i tried finding their trail map online but was unsuccessful, so I took the brochure they gave me and scanned it in. If you are interested you can see it here and the route we took was A to B to D to C.

the boys had fun, but it was a little long for Kael and he is sleeping now. both the boys were “troopers” and walked the whole way stopping to check out all the bugs. we saw: ladybugs, millipedes, snails, turtles, ducks, train tracks (which we had to walk over and back), the missouri river, tom’s tree house and turkeys.

we will be going back :)

Day 1- We (Jamie, I, Guy & Kael, along with Jamie’s parents Dan & Brenda) left Saturday afternoon for our week long stay in CA.Our flight had a lay-over in Las Vegas. Jamie gave Brenda a $20 to play the slots with and she won $211. They split the winnings which basically paid for our first nights stay in San Diego. The boys did amazing traveling, as always. I am so incredibly proud of them.

Day 2- After breakfast, the boys wandered down to the harbor with Brenda & Dan while Jamie & I printed out tickets for the next few days; loaded trips, destinations, etc into the GPS; and packed up. We had given Guy an old digital camera that’s screen is broken to use for vacation. He took some pretty good pics throughout the trip. Once everyone was loaded, we drove up to Carlsbad & checked into the Sheraton Resort at Legoland. Our first stop was the SeaLife Aquarium that’s attached to Legoland. We got our first glimpse of what was to come. The aquarium had a bunch of really neat Lego figures like: lots of divers, silly bathers, crazy sunbathing crabs and, oh yeah, there was sea life there, too.

That afternoon, Jamie took the boys swimming. It was 58 degrees! Yes, that’s right, 58 and he got in the water. I don’t care how heated the pool (90) or hot tub (100) are, the air is still cold when you get out. Crazy boys!

That night we ran down to South Carlsbad State Beach for a little bit. It was the first time the boys had been to the ocean. They had a blast throwing rocks at the waves and Jamie got a shot of the lifeguard tower that I absolutely love!

Day 3- LEGOLAND!!! Finally, the much-anticipated pinnacle (at least for the boys) of the trip. Whoever designed the various figures throughout has a wonderful sense of humor. One of my favorites was the granny feeding the pigeons with the “Pigeon Recipes” cookbook poking out of her basket and the net behind her back. Kael got a big kick out of the Dalmatian peeing on the fire hydrant but I think Guy’s favorite was the Diva. That picture is one of the funniest from the whole trip!  His face says it all.

The Volvo Driving School was a big hit for both of them, as were most of the other rides as well. Miniland was fascinating. I can only begin to imagine how much time went into something like that. It would be the perfect job for Jamie. He could use his brains to design and then spend hours upon hours building and get paid for it. Sounds like a dream to me!

The boys picked out a few toys at the Lego store. I chose a sword and shield for each of them so they could play the Red Knight and Blue Knight from Castle Crashers. I think it was one of the best investments from the trip. The boys have continued to have a blast with them. I pity the fool that stands too close unaware.

Day 4- I love zoos and have heard wonderful things about the San Diego Zoo. It was the one thing I wanted to see on our trip but as we were driving on the first day, we passed a city bench with a Body Worlds ad on it. I was more than willing to give up the zoo for that. So instead of the zoo, we headed to the San Diego Natural History Museum. Kael LOVES dinosaurs so that was, without a doubt, his favorite part of it. I think the park next door was Guy’s. I was somewhat surprised that he wasn’t more interested in the bodies since he is always asking “what’s this?” and “how does that work?” or “what does this look like?” I think I speak for us both when I say that Brenda and I found it absolutely amazing! I could have spent all day looking. The only one that creeped out a little was the dancer with her hair. The hair made it seem too personal. The rest were just cadavers. Amazing, incredible, awesome but still just cadavers.

