A Rollercoaster Wuss' Guide to Disneyland/Disney California Adventures Part 2: The Funnest Rides

1. Indiana Jones Adventure-This ride has a a lot of hype and it deserves it! This is just the level of scary for me! What a great mood it sets, and there are only small drops, smaller than Pirates of the Carribean so nothing that freaked me out. There are quick turns that jolt you around but those don't bug me. You are never high up so there are no height issues. You ride in a car four across I think for rows. The set and pathos are equal to Pirates and the Haunted Mansion in my book as well so it is in my book the best ride at Disney Land.

It was the only ride Sam couldn't go on which was strange to me, because it was nowhere as intense as the scary rides we went on, and he was allowed on all of those. We asked why there was a higher height limit and it was explained to us that it was because there were no doors on the car and the car you ride in is high up from the ground so it would be dangerous for smaller children it made sense, but why couldn't they just have added doors dang it? I went on this ride 4 times in 4 days

2. Grizzly River Rapids This ride was at Disney California Adventures. When I saw the drop walking past the ride I got nervous but the drop was nothing when you are in it. It is one of those rides with 8 seats in the inward facing circle position with the wheel in the middle to hold onto. I love the social aspect of the seating because it is easy to share in the fun...seeing everyones expressions and talking the whole time. I loved the choppy and fast parts of the water and I loved the drops (two of them) ...I also loved that before you fall the boat slows and stops..so you arent dealing with the speed and drop at the same time, I think that might be what makes me like it rather than be scared by it. On the last day we were there we went on it at night and with the creepy mood in the cave this makes it even more fun. The line is really short after dark so we went on two times in a row. I would have been happy to go more than that if two conditions were different. First the ride makes you VERY wet, second...California is warm in August , but it cools down after dark, so you go around feeling like a walking swamp cooler afterwards. Hence, the short line after dark. If you bring a Poncho this shouldn't be an issue. It was worth being wet though, no question! We rode this one 4 times.
3. Soarin' over California- This one is also in Disney California. The descriptions of this ride made me nervous unncecessarily. I knew that It was an omni-dome (curveed I-max) that makes it look like you are flying over California and I knew I would love that. What made me nervous was that the ride description at the park says "Sudden drops" and someone I talked to made it sound like you are in individual chairs that rise up high. I was picturing those swings they have at some amusement parks where you are being help up by for chains and swung around a pole. That is MUCH worse than any roller coaster I can imagine. Here is the scoop.

There are benches of about 8 people. You are buckled in, The benches are brought up to meet the screen on large tracks so you feel very secure. Heights don't bother me if I feel secure. Your feet dangle and the chairs move very subtley but if you have to close your eyes it wont freak you out. There are no actual sudden drops. Only if you are watching the movie. The first time I rode this ride it made me a little nervous to watch straight on at first, with the fast and high movement on the screen, but by the second time I was quite comfortable and loved it! I rode this one twice. Next blog will be about classics and kid rides and attractions .

A Rollercoaster Wuss' Guide to Disneyland/Disney California Rides Part 1:The Scary Rides

For those of you who havn't gotten enough of my whining on Facebook about being home, here is my Disney Ride Review. I went on some really scary ones and some really tame ones and plenty in between so I feel like I covered a good span. I found as I read reviews and descriptions of rides they left me really confused of how scary it really actually would be for me so I want to make a review that people, who are rollercoaster chickens like myself can understand and maybe even trust. With my first in the series I will concentrate on the scary rides. Before i went on these rides I found some clips on Youtube that showed the rides. These helped me prepare for the rides mentally. If these help you too feel free to click on them to get an idea.


Scary Rides
1. Space Mountain- I was freaked out waiting in line for this mostly because I remembered that when my family went to Disney World when I was 10, my dad was in the bathroom for 10 minutes after he went on that ride. I remember being pleased with myself for having the good sense not to go on it. By holding on for dear life and keeping my eyes shut tight I survived it. I may have felt panic (screamed for a second) for a moment but I was still allive so it became a matter of just getting through it. I wouldn't call it fun, lots of quick turns and big dips but I was glad I went at the end, for no other reason than being able to say that I did it. The endorphins were flowing when it ended as well so major high following. This video is in the light so you can see exactly what you will be doing. In the real ride it is all in the dark with some stars and lights.





