Fresno/Sequoia

Yesterday was supposed to be a marathon day because Yosemite didn't have any open camping. So we were going on to Sequoia and camping there. After two weeks of driving, Scott and I decided to ditch Yosemite and do something else that involved less driving. So we found this amusement park for little kids, ajoined to Storyland where you can explore story book scenes. The girls had a lot of fun climbing in and out of the scenes. Scott and I attempted a few, we have the lumps on the head to prove it. The amusement park was great. The rides were just crazy enough for Sheala, but not too crazy for Cameron. They didn't want to leave at the end of the day.

That evening we drove to Sequoia National Park. The first thing we noticed was the map warning us that vehicles over 22 feet were not "recommended" on the road we were currently on. We're 23 feet . . . That road was a little scary, finally one worse than Mesa Verde. We'd also like to know why they don't tell you that when you make reservations for an RV!!?? The Sequoias were amazing, though impossible to get the real scope of how big they are on camera. You've really got to see them in person, so we video taped General Sherman for you. That's the biggest living tree in the world; it's not the tallest or the oldest, but it's the biggest based on volume. We are now on our way to Chula Vista (near San Diego) where we're spending our last night on the trip. For dinner tonight, we'll be heading 20 miles out of the way to find one more Fazoli's. We'll play at the beach tomorrow, have lunch and then head home. We miss you all, but we're also sad that it's ending. Love, the Brighams

Sheala's Spot: I liked the trampoline thingy and the giant ferris wheel. When we got there I thought it was still Yosemite National Park. The Sequoias were huge! My favorite was the one that fell in 1917. They could park cars on the top of it. I also liked the one we could walk through. I am sad and happy our trip is almost over. Love you all, bye!

Cameron's Corner: I liked the ferris wheel and walking through the tree. I liked Storyland, the trampoline thingy and eating at Playland. I liked the fallen tree from 1917. I liked see the biggest tree. XOXO, Love you, goodbye!

San Francisco/Napa

What a crazy couple of days!! Yesterday we drove around Crater Lake; what a beautiful place. The lake is unbelievably blue and there is still snow on the ground! Sheala remembered learning about Crater Lake in 4th grade, so she had to get some postcards for her teacher. The water is so still and clear that you can see perfect reflections of the amazing formations around the lake. The only drawback was the windy roads; reminiscent of Mesa Verde . . . After that, we drove to Napa, CA. We happened to drive through Weed, CA; but we didn't see anything to verify the reasoning for the name . . .

Today, we left Napa to visit San Francisco all day. We spent 45 minutes trying to find parking and had to spend $40 to park the rv for the whole day. Putting that in perspective with the two $30 ferry trips, I guess it wasn't that bad. We went on a cruise around the bay, under Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. The trip was cold and windy, but we went inside after awhile to keep warm. Wonderfully, no one got sick on the boat trip even though the water was pretty choppy. After the boat trip we toured a World War II submarine; the girls had tons of fun turning all the knobs and switches. For lunch we all had clam chowder in bread bowls, even the girls. They have been a lot more adventurous with their food lately; I'm so proud!! Then we went on a "Trolley" tour around the city. It wasn't a real trolley, it was a bus made to look like a trolley. We were all a little thankful for that when we noticed how loud the trolleys were. The trolley tour was fun, especially for the girls, though not so fun for Scott's back. He's okay now, but he was a bit sore for awhile. We meandered around Fisherman's Wharf for awhile, played in the antique arcade, sampled some Ghirardelli chocolate, and bought some Chinese dresses for the girls. Now we're back at camp playing Life and having microwave s'mores, no fires allowed :( . Tomorrow we're on to Yosemite, maybe . . . Don't forget to forward the blog and the facebook pics, Love You All!!

Sheala's Spot: I thought Crater Lake was cool because of Phantom Ship, and the reflections were awesome because the water was so blue. The cliffs feel like you're about to fall off because they're so steep. I thought the wild life was cool and pretty. I was very, very surprised there was actually snow there in July!! In San Francisco, I liked the boat, the submarine and the trolley because we got to see so much. I also liked the town because it was so big, you thought you could get lost but it also felt like you knew every corner.

