Days 50-57 (10/15-10/22) - Wellington

Day 50 - Wellington We got up this morning pretty early to take the ferry to Day´s Bay across the harbor. I got a delicious waffle for breakfast before getting bikes and biking about a total about 15-16 miles along the coast. Most of the path was gravel so it was kind of painful but it was cool. When we were done we took the ferry back and ate dinner before going to bed.

Day 51 - Wellington We got up and did a bunch of schoolwork all morning and it was not fun. We went to Weta Workshop where they made props, costumes, weapons, and armor for a ton of movies, including the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. After that we got back and had gnocchi before finishing up the day.

Day 52 - Wellington The morning yielded more boring schoolwork that, which I have obviously made clear in recent posts, is not fun. Around 11:30 we took the bus into downtown and went into a few bookstores before going on our parliament tour. It was pretty cool. We watched them debate a little before going back and having dinner, watching TV, and going to bed.

Day 53 - Wellington The morning meant schoolwork and boring stuff and blah blah blah. In the afternoon I had a lot of free time so I read and watched TV. We went on a walk along the harbor to a restaurant for dinner. I got some pretty good fish and chips before we got gelato and hung around before bed.

Day 54 - Wellington Morning = Schoolwork. That´s just how it´s been the last few days. The Broncos played the Chiefs and it was just awful. The broncos are horrible. 30-6 Chiefs win. After that I watched TV the rest of the day before delicious dinner and bed.

Day 55 - Wellington I only had to do little bit of schoolwork this morning (hallelujah). Most of my time was spent reading new books. We watched Wake play Carolina in soccer and Wake won 1-0. Dad and I went to a park where we threw baseball for a little bit. We stopped at the store on the way back. We went to a place called Leroy´s for dinner and we all got the same delicious burger. We came back and watched more TV before bed.

Day 56 - Wellington We got up and walked to a market where we got a delicious donut and savory crepe for breakfast. We got back to watch the Wake - FSU football game. 22-20 Wake. It was kind of an ugly game because we won with only 1 touchdown and 5 field goals. The rest of the day was TV and school. After dinner we played cards before bed.

Day 57 - Wellington We got up and Ada and I played Yahtzee all morning. We also did some schoolwork and watched some TV for basically the rest of the day. We had dinner to conclude an extremely uneventful day.

Left to Right: Wellington Harbor, the Cook Strait, Bluebridge Interislander Ferry in Wellington Harbor

Days 43-49 (10/8-10/14) - Wellington

Day 43 - Wellington The morning was NFL football (week 5) and the broncos actually won a game for the firs time in forever. The rest of the day was school (boring) and TV (okay). We had soup for dinner and played cards before going to bed.

Day 44 - Wellington The morning was breakfast and schoolwork like most mornings. Day got a lot better because we went to Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand. My favorite exhibit was the Gallipoli: The Scale of our War exhibit. It was about the tons of New Zealanders that fought in the Gallipoli campaign of World War I. The crazy thing is that 3,000 kiwis died. Australia lost 8700, but the loss of New Zealand life in the 8 months at Gallipoli accounted for the death of 0.025% of New Zealand´s total population (Gallipoli deaths also accounted for 17.96% of New Zealand deaths in WWI). But Australian deaths at Gallipoli only accounted for 0.017% of the population. And the result of all the bloodshed was retreat. We finished at the museum and had dinner before watching TV and going to bed.

Day 45 - Wellington We got up and hung around in the morning before Dad and I played golf at Miramar Golf Links. It was fun but the wind was crazy strong. We went back and hung around the rest of the day and had dinner before going to bed.

Day 46 - Wellington We got up and took the bus to the ASB sports centre and did a sports camp and learned how to play rugby and cricket. Many people think rugby is like football and cricket is like baseball. Neither assumptions are true. I don know them well enough to explain the rules though. We also played floorball which is basically indoor hockey. We went back and had nachos before finishing the day.

Day 47 - Wellington Mom and I walked to my haircut because my hair was out of control and so long. We came back and did school in the morning before going to the Wellington Zoo. It was not like a normal zoo at home. It had lions, tigers, but also had multiple types of monkeys, kiwis (native bird of New Zealand, it may be confusing because I called New Zealanders kiwis earlier but that is just a nickname. Do not get the bird confused with the fruit), and cheetahs. We went back and Ada and I watched Spider Man: Far From Home while Mom and Dad got dinner. That rounded out the day.

