Hi my name is Marilyn Liesland (otherwise known as Mari) I am Robs daughter. Here are some lists about our trip.
These are the things I like about Arizona:
These are my favorite things about our trip so far:
These are the things I look forward to when I am back in Des Moines:
P.S. the lists are not in any order : )
After our hikes this afternoon we went for dinner at my Uncle Jerry & Aunt Sheila’s. Jerry is my mom’s brother. They have always lived far away, but when we were kids they lived in Pennsylvania and we would see each other on vacations and the occasional holiday. More recently they have lived in Phoenix and we have seen them much less. It was great to catch up.
Their daughter, Nikki, lives in Phoenix so she came over as well. The kids had a blast playing with Sheila and Nikki. Lucia was a little hesitant to go into the house, feeling a little shy. After about 30 minutes she was asking me if Sheila could come back to one of the bedrooms and play with her.
This afternoon we did two hikes in Phoenix. We went to Hole in the Rock first, which was very short and very easy. It was so easy that we decided to go to Piestawa Peak, another very popular hike that is much more challenging.
Near our RV park.
We had a hard time finding a campground in Phoenix that met our criteria. Many of the campgrounds here are 55+, which we definitely do not qualify for. We ended up about 45 minutes north of the city on a lake. It is a nice place and I am sure we will find plenty to do over the next few weeks.
It was a bittersweet day today. We left California, where we have been for nearly three months. We left San Diego, arguably one of the nicest places we have visited and definitely one of the warmest places in the country. Our RV adventure continues as we turn the corner and head east, making our way across the south. We will be in Phoenix for about a month, then continue on to be in Florida by March.
We have been on Pacific coast since the end of September, with our first ocean visit on September 30th. Today, just over 3 months later, it is time to say goodbye. We have loved our time on the coast and at the beach. We said goodbye with ice cream on the beach.
We started off 2018 with a hike to Potato Chip Rock. It is a popular hike about 30 minutes outside of San Diego. it is 4 miles uphill to a cool rock formation, then back. It was maybe one of our hardest hikes of the trip so far. The uphill part was long and hot. Many folks who set up for potato chip rock actually don’t make it because it is just too strenuous. Once we made it to the rock there was a rather long line to get our picture, but we decided to wait. There is actually an easier way to get there that most folks opt for, but it is a shorter, steep walk along a road.
Our picture experience was interesting. Mari was ready to let her legs dangle off the edge, but Susan and I were not. Susan says that getting out to the rock was the most stressful for her, but once we were out there I was ready to get down. I had the same feeling I had at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, where it just didn’t feel safe. We got some quick pictures and then it was back down the hill to get to our car before the city park closed its gates.
This afternoon we visited La Jolla, a nice neighborhood just north of Mission Bay, where we are staying. We explored the tide pools. We attempted to visit the sea lions, but it was really crowded, we skipped it. Then we got some food to share at The Taco Stand, a popular fast-food taco shop.
This morning it was back to the beach for more surfing. Just the older kids and I went. Susan took Lucia and Rose to a playground near the RV park.
This afternoon it was back to the beach for another round of playing and surfing.
San Diego has a very popular donut shop, Donut Bar. We headed there this morning to check it out. It was a neat experience. The line was out the door, but being a donut shop it moved pretty quickly. Also, we are in San Diego, so having to stand outside is not the end of the world. The shop was hip & trendy, with a nice interior. They are open Friday and Saturday evenings so they also have beer on tap for those occasions.
The donuts were cool. Their standard yeast donut was huge and they generally topped it very well. They also offered some super-fancy donuts and some cake donuts. Overall it was good. Was it better than Busken, Hurts, or Holtmans? I wouldn’t go that far.
