We spent years living down the street from Four Lakes Ski Area in Lisle, noses turned up at the small hill with the tow ropes. You see, I learned how to snowboard in college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, boarding almost every day at MTU owned Mont Ripley.

From there, we moved to Colorado, and had season passes to Breckenridge, Keystone, and A-Basin.

Moving back to Illinois was all for family, so we leave part of our hearts in the mountains every time we visit.

Last year, we gave Four Lakes a try with the kids and loved it. The small ski area is on Groupon and Living Social often, so it was a cheap and easy way to let the boys try it out without a big investment timewise or financially. Since it is only 1/2 hour from home, it was a doable way to ski, leaving the girls with Grandma for the day and spend some time with friends.

We went a couple times with the older kids before heading there with all 5 kids after a successful winter trip to Colorado skiing with all 5 in 2015.

Yes, the tow ropes are a bit of a pain, but it’s a perfect hill for the kids to learn on… and they love it! Braden, who has gone back and forth between skiing and using his snowboard, wanted to share his first blog post with you all about his experience this past weekend 🙂

I was so happy to go snowboarding when I heard the news. It was just what I wanted to do. Best of all, the Beintums were coming with us.  They are a family we have known for a long time.

As my mom packed our stuff, I went right to the car. Once we were loaded up, we left for Four Lakes and I watched the Lorax on the way there with my brothers Gavin and Ethan, who were coming too. It is so fun to go with them too.

When we got there, we got out of the car and went to get our tickets. After that, we got all our stuff on, I hooked on my snowboard and went snowboarding. When I got there, the Beintums were already there. I started at the little hill first. After I did the small hill a few times, I felt very bad. I could not go down even one time well with the snowboard, even though I had done it last year. I did the big hill a few times, but the snow was very sticky and I was doing so bad at snowboarding. I did one more time before lunch, and I almost quit. After lunch, I went right down the hill to the bottom, smiling all the way. I did the turns well, and everything good. When we were done, I had so much fun and I learned never to give up!

 

I was so proud of Braden for working through his discouragement and seeing that sometimes things don’t come easily, but that they are worth the effort. In addition, I was so happy that he wanted to join in the blog writing to share it with you all!

Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons are magnetizing to me. We can’t get within 200 miles of them without taking a swift turn to the north or south to spend a few days or even longer there. It’s a destination almost always en route (or we make it that way) to wherever our annual trip takes us, which is why despite its long 3 day drive from Chicagoland, we’ve been there more than a dozen times. Almost like you’ve landed on another planet, everyone should get the privilege to visit there at least once in their lifetime. With several friends making a trip there this coming summer (including us), I wanted to tell you a few of our highlights!

 

While the Tetons are almost considered second fiddle to Yellowstone in regards to number of visitors, I would have to say it is my favorite of the two parks. We like to start our trip from the south near Jackson and head north into Yellowstone. Jackson is quite possibly my favorite of all towns. Nothing says ‘west’ like the antler entrances throughout

and the nightly shootouts.

If you head a little outside of town, take your pick of an adventurous river raft trip or many other activities. If you like a little challenge, hiking Snow King and taking the chairlift down will fill your cup.

This appeals to my thrifty side too – taking the lift down is only a couple dollars, as opposed to going both ways.

Speaking of thrifty, Jackson is your last chance to stock up on groceries before heading into the parks, so we try to stock up on a week to 10 days worth of groceries, so we don’t have to buy food from the expensive shops in the parks. In order to spend a day in town, we stay at Gros Ventre Campground, which is on the south end of the park near Moose.

Since it’s kind of on the outskirts of the park, it is easy to get a site at the non-reservable campground before heading into the heart of the park.

We have been fortunate enough to see nesting baby owls

and moose in the campground.

From the Jackson area, we head north through the park to Colter Bay. We love staying at Colter Bay because it is a large campground and there are so many options there. It’s on the lake, so we spend a lot of time swimming,

throwing rocks,

and watching the sunset behind one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in America.

As opposed to the aged, rounded peaks in Colorado, the Grand Tetons are sharp, jagged, and covered in snow.

There is a visitor center, gift shops, laundry, horse stable,

and several restaurants, so if the weather gets bad, we always have somewhere to hang out. The hiking trails around there are flat and easy, perfect for kids or a nice run.

