The Campin' Family's Off Season Adventures - Homeschool Blogger

New Blog Site - http://campinfamily.blogspot.com/

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:41:00 -0500

Come visit us on our new blog
http://campinfamily.blogspot.com/

WEST COAST FAMILIES ON THE ROAD RALLY

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:27:00 -0600

FOTR RALLY

If I could have planned out a rally and put exactly the people there
that I thought would be the most fun, I couldn't have made it any cooler
than the California FOTR Rally turned out to be!

We had great fun meeting new friends...

Abby & Cassie Rose

Eddy & Jason, Abby & Auni

Hanging out with old friends....

Eddy, Vern & Steve

Pete, Steve, Rita, Bryce, Gayle, Eddy, Connor

CLICK HERE for More Pictures of our FOTR Friends

Playing music & having fun around the campfire....

Kati & Rita

Music on the beach

Abby playing the guitar

Karen, Steve, John, Gayle, & kids

Jason, Kara & Auni

CLICK HERE for More Campfire Pictures

Enjoying all the fun things there were to do...

Curtis's Music Class

Abby, Cassie Rose, Sierra & Auni blowing bubbles

Exploring Tide Pools

CLICK HERE for More Tide Pool Pictures

Abby & Winston playing in the hot tub

CLICK HERE for More Pictures of FOTR Fun

Visit more websites and blogs about the FOTR Rally

VISIT THE OFFICIAL FOTR RALLY WEBSITE - More Pics

The DeMichiel Family - Great blog, lots of pictures

The Robinson Family

Mali Mish Family

Calico Ghost Town and the Civil War Re-enactment

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:01:00 -0600

What a Cool Place!!

We found out that Calico was going to have the Civil War Re-enactment so we packed up our bags and left Las Vegas so we could get there by the weekend. Although the Civil War didn't actually take place in California, it was a good opportunity to re-enforce what Abby learned in Virginia about the Civil War. Abby even got a chance to meet "Abe Lincoln"

Both the Union and the Confederate troops had set up encampments in the ghost town and the streets were full of actors in costume.

Plus, since Calico is actually a working ghost town, Abby was able to experience Pioneer life with the many activities they have there -

like leather working....

and making our own rope jump ropes....

and sitting in on class in the old school house

Planetarium & Science Museum

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 13:50:00 -0600

The Astronomy Club sets up their telescopes once a month at the San Diego Planetarium and lets people view the stars and moon though their high powered telescopes. This also happened to be on the day when a special Southern Stars planetarium show was put on. And it just so happened that we were in San Diego at the right time!! The show was really interesting and it was really cool to see the craters on the moon and the constellations close up after just learning about them.

Surfing!!!

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 13:21:00 -0600

Yahoo!! Look at us go!!

We found a surf school while we were at the beach in San Diego and Pete, Christian & I all decided to learn to surf, while Dylan & Abby boogie boarded! An hour later, I finally was able to stand up on the surf board for an entire 30 seconds!!

Yeah, Vegas Baby!

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:41:00 -0600

The Volcano at the Mirage - Circus acts and amusement rides at Circus Circus - M&M Factory Tour - Fountains of Bellagio - Aquariums, Robotics & Trojan Horse at Ceasars - Lions at the MGM -
Finding pearls in oysters - Gondola ride and dinner at the Venetian - lots of fun!

Things Abby learned:

how aquariums work
how robots are made
about the Trojan horse
how antiquing is done to make the wood look like marble
where pearls come from and about Oyster farms
all about lions
about the Eiffel tower
plus, she got to visit with her friend Taryn who lives in Vegas!

Things we did:

got a babysitter (Taryn's mom) and went out for our anniversary to the Venetian - the gondolier sang us songs as we rode down the Grand Canal in Venice, we kissed under each bridge, and we were serenaded at the Italian restaurant where we at dinner
very little gambling
same as Abby

Bash Bish Falls

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:52:00 -0600

What do you do in New England when the temperature in December is in the upper 40's? Go for a hike of course! And that's just what Debbie, Abby & I decided to do.

We had planned on hiking down from the top of Bash Bish Falls, but the trail was still way too icy, so we made our way up the 3 mile (roundtrip) trail from the bottom. Our hike brought us from New York to Massachusetts and then back again, through icy and muddy patches of trail, and to the waterfall itself. The falls were huge and the stairs down were covered with ice. Abby and I had on snow boots (no traction) so we almost didn't go down, but "Debbie The Brave" went ahead of us on the stairs and kicked the ice off each one so we wouldn't fall.

Abby made a snow puppy on the way back

Christmas with the kids

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:36:00 -0600

I was so excited about spending Christmas with Seth, Becky, Faith & Tommy this year. Since we started traveling our Christmases have just not been the same, but this one was absolutely perfect. We made cookies for Santa and decorated them, cut out gingerbread paper dolls and colored them to look like people in our family, visited Santa, went to Yankee Candle and made Christmas candles, and just had a great time all around. And to add to it, Dad & Kay came down to join us for a few days over Christmas. I really enjoyed seeing them and was able to finally find the perfect gift for my dad. It was one of those "picture perfect" holidays where you wouldn't change a thing!

Heading West - Route 66

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:26:00 -0600

One of our goals for this trip was to learn about the Historic Rt. 66 and take it whenever possible. That being said, I was surprised at how little of it still actually exists (apart from the interstate or the frontage roads) and is in drivable condition. But we did veer off whenever possible, and I even rode my bike for about 10 miles of in in Tucamacari. Abby was excited that we saw lots of buildings and places that were used for the filming of the movie "Cars", and even got to see "Mater" a time or two.