2. Twilight Zone's Tower of Terror- Of the three scary rides I went on this was my favorite and the one I thought immediately after, "I would do it again". I was nervous in line but not as nervous as I was with the other rides. It wasnt' the same kind of falling sensation I knew I hated so I was willing to try it. I was scared that it would be the kind of thing that would send me in a panic and for one moment, during the fall I did feel that panic, but then. . . again I was still alive and I realized it was just a matter of getting through it. My eyes again were shut tight and my hands gripped the handles for dear life. It was over pretty quick and it was the kind of fright you laugh or cry at and I laughed. If you hate roller coasters, you might still like this one ok. You are buckled in..there are handles on both sides and you have a floor to push your feet down on which helps a lot. Also, you are inside, with about, 17 other people. There is a point when it shows you how high up you are but that is just the beginning. By the end you do three drops but they go fast. I was untrusting at the end...afraid it wasn't really over yet, but when I realized it was...I was elated. This video is long, you can forward it to the ride part. If nothing else it will help you see how long the falls actually are. But really nothing much to prepare you for but down.





3. Splash Mountain-This one equaled and maybe exceeded Space Mountain in anticapatory fear and as my daughter said of the anamatronic geese, after the ride "The birds didn't help". If you have been on the ride, you know how before you go down the music gets dark and the warnings of the animals get more and more anxious.l Considering this ride is the shortest of the drops, this one freaked me out the most. It could be because it was on the third day of the trip so I had walked past the ride so many times and heard the screams so many times I was pretty tense about the whole experience. I believe at one point before the final drop (there are two small ones before the big one) I even swore with Lincoln right in front of me. But the drop was quick, (three seconds) of course, as I knew it would be. The elation at reaching the bottom was surpreme.





For me, the thing I like about riding "scary" rides is the adrenaline rush I feel when they are over. I feel very pleased with myself for facing my fears and honestly, part of what made the vacation so special to me was facing these fears head on. I got more than fun, I went out on the edge a little and saw what I was capable of. I gained a little more confidence and grew a little. If I go to any Disney Park again, I hope I will do the scary rides again because they made my vacation a little more than just a lot of fun. Next time I need to dare the Thunder Mountain Railroad. I don't know so much about the Matterhorn and California Screaming.

Next Blog Entry: The Funnest Rides
Also to follow: Classics, Kids rides and attractions, False rides, and finally Shows

Running, Priesthood and Parents

What a wonderful and memorable weekend this has been for me.

Saturday was my first 10k. It was the Pioneer Day Special 5k/10k that started on Timpview Drive in Provo, by Timpview High. It went up the "Goliath Hill" and then wrapped around and down Foothill Drive and down some residential streets, coming down the Temple View Drive and past the MTC, then back up Timpview Drive. It was hard for me but I finished and in a time I wasn't embarressed by. I think my next goal is to work on improving my 5K speed. Now that I know I can do both, I just want to improve on it. But I am glad I did it. It feels good to have accomplished it. Not so much physically, I am pretty sore. But it it is a good kind of pain right? My upper back and shoulders especially. I hunched my back apparently. Going up that steep hill...or maybe it was going down hills, made me do strange things to compensate.

Sunday was special because my oldest son Joseph recieved the Priesthood. He was ordained a Deacon by his father and he was assisted in doing this by my two brothers David and Eric, Tim's brother Ben, his Dad Tim and Bishop McIntire. How many times have I day dreamed of this day? One of those snapshots that shall forever remain in the memory book of my mind.

One more great thing about this past week, and probably the most lifechanging of these three events is Tim's dad got a job offer at UVU. He accepted it after much deliberation. I am so happy to have them moving nearbye. I have never lived near either of our parents in the whole 14 years of our marriage so that is special. I am also glad my kids will get to know their grandparents better. I never had that opportunity so it is special to me that my children will. What a HUGE blessing to have them nearby. An even bigger blessing however is that I WANT my in-laws to live nearby. Not everyone is so lucky.

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I'm Back!

I have been so harrassed by a few who shall remain un-named so I will try to re-start this Blogging habbit. I will start with a post about what I have been up to that has kept me so busy.

1. Running- I have kept up the habbit! Yay! I have already run a 5K this year in June and I have a 10K scheduled for July 24th. I am not sure I am ready for it, (especially the Goliath hill that is part of it) but my brother who is also a runner said "Do it!" and has agreed to do it as well. I loved running with him and my other brother's wife in the 5K last month. It is so fun to have that extra support among family. Tim of course is always supportive as well always coming to cheer me on in the races, along with my daughter.