Colter Bay is also non-reservable, but we have never had trouble getting a site when we make it a point to arrive late morning. Campsites are reasonably priced at $22/night.

 

The Colter Bay RV Park does take reservations and offers electric sites, but we have never wanted to fork over the $70/night to stay there. One of the most popular campgrounds in the park is Jenny Lake, but campers and popups are not allowed, so we have not been there in years.

Other campgrounds in the park include Signal Mountain, Lizard Creek, and Headwaters Campground. There are also several wonderful lodging options in the Tetons including cabins at Colter Bay, Jackson Lake, Jenny Lake, and Signal Mountain Lodges, as well as several others. I especially love the view from awe-inspiring Jenny Lake Lodge.

While there are many, our favorite hike in the Tetons is Hidden Falls from the Jenny Lake Trailhead. It is about a 5 mile hike roundtrip, generally flat hike along the lake to a pretty impressive waterfall,

and Inspiration Point if you go a little further.

It’s an easy one to do with kids – depending on the time of year, we have picked some great berries along the way.

One of the best parts about this hike is that you can take a boat there if you choose. If you take the boat both ways, you shorten the hike to 1 mile roundtrip, or if you hike one way and take the boat the other, your hike ends up being 3 miles. We have taken the boat once, but usually try to deter the group from the temptation.

Adults cost $15 roundtrip and $9 one way, while children are $8 rt and $6 one way. Children under 2 are free, It would cost a small fortune for our family! Once in awhile, we split the group and those wanting to mix in the boat do that, some walk back the short way, and others continue all the way around the lake for the 8 mile loop.

We love to pair this hike with a swim in String or Leigh Lake afterward to cool off.   While we do enjoy swimming in Colter Bay, it is a little colder in the big lake, so String and Leigh Lake’s shallow depth allows for them to be a little warmer when the bugs aren’t too bad there. There are even a few boulders in the middle to jump off. Many enjoy paddle boarding on these lakes, which we are hoping to try one of these days!

Camping in the Tetons is relaxing, and semi-primitive. There are hundreds of sites in Colter Bay, yet they are large and private, surrounded by trees.

There is spotty phone service in the Tetons, so coming up with plans to meet friends there is always a reminder of how complicated it was in the ‘old days.’ We usually set a day and time to meet at the visitor center, be there or be square! If you really need service, we have been able to get wifi by the laundry center or restaurants, and cell service if we drive south about 10 miles outside of Colter Bay. While some may consider the Tetons to be busy, in this stage of our life, we consider the Tetons to be our “off the grid.” No electric, no phones, no disruption to the great outdoors, yet we are fortunate to have flush toilets (our kids wouldn’t have it any other way) and cold running water for hand washing… They even have showers if you choose to pay for one! The only downside in our books is what we call the ‘dish toilet.’

Of course, you ask what is this?! Grizzlies frequent the Tetons, so there are bear boxes on each site to store all food and toiletries, and dishwater should not be disposed of on the ground.

The dish toilets are provided for you to dump and flush your used dish water – enjoy 😉 At this point in our travels, we miss the provided dish sinks with hot water and dish soap provided at SMR, one of the many reasons we like to ease ourselves into the national park campgrounds by stopping at Snow Mountain on the way!

However, we love spending summers enjoying the wonders of our national parks, regardless of the facilities or lack thereof. Nothing compares to the grandeur of the Grand Tetons. As we get ready to leave the Tetons, the excitement continues as we head into Yellowstone on each visit. Stay tuned…

Our number one recommendation for travel is consistently Snow Mountain Ranch, between Winter Park and Granby in Colorado. If I see you on a regular basis, chances are, I have probably talked to you about it, and at this point, many of you have been there now, or plan to visit soon, with or without us. Why? The reasons are endless, but here are our top 5.

1) It’s easy to be there.

We went to Snow Mountain Ranch on a friend’s recommendation. The first time we went there, we weren’t even comfortable in our own skin. As I’ve said before, even family parties were difficult with 5 children in tow.

At SMR, the people are nice, and the weather is almost always beautiful. If it’s not, don’t worry, it will clear up within an hour or two most of the time… and rainbows almost always follow. Better yet, there are no mosquitoes at high altitude.

