Day Five: Nothing. Simply Nothing.

Day five consisted of this ...

Annelies watched Netflix

Paradis read, did homework and watched Netflix

I knit.

 

Scott and Paradis snorkeled outside our condo. They said it was great.

It was a mellow day of hanging out at the condo in the sun. The sun was out all day but it was mighty windy. Beautiful day.

Day Five: Gas $0 ($9.55 total); Lodging $428.50 ($1,590.86 total); Souvenirs $0 ($15.90 total); Tourist Traps $0 ($6 total); Fights 0 (0 total). || Airfare for entire trip: $8,470.08 (of which $7,228.08 was free, using miles). Car Rental for entire trip: $469.76. Note: I'm not tracking driving miles, Redbox rentals or states (2 total) for this trip.

Day Four: Blowhole, Tide Pools, and a Night Time Hunt

We decided to avoid a 'lay in the sun and bake' day and head out in the Jeep to tour the island. We drove north along the shore and I have to say the view was gorgeous. I could have stopped at every pull-off.

Our first stop brought us to a little river leading into the ocean. The girls began their collection of goodies that will turn into what I like to call 'the bag of stench' (AKA shells and rocks). I will retrieve much of it for our Collection Jars. 

We drove on to the Nakalele Blowhole. Annelies called it the Hole of Patience as she couldn't stand waiting for it to blow while taking videos (she has no patience, it was really frequent).


This is my favorite sign of all times.



Annelies' first pose with the Selfie Stick. I'm thinking she has given up fighting it.

The girls love tide pools. They love all the critters and trying to capture them (on film, or hands).

The walk down was a little steep, but doable. I do not artificially exercise (e.g., run when an animal is not chasing me or ride a bike while not moving an inch), but whenever we do things like this I realize I am in better shape than most because ... I made it. Hawaiian Tip: Water shoes are a must. We used them while hiking up and down the hills so we wouldn't have to haul our hiking shoes and they were fabulous (all for $5 on winter clearance in Minnesota!). The shore is very rough, not sandy, so they are fabulous for walking in the water.



Yes, Annelies is up on that rock.

We continued north and stopped at Olivine Pools. I love how I make my kids pose near these signs as we walk past them ("Don't Go Beyond This Point).

The Olivine Pools were large tide pools that held water. Very deep, in fact the girls could not get to the bottom. 

We are giggling here because it took me no effort to float while Annelies couldn't stay up despite her constant treading (remember fat floats). 

We spent several hours at Olivine. The girls snorkeled (I had to put my camera away after a huge wave came over the cliff - thankfully a very kind gentleman recovered it). The girls spent hours jumping off the edge. Yes, we do not follow warning signage. 

It was a fabulous day. We went back to the hotel, showered, ate dinner (Scott made a nice red sauce for our pasta with Portuguese sausage) and I did seven loads of laundry (we have two one-bedroom units and therefore two washing machines - LOVE it for all the towels and salty clothes). Around 7:30pm we went to the beach just outside our condo and did some hunting for coral. It always washes up nicely at night.

Again, we were in bed at 8:30pm. Not sure how late the girls stayed up but I'm confident I was sleeping in five minutes. It was a fabulous day!

Day Four: Gas $0 ($9.55 total); Lodging $428.50 ($1,162.36 total); Souvenirs $0 ($15.90 total); Tourist Traps $0 ($6 total); Fights 0 (0 total). || Airfare for entire trip: $8,470.08 (of which $7,228.08 was free, using miles). Car Rental for entire trip: $469.76. Note: I'm not tracking driving miles, Redbox rentals or states (2 total) for this trip.

Day Three: Rough Start, Selfie Stick and Maui Wowee

We are not a morning family. Well, Scott is but he doesn't really count since one calm man can never overcome three crabby girls. We planned to leave the hotel at 6:30am, but a misplaced cosmetic, the fact I forgot to add a gas station stop to the agenda, and a missed exit lead to a little tension in the Vandeputte Crew. I gave my standard 'traveling in tight quarters with four people for two weeks is never easy, but we can either chose to move on and enjoy the remaining time we have left or hold a grudge and miss out on a lot of fun' talk thankfully did the trick. By 7:25am our bellies were full, we were sitting at our gate waiting for our flight, and everyone was making fun of my new Selfie Stick. Or really, of me. Everything was back to normal.

