AmLo's Great American Vacation

Made It!

2006-10-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

I do apologize for not updating this for over a month - work has been absolutely insane lately and I just didn't have time to wrap it up.
So we made it home after 3 months of travelling. Thanks to everybody for your help, and it was great to visit every single one of you.

Here comes the Math-

Miles on the ManVan: 10,600 (approx) - the trip odometer reset at 10k.

States Visited : 18

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Miles in Air (per person) - 4780

Cumulative travel distance of 15,380 miles per person. This does not include land miles in Hawaii.

Total travel distance (sum of each person's distance): 61,520: that is 2.27 times around the earth at the equator.

Pulled over: 2 times. Once in Kansas on day 3 - no ticket. Once in Texas on day 88 - ticket.

We leave on Oct 24th for Amlos Vacation part 2 - we are heading East to Naples, Florida for a month. Check it out at Amlos part 2

Hey everyone...well we made it..;) what a trip!! it was great fun, but is always good to get home too! hehe As JaAmlo said above, we are going to Florida in a few days, more work than play though. Then we are staying put after that for awhile..;) Hope you all enjoyed this little travel diary...and thanks to everyone for making it such a wonderful experience for us!!!

3 days Straight

2006-10-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

From South Dakota to Texas, there are no major highways running North to South. We took a pseudo farm road for 3 days. We drove thru some interesting areas, such as huge wind farms and delapidated farms. At one point we were excited to see other cars.
The panorama is where we pulled over for a diaper change of the wee one.

It was wonderful to pull into the Lo's house in Austin to reunite with them, right where the trip kicked off (even though we had just seen them at the funeral). We had so many stories to tell, we must have seemed like completely different people than when we left.

Rushmore and Crazy Horse

2006-10-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

We left Grand Rapids early the next day and hit Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse. We were surprised at how small Rushmore is, and how HUGE Crazy horse is.

Then there was Crazy Horse.

On our way out of the Balck Hills, I noticed a house under construction. We turned around and drove up to the site to check it out. The reason we stopped, is because it was being buildt out of styrofoam block (one of my architectural interests). The workers were nice and showed me around and told me about what they were using. Pretty cool to finally see it in real life.

Grand Rapids, Deadwood, and the Cabin

2006-10-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

We made it back to our friends' house in Grand Rapids after a full day. The LAmLo and her friend were stoked to be back together and played hard for oh, 3 days straight. They were all excited to get moving and to deadwood.

We made it to Deadwood, and discovered that there was a vintage car show on the main road. Twas pretty cool, and made the place feel "old". Our buddy grew up there, so we got the insider tour.

We then went to the cemetary, which was my favorite part of the town. It was so unnique, and had so much history. Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, Bullock at the top of the hill.... and many many more. Just walking thru the woods, we found unmarked graves... and SNOW.

We then headed up to a great cabin in the hills. There was plenty of snow up there and stuff to do. The downstairs area had a heated concrete floor with a great finish on it.

Venturing Back to Dakota

2006-10-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

After the funeral we were very, very sick and stayed in the hotel for 36 hours or so recovering. Broken AC, 2 sick little ones, and us both running fevers. The drive was pretty nice actually. We went thru the Great Sand Dunes of Nebraska and then the Sioux Nation. There were very very few cars out there, and I actually used my first outhouse (sorry no pictures). The following is a video of the ManVan control center, as we blasted thru the nothingness of Eastern South Dakota.

Goodbye Grandpa Joe

2006-09-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

We found out on the morning of September 12, 2006 that JAmLo’s dear Grandpa Joe passed away. These photos are from the beginning of our trip. We made Grandpa the first real stop and are so glad that we did. He smiled much of the time and truly enjoyed the girls and getting to know XAmLo. The night before we left, we went knew things had taken a turn as when we went to say goodnight, his nurse told us he’d been sick after dinner and so had gone to bed and was already asleep. JAmLo went in to tell him goodnight and we don’t even know if Grandpa woke up all the way to realize. It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to Grandpa. I didn’t know him for long, but he was always so kind to me and inclusive from the moment we first met when LAmLo was little. I truly appreciated his generosity and his love. I am proud to know that my girls share in his legacy and can only hope that I live as long and full of a life with the same amount of grace he exhibited. Thank you Grandpa Joe, for all your love, your kindness and your support. You will be missed…

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

2006-09-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Going through the Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance into Yellowstone National Park was very cool. It felt good to be able to put this park on our list of National Parks we’ve visited on this trip, as it was the very first National Park in the system..:) LAmLo and I immediately started looking for bears. That was our goal, to see some bears! Unfortunately for us however, the bears were being shy, so we had to settle for a wolf, some elk and several bison…oh and plenty of crows! No matter, it was still beautiful and we were having a grand time.

