The Big Move - day 3

Today is Aug 21^st , day 3. We drove 228 miles today from Elko, Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Last night we pulled into Elko, NV pretty late. It was dark, the kids were already asleep and we were all tired after a long day. The hotel was a really nice little place, despite being in the same 'power center' off the highway as a Raleigh's supermarket, a pizza place, and a Del Taco.We we're fortunate to have two beds in the room and I think it made all the difference. The kids transferred asleep and despite Calum being up a bit in the night we did pretty well considering.

A hot breakfast was included with the hotel at a restaurant nearby. Essentially it was a family place, think Swiss Chalet, Kelseys, Applebees. They had decent breakfast food, especially considering it was free. Erica let Alec have some of his favorite flavored milk while we were there (vanilla creamer). Am I wrong in thinking its weird for kids to drink creamers? I mean I'm sure I did it, but I don't think I was ever allowed... Then again I let him do stuff that Erica thinks is questionable all the time... so we're pretty even on the parenting stuff.

Hitting the road we had some really beautiful views of sun filtering through fluffy clouds with grey bellies. The landscape slowly changed from the barren desert of yesterday to a greener more shrub filled desert. It was for the most part still flat but we could feel a transition starting to occur in the landscape. When I lived in Africa, they called this kind of land around the Sahara the sahel, and it speaks of change, good and bad, with the growing or shrinking desert. 

 

 

Logistics we're straightforward today. We drive straight East along highway 80 all day.

The drive went well. Both kids we're in good spirits, and then Calum had an early nap. It seems like he might be taking two naps these days with all the driving. Probably the combination of no stimulation then 110% stimulation, then back to none again. It must be tiring. Anyhow, we got our first taste of rain as we drive through the flats and into some hillier areas. But it only smattered and we pushed through for quite a while and then stopped for lunch right on the border town of Wendover. Actually we stopped in West Wendover on the Nevada side of town. The playgrounds are just better there :)

This was a really big playground, with a lot of varying equipment some looking basically brand new and other pieces scattered about seeming to be from the 1950s. There we're some very old looking licensed bouncers and sea saws, but I think they may have been knock offs... 

And man was it windy! The kids had a very good run around while Erica put together sandwiches for lunch. Although it looked like rain it never actually broke, and Erica asked one of the few locals we saw in Wendover only to find out that this weather is commonplace. 

The kids had a fun play and we all ate a little lunch and then headed back into the car to finish our much more relaxed day driving into Salt Lake City.Before we left Wendover for good though, we had to stop by and see Woody. Yes, that woody, the one from Toy Story apparently lives in Wendover. Oh and apparently he smokes now...

...

Almost immediately across the Utah border we could see the ground flatten out considerably. And within a few miles we could see the coloring even out and grow paler and paler. If you know your geography you'll realize where we we're coming up to. The Bonneville Salt Flats we're calling, and we couldn't get by without stopping to check out the Speedway where so many land speed records have been broken!

We peeled off the highway and made out for the nearby outlook where we could get out feet down onto the salt. We thought better about driving on the salt flat itself. The last thing we need right now is any car trouble and it looked pretty gnarly out there. We made it out to basically where the main raceway starts though and stopped for some time on the flats.

Its really amazing to be there in this expanse of white salt mud and earth. To see the cracked ground where you know the fastest people on earth have traveled. The one thing I wasn't expecting about it. The salt is really fine on the top. Its all been ground down to a sticky fine powder. It got on us pretty much everywhere but I didn't really mind, and the kids we're suitably impressed. I think... Its hard to tell with them sometimes. 

 

While we were there we met a man named Stacey. He was a pretty cool dude who said he'd been out there for speed week and was more or less just bumming around waiting for friends to show up for more drinking and racing action. He was an old time bike engineer and actually worked on two motorcycles that broke speed records on the salt flats. This is the kind of guy that belongs out on the salt flat.The kind of guy you totally imagine would work on motorcycles all his life just to get that little bit more juice, just to go a little bit faster. He was a very cool dude.

As we left the salt flats there was a pretty funny incident. Well two really. First I caught Alec licking the salt off his shoe. Yup, pretty gross, but he seemed to like it :( But then we also somehow managed to get a fly in our car. Alec has taken to very loudly shouting “shoo fly shoo!” whenever he sees a fly. Event though we opened the windows this fly didn't want to leave though so eventually Alec gave up and told us that we'd have to get a new car. I guess the fly won ours through a fair fight...