There is a 360 degree view, with paradise all around you. Wherever you turn, beauty surrounds you.

2) Affordability

Snow Mountain is a YMCA camp, so it’s affordable. The activities range from $5-10, and many of them are free. Last summer, there were free s’mores available almost every day.

Lodging ranges from $38-150. If you have a YMCA membership anywhere, you get a $15/night discount. Every year we have been there, someone we know (or us) have won a two night cabin stay (with close to a $500 value, this feels like winning the lottery after camping for two months) at ‘Cookies and Company.’

There are two big grocery stores within a 10 minute drive in either direction, so you don’t really have to plan ahead much as far as meals go. In fact, gas grills are provided at the campground and the yurt village.

If you prefer to eat out, there is a grille on property,

as well as a full-functioning dining hall (which is free for kids 5 and under).

You can even pick up a free cup of coffee or tea from the library or grille.  SMR is only two hours from Denver, and you can sometimes find round trip airfare for under $100 (start following theflightdeal.com), making it an affordable, yet remote destination if you need to beat the 16 hour drive from Chicagoland.

3) Accommodations for all

They have accommodations ranging from camping to yurts to lodge rooms to small or reunion sized cabins. Our favorite accommodation is the campground of course. The sites are big and beautiful, and the kids make it their home within the first 10 minutes of arriving. The bathrooms are very clean, and perhaps the most unique feature is the infestation of hummingbirds, encouraged by the carefully supplied feeders.

 

There is a new shelter, where we like to meet friends to enjoy meals, protected from the sun.

The yurts are my number one recommendation for non-campers. Friends who don’t like to camp seem to be interested in an adventure, and the yurts appeal to almost all of them. The yurts accommodate 8, with a queen bed and two sets of twin bunk beds, and the option to sleep two more by sharing beds or setting up a small tent outside. They have a small fridge and microwave inside, and gas grills provided outside. The bathroom facility looks the same as the campground, but in reality, there are individually carded bathrooms that even have bathtubs inside. There is also a laundry room inside the bathhouse, unlike the campground (but the laundry facility for others is right next to the miniature golf course, so there is always something to do).

The lodge rooms are also a great option if you like a more traditional accommodation with your own bathroom. There are a few lodge choices, which range in price. The cabins are the most expensive option, but if you like having lots of space, your own kitchen, and a view like no other, the cabins are for you.

SMR has worked hard to get wi-fi in most parts of the grounds, so it is easy to communicate and keep up on work or what’s happening in the world.

4) There are activities for anyone and everyone

As a die-hard outdoor enthusiast, even I realize that the kids don’t want to be in a national park day in and day out, with options limited to hiking daily. While SMR does have hikes (guided or not),

there are so many choices of somewhere to go or something to do at Snow Mountain, and it’s all right there on property. If you are in a group and some of you don’t like one idea, there’s plenty of options, making for flexible planning galore. Many of the activities are free, or very cheap. When you stay at SMR, free activities include a great miniature golf course,

roller skating (free rentals too),

a variety of parks (as well as activities like horse shoes, tennis, or disc golf),

swimming in the pool, ball checkout or sports in the KIVA,

a library (you can play or check out books, games, and movies),

program activities like kite flying and dodge ball, geocaching (our first cache was discovered in the cave on property),

making walking sticks,

 

or just hanging out at the homestead,

presentations on dog-sledding,

and night programming such as a birds of prey presentation,

square dancing,

amazing presentations by Paralympic athletes, and a visiting medicine man.

One of our best kept secrets is the trike park with endless fun for kids and adults.

Where else could you get the opportunity to paint a real pony,

have the kids participate in human hungry, hungry hippos,

or compete in their own rodeo?!

The newest addition to the free activity list is the very popular summer tubing hill, which even has a conveyer belt so you don’t have to hike back up.

In the winter, the sledding is like no other. Rock climbing (indoor or outdoor) and archery are $5

 

and zip-lining is $10.

Head down to the reservoir for canoeing or fishing with a fisherman.

Take a fly fishing class, or rent a bike to tour the trails. During snowy months, you can rent cross country skis and snowshoes if you don’t have your own. They even have a day camp, so if your kids need a break from you (or vice versa ;)), you can sign them up for a day or two (they have different themes each week and a variety of activities, depending on the day). Perhaps our kids favorite activity is the craft studio, where visitors of all ages can choose crafts from $1 up.