Cameron's Corner: At Crater Lake I saw squirrels. The lake was awesome because it was cool colors; blue and green. San Francisco was AWESOME!! I loved the dresses we bought. I also loved the boat, the trolley and the arcade.

Seattle, WA

Another day of driving, on to Crater Lake National Park. The last few days we've been heading West. So now that we're heading South it means we are on our way home (sorta).

Yesterday we spent the entire day with Ashley, Bob and their 4 lovely girls. We had so much fun, I forgot to take very many pictures. I know some of you will be very sad about that, so I am extremely apologetic. They gave us the tour of Seattle including the Space Needle and Pike's Place Market; a really cool place with lots of samples, goodies and interesting things to look at. In the afternoon, we went back to their house and just hung out. The girls played all afternoon and were very sad when we had to part ways. Us adults just talked in to the evening. The sun goes down later here (thanks daylight savings!), so it was late by the time we went back to the RV. Then we all slept in and got a late start this morning, but we're off and running again. Saw a few cool draw bridges over the Columbia River this morning, we were only 40 miles or so from my birthplace, drove through Salem, OR also. Only a few more days and less than 2000 miles left in the trip. See you all soon, love, the Brighams!!

Sheala's Spot: I liked the Space Needle, the market and playing with Savannah and Charlize. (I hope I spelled that right!)

Cameron's Corner: I liked the Space Needle. I liked the market and hanging out with Ashley. I played dress-up and hide-and-go-seek at Ashley's house with Emily, Savannah, Charlize, and Madison. We also ate hot dogs and had a lot of fun!!

Deer Park, WA

We spent all of Saturday meeting and visiting "long-lost" family from Washington. We had a lot of fun just hanging out, looking at pictures and eating good food!! The girls had a blast playing with all the other kids. Scott and I were very jealous of Barb and Martin's garden and woodworking. They have 5+ acres with a beautiful home, huge workshop, and so much more.

Today we drove to Whidbey Island, WA, but we also had some fun along the way. Martin suggested we stop in Leavenworth, this funny little town in Washinton that is entirely Bavarian themed. We ate German food (yay Dad & Cassy) and tried on hats in the hat shop. The hat shop wasn't "Bavarian" but it was fun. The drive was beautiful as usual. We also had our first experience with taking the ferry, and in an RV. It really wasn't that eventful though. Tomorrow, Ashley is showing us around Seattle, so we'll have plenty to tell you after that! Love you all, only 1 more week . . .

Sheala's Spot: I thought hanging out with Aunt Barb and Uncle Martin was cool. I got to meet a lot more friends. I am looking forward to Ashley tomorrow. We got to feed chickens and pick TONS of raspberries. Today was a lot of fun especially Leavenworth and on the ferry. Luv Ya, Miss Ya, See Ya when we get back.

Cameron's Corner: Yesterday I picked raspberries, fed chickens, and played with cousins!! Today I got to eat chocolate and taffy. We went to try on funny hats. Hug & kiss, love you, bye!!

Yellowstone (Do you smell rotten eggs??)

Again writing while driving . . . We're on our way to Washington through Montana (mostly), to meet Barb, Martin & family, and then Ashley & family!!

Yellowstone was amazing!!! When we first arrived in the park Scott smelled rotten eggs and asked if someone farted. Later he says "Seriously, who farted this time?!" The smell was pretty strong but no one would own up to it. The third time this occurred we realized the smell was actually sulfur coming from the springs near the road. While in Yellowstone, we saw plenty more wildlife including but not limited to: deer, elk, bison, geese, crane, pelicans, black bear, grizzly bear, and to top off all that we saw a bald eagle on our way out this morning! There were plenty of beautiful rivers, streams and waterfalls also. We saw so many geysers and springs that we completely lost count. The springs/geysers were really cool, especially in their diversity. We have a lot of pictures on facebook, but that's not even a fraction of what we saw! The water in the springs/geysers literally boils and everywhere we went smelled like sulfur (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot). I took a few pictures of some on the signs around because we thought they were interesting, and a little bit funny, so check those out. A lot of the pictures have captions including our thoughts so make sure you check those out too. I also took a few videos because the sound was as much a part of the experience as the sight. Sorry about some of the videos being sideways, I forgot I don't have a decent movie maker program on the laptop . . . Sorry!!