Day 48 - Wellington We got up and did school all morning. We got mexican for dinner before going to our first ever rugby game. The Wellington Lions beat the Waikato Bulls 39-21. Afterwards we went back and to bed.

Day 49 - Wellington The morning of a sunday meant college football. The #19 Deacs played Louisville and lost literally because of the refs. They missed two huge interference calls, one which led to an interception. We also recovered an onside kick at the end of the game down 62-59, but the gave the ball to Louisville who ran out the clock. Sometimes I hate refs. The rest of the day ended with pasta and cards.

Left to Right: First four are statues in the exhibit Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War, a scrum in the rugby match

Days 36-42 (10/1-10/7) - Wellington

Day 36 - Wellington We woke up on our first full day in Wellington, and the North Island and got breakfast at a place called sweet mother´s kitchen. The food was New Orleans Style food and I got french toast. After going by the grocery store we hung around the house before walking to the top of Mount Victoria. At the top of the hill there is a really good view of the city and Wellington Harbor. Dinner closed out the day when we got back down.

Day 37 - Wellington The morning meant tons of schoolwork for Ada and I and it was not fun at all. We literally hung around the house all day. Pasta and TV preceded going to bed on an empty day.

Day 38 - Wellington We got up and had breakfast before walking to a film location from the Lord of the Rings. If you haven watched the movies, I have posted a clip of the scene from the Fellowship of the Ring (the first movie) below. Mom, Ada and I ran down by the waterfront before more schoolwork. We finished that and watched TV before bed.

Day 39 - Wellington After waking up we did schoolwork all morning before taking the bus to the parliament building that they call, the beehive. We walked around the and went into a few shops before going to a bakery where I got one of the best cookies I have ever had in my life. We got Vietnamese food for dinner to close out the day.

Day 40 - Wellington We got up and had french toast for breakfast before going on another run by the water. We took the Wellington Cable car to the botanic gardens up on another hill and walking around there. We stopped at a brewery and grocery store before dinner and bed.

Day 41 - Wellington The morning yielded to Mom getting me new shoes. I did some boring school and watched TV the rest of the day before we went to bed.

Day 42 - Wellington We walked to a farmers market in the morning and got a bunch of stuff before going to a park where Dad and I threw baseball before we went back and hung around all day. We had dinner and watched TV before closing out our first full week in the town they call Windy Welly.

Left to Right: View from top of cable car, the beehive, the cook strait from Mount Victoria, downtown Wellington from Mount Victoria

Days 33-35 (9/28-9/30) - Christchurch

Day 33 - Wanaka, Drive to Christchurch, Christchurch Waking up led to getting on the road to Christchurch immediately. We arrived at Lake Pukaki and the water is so blue. It´s crazy. We drove to Mount Cook village in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. There were some real good view of Mount Cook. We drove to Lake Tekapo (also with the crazy blue water) and stopped at a burger place for lunch. We saw the famous Church of the Good Shepherd before continuing to Christchurch. We arrived and hung around the hotel and went to Speight´s Ale House for dinner where I got pretty good ribs before we closed out the day.

Day 34 - Christchurch We got up and went to the New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Museum. They had a whole lot of model planes and it was really cool. We finished up there and headed to lunch at a place called Bloody Mary and I got some decent fish and chips. We saw the Cardboard Cathedral that is made mostly out of cardboard. We saw the original Christchurch Cathedral that had a bunch of damage from the Christchurch 2011 earthquake. Afterwards we went in the Canterbury museum but weren’t in there very long. After dinner we packed and went to bed.

Day 35 - Christchurch, Train and Ferry to Wellington, Wellington The morning yielded to leaving early to catch our train to Picton. It was a very scenic train ride that went along the coast most of the time. There were some great views. We got on the Interislander Ferry in Picton on the south island and, three hours later we were on the other side of the Cook Strait in Wellington. After dinner we watched the Wake vs Boston College game. Wake won. After that we finished our packed day.

Left to Right: Mount Cook, Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo, RNZAF Jet Plane, Earthquake Damage to Christchurch Cathedral, View of Coast from train

Days 28-32 (9/23-9/27) - Wanaka

Day 28 - Wanaka We got up to watch Wake play Elon in football. It was not close at all. After that we walked to a crepes place called Charlie Brown’s. It was SO GOOD! We hung around the house before going to the park to run around a little. Steak for dinner and watching some of Batman Begins closed out the day.