You can make family tie-dye shirts or adults can tap their creative side and sign up to take a pottery or jewelry making class.

There is also a privately run stable on property, where you can take a pony ride, go for a longer one, or even do a dinner barbeque ride.

You can stop by the stable anytime to pet the sheep and goats too.

 

If you decide to venture out, Winter Park is right around the corner and Rocky Mountain National Park is only minutes away.

One of our favorite activities is hiking Adams Falls

 

and heading into the town of Grand Lake for ice cream and swimming.

If you get lucky, you might even see a moose or two.

Granby Ranch offers an affordable ski alternative to Winter Park, and in the summer, they open up their lifts for hiking, great vistas, or picnicking for free.. or a small fee for mountain bikers.

You can also stop in nearby Granby at the castle park.

 

5) We are there… for a long time!

We would love to show you the ropes. This year, we will be there for almost 3 weeks. There is nothing like spending time on vacation with friends and family without normal daily obligations and distractions.

It gives you a chance to know each other on a different level, and brings lifelong memories that will keep you laughing for decades. The kids love waking up and being able to walk over to their favorite playmates site to start the day.

Even though we are fortunate enough to spend our time at SMR with many friends and family this year, we will miss seeing several of our favorite families, who will be there during a different time period. All joking aside, whether we are there or not, this is a place that any family would enjoy. There’s something for everyone, and we can’t think of a better place to make some fabulous memories!

I will never claim to be an expert on anything, but one thing we do is spend lots of time vacationing with little people. While opportunities have changed from the days we biked cross country, climbed 14ers, and kayaked Lake Superior, we will never regret taking our children on wild adventurous vacations. In fact, we are forming childhood memories that last a lifetime. Additionally, this is the investment we cherish now more than any earthly possession. We have 18 precious years to spend with them before their lives continue without us. DON’T WAIT. We understand naps and schedules just like everybody else, but children adapt better than we do. The more you get out, the more pliable your children will become. Pliable kids grow into resilient, happy, and versatile adults.

As another new year begins, I thought it was a good time to encourage you all to invest in your memories. There’s always a reason or excuse to put off an outing or dream vacation until ‘next year,’ but your time is now. The older kids get, the harder it is to prioritize your own plans. We encouraged one family of friends with four very active kids to join us on a trip a couple years ago. They knew it would be hard to fit in to their busy summer, but sadly, also realized it was the last summer they could do it. Because they moved so quickly, they were able to squeeze in every activity they wanted to do and more… in a very short time – no regrets! Our oldest is not even in middle school yet, but he already has commitments for summer band and cross country camp that we are skipping out on as we prioritize our own family plans. We hope to continue finding ways to spend time on family trips, but I envision it getting more difficult with every passing year. Be creative.

On the flip side, the kids aren’t too young. They will still get their naps, some way, somehow. We were always worried that upon returning, their schedules were lost, only to discover they easily fell right back into their former routines. There have been years we have considered talking ourselves out of certain trips… forest fires in Colorado, a home addition in progress, too many things on our plate, or fear of flooding our basement again. Yet we have never regretted it – I can’t imagine having lost some of those memories by succumbing to the stresses of life. Yes, they may not remember, but you will… and you will have pictures that help develop memories… and they will ask about them often. No, they might not walk or hike well. True, you might have to carry them. In reality, this works to your benefit. We have had a much easier time carrying kids around in a backpack instead of talking them through a mental battle of how far we are hiking… and, we got some extra exercise with their weight! If you don’t have one, we have two – ask me and you can borrow them.