I still love how I feel when I run and hate how I feel when I havn't. I am afraid I am to the point of addiction because if I go too long without running (a whole week is murder) I can tell and I don't like how I feel psychologically. I don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing to be addicted to anything. I guess it is good, if you judge it by its fruits.

2. Hospice Volunteering-What can I say. Very enjoyable and very rewarding. My volunteer supervisors have been wonderful mentors guiding me in my training and experiences. I am so thankful for them, and for those patients who have taught me so much as well. Great learning experiences.

3. Classes- January to April I took an Introduction to Group Psychotherapy class. That was a growing experience and a half. I know because I dreaded it much of the time. Not because it wasn't interesting or enjoyable, but I always came away from class knowing something more about myself, and it wasn't always things I liked. Like that I have a hard time participating in such large group personal sharing and exchange. I think I came out of it having learned a lot about myself and more importantly the subject of therapy. Great class!
Now I taking a class on Intro to Sociology. Interesting, but it is a TV course and it requires me to show great will power when it comes to sitting down and watching it, and reading the texts. Especially with Tim's family here. There is always something more fun to do when they are around, and when they aren't plenty of stuff to catch up on.

4. Tim's family is in town- Usually they come in the middle of July, but this year they came early for a family reunion in the middle of June. It has been wonderful to have more of them. The hard part is trying to do those things I am supposed to be doing on the side...You know...like house work. . and homework mostly. It is worth it to have them here though. A busy life really is a good life.

It has been a great and busy half a year and I hope the rest of the year continues in the same way! I also hope I can pick up this Blogging again. I apologize to those who I havn't been keeping up with or commenting on their blogs. I have been kind of locked out of Blog for a few months. Not sure why. When I just sat down to show Tim and ask for his help it worked. ARRRGHH!

Make that. . two people

I was telling Sam today that noone is always right. I decided to turn it into a spiritual conversation and added
"There is only one person who is always right. . "
Sam quickly answered "Yeah. . . me!"

Christmas surprise!!!

Lincoln came home from school today very excited. He exclaimed "Someone put a surprise present in my back pack!" I asked to see it. Surprise indeed. It was the present I put in there for him to give his teacher. Merry Christmas! I suppose I should have made sure they were all listening when I told them there was a present for their teachers in their back packs. Elisabeth didn't give hers to her teacher either. Now she thinks she should get to have it. HA!

Sunday Switch

Primary is the longest two hours of the week for me. Do you want to know why? Well. . first of all I am the Sunbeam teacher but, you will never guess who my hardest class member is. Sam!! My sweet mild mannered, easy going, smiling Sam. Something happens to that boy in primary. He misbehaves and cries and squirms and just acts out like crazy. I know it is because I am his teacher, but I am his Mom too. . that doesn't effect his behavior the rest of the week.

Ironically my son Lincoln who knows my buttons and pushes them frequently, gets praises from his Primary teacher on an almost weekly basis about how quiet he is and well behaved.

I think they must do some sort of "Freaky Friday" switch or Alfred Hitchcock . "Criss Cross" deal. . . "Lets pretend to be eachother!"

Sam is even an angel in Sacrament meeting. The transition takes place as he enters the Primary room. And the second we get home he is back to his sweet self. . but it does take him a little time to wind back to that. The transition is almost instantaneous both ways.

This is Halloween

My poor kids were bombarded with Halloween movies this last week. One of them was Nightmare Before Christmas and the song "This is Halloween" is now one of Sam's favorites.

I wont list the other movies I showed my kids because I am not sure you wouldn't find me an unfit parent. Nothing R rated. Nothing slasher. Nothing violent. I can't handle that stuff. Just the spooky ghost kinds of stuff. Some were a little scary, but I was careful. . .for my kids. I think my kids have a healthy appreciation for a good creepy horror movie. Lets just say that. Or maybe unhealthy as the case may be. They want MORE! They loved them.

Here are the Halloween Costume pictures you are all looking at the blog to see.
Joe was Abraham Lincoln, Elisabeth was a black cat, Lincoln and Ninja, Sam and Jedi, Tim and I Star Trek people. Tim got all the cool props.

Next are the Jack O' Lanterns. First Tim's

Joe's Jack I' Lantern. . . with Windows!