Sheala's Spot: I really liked Old Faithful and all the other geysers. Mostly because they were so cool and they were all sorts of different colors which made it even cooler. The smell was really bad but they were really awesome anyway. I love you and I miss you all, goodbye!

Cameron's Corner: I liked seeing buffalo, a bald eagle, and chipmunks. I also liked the things that shoot water up in the air and the colorful pools. I love you all, mwah!!

Mt Rushmore/Crazy Horse/Wood Carving/Driving

I once again write while driving. We're covering over 500 miles today because we decided we really wanted to make a couple of detours. On the way out of Custer we saw more wildlife again: buffalo, deer and prairie dogs. The first was a pit stop in Rapid City to take a picture for Troy, cause he lived there once upon a time. Then we stopped at Devil's Tower which was pretty cool. We were glad we actually went into the park because it's a lot more impressive up close. That was the end of our detours and back to the business of driving.

Yesterday we went to Crazy Horse, but we just barely stopped since it's not actually finished. It was cool to see what they've done and where they've mapped out what they'll do next. Then on to Mt Rushmore. Sheala and I both said it seemed smaller than we expected. It was pretty big of course, just not as huge as we had pictured. After lunch we went into Custer (the city not the park) and visited the Wood Carving museum. Scott wanted to buy buffalo meat in town but it was really expensive, so we decided to go to a restaurant that served it instead. Scott ended up the only one who had buffalo, but we all tried it. Scott says it is more delicate and tender than beef, not gamey at all. For dessert we visited the Purple Pie Place because we had seen it so many times in town we had to try it. The pie was pretty good, I think I'd like to get their crust recipe . . . On the way back to camp we stopped at the lake that supposedly has turtles in it. Scott saw one, but they were mighty sneaky!

Okay, just have to add this, hopefully you guys get to read it. We just passed Zapata's Mexican Food in Cody, Wyoming. Wonder if they know zapata means shoe . . .

Today we're on our way to Yellowstone and then to Deer Park, Washington on Friday. Don't forget to check out the pics on Facebook (you too Troy), and pass the links on to everyone. Love You All!!

Sheala's Spot: Yesterday was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of wildlife and it was very beautiful. I liked Mt Rushmore, it was really cool. I liked seeing Crazy Horse Mountain. The Purple Pie Place was better than anything we have back home. I loved the wood carving museum. It's so wierd because they make wood move and I didn't think you could do that. Today, Devil's tower was really cool. We also passed our 2000 mile mark!

Cameron's Corner: I really liked the wood carving museum. All the stuff moved and there was people carved out of wood. We saw lots of buffalo, deer, and prairie dogs again. It was very pretty. I also liked Mt Rushmore and the Purple Pie Place. They have really good ice cream and pie. I'm having a really great and fun time. Bye peeps, we've gotta make a lot more of these things so bye, I love you. I'm gonna give you a hug and kiss when we get back.

Wild!!

We spent the day in Custer and Wind Cave State Parks. This morning we weren't 5 minutes from camp before we saw deer and bison. One guy, who we've named Uni, you'll recognize in the pictures. We don't think he's too bright cause he wouldn't get out of the road. There are also plenty of birds here.
First we went into town to buy firewood, water and send some letters. Then, on to Wind Cave where we toured the cave and looked around a bit. We had "fun" trying to figure out which plants might be poison ivy. After that we took a scenic route back to Custer, stopping on the way to hike up to a fire tower. We saw a ton more deer and bison, and also a lot of prairie dogs. The hike to the fire tower was beautiful, especially with a storm rolling in, though it brought a lot of wind too. On the way up to the fire tower we found a patch of wild raspberries and decided to pick a few. Only a few though cause we didn't want to get diarrhea or something.
Back at camp, we're just relaxing and listening to the birds. The girls and I went fire stick hunting cause you just can't have a fire without a good fire stick. Tomorrow is Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse, we love you all and we miss you!!