No matter what, money is always hard to come by. I don’t particularly like to talk about it. It’s a sensitive topic and one that I will always say first and foremost is completely personal. What may be important to you may not be to me. I understand – I have only met a few people in my lifetime as frugal as me. We are proud of the discipline we have used since we were married in 1998 to set ourselves up for financial freedom, and happy with the options that are open to us now. If it’s important to you, prioritize it. If it’s not, skip it. Make tough choices. Give up cable TV for a few months or even more, stay away from your favorite store, skip going out to eat, put away the credit cards for awhile, or find a way to make a little extra money. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Perhaps the most difficult factor is time. Early in our marriage, my husband had summers off as a teacher, and I worked year round, longer hours as an environmental engineer. I went to an extreme, going back to school to get my master’s degree in teaching – probably the most critical decision to our happiness. If it’s something you really want, make it happen. Work your time off around holidays to boost your vacation time, take a mini-trip close to home, or follow websites like theflightdeal.com. We miss living in Colorado like crazy, but didn’t really see living there as a viable option with all our family in Chicagoland. When an $80 roundtrip airfare deal to Colorado pops up, we can make it happen and get by with a day or two off work. Upon looking back over 2015, both Chuck and I agreed this trip was our best memory of the year… spontaneous, unexpected, and blissfully fun. With good friends who take us in and supply us with gear and transportation, the trip ends up costing us less than a ski trip up to Wisconsin. Find what works for you!

If all of this is not a priority for you, there is no pressure to do it. This was simply a way for me to encourage others to jump outside their comfort zone and make things happen in 2016. If it’s not a vacation, make it a day trip – places like Matthiessen State Park and Indiana Dunes State Park are only an hour away from home. This may be less than your daily work commute. Camping works best for us because it’s affordable, beautiful, and fun for us to spend time outdoors, but maybe a water park or Disney resort is more your style. All of us our different and that makes the world a special place. Find your happy place. You won’t regret it – I promise.

Don’t let life get in the way.  LIVE 🙂

Our hope was lost. After calling Honda the morning after our van called it quits, we were devastated to find out they were full for the day, possibly even longer. We moved our camper to a site that would be available for the next night, and continued on to Honda anyway. There was nowhere else for us to go. After begging and pleading with our young, yet savvy service coordinator Andrew, he agreed to ‘try’ squeezing our car in. Camped out in the dealership lobby, we realized our carefully planned out itinerary was over. The kids were confused. So were we. Stranded in Fresno, what felt like the homeless capital of the world, we were ironically close to the same. Our home away from home was stuck in the residential Fresno RV Park campground, surrounded by video cameras installed by the owner to keep the homeless out. We now had no way to move it.

Eerily familiar to a couple weeks prior at the Colorado Honda, we set the kids up with the ipads, and I began to make all our calls, cancelling our site in Sequoia’s pristine Lodgepole Campground, setting up trip interruption coverage with AAA, and trying to get in touch with cousin Jill, who was stranded in Sequoia without a tent or sleeping bag. Then came the call to the extended warranty company that would become a daily occurrence and struggle for us. When we bought it, we never thought to ask if it was an actual Honda warranty. We had had a few car issues, but had never had a problem with it. Andrew informed us that he had placed the call to them, but was only left with an option to leave a message. It had been hours, yet they still had not returned his call. They had discovered quickly that it was at least a blown head gasket, possibly even the whole engine needing replacement. We were shocked and frustrated that the Colorado dealership had missed this.

Andrew told us that they would need authorization to tear down the engine before they would know how bad it was. He said due to the catastrophic nature, some warranty companies may insist on an inspector being flown in after tear down to inspect the vehicle before authorizing repairs or denying the claim completely. The $2000 tear down authorization was on us, and if the warranty company decided to deny the repairs, we would have to pay $1000 of it even though we would then be junking the car, as the repairs may cost more than the car was worth, with 80,000 miles. The warranty company had still not called Fresno Honda back, so I was left to call the customer line and wait on hold for the first hour of many spent on hold over the next couple weeks. After speaking with the warranty company, I handed the phone over to Andrew, who was told to call them back after the tear down was complete, and that they would indeed schedule an inspector to fly out afterwards. Even after arguing that we were stranded without a vehicle all the way across the country, and questioning whether they could simply schedule the inspector now since it was a Wednesday and we would like the inspector to come on Friday, they were denied. We were told he would fly out within 24 hours, but knew that when they called the next day (Thursday), they would not fly him out the next day, or even over the weekend, leaving us without a chance to order parts or continue with repairs for a week.