Day 29 - Wanaka This morning we hung around he house and watched some NFL football. That kept up all morning but in the afternoon Mom and I walked around town. After dinner we had some delicious ice cream while finishing Batman Begins before going to bed.

Day 30 - Wanaka We got up and left early to get to Roys Peak. It was the hardest hike i have ever done. When we finally made it to the top the view was amazing. We could see almost all of Lake Wanaka. We deserved to rest the remaining part of the day. Mac n Cheese for dinner ended this crazy day.

Day 31 - Wanaka We hung around the house and Ada and I played games on our computers before Mom and Dad went out to dinner and left us at the house. We watched TV until they got back when we concluded a day doing almost nothing.

Day 32 - Wanaka We hung around the house some more in the morning. We walked to town and went in some stores I got a poster in one of them. I had a croissant for lunch before we got some ice cream. We went back to the house and packed up for Christchurch. After dinner we went to bed in our last full day in Wanaka.

Left to Right: Lake Wanaka from the top of Roys Peak, Lake Wanaka and the town of Wanaka from the top of Roys Peak, Panorama from the top of Roys Peak

Days 21-27 (9/16-9/22) - Wanaka, Franz Josef Glacier, Te Anau/Milford,

Day 21 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                             This morning we woke up and  drove to the rec center for a festival of sport and recreation. Ada and I did a 1 km race but I didn’t do very well. After that we shot hoops before we tried out flag rugby (rugby is the closest thing to football down here). It was actually pretty fun. We finished that and drove back to the house and ate lunch before Dad and I played golf at Wanaka Golf Club. I wasn’t very good there. Afterwards we went back and ate dinner before playing cards and going to bed. 

Day 22 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                                We woke up and watched the broncos play the bears. They lost literally because of the refs. After that we hung around the house the rest of the day. We had pasta for dinner and then went to bed.

Day 23 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                            After waking up we hung around the house before getting in the car. 45 minutes later we where in Arrowtown, outside of Queenstown. We got burgers for lunch before walking around and checking out some stores. When we finished up we drove back and stopped to check out a bungy jumping place before we got back and went to a Mexican place for Taco Tuesday before we went back and ended the day.

Day 24 - Wanaka, Drive to Franz Josef, Franz Josef                                                                                    This morning we drove to Franz Josef glacier in Westland/Tai Poutini National Park. We did a long and very hard hike through the rainforest. We didn’t get to see the glacier because we had to turn around before it got dark, but there were some good views. We went to the hotel afterward before going to a delicious dinner and dessert. Afterwards we went to bed.

Day 25 - Franz Josef, Drive to Wanaka, Wanaka                                                                                               We got up and drove to a cool lookout where you could see the mountains. Next we drove to Lake Matheson where we saw the reflections of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in the water. After that we drove back to Wanaka. Later that day we were eating great chicken for dinner. Afterwards we went to bed.

Day 26 - Wanaka, Drive to Te Anau/Milford, Te Anau/Milford                                                                        We got up and had breakfast before getting in the car. After that we arrived at Cardrona Alpine Resort. Skiing was AWESOME. The views were great. Afterwards we drove to Te Anau. It’s a town that practically only exists because of tourism. We hung around the hotel before driving to dinner. It was pretty good, but the creme brûlée for dessert was amazing. After that we went back and got in bed.

Day 27 - Te Anau/Milford, Drive to Wanaka, Wanaka                                                                                       We got up and drove straight to Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park. We got there a little too early so we had to sit there forever before our tour cruise finally started. It was awesome. We were even able to get close enough to the waterfalls so that people got wet and the views were awesome. Afterwards we drove to Fergburger (I know, weird name). The burgers were HUGE and delicious. After that we drove back to Wanaka were we went to bed, very tired.

Left to Right: Dad crossing a creek at Franz Josef, Mounts Cook and Tasman, Milford Sound, Waterfall in Milford Sound, Ada and I skiing at Cardrona

Days 14-20 (9/9-9/15) - Wanaka, Dunedin

Day 14 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                              This morning we woke up and hung around the house while we watched some college football action After lunch at the house we went to the town and walked around. I bought a cool hat. We walked around a little more before going back to the place and watching Iron Man 2. We had soup for dinner before journaling and going to bed.

Day 15 - Wanaka, Drive to Dunedin, Dunedin                                                                                             This morning we got up and packed before starting the 3 hour drive to Dunedin. We got there and went on a tour of a yellow-eyed penguin sanctuary. The guide said we would be lucky to see three,  but we saw 6 total. We also saw fur seals and blue penguins. After that cool tour we went to our hotel and found a place for dinner. Dad and I split and awesome steak before going to bed.