Sam's Frankenstein

Lincolns's Ninja lantern. See how just the eyes are showing? It was Lincoln's own design.

Here is my attempt at a house

And Elisabeths Cat O'Lantern

And We Think Waxing is Bad .

Joe asked me tonight . . "When Dad shaves, does he use an electric tazer?" Wow! ! ! Now there's an image!

Bye Bye Baby!!!

I would like to announce the end of an era in my life. As of Monday morning, after 11 years of buying and changing diapers I am officially free of them. Sam is potty trained night and day. It occured to me that if he stayed in his diaper in the morning...he kept wetting his diaper. I did an experiment and tested my hypothesis that he wouldn't wet at night if he wasn't wearing a diaper and after 6 nights of no accidents I am rejoicing. YAY!!! I feel like I should have a diaper burning ceremony or something.

Stomach stresser or Head stresser?

I have decided I stress with my stomach. If I have any worries or stress I always have a stomach ache too. When the stress is gone..so is the stomach ache. So here is the question. . Do you stress with your head and get stress headaches. . or with your stomach and and get stress stomach aches.? I am just curious which is more common. . I know there is a way to make a poll thing on here but I am too lazy to figure it out so just comment below if you want.

My son is bilingual!!

Lincoln is learning Spanish in school. He is excited he can count to four in the language.
"Uno, dos, tres, taco. . ."

At least he could order lunch!!!!! He wouldn't starve.

Politics Don't Belong in Art

Some people say it is scary that Obama is trying to get in their kid's class rooms by meeans of speaches aimed directly at them. I have my issues about those issues, but even more I have an issue with Obama being in our family's art room. Every time I go in there I turn on the light and I see this. . . .

. . . and I scream! EVERY TIME!! Because I don't expect to see anyone in our artroom much less the President of the United States. What is he doing in there with the light off and the door closed besides? It makes me fear him . . How can I trust a man who is so secretive? I just hope he isn't brain washing my kids while they work on their crafts!!!

(If you are wondring why we have a cut out of Obama, it is because we used the podium part for Joes Presidential Birthday. . so now we have a 2 dimensional bust of Obama in our house. I am sure Joe will be able to come up with some pretty clever movies using it though.)

Back to School

Elisabeth wanted to do something special with her hair on the first day. This as good as it gets with me as her mom. But it is better than I did yesterday so I am proud of the progress I made.


The Back to school crew. Joe is going into 6th, Elisabeth is going into 3rd and Lincoln is going into 1st grade.



Can you tell Sam is a little sad about his siblings leaving him alone with his Mom? Plans for celebration? Lunch with Dad for Mom and Sam and a family outing to Harry Potter this evening!

What's the Difference?

As we were leaving University mall the other day, we walked through the food court. Elisabeth asked:Doesn't Uncle Ben want to be a supreme court Justice some day?
Me: Yes
Elisabeth:He could work at the food court and make Supreme Icees!!!

Party Weekend

I am taking a break from my New Mexico trip to talk about our great weekend.
Saturday we celebrated Joes birthday even though it is officially on Monday. Tim could not get off work that day and we really wanted him there.

Joe is really into Presidents of the United States so we gave him a presidential birthday. He had 4 friends invited and we had asked them to dress "professional"in shirts and ties . Each was given a blank envelope...each with a role in the "cabinet" of either Vice presient, Press Secretary, Chief of Staff or Head of the Secret Service. They also each received a water gun. They were all body guards too and they all played THAT part especially well.

The party was a surprise for Joe so when they all arrived, we sent them down to get Joe. He was surprised to see his friends. . all dressed up no less. They told him to get dressed up because they were there to help him run for President!



The schedule included, campaining with a poster and buttons that said "Vote Stanley : He loves Bananas, He loves America!" , making a campaign commercial, researching the opposition, in which they watched their opposition Amber Jayeng's (Joe's Aunt) campain commeercial and some other fun little clips.

Next was the debate. It turned out great. We had a visit from Tim's Grandma and Uncle Mark so Amber chose Uncle Mark as her running mate. He did a great job hamming it up. He referred to he and Amber as "The Maverick and I". Amber said that most candidates make big promises and don't deliver. She promised nothing and promised to deliver on that. She also promised to make the economy healthier by spending our money. Joe pointed out that it would be wiser to vote for him because he and his vice president were younger and they would live longer!