I was amazed to see the devastation that the 1988 forest fire caused there however. So much landspace just burned. The rangers had planted new trees, but they are still babies. This devastation didn’t affect me as much as the longing in Washington and Montana did. Those areas were just decimated and it broke my heart to see the bald mountain tops and to realize that 20 years ago those forests looked quite different. Now instead of healthy pines, there were tons of hardwoods taking up the space that the native pines would grow if they had a chance. Why do we believe this is considered sustainable logging practices? How can we allow this to continue? Very sad….

It was truly awe inspiring to see all the healthy rivers here in the northern U.S.. I am used to very different looking rivers, so I couldn’t get over how lush, clean and roaring these rivers are, even at this time of year. So beautiful. If the snow wasn’t such a huge issue, I’d definitely want to move to somewhere in the northern U.S…well, the snow and much of the politics. But that’s for a whole other blog…;)

The drive to Sheridan from Yellowstone was interesting, to say the least. According to the map, it wasn’t that far…however what we didn’t know what the road went over a major mountain range taking us up to close to 10,000 feet! It took us forever to get to our hotel. We were wishing we could have seen the sites during the day, but as it was night time, we only got to see the shine of the deers’ eyes as our headlights caught them. There were a lot of deer!! At one point it seemed that everywhere we turned our heads we could see one looking back at us or eating alongside the road. I was glad that Jason was driving, although I don’t know if he was too happy about it! We finally made it to the hotel and figured out our next step. We are headed to Rapid City, South Dakota and then on Thursday will hit the road for the long day to Sabetha and Grandpa Joe’s funeral. Then we will go back up to Rapid City on Sunday and resume our journey with our friends up there. The adventures never end for the AmLos!!

A loud Vent in Yellowstone

Old Faithful Geyser

We were stopped due to contruction on the East Exit for about an hour. If you see the van in the picture above, with the Plethora of Ribbons and Texas plates.... well that guy was behind us and decided to come tell us about Nam for 20 minutes or so. When I finally made it back into the ManVan, the guy in this video got out of the car with the most horrific atomic wedgie I've ever seen, and they way he was dancin.. I think he liked it. Enjoy - I know I did.

Museum of the Rockies - University of Montana, Bozeman

2006-09-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Dinosaurs!!! That’s right folks, we found a dinosaur museum and LAmLo couldn’t be happier! We got to Bozeman in great time and looked up by chance and there was a billboard for the museum at the university. So JAmLo got online and checked it out, then we headed straight to it. The first one we saw was “Big Mike” out front. There were tons of exhibits about the early geography of our planet, then the dinosaurs! We saw 3 complete T-rex skulls, a life size sculpture of a triceratops and tons of other rather large bones from various other dinosaurs. LAmLo had been wanting to see a dinosaur museum since being at my sis’s house and reading little H’s baby book on dinosaurs. ☺ It was wonderful to make one of her little dreams come true!

I have just one thing to say about the drivers in Bozeman though…”Take a driving lesson, or two!”

Glacier National Park, Montana

2006-09-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! What an amazing place this National Park was. We got up super early in the morning and made the trek across the park as the sun was coming up. It was gorgeous! We saw a mama mountain goat with her baby following and LAmLo was excited about it! We looked for bears, but never saw any. The mountain range and peaks are awe inspiring in how dramatic and how old they are. Glacier National Park was designated as a Heritage site, making it one of the world’s treasures up there with the Taj Mahal and the Egyptian pyramids. I am so happy we were able to share this with the girls. I know XAmLo won’t remember, but hopefully LAmLo will. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves with this park. (We will add those asap)

After this, we headed across Montana to Bozeman. JAmLo was tired so went in the back to try and sleep. XAmLo fell asleep, so LAmLo and I had almost 3 hours of our own driving time. It was so much fun. The rolling hills in Montana are full of history. I kept imagining how it was hundreds of years ago before we came in and took it all from the Native Americans. A lot of spirit in those hills. LAmLo and I could feel it at every leg stretching stop we made. I feel very blessed that we have been able to make this trip and experience these things with my family. The only thing that could have made it more complete would be to have JoSpa with us. I miss him terribly and can’t wait to give my boy a big hug and spend some time with him. He is so busy right now with work and school…*sigh*

Anyway, here are some pics from this fabulous park.

