That afternoon, we met up with Susan at Dog Beach. Jamie used to work with Susan when we lived in Cincinnati. It was too cold to swim but that did not stop the boys from getting drenched. Dog beach sits right next to Ocean Beach so we played on the people side for a while until Susan got there then we went over to the doggy side. The boys loved the water as much as the dogs!  Two negatives to Dog Beach: dog poo and lost shoes. We left our shoes in a pile on the beach while we wandered in the surf.  Mind you, Dog Beach is not that big. I looked over and some big ole sheep dog was squatting over the shoes. He managed to miss most of the shoes but did hit part of one of Jamie’s.  A quick rinse in the ocean and some hand sanitizer when we reached the car and they were good as new. Kael’s shoes unfortunately, did not fare so well. When we got ready to leave we discovered that some dog had a really nice new chew toy. We had bought the boys each a pair of Keen’s so that they would have really comfy and versatile shoes for the trip. Kael only had a one left. We all searched around for a while but to no avail.Mind you, Kael was really excited about what he calls his “fire Luigi shoes” so we hunted down an REI and picked up another pair. Tragedy averted.

We hit Joe’s Crab Shack for dinner. I know, we’re on the CA coast and we’re hitting Joe’s instead of “real” seafood joint but it was kid-friendly and the boys loved the atmosphere and the toy sharks that came in mom’s drink. The waitress was even kind enough to give us an extra shark so that they each had their own. The sharks get a lot of tub time.

Day 5- The start of our trip up the coast. We stopped briefly at the Santa Monica Pier to let everyone stretch their legs and get some wiggles out. The boys worked on a sand castle with Brenda for a bit and then we were on our way up Highway 1. We stopped for the night in Morro Bay. Overall, a pretty uneventful day.

Day 6- Our first stop was at Hearst Castle, an amazingly over-indulgent piece of paradise that belonged to William Randolf Hearst. The estate was amazing and the boys loved seeing the real castle, “pirates chest”, secret paneled doors and gold swimming pool. We made a few stops along Hwy 1 to take pictures of the scenery and the wildlife. There was a beach with hundreds of sea lions and elephant seals. If you’ve haven’t seen one, they are HUGE! We also stopped in a little fishing village,Moss Landing, that has a large family of sea otters. What funny little critters they are. There were also a ton of seals all piled on a pier, literally piled one on top of the other.

For those of you that have never been up Hwy 1, it is beautiful but I would not recommend it for anyone that gets carsick; lots of up and downs, back and forths and curves every which way. Luckily the boys did great and even Brenda managed to handle the ride without too much of a problem. We arrived that night at the Courtyard Marriot in San Francisco.

Day 7- Friday, we met up with Jenny, a lady that Brenda used to work with. We went out to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield.The tour explains how Jelly Belly’s are made and everyone got a sample. There are portraits made of Jelly Belly’s that hang throughout the building; very neat and I’m sure very time consuming.  You can view the Bean Art Gallery at their site.

We went back to Benicia for lunch and ate at Kinder’s deli. While we were there, a group of Coast Guards came in. The boys got a big kick out this. We had seen a number of C.G. ships and helicopters throughout the trip so the boys (mostly Guy) thought it was great to actually see the guys. As we finished up, a group of motorcycle police came down the street so I took the boys down to see the bikes but they were too shy to introduce themselves. However, they were heading to the same deli we had just eaten at so as we wandered back that way, one of the officers spoke to the boys and gave them “badge” stickers. Again, they were quite excited.

Back in San Francisco, we walked to Borders to grab a few books but since it was starting to get dark on the way back we opted to take a taxi back. It was the boys’ first time in a cab and the cabby was really cool about it. He made a big deal out of it for the boys and let Guy do a radio check on the CB.

That night Brenda and Dan kept the boys while Jamie and I went out to dinner. We ate at this great little Indian restaurant calledMehfil Indian Cuisine.  The food was delicious, the wine great and the dessert was phenomenal! It was called gulab jamun and was unbelievable. I am definitely going to have to find a place around here that has it.

Day 8- Muir Woods and our first time seeing the Giant Redwoods. Guy thought it was pretty cool that the trees were even taller than the building we were staying in (we were on the 12^th floor). After the first few trees though, they were pretty much ready to be done. We had told the boys we were going hiking but at this time Guy pointed out that “This isn’t hiking. It’s walking”. He was right, of course. We were following a very clear boardwalk and path. Peanut (a.k.a. Joan) met up with us here. She is a lifelong friend of Brenda’s and Jamie’s godmother. The rest of the day she came along.