Next they were given some hints that might help them win from a secret source. Hints that pointed to Amber possibly being an Alien. These includeed pictures of her in a UFO, Roswell documents with her name on them...hints like Amber crying during all Alien movies. A press conference was held , releasing this information, and then someone tried to assassinate Joseph. Thankfully they were unsuccessful. Then there was an election. And guess what!? Joseph won!!!! He was sworn in by his Uncle Ben (a lawyer with a gavel and black graduation robe) along with his cabinet.



Then he gave his inaguration speech.

We had a birthday cake with an American flag that said "Hail to the Chief" It was a great party and we thank everyone who came and played roles. The kids played the press and cheering crowds and were also much appreciated.

Sunday was my Birthday. I was served breakfast in bread by the kids along with hugs which is always a treat. Later I was told to be able to open my presents I was to play Missionary.



I was to do a door approach and do a visit with the family but I had a pile of silly statements I had to work in to the conversation some how. Stuff like "Stretchy Pants" "I have a chicken in my pants" , " "Food Fight!", "I hear Amber is an alien" etc. It was quite the adventure. Then I was given my presents. They were all great including some beautiful black pearls from my in-laws. some movies, perfume, a book about FDR from Joe, chocolate, and some clothes. Later I was given an Edward T-shirt with his "Blue Steel "dark and brooding face....oooooooooohhhh. Thanks Ben and Rebekah!

Tim made orange chicken with veggies and rice for dinner and it was delicous. Then Tim started cleaning which told me one thing, more people are comeing. We had my brothers and sister in-law and tons of friends. It was a citrus theme with even yellow, orange and yellow balloons. Why? Beccause I love citrus anything. Tim made me a delicous grapefruit bundt cake.



He also made a frozen desert with vanilla icecream, orange sherbet and some kind of cream cheese type thing I have no idea what it is called but it was way good. Others brought clementines, ice cream, muffins and other yummy treats. I felt very loved and had a great time. I even got Citrus scented hand soap!!! Thanks to all who came! I missed those who couldn't. I love you all!

Day 3: Missile Museum and White Sands

Today was another long day of driving but with more fun stops along the way. First we stopped at the White Sands Missile Museum. Very cool! There was an outdoor part with lots of missils, planes etc.



We had to walk in to the base the museum was in or they would have to search our van and with all the stuff in there...We thought we would give them a break.

The museum had some interesting things to see. My favorite was a former soldier's scrap book of pictures and description of life on base back in the 50s. I don't care so much about the missiles technology. I am more interested in what it was like to be there as a soldier I guess. There was also a Darth Vadar Helmet that was given to them in gratitude for letting them record sounds on the base for the movie "Star Wars".




White Sands National park was beautiful. We had a little rain but not enough to interfere with some playing in the sand.

When we finally arrived at our campground in Carlsbad I was a little dissapointed. First of all, they didn't have our reservation, but they had open spots so no big deal. I apparently had never been to a family Campground/RV park before. Beautiful does not describe it. This turned out to be both my favorite and least favorite campsite of our trip. Least favorite because it lacked nature. . . except for a few trees, a petting zoo and the sounds of many early rising farm animals. The kids enjoyed the turtles right by our tents and the neighborhood cat that visited our tent. The campground was right along the highway so we heard cars and trucks zipping by all night instead of crickets and owls. I slept like a baby though. Warm camping is so much better than cold.

What I did like about it was the clean and free showers so we ended up not having to go too natural afterall. Considering this was during our 3 day stretch of camping I was very grateful for that. I also appreciated the laundry facilities. As Camping/ RV parks go this was probably a good one. I don't have much to compare it to.

Day 2: 4 Corners, Blue Water and Albuquerque

Today there was LOTS of time on the road. We probably spent about 7 hours total. We did make a quick stop at 4 Corners and got a fun picture or two.

This is what it will feel like when my kids are grown up and spread out into four different states.



On the way we also stopped at a town called Bluewater (near Albuqurque) where one of Tim's co-workers grew up. As he prepared to take a picture of this friend's house he said "Lets see if we can do this without bringing too much attention to ourselves." Then in the process of trying to get a good angle, he lays on the car horn. Memories.

There is a town near by that is called Anaconda. It was built and then evacuated and taken back down. It turned out there was some bad stuff effecting the people due to government testing near by. The city is completely gone now. Kind of cool.

