Schroeder Family Roadtrip

Kua Bay Day The ladies and I started slow today with a few shows and then decided we wanted to hit the beach.  We made our way to Kua bay for some body boarding and people watching.  The beach was crowded, but the weather was ah-mazing!   Jason was showing off his skills and Alice looks like she's trying out for Bay Watch. For dinner we went to the Lava Lava Beach club and watched the sun set over A Bay.  The girls played ladder golf and learned to hula. Violet has been struggling to eat because of a loose tooth.  She'd finally had it and let Jason pull it while at dinner.  She was SO excited to have it out of the way.  Lost her first tooth on the first of the year.

Happy New Year's Eve!! Today we hit up a beach that is very close to the condo, A Bay.  The waves were not great for boogie boarding but Anaeho'omalu Bay was lovely.   Happy New Year from the Schroedsters!  It's 8:45 here and we're headed to bed.

Pool Day Now that we can see the condo better, it is fantastic!  Jason made us a delicious breakfast from my expensive grocery trip.  We walked to the Queen's Market and it warmed up quick, so the girls want to hit the pool and I agree! In the afternoon, I went to Costco and spent a hair more than I did at Foodland and I filled up the fridge.  There were no parking spots, but it was worth it. Waikoloa Beach Villa Exterior View from our patio View of our pool I think Alice is checking out this boy?!?!

Travel Day We took and afternoon flight to the Big Island of Hawaii.  I have minimal experience with fainting, but a lady fainted on our plane in the row in front of us.  No one seemed to be doing anything about it, so I got to use my "big voice" again!!  Jason missed it in Utah but said, "You are SO loud."  That poor lady spent the remainder of the flight curled up by the bathrooms, throwing up in a plastic garbage bag.  Other than that, the flight was smooth and we arrived a little early. I wanted a minivan but we ended up with a Suburban. We showed up to Waikoloa Beach Villas at 9:30 PM Hawaiian time (11:30 in Oregon).  The condo is exactly as advertised!  I went to the Foodland late night and spend $200 for three sacks of food.  Costco will be on the agenda for tomorrow.  

It's Friday night and we still haven't un-packed.  No one wants to get back in the RV.  Plus, I'm not sure I want to wear those clothes anymore anyway.  I love having my own washer/dryer and dish washer.  I made dinner last night with THREE pans.  It was amazing. Jason surprised me today with a spa day.  I think I'll keep him.

Day 25 - Wednesday The RV is nearly out of fresh water, we're almost out of food, I'm out of socks, and it's time to go home.  Jason has some work calls to make, so I'm the captain today.  I'm taking us through Eugene due to it's flat, strait, and familiar nature.  I think I might get the RV up to 70 MPH.  Normally, when I drive (even if I floor it) I can't go faster than 63 MPH.  I fed the kids yogurt tubes, Cliff bars and hot chocolate for breakfast today. We've driven 4,317 miles in 25 days.  We made it to Boring and we still like each other! Thanks for all your texts, emails, IM's, calls, and encouragement. Love, April, Jason, Alice and Violet

Day 24 - Tuesday Adam and Bethany are going to drive us to Crater Lake.  The girls have asked Bethany if she and Adam can just drive them home and Jason can take the RV. View of the lake from the lodge It is still a little smoky at Crater Lake, so we're going to get our last Junior Ranger badges.  During this process we've walked back and forth between the Lodge, Visitor Center, and gift shop at least twice.  I was scolded for talking about an irregular mole during the Junior Ranger program.  I incorrectly assumed that only the children needed to know the symbiotic relationship between the Clark's Nutcracker and the Whitebark Pine.  Regardless of my bad behavior, patches and badges were earned. There is one trail where you can actually swim in the lake, so it's off to the Cleetwood Cove trailhead.  It is very hot, but less smoky and we're all excited to cool off.   I'll let you decide if we're the only ones with this plan ...

Day 23 - Monday There was talk of going to Yosemite National Park but we've heard that the Ferguson Fire is burning in the Sierra National Forest, and causing very poor air quality.  We've decided to meet our friends, Adam and Bethany, at Diamond Lake for two nights.  We are all excited to see new people and be headed to Oregon!! About an hour before we reached Klamath Falls, we discovered that there are fires burning here too.  There is one only five miles from Crater Lake National Park, so it was a smoky drive. We'd never been to Diamond Lake but it's a lovely campground right on the lake.  We all went to the day use area and the kids were pleased to be in the water an making friends.  The family next to us challenged the fellas to a dudes-only Kan Jam game.  They've declined. We're hoping the wind changes direction, so we can head to Crater Lake tomorrow.  Side note: w e've been banned from campfires at every stop until we reached Diamond La...

