Family Travels

Days 6 & 7: March 14-15, Las Vegas

We left Brian Head, Utah and headed to Las Vegas. On the way, we stopped off at Kalob, Zion National Park. It’s right off the freeway on the way from Brian Head to Las Vegas. It was definitely worth taking the detour. Kalob is the less popular of the two entrances to Zion National Park, and includes a five mile drive and various hikes into Zion. The mountains are spectacular! Driving on the freeway, you wouldn’t even know that such beauty lies right over the hill. I can just imagine how the first people to discover Zion must have felt when they first laid eyes on the red and orange mountains.

The drive back to Las Vegas seemed much shorter than the drive up to Brian Head. We got to Las Vegas around 2:00 PM–much earlier than we thought. This is the first time staying at our Hilton Timeshare. It’s really nice–newer and more spacious than the Hilton Lagoon Timeshare.

We met up with the Goo’s and went to Sky Zone. Sky Zone is this big room with trampolines that the kids can jump on. They had a blast.

Dinner was at the M Resort with the Goo’s and their friends, Teri, Mike and their daughter Katie. Teri and Katie also came up to Brian Head with the Goo’s. The buffet at the M Resort as awesome. What a spread! Thank you to the Goo’s for treating us to dinner. After dinner we went to the Bellagio to watch the water show and see all the beautiful flowers on display in the conservatory. It was about 11:30 when we left the Bellagio and the kids were pooped. What a great day.

March 15: Today was a shopping day. We went to both the North and South Las Vegas Outlets. We also had lunch at the Mainstreet Station with the Goo’s, and we also got to see Grandma and Grandpa Tanaka. After lunch we went to Trader Joe’s and then said good-bye to the Goo’s who had a flight back to Honolulu. Dinner was at the California Hotel with Grandma and Grandpa Tanaka. We ate at the the Aloha Restaurant. It was nice to eat local food. I had the large Won Ton Min. Delicious!

We’re back in our room now after a full day. The kids are eating snacks and watching TV. Wendy is trying to register Colby for summer school and I’m updating my blog.

Hard to believe that our trip is coming to an end already. Tomorrow evening we depart Las Vegas. It was a great trip, but as always, it’ll be great to get back home and sleep in my own bed again.

Las Vegas is such a contrast to Utah, but as different as they are, the kids enjoyed both places–in different ways, of course. One thing I noticed (and liked) is how all three kids commented how they didn’t llike the smell of the casino. It smells like cigarette smoke and I’m glad they dislike it.

Okay…see you back in Honolulu.

dean

Day 5: March 13, Sledding and Relaxing

Snowboarding and skiing lost out to digging holes and tunnels in the snow and sledding were the highlights of the day. We went to a place about 5 minutes away from our lodge to play in the snow and got to spend time with our friends before they headed back to Las Vegas. the hills were pretty fast and sledding was fun. Nobody went into the trees or hit any utility poles–but they did get close.

We came back for lunch and then said bye to our friends. After lunch we went down to the game room and played pool and foosball. It was fun spending time with the boys. They are getting better, but not good enough to beat me yet. Pretty soon though…

In the afternoon, Wendy and I went for a massage at the Day Spa her at the Cedar Breaks Lodge.

Dinner was at the Cedar Breaks Cafe downstairs.

We’re sitting in our room watching Real Steel on DVD. It’s so nice to just kick back and relax.

Tomorrow we head back to Las Vegas and will be spending a few days there at our Hilton Timeshare. As nice as it is here, it’ll be nice to be at a lower elevation and in less cold weather. I have been waking up with a slight headache each morning and it kinda lingers throughout the day. We’ll get to spend some time with the Goo’s before they head back to Honolulu on Thursday. And, we’ll get to see Grandma and Grandpa Tanaka on Thursday evening.