When we arrived in Albuquerque we checked into our hotel. The La Quinta Inn, Albuqureque North. We were very pleased. Clean, comfortable and thanks to Priceline quite cheap!

Tim and his family lived in Albuquerque when he was in 1st to 5th grade so we did a bit of a trip down memory lane while we were in town. For dinner we ate at Ponchos. This was a favorite of Tim's when he was a kid. Tim says he hopes it has gone down hill since he was there last because otherwise his tastes have changed a lot. First you go through a buffet line, kind of like a cafeteria because they scoop it up for you. You have this flag on your table that you raise if you want more and your waiter brings it to you. Our waiter never saw that flag rise. If cheap (in price but also in quality) Mexican food in an non-airconditioned building in New Mexico is your thing, you might like this place!

We went to a park in Tim's old neighborhood called Chelwood Park (kids played, I slept) and saw the house he lived in.

And the school he attended.

It was a great trip down memory lane for him. It was a get to know Tim/Dad trip for the rest of us.

When we came back to the hotel I made sure all the kids had showers and cherished the running hot water. I didn't know how long it would be until we had another shower. We had camping planned for the next three nights.

Day 1 Arches National Park

We left around 8 am. . about an hour later than planned. Tim and I had about 4 hours of sleep the night before so we began our trip a little sleep deprived. Thankfully we had a short distance to travel this first day.

We made our first stop of our journey at Arches National Park.

The weather was a little overcast the greater part of our day and we had a few rain showers while there. We had two umbrellas which helped a little. Because of the rain we didn't take the longer hike to Delicate Arch that we had hoped to do. We didn't want to get stuck in a storm when it takes about an hour to get there and another to get back.

We did see "Sand Dune Arch" by suggestion of our friends and it was really cool. The kids enjoyed the sand there but we didn't enjoy the sand in our car the rest of the trip. White Sands is partly to blame for that as well though so it can't take all the blame.

We saw Balanced Rock, and the upper and lower viewpoints of Delicate Arch. This arch was dubbed "Cowboy pants" by the kids because it looks like cowboy stirrups.

At this point the clouds broke away and it started to be beautiful and warm.

We walked to Double Arch which was a quick hike to and into the arches. This was my favorite because you got to do a little rock climbing too.





The North and South Windows and Turet Arch path were easy to walk to and had some beautiful panoramic views.



After that we stopped at the museum and went to find a campsite. We found one on BLM land along a stretch of BLM campsites on highway 128. We had one of those overfriendly neighbors, in an RV. He didn't deserve it, but because I was going on 4 hours of sleep and you expect your neighbors in a campsite to remain politely to themselves I was thinking paranoid thoughts all evening. He had a wife and a cute little boy and even offered to lend us his air mattress. Thanks Richard! You were a great neighbor! Even if your first greeting was standing in your door yelling to us with no shirt on and a can of beer in your hand. Sorry for mistrusting you.

The stinky outhouse right next door wasn't so kind. We had to climb down a hill to our tent. I wasn't thrilled by the tricky climb up and down it(especially when we had to brave it in the dark with wind and rain)but it was right next to a river so we heard it gurgling by which was very nice.

Carlsbad or Bust

Saturday night we rolled in to our drive way at 10:00pm sharp. I wish my feelings were pure relief. There was some, to be back in the comforts of home, but mostly there was the feeling I am not quite done having fun. My kids were getting more irritable and more annoyed with being in the cramped van. . but I wasn't. It is nice not to have to go outside to go to the bathroom or dig in a suitcase to get whatever I want. It is nice not to have to set up a tent and blow up an airmattress before I can go to sleep at night and it is nice to get the heck out of that cramped and not to mention trashed most of the time van. It is also nice to be able to stand while I dress, and have a cozy bed. Air mattresses are much better than the ground but not as good as a good real mattress.
I will miss having my breath taken away by some kind of natural beauty every single day. I will miss the sense of adventure as we have more to see and explore.
From June 20th to June 27th we went on a trip to Southern New Mexico. The main destination was Carlsbad Caverns but we made a bunch of fun stops on the way there and back. It was a lot of fun and everything went according to plan. .except for a 2 hour detour but that is a story for the blogs. I will make a blog a day. I will try to give my rating of the places we stayed and info so if you make a similar trip you can use my links. I will try not to be too boring but no promises. Travel logs ARE travel logs.