We flew from Honolulu to Kahului, Maui in 45 minutes via my new favorite airline, Hawaiian Air. Talk about organized. They had self check-in, and I'm talking the whole thing. You print and attach your own baggage label and drop it off. The process was so slick. Lovely. 

We picked up our Jeep and went to Walmart to pick up some groceries. We also picked up boogie boards and snorkel supplies; we find the cost is less than renting and it gives us flexibility (and we hope to take them home). We love the complete open top of a two door Jeep, but decided last minute to upgrade to a four-door. While leaving with two full carts, we are thankful we did!

While driving to Ka'anapali we saw a man walking along the highway playing a ukele. No lie. It was surreal. It took about 45 minutes to drive to the east side of the island, and it was a beautiful drive. We arrived at our hotel, where the hotel held our groceries (in a fridge, sweet) and luggage until our room was ready. We went to the pool and did our thing. The girls and Scott sat in the sun and swam.

 

I wrote my blog and made a new friend (a pool boy, who I would love to tell my girlfriends was as hot as they are imagining right now but I'm sorry to disapoint, however he taught me a lot about the local culture and life as a local in Maui). At 4:00 our room was ready and we moved into an ocean front room. Amazing. 

A little about our condo: We are staying at Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas. Prior to 'Driving the Dream' we spent our first five Spring Breaks in Daytona Florida at a condo. We loved it. We loved having a full kitchen, seperate bedrooms, two baths and the beach and pools a short walk away. However, condos in Hawaii are expensive. Seriously, expensive. So I searched on VRBO for hours on end and sent hundreds of messages. I was able to secure this condo for only $3,000 for seven nights. That is an absolute steal (valued at $6,000 for our two bedroom). Scott and I do not believe in the condo-buying-experience because the market is so saturated with owners that don't use them, if you take the time to research and send messages (and yes it is time-sucking) you can usually find an owner that will rent their unit for the cost of their annual maintenance fees. 

We checked in our room and unpacked our bags and groceries. I like to completely rearrange the unit. I put things up high that we will never use (e.g., potato masher) and pull out the things we will use. Here is me celebrating the blender. This will get used. A lot.

We will make most of our own meals. It does cut down on costs, but what we really enjoy is simply eating the way we do at home. We call it 'keeping our insides happy'. We find if we eat too much (which is what we often do while eating out) or don't eat on a regular basis (I'm a small frequent meal gal) our insides are not happy and it makes for a miserable vacation. Don't mistake this strategy for eating healthy. We eat what we enjoy (we bought 7 bags of chips, along with lots of candy and cookies). My new Pool Boy friend gave me a serving tray to use for the week which will come in handy when we bring meals to the pool (score!).

Our first meal was nachos. Along with Mai Tais and Pina Coladas. 

We ended the night with a drive to our local grocery store for produce (Walmart has none), back to our room for tacos, and we all were in bed at 8:00pm. We may be adjusting to the time change, but we were all ready to hit the hay. The girls and Scott got a little sunburned, despite the loads of sunscreen, but we will work on that tomorow. It was a great first day in Maui.

For all my 'statistic' fans, I will be working on posting those today. The spreadsheet is somewhat current, I just need to get them entered in the blog. Aloha!

Day Three: Gas $0 ($9.55 total); Lodging $428.50 ($733.86 total); Souvenirs $0 ($15.90 total); Tourist Traps $0 ($6 total); Fights 0 (0 total). || Airfare for entire trip: $8,470.08 (of which $7,228.08 was free, using miles). Car Rental for entire trip: $469.76. Note: I'm not tracking driving miles, Redbox rentals or states (2 total) for this trip.

Day Two: Pearl Harbor, Chinatown, the Beach and a Selfie Stick

Day two started at 1:45am for me. The time change is five (5) hours, and as I laid with my eyes wide open I thought "Why not just get up, it is really 6:45?". So I showered and walked to the 24 hour diner. During my 15 minute walk, at 2:30am, I quickly realized I wasn't the only girl on the street. But I clearly was the only one wearing underwear, flat shoes, and carrying a Thirty-One bag filled with knitting!

I returned to the room after a lovely breakfast and woke up my crew. We left around 6:30am to the same diner for breakfast and then to Pearl Harbor. We had tickets reserved for 8:00am. Hawaii Tip: Reserve your Pearl Harbor tickets in advance. 