More from Las Vegas.

dean

Day 4: March 12, Skiing/Snowboarding and Snow Play

Skiing, snowboarding and playing in the snow were the highlights of the day. We rented our gear from George’s Ski Rental up the road from our lodge. The majority of the people renting were from Hawaii. We met Rob and Molly and their daughter while waiting in line. Molly used to live in Kailua but now resides in California. Once we got our gear, we went to the Navajo ski lifts and spent the morning there. Aaron and Wendy skied and Kylan, Colby and I snowboarded. All three boys did great and were able to come down the mountain on their own. Colby pooped out first and waited at the bottom of the lift while the rest of us skied and snowboarded. He ended up using his snowboard as a sled and found a little bunny hill to entertain himself. A memorable moment of the day was our last run up chair lift 6. When we got to the top, Wendy took off her gloves and dropped one of them. The wind was pretty strong and her glove was being blown down the mountain. Aaron went after it first then stopped. I went down further to get it…then had to walk up the mountain. Did you ever try walking up a snow covered mountain with snowboarding boots, a snowboard and at 10,000 ft. elevation. Needless to say, when I got back to Wendy and the boys I was a bit out of breath.

After, we headed back to our lodge to eat lunch. Cup Noodles never tasted so good. Did you ever try the Hot and Spicy Shrimp Cup Noodle? It’s delicious!

After lunch, we met up with the Goo’s, Teri and Katie and played in the snow outside our lodge. The kids had fun playing together, building a fort and playing snowball fight. There were some casualties, but that’s to be expected with snowballs flying all around.

Dinner was Fettucine Alfredo. The kids watched Wild Hogs and the adults had a good time talking. It’s about 10:30 PM now and everyone is getting ready to sleep.

dean

Flickr Pictures

I uploaded pictures to flickr…

http://flickr.com/gp/detomita/xr11N2/

Day 3: March 11, Played in the Snow

I think I’m finally getting acclimated to the altitude. Still woke up with a slight headache, but my nose is better today. It seems like Wendy and the kids are adjusted as well. Did I mention that Cedar Breaks is 10,000 feet above sea level? It’s like we’re at the summit of Haleakala.

Today was a fun and relaxing day. We got up around 7:30 AM or was it 8:30 AM, had breakfast and headed out to the Parowan Petroglyphs, which is about 45 minutes away from our lodge. It’s out in no man’s land. Not your typical tourist attraction. When we arrived, there was only one other couple there. The petroglyphs were pretty neat but there’s not a whole lot to see. After that we headed to the Bryce Canyon Monument close to our lodge. As we were driving back to the main road we passed by a small farming town where people actually wave to you as you drive by. I like that.

We had lunch at Mi Pueblo, a Mexican restaurant right by our lodge. Wendy had the enchilada combo, I had the enchilada and burrito combo, Aaron had a taco, Colby had chicken nuggets and Kylan had a cheeseburger…what cheeseburger and chicken nuggets at a Mexican restaurant? Taco Bell must be behind the times…no chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers? As I watched the kids get their food and eat, I thought how amazing it is that each child has their own likes and dislikes. They were all raised the same and yet they are so unique. It’s great to see watch them grow up.

After lunch we got dressed and went to play with snow outside our lodge. There’s a big area to sled, play snowball fight and build ice forts. The boys had fun. We got back, got out of our wet clothes, and took nice hot showers. Soon after, our friends the Goo’s, and their friends who live in Las Vegas also arrived. Like us, they made the long drive from Las Vegas. We’re getting ready to have dinner together, hamburgers and french fries from Costco.

Colby’s tooth fell out at dinner. He left it on his plate and it almost got washed down the drain mistaken for a piece of popcorn. Luckily, we were able to retrieve it by reaching into the disposal. Kids…don’t try this at home.

The kids are all in bed now. Tonight Colby is sleeping on the couch because his two brothers complained that he keeps kicking them throughout the evening. Now they have the entire king sized bed to themselves and Colby has the entire couch and living room to himself. There is peace and hopefully less bruised legs.

Tomorrow, we plan to hit the slopes for skiing and snowboarding, and play in the snow.

dean

Day 2: March 10, Bryce Canyon

Ahhhh….hot tea and instant saimin! It’s nice to be back in our room after an entire day out on the road. We ventured to Bryce Canyon today. Awesome! Visiting places like Bryce Canyon really makes me realize how sheltered we are in the islands. Yes, we live in paradise, but there’s a whole lot of God’s creation that we don’t get to see living on an island.