Point Reyes Lighthouse was our next stop. Jamie and the boys had never seen a lighthouse and I think they are beautiful. It was a neat place to stop but the 300+ steps were a strong reminder that I need to get back to running. While we were there, we saw a whale. All I saw was the tail of a little one but Jamie actually got to see one crest. He managed to get some pictures of it along with some great shots of the view.

One the way back, Brenda and Dan rode with Peanut and Jamie and I took the boys to head back. We went up to Hawk Hillwhich has an amazing view overlooking San Francisco. The boys pretty much slept for the ride back so by the time we hit the room they were more than ready to eat. We ordered grilled cheese from room service which was a huge hit with Guy. He thought it was great that they would actually bring your food right up to your room!

Day 9- Jamie took the boys swimming (finally an indoor pool) while Brenda and I went to see Alcatraz. It was a very interesting and educational tour. I wish Jamie had chosen to come with us as there were some great photo ops. When we got back, we wandered around Fisherman’s Wharf a bit and checked out all the touristy stuff. Then we grabbed a cab up to Coit Tower to take a look around. From there we walked down to Lombard Street and then Ghirardelli Square. Here, we treated ourselves to the most amazing sundaes. There was a Schooner in the harbor near the square which the boys thought was an awesome pirate ship.Guy wanted to know if we could see real pirates.

Back at the hotel, Jamie and I took the boys swimming.

Day 10- It was time to go home. We were flying out of San Jose in the afternoon so we took a leisurely drive towards the airport and stopped at this great grille which happened to be right next to a comic book store. Needless to say, the boys (big and little) ended up with comics for the trip home. The boys did great as usual and we all arrived home late but safe and exhausted.

Day 11- Though technically not part of the trip I’m going to include it. I let the boys stay home one more day from school so they could sleep in and get caught back up since we didn’t get in until late. I unpacked, did a bit of laundry and lounged until Jamie called to say “Can you find a sitter for tonight?” I did and we ended up heading out with a great group from his work in a limo to have a few drinks before heading to the Nickelback concert. Overall, a great Spring Break, wonderful family trip and much needed mental break.

took the family out to the desoto national wildlife refuge. we took several photos and I will upload them this evening. I also found a four-leaf clover, my first. not to be out done amy found two :-)

We arrived Thursday and checked into The Claremont Resort and Spa. The resort was massive and beautiful. Check out the pictures. That afternoon/evening we went down to Fisherman’s Wharf. It was neat to see Alcatraz, though we didn’t end up having the time to tour it.

Friday morning, we headed up to Napa Valley. Time was somewhat limited since we had to be back to Berkeley for the rehearsal dinner but we had time for a few tastings. We stopped at Beaulieu and Sterling.

At Beaulieu, the reserve wines are in a different building than the main tasting area. So after sampling the usual wines we headed to the reserve area. I am tickled pink that Jamie and I had our trip to Ecuador before our trip to CA. When we entered the reserve building, the man greeting us said to me “you look very beautiful today, ma’am”. He spoke to me in Spanish. The shock on his face when I responded in Spanish was absolutely priceless. Then he quickly checked Jamie’s face for his reaction. Jamie, being fairly ignorant of Spanish and blissfully secure in our relationship, merely smiled. In a vain way, it was nearly the highlight of the trip.

Sterling had a self-guided tour of the winery which was quite interesting. Just a fun fact for those of you back east; some of the oak barrels were Appalachian Oak. The tour was interesting but I have to say the best part was the gondola ride up to the winery.

That’s the end of our trip to Napa since we had to back in Berkeley. The rehearsal went as they usually do and we went to Skates on the Bay for dinner. Appetizers and dessert were wonderful. Everything in between was ok. Maybe I’m a spoiled Mid-Westerner used to friendly people and exceptional service or maybe, it’s because we had just been in Ecuador were the people were absolutely amazing but whatever the reason, California seemed very unfriendly, service was mediocre at best and everything was way overpriced.

Saturday, we went back to the Wharf for the Farmer’s Market, wandered around a bit and then had lunch in Japantown with another couple. Then it was time to head back for the wedding.