We made it to Bozeman in good time and had more adventures there, much to LAmLo's glee!

Yakima, and the White Ridge gorge.

2006-09-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is OUTDOOR! country. We finally get to see what people use all that Patagonia and REI gear for. Lots of Exterras and Wool beanies. The area is amazing though, at a random glance I saw a rock climber hanging on to a cliff over a hundred feet up. Many many kayakers and rafters... LAmLo enjoyed standing on the banks of the river saying hi and waving to them as they passed by.

Interesting country...JAmLo wasn't kidding when he said that this is every outdoor adventurers dream place. Lots of rock climbing and water to get your kicks at and in. The girls loved seeing the rafters. We ate at a really great Mexican place...can't remember the name though. Our final destination for this evening was Sandpoint, Idaho. Not a whole lot going on there. The hotel was so so...and the food was terrible. But it was a clean place to rest our heads before heading to Montana and Glacier National Park! Pictures will be forthcoming...

yet another map update

2006-09-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Added Idaho and Montana

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Eatonville, Washington

2006-09-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

After the Couv, we headed North to Etonville. I have never been further North (on the west coast) than Portland, so all of this was a new experience for me. The hills up here look different, much steeper than in Coastal Northern California and Oregon. The areas around Mt Raineir have been heavily logged, and clear cutting has had an obvious and serious impact on the environment. Albeit beautiful here, the trees are very small and hardwoods have taken over many of the groves.

for a higher res image, click here

The town of Etonville was a pleasant surprise, the residents are extremely friendly and hold a strong sense of community. We highly recommend visiting this town if you pass thru - but note that the Grocery Store doesn't accept cards of any kind (the people in line were happy to wait for me to use the atm though!)

Hey all!! We had a great time in Eatonville..:) It was a super pleasant town in the mountains there in Washington. Everyone was great! We also went to Graham, Washington and had dinner with my dear dear friend, MGuiBu and her baby RGuiBu..:) R is the same age as XAmLo, so the babies had a blast:

They were watching LAmLo play with R's dog, Lola...;) We will be uploading a video of her fun soon...

Vancouver, Washington

2006-09-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

Vancouver, Washington (aka the couv).

Visited with CaJo and JaJo, and their dogs and cat. He made a serious, kick ass card table. We played Hearts, and I finally shot the moon, and served the table up a nice hot can of WhoopAss!

Oh and for my Mom - LAmLo got a haircut from auntie CaJo. Seeing how well it turned out, CAmLo went for one, and I even trimmed off some of the rat tail attached to my head.
Before (CaJo straightened LAmLo's hair):

After:

Later in the evening, all the training at the playground in Portland paid off, and XAmLo took her first real steps! Behold, we caught it on video.
Her first attempt, looks worse than it was and no tears were shed.

Then - she did it!

Afterwards, she celebrated by chillin in the dog cage!

We had a really great time with my sis and her hubby!! We hadn't seen JaJo in over a year, so it was great to spend some time together. Cards were great fun!! Thanks to SK in Ojai, I'm a hearts addict! :) I cannot believe my baby is walking either. She is doing so well. It was really cool watching her and LamLo actually playing together for real. They loved the dog cage!! hahah So it shows JAmLo and me that they are going to need a playhouse when we get home. :)

I miss my sis so much, it was really nice to see her. She is great with the girls and they both just loved her. She did a great job on LAmLo's and my hair as well..:) I can't wait to see them again, hopefully sooner this time!!

Portland, Oregon

2006-09-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

This post and all files were edited and uploaded while in the car, via blutooth connection to our cellphone. Its kind of an experiment which seems to be working!