Andrew recommended we go without a rental car for as long as possible, as this was almost surely going to take longer than the allowed 5 rental days. Jill had realized we were stuck, came down the mountain, and was with us again. Honda asked if they could make us their last shuttle back to the campground, so we began the painful process of unpacking our well-travelled in van, and loading it all into the Honda shuttle and Jill’s rental prius. We spent the rest of the evening unpacking all our displaced belongings, and trying to relax by the much appreciated campground pool.

We were told that we would be covered for an equivalent vehicle in passenger size and towing capacity, but discovered the next day that there were no car rental companies that had a hitch or allowed towing of any kind. In addition, the rental place did not have any vehicles that would seat our family of seven people, and that we would only be reimbursed for $30/day for 5 days, maybe 10 if the warranty company agreed. Our options were (1) a non-towing vehicle that would seat part of our family, or (2) a U-haul pickup truck that could tow our camper, but only seat three of us in the bench front seat. We opted for option two since we were fortunate enough to have Jill with us for the next 10 days (who had room for the other 4 of us).. and it would allow us to move our camper to wherever we could go. We would be limited to 1200 miles over the rental period before getting charged by the mile, but it was still the best solution we could come up with.

We were elated to pick up our new wheels and continue up to Sequoia for the day, even if it was a 3 hour drive to the heart of the park. Not all had been lost! We spent the day seeing as many sights and sequoias as we could while Clawson Fresno Honda worked hard to get our engine torn down. One more night in the RV park, and we would be on our way.

On our way north to Yosemite, we stopped by Clawson Honda to discover the engine was torn down, but that the warranty company still would not return their phone call. It was a worst case scenario – the engine was blown. We were looking at an $8500 repair. Again, we set up camp in the lobby and spent the next hour waiting for them to pick up my call so we could be hand the phone over to Andrew and get the inspector scheduled to fly out. As expected, they told him nobody would be able to make it until early the following week.

During the time we were waiting, Chuck met somebody who played another key role in the Odyssey saga. Reno was the relationship development director for the Fresno Honda dealership. Only in California, right? He felt an immediate connection with us, took us under his wing, and did everything in his power to help. He tried to talk the warranty company into approving the parts order, called our Illinois dealership hoping to have them underwrite the warranty company, and agreed to help us out with part of the rental costs we were taking on. It was unfortunate that unlike many other dealerships, they did not have a loaner car to send with us. Reno offered us some form of stability and comfort in a volatile situation.   We left Fresno not knowing if we would have reception during our week in Yosemite, but insisted we would leave the national park daily to check in on the progress with our vehicle. Since it was Friday, we would have two days with no progress on the car, but a time of peace, knowing we couldn’t do anything about it.

Despite feeling anxious and worried at times, we tried to convince ourselves that nothing was in our power and that things could be so much worse. We were all healthy and together in one of the most gorgeous places in the world, with a home and vehicle to travel in. Moments of fear were overshadowed by hope and joy. We hiked, played in the river, and enjoyed our time in one of the most coveted campgrounds in America, Yosemite’s Upper Pines. Our site was next to the bathroom, keeping it somewhat easy to keep our phones charged in anticipation of news.

Monday came and went and nobody contacted us from Honda, despite having pretty decent service most of the time. We called Honda, the warranty company, and our Illinois dealership, hoping they could twist their warranty company’s arm into being more cooperative. Nobody knew what had happened to the inspector. It was a third party company hired to send out the inspectors, so they would try to find out what happened. Tuesday came and went and the inspector finally showed up.

Wednesday, we drove out of the park, expecting victory. Unfortunately, we were met with more trouble. Even though we were stranded across the country, the warranty company was requesting all maintenance records of the vehicle over the last 7 years of ownership, as well as registration information on our popup. We informed Andrew that some of the maintenance records were in our glove compartment, and he faxed them over to the warranty group. Tracy, the warranty person from the Illinois dealership, also played a critical role, as she pushed for some understanding in not having access to all maintenance records while being trapped across the country… and even better, was able to call the rep directly instead of being put on hold for hours at a time.

Clearly, the warranty company was looking for any way not to be held accountable for this Odyssey. Hours later, we were informed that the warranty company indeed denied our claim. We called to ask what the grounds were for the denial and were informed that our towing capacity exceeded our allowed limit. We were shocked. The 3.000 pound popup was lighter than most, and far below the allowed amount. Unknown to us,. the IL camper registration form lists a generic weight of 10,000 pounds instead of the correct amount. Stranded at a Costco with a moment of cell reception, we sent over pictures of our camper, proving the corrected weight. Tracy called to have them re-evaluate the situation quickly, so parts could finally get ordered. The warranty company was left with no choice but to change since their grounds for denial were incorrect. Approval at last!