Sorry to those of you looking for wedding pictures but I have absolutely none. Jamie was in the wedding so no camera for him. And I stayed back with the bridal party to make sure the kids (flower girl and ring bearer) left when they were supposed to. So, I scooted in the back row after the bride was up front which didn’t leave me in the greatest position for pictures.

The reception was a lot of fun. I think this wedding had more people dancing than any other wedding I’ve been to. Since Jamie was at the head table with the wedding party, I was seated with a bunch of strangers (some friends of the bride and some of the groom). Lucky for me, they were a very fun and animated group of people. But it wasn’t until the older generation started to leave and the wedding party started doing shots that things really livened up. Even after the reception was over, the wedding party, sans bride and groom, gathered in one of the groomsmen’s rooms to keep things going. Needless to say, Sunday morning was not the best morning I’ve ever seen. It was quite reminiscent of my 21st birthday many years ago and was a not-so-lovely reminder of why Jamie and I don’t drink. For the rest of them who still drink regularly, I’m sure it was no big deal.

After brunch with the other groomsmen and their significant others, Jamie and I headed for the airport and back to Omaha. Thus, the end of our CA trip.

We left Omaha on Monday, May 29th after prolonged delays, arrived in Houston and were stranded. We missed the only flight on Continental out to Quito. So we spent our first night in Quito, Ecuador at the Wyndham in Houston, TX. The flight out the next day was completely booked so Continental booked us through Miami on American. We arrived in Quito around 9:00pm on Tuesday.

Our driver was waiting for us. We made the 90 minute drive to the Hacienda Cusin in the dark. So our first exposure to Ecuador was nothing but a few lights at night. This was a little unnerving since I’d never been in a non-English speaking place, it was dark, I was trusting a complete stranger who’s first words (other than “hello” and “my name is Angel”) were “lock the door”. I’m sure it was the longest 90 minutes of this wonderful mans life. I speak a little Spanish. By little I mean, I took a few years in high school a long time ago and had been listening to lessons while I worked out. Angel (pronounced on-hell for those of you who don’t speak Spanish) must be the most patient person on earth. I very animatedly tried to ask a million questions on the drive and he very patiently tried to answer them. There were a few miscommunications since he didn’t speak any English and my Spanish is somewhat choppy (to be generous).

When we arrived at Hacienda Cusin, our sheets were turned down, with hot water bottles, there was a fire lit in the fireplace and a snack on the dresser. We were up bright and early the next morning to check out the premises. We had a private garden cottage with amazing vegetation (the flowers and trees on all the grounds were absolutely beautiful). We found the reception desk to check in. Yes, that’s right we checked in after being there for the night. The reception workers and most of the dining staff spoke at least some English but I tortured them all by trying my best to speak their native language.

We found the rest of the party, had some breakfast and then headed out on horseback with Lindsay, Casey, Erin and our guide who did not speak English. Luckily, for him and us, both Lindsay and Casey speak very good Spanish. We rode up into the mountains along the volcano, had amazing views of San Pablo del Lago (the town and lake near the Hacienda), saw the natives working the fields, experienced the wild dogs, and asked a ton of questions. It seemed everyone in the mountains owned pigs (We ate a lot of pork while we were there).

Wednesday afternoon, the whole party went to the pyramids: Parque Arqueologico de Investigacion Cientifica Cochasqui. This was a really interesting place to see. The pyramids are not was you typically think of. They do not come to a point like those in Egypt. Instead, they come up a few tiers and then are flat across the top. There were 14 all together of various sizes and the tops were reached by long ramps like the tail of a scorpion. The layout also reflects the shape of a scorpion and all the tails point towards a scorpion constellation. There were multiple burial mounds near the south end of the “tail”. There were very few artifacts in the museum since the locals had vandalized the largest looking for things of value and then in the 1930′s and 50′s German archeologist came to excavate and illegally sent the artifacts back to Germany.

Originally, there were 572 skulls (very few skeletons) and a variety of artifacts located in the largest of the pyramids. This is the only one that they found with tunnels and chambers. They believe this pyramid was of religous importance and that the skulls were sacraficial since it was only the skulls that were found.

The number and shapes of the pyramids (reflecting the scorpion constellation) as well as clocks found in another pyramid suggest the natives used astrology. Two huge sundials (so to speak) were found in one of the upper pyramids. They are believed to be solar and lunar clocks one representing the hours in the days, they other the months in the year.