As we headed into Salt Lake City pulling through that last 100 miles we decided to call ahead to our hotel, the airport Super 8 and ask them to see if we could have two beds in our room. When called though they informed us that to upgrade to a two bed room would be an additional $5, more importantly though we'd have to pay an additional $15 for a non-smoking room! What?! We ordered this through Priceline, and they are giving us a smoking room?! And a non-smoking room is more? Shouldn't it be the other way around these days??? Well we called Priceline customer service and apparently there wasn't anything they could really do about it. We got the room at a very good rate by doing this “name your own price” thing, and when you do that apparently you get what you get. So we had nothing to do but cancel. Priceline was as good about it as they could be, but we were not impressed with Super 8 at all. We ended up booking through Priceline again, only over the phone this time and found a really nice place that was more or less comparable in price and gave us tow queen beds and a guarantee of a non-smoking room. Look I'm no hater on smokers, I used to be one, but I can't have my kids around that; and you can't tell me those rooms don't smell.

To cheer things up a bit Alec decided to pull all of the clothes and diapers out of the bags packed around him and bury himself in them. He kept telling us how dressed up he was. It was very cute. 

He also very cutely randomly shouts "Hooray Mummy!" at the top of his voice.

Finally we pulled into our hotel off the highway in Salt Lake. Its still an airport hotel and we haven't made it into the city proper yet, but we expect to do a little (a very little touring tomorrow). I've been to Salt Lake before, and while its got some impressive buildings to admire, unless you want to take to time to catch the Tabernacle Choir I don't know that there's much I'm super excited to see here.

Oh thank heaven!

This is nice though, we arrived mid afternoon and had some time on our hands, as opposed to pulling up after the kids are asleep. The whole family dropped our bags in the room and then went down to the outdoor pool for a swim. It was a bit chilly at first but fine once we got used to it and the kids had a great time. Then we spent a very short time in the hot-tub, and headed back in for cleanup and prep for dinner.

A friend of Erica, named Chase, who lived here in Salt Lake a few years ago had recommended a good Mexican place to eat that was more or less a local joint. So we headed down the block to the Red Iguana. At around 5pm it was already very busy with locals so you could tell it was going to be good. Thankfully they proved us right with some truly excellent Mexican food. Erica and I both had Enchiladas and Alec stuck to his favorite of cheese quesadilla. Calum ate some of everything and then generally made a mess. That's one thing we always have to be prepared for at restaurants with little kids. They are terribly messy. 

 

 

Two points specifically at the Red Iguana, they had this really great non alcoholic Apple Beer that I'd definitely recommend and when Erica asked them about the mole they promptly brought us a sampler plate with all six or seven different varieties they offered and let her pick what she wanted on her enchilada . Pretty great, we'd definitely recommend it if you're in Salt Lake.

  

After dinner we crept home to the hotel and the kids went more or less quietly to bed. We've got a little patio looking out onto the highway and Erica and I are working through a few logistics now, getting ready for tomorrow, and our trip out to Rock Springs, Wyoming and beyond.

The Big Move - day 2

Today is Aug 20^th, day 2. We're driving 335 miles today from South Lake Tahoe, California to Elko, Nevada. 

When last we left you we were just pulling into South Lake Tahoe for the night. The Blue Jay Lodge was pretty nice. It was nestled among about 7 other low end hotels that all looked pretty much exactly the same. I'm sure in the ski season it gets pretty insanely busy. But we didn't see too much of the town really. Since the kids were asleep already when we arrived we worked to get the room set up (with Calum in a playpen and Alec on a thermarest on the floor). It mostly worked...

After a bit of a difficult night Erica and Alec had a sleep in while Calum and I went for a little walk. The Blue Jay Lodge is literally half a block away from the Nevada border, and what do you suppose is immediately across the border? The Casino of course! Its totally weird seeing this nice respectable little ski town and then just at one edge of town there is suddenly these monstrous buildings for gambling. It definitely spoils the charm. Fortunately Calum didn't seem to notice.

After a continental breakfast we all hopped in the car and headed off for a short drive up the Lake to the Sand Harbor State Park, and Beach! Arriving at like 9:30am on a Monday morning is definitely the time to go to Tahoe; it wasn't too busy and we got a great chance to enjoy the sand in relative peace.

Alec and Calum promptly made friends with the two little girls beside us, and proceeded to help them dig a hole to China. The lake itself is beautiful, and we all went in the water event though it was a bit chilly at first. Alec is a good swimmer, but is happy to be wearing his new water wings. Calum went in with me and had a good time watching the inexplicably ever present Canadian geese.

 

We played and swam and dug, and built sand castles, which Alec promptly trampled. Everyone thoroughly had a good time. And then all of a sudden it was time for food. We headed off to the picnic area in the nearby woods. 

While the coals got hot Alec and Calum explored the trees, rocks, and stumps. They collected pinecones, and went for a walk. 

We cooked sausages, and made cous cous with brocolli. Pretty nice for a BBQ lunch :) Our plan for food as I mentioned yesterday is to avoid too many restaurants. We're hoping to stay at hotels with breakfast included, and then do at least one meal a day on the BBQ. Hopefully the other meal will be cold (maybe sandwiches, or whatnot). We're not trying to avoid restaurants per say, it can just get pricey, and this way is really better family time. Even if it takes a bit longer and means more cleaning.

