Our Kids' Favorite Road Trippin' Moments

As our 7 month journey slowly comes to a close, our kids wanted to look back and look at their most memorable moments. It was fun looking back and revisiting all that we did during this incredible adventure. Lots of precious memories that we will never forget and now that we know we can do this kind of trip we are now planning our next one! The kids found it quite tough to agree on which places and experiences were best so we opted to provide a full list in no particular order. ​There was literally too many places to list here and I'm sure when if I ask them the same question tomorrow the whole list will be different again! LOL! Here goes...

Santa Monica Pier & Pacific Park Amusement Park, California

By far the most fun we had while visiting Los Angeles was at Santa Monica pier. The pier is a picturesque place right on the ocean at the end of the famous route 66. The big attraction (other than the amazing ocean beach) is the Pacific Park and amusement rides that sit right on the pier and ocean. Fun, kid friendly roller coasters and carnival-type rides for the kids to enjoy. A great place to spend the day and night chillin' at the beach and heading into the amusement park to burn some of the kids' energy.

Pacific Park Amusement Rides

On the Santa Monica pier

Jet Skiing on Lake Havasu, Arizona

Lake Havasu was like an oasis in the desert when we found it. This was such a great find given we spent the month or so prior in the crazy hot desert in Arizona and Texas with minimal access to water too cool off! Lake Havasu was somewhat of a surreal place as you'll find this huge lake in the middle of the desert on the border of Arizona and California with of all things the original London Bridge built and displayed in the center of town. We were here in April and the weather was already high 30's (Celsius) so we decided to rent some jet skis and have a blast on the water. The kids especially loved when I let them drive on the open water and doing doughnuts all the while hoping I don't throw a kid off the back into the lake LOL. Some of the locals found the water way too cold, but given it was about 100F outside ​we didn't mind too much.

Kids loved the jet ski

Paddle boarding as usual

Racing Dune Buggies on the famous Oregon Coast

If you ever get the chance to do the Oregon Coast, we highly recommend going to see the famous dunes near Florence and Dune City Oregon. We lucked out and got an amazing campsite at Honeyman State Park just outside of Florence and found a place where we could rent dune buggies to go 'have a rip'! It was a blast roaring around these huge dunes as high as small mountains and quite steep! By far the best moment was when Wendy managed to get her dune buggy stuck within the first 5 minutes of being out there and we had to call a guy to pull her out with their 4x4 truck! After that, it was an awesome time ripping around the dunes and the kids loved every minute of it! 
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Wendy all set to lead the way!

Check out Madden...what a trooper!

Summer Snow Tubing in Whistler & Exploring Vancouver

Ok so technically Whistler and Vancouver are pretty far from each other, but loved both so much we decided to squish them into one! We stopped in Vancouver to stay and spend time with our awesome cousins and while we're there take in the great sites of the Greater Vancouver area. Stanley Park, whale watching, ScienceWorld, hiking in Golden Ears, the Aquarium and much much more. Even after all that, Shyla still says her favorite thing to do was play with her little baby cousin ​Maya. She's such a little nurturer! The weather wasn't as gloomy as when we were there the last time so it was fun enjoying the site with the family. We ventured north up the sea-to-sky highway to Whistler and the kids had such a blast taking the gondola up Whistler mountain where they went snow tubing (in July!) and then we took the nervy Peak-to-Peak gondola over to Blackcomb Mountain and back. Wendy just about shite herself, but the kids didn't even bat an eye! 

Sitting on Alouette Lake

Our gracious hosts and crazy cousins!

The Old Tucson Cowboy Show, Arizona

There was bound to be one or two cheesy ones on this list given the kids were deciding it. Old Tucson goes down as a fun and kinda cheesy old west theme park in Tucson, Arizona. The kids had tons of fun watching old western shows, riding horses, wagons and the best part of all was of course the hilarious gun showdown. A little stunt show skit put on by some hilarious comedians with their guns makes for some fun entertainment! This was Lennon's clear favorite as there was tons of comedic action, gunshots, explosions etc. to keep the whole family entertained. If ever in the Tucson area...a visit to Old Tucson is well worth the cheese! LOL.​

Saddle up pardner!

