Death Valley and Coronado

We had a quick turn around to California, this time with the kids. We had planned to go to Coronado for their Fall break. Dave hadn't been to the condo since before Covid, so we felt long overdue as a family. We wanted to mix up the adventure a little bit do decided to head there by way of Las Vegas and Death Valley National Park. 

Las Vegas with kids was a treat ;). Ironically, Maggie and Jeff were there for a football game, so we connected with them on the Strip for lunch before driving into the park. The kids were wide eyed with all there was to take in; slot machines, gambling tables, The Hello Kitty Cafe, candy stores, all sorts of people, it was good for them to get out of their middle America bubble. We swung by the famous Las Vegas sign (which had a line about 45 people long) before getting the heck out of town. 

The drive to Death Valley National Park was full of small towns and open roads, it took us less than two hours and in the middle of a dessert stood an oasis, the The Inn at Death Valley had been built over a natural spring and it was lovely; greenery and water and palm trees. We enjoyed our own golf cart for transport, a lovely casita, and a naturally warm pool, it was exactly what we needed. We spent the following day hiking, exploring sand dunes, and Badwater (Basement) Basin, the lowest spot on the earth, and after dinner, Moon Pies under the (almost full) Moon at Dante's View, a definite Dave plan through and through. We all had fun, we like to quote Piper's favorite part of Death Valley, "the ice cold water in my water bottle." 

We set off to Coronado the following day and had a long seven hour journey ahead, overall, things went pretty smooth, the kids managed as well as we could expect them to, patience wore thing a few times, but we were all SO happy to arrive at the condo. We dropped the rental and settled in. Most days were beach days, we did venture into San Diego for one day at the Midway, otherwise we enjoyed the slow pace of the island with daily runs and walks and strolls through town, bingo, ice cream three (!!) times, early bedtimes and lots of family time. We love Coronado and what it means to our family and feel so fortunate to have it as destination, until next time... 

Introducing them to the casino. 

New York with Mag and Jeff and so much swag. 

Las Vegas sign - so hot bright. 

The ride to the Casita 

Pool hangs. 

The hottest hike. 

Mosaic Canyon Hike

Monkey business.

S, G, P sized cave. 

Sand Dunes

103 Degrees in Badwater Basin - unbearable heat. 

Painter's Palette Drive.

A nice cool game of tennis. 

Moon Pies under the Moon at Dante's Peak

We arrived @ Coronado! 

Bingo 

Our table won TWICE! 

Midway, Dave totally geeking out. 

That's Dave and Sully in the machine, 
I wish you could hear the screams when 
Sully turned them upside down. 

On the Midway runway. 

Forced fam photo.

The magical Del

The girls got manicures. 

Piper came home as a 13 year old Cali girl. 

Yosemite and Yountville

Dave and I had the most incredible anniversary trip to Yosemite and Yountville, CA. We had been trying to get Yosemite on the calendar since precovid, so when it came together, we were both really excited. We wanted to make an entire week out of the vacation, so added wine country to the itinerary. It was 100 percent worth the wait. Take that back, 1000 percent. I wish I had the words to properly describe Yosemite and the Ahwanee Hotel. Between the breathtaking scenery and classic elegance of the hotel (a Half Dome view from our hotel room didn't hurt), it was honestly life changing. The weather was picture perfect, the hikes were strenuous, but the happy hours made up for them. We had picnic lunches on our hikes and put the convertible top down while blaring Coldplay, it was parenting freedom at its finest. I only wish the photos could do the experience justice. I was sad to leave, but excited about the potential of bringing our kids back in the future. And very much looking forward to our next stop in Yountville. 

We put the top up for the 4 hour journey through Central CA, it was so hot. We arrived in time to slip into absolute vacation mode while they prepared our room. Our hotel was posh and trendy and awesome. We scheduled a day of vineyards and enjoyed them all, we wandered through town, shopped, ate and laid by the pool. It was so different from Yosemite, but awesome in its own regard. 