Portland was a blast!
We went to the Portland Rose Gardens, or I should say my sister dragged me to the Rose Gardens, kicking and screaming. So heres a few pics of the damn flowers.

for a higher res image, click here

for a higher res image, click here

Also at the gardens was a huge play area.LeLo and AdelRa helped XAmLo walk around for over an hour.... she was obviously getting the hang of it and didn't want to stop. She also got to ride on a swing for the first time.

LAmLo worked on her maniacal slide riding techniques, this video captures some of it. Remember when they used to make slides out of metal, and you would squeak down them if you wore shorts? Well it seems that steel has made a triumphant return to playgrounds, and LAmLo got her squeak on big time. My sister and I were laughing so hard, both at remembering that sound and feeling, and at the fact that LAmLo was having so much fun.

We got to watch movies outdoors at night - what a great treat. We watched Roll Bounce, and followed it up with You Got Served the next night, unfortunately the trifecta was note completed with Drum Line, but we'll see that soon. Thanks ladies!

We also walked down to a newly renovated area of Portland. According to sis, this area used to be a pretty bad ghetto. The city bulldozed everything down, but kept the trees. They then rebuildt affordable housing for the less fortunate and elderly. One of the trees which had to be removed was inverted and used a landscape sculpture.

And typical of Portland, they added a squirty fountain play area - LAmLo loved these things, but was a bit hesitant at first.

for a higher res image, click here

The girls got dressed up and had a photo shoot - hopefully i can get some of the originals from LeLo and post them here.

Also, when leaving Coos Bay, we pulled up to a stoplight and all I could hear was Toby Keith blasting. I looked over and saw this gem, smokin a stogie with the kid in the car.

map update

2006-09-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

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camping

2006-09-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Patricks Point, Humboldt County, California

Arcata

2006-09-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ah, memories.

Kneeland

2006-09-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

Like previous, i'm going to add more text later.

Our old drvieway.. very large file so dialup beware

Humboldt

2006-09-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

We have a ton of pics to add, for now have this one. It was the first Redwood we were reunited with.
I love the trees!!!

Our stowaway...Monkey Monkey is enjoying the ride!!

Ahhh!! Good ole' Humboldt County! How I've missed it..:) It was wonderful to see these majestic trees again! I loved introducing the girls to them as well. I'll write more later about our adventures..but needless to say it was great!

Sacramento

2006-09-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! We spent a couple days with my sis and her family in Orangevale, which is near Sac. A and LAmLo really had a great time! It was so much fun watching them play. We went to the zoo one day and had a blast. Saw alot of cool animals and the girls were very excited. XAmLo loved the peacocks and LAmLo loved seeing the tiger...grrrrrr!!! Bears were sort of fun for her too. It is always nice hanging out with the cousins! :)

tigers...oooooo!!

XAmLo would be just an appetizer for this creature!

the cousins!

my sis and her fam.

I got to go to the zoo too!! It was great seeing my relatives!

Me and cousin Zed...

Not really sure I like this dude!

More Ojai

2006-09-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

Adding this now and will fill in text soon.

Someone stowed away!! It's Monkey Monkey. He didn't want to miss out on all the fun!

The AmLo's can't have all the fun. I wanted to see the country too! It wasn't easy getting away from little H, but somehow I was able to hide. America, here I come!!

Camarillo Drive

2006-08-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Ended up in Camarillo this morning after dropping off SeaKee at the car repair. Had the camera and decided to go up to the old street where I grew up. Took a few vids and tried not to run over and kids in the street...

Second house in the first vid is the one I grew up in, and it is not even remotely the same. The whole street has a somewhat sterile feel to it now.

Around the corner.

El Presidente

2006-08-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Guess whos running for president?

Where are we?

2006-08-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here is the next leg... I'll add to this as we lock down the route east from Washington.

