November 10, 2015

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 3 DAYS

What to Expect at Joshua Tree National Park

Welcome back!

It's TRAVELIN' TUESDAY here at TC and while today Elisa shares some info about her upcoming trip to Boston (I may not be a Red Sox or Patriots fan - but I sure do luv Boston!)

I'll be sharing with you a bit about Joshua Tree National Park.

While technically this will be my 3rd time to this park, I'm looking the most forward to this visit...
The first time that we "attempted" to go to the park the weather was miserable and we drove for hours and hours only to have the (boring) "adults" decide that we should go camping somewhere else!

How torturous! I mean first off -
I HATED CAMPING. REALLY HATED IT!
But I love the rain - it would've been my choice to stay and have a little adventure camping in the downpour - that would've been exciting...and memorable!
​But noooooo. We drove for hours more to end up at this disgusting campground at a place call Lake Elsinore! Eww. Gross.

The second time I went to go hike and explore with a friend and just didn't do enough research to really know what I wanted to see and do.

credit: wiki

Plus there was time pressure on the back end which sucked and so although I had a good time, I still didn't feel like I got a good sense of the park and all it has to offer!
And I still haven't even checked out any of the visitor centers or stamped my National Park Passport Book!

Well, we are gonna fix all of that this time around!

stateparks.com

Where Two Deserts Meet
Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park. A fascinating variety of plants and animals make their homes in a land sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the wonder of this vast wilderness in southern California. credit: nps.gov

We will delight in the contrast between rock and sky. You can bet that we are taking the telescope and we will enjoy the brilliance of the stars on a dark night. Hopefully have a chance to admire the agility of bighorn sheep as they scramble up impossible slopes. And of course appreciate the silence of the vast desert landscape. 

According to the Desert Sun:

Because of the lack of light pollution makes Joshua Tree National Park a stargazers paradise.

Especially at – Cottonwood, Pinto Basin, & Keys View.

We are not quite packed yet...in fact knowing me you should realize that I still haven't unpacked from this past weekend! LOL

Being that this is a camping trip, there is a lot more to pack and load up then on another type of road-trip or other getaway.

Camping lists can be very short or they can be very long - that depends on the camper and the type of camping trip that they are embarking on.

Here is a sample list of things that I'd prefer not to forget for this particular camping trip! 

In and Around Camp

• Tent
• Tent footprint
• Sleeping bags
• Sleeping pads
• Air mattresses
• Pump for air mattresses
• Multi-tool or knife
• Daypacks (see our Day Hiking Checklist)
• Folding chairs
• Mallet or hammer (for tent stakes)
• Headlamps (with extra batteries)
• Flashlights (with extra batteries)
• Lanterns

Clothing and Footwear

• Sun-shielding hats
• Bandanas or buffs
• Boots or shoes suited to terrain
• Socks
• Long underwear
• Sleepwear
• Insulating jacket or vest
• Gloves or mittens
• In-camp sandals or booties

Kitchen

• Stove
• Fuel
• Matches/lighter
• Charcoal (with fire starter)
• Firewood 
• Frying pan
• Cook pots
• Can opener
• Marshmallow roasting sticks
• Trash bags
• Water bottles
• Plates, bowls, mixing bowls
• Mugs/cups
• Utensils

Food

• Marshmallows
• Still working on this list as you can tell!

Personal Items

• Lip balm
• Toothbrush, toiletry kit
• Brush/comb

Other Items

• Camera
• Camcorder
• Memory cards/film
• Binoculars
• Campsite reservation confirmation
• Star chart/night-sky identifier

Fun Stuff

• Playing cards

And just a quick update about yesterday...
I took the girls: Cosette, Jet and Chaplin to the stables and the weather was just crisp and beautiful. We definitely appreciated that and the fact that there were no pesky flies annoying the life out of us! 

As far as the IPC Board Meeting, it went okay and we did have a chance to talk about the Travel Plans for their summer NorCal trip. One more travel meeting on November 30th and then we'll have confirmation and begin to take the deposits.
I sure hope it's a go! 