Thursday, we went horseback riding again with Casey and Teresa. This time we went through San Pablo del Lago to see some of the town and then past the fields out to the lake. They have 2 large churches, an old one that is no longer used but whose back yard is a grave yard and the new one where services are now held. This one is a nice, happy yellow. The cemetary was also interesting. The tombs were all above ground.

In the mountains, the people lived right next to the fields they worked but all the houses near the fields in the valley were empty even though they were structurally sound. Our guide explained that there is no electricity near the fields so it is easier for the people to live in town and come out to the fields to work. We passed by an old Justice Building (like a courthouse) that was near enough town that it had powerlines running overhead and like the other buildings was structurally sound. However, it was not being used. The explanation is that the natives believe the building to be haunted. They claim to hear voices there at night.

We rode down to the lakefront and saw some locals spearfishing in the creek running to the lake. Now, that takes talent! It was really interesting to actually see where most of your food was coming from. There was a lot of corn fields, some strawberry fields and a variety of tomato and fruit trees. Yes, the tomatos grew on trees. Some of the fields had obvious mounded rows. The pre-Incan people had planted corn on top of the rows and shorter plants such as strawberries or beans in the valley between the rows. Corn was a main staple, used for everything from bread, tortillas and soups to whole ears. It was much meatier than here if that makes any sense and the kernels were huge! The Hacienda owns fields where they grow their own food and grains for the animals. They had stables with horses, guinea hens and turkey. They also had a few llamas on the grounds and two dogs (vaca which means cow who was spotted like a cow and nena which is like a pet name for baby who was a yellow lab).

We asked our guide for a good place to eat that the locals like. We went to Dos Hornos (Two Ovens) for local fare and ordered some common foods. Most of the party had chicken but I ordered fish and Jamie and Casey had the guinea pig. My fish (some kind of local catch) was excellent. Jamie, Casey & I watched them prepare the guinea pig. It was very similar to plucking a chicken except they were pulling fur. For those of you who’ve never eaten the large rodent (it was about the size of a small housecat) it tastes like dark meat on a duck. It was a very fatty meat and we didn’t really know how to eat it. It was de-furred (if that’s a word) but not skinned. We later learned the locals eat the skin, too. So Jamie was trying to peel back the skin, which revealed a great deal of fat and not a lot of meat. The taste however, was not bad and whatever seasonings they used (it was the same as the chicken and fish) was really good. A few members of our group were quite grossed out when Jamie picked it up by the hind legs and broke the hips apart to get to the leg meat. Maybe, it was a bit too primal for them.

Afterwards, we went to the nearby town of Otovalo. They have an open air market in the town square. On the weekends the market extends throughout the side streets as well. We did some shopping, picked up some souvegniers for the family and a great wedding present for Rachel & Marv. There were carved gourds, some with stories, others with just pictures. We found one that had a wedding story: “la historia de matrimonia: indiginous”. We also found some great paintings that we need to get mounted.

In the evenings, we all gathered in the salon and dining room for drinks and dinner together. We all ate together each night at the Hacienda. Jamie and I ordered whatever the staff recommended each night and we always got different dishes so we could try various foods. Obviously, food was a big part of our trip. We wanted to try as many different things as we could and everything was good. Actually, we had one soup that wasn’t good. It wasn’t bad either. It was just kind of bland. Jamie doctored his up with whatever kind of spicy sauce they had on the table for all the meals. Other than that, things were pretty much amazing.

Friday, Jamie and I went to the waterfall: la Cascade de Peguche. It was beautiful and it was nice to have some quiet time alone with Jamie. There were a lot of people along the paths to the fall. It looked like field trips from the local schools. We thought they might be there for the festival but since most of the people were closer to the fall than the town, and based on the dynamics of the groups, field trip seems more likely.

There was a small village near the waterfall that you have to go through to get to the fall. The village was having a small festival: la festiva del familia. It was a celebration of the family with food and dancing. Of course, we had to try the food; it was chunked pork cooked with plantains. It was served in a small plastic bag with potatos and vegetables (tomato, onion & peppers with some sort of vinegar).

