More Red Rocks

After our Cathedral Rock hike and a quick lunch stop, we spent the rest of our Christmas Eve afternoon driving around looking at more red rocks...

Baby Bell (center) and Rabbit Ears (left)

Bell Rock

Cathedral Rock

Since this was a last minute trip, I didn't have the opportunity to do as much research as usual. So after our very good hotel breakfast this morning, we went over to the official visitor information center to get recommendations on hiking trails. (FYI, there are a lot of places around Sedona with signs saying "Tourist Info" and "Free Maps," but I suspect that they just steer people to their own businesses.) I asked the volunteer about two trails that were well-reviewed on TripAdvisor, Devils Bridge and Cathedral Rock. She advised against Devils Bridge since much of the trail is along the north-face of the rocks and would likely still be icy/muddy from the recent rain. But she thought that the boys would really enjoy hiking Cathedral Rock, especially since it involved some rock climbing. Sold!

Ancient Ruins

What do you do when Christmas break is approaching, you have a Best Western free hotel night voucher about to expire, and you're itching to get away? If you're me (and last time I checked, I am), then you look at a map to see where the closest national park units are that you haven't been to yet *AND* you price hotels for the most expensive place to cash in the voucher. That narrowed down the choices to...

Viva Las Vegas

Earlier this year we paid a visit to Antique Archaeology (American Pickers) in Iowa. While we've been to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop (Pawn Stars) on a previous trip through Vegas, we completed our History Channel trifecta on Friday morning with a side trip to Rick's Restorations, the location for the show, American Restoration.

SA Review - Update

Now that the andrenaline junkies have been to 6 theme parks (7 if you count LEGOLAND, but that's really only kiddie rides) and have gotten a broader perspective, they wanted to revise some of their previous ratings of Saiki-delic Awesomeness.

Here is our highly unscientific and totally biased list of the Top 10 15 best rides (so far)...

1.  Tatsu - Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA - 10

Jelly Beans and John Muir

Yesterday our friends mentioned that they were planning to visit the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield today, so we hopped on their good idea and headed up there first thing this morning after breakfast and checking out.

More Flags, More Fun!

Q:  How do you get two kids to happily agree to hop in the van for a 6-hour drive?  

A: By promising to feed their adrenaline addiction with a visit to yet another theme park!

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Rosie the Riveter

It doesn't take much to convince me to get back on the road somewhere... anywhere will do! So a few weeks ago when J saw the promotional email from Best Western (stay 3 nights, get 1 free) and figured out that after our Massachusetts trip we only needed one more stay to get the free night (yep, he's my son!)... let's just say that I wasted no time getting online to check out hotel locations. And when I found one in Vallejo next to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, the rest of the family was totally on board for a quick trip up to the East Bay!   

The added bonus is that there are 4 national park units in that area which we haven't visited yet. Unfortunately, Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial was not open to the public because the military had active operations on the base, and Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site only had limited hours due to the sequester. But we could still visit the other two, so Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park in Richmond, CA was our first stop.

Vacation Rewind

With this trip we have visited 102 of the current 401 National Park Service units, including all of the ones in Massachusetts and Rhode Island (with the exception of the Appalachian NST). Well, technically, R is only at 101 since I'm counting a childhood visit to Gettysburg, and the boys are only up to 98 since they were only a twinkle when R and I went to Haleakala, USS Arizona, and Mt. Rainier. But their Jr. Ranger badges and patches now number 84!

And now for one of my favorite parts of keeping this blog -- getting the family's opinions on our most recent adventure...

What were the best places that we visited or things that we did (top 5, in order)?

J: Basketball Hall of Fame, Fenway Park / watching the Red Sox, Museum of Science, Georges Island, John F. Kennedy NHS

M: Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield Armory, Fenway Park, USS Constitution, Six Flags New England

Me: Adams NHP, Georges Island, Minute Man NHP, USS Constitution, Fenway Park

R: Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield Armory, Minute Man NHP, Fenway Park, USS Constitution

The Longest Day

Because our flight home didn't leave until late afternoon, we checked out of the Marriott and left our bags at the bell desk. After breakfast (Dunkin' Donuts, what else?!), we went back to the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial to start off on the Black Heritage Trail. The State House is right across the street from the memorial. While we were waiting to cross the street, the buses transporting the Boston Pops to rehearsal for the Fireworks Spectacular drove past, complete with their police escort. You would have thought it was a presidential motorcade! Haha!

Old Ironsides and the Green Monster

After a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast (you can find one on just about every block!), we caught the T to Long Wharf again this morning. But today we were on the other side of the wharf to take the transit ferry (included on our transit pass) over to Charlestown.

One If by Land, Two If by Sea

Back on the mainland, we went over to the visitor center for Boston National Historical Park at Faneuil Hall to get our national park passport cancellations. We also bought combo admission tickets here to tour the Revere House, Old State House, and Old South Meeting House.

Upstairs was a short ranger talk in the Great Hall, which we really enjoyed, not so much for the talk itself, but for the A/C which was on full blast inside! Can I complain once more about the unbearably muggy weather?!

A Four-Hour Tour

Just sit right back, and you'll hear a tale

A tale of a fateful trip

That started from this historic port

Aboard this (not so) tiny ship

The mate was a mighty sailing man,

The skipper brave and sure

Four passengers set sail that day

For a four-hour tour, a four-hour tour...

On the Freedom Trail

We still had a lot of daylight left, so we set out to walk part of the Freedom Trail, even though many of the historic sites were already closed for the day. The Marriott is only a couple of blocks away from the Copley Square T stop, as well as Boylston Street and...