We got up around 7:30 AM this morning, had breakfast in our room–pop tarts, yogurt with granola and donut holes. We headed out around 8:30 AM for Bryce Canyon. We had a few adventures today…okay, so I should have filled up gas before we headed out, but hey, 1/4 tank of gas used to go a long way before. No, we didn’t run out of gas, but driving for about 30 minutes with nothing but trees, snow and mountains around us, and I admit I was a little bit worried. We did find a gas station and it was perfect because the lady who worked there was really helpful in telling us where to go and what things we could do. We grabbed lunch then headed out. Yes, I know, we headed out at 8:30 and then we’re having lunch. So it might have taken a little longer than expected to find that gas station, but the needle was still showing 1/4 tank of gas left, I promise. Anyway, with a full tank of gas we headed to Bryce Canyon. Before entering the park we stopped at Ruby’s Inn. They have a great gift shop and clean restrooms. We reached Bryce Canyon around 1:00 PM and spent the whole afternoon there. The canyon is pretty spectacular, but you can’t see it from the main road. You have to turn off to these scenic lookout points and the canyon comes into view. When you first see it…it kinda takes your breath away. One of the first signs you see says to watch your children. There are steep drop offs and in many areas there are no rails. Playing chase master is not a good idea.  We went around the rim of the canyon and stopped to take pictures and hike a bit. I wish we could have gone down to the bottom of the canyon, but it was a bit muddy and slippery and we didn’t want to chance it with the kids.

Dinner was back at Ruby’s Inn before heading back to our lodge. The kids had the standard kid’s meal…I should actually have them rate the kid’s meals at the various places we eat. Colby ate Mac Cheese, Ky had Pizza and Aaron had Chicken Strips. Wendy had pork chops and I had the ribs.

The drive back to our lodge took about 1 1/2 hours. Driving on a dark mountainous road with no other cars and no civilization around is certainly an adventure. It was about 40 miles back to our lodge and we probably saw 5 of six cars the whole way back…and three deer. The question is,  ”Why did the deer cross the road?” To get to the other side, I suppose. But why the heck did they have to cross the road right in front of us…in the dark…going 50 mph. That I don’t know, but I do know that they were pretty close to not ever getting to the other side.

Anyway, like I said, it’s nice to be back in our room. Bryce Canyon was great. Time for a nice hot shower! More later.

dean

I asked Aaron, Ky and Colby what they liked best about today….

Aaron: All the snow around us as we drove along the road.

Kylan: Playing with the snow. I liked the gift shop.

Colby: I liked seeing the mountains, how there were different colors and it was covered with snow.

March 9: Long Day…but we’re here!

It was a loooong day! We arrived in Las Vegas right around 7:00 AM Vegas time. Great flight on Hawaiian Air. With the storm still over the islands the pilot told us that the plane we were on handles turbulance well. He also said that if we do experience any turbulance to think of it as a giant massage chair. I thought that was a pretty good one.Nonetheless, I took an Ambian so I could sleep. This was one massage that I wasn’t looking forward to. We all slept pretty well so that was good.

Okay, we’re watching the news of all the storms–back home. Hope everyone is safe.

SAnyway, once we arrived we took the shuttle to Fox Car Rental. Worst experience renting a car. Remember the movie, Trains, Planes and Automobiles? That’s what it felt like. Going outside to get our car and it’s not there. We ask the attendant and he looks puzzled. Then he says they don’t have a SUV. The one they do have needs to be serviced. So, he brings a van and says, “Here I want to get you guys something so take this.” What? So we ask him, “Don’t you have any other SUVs?” He says we can go back in and talk to the person at the service counter. We do and he trys to tell us that when we rent a car that the car company actually rents space and capacity. What!?! Yes, he says that they we rent an SUV and it means we rented a vehicle that can carry 5 people and 4 bags. So, he’s giving us a van instead. Huh? I tell him I rented a SUV and we expect to get an SUV. He said he understands, but he can’t do anything, that the van is good, in fact it’s better than the SUV. I say forget it, we’ll take the van and will be sure to go somewhere else the next time. Anyway, we go outside to get the van and when we open the back hatch, the plastic piece breaks and falls off. Again, we go and tell the attendant that we are not taking this van. Well, just then another van was returned so they tell us we can have that one. As we were talking to them, another SUV was returned and they told us we could have that SUV is we wanted. Well,before that when we were talking to the attendant and we told her we were not taking the van, she said, okay, can you move the van to the return area. We had to explain to her several times that we didn’t take the car so we’re not moving it. Yikes! Are we on Candid Camera? In the end, we got our SUV.