Train

2006-08-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

Where do I start on this post.... The train ride SUCKED! We got on in Fullerton, and the speaker announces STANDING ROOM ONLY FOLKS! Travelling alone, no big deal. But with 2 small kids (one crying), it dissolves into a massive headache. And I'd personally like to thank the people on that train for not even offering to volunteer a seat for a lady with a baby - one dude had a table for 4 and just looked at us like we were crazy.
Eventually, a very nice girl gave up a single seat and CAmLo and the girls crammed in. We got to LA, and the conductor announced that we had to leave the car we were in, and find different seats for some reason. We left, and of course there were no seats to be had. When we returned to that cart, she had allowed other people to come in and get comfy. So i was talking to this guy who grew up in Oxnard, and had finished his tour of duty as a US Marine... and he was pissed off. Basically, he said screw this, i'm going in there and you follow me. He snagged 2 tables, and told the conductor that if she planned on forcing us to move, ww3 would begin right there in that car.

So here's to you, Mr Oxnard Marine train dude! (Oh and they had Arrogant Bastard Pale Ale on the train... that helped)
And for all you smarty pants out there, I took this panorama as we were approaching Simi, well after the crowd had diminished.

for higher res image, click here

What a ride indeed!! Poor little XAmLo was so tired of all the people crowding and pushing...thank the train gods that LAmLo was okay. But fortunately it all worked out and we spent the last half of the ride in comfort with good beer..;) Thank you for sure Mr. Oxnard Marine, not only were you the only guy to give up your seat to a lady with a babe in arms, but you scored a comfortable table for our family of 4! You are a gentleman.

Now we all have colds...blech!! No fevers, just scratchy throats and stuffy noses...thanks to all the germy train crowders. Oh well...we'll live...;)

So Long Beach

2006-08-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Heres some pics of the Ama fam.... enjoy.

for higher res image, click here

LAmLo rollin with her cousin, AtAm

next stop, Ojai.

My bro and his fam all look great!! VAm is really popping out with the new baby bump, and little A is soooo damn cute!! They are anxious to sell their house and get out to Texas, and we are anxious to get them there..:) It will be great having them close by and letting the cousins grow and play together..:)

We are taking the train to Ventura/Ojai today to see B and fam again. That is going to be great! Then we head north to other family visits and finally the trek East towards home...We are really enjoying this trip so much. More to come!!

Newport

2006-08-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

We connected with my old buddy, Mark, at a Celtic Bar in Newport Beach. Was a brief visit but it was wonderful to see him again. Didn't get any pics with him, but we did enjoy some kick ass celtic food and guiness pints. I shot a few videos of the band which was playing.... any Pogue or Waterboy's fans out there would have been as stoked as us to find this performance!

LAmLo was a dancing machine, and XAmLo did the bouncy boogie all afternoon.

The ladies, the ladies, the ladies love the music!

We also drove around after lunch, and I tested out some new sniffing software. Found 300 open networks and was able to stay online most of the way from Newport to Long Beach.
oh, and Rick Owen of Long Beach, your WiFi is unsecured and you need to change the password to your windows XP computer!

thanks for the bandwidth, sucker!

Today we catch a train and head North to Ojai

Long Beach

2006-08-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

heres some pics of a mid century house for sale down here (we are staying here). It has some really interesting design features, such as gyp applied to provide a reveal at the edges, and exposed plates. The board and bats are actually redwood! The unique aspect of this neighborhood, is that when you go for a walk, homeowners invite you in to their homes to see what they have done to their house. They are all very aware of what year their house was buildt, and how to maintain the Cliff May style of Architecture. The homes are very simple, but rich in history and the owners plan to keep it that way.
Backyard:

for higher res image, click here

Front courtyard:

for a higher res image, click here

Curbside:

for a higher res image, click here

Interior

for a higher res image, click here

Interior Intersection: note that the gypsum is applied outwards, which was typical of the architect, Cliff May.

Trim and exterior finish type:

Window and plate:

heres a bonus pic:

and I HAD to throw this in here too...... LAmLo learned how to use the hydraulics in her uncles truck.

Even more Hawaii pics and etc

2006-08-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

CAmLo had some time to hit the beach... heres some pics.

LAmLo with K

There was a bit of a swell that day, and they had to punch thru a 2 footer.....

LAmLo with her good friend E - they played so well together this whole visit.

3 friends:

Everybody had a wonderful time at the Kukio Beach, just south of the 4 seasones in Waikoloa.

LAmLo got to go swimming with some girls visiting from the Netherlands.

Sponger!

One thing hasn't changed, XAmLo LOVES blueberries.

And she loves to eat sand, no matter the color it goes in the intake.

LAmLo with her friends J and J.. they know how to party.