Day 16 - Dunedin, Drive to Wanaka, Wanaka.                                                                                              This morning we hung in our room before going to breakfast. I got a pretty good eggs benedict. After breakfast we walked down to the famous railway station, the most photographed building in New Zealand. Inside was the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. It was cool. We walked around a little before driving to the Museum of Otago. The most interesting things to me were the Maori artifacts. The Maori are the native people who came from other islands in the pacific. After that we drove to the top of final hill and got a great view. After that we drove back Wanaka and had dinner before going to bed.

Day 17 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                             This morning we did more schoolwork before we went to the park in the afternoon. Dad and I threw baseball while Ada did field hockey. We hung around the house the entire rest of the day and didn’t do much before we went to bed.  

Day 18 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                               This morning we again had school all morning. In the afternoon however, we went to the rec center where Dad and I shot hoops while Ada did field hockey. We finished up there and went to dinner where I got really good ribs. After that we went to the house and journaled before going to bed.

Day 19 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                               We got up and hung around the house the entire morning. Later we walked around town where we got awesome ice cream. After a good dinner, we watched the goonies before we went to bed again.

Day 20 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                              We woke up and watched Wake hopefully beat up on the Tar Heels (sorry Noah). We were winning 21-0 at halftime, but they came back. We hung on and won 24-18. After that game we went to a brewery and then a winery before we wen to the grocery store. After that we made steak for dinner. It was good. After that we had to go to bed.

Left to Right: Yellow-eyed penguins, yellow-eyed penguin, fur seals, Dunedin railway station, view from top of signal hill

New Zealand Days 6-13 (9/1-9/8) - Wanaka

Day 6 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                                 This morning we woke up and went to breakfast in the town. The Thai pancake I got was okay but the hot chocolate was awesome. After that we went back to the house to watch Wake play Utah State in football. It was a close game. After that we went on a walk down by Lake Wanaka. After that walk we went back to the house and had Barbecue Mac‘n Cheese for dinner before we went to bed.

Day 7 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                             This morning mom and I went for a run down by the lake. It was fun. After that we went back and walked to the nearby park for a little where Dad and I threw baseball while Ada did field hockey. For dinner we went to a  place called Amigos where they had good Mexican (that’s saying something cause I don’t normally like Mexican). After that we went to bed.

Day 8 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                                 This morning we woke up and hung around the house until we went into Queenstown and went to K-Mart where we got school supplies for our homeschooling. After that we went to the town. It’s cool. After that we went back to our house and went to bed.

Day 9 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                                 This morning we woke up and had our first day of “school”. It is the worst part of the trip so far. After that we drove to a climbing gym and checked it out with out climbing. After that we drove to the Wanaka Recreation Center and walked around. Ada did some field hockey while Dad and I threw baseball. We finished up there and had burgers for dinner before going to bed.

Day 10 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                         We woke up and ate breakfast before we drove to the Blue Pools in Mount Aspiring National Park. It was really cool. After that we saw the Wanaka Tree, which is a tree that is in the water when the water level is up. The water was down now so it was right on the edge of the lake. After dinner we did our fantasy football draft before going to bed.

Day 11 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                                   We did more schoolwork today which, as usual, is not very fun when we are not actually at school. After that we went to the Rec Center where Ada did field hockey and Dad and I played basketball. We finished there and had chicken for dinner before going to bed.

Day 12 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                    Breakfast, then school, then lunch, etc. The usual day. But, after that, we watched the Bears play the Packers in the first game of the NFL season. Then we played Flippa Ball at the Rec Center. It’s water polo except that you can stand. It was pretty fun, but the people we had to play with weren’t. After that we got some good Chinese food before going to bed.

Day 13 - Wanaka                                                                                                                                             We got up this morning and did schoolwork before watching Wake play Rice. It was close until the mid third quarter. After that we hiked to the top of Mount Iron. It was a short hike, but the view was great. After that we had dinner and went to bed.

