Day 15 – Still Wandering Nevada (and the Pioneer Center)
We couldn’t go Westward Ho in our modern covered wagon without paying homage to those who went before us in the first covered wagons. So, we stopped at the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko,…
Day 14 – Wandering Nevada (Virginia City mining)
We left Yosemite and began the long drive toward Yellowstone. Along the way, we stopped in Virginia City, NV – an old mining town. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours…
Day 13 – Yosemite (More Hiking)
More driving, more fighting for parking spaces at the trailheads, more hiking, more phenomenal views. At one point, I was walking along a wooded path near one of the lodges. I had been been looking…
Day 12 – Yosemite (Unscheduled River Escapade)
We couldn’t get the kids to leave the KOA playground this morning. Personally, I should’ve left sooner. We were playing family tag. In my eagerness to evade Ethan, I zoomed down the slide in a…
Day 11 – Yosemite (Phenomenal Views; Stupid Tourists)
The stupidity of tourists never ceases to amaze me. Just because you’re holding a camera in your hand doesn’t mean you can be oblivious to everything else around you. Personally, I wouldn’t walk in front…
Day 10 – No RVs Allowed
No RVs allowed! After driving an hour to the entrance to Sequoia, we discovered that RVs weren’t allowed to continue on that section of the park road. Well, crap! It would have been nice to…
Day 9 – On the Road Again toward Sequoia
We ended our 7-hour drive from Las Vegas to Visalia (near Sequoia) with . . . a traffic jam. We were stuck in traffic for 1 hour and 45 minutes – due to a haz…
Day 8 – Viva Las Vegas in an RV
After a quick game of morning Frisbee, we reluctantly left the Zion River RV resort. Today was a short drive – about 4 1/2 hours. We took the scenic road to Hoover Dam. The scenery…
Day 7 – On the 7th Day, We Rested
The past two days of driving were like being at the bottom of a huge bowl that’s rimmed in different colored sides. The view was ever-changing. Some of the cliff tops were flat mesas. Others…
Day 6 – Zion Park & Tunnels with Windows
Instead of the light at the end of the tunnel, I saw the light in the SIDE of the tunnel. That was certainly a first for me. I had never seen “windows” in a tunnel…
-
What to Buy in Dubai (and What to See & Do)
By Kelly Watkins · June 13, 2014.
-
The Magic of a Kenyan Safari
By Kelly Watkins · June 4, 2014.
Day 3 – We’re Finally Somewhere (Mesa Verde)
After only 2 1/2 days of driving, we’ve finally arrived at our first destination – Mesa Verde National Park. Who knew I’d be risking life and limb before the visit was finished? (More about that in a minute.) The Mesa Verde area was first inhabited by the Pueblo people. The cliff dwellings were built between […]
Day 2 – On the Road
Still trying to figure out where we stuffed things in the RV. That mad dash to pack before we departed left everything in a mess. Ethan and Autumn were great help loading the RV the night before we left. They were up until 4am. I was feeling pretty guilty (as only moms can do) until […]
Day 1 – We’re Off
We’re on our way . . . And we’re only 26 1/2 hours behind schedule. We had a few setbacks in the last week. Six days before time to leave, our RV rental fell through. Ugh! (and a few other choice words.) After searching every dealer who rents RVs in a 3-hour radius, we discovered […]
Mother & Daughter Share “Diana: A Celebration”
I was a (young!) teenager when Lady Diana married Prince Charles. I sat glued to the TV, watching the ceremony, the pageantry, and … the dress. When I heard that “Diana: A Celebration” was coming to the Frazier History Museum, I had to go and take my daughter, Autumn (age 10). To watch Diana’s dress […]
What to Buy in Dubai (and What to See & Do)
On my recent vacation to a cosmopolitan city, I felt very safe, and the taxi drivers spoke English. Where was I? Oh, just the Middle East. Dubai to be exact. Now, before you freak out like my mother did when she discovered that her only two children were going to a place that was […]
Planning the Journey
Planning a month-long trip that covers 6,000 miles and at least 11 major sights (along with as many minor sights as we can possibly squeeze in) is a little different than planning a week’s trip to Florida – where you’ll stay in the same hotel and lounge on the same beach every day. When the […]
Spending the Day with my Daughter . . . and Her Doll in Chicago
Who knew that spending a day with a doll could bring so much happiness to a grownup’s heart? I had promised my daughter, Autumn (age 7), a special trip to visit the American Girl Place (www.AmericanGirl.com) in Chicago. She began feeling special the moment she arrived at the Sheraton Hotel & Tower (www.SheratonChicago.com). The hotel […]
The Magic of a Kenyan Safari
Within a few hours of leaving Nairobi and embarking on my safari, I was face to face with an elephant. I was too shocked to say a word – and as a professional speaker, not much leaves me speechless. Nothing separated me from that massive, gorgeous beast but air and a couple of metal bars […]
Westward Ho in a Modern Covered Wagon – Disconnect the Devices & Reconnect on a Family Vacation
I’m a working mother, who’s hurried, hassled, . . . and hungry for some quality family time. On my endless taxi runs to soccer and dance practices, I’ve dreamed of whisking my family away on some of the idyllic, memory-filled summer vacations that I enjoyed as a child. This summer, it’s happening. We’ll spend four […]
The Announcement
As a parent, you yearn to make your kids happy. To clarify, you don’t just want them to be happy. You want to be the instrument of that glee. You want the feeling of exhilaration that occurs when YOU put that smile on their faces. You want the credit. Maybe that sounds shallow. Yet, if […]
-
Day 15 – Still Wandering Nevada (and the Pioneer Center)
-
Day 14 – Wandering Nevada (Virginia City mining)
-
Day 13 – Yosemite (More Hiking)
-
Day 12 – Yosemite (Unscheduled River Escapade)
-
Day 11 – Yosemite (Phenomenal Views; Stupid Tourists)
-
Day 10 – No RVs Allowed
-
Day 9 – On the Road Again toward Sequoia
-
Day 8 – Viva Las Vegas in an RV
-
Day 7 – On the 7th Day, We Rested
-
Day 6 – Zion Park & Tunnels with Windows
Recent Comments