Lake Powell

Alisha says: Dave was headed off to Atlanta for a work conference so Skye and I decided to join my family for a short trip to Lake Powell. I debated going because it would mean a five hour drive with just Skye but ultimately the lake sounded much more fun than staying home so off we went. We got there in the evening and camped out in the parking lot because it was too late to launch. Skye and I slept pretty good in the back of the honda while everyone else slept in the boat. The next morning we launched early in the morning under overcast skies. I was a little worried that Skye would hate having to wear her life jacket all the time but she did really well and liked being on the boat. We drove around and some people fished for a bit before we looked around for a place to set up camp. We found a spot where the kids could swim and had some nice sand and got settled in. Skye loved playing in the water and sand with Brody and Elsie. Brody was really good to help watch Skye and take care of her, he has a really cute caring personality. That night Skye and I had a tent set up on the beach and everyone else was sleeping in the boat. We settled in and slept good until 11:00 pm when the wind started blowing a lot and there was a bunch of thunder and lightning. Then came the rain which turned into a serious downpour. The sides of the tent were totally caved in from the wind and the rain fly was flapping all around and not really doing its job so rain was coming in the tent. I thought the tent was going to bust and at one point I was laying on my back with my arms and feet outstretched holding out the sides of the tent. Luckily we were on some little blow up rafts because the floor of the tent was getting really soggy so I moved all our stuff onto the rafts and tucked one blanket under some other stuff so that it might stay dry because once the rain stopped the blanket we were using was not going to be very useful. I debated on if we should stay in the tent or make a run for the boat but I knew they were dealing with the same situation there and that it would be really crowded and if we left the tent would definitely blow away so I decided we should just stay put. Skye was somehow still sleeping. It was scary but I also knew that we would be okay although nothing I ever want to experience again. The main storm lasted a little over an hour and then things calmed down a little. My dad came out to check on us and told me that they were all wet but okay also. Another smaller but still wet and windy storm came though a little later. In the morning we all told our crazy stories from the night and even had a little laugh about it. We tried to dry things out a little before packing up camp and heading towards the dam and power intake area to do some fishing. Fishing was kind of a bust as they only caught one small catfish but it was just fun to be out on the water and I love just cruising along for a boat ride. There were afternoon storms in the forecast so when it started getting cloudy we headed for the boat dock. Skye was tired out from the trip and did much better on the drive home. Although it was a short trip I was still glad that we went. I loved being on the lake with my family, it reminded me of all our trips when I was a kid.

Post Vacation Summer

Alisha says: After being on the road for 5+ weeks it was a bit of an adjustment being home. Skye especially had a hard time the first week as she went from being out and about with both mom and dad around all the time to staying inside a lot with just mom around. Phoenix was still super hot so our daily activity is swimming in the afternoon, Dave got Skye a little sprinkler splash pad that he set up right next to the pool and she likes to go back and forth between the two. We did get some good monsoons that filled the neighborhood with some great puddles that she loved playing in. It was good to get back on our real mountain and road bikes for some rides. 

2017 Summer Road Trip: Salt Lake City, Cedar City and Home

Dave says: The final leg of the trip was through Utah. We pulled into SLC in the late afternoon and met up with Richard and Brittany. Amber came over from Price and the kids played. Skye had a good time with her cousins and it was nice to see everyone. We even managed to get the whole crew to settle down for a picture on the slide at Arctic Circle.

Then, we were off to Cedar City for our final stop. Brody and Elsie always like to hang out and we did a bunch of family-related things such as building a huge tower, going on a  few bike rides, traveling to the park, visiting the aquatic center (including a poop-related closure the second time), and having a cookout. The weather was warm but stopping in Cedar to see everyone is always fun.

At long last, we woke up very early on July 16th and left for Phoenix. 5,500 miles later and the big adventure was finally at an end. It was quite the trip!

2017 Summer Road Trip: Missoula, Montana

Dave says: Part of the strategy on the way home was to break up the driving with stops in some fun places. On the way into Missoula, we stopped at a very interesting Buddhist Shrine and gardens in the middle of nowhere. It was, among other things, a great place to stretch our legs. 

I booked what looked to be a nice hotel online that turned out to be quite the dump in person. We barely fit into a tiny room with a bed wedged so tight that you couldn't open the bathroom door all the way, cracked glass, and plywood. The good news was that the hotel was right by the bike path and so the next day we went exploring around town. We stopped at a park first and then rode to the far end of town along the river where we found some dirt and a little bit of good singletrack. We stopped at the university to walk around and then headed into the downtown for brunch at a hipster restaurant. After Skye's nap, the biking continued with a trip to a downtown festival with some music and ice cream. We rode Missoula's famous carousel and then tried to convince Skye to play in the park but it was hot and she was ready to do something else. Not surprisingly, she was much happier when we took her to the aquatic center. Finally, we had dinner in a cool little Brazilian restaurant.

2017 Summer Road Trip: Jasper National Park, Alberta Canada

Alisha says: On our last full day before starting our trip back south we ventured to our farthest north location of the entire trip which was the Columbia Icefields Visitor Center in Jasper National Park. I read online that a drive up the icefields parkway was something extra special. I was a little worried because rain was predicted but it turned out to be an incredible day filled with lots of fun. We got an early start and first stopped for a quick view of the turquoise blue Peyto Lake. Dave then suggested that we go to the Visitor Center next before it got too busy which turned out to be a great idea. We got to the visitor center which is across the street from the impressive Athabasca Glacier and were lucky to snag tickets for the tour that takes you out onto the glacier. We had an hour to look around before we got on a bus that took you across the street where we transferred onto a big special vehicle that was specially designed for driving on the ice. We then were taken a little ways out on the glacier and were able to get off the bus and spend about 45 minutes walking around and taking pictures. It was a really different and special experience. Glacier ice is just so cool, I love the blue color and the formations it makes. Skye liked walking around. It was really slippery and there were channels of water that were melting from the glacier. It is crazy to look at old pictures and see where the glacier was and just how far it has retreated. It makes me glad that we got to have this experience because the glaciers really are melting at a crazy fast pace. After taking the glacier vehicle back off the ice we got back on a bus that then took us to a sky bridge a a few miles north (I guess this was technically the farthest north we got). Skye fell asleep on the bus and napped all through the sky bridge which was a horseshoe shaped walkway with a clear bottom that went out over a cliff. It was cool but the real highlight was walking on the glacier.

After getting some lunch at the now very busy visitor center we started our trip back to the campground but we stopped for one more adventure hike up Parker Ridge to get a view of the Saskatchewan Glacier. It sounded easy enough at only 3 miles round trip but it was a steep climb and Dave got a workout carrying Skye. Even though it was steep, you climb up this mountain surrounded by beautiful trees at the beginning giving way to a just a carpet of green tundra and wildflowers. You don't see the glacier until you are on the ridge but then you see it on the other side, a huge glacier stretching down the valley below you. Wow, I was so glad we made the trek to see this view. Nature is amazing! We hiked up the last part with another couple hiking with their dog so we took each others pictures and visited for a bit while enjoying the view before doing the steep hike back down.

After the drive back we picked up some pizza to eat at the trailer as we got things ready for an early start the next day. It really is hard to rank everything that we saw and did on this trip but this full day was really something special.

Peyto Lake

View of the Athabasca Glacier from the Columbia Icefields Visitor Center

The cool vehicle that took us out onto the glacier

Walking on the Athabasca Glacier

The Sky Bridge

Saskatchewan Glacier after hiking up Parker Ridge

Resting and enjoying a snack with a glacier view

My heart and spirit were full from such an amazing day in nature

Skye playing at the campground in her Canadian pajamas