Sheala's Spot: I really liked Wind Cave because of all the formations. We saw deer, bison and prairie dogs which was really cool. I never thought I'd see bison. I'm really excited about Mt Rushmore. South Dakota is cool!!

Cameron's Corner: I saw deer and hiked in a cave. I really liked roasting marshmallows and hiking up the tower even though it was closed. Yesterday we got to meet Tonya. We also saw buffalos and prairie dogs today. I love everyone, mwah!!

Elitch Gardens & Driving; Hi Tonya & Joe!!

I write you while driving through Wyoming on our way to South Dakota. We got "home" late last night, so I decided to blog while we make the 400 mile trek from Denver to Custer State Park. So far today the drive has been quite nice. It's been better than the 375 mile trip on Friday because it's nice and straight; no slow, windy roads. We had breakfast with Tonya and her husband Joe this morning. It was really fun catching up. We also made our first trip to Walmart last night to get a few of the things we've run out of, lost or didn't realize we needed. It is amazing and kind of a blessing how similar Walmarts are, no matter what city you're in. This morning we reached a milestone; the 1st 1000 miles. I'm uploading a video in celebration.

Yesterday we spent the day at Elitch Gardens amusement park. We had a ton of fun and the girls will have their take on it for you in a few. We've decided we'd like to take another trip up here with more of you. The Continental Divide area was just so beautiful; we'd like to camp there a few days. Plus Denver has a lot to offer including spending 2 days at Elitch's. It has a water park that we didn't even go to because we only had 1 day! I'm happy to say we don't really have any crazy stories for you today, though it was an adventure finding the Walmart. Scott would like me to note that we drove over 7 miles the wrong direction just to go to Fazoli's . . .

Reminders: All pictures will be on Facebook, please forward the links to everyone

Sheala's Spot: I liked the rollercoasters and the tower of doom. The Ghost Blaster one was a little too scary for me. Going on the little kid rides with Cami was fun especially the rollercoaster. It was like as big as Disneyland with the thrill of Knott's Berry Farm. I miss everybody back home.

Cami's Corner: I liked the cactus coaster in Startoon Studios. I liked the Sea Dragon. I liked the log ride. I liked the tea cups. I liked the hot air balloons. I also liked the airplanes. I also liked the Ferris Wheel. I liked the boats, the bumper cars, and the toy truck I drove. I liked the playground, mini tower of doom, and the bats.

Where's Noah when you need him?

The plan last night was to get lots of sleep and be ready for a long drive today. Mhahaha . . . yeah, that's not what happened. Here's the story: Sometime in the middle of the night someone decided they needed to go to the bathroom. What they didn't know was that the "flush-button" got stuck and continued flushing water after they went back to bed. Sometime after 4am, Scott was awakened by the sound of water and discovered a inch of standing water on the linoleum floor. For the next 20 minutes Scott and Mariah used every possible absorbent material available to soak up the water, including but not limited to: all the towels, Scott and Mariah's bed sheet, and some various clothing items. The matting on the carpet had to be undone and rolled up to allow the water that made it to the carpet to be soaked up. After that, it was a little hard to sleep. In the morning was a pancake breakfast, a large load of laundry, and a 375 mile drive to Denver, CO. We crossed the Continental Divide which was incredibly beautiful, but took us on a lot of slow, windy roads. We also spent much of the trip paralleling the Rio Grande and Arkansas Rivers, through many snaking canyons, and lots of tiny towns. What we thought was a huge disaster, became a very small part of today's story. All I can say is I'm just happy it was clean water . . .

P.S. Scott says, "Hey Dad and Chris, look it's NORAD out the window!"

