California Road Trip, Day 2

Woke up early in our seedy hotel, washed up and headed into downtown Flagstaff for some wicked coffee (Emi and I got coconut lattes - yum!) and an everything bagel with egg, ham and cheese (called The Weatherford) at a cute little place called Late for the Train.

Coconut Bliss

After breakfast we headed straight to the Grand Canyon!



It wasn't exactly on the route but we were Right There so we took the time to show the kids one of the natural wonders of the world. It took my breath away as it did back in Oct 1996, but Aubri seemed unimpressed (or maybe just unaware)? She did just hit her head on the railing.

The Pinion Pine smelled so refreshing after being trapped in the car with 3 kids!

Leaving Kaibab Forest we were only 7 hours away from Rancho Cucamonga. We stopped at a roadside cafe, actually the Roadkill Cafe, for a quick bite. Scott and I stuck to chips and salsa. We're not sure what the kids ate - David and Aubri split a 'burger' and Emi had 'chicken' strips.



When we were leaving the Roadkill Cafe we saw a cool dust devil across the street and several more in the open areas along the highway.

Some observations about temperatures along the way:

• 107 degrees in Kingman, AZ. What a desolate place! So different than the lush flagstaff.
• 110 when we stopped at rest area near Lake Havasu, AZ and we could really feel that Dry Heat once we were out of the car.
• 115 degrees as we entered the state of California
• 116 when we got to Mojave Desert.

We stopped for gas in the desert and the bathroom was like a sauna. The water in the bowl was actually steamy. The gas was $5 a gallon. The station was surrounded by palm trees and their sign boasted that they didn't want to be there either but they invested so much money in the business that they HAD to be there. That was a quick stop.



As we got closer to the Little Ones' grandparents' house the kids starting acting goofy.



It was so good to finally reach our destination!

The road trip to California was so much more brutal than the trip to Florida last year. Mainly due to vast amounts of desert. We are looking forward to a great visit with the Little Ones' extended family this week.

Cool Cupcakes Made by Little Ones' Aunt Makenna