Friday afternoon was the wedding. The bride was radiant, of course, even with her hoody on over her dress. If you know Rachel, you know how extremely appropriate this is. The ceremony was perfect: short and to the point. It took place in front of this amazing 16th century tree in the garden.

Since the reception wasn’t until later in the evening a bunch of people headed to the market but Jamie and I enjoyed some quiet time and downloaded all the pictures taken so far (2000+ from everyones cameras). That evening the reception was at the monestary (now converted to a conference center and owned by the Hacienda). A local band came in to play for a while. There were drinks and an amazing dinner. Instead of traditional wedding cake, there was passion fruit pie. Quite appropriate for a wedding, I think.

About the monestary. Like the Hacienda, the grounds were beautiful. There was a very interesting mural across the one wall. It ran the whole length of the building. At the left end over the bar was hell depicted by the devil, demons, skeletons, etc. In the center was the earth with paths leading out either towards hell or to the right toward heaven. The right end obviously was heaven with angels, lots of light and happy people.

Saturday, we all went back to the market in Otovalo. I wanted to get there early enough to see the livestock sale/trade they have on Saturday mornings but with a group that big we didn’t get around early enough. We picked up a few last minute things then headed back to the Hacienda.

Jamie and I checked out and headed back to Quito around noon. We had an early Sunday morning flight. We finally were able to check out the road between San Pablo del Lago and Quito. By the way, road signs and street markers mean absolutely nothing. Despite the fact that the drivers drove extremely fast with no regard for no passing lines, we saw no accidents. The drivers were all very courteous. They would honk when they wanted to pass and the other drivers would simply move over and let them by with a wave. Imagine that in the States.

We checked into the Hilton Colon in Quito, grabbed some buffet lunch (yet again, everything was phenomenal) and then headed out to find the local book store (we’d asked the desk where it was located). We brought back some great books for the boys: a ToddWorld for each of them written in Spanish, Kael’s “Caritas” with faces showing different emotions and Guy’s “Pelos” about all different kinds of hair. We also brought back two more the whole family; one called “Ecuador” which is the story of how the gods created Ecuador and another called “Three Magical Legends from Ecuador”. The last is written in both English and Spanish and will have to wait until the boys are a bit older since two of the stories are a bit scarey.

We checked out a few local shops on the way back to the hotel and I ended up with a great necklace with a couple interchangable charms.

Dinner that night was in the hotels Portofino and again we let the chef decide what to feed us. What a great decision that was. Jamie had a filet mingon that was fantastic, even better than Nebraska beef. I had a seafood meddley; clamari, salmon, lobster and crabcake (each thing separate, not all mixed together). Of course we split both our meals so we could try everything. We splurged with delectible desserts and a great Pinot Noir.

After dinner, we turned in since we had a 6:40am flight in the morning. We got to the airport and ended up with a four hour delay (we’re not real impressed with Continental’s international flights at this point). Once we finally left, we had no problems the rest of the way. Although customs confiscated my agave bulb for my Dad (he loves his garden). I was extremely disappointed with this.

All in all, it was an amazing experience! Words can’t do the beauty justice and the people were wonderful. Everyone was very friendly, accomodating and patient. I would definitely love to go back again when the boys are a little older so they can experience it. Jamie and I have briefly talked about making another trip to see the Galapagos Islands since we didn’t have nearly enough time to see everything. Take a few minutes to check out the links and pictures. It was an incredible trip!

I had high hopes of writing daily entries about our adventures and happenings, but as it turns out the internet connectivity in Ecuador was lacking. Then take into account, that it is awful hard to blog when there is no electricity, and I think you can grasp where I am coming from.

Anyway, we had a wonderful trip; the wedding was great; it was great to see everyone (and for me to finally meet Pat & Pam, as well as Casey and Erin); the Ecuadorians (is that correct?) were absolutely wonderful; and the food was delicious.

There is so much more to say but I know I won’t do it justice so I will have Amy post about it.

Amy and I will be going through the 2100+ pictures that were taken and start the process of uploading them this weekend, so check back next week if you want to see them.

We both missed the kids, and it is very nice to be back home with the family and in our own bed.