Left to Right: The view down our street, the Southern Alps, Mountain rising over Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown, View of Wanaka and Lake Wanaka from top of Mount Iron

New Zealand Days 1-5 (8/26-8/31) - Hawaii

Day 1 - Fly to Hawaii We had to get up at 4:30 this morning to get to the airport. we got on our 7:30 am flight to LA and landed 6 hours later. After a quick layover we got on the flight to Hawaii and landed there after another 6 hours. We saw my Aunt Sheryl and our cousin Josh before driving to our airbnb. We got there and went to the beach and snorkeled which was awesome. After that we went to dinner at a place called the Beach House. It was delicious. After that we went to bed.

Day 2 - Hawaii We woke up and got breakfast at a place called the Countryside Cafe. I got churro waffles. They were so good. After that we did a shot hike to the top of Gorilla Mountain. The views were awesome. After that we went to the beach and snorkeled again. We saw three sea turtles and they were big. It was awesome. After that we went and stand up paddleboarded at Pokai Bay. It was fun. After that we went to dinner with Aunt Sheryl, Josh, and my Uncle Dave. We ate at a place called Monkeypod which was great. After that we went to bed.

Day 3 - Hawaii This morning we woke up and got on the road to Pearl Harbor. We stopped for quick breakfast but afterwards arrived at the National Memorial. We began with boat tour because the USS Arizona memorial was closed due to damage to the dock. On the boat we saw the memorial and the battleship USS Missouri. After that we went to the gift shop and walked through a museum which was interesting. After that we went to lunch at a place called Restaurant 604. I had an awesome burger. After that we met Uncle Dave at Navy Marine Golf Course. He was the pro there and when we played with him he played good. I played ok and shot a 103. After that we went back to the airbnb and snacked and packed before bed.

Day 4-5 - Fly to New Zealand Again we had to get up early to catch our early plane. We boarded to Auckland and I just watched TV until we got there. We went through customs before getting on the 2 hour flight to Queenstown. When we arrived we drove to our house in Wanaka and immediately went to bed, even though it was 35 degrees outside.

Don’t forget to like and comment below!

To Rahul Thapar: I’ll stop “pandering for comments” if you leave me a few yourself.

Left to Right: At terminal about to board flight to Hawaii, my churro waffles, view from gorilla mountain, the USS Missouri and USS Arizona memorial

Link to Map of New Zealand Portion

Link to map/timeline

https://brooke-farmer.travelmap.net/

Days 55-58 (8/7-8/10) - Kansas City and Nashville

Day 55 - Kansas City                                                                                                                                       This morning Dad and I got up and went to Walmart and bought golf balls and had Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. After this wewnet and played golf in the tie-breaker for the Pacific Cup. I didn’t play well and Dad won his third in a row to win the whole thing. We finished up with that and went back to see family we had never met. They were all really nice and dinner was delicious but afterwards we had to go to bed.

Day 56 - Kansas City, Drive to Nashville, Nashville                                                                                 Today we woke up and said bye and thanks to Leanne before getting on the road to Nashville, our last stop of the trip. The drive was a long one, but not the longest, for it was only 6:30. We arrived at my dad’s friend Jason’s house where we were staying. After good tacos for dinner we went to bed.

Day 57 - Nashville                                                                                                                                 This morning after waking up we drove into Nashville with Jason. Broadway was really cool. It was more interesting to me because they had the last NFL draft there. After that we got delicious lunch. I had a pimento cheese burger. After that we saw the Ryman Auditorium where they have the Grand Ole Opry. It was small but cool. Afterwards we got awesome barbecue and ice cream before going to bed.

Day 58/Final Day - Nashville, Drive Home, Home                                                                                        This morning we got up and said bye to Jason before getting on the road home. On the way we saw the parthenon replica, which was smaller than I expected. After that we got on the road. For one last 7 hour drive. We got back around 5:00 and saw my grandmother and Scout (our dog) and concluded our trip.

Final Tallys: 58 Days, 11 National Parks/Mounuments, 44 miles hiked, 49/50 state license plates, 17 miles kayaked, 10 miles rafted, 2 countries, 22 states, 4 car malfunctions, 9 golf courses, 35 cities, 8 mountain ranges

Don’t forget to like and comment below!

To Rahul Thapar: I’ll stop “pandering for comments if you send me a few yourself.

Left to Right: Winston Salem skyline, parthenon replica in Nashville, Nashville skyline, St. Louis Arch

Days 51-54 (8/3-8/6) - Denver

Day 51 - Denver                                                                                                                             This morning we woke up and Eleanor, David, Dad, Ada, Dad’s friend Patch, and I went for a run around Washington Park, a total of 2.5 miles. That was fun, and afterwards Zoe wanted us to make chocolate with her. We did, and it turned out tasting really good. We made seven flavors: plain, pretzel, apple pie, sea salt caramel, jelly, peanut butter, and peanut butter and jelly. After that we drove to the pool where we all swam a while before we played some tennis. I haven’t played a lot but was pretty good and had a lot of fun. We finished that and went back to their house where we said bye to Patch before we played games that night and made delicious grilled chicken and turkey burgers, before going to bed. 

