My lucky shoes and a colonial tour

Time for another family field trip.  This time we set off for Virginia to see Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.  So much history.  

Cousin Sarah had another great timeshare deal and we stayed in a 2 bedroom villa for about $35 a night.  

We also got to stop by and see our friends the Horners.

And the Boneys.

So much history.  So much fun.  We'd love to come back and see it in full swing; after Covid and all.

Funny story about these shoes.  As I was going through security at LAX I took them off; as required. As I walked through the screening machine and then over to the conveyor belt to retrieve my things I saw the woman ahead of me holding my shoes.  I politely said "those are my shoes."She disagreed.  I persisted.  She disagreed again.  Then she pointed to an identical pair still in the bucket in the conveyor belt.  Who would've thought that my Costco Circa 2018 shoes would be so popular?  What are the odds?  I still can't believe the coincidence!  haha

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Our cousin, Sarah, got us this amazing 2 bedroom villa in Williamsburg.  It was a deal through her TimeShare plan.  I believe it was $30 a night.   Insane deal.

Troy found a free tour of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.  The kids and I laughed as we boarded this giant bus.  "A three hour tour!"  Our driver was super knowledgeable and we sat right up front so it was surprisingly interesting and fun.

4 National Parks, Grandparents and a college freshman

 Towards the end of July 2020 we headed out on a two week road trip.  The initial purpose of the trip was to drop Brevin at BYU-Idaho but we extended it and decided to mix in a few other sights and people along the way.

The first stop was Grandma and GrandPaul's house in Ivins Utah.  It's pretty toasty there in July but they've got a great air conditioner so and a lovely home.  We love spending time with them!  While we were there we ate at some of our favorite restaurants, hiked a few places and even made it out to hike The Narrows (again) at Zions.  I don't think I recorded it, but we also went out to their house twice in June and then this time in late July.  Can you tell we are both unemployed and our kids have no sports?!  

The trip went like this.

A few days at the folks.  Zions national park.  Visit Caleb and Kyler in Provo at BYU.  Eat at Tucanos (our favorite Brazilian BBQ place.  Stayed at the Sharps (UT cousins).  Drove up to Idaho.  Spent a day at Yellowstone.  The boys hated the sulfur smell.  Saw lots of wildlife, waterfalls and natural hot springs.  Got Brevin checked into and set up in his new apartment.  He was the first one there.  Said goodbye.  Headed back to the Sharps for a night or two.  Drove down to Moab, UT.  Hiked the Delicate Arch (heat, altitude and humidity almost did me in).  The view was worth it though!  Also went river rafting on Colorado river.  Lots of fun.  Water levels were down so biggest rapids were level two.  We were supposed  to mountain bike the next day but the temperature dropped like 45 degrees so that didn't happen.  Next we drove to the Grand Canyon south rim and rented bikes there.  It was fun riding along the rim and seeing deer.  The next stop was Phoenix so I could meet with an ALC field operations guy and my hiring manager, Felila.  Our AC broke in our vehicle and it was a long hot drive in Phoenix the first week of August.  I don't recommend.    Finally, we headed home.  All in all it was an awesome trip.

Hiking the Narrows at Zions is one of our favorite things to do.  

Ryder just takes off.  He's so fast!

Preston dragged at the beginning but then picked up speed.  These are mud handprints of other hikers along the canyon walls.  Hiking sticks make all the difference on this hike.

We love Maverick gas stations.  They have elaborate soda options.  So yummy!

It was fun seeing our BYU boys.  This is in the bookstore.

Bowling in the WILK is another McMahan favorite.

Caleb's room (complete with Ron Burgundy)

Kyler's room.  They only live about a block apart this year.

Breakfast at the Sharps in Bountiful, UT.  Looks like the Swiss Alps!

Hot Springs river float in Idaho.

We had a lot of fun going on the crazy rollercoasters at the Lagoon and then spent some time at their waterpark too.

Rexburg ID temple 

Roadtrip people. Glad we took the van so we could have a little more room to spread out.

So this was a Roadschooling miracle.  Ryder had a virtual meeting with a math tutor and the meeting kept dropping because of a poor signal.  We were praying that we would find a McDonald's or something soon so we could have wifi and he could continue his much needed tutoring.  Then we found this gem:  Island Park Library.  Most adorable library and exactly what we needed.  Prayers answered!

Yellowstone beauty

Yellowstone geysers

Preston really didn't like the smell so he got creative and put pine needles in his mask. Science!

Lots of little hikes and vistas in Yellowstone.

We hiked way high up to get an incredible view of Old Faithful.  

Here's the view (and Brevin).

Buffalo (or Bison)

Brevin's new room at BYUI

We ate at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries and thought it was so funny that their potatoes actually came from the same town!

Sunset from the Sharp's in Bountiful

Hawaii: No. Disney: Yes!

 

Flying with masks

Since March 13, 2020 the world, as we knew it, has changed drastically.  COVID19 is a virus that has, basically shut down the world.  The fear over it has caused the closure of schools, churches, restaurants, businesses, entertainment and even travel.  Of course, this can only stop us for so long. 

Cheap airfare led us to book a family trip to Kauai for August 1.  We thought that the HI governors quarantine orders would be lifted by August.  He kept extending and extending them and eventually we had to scramble to plan something else.  Where do you go when most international boarders are closed (to Americans)?  Somewhere stateside.  Somewhere  After 5 moths of being grounded we could stand it no longer and we found a deal and a destination and made it happen.  Disneyworld or bust!

Yes, the media has painted Florida as a hotspot for new Covid spikes, however, Disneyworld has recently reopened; with guidelines (Social distancing, limited guests and masks required).  $66 round trip airfare lured us in.  Troy's cousin, Sarah, got us a great deal on a 2 bedroom villa  

Lots of people thought we were crazy for traveling during a pandemic but we found it to be a pretty safe experience.  Traveling through LAX there were lots of visual and audible reminders that masks and social distancing were all mandatory.  Even as we boarded the flight they kept reminding us to keep our distance between other people.  Then, as if all the rules changed, they packed us into our seats with the same strangers we were supposed to be distancing from 5 minutes prior.  It only matters when it matters.  But it was all good.  

Disney parks also did a great job.  Masks were mandatory.  Many employees even wore face shields.  Hand sanitizer stations were everywhere; including beginning, middle and end of lines.  Social distancing markers were everywhere.  

Splash Mountain

Mask up and smile.

 Disney even had circles on the carpet to help families group into pods of 4 before going into a theater.

Empty Main Street

(below)

Small World is still one of my favorite rides

Kennedy Space Center did not disappoint. 

 In fact, it was way cooler than we anticipated.  

Shuttles that did't make it back.  The Challenger is on here too.  Fun Fact: our elementary school is named Christa McAuliffe, after the teacher that was on the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Coco Beach.  The weather was a little stormy but the water was warm and it was fun to splash around and get our wiggles out.