Haleakala

My sister Lydia might can take it but 26 miles on a bike is enough to wear me out, even if it is all downhill. Today Grant and I completed the trek down Haleakala (about 6500 ft from our staring point to end). It took us 3 hours to make it all the way down with stopping to have a picnic, climb a few trees and buy fruit from a local orchard. We even passed several bikers riding up.


















We ended the day by relaxing at the beach. Ahhh, what a day.

****As a side note, my sister in law gave me the neatest wrap for Christmas. Quite timely since we were headed to Hawaii. So begins my, how may ways can I tie it. This is wrap #2 (my favorite so far).

Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka

It's another year and another New Year's trip. This year's destination? HAWAII!!!

Xan is staying home with his grandparents (let the spoiling begin) and this is the first trip Grant and I have taken alone since he was born. I miss him already but am looking forward to hanging with Grant.

Tune in here for all the accounts of our Hawaiian adventures!

TOP TEN - New England Road Trip

1. The Bite

A classic crab shack on the side of the road on Martha's Vineyard. We ordered fried shrimp, fried clams, fried bites and clam chowder. It was one of my favorite meals and the best fried shrimp I have ever had. Great. . . . .  Now I'm hungry.

2. Whale Watching

Awesome experience! Such beautiful, large animals.

3. Travel with Xan

Grant and I had lots of questions about how traveling would go post-kid. What could we do? Where could we go? Take Xan? Leave him at home? I was thrilled with how well he handled it all. He seemed to really enjoy the activity (and his backpack - see item #8). I hear that he will get harder to 'manage' as he gets older. So, I guess we'll take it one adventure at a time.

4. Red Sox game

Xan got lots of attention at the game. "Raisin' him right" seemed to be the general consensus.

5. Nantucket

Beautiful Island! It really looked like a postcard.

6. Driving

With a 6 month baby in the house Grant and I don't have time to hang out like we used to. Since this was a road trip we had time in the car to talk, sing along with the radio and just be goofy.

7. Plimoth Plantation

Setup to look like a 16th century English settlement including the people. You could wander through the village and interact with the settlers as they worked in the gardens, tended their animals, built homes, etc. I spent 30 minutes visiting with Stephen Hopkins (a Mayflower passenger) in his home. It was like really being there.

8. Xan's backpack

Xan loved this backpack about 90% of the time. He could look around, see what was going on and even sleep in it.

9. Yale and Harvard

College visits with Xan. It's never too early to start :)

10. Newport Mansions

Massive, elaborate homes build during the US Guild age. I would love to see more.

Whale Watching

This morning we took a boat out of the Cape Cod Bay to go whale watching. It was an incredible experience. The storm from earlier in the week stirred the fish further toward the surface and we were able to witness a whale feast. Many, many whales were splashing and flipping while eating the fish there. The guide told us it was a unique event, to see so many feeding at one time so close to the surface.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Provincetown, MA. This is the location of the first Mayflower landing and the signing of the Mayflower compact. After 5 weeks of exploration, the pilgrims left this shore and headed to what is now Plymouth. Plymouth became the first permanent settlement in North America. A monument to the Pilgrims was built in 1910 in Provincetown to commemorate the first landing. It is a 252 foot tower that over looks the bay. On a clear day you can see Boston. Grant and I made the climb to the top (Xan rode in his backpack).

There once was a man from Nantucket

I finally learned the rest of the limerick. It goes. . . . . .

There once was a man from Nantucket

Who kept all his cash in a bucket.

But his daughter, named Nan,

Ran away with a man

And as for the bucket, Nantucket

As for our time on the island, it couldn't have been more beautiful. It looked exactly like you imagine a New England coastal village would look.

We spent several hours on the beach while Xan slept in his sun tent.

Our vacation with the President

We hit Martha's Vineyard during the biggest storm of the summer. Between the rain and wind, it was difficult to enjoy everything the island had to offer. We braved the weather to visit some of the main sights and had several good meals. 'The Bite' was a crab shack that had the best fried shrimp I have ever had and Grant got a great Lobster bake at the 'Home Port'. Oh, and guess who decided to take a vacation to Martha's Vineyard at the same time. The First Family.

Xan's lobster dinner

Martha's Vineyard Road through middle island

The first time Grant turned down one of these dirt roads I was in fierce protest. This couldn't possibly be a real road but I was wrong. The one above was actually one of the better.