Day 52 - Denver                                                                                                                             After waking up we hung around in the morning and got ready for Zoe’s 6th birthday party. People started arriving around 11:00 and there was a massive bounce house. Dad and I wrestled and it ended up being a “fight”. After the party, we played a lot of Mario Kart before having a “game olympics”. Afterwards we went to bed.

Day 53 - Denver                                                                                                                        After waking up we woke up and walked to eat a delicious breakfast at a bakery called Devil’s Food. I got an awesome donut. Afterwards we hung around the house before Mom, Dad, Ada and I drove to the Denver Central Market where we got a really good lunch and ice cream. After that we went back and picked up Eleanor to go to a climbing gym called Uber Grippen. It was awesome. After that we played Mario Kart and Catan before going to bed.

Day 54 - Denver, Drive to Kansas City, Kansas City                                                                   We woke up and packed up before saying goodbye to the Ekedahls and got on the road to Kansas City. We finished up the almost 9 hour drive to Kansas City and met our cousin Leanne and had dinner before swimming in her pool and then going to bed.

Left to Right: Eleanor, Ada and I climbing, our ice cream at Denver Central Market, Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos, truck in a army convoy we passed while in Kansas

Days 47-50 (7/30-8/2) - Park City and Vail

Day 47 - Lake Tahoe, Drive to Park City, Park City                                                                        Today we got up and hung around the place before going to Truckee and getting lunch at a place called Squeeze In. It was really good. After that we went to pick up the car that was getting its air conditioning fixed and we got on the road to Park City later than we would have liked, but minimum stops and fast food for dinner let us cut the 8:20 drive to about 7:50. We lost an hour returning to mountain time and almost immediately went to bed.

Day 48 - Park City                                                                                                                         We woke up and hung around the place we were staying at before driving to Bridal Veil Falls (there is a Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite, but this is different). It was cool. After that we went to Sundance resort and walked around before driving to Park City and walking around. We had lunch and went in a few shops before going to our place. Mom went to a market to get us dinner before we watched TV and then went to bed.

Day 49 - Park City, Drive to Vail, Vail                                                                                              We woke up and got on the road to Vail relatively early. Halfway through the 7 hour drive we stopped at Dinosaur National Monument and saw the dinosaur fossils before getting back on the road. We arrived in Vail and had dinner at a German restaurant. It was really good. After that we went to bed.

Day 50 - Vail, Drive to Denver, Denver                                                                                           We woke up early for Dad and I to go play golf. The course was really nice and I played ok. I ended up shooting a 106, allowing Dad to force a tiebreaker match in Kansas City. After that we got on the road to Denver. A couple hours after leaving Vail we arrived and saw the Ekedahls and there two daughters, Eleanore and Zoe, who we are staying with. The moms went to a food and wine festival while the dads stayed with the kids and we ordered pizza and played a very heated and competitive Mario Kart tournament before we went to bed.

Left to Right: Bridal Veil Falls, Dinosaur National Monument, Dinosaur fossil in Dinosaur, My tee shot on anonymous hole at Vail

Days 43-46 (7/26-7/29) - Lake Tahoe

Day 43 - Mariposa, Drive to Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe                                                                                                                                                                                 We woke up and played a little bit of monopoly before getting on the road to Lake Tahoe. We drove through Sacramento, the capital of California, and stopped for lunch. We ate at a place Bacon & Butter ( I know it’s a weird name, it’s just cause they put a lot of butter in their food and they hav lots of bacon). It was absolutely delicious. After that we got back on the road. When we got to Tahoe we walked down to the huge lake. After that we ate leftovers and watched TV before going to bed. 

Day 44 - Lake Tahoe                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        We woke up and hung around the house before going to the beach. The water was FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ada and I swam anyway but it might have been my worst decision on this trip. After that we went back to the house and Mom, Ada, Dad and I went kayaking and SUP(Stand Up Paddleboard). We finished that and went to dinner with our grandparents at Sunnyside. It was really good. After that we went back and went to bed.