After that things went pretty smoothly. The Cedar Breaks Lodge is really nice. We have a two-bedroom unit with a nice-sized living room and kitchen. We’re close to the lifts and places for the kids to play in the snow. Dinner tonight was Pizano’s Pizza. Kinda a mix between Boston Pizza and Chico’s pizza.

It’s about 8:30 PM and the boys just finished showering and are enjoying the TV and fireplace in their room. Oh…Hawaii is in the news again…they’re showing the hail and tornado–in Hawaii.

Well,more later.

One more thing…no free wi-fi so had to type this whole post on my iPhone using my iPad Bluetooth keypad. So, sorry for any typos.

dean

March 8: On our way to Las Vegas and Utah

It’s 10:15 PM and we’re at HNL waiting to board our flight to Las Vegas. It was a busy day, but we’re here and excited to start our family vacation. We should arrive in Las Vegas at around 7:00 AM. Once we get our car, we’ll pick up some supplies then head to Brian Head, Utah where we’ll be staying for the next 6 days. The weather report says that it’s cold in Utah–in the teens when we last checked. Burrrr….that’s cold. The boys are passing the time playing with their iPods and watching movies. I’m ready to get on the plane and sleep.

I love my iPad, my external keypad and my Clear modem. Who needs a laptop for traveling anymore. Okay, I must admit, I also brought along a laptop…but only a small one–actually it’s my old netbook. I’ll bet the only thing I’ll really use it for will be as a place to download and store pictures and to charge our USB devices.

It’ll be nice to spend some quality time with Wendy and the boys. We just came from Moanalua High School where the three boys had an orchestra concert. Can you believe that Aaron will be in high school next year. It’s makes these trips all the more special when I think that four more years and we’ll be sending him off to college. Well, more when we get to Brian Head. Hopefully, I have internet connection. If not, well, I guess my next post will be when we get back to Vegas in a week.

dean

Stuck in Atlanta

It’s 11:30 AM and we’re stuck in Atlanta. It all started with our flight from Honolulu being delayed by 45 minutes which started a chain reaction that brings us to our present situation. We arrived in Atlanta and missed our connecting flight and have been going back and forth from gate to gate trying to get on a flight. We’re confirmed on a flight at 10PM this evening - that would mean spending 14 hours in the Atlanta airport. All flights seem to be overbooked. It’s ridiculous, but what can we do? The kids have been great. Thank god for gameboys and iPods.

So much for going to the water park today.

Dean

Sunday, March 21, 2010:

We’re at the San Jose Airport waiting for our flight. Free Internet access in the waiting area - yeah! Well, our trip is over and it is nice to be going home. I guess there is no place like home.

I asked the boys what the highlight of their trip was and here’s what they said:

Colby:
Favorite part of the trip: Skiing and snowboarding. It was cool seeing him race straight down the mountain.
Most memorable: Snow-shoeing. He hated it. Understandable, since he had to wear the same size show-shoes as we wore. He did great though - made it all the way up the mountain.

Kylan:
Favorite part of the trip: Skiing and snowboarding. He did great. I think he’ll have snowboarding wired by the next time.
Most Memorable: Falling down while snowboarding.

Aaron:
Favorite part of the trip: Skiing and going to the museums. Aaron seems more comfortable skiing than snowboarding. I was impressed with his control of the skiis.
Most Memorable: Same as Kylan - falling down while snowboarding.

Wendy:
Favorite part of the trip:
Making it down the blue run and Point Lobos.
Most memorable: Having her bottles of honey taken away at the security checkpoint. Bummers! Yes, honey is considered a liquid.

Dean:
Favorite part of the trip: Yosemite and spending time with Albert, Wendy and Michael.
Most memorable: The awesome beauty of Yosemite.

We are all thankful and glad that Dennis, Pam and Brendan could come on the trip with us.

What a great trip. What great memories. We’re already thinking about where we want to go on next. Gotta make the most of the years we have with the kids. It’s hard to believe that Aaron is going to be in middle school next year. Wendy and I realize that we don’t have too many years left with the kids before they’re all grown up and going off to college.  We’re so thankful to be able to create these types of memories with them and hope to create many more in the years ahead.

dean