Old Tucson saloon!

Rush Mountain Adventure Park, Keystone, South Dakota

Rush Mountain is Shyla's clear favorite, although that's not surprising since we were here celebrating her 8th birthday in August. Its located just outside Custer State Park very close to Mount Rushmore and we were surprised with how much fun this place really turned out to be! They had a cool roller coaster that meandered down the mountain at crazy speeds, zip lining, 4D movie experiences and the best of all was a cool mining experience where the kids bought sand and sifted through it like miners to find hidden gems, jewels and fossils. I thought for sure the roller coaster would be the biggest hit, but the kids just loved sifting through the sand to find the various treasure that was hidden inside it. ​If you're rolling through Mount Rushmore area with kids, be sure to check out Rush Mountain!

We struck gold!

Mountain coaster craziness

The birthday girl!

Climbing & Exploring the Redwoods of Northern California

Northern California and all the amazing redwoods were such fun for the kids (and the parents). Having an opportunity to walk amongst these giant trees and climb on top of those fallen giants was just so much fun! Madden was in heaven as most hikes were filled with slugs and snails, while Lennon and Shyla loved climbing up and over some of the largest trees in the world. By far our favorite time was finding a cool swimming hole on a river where a massive redwood tree had fallen creating a natural bridge across the river and a great shady spot underneath it to enjoy the gorgeous weather. One thing is for sure that we are not done visiting this part of the world...Northern Cali we will be back to see you again! Can't get enough of the Redwoods!

Tree hugging

Walking on a natural redwood bridge

Alcatraz & Exploring San Francisco

San Fran was such a cool place to visit especially with kids. From the Exploratorium, to the crazy hilly and windy roads to the home of Full House...there was just so much fun for the kids! Alcatraz was a particular favorite and to be honest, I wasn't sure if they would enjoy it or not. It was a bucket list place for Wendy and I and I just hoped the kids would behave enough so we could enjoy it! Instead, Madden fell asleep while Shyla and Lennon listened attentively to the audio tour and they just loved exploring this interesting and spooky place. San Fran was such a great time overall and we wished we had more time to spend here...which means we'll be back!

Alcatraz most notorious prisoners

At the top of the crooked street

Tubing Down The Guadalupe River, Texas

Although this experience was way back in February, it still sticks in the kids' minds as an awesome adventure! Guadalupe River State Park nestled between Austin and San Antonio was an awesome campground that has a drop-in and walk-back tubing experience. The coolest thing was to jump in the river with your tube and cruise down the river a few miles and then get out and walk back to do it all over again! We spent a few days here just enjoying the river and relaxing in our tubes while coasting down the river bend. Such a fun time!​

Load em up!

Ready for tubing action!

Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, Alberta

The kids couldn't go without mentioning that one of their favorite parts of this journey was when we arrived in Banff, Alberta and our friend Adele showed up and surprised them by staying with us for a few days. The kids were so shocked and happy to see her! We spent a few days taking in all the amazing sights of Banff area including Moraine Lake (one of our favorites), Lake Louise and Banff Springs Hotel. The kids especially liked going out on Moraine Lake in a canoe and paddling through the glacially blue waters. A memory I'm sure will last a liftetime!

Still one of my fav pics of this journey, Moraine Lake

Lake Louise

This journey has brought great memories to all of us on what seems almost everyday. Looking back over the 7 months we've spent in this tiny space makes me so happy to see how our kids have bonded with each other, how many amazing things we've experienced, met so many fantastic families and how we've grown as a family. Its been priceless. Now that we have a taste for this kind of life, we can honestly say that this is only the beginning for us. Plans are underway for our next adventure. Stay tuned for 5FreeSpirits part 2 the sequel!