And the waiting game began… 8 days in without our van this time, we had at least another week to go, maybe more, depending on how long it took for the parts to come in. We arrived at the Big Sur Pacific Coast wondering if moving forward with the Odyssey was our best option. Reno had planted a seed about trading the car in, so we spent the next couple days researching Illinois e-pricing on Odysseys and Suburbans, our two top vehicle choices. We waited for Honda to get back to us with the best pricing they could give us in California, knowing it would have to be another Odyssey since ours was torn apart on their floor, yet knowing an Odyssey probably didn’t work for us after what we did to this one. Still, we were so desperate to move on without having to drive around with what we deemed our most worthy belongings travelling around in the back of an open pickup. Within a couple days, we learned that the California pricing system would have cost us a few thousand dollars more, despite their desire to work with us. A different emissions package and destination charges made it impossible for us to consider buying in Cali.

 

The weekend hit again and we continued on without much stress, knowing Honda was doing their part to get our car out of there as fast as possible. The Hamiltons joined us in Big Sur and we continued on to Pinnacles National Park. We had a wild night with a truck bed full of raccoons there, a story we can’t wait to share another time. From there, we moved back to the Marina Dunes coast north of Monterey and Carmel. Poor cousin Jill left, after having to be at the mercy of our messed up schedule and discouraged selves for a week and a half.

As Honda worked on our vehicle, the warranty company continued to give them trouble. As we were ready to leave Marina for San Francisco, we got a call that the similar used engine with 80,000 miles the warranty group had ordered to “repair” our vehicle had blown gaskets and many other parts that needed replacement. The warranty group continued to fight those repairs. The contract stated the rubberized parts would not be covered for repairs, so we were forced to pay $700 out of our pocket to repair the broken engine they had chosen, but it was the best we had after arguing with them for hours on the next car ride until they agreed to pay the labor charges to repair the engine they chose. Sigh.

Moving along, we arrived in San Francisco hoping we would be able to join Mom (who had just flown in to San Fran) and make it to Oregon for her flight out the next week.  One of our biggest stressors was knowing we had friends and family flying in and out along the whole route who were depending on us being there.  After spending two nights in Samuel P Taylor State Park, Honda let us know the Midwest rust on our van was making it difficult to get the engine removed, and they would need another day, forcing the Hamiltons to continue on without us.

We were already 4.5 hours away from Fresno and could not continue up to the Redwoods 6 hours north without completely going above our allotted mileage allowance. Things got a little tricky as we had to find a new spot to camp… in a place we had reserved 6 months prior. We got lucky that night and were able to move to someone’s site who decided to leave a night early. It was one of the most beautiful sites we had ever camped in.

We were scheduled to pick up the car the next day, but upon breaking down camp and calling in to Honda, we were told they were still having trouble with all the rust and the car would not be done. We would not be catching up with the Hamiltons as hoped and were forced to move to a private Olema Campground, far from a favorite and the location of the poison oak that infected poor Braden. Mom was forced to keep her rental car, and we made the best of the day and explored Point Reyes National Seashore.

We cleared out everything left in the U-haul pickup and mom’s rental, and Chuck left early the next morning for Fresno, with Mom following shortly behind to return her rental to San Francisco. Chuck returned the rental just in time and he waited at Honda for most of the day. Honda was unable to get the check from the warranty group and Chuck had a little scare, as they are not supposed to send the car of without the payment. Lucky for us, they allowed it, and after picking my mom up at the San Fran airport, they made it back shortly after dark.

After 16 days in California without the car (24 total including the 8 days in Colorado), we revised our plans one final time, cancelling one reservation in Oregon, and found a one night cancellation in Avenue of the Giants. Camping among the redwoods was definitely a highlight of the trip, and we enjoyed every second we were able to spend there. Despite a couple scares with the temperature gage, the Odyssey made it out of California and all the way home, thanks to the help of friends and family all the way home! Our little log cabin never felt better!