We came home recharged and ready to see the kids, but so happy to have taken the time to get away with each other and to reconnect. 

Jet lag = sunrise opportunity. 

Mirror Lake hike. 

Best table in the house, amazing view. 

Anniversary hangs. 

Nevada Falls by way of the Mist Trail.

Nevada Falls lunch. 

Lake Elizabeth lunch. 

Heading out for a champagne Milky Way viewing. 

A majestic afternoon drive. 

Sad to leave, so glad we came. 

Yountville brunch. 

10/10

Wine Country 

Our last evening, Dave cancelling 
our reservation at a fancy restaurant 
for take away pizza instead. 
Best decision. :)

Circle K Adventure

We watched our local Holiday gas station come down about 6 months ago and waited in anticipation for Circle K to take it's place. As a family who takes a decent amount of road trips, let me be the first to tell you, we know the good gas stations from the bad. We've come up with gas station jingles, enjoyed meals, and taken our fair share of selfies in front of them, but nothing prepared us for the opening of the Circle K less than a mile away. It wasn't all happiness, though. The kids were really sad to see it wasn't going to be a Holiday as they all had their favorite delicacies and were concerned they would go away with the name. Much to our surprise and excitement, everything came back even better than before. 

So we marked the calendar as soon as we saw the 'opening soon' announcement hit the digital sign and made our way over. Its amazing: produce, groceries, treats, beer, wine, dairy, and...DIESEL. All of our expectations were exceeded. It is now our go to for all celebrations, birthdays, well, anything really.

One of the best parts of this whole story is that I took the time to create a social media post about it and people love it. I wish I kept track of how many people asked if we had ownership in Circle K (we don't) or suggested I be a Circle K influencer (LOL). Everyone can relate to gas station excitement has their own two cents to offer. Such a simple thing to bring people together. We love our Circle K loyalty and will find ways to celebrate with them for years to come. 

Excitement is mounting! 

Off they go! 

Dave found the wine and cookies. 

Thank goodness they don't have carts. 

Essential

The guy said we win for the most excited 
family, an award we are proud of. ;)

Blowouts and Roulette

These moments are pretty slice of life, but absolutely worth documenting.

Piper and Greta both had mom blowouts and glamor for their school photos, it was worth the extra time it took, they both looked fabulous. 

After playing salon in the morning, I rounded out the night with an impromptu casino night with Maggie. Alex and Mandy joined us for dinner and we had lots of fun winning at roulette and enjoying Larchwood. It was funny and nice to sneak away for night, next time we will get a little more adventures. ;)

Picture day- on their way out the door. 

Room with a view! 

Serious about losing money (Maggie). 

And the final product...Piper is a 6 year
old 16 year old. 

Labor Day in the Black Hills.

We found time for our annual Black Hills trip over Labor Day. We ventured out to a new cabin and location. We were in Custer State Park and had this charming cabin with its own veg garden and a view of Mount Rushmore. It was great spot to unwind and enjoy nightly campfires. 

We met the Barkers and had a great time. The most surprising excitement was an ATV adventure in Custer. The dads weren't as excited as the kids were but they all came home dirty and full of smiles. Meanwhile, the moms and Penny, the pup, hiked up the hill to the Custer sign. So much fun was had by all. We had dinner at our favorite Black Hills spot, Skogen Kitchen followed by a drink at Legion Lake. It was a lovely day. 

Sunday was a boat day at Lake Sheridan, the weather was incredible and Matt pulled kids behind the pontoon for 6+ hours. We filled in the gaps with a picnic lunch, cliff jumping, music, and beers. We wrapped it up with pizza and ice cream in Keystone. 

Labor Day weekend success! 

Picnic at the rental. 

Mt. Rushmore in the distance. 

Fam around the fire pit. 

Rebecca and I. 

Dave and the kids- pre-ride, still clean. 

Barkers & Munces 

Sisters. 

Rhys and Sully, such nice buddies. 

The 'wind in your hair' feeling.  

Crazy tubers. 

Pretty chill. 

The crew, Dave was gifted a new shirt.