1st stop - Oklahoma Buffalo Ranch

After leaving Nashville, our first stop on the official Rt. 66 tour was a KOA buffalo ranch. Unfortunately it turned out to be rather hokey (only 1 buffalo), but we did get to eat buffalo burgers and wander through the Indian gift store.

Amarillo Texas Cadillac Ranch

After leaving the KOA early, we had all day to explore about a 150 mile section of Rt. 66. We didn't get a chance to explore Amarillo, but we did have a blast painting cars at the Cadillac Ranch. Bring your own spray paint if you go!

Glenrio - Rt. 66 Ghost Town

Having seen old "wild west" type ghost towns before, I was not prepared for Glenrio. This town was simply abandoned - furniture and tvs still in the buildings, jukeboxes still in the restaurants, household furnishings just left. It was strange to think the people just left, but I guess they did. We actually ended up seeing a lot of this on our trip - buildings with everything still in them but the people.

Route 66 left the main highway in Glenrio and traveled back through 19 miles of dirt road. Having come this far, we decided to go ahead and brave the dirt road in the RV. We only got concerned a couple times when we came across bridges which were technically not big enough to support us, but with a prayer and a scream we raced across and made it to the other side!

Tucamacari

Known as the town where many of the ideas for the movie "Cars" are from, Tucamacari was our big stop along Rt. 66 with a chance to explore a town that was actively trying to preserve the "Mother Road" history. Unfortunately, they are losing the battle. Like much of the rest of Rt. 66, Tucamacari has many abandoned and broken down remnants of the glory days of 66, and has actually restored some of the buildings, but the money is just not there. While here we saw many semi-restored hotels and restaurants, but we also saw many others that had given up and shut down. I took the opportunity of our overnight here to ride my bike along the original Rt. 66 through town and explore the downtown. The neatest thing was all of the murals in the town - each exquistely depicting scenes from the old West or the Mother Road. But even those fabulous pieces of art couldn't bring life to the town - the downtown was so quiet I could hear my footsteps while I explored old abandoned soda fountains, stores, and restaurants.

Painted Desert, Petrified Forest & Petrogliffs

Wow!! This was awesome! But you can't see them from the highway - you have to get off at the National Park to get there. Historic Rt. 66 used to run through the park, but the pavement has since been removed in order to return it to it's natural state.

Meteor Crater

50,000 years ago a meteor the size of a 6000 sq.ft. house hit the Earth and left this crater behind. We toured the rim of the crater, learned about the different layers of rock that the meteor disrupted, and learned about the meteor itself. Very interesting.

Homeschool Days Legoland - by Abby

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 01:20:00 -0600

Legoland was very fun because it was all made out of Legos, even the rides. Me and my friends, Christian & Dylan, and our parents got to go on a ride where you got to splash each other with waterguns and I didn't get at all wet. We also got to make race cars and solar cars out of Legos. It was lots of fun, and I won the race.

Fun with friends in the desert

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:32:00 -0600

What a fun adventure we have had since we hit Quartzsite, AZ!

The first night we were here we met up with our friends Pete & Rita and were surprised to also have Kati & Vern and family stop in to camp as well! We had lots of fun visiting with everyone around the campfire until the early morning hours. Morning came and Kati & Vern went on their way to Mexico, but our fun in Quartzite was just beginning. During our week there we met quite a few interesting people, checked out the RV show, flea market, and gem show, and just had a great time.

The following week led us to Yuma, AZ where we toured the Yuma Territorial Prison, and the Army Proving Grounds, picked lettuce straight from the field, learned all about the Army Parachute Jumpers (the kids even got to help fold the parachute)

and and from there we went on to the Hot Springs and up to Slab City and saw Salvation Mtn (both of which were in the movie "Into the Wild"). Salvation Mountain was awesome in an incredibly weird sort of way. The man who built it has been out in the desert paper macheing a mountain for God for 24 years. He uses tires adobe mud, tires to make trees, and paint. There are little rooms to sit in, bible verses throughout, and the whole thing looks like it came right out of Dr. Suess's "Who Ville". Definately the coolest/weirdest thing I've ever seen.

The Christmas Tree Carol - by Abby

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 07:57:00 -0600

Hi, I'm Abby. We helped Kati & Vern this week at a Christmas Tree stand. It was so fun. Me and my Daddy drilled the Christmas trees holes so they could get onto the stands. And, I got to help deliver the Christmas trees to people's cars. Also, I sharpied my dog Christmas colors. My friends helped me to sharpie my dog. My mommy and I, Miss Kati, Zoe, me (and maybe even Auvi) had a Christmas tree fashion show. We dressed up in Christmas trees and put ribbons on our hineys! We didn't have any power while we were there and we had to use the gererator. We couldn't watch any TV (all because of the stupid generator). But the only thing that was the worst was that we had to buy 5 gallons of water to use for dishes cause we were out of water.

Me and Zoe made a little Christmas tree and it's in our camper right this second. Also, I wanted to make a Christmas windchime, but I couldn't because we didn't have enough time because Kati & Vern's friends (Steve & Bryce) were coming over. I had a lot of fun with Steve and Bryce's kids. They usually stay out until 1 in the morning, but now they just stayed until 1 minute till 8pm cause they had borrowed their cousin's car and had to get it back. Our parents wrapped us up in the tree netter. We had millions and killions and jillions of fun!

Me and my mommy and one of my little friends, Winston, made popcorn. He has red hair like my brother! He was 4 years old. Me and Winston had a lot fun- in fact, I think he was the only friend I