Day 22 – Sunday We have decided to power drive to Reno from the North Rim of Grand Canyon.  The kids chose to stop at McDonald’s for breakfast (haven't seen one in a long while) and it turns out that after 3000 miles of driving your RV also needs more oil.   We drove through Nevada and saw maybe four cars in as many hours. There are parts of Nevada where you could die and no one would know for days. The only change in landscape was UFO graffiti and a dead bloated cow on the side of the road.    Jason wanted to push on to Klamath Falls, but after 11 or 12 hours in the RV, I demanded to be let out.   The kids were doing surprisingly well and we decided it was because they realized that we weren’t going to make them hike.   I chose a place with full hook-ups, Wi-Fi, level parking pads, free showers, pool, and all the works, in Sparks, NV.   I even found a new magazine!!   I used a hair dryer for the first time in 20 days, so I fee...

Day 21 – Saturday We bounced down Road 611 and arrived at the North Rim Lodge just in time for breakfast.  Alice doesn’t want to go to the Visitor’s Center because she doesn’t want to pass out again.  After checking out the massive expanse, we drove to Cape Royal and went to the Angel’s Window lookout.   The girls performed a faux wedding at the tiny wedding ceremony site (kiss included) and walked the Cliff Spring Trail. We’ve checked into the North Rim campground and I’ve done my last three loads of laundry the trip!!  Jason jogged Uncle Jim’s Trail, which sounded like an ankle-breaker since the mules also use it.  Meanwhile, Lady Schroeder’s attended a program about condors.  It’s a good thing Jason wasn’t there because a woman in the audience announced that “condors are killed by the windmills”.  He would have gone off because they’re not called windmills, and they spend millions trying...

Day 20 – Friday This morning we drove to Rainbow Point at the end of the park and walked the Bristlecone Loop to collect our last medallion.    The ladies are leaving Jason to ride his bike from the point to Red Canyon, while we stop at the Visitor’s Center to get the Jr. Ranger badges and our small prize.     While there, Alice looked at me and said, “I don’t feel so good.” She was very pale and then passed out.     I rarely use my “big voice” because my normal voice is loud enough, but in a matter of moments I silenced the whole Bryce Canyon Visitor Center.     I had a vacationing neurologist, a nurse, and two park rangers by my side in seconds.     She was moved to a medical room the size of a closet, where a Ranger Cop, Ranger EMT, and Volunteer EMT looked her over.     Everyone thinks that she’s fine and it was just the high altitude taking its toll.     I am a sweaty mess though.    We ...

Day 19 - Wednesday Everyone woke up very feisty today.  The girls are not interested in hiking anymore, yet Jason is ready to explore.  It would seem we are a team divided.  We’ve finally motivated and moved the RV into a lovely spot inside the park at the North Campground.  It is quiet, pretty, and close to the Visitor Center.   You know what that means, Jr. Ranger packets!! Everyone seems happier now, so we’ve decided to hike the Navajo Loop.  The girls have discovered that if you do certain hikes, and get your picture taken with medallions for the “Hike the Hoodoos” challenge, you’ll earn a small prize.  The idea of a prize has motivated them to go for one more small hike, so we also explored Queen’s Garden.  It is so impressive here.  I’m so glad we have a new camp spot, that our attitudes improved, and that we didn’t miss the magic here. While Jason was jogging the Fairland Loop (8 miles and 2000 feet ...

Day 18 - Wednesday The Zion shuttle starts running at 6 AM and our plan was to be at the Visitor Center no later than 7 AM to catch it.  We couldn't get the girls out of bed, so we showed up at 7:30 and line was already long.  After three buses left without us, we were finally ready to start exploring!  Many trails were closed due to a flash flood that had just come through the week before.  This hiking was MUCH more crowded than we have become accustomed. We did two small hikes at different shuttle stops and decided to move on.  Even though we had another night reserved, everyone seems excited about this choice.  We had to buy a special permit to drive through this mile long tunnel carved through the cliff.  Our RV is too large, so we had to go single file.  It was pretty amazing, actually. The girls wanted to know if we would be able to use the air conditioner and would there be a pool.  Good questions, since we had nothing res...