Boston Public Library

Historic Homes

Today was our last day with a rental car before spending the next three days exploring Boston by foot, so I had planned for us to visit 3 NPS units located just outside of the city. We started out with Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, a reconstruction of the first successful iron works in the New World. It produced wrought and cast iron during the mid-1600's. Today one can see working water wheels and forges (though not during the time we were at the site).

To the Farthest Ports of the Rich East

Salem was our next stop, but we weren't here for the touristy hocus-pocus witch stuff (and believe me, there is definitely a lot of *that* to be found all over town!) No, we came here to see the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, which interprets the maritime history of New England, and the merchant ships that carried cargo between America and "the farthest ports of the rich East".

The Shot Heard Round the World

First thing this morning we headed to Minute Man National Historic Park. Even though the British troops marched from Lexington to Concord on April 19, 1775, we traveled the Battle Road in reverse, beginning at the North Bridge in Concord.

North Bridge over the Concord River

Hoop Dreams

After last summer's trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, the boys put the Basketball Hall of Fame at the top of their list of places to see next. So when I started looking at what to do for our vacation this summer and found a really good airfare to Boston, our plans were set! Twenty years ago when I was in Connecticut for grad school, R came out to visit me, and we drove up to see the Hall of Fame. I remember thinking then that it was underwhelming - outdated exhibits and unfinished displays. So we were hopeful that with all of the interactive things that museums do now to engage visitors, our experience would be much better today!

The Tri-State Area

Since it was still overcast this morning, my hopes of getting a morning pic from one of the national seashore beaches were dashed. But after checking out of the hotel, we went out to see the Nauset Light...

Presidents and Pilgrims

Welcome to the latest update of the Saiki-delic road trip blog – which, in this case, started with a flight to Boston early yesterday morning. Of the flights we’ve taken, this will be among the horror stories we tell. Although it wasn’t as bad as the time I flew to my cousin’s wedding and had to test the capacity of the airsick bag, this flight had…

1. Me sitting next to a large man (who oozed over/under the armrest into my space!) and his wife with their screaming toddler
2. Turbulence
3. No in-flight entertainment (Our last flight had DirectTV, so J had been looking forward to watching on board this time – bummer!)
4. R suddenly feeling ill, so the flight attendants called for a medical professional to check him over. Fortunately, there were two on board, and whatever was wrong went away by itself after a bit. (He called his doctor today – it might have something to do with his medication in combination with the altitude, so hopefully we won’t have a repeat episode on the way home!)

I Need Six!

Two seasons ago we took the boys to see the Bulls play the Clippers at Staples Center, but our fanboys have repeatedly expressed wanting to see them play at the United Center someday. So, after we booked our tickets to come back to Illinois to visit during spring break, the very next thing I did was check the Bulls' schedule. They were playing at home on Wednesday, 3/27 against the Heat and Easter Sunday, 3/31 against the Pistons. We were going to be downstate on Wednesday, so the Miami game was out (how much fun would it have been to watch them put an end to the win streak, though?!) But leave it to awesome Uncle K to find tickets on Craigslist for the Detroit game to surprise the boys!

Friends and Family

Thursday, March 28

My college roommate was also in Central Illinois visiting her parents, so she dropped by the house with her kids on her way back up to Chicago. Has it really been more than 20 years since our days together at the U of I?!

The kiddos!

Snow Much Fun!

Ever since we decided to come back to Illinois for spring break, J has been asking whether or not there would be any snow. We kept telling him that it was possible, but not to get his hopes up. He definitely got his wish! And even though it has been cold, considering how ecstatic the boys have been, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way!



Happy children = happy parents!



Midwestern Museums

This year we purchased a family membership for one of the museums near us, in part so that we could take advantage of reciprocal free admission to other science-technology museums when we travel. And since we're getting in for free, I don't end up feeling like we have to stay long to get "our money's worth"!

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover. I didn't know much about Herbert Hoover before today, except that he was President of the United States. Oh, and that Archie and Edith Bunker sang "Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again." Now that the "All in the Family" theme song is running through your head, here are a few more tidbits about our 31st President that we gleaned from our visit to Herbert Hoover National Historic Site today...

• Orphaned at the age of nine
• A Quaker
• Was a mining engineer
• Led humanitarian relief effort to provide food for millions of Belgians during World War I
• First president born west of the Mississippi

You're Going to... Iowa?!

Before heading to my parents' in Central Illinois, we decided to take a little detour to Iowa. Iowa?! What's in Iowa, you ask? Well, one of the few things that would get this orange-and-blue Illinois alumnae to venture into the heart of enemy territory... a visit to Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, our last National Park Service unit left to check off in the state!

"Spring" Break

Even though spring officially began a few days ago, the weather here in Illinois is still firmly stuck in winter! After a week of checking the forecast and repeatedly warning son #1 that it was going to be cold, we finally convinced him to pack something warmer than just t-shirts and shorts. I'm sure he'll thank us later... 

In order to take advantage of frequent flyer miles, we booked a flight that arrived at O'Hare about midnight last night. Unfortunately, that put us on the 405 to LAX on a Friday afternoon... two hours of I-want-to-rip-my-hair-out joy. While waiting until it was time to board, R looked around the gate area and thought he recognized a guy there - turns out it was one of his friends from high school who was also flying back to Chicago with his kids. (This just reinforces why my husband is always scanning faces in crowds because somehow he usually will end up bumping into someone he knows!)

High school buddies (& their goofy children in the back)