I've been trying to figure out what to write about Pearl Harbor. It is a wonderful memorial honoring all the lives lost that day, and I've been wanting to come here for years. The Park Service has done a great job telling the history. The boat ride to the Arizona is very moving. To stand over that ship, which entombs the soldiers that went down with it and still weeps oil from nearly 75 years ago, is simply beautiful. Just beautiful. We learned a lot and enjoyed the exhibits.

We spent the morning at Pearl Harbor and on our way back to our hotel we stopped at Chinatown. We thought it would make a good lunch stop, and it did. We experienced some new foods (I couldn't do the pig snout) and shopped.

I have said this before, but the four of us belong on the beach. This afternoon we found ourselves back at home, on Waikiki Beach. Paradis instantly takes to the water, Annelies starts in the water and ends up in the sand (sometimes literally), Scott roams around, and I comfortably carve my tush into the sand, and rest. Okay, sometimes I knit. I wish every state was surrounded by beach. 

 

After exposing our freakishly white bodies to the sun and sand we showered and went to dinner at Bohu. They had fresh Mexican cuisine that was absolutely fabulous (and I'm confident the margaritas did not influence my opinion). Both girls like to order drinks; Paradis likes Mai Tais and Annelies enjoys Pina Coladas. They don't ask for virgin, because we assume it is just ... assumed. At Bohu the waiter asked for Paradis' ID. I think we have moved on to a new phase in life.

On our walk home (read the quote wall for good laugh) I bought a selfie stick. I know these are mainly used by teenagers, but I tell you I love this thing. Love, love, love it. It is like a tripod for your phone. The girls hate it. They are so embarrassed they said they will never pose for it (I've always been proud of my girls for not following teenage norms, but I'm not feeling that way now). Watch for some awesome photos!

We ended the evening getting packed. We will head to the airport at 6:30am to board a flight to Maui where will stay for a full week. We are all looking forward to the beach, and some simple relaxing. It was a great first full day in Hawaii. 

Day Two: $9.55 gas ($9.55 total); $152.68 Lodging ($305.36 total); $15.90 Souvenirs ($15.90 total); $6 Tourist Traps ($6 total); 0 fights (0 total). || Airfare for entire trip: $8,470.08 (of which $7,228.08 was free, using miles). Car Rental for entire trip: $469.76. Note: I'm not tracking driving miles, Redbox rentals or states (2 total) for this trip.

Day One: Off to Paradise

Aloha `auinala!

I am sitting on a plane going straight to the land of paradise ... Hawaii. This will be our 42nd state. It isn't often we visit one state during an entire trip. We will be there one day short of two weeks. We will visit three islands; Oahu, Maui and Big Island. Our goal: Enjoy the beauty, enjoy one another, and not burn our freakishly white bodies.

While in grade school Paradis' nickname was Hawaii (people mistake her name for Paradise). She hoped to make Hawaii her last state her senior year, but once we learned Yellowstone closes one month a year, exactly during our spring break, plans changed.

Click here to view our map. We won't visit every pin on the map, but it will give you an idea of our plans. A couple days on Oahu, a full week in Maui, and a couple days on the Big Island. I want to thank everyone that helped me plan this adventure (Jan and Todd - the honeymooners, Tom and Jodi, and my new friend Kris - the Hawaiian expert). Our family hasn't taken a 'normal one-stop vacation' since starting Driving the Dream and these friends were so helpful. I'll leave you with this photo showing the girls in freakin' first class.

Yes, first class all the way to Hawaii baby ... for FREE! Yes, you read that right, we are flying using our miles. I'm not sharing merely to brag (although it will be 19 hours of total bliss) but to encourage all of you to get a US Bank VISA card today. Seriously. If you travel (or wish you could), start using your buying power to get some free flights. We have had this card for five years, have received 14 free flights, for a total savings of $10,233.97. Amazing. (I've always wanted to add up our savings because I'm weird like that)

• Paradis to San Francisco (June, 2012): $385.60
• Annelies to Wichita (August, 2012): $301.60
• Scott and Rae Ann to Cancun (November, 2012): $971.52
• All four or us to Las Vegas (March 20, 2013): $1,353.60
• Rae Ann to Squam (June, 2013): $318.60
• Scott and Rae Ann to Cancun (January, 2014): $1,104.74
• Three of us to Hawaii - one via Delta miles (March, 2015): $5,798.31 ($1,932.77/ticket)

Click here to sign up for the US Bank Travel Rewards Card. Yes, I'm hoping you will add my FlexPoints number (222199685462) as a referral to thank me for sharing this ... but seriously, I just think you should get one. Or call 800-360-2900. 