The kids did well, although after lunch Calum refused to listen to us one too many times and got is first ever time out. Its a tough thing, and I don't think he actually got the message, but at least we're trying. Instead of getting upset at his timeout, Calum just giggled through it.

Then it was time to pack up and hit the road. Elko is a real trek and this may be our biggest driving day overall. Since we're also stopping for beach time, this is going to be a long day!

Logistics: Today we drove through the El Dorado Forest up I50 straight to the 431, and the 395 leading in Reno, NV. From there we struck out on the 80. We'll be on the 80 for quite a while so for the next day or so its a drive through the desert.

Driving through the mountains to Reno was beautiful. We hit an elevation of some 9000' and wound our way back down to Reno. The mountains we're pretty spectacular and there were a few amazing vistas as we drove. Also Alec was really amused to see a truck carrying porta-pottys on the back. He really wanted to try one out!

Our next stop came on the outskirts of Reno. The kids we're getting squirrely and we needed gas and a bathroom break. I took Alec briefly into a Super Walmart to use the bathroom and immediately remembered why I dislike those stores. Just ICKY. Instead we went to Target to take a break and let the kids stretch their legs... hey there wasn't much else around and we needed to pck up a few things. And no, Target and Walmart are totally different. Just go to one vs the other and you'll see. Our kids like hanging out in the toy aisle in target, and they know that we never take anything home. Its kind of like a toy library for them. That's normal right...

Anyhow, after a stretch we got back in the car and decided to push on and get as far as we could before we needed to stop for diner. Lots of flat desert driving followed. Overall the kids have been good in the car, even playing with each other. Calum's still a bit young to engage too much but he has fun on his own and Alec just talks up a storm.

  

 

Alec was impressed wth all of the trucks. They we're all very weird to him. He saw a truck with laundry on the back, a truck hauling a boat, and a truck hauling another truck. While this part of the States is nice in its own hellish way, I'm not sure exactly why you'd want to live somewhere so crazy hot and dry. Sure its beautiful, but its also also such a harsh climate. Very tough to figure out.

While we wanted to get further we ended up stopping in the little town of Lovelock, NV. Small town NV. I'm not sure what there is to say about it... they had a nice playground by the courthouse though, even if it was a bit old and rusty, 

We set up shop and let the kids romp around for almost two hours while we slowly put together dinner. Some local teenage boys came by and started doing a few cool parkour moves around the playground and really impressed Alec. Calum couldn't care less, but I thought it was cool!

Later we ate soup and pasta cooked on a little camp stove we brought, and the kids did pretty well. Although expectedly Alec did not want to leave when it was time, and Calum took a bit of a tumble, doing a faceplant into a metal bench (only a cut lip though). It was very nice to stretch, but of course soon enough it was time to get the kids in PJs and head back to the car for the final leg of our journey.

The sun set beautifully over the desert hills. We passed not one but two prisons along the way. Probably a good idea to put them out here.. I mean where could you escape to? There were signs along the road indicating that hitchhiking was illegal in the “prison zone”...

We're maybe 50 miles outside of Elko at the moment. The kids are asleep and we're driving in the dark beside tumbleweeds. And at least tonight we'll be in a room with two Queen beds. Hopefully the kids will fare a bit better than last night. I'm looking forward to another fun day tomorrow. We're headed straight east into Utah and Salt Lake City. It should be fun :)

The Big Move - day 1

Well we've finally made, or more accurately started the big move. That's right the entire clan has packed up and I on our way East. Its bittersweet. We're sad to leave our friends, our life, and the city that we've called home for thee past 10 years behind but we also know this is the best move for everyone.

Erica and I have loved our time in San Francisco. We moved for jobs, for lifestyle, for a better climate :) But we found a place that's been more than special, its been our home. Its where Erica and I met, its where we fell in love, and had two wonderful children. Its also where we made so many lifelong friendships, living in San Francisco has shaped who we are, emotionally, and spiritually to the core. I'm so glad to have lived there, and we're very sad to see it go.

Life changes though, and not to put too fine a point on it, but no matter how much support we've gotten from our friends we miss our family. We want our kids to grow up knowing their cousins, their grandparents, and to have the opportunities they deserve. The Bay Area is wonderful in so many ways, but its not cheap, and if we really want to live in an urban environment SF is one of the most difficult places to live. Add to that issues like evolving US politics, health care, and other government services and ultimately we came to the difficult decision to make the move back to The Great White North.

YES that/s right, we're not just headed East, but North. To the Toronto area specifically. The house in SF is rented out, our stuff is on the way with the movers, and we have just hit the road! We're driving, nice and slowly across the country with the kids and a VERY full car.