Utah/Colorado

Today was another eventful day. We saw a bit more of Monument Valley; the plan after that was to spend a little time in Natural Bridges National Monument and then on to Mesa Verde National Park to camp. However, that plan did not pan out (no surprise there). First, Scott learned the off road handling capabilities of the rv while trying to see more of Monument Valley. Then I left my camera in the visitor center, but we got it back. On our way to Natural Bridges we saw a sign stating vehicles over 10,000 pounds were not allowed on that road (that would be us). So we turned around and, while driving, decided whether to go around the long way or just ditch Natural Bridges and head to Mesa Verde. Since we'd all been to Tonto Natural Bridge in AZ, we decided to go on to Mesa Verde. One problem though: the change in plans necessitated a change in route. So while Scott drove I re-navigated the route, taking us through lots of interesting and desolate areas. One bright side of that was the San Juan River Valley which was really beautiful. Once we reached Mesa Verde we discovered just how nauseous a road can make you. Scott again investigated the handling capabilities of the rv, this time in cornering. We did a lot of hiking, saw some amazing cliff dwellings, and completely wore the girls out. I'm limited on size for pictures so check facebook for pics from now on. We love you all, now enjoy some posts from the girls.

Sheala's Spot: I liked going to Cliff Palace and Spruce Treehouse at Mesa Verde. I didn't like the the windy roads and late dinner. My favorite thing was the hiking. My least favorite thing was following super slow people. Driving wasn't bad except for the windy road. Colorado is nice and I really like it here. This trip has been really nice.

Cameron's Corner: I liked climbing up the ladders on the hike. I liked the Indian houses. I liked bouncing in the rv because it was like a roller coaster.

First Day

Well, not bad for our first day. We arrived in Monument Valley, UT 90 minutes later than planned. We had to stop in Flagstaff to have the fridge serviced because it wasn't cooling at all. While it was cooling down (hopefully) we put ice in there to keep everything from spoiling. Finally back on the road, I noticed water on the floor. I spent the rest of the drive time cleaning up the water that was leaking from the ice in the fridge. On the bright side, the ice kept everything cool and now the fridge is working, Yay!! We took a few pics of Monument Valley, but we'll have more tomorrow for you all. Tonight we are just relaxing, reorganizing the rv, and taking a hike in Box Canyon when it gets cooler. The scenic pics today are the views out our front door!! Love you all, remember to forward the link to anyone and everyone who wants to catch up with us!

Trip Schedule

Hey everybody, leaving in 5 days!! Thanks for your prayers, we will miss you all!! Here's a schedule of our trip for those who want to know:

Wed, July 15 - Monument Valley UT
Thurs, 16 - Natural Bridges National Monument UT, Mesa Verde National Park CO
Fri, 17 - Chatfield State Park CO
Sat, 18 - Elitch Gardens Amusement Park CO, Butterfly Exhibit (maybe), camp @ Chatfield
Sun, 19 - Custer State Park SD, breakfast with Tonya!!
Mon, 20 - Custer SP
Tues, 21 - Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave, camp @ Custer SP
Wed, 22 - Bighorn National Forest MT, Yellowstone National Park WY
Thurs, 23 - Yellowstone National Park WY
Fri, 24 - Deer Park WA, dessert & games with Barb & Martin ??!!
Sat, 25 - Deer Park WA with Martin, Barb & family
Sun, 26 - South Whidbey State Park WA (we get to ride a ferry!!)
Mon, 27 - Whidbey Island, Ashley & family
Tues, 28 - Crater Lake National Park OR (ferry again, fun!!)
Wed, 29 - Skyline Wilderness, Napa CA
Thurs, 30 - Napa, San Francisco CA, camp @ Skyline Wilderness
Fri, 31 - Yosemite NP CA, Sequoia NF CA
Sat, August 1 - Chula Vista CA
Sun, 2 - Home

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You!!

Hey everybody!! I will be starting a blog for our Cross-West Trip so you can follow what we're doing, check out our pics, etc. Coming Soon!!