Last Day on the Road

August 10, 2010
12 hours on the road

Our last official stop of our Griswald Family Vacation was Cozy Dog in Springfield, Illinois. Our return trip followed the Old Route 66 Road, and this restaurant is a historic Route 66 stop. According to the placards, corn dogs on a stick were invented here, and they hold the patent for some sort of corn dog frying device.



We paid homage to Route 66 and to corn dogs by each ordering a fresh, hand dipped delicious, deep fried meat on a stick. The fresh cut fries were also appreciated and enjoyed by all of us.



So we are now home. The Griswald Family Vacation is complete. Our dogs have been well cared for, our garden is still alive, and we are all happy to sleep in our own beds. It’s good to go on vacation, but it’s good to come home too.

Closer to Home

August 9, 2010
12 hours on the road.


Next, off to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 12 hour drive through New Mexico, Texas and into Oklahoma was uneventful.

The Fairfield Inn is so new our GPS and MapQuest sent us to a residential area. It must be a common occurrence because when we called the hotel, the clerk knew exactly where we were. The beds were o-so cozy, and yes! hotel waffles were offered in the morning!


We ran across this rest stop in Oklahoma. I think ALL rest stops across the country should have this option. It was very clean, so of course, we voted "Yes".

The Long Road

August 8, 2010
11 hours on the road.


We packed up our minivan, and drove away from the beach at 8:30am. The drive to Gallop, New Mexico was uneventful. Lots of desert, lots of sun, lots of road.

Oh, there was one high point during our trip. To pass the time on all of our road trips, we play the License Plate Game. At one of our pit stops, Jarun spotted an Alaskan plate! We ended our trip short 4 states: Hawaii, Vermont, North Dakota, and Rhode Island. Not bad.


The hotel in Gallop was fine. It was clean, but not especially nice. Thank goodness they provided hotel waffles!





Pierre in the Mohave Desert. He thought it was a bit hot...

All Good Things Must Come To An End.

Our Last Day in California



Our last day in California was spent on the beach. The boys boogie boarded for hours while we watched from under our umbrella. We brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed our best day on the beach.



We watched the sunset from the cliff overlooking the beach.



We ended our day with dinner In & Out Burgers.

A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Surf's Up, Again!!

Surf lessons continued the next day.









The waves weren’t too big, but both boys were able to get up on their boards. Apparently, Doheny Beach is a great place to learn because of the easy waves.

That night we enjoyed a visit with my family. We went to Fidel’s in Carlsbad for a great dinner and lots of laughs. We met my cousin’s boyfriend… he is fantastic! What a lovely evening, great weather, great food, great company!

Surf's Up!

Sorry for not updating sooner. We lost internet access, so I decided to wait until we got home.

Aug 5,2010
Surf Lessons!




We found David at Gotsurflessons.com through reviews on the internet. His prices are reasonable and he offers a 2 day package that we knew the boys would love. He picked us up, provided wet suits, surf boards, and his experience. The first day, he taught them about surfing safety, good surfing manners, and some of the basics.




The boys LOVED surfing!!

That night, we went to a local mall and watched “Despicable Me”. It was a really cute movie, even if Dad did fall asleep.

Mission at San Juan Capistrano

Our rented condo is about a 15 minute drive to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. The boys wanted a break from the ocean today, so we took the short trek to the Mission.


The audio tour provided was easy to follow. Markers inside the Mission tell you what buttons to press and the phone-like hand piece explains where you are and why it is important. The boys really enjoyed this part of the tour.


The audio tour explained an earthquake destroyed this church in 1812, just 6 years after its completion. 40 people were trapped and killed within the rubble.


This bell wall was used for years to notify local residents of mealtimes, work times, births, deaths, and other important information.


We ended the day with (per Jarun’s request) a casserole dinner. I think the carbs will be good for them. Surf lessons tomorrow!!!