Schroeder Family Roadtrip

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...

Day 17 – Tuesday We completed a very long drive to Zion National Park in southern Utah, with a stop at a nowhere Wal-Mart for more food.  We’re camping in-park with no water or electric.    Our site is shady and very convenient to the nearby town of Springdale, which is super cute.   We’re slightly jealous that we’re not camping in town.   We walked to the Nature Center to pick up, you guessed it, Jr. Ranger packets.   We’ve decided to stay for the Ranger talk on field observations just so we can be in the air conditioning. After several games of Yahtzee (outside) and using the ripe campsite bathrooms, the girls are sleeping without blankets and in their under ware.  Consensus is that we don't care for dry camping when it hot.

Day 16 – Monday We took it easy in the morning because we’d previously signed up for the Fiery Furnace hike.   The only way to complete this hike is to obtain a permit or join a ranger-led group.   The provided literature stated, “During these physically demanding hikes, you will walk and climb on irregular and broken sandstone, along narrow ledges above drop-offs, and in loose sand.   There are gaps you must jump across and narrow places that you must squeeze into.   We do not allow children under 5.”    We expected some serious heat and rock climbing.   So the girls went swimming in their sweet new goggles from the Texaco (also pictured) and Jason for a quick jog / work stuff. At 4PM we met our ranger at the Fiery Furnace car park and were relieved to see a few other children.   We headed out into the maze-like conditions and soon enough we heard thunder.   As a group, we agreed to keep going.    Then the rain came and...

Day 15 - Sunday The girls just want to go to that less than stellar pool, so I promised them that after we did laundry (again) we'd do it.  I found a People magazine that was only two weeks old!!  I'm so jazzed to have something new to read at the pool!!  The girls met a new friend.  He's a 45 year old man with a long beard, who's here for the Red Rocks music festival.  He and his "lady friend" follow a band called moe.  With their free afternoon, they were going on a rafting trip down the Colorado river.  Since the girls are tired of hiking, I signed us up too, all while Jason was embarking on a "must do" bicycle ride called Porcupine Rim.  When we finally met up with Jason he looked worse that I've seen him after an adventure.  He said, "It was hard.  It was hot.  I need water."  I felt bad that he had no down time, because we immediately went to the rafting place. Alice decided that she would be brave with Jason and went...

Day 14 - Saturday We drove from Farmington to Moab, but first a stop at Arches National Park.  We walked to the Windows Arches and were impressed by the size and vibrant colors. We tried to go to the Delicate Arch viewpoint, but there was a flash flood and the road was washed out.  While waiting for the rain to subside, a man backed his RV into ours.  Jason told the man that we'd move, but he backed into us again.  This led to aggressive words being exchanged, but quickly fizzled.  We decided to hike to Delicate Arch, but Violet needed an bathroom ASAP.   Jason took her back to the RV.  Alice and I went for it, but it just kept going... and going... and going.  We'd get over a ridge only to find out that there was another ridge.  Alice and I never made it, but we had a good time and were drenched in sweat.  Alice told me, "If you keep up this hiking, your bum could be as small as mine." Then we arrived at our cam...

Day 13 – Friday We got up early again and headed to Lagoon Amusement Park at the recommendation of our friends, Alicia and Kacie.   On the way to Utah, we washed the RV, stocked up at Wal-Mart and finally arrived at Lagoon.   I had a mini-panic attack when I found that my password had expired on my work laptop while we were in Yellowstone.   In this case, working with your clever brother is super handy.   Roger is #1! Holy hotness should be the new name of Farmington, Utah.    Again, Violet was about 2 inches away from riding the big rides.    There is something for everyone though.    We decided that we liked this better than Silverwood in Idaho.      We are all disgusting from the steamy ride in the RV, sweating in the sun at Lagoon, and the greasy remains of our sunblock.    It’s 10pm and we’re all headed to the campground showers.    This is the first night that we’ve slept with th...