For those smarty pants trying to calculate how much we spend on our VISA giving us enough points to earn $10,000+ worth of free tickets. Don't do it. We have one credit card. We use it as often as we can (and for my non-consumer friends, we pay it off monthly). 

~ A hui hou kakou

Day One: $0 gas ($0 total); $152.68 Lodging ($152.68 total); $0 Souvenirs ($0 total); $0 Tourist Traps ($0 total); 0 fights (0 total). || Airfare for entire trip: $8,470.08 (of which $7,228.08 was free, using miles). Car Rental for entire trip: $469.76. Note: I'm not tracking driving miles, Redbox rentals or states (2 total) for this trip.

A Small World

We are two weeks away from our trip to Hawaii. Scott and I have spent (once again) endless hours planning. I pulled out the suitcases and assessed our summer wardrobe. I fear for the people that have to see the glare from our 'Minnesota-White Bodies'.

This will be our 42nd state. After Hawaii we will take only two more trips to complete the remaining seven states. It feels like we just started this adventure and yet I realize it has been almost ten years. Wow.

Many of you know I knit. A lot. I belong to an online knitting group (my husband likes to call it a cult) called Ravelry. Last month I received a message, via Ravelry, from a knitter named FortuneCookie.

She says, "Hello, You have no idea what an inspiration you are to me… And that was BEFORE I knew you were a knitter, too! I follow your blog, and love your stories about your trips. ... Thank you for sharing your adventurers!" It was so fun to receive her message. It is so rewarding to know I have inspired just one other person. There are very few comments written on my blog, so I never knew a complete stranger was following it. Well, FortuneCookie is no longer a stranger.

As you can read in my very first post, dated August 18, 2009, I created this blog to document our adventure so my kids and I could look back on it at a later date. I'll admit, when I need a little boost in my life I open up www.DrivingTheDream.com and simply read. I just love the stories we have collected on our adventures. 

The purpose for this post is to say hello to all the other 'strangers' out there following Driving The Dream. I hope I can inspire you as well to get out and travel. To visit somewhere you have never been. To expose your kids to this beautiful country. I'll be back in the blogging world in less than two weeks ... and I can't wait!!

Spring Break 2014: A Trip in Review

Final Stats | Spring Break 2014

• Total of 10 states, 8 of them being new (for a total of 41!) plus D.C.
• 12 National Park Sites
• Drove 2,662 Miles, and flew 934 
• Gas: $293.09 (22 miles/gal)
• Lodging: $1,296.17
• Souvenirs: $411.80
• Tourist Traps: $217.70
• Redbox: $12.59
• Fights: 1
• Injuries: 0

Despite my 'little bug' the last 24 hours, this was a great trip. We have nine states to see, and three years left to do it while Paradis is still at home (see Master Plan tab above).

I didn't start planning this trip until just a couple weeks before we left. At the time I was feeling overwhelmed with the 20+ hours I spent planning, researching, scheduling, and adjusting. I asked myself, "Why don't we just go to Florida and spend a week on the beach?" Oh how simple that would be ... but after traveling 11 days with these three I'm reminded why I love these trips so much.

First, I love this country. There is so much to see and do and I'm glad that my girls get a chance to explore it as well.

Second, I simply love spending time with my three traveling companions. Scott and I began our relationship traveling, and for some reason we do it so well together. I love to watch Paradis and Annelies navigate through the challenges we face on our trips, and explore all the sites we visit with such interest.

Third, although my kids are teenagers, and at times drive me completely nuts, I'm reminded during these trips that they are really good kids. You figure that out when you need them to push you in a wheelchair to the bathroom airport!

Thanks for following us on our adventures. Your emails and comments keep me motivated to continue posting. Happy Travels everyone!

Your Blogger, Rae Ann, in Walton's Kitchen!