Day 45 - Lake Tahoe                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          We woke up and hung around the house until about 1:45 PM.  At that time, Ada, my grandfather, Dad and I played golf at Old Greenwood. I didn’t play well and shot a 114, my worst round on the trip. We finished late and got dinner at a place called Bridgetender. It was really good. We finished and went back to the house and went to bed.

Day 46 - Lake Tahoe                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    We woke up and told our grandparents goodbye right before they left and then drove to Squaw Valley, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. We got there and took a gondola to the top of the mountain where they had a pool, hot tub, roller skating rink and more. We swam and tried roller skating I was really bad at it. After that we went to Truckee and walked around. We got some delicious ice cream and then went back and went to bed on our last night in Lake Tahoe, and our last night in California.

Left to Right: Boats on Lake Tahoe, Dad, Ada and I in Lake Tahoe, View from gondola at Squaw Valley (you can see Lake Tahoe in the background

Days 41-42 (7/24-7/25) - Mariposa, Yosemite National Park

Day 41 - Mariposa, Yosemite National Park We woke up and hung around the house a while. Ada had gotten sick so we didn’t go anywhere for a while.My grandmother and I started watching a cool documentary called Free Solo. It’s about a guy that climbed the 3,200 feet tall sheer rock cliff called El Capitan in Yosemite, with zero ropes whatsoever. After that we drove into the park. It was so cool. We stopped and saw El Capitan (also called El Cap) and I saw one climber, who was the size of a tiny fly from where we were. We walked to the bottom of Yosemite Falls (composed of three sections: upper, middle, and lower). The falls are altogether 2,425 feet tall. After that we drove to Tunnel View and saw the whole valley before going to the house. Ada and I played badminton going to dinner and then bed.

Day 42 - Mariposa, Yosemite National Park Mom, Dad, Ada, and I got up early and almost immediately left for the park. We arrived and began a 7.5 mile hike with nearly 3,000 feet of elevation gain (it’s way more than 2,000, get your math right Yosemite!). The first stop was 0.5 miles in, at Vernal Falls. It was cool. We ate lunch at the top before continuing on to Nevada Falls. Two miles, about 2,500 feet of elevation gain, and almost 10 breaks later, we arrived at the top. The view was amazing. After gawking a little while, we began the long hike down. Four miles, about 2,800 feet of elevation descent, and only one and a half hours, we made it to the bottom. We met our grandparents and then sat threw a enormous rain storm for half an hour, we sat in traffic for another hour before getting back, playing monopoly and going to bed.

Left to Right: View from top of Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls, Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls

Days 38-40 (7/21-7/23) - San Francisco

Day 38 - San Francisco/Oakland                                                                                                                                           We were able to sleep in before we watched the final round of golf. We finished up and met our grandparents before driving to Oakland. The place we were going to go to lunch to had an event so we went to a place called Seabreeze. It was OK. After that we drove to the University of California Berkeley (also known simply as Cal to some people) and walked around the campus. The buildings were a different style than Stanford, which was cool to see. We went back and got bathing suits and went to our grandparents hotel, while Mom and Dad ate dinner with a friend. We swam in the hotel pool that was as warm as the hot tub. We finished and went to play mini golf at a place called Golden Tee Golfland. It was the coolest mini golf course I ever played. We finished that and went back to our place before going to bed.

Day 39 - San Francisco                                                                                                                                                                           In the morning I woke up and we just hung around the airbnb this morning before Dad, my grandfather and I went and played golf at Half Moon Bay. We played the Ocean Course that runs right along the water at some points which was cool. It is my 3rd favorite course we have played on this trip. We finished up and had dinner at the clubhouse (I got some delicious fish and chips) before driving back and getting to bed.

Day 40 - San Francisco,Drive to Mariposa, Mariposa                                                                                                              We got up and I slept until nine and then went back to sleep on the couch because I was really tired from the previous day. We left at 11 am and drove to Muir Woods National Monument. There were redwood trees there, which were cool, but I was not as interested as in Redwoods Natl and State Parks, because we had we seen them before. We finished and got in the car. Ada and I rode with our grandparents, which was an interesting four hours. We arrived to Mariposa, just outside Yosemite National Park, and stopped at market real quick for dinner. We finished and immediately went to our airbnb. We went to bed basically right when we got there.

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To Rahul Thapar: I’ll stop “pandering for comments” if you leave me a few yourself.