Time for me to sign off and get busy. Hope to see you back here again tomorrow!
​-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 3 DAYS

Lookin' Ahead to A Boston Weekend

Hey guys!!

​How are you today? I'm doing great!

This week is a short one -- two days, day off - one day and then off to Boston!

Me and the kids are getting psyched for this trip.  I'm pretty much packed.  I'll get the kids bags packed tomorrow.  I love packing for weekend trips.  Just a few outfits; a couple of pairs of shoes, toiletries and few incidentals and voila!

Most trips we get away with one outfit per day, but for this one, we'll need an additional dress-up outfit for our Sunday night excursion to see Beautiful: The Carole King Story, at the Boston Opera House. 

As promised, here's a short overview of my Boston trip this coming weekend:

Friday, we'll start off the day bright and early by leaving Long Island and get on the road to bean town.

We have two main sights on the itinerary for our first day.  First a little afternoon romp through Faneuil Hall.  Then off to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. 

Kelsey's teacher was so happy that we were going to historic Boston, since it ties in beautifully with her next book report assignment on a realistic fiction book.  

She and I will be hitting the library on Thursday to select a book about one of the places we will be visiting. We are thinking of something about the Boston Tea Party, which would dovetail nicely with our visit to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum! 

I'm still researching restaurants for our three evenings.  I'll keep you posted on the eateries we decide on later in the week!

Our second day will be filled with fun history, as we get a very early start for Fenway Park for our 1-hour tour.  It's first come, first serve so that is why we need to get there early for our visit to the home of the Boston Red Sox and the oldest ballpark in the country (circa 1912)!

The fun continues as we head over for our Boston Duck Tour, which we will pic up at the Prudential Center.  For 90 minutes, we will be driving and cruising around Boston, passed all the places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of firsts.

We will see the golden-domed State House to Bunker Hill and the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston Common and Copley Square to the Big Dig, Government Center to fashionable Newbury Street, Quincy Market to the Prudential Towerlearning the history, seeing the famous sights before plunging into the water!!
​

Last on our itinerary for the day will be the Prudential Center Skywalk Observatory.  After our trip to Toronto this past Summer, to the CN Tower and their fearlessness at the very top, I know they will enjoy another observatory!

The Skywalk Observatory, Boston's only sky-high vantage point for sweeping 360 degree views of Greater Boston and beyond from the 52 Flights up!

Prudential Skywalk Observatory

Day three is a pretty relaxing day.  I had originally planned for us to go to the Mary Baker Eddy Library and see the Mapparium. But, as I mentioned yesterday, it is closed for most of the month of November for renovations. (insert sad face).

So, I'm pretty sure the kids will be stoked to have some free time.  Perhaps we'll go to the hotel pool or just hang out and be leisurely.

A trip to JP Licks for ice cream is definitely part of of the plan for the day!  

It is the evening, however, that is going to be piece de resistance of our trip!! Mommy got tickets for her gang to go and see Beautiful The Musical at the Boston Opera House.  My girls have pretty much memorized the soundtrack that I purchased and played incessantly after seeing this musical story of the life of Carole King last Summer.

Our last day in Boston will be to do a tour of the famous Freedom Trail.  It is 90 minutes and we'll have the opportunity to see Bunker Hill Monument (224 Steps), Paul Revere House, Boston Masacre site, USS Constitution.

I think the kids will give me a hard time about this "historic" walk, but I'm fairly confident that as we get going, they will surely enjoy it!!

Now depending on the weather and the energy level, I may opt to slug this tour in the day before in the morning, and give the girls some free time and relaxation the last day.  We might also get a chance to get an early start for our drive back to Long Island.  We shall see!!

I also want to slip in a trip to the Capitol and grab some photos!

Today,  I'll be starting my packing for me and the girlies.  I love road trips because we have the convenience of having the car, so we can bring any extras we may want, as well as stocking up on food and snacks for the ride!!

The rain is coming down here on Long Island, so I'll be making my own sunshine...have a wonderful day!!

-E
xoxo