Day Eleven: Bridesmaids, Lantern, National Archives and Home

For those of you that have seen the movie Bridesmaids, the next thing that happened on our trip was the scene where the girls went to pick out their dresses. If you haven't seen the movie, and want to know what I'm talking about, you can watch the scene here. Warning: Small amount of profanity. By-the-way I love, love, love that movie ... but I'm having second thoughts after living it!

The previous night was pretty mellow. I thought it was a little weird that I fell asleep at 8:00pm, but just six hours later I found out why ... I was sick. Sicker than a dog actually. Trust me, it was the scene from Bridesmaids all over again. I felt horrible.

Let me remind you, we were staying in a Hostel. We had a room to ourselves, but we shared a bathroom with four other people. What a nightmare. Our room had an electronic key entry, so every time I had to go to the bathroom I would leave the door ajar as it took too long to open the door and my brain wasn't functioning enough to remember the code. However, it turned out Scott was getting up throughout the night as well, would see the door ajar, and get up to lock it once again (along with closing the chain lock!).  He was thinking someone knew our code and was sneaking in our room. I was so sick I didn't have the energy to wake him up and ask him to stop touching the lock!!!! You couldn't make this stuff up people ...

Despite my lack of movement Sunday morning, Scott and the girls rallied. After finding me a bed to sleep in for the day they were off to check out the Washington sites one last day. They began at the 300 year-old Japanese stone lantern that was given to the City of Washington, to commemorate the Cherry Blossom Festival. After taking a couple pictures for me, Paradis said to Scott, "Look Dad, the darn thing isn't even lit!" Scott tells me the rain and hail was pelting down so hard it didn't have a chance!

Isn't he sweet?

Scott said the hail hurt his bald head so badly he had to put a Ziploc bag on it! No lie.

While telling me stories from the day, Scott says he got tears in his eyes when he told the girls, "I really want to see Lincoln's Monument. Do you mind if we stop there?" The girls were troopers, and agreed to walk through the rain and cold!

They hailed a taxi (for us frugal travelers only sleet and snow would allow such an expense), and went to the National Archives. Scott says the girls could have stayed another two hours, but they had to return to pick up the invalid.

All I had done for the day was sleep, run to the bathroom, and sleep. I attempted a shower, but laid in bed completely naked for an hour afterwards because it had wore me out so much I couldn't even get dressed. Whatever illness I had, took over my body, and I was having huge doubts I could get on the plane to fly home that evening. But my traveling partners carried all the bags, and I took a lot of short breaths to hold back the vomit, as we boarded the Metro one last time for the airport. Once there, we got a wheelchair, and I made it to the gate.

I slept most of the flight (thank goodness), except for several trips to the bathroom! My friend Lesley picked us up (I would have hugged her, but I'm sure she would have been scared to come near me), and I crawled into my favorite bed ... I made it!

Day Ten: White House, Smithsonian, and lots of Rain!

The girls asked to sleep in, so we gave them their wish. They woke up to pancakes being made in the kitchen of our Hostel, right next door. It brought back college memories; cooking a meal on a hot plate.

We rode the Metro, and made a stop at Barack's home (AKA The White House).

Our plan was to rent bikes, and explore the National Mall in 'Vandeputte Style' (AKA efficient). But it was raining, and no one was super motivated about getting soaked. So we decided to hit the Smithsonian Museums instead. On our walk, I saw Paradis running ahead and kneeling on the ground. It took me awhile to figure out what she was doing ...

I've always wanted to see the Cherry trees bloom in Washington D.C. A month ago, it looked like I would get my wish since the Cherry Blossom Festival started today! But the weather wasn't cooperating with my plans, and most of the trees were not blooming. Needless to say I was a little disappointed. However, while walking, Paradis spotted a couple trees and began collecting blossoms for our Collection Jars. It is illegal to pick the blossoms, or trust me I would have went home with a jar full (I'm sure that law was made for people like me).

We went to Smithsonian's Museum of American History. We saw Julia Child's Kitchen, Dorothy's Ruby Red Slippers, the actual flag that Mary Pickersgill sewed in 1813, and so much more. We were hoping once we left the museum the rain would have stopped, but no such luck. We walked to the National Park station at the Washington Monument (still closed), and the main Ranger Station on the mall to buy souvenirs. We were soaked, so we decided to give it up for the day and head back to the hostel. Check out my pants ...

We got back to the Hostel, and Annelies made us all Smack Ramen. Yes, on the hot plate. Such important skills these trips give my children!