After work one day we decided to hit the pool at the "office". note to parents, never try to dive thru your kid's inflateables... as your ass will get stuck. Almost went off the infinity edge!

Little H loved it when I would burp... wiggy wiggy WIGGY!

The last days in hawaii

2006-08-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

The month went fast... too fast. Work was intense, but we got so much done that it was worth it. We managed to take off to Volcano Village for a few days, while family came out to visit.
Heres some pics.. i tried to keep the panoramas skinnier this time, and there are links after each one you can click on to see them larger, in a new window.

higher res image, click here
we found a cool house at the end of a long road outside of Ke'eau, which is North of Hilo.

higher res image, click here
On the way down that road, we found this Gem.

We were the first people to stay in this house in Volcano Village, at 4000 feet elevation. It was finally time to cool off in the mist.

higher res image, click here
XAmLo matched the house!

After the Volcano, we made it to Black Sands Beach, Punulu'u.

LAmLo stuck out!

Uncle S found some black sand...

little H was extra white there.

XAmLo's feet

Brackish ponds were just adjacent to the beach.. lots of birds and fish. There was also lots of cold water upwelling into the ocean, which it made it look like gasoline fumes when snorkeling. We saw alot of turtles that day.

higher res image, click here

wtf bird
I took LAmLo in the water for hours... shes definately a fish and has become really comfortable in and around the ocean on this trip.

Finally, a small update!

2006-08-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Well, we are back in California and my bro's house. What a great trip to Hawaii, but it went by way too fast! I'll add some photos soon, but for now I'll update you on our adventures.

We had a wonderful time visiting with friends and seeing the beaches and all the familar spots. The girls and I missed Ja'AmLo alot though, and only got to spend a short time with him during the whole trip, but what time we did spend together was fun..:) My sister and her family came over for a few days and we took them to Volcano. That was great fun. H loved the beach and we spent a day at a great black sand beach. :) The kids had fun together. :) Here is a great pic of my sis on the beach with H..

and one of XAmLo looking kind of coy:

LAmLo has gotten very tan. It is cute to see her freckles standing out too..;) XAmLo is still red-head white, having worn tons of sunscreen the entire time. Poor baby did get sick at one point however with a flu bug. She ran a fever for a few days and we stayed down until she felt better and was back to her happy little self. No worse for the wear either...

We flew into California and are currently staying at my bro's house. We will be going back up to Ojai on Sunday and then heading North from there. We will be visiting lots of family and friends along the way too! We are really looking forward to seeing everyone.

See above for Ja'AmLo's updated pics! Of course I took most of them so there are none of me...I was there, I swear!!! I'll get Ja'AmLo to take more of me with the girls now that we've got him back! :)

my parents will update this soon

2006-08-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

until then, heres a flower.

we are back in california, and will update this asap.

Love,
LAmLo

more hawaii pics

2006-07-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

**Note that in order to see the panoramic images, you have to resize your browser window... simply scrolling right or left will not show you the far sides**

the place we are staying at is really damn cool. All appliances are either propane or solar powered. And most of the furniture is hand made from bamboo.

LAmLo was excited to introduce XAmLo to her childhood friends.....

And oh the hilarity still exists here in Hawaii. A wing on a unreinforced trunk of a stock dodge neon, caused it to crumple. This is NOT the first time I've seen this here! The last time was in the McDonalds drivethru, and the owner of the neon got an application for work - from the drivethru window!

Bless your heart, all you mouth breathing anti-thinkers!

Hawaii

2006-07-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

Its nice to be back!
We were greeted at the airport by our great friends and their kids. We went straight to the Kona Inn for lunch, then to the beach. Next day was off to work, but hey - check out the view from my desk.

and here is the house...

I'm learning how to putt on the green.... and i really suck at it!

My old firm had a welcome back party for us....

We hit the beach again

Awwwww, beautiful Hawaii. It is so great to see our friends and all the familar sites. The traffic has gotten worse however, and we do not get to see much of Ja'AmLo as he's working everyday, but it is nice to be back and show the girls all the sites. LAmLo is especially excited to play with her old friends and to see the ocean! She is becoming more and more comfortable with it. She floats on her intertube in the pool all by herself now, which is actually a much bigger accomplishment than it sounds! She loves the ocean and the waves...now if we can only get her to get her head in the water, she'll be swimming in no time! I am very happy to see my dear dear friends. It is great that we can come visit..:)

more pics - updates

2006-07-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

we lost all of our photos from kansas, west.Heres the last ones before the card tanked.