Left to Right: Redwood trees in Muir Woods, my grandfather and I on the 15th hole at Half Moon Bay, the 16th hole at Half Moon Bay with the clubhouse in the background

Days 35-37 (7/18-7/20) - San Francisco

Sorry about the delay blogging. I have decided that I’m going to do our entire time in San Francisco in two posts. This is the first of the two.

Day 34 (7/18) - San Francisco We were able to sleep in, but I woke up at 7 am to watch the Open (golf). The tournament is in Northern Ireland this year so starts at 10:30 pm PT the day before. We watched until about 11:30 and then went and ate lunch at a place called Original Joe’s in West Lake. I had a delicious fried chicken sandwich with a not as good salad. We finished and Mom dropped Dad and I off at TPC Harding Park to play golf. I expected the course to be harder than it was because it is hosting the 2020 PGA Championship. It was really windy which still made it hard. I shot a 96. We finished, went back and went to bed.

Day 35 (7/19) - San Francisco I slept til 9:30 am before waking up and watching a little more golf. After cereal for breakfast, we met my grandparents that flew out from Virginia to stay with us for a couple weeks. We took a ferry and walked around the waterfront and then saw a floating World War II museum called the SS Jeremiah O’ Brien. We went on and walked around the boat, which was really cool. After that we took a ferry back and ate dinner at an Italian place called Trabocco. After that we went to our place and went to bed.

Day 36 (7/20) - San Francisco We woke up and drove to Stanford where we watched Ada finish her field hockey camp before showing our grandparents around the campus. We finished that and drove to the Presidio. I had no idea that there was an army fort there during World War II. Fort Scott had 17 gun batteries that protected the “Golden Gate” (the entrance to the San Francisco Bay) from the Japanese. After that we drove back and made tacos for dinner before going to bed.

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To Rahul Thapar: I’ll stop “pandering for comments” if you leave me a few yourself.

Left to Right: Jeep and truck that actually landed on D-Day, me “manning” the 3 inch gun, the front of the Jeremiah O’ Brien, Dad and I at Harding Park

Day 34 (7/17) - Eureka, Drive to San Francisco, San Francisco

We had to wake up relatively early to eat breakfast so we could take Ada to Stanford Field Hockey Camp. I had an apple fritter. We left around 8:25 to go to Palo Alto, just outside San Francisco, where Stanford is. We stopped for lunch at a fast food place called In-N-Out-Burger. It is just west coast so you can’t find one in North Carolina, or Virginia, or New York, etc. It was really good, not just for fast food, it was really good. We got to Stanford around 2:00 and walked around campus for a while. It was really cool. We dropped her off and said goodbye before getting snacks at a place called Gotts. Afterwards we drove to our Airbnb in Alameda, an island in the San Francisco Bay. We had dinner at a place called Stars and got delicious pizza. We went back and blogged and journaled before going to bed.

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To Rahul Thapar: I’ll stop “pandering for comments” if you leave me a few yourself.

Left to Right: Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Memorial Church at Stanford, the Hoover Bell Tower

Day 33 (7/16) - Eureka, Redwoods Natl and State Park

We were able to sleep in this morning for a nice change. We eventually had a good breakfast before hanging around the hotel and then going to the hotel pool and swimming for a while. After that we drove for an hour before arriving at Redwoods National and State Park. We did a hike and the trees were huge. For Star Wars fans, they filmed the Endor scenes in Return of the Jedi in the same forest. On the way out of the park we saw a herd of elk in a field. They were ginormous. We drove back and stopped at a market for dinner, before going back and eating in our room. After that we swam some more before finally going to bed.

Left to right: Redwood tree, the “Big Tree”, Herd of Elk

Day 32 (7/15) - Eugene, Drive to Eureka, Eureka

After a early wake up and breakfast we got on the road to Bandon Dunes. I know the title says drive to Eureka, but we stopped in Bandon along the way. Dad and I played golf at the second nicest course in the country called Pacific Dunes. It was awesome. The course went right along the ocean in some places. Even after some thick fog rolled in it was really fun. I shot a 94. It was the second best round of my life on the second nicest course in the country. After finishing, we had some delicious crab sandwiches before driving to Eureka, California on the Humboldt Bay, getting another new state in the process. We got in around 10:00 pm so we went to bed almost immediately at the end of an amazing day.

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To Rahul Thapar: I’ll stop “pandering for comments” if you leave me a few yourself.

Left to Right: My crab sandwich for lunch, My tee shot on the first hole, Dad and I on the tenth hole