One of rougher roads on Martha's Vineyard

Aquinnah Light House

Pictures from Boston

Paul Revere Cemetery

King's Chapel

Near Old North Church and Paul Revere statue

Water Taxi

Riding the Subway

Napping in Boston Common park

College Visits

It’s never too early to start. Xan toured both Harvard and Yale with particular stops at the law schools just in case he wants to follow in his Dad’s career-steps. He slept the whole time we visited Harvard. I guess he was uninterested, but Yale was another matter. He was alert and looking around. He even wanted to wear his Yale shirt (though he did throw up all over it. Don’t know what that means).

Yale Library

Harvard

The Big Green Monster

What on earth is the Big Green Monster? I saw this phrase all over the place. On t-shirts. Signs. What does that have to do with Boston? Let me tell you a tale.


Tonight, we went to a Red Sox’s game. Grant was excited about seeing Fenway Park and even spent Xan’s nap time today looking for a Red Sox onesie for the game. When we got to our seats at the stadium, Grant points to the outfield and says, “Look, there’s the Green Monster”. I spent several minutes looking for a picture of a monster, or a mascot before asking, “Huh?” Grant finally explained (with a face that said, isn’t it obvious), “It’s the wall”. For all of you that were as confused as me, Fenway Park has a very tall, green wall that makes out of the park homeruns even more difficult to hit. Hence, the Big Green Monster.

Also, I included some pictures of Xan in his Boston Red Sox’s outfit. Grant said I should mention he is also wearing red socks. It’s so CUTE!

Constant Vigilance

I will admit that I was nervous about our trip to Boston. Not the vacation itself but the actual travel. Xan had never been on a plane and I didn’t know how it might go.

This is how it went. . . . . . Xan, for the most part, slept on the plane and was in a great mood even though it was almost midnight when we arrived in Boston. I thought we had made it, I could see the hotel from our taxi when Grant looked over at me with a horrified face. He heard a ‘gas’ sound and something from Xan’s diaper sprayed him. Our taxi driver didn’t notice the smell. He was too busy giving us the weirdest parenting advice I’ve ever heard. Grant was quickly trying to clean up the growing puddle in the back seat. Every napkin and burp cloth we had available was saturated. In the end, we escaped from the taxi before the driver realized what happened and both Grant and Xan went straight to the shower.

All in all, it was a successful arrival and made for a funny story.

On the road again!

It's been 8 long months since we last hit the road. Our first child, Xan, was born in February and that put on hold any travels we had planned. Xan is now almost 6 months old so we thought he was ready for his inaugural journey. Grant and I choose to start small. Although Xan already has his passport, we thought it was best to begin with a shorter plane ride. So, we are off to Boston and a road trip around New England

This blog, which has up until this time covered our explorations of the world, will now also include the craziness of traveling with a child. I have read everything I could find about how to trek with an infant. Pros and Cons. In the end we elected to just “See how Xan handles it”. I’m anticipating this being more of an adventure than any of our other travels :)

TOP TEN - Las Vegas Road Trip

10. Ethel's Chocolate Factory

We took a long taxi ride out to the factory on New Year's Day. They were open but not making chocolate! I did get to purchase chocolate in the gift shop before taking a taxi ride back to the strip. The whole trip took 45 minutes and too much $$. While walking through the Flamingo later in the week I saw an Ethel's chocolate store. I'm glad Grand had a good sense of humor about my mis-adventure

9. New Year's Eve Fireworks

8. Brazilian Restaurant

As if my cholesterol intake wasn't high enough on this trip, we visited a Brazilian style restaurant (all you can eat meat). We tried everything but by the end would only except filet or roast beef.

7. Best Buffet search, winner: Bellagio!

We did serious research, looking for the best buffet. The winner was clearly the Bellagio. I had lots of Kobe top sirloin and 3 creme brulees. Magnific!!

6. Le Reve

A water based Cirque du Soleil show at the new Wynn Hotel and Casino. It was amazing!

5. First Class

Since I was 7 months pregnant on this trip Grant got first class plane tickets so I would be comfortable. It was so much fun!!

4. Hacienda Nicholas Bed and Breakfast

I have already talked about the AWESOME B&B in Santa Fe. I loved it!!!

3. White out at the Grand Canyon

1 mile down, 10 miles across and 1/4 mile visibility. Needless to say we couldn't see a thing but we did enjoy walking along the canyon rim in the snow storm

2. Jersey Boys

The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I LOVE their music!

1. Grand Canyon

We arrived for the last of sunrise. It was beautiful, covered in the untouched snow