I've been holding out with hopes that they could be recovered but at the same time neglected the blog. After Zion, we went to Primm and stayed in a casino of all places. It was actually quite a bit of fun. They had a rollercoaster which went right thru the casino, and a water log ride which LAmLo loved.

We then went on to Ojai, California and stayed with family for 5 days and had a blast, even though it was over 100F every day. Lots of swimming and beach time, visiting with friends, and even built a metal shed with bro in law. Met some really cool people, and even performed my first wedding at a party (we are both registered ministers). I was waiting at the alter, having not met the couple, and enjoyed an ice cold tecate. Then they appeared, walked down the aisle, and the ceremony began. All went smoothly, no interruptions, and we sang songs as the new couple licked each other and enjoyed a feast out of their bowls. So yes, I married 2 dogs to each other in California.

After Ojai, we took a train to Long Beach and saw another bro in law and family, had some kick ass mexican food, and slept really well.

The next day we flew to Hawaii, after buying a new card for the camera.

Hey everyone! The road trip was a huge success. We really enjoyed ourselves and are all looking forward to continuing it on the last leg of this trip. The girls were amazing and LAmLo has been bitten by the travel bug, constantly asking where we are going next on our trip. :) XAmLo protests the carseat, but after a moment resigns herself to it and has learned to really enjoy the activities along the way. I'm actually very impressed with how well these gals have done..:)

I'm very bummed about the camera card. We did get a new one, and are still hoping to get the photos off the other one. There were so many beautiful scenes we'd love to share...maybe they were just meant for our own memories though....

The casino/hotel was really quite fun! We are not gamblers, but had a blast with LAmLo in the little kiddie arcade. Both J and I took her on the log ride and she was so amped I wasn't sure she'd ever stop grinning.

Ojai was a blast!! We really loved being there with my sister and her family. Their friends were all so gracious and we had a wonderful time. So much fun that we are extending our stay there on the trip back..;) JAmLo and my sis's hubby could have been brothers in another lifetime..they are so much alike it's almost scary..;) My new little nephew is beyond adorable. He's a month younger than my little X and they had a blast playing their baby games.

The train to Long Beach was an adventure as well!! First we missed it in Ventura, so J made the mad dash to Camarillo where we ran across the foot bridge - yes, literally running with two kids and our baggage - only to have to wait for 20 minutes as the train was then running late..haha But the ride was great! J had never been on the train before, so it was fun seeing him and the girls really getting into the trip. We spent most of the 3 hours in the dining car and met a really great couple there who ultimately invited us to spend time at their vacation place in Mexico. They are surfers, so J was in his element with the discussion.

My bro and his family are so gorgeous I can't stand it. Little Atti is such an adorable baby and J and V look great!! They are getting excited about their move to Austin, and so am I. It will be great being so close to them! We are staying a couple extra days with them as well when we get back.

The great adventure continues.....

states we've been to so far

2006-07-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

create your own personalized map of the USA

Oklahoma

2006-07-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I was really impressed with Southern Oklahoma's hill country. It was reminiscent of Southern Oregon. We found a lake to go swimming in and had a picnic lunch under some trees. The locals were pretty weird, and warned me that LAmLo should not go near the water, because a kid drowned in that lake once because her dad was taking a picture. I thought it was sad that a kid died there, but this lady was running around jabbering and yelling at her kids not to touch the "BUOY OF DEATH!" We then headed on to our campsite on a lake a few hours inland from Tulsa, in Wagoner - we saw this sign and couldn't figure out exactly what they sell in the shop - my bet was its a soup kitchen. . The high school was pretty slick too - . There we lots of geese, and our site was nice and isolated from other campers (AmLos don't mix well with the public). One of the highlights of the camping was a family who came down to the lake in their truck, promptly opened the doors, and cranked Cher's "Do you believe in life after love" while attempting to swing dance (i think). We really enjoyed the performance which lasted for the full track - they then jumped back in the truck and left - we were dumbfounded and impressed at the same time!
An example of Wagoner Architecture (obvious add on!)