There are (of course) lots of other details, including a wonderful goodbye party with our friends, and yes a few teary farewells with friends here but now we're resolved to look forward. We are genuinely excited to start this next chapter in our lives and today is the first step.

Today is Aug 19^th, day 1. We're driving 229 miles today from San Jose, California to South Lake Tahoe, California.

Logistics first, before I forget them. We started out this morning headed north on I680, then after the Martinez Bridge (I think that's what its called), and we hit Fairfield we took the 80 E up through Sacramento, and onto the 50 in to El Dorado National Forest and to South Lake Tahoe. Since we didn't start until midday our timing was a bit skewed today/ Our plans will fall a bit more into place over the next day or two and I expect we'll be onto more of a routine so we can break up the driving into as manageable chunks as possible.

Traveling with a 3 and 1 year old will be a challenge. Even though our boys are great, and honestly very seasoned travelers Erica and I are both anticipating a few trying times. So we're doing what we can to mitigate the issue before any real problems arise. The kids have toys, snacks, and a lot of breaks planned. With a few exceptions we're planning on driving for around 4 hours a day. That should be totally manageable... right?

We're also planning a lot of stops, or maybe I should say we're not planning our stops but just letting them happen. We'll be staying with some of my family along the way at a few stops, and we've got hotels booked for the first two nights of this trip but other than that we're panning on playing it by ear as much as we can. Yes we have to cross the border into Canada on the 31^st, and we have a general idea of where we'll stop for the evenings, but we don't know where we'll be spending our days. That's all part of the fun here. This is a real world, genuine adventure!

Our first stop occurred some 20 minutes in. Despite having been asked before we left, we received a frantic call of “I have to pee!” from the backseat... This isn't even the time it would've taken for us to get from San Jose back to our house in San Francisco. So somewhere around Danville we pulled into a Denny's parking lot and Alec got his relief. At least it wasn't in the car. Our younger one Calum was thankfully sleeping, so we decided to push through.

Our next stop was for a snack. Roadside fruit stands are always awesome, and today's was no exception. I think we must've been somewhere near Dixon, California; at least that's what it said on all the in house dried fruit and candy packaging. We picked up a few treats, dried pineapple (YUM!), some Sour Cherries for E, and a basket of strawberries for a snack later on. 

We've decided that the kids need at the very least a time to run around everyday. They are VERY active boys and Sacramento seemed like a good idea. If anyone out there knows how the Yelp mobile app works please let me know cause I am having a tricky time figuring out what parks and playgrounds rate best (the full site seems so much better). Something I expect to be looking up a lot as we drive.

Ultimately I found a CBS Sacramento listing for their park picks and we took the coolest sounding one for their word. Rausch park may technically be in Citris Springs, and not Sacramento, but it really is very nice. The playground is guarded by these wonderful stone lions and there was some solid play equipment. The boys climbed and slid, and did exactly what we were hoping for the next hour. 

Alec has definitely proven that he won't forget his friends in San Francisco quickly. When approached by Spanish speaking kids on the playground he immediately started singing Mandarin songs he had learned with Alyssa at daycare :) 

After some playtime we sat down for a snack of strawberries. The kids love strawberries, and Alec is always considerable of his brother. He specially found all of the smallest ones in the basket and gave them to his brother. What a guy.

Back in the car and onto the road again. We had thought to stay in Reno tonight, but changed our mind, deciding that spending some time at the beach tomorrow morning then pushing through to Elko would make more sense. I'm glad of it too. This area is beautiful! Even from the road, as you get in closer to Tahoe the trees get bigger, the vista more majestic, and everything just feels cleaner.

We decided that tonight was an exception to the plan and stopped at a restaurant off the highway for dinner. That's one of the unfortunate tings we have to deal with here, these kids operate on their own time frame. When they are hungry they are hungry. And being stuck in a car with a grouchy 3 and 1 year old who haven't eaten is not a place I want to be. So into the belly of the beast we went and supped at one of the great American staples: Denny's.

To be honest dinner was pretty good. Its been a long and very hot day out here. It seemed like as soon as we left the Bay it got hot, REAL hot. Now though the sun is going down and so is the temperature.

Back in the car and the kids have a spirited game of hide and seek from the car seats. Its pretty adorable. They've both got their blankets and Calum is in his PJs so the only place they have to hide is under their blankets. They think this is hilarious!

Erica and I have just pulled up to South Lake Tahoe after some more spectacular hills going over the southern Tahoe mountain summit. We're a few minutes away from the hotel taking a quick stop at the Safeway for supplies. (We've been so busy getting ready for the move we didn't have time to even get groceries for the trip!) 

I just saw the lake a minute or two ago and am certainly happy to be here. On our way. On our adventure. The kids have as expected fallen fast asleep in the backseat. 

 I'm looking forward to day 2. This is going to be fun.