the address wrong. There have been a few fails. Like the house made of paper, the apartment with no living room, and the Super 8.  We have gotten lost a few times but are working on embracing the adventure of it all. It can be a struggle when we are tired and hungry and lost and have no internet.

3. Packing and unpacking every few days. We are learning to savor and plan rest days where we just hang out in our rental home, get caught up on work, and don't drive or pack or navigate.

4. Losing things - did I pack it in a weird bag? Did I leave it at the last hotel? Where is it??

5. Home school - The students whine a bit about math. One of the teachers is pretty inadequately trained; fortunately the other has a PhD and 25 years teaching experience.

6. Tech - What is the internet password? Can I log on to work from a foreign country? Where is my phone? (oh, wait, I lose my phone in regular life too).

                  

TREVOR'S HARD THINGS

1. Getting sick at Big Bend. I couldn't enjoy the hikes at all.
2. Being crammed in a car for a million hours.
3. Staying in hotels for days and days on end.
4. Leaving Nova Scotia.
5. Leaving places in general

JOHANNES' HARD THINGS

It is interesting to read these and reflect on the tough times. I do detest the IG lifestyle where we tend to celebrate the great moments in life via pictures and social media posts, and bury the difficulties we all face. Here goes:

1. I am still writing (books, papers, etc) and not having a consistent place to get my thoughts out is tough for me. While I love reading and reviewing a draft in a new place (ideally with a coffee in hand), writing on a laptop, crammed on a couch is far from ideal.

2. I worry that our kids (as awesome as they are) crave the sort of structure we just can't provide as we travel. While we have tried to book longer stays in a few places, we are all being tested to adapt and remain flexible. This is tough for all of us. 

3. Liz and I learned during our first road trip (back in 2009) how best to organize our travel schedule. That said, long days in unfamiliar cities can bring out the worst in me. I still get worried about keeping everyone safe sometimes - in new places, around new people, and yes in the car. This *might* not make me the ideal passenger, from time to time (BRAKELIGHTS!)

4. As Liz mentioned, traveling doesn't magically make the minutiae of life disappear. Applying for jobs, keeping the kids on track for schooling, the administration of bills, obligations, and thinking about our life post Big Year sometimes cloud my mind and takes away from the whole point of this year.

5. We miss people. Our friends, colleagues, my hockey crew, our family.

Despite these difficulties, I don't regret this year at all. I feel deeply connected to my darling family and feel like we have all gotten some perspective on our life: what we love; what we don't; how we want to be; and just how big the world is.    

Surprise! Christmas in Arizona

After many adventures in the desert, we finally arrived at the place we would call home for two weeks: Surprise, Arizona (just outside Phoenix), in Liz's dad' Bud and his partner Gaynor. 

We were all glad to be in one place for a bit, unpack our bags, and find all those little things that went missing behind a seat or under a suitcase.

Thank you to Bud and Gaynor for opening their home and making us so comfortable. We made the most of area! One treat was the best meal we have ever had at Tapas Papa Fritas. Phenomenal Spanish food, with every dish somehow topping the last.  he lights in Scottsdale were cool too.

HIGHLIGHTS:

If you are ever in the Phoenix area, you MUST (seriously) go to the Musical Instruments Museum. It is one of the best we have ever visited.  You hear, see,, and walk through the world and cultures through music.  You might need more than one day. It's that cool.

Johannes found a guitar donated by the estate of George Van Eps, the man who raised his mom and aunt after her parents passed. More on his legacy here.

Speaking of music! We played a lot together.  Liz and her dad worked on an Ode to Joy Duet and our little group performed for friends - Jo on guitar and vocals, Margaret on vocals, Trev on bass, Liz on fiddle.  

We saw the Montreal Canadiens play in a 5000 seat arena (most arenas are 20k plus). A once in a lifetime chance to see our team up close!

Another highlight was our own polar bear dip. Margaret was determined we swim on Christmas Day. The pool was unheated. The desert temps drop to the 40's overnight. It WAS COLD.

Basketball under a blue Arizona sky. In short sleeve shirts in December.

We also got to see some friends from Vermont, went for a hike, and appreciated the views!

 It was a nice holiday, full of events and adventures, family and new and old friends.