Sights in the area included -

That night was our first time using all of our equipment. Everything went well except for the mattress - i'm writing this on the 14th - we camped on the 6th. My neck and back are still sore from that night - and we learned a great lesson - lay across the air tubes in the mattress - not parallel to them!

Oh and thanks to the dude with the warning sign in his front yard! We would have gotten a ticket for sure.....

Utah

2006-07-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

We have made it to Zion National Park and are camping here for 2 nights. Found a cafe with internet access, but am going to have to wait till we get to California to upload all the pics. Camping in the Rockies was rough, very cold and rainy, Moab was wonderful, and Zion just keeps getting better.

Will update all this on the 14th with pics and diaries.

Aloha!

Cat Here!

Our drive from Kansas to Boulder was uneventful, but once we got into Boulder it got more interesting. It was cold, so we stopped and bought sweatshirts and long pants for the girls and a better air mattress for all of us. Then we attempted to find our campsite. We didn't realize that it was deep in the Rockies!! And it was cold and raining! The drive was gorgeous, I love the Rockies! But we were tired after a long day of driving and then to find it wet and cold..yikes! This was the only place where Mom and Dad got a bit snappy with each other..;) It is no fun trying to keep little girls dry and set up a tent in the pouring rain. Our campsite was completely flooded, but we managed to get into the tent and everything stayed fairly dry inside. The girls were well bundled, but J was cold..:( He was glad to leave the next morning. The drive to Utah was so pretty though. Once we got some good food in us - a feta and tomato omelette for me and rellenos for J, eggs for the girls (this was in a little mountain town, and while we waiting a bit for a table, it was worth it as the food was good) - we thoroughly enjoyed the drive to Utah.

Moab was so gorgeous. We saw a big storm coming in so when we got to our campground we found that they also offered little, one room cabins for only a bit more than our site cost. So we got one of those just in case. After the wet night in the Rockies, we weren't taking any chances!

We were a bit nervous that the brewery wouldn't be open, considering it was Sunday in Utah...but it was! We had some decent beer and some good eats for fairly inexpensive.

The next morning we drove through Arches National Park and were literally awed by the beauty of the canyon! The rock formations were amazing, some seeming to defy gravity altogether. LAmLo has a great memory and so was excited to see some of the same formations she'd seen in pictures and on the post cards in the little store at our campground. Her and J did alot of site seeing at the different stop points. X was wanting some alone time with Mama, so we hung around the car but still saw alot!

After our site seeing, we started the drive into Zion. I thought Arches was amazing, I was not prepared for the intense beauty of Zion National Park. The colors, the smells, the formations were beyond words. The girls weren't too sure about the very long tunnel we went through as it was very dark, but J and I were enjoying it. We drove way down into the canyon to our campsite where we stayed for 2 nights. We hiked and swam in the river...we found a wonderful organic fruit farm and had the best grapes we've ever eaten. XAmLo found a love for plums there...:) Zion is definitely a place I want to return to....

Next stop, Nevada!

Midwest

2006-07-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've finally found some internet access. There isn't much of it in rural Oklahoma and Kansas - we can't even get cell phone signals. Its day 4, and we are in North East Kansas, in the town of Sabetha. Everything is going great, and I will post pics of the first leg soon. We got to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's price Tower... here are a few of the pics we took.

Visitng with family today and tonight, then off to the Rockies tomorrow.

The great Plan

2006-07-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

We are planning on a great trip, driving north from texas to kansas, then west to california. Then flying to Hawaii for a work + vacation.

Check back here regularly for Google Earth links, Pictures, and Diaries. If you know of something cool we will be passing, post it here!

First stop was the senior Lo's house in Georgetown, Texas!

MLo sending us off in style!

DLo looking a bit shady...wonder what he's up to!

FamAmLo - We are ready for this adventure!!

Ja'AmLo looking even shadier than his father! Watch out America!

CAmLo is ready for the great American vacation.

LAmLo is more than excited about her "trip".

XAmLo is cool as a cucumber.

Look for these little icons to appear throughout the blog - then you know who is blogging..;)

Are we ready? Maybe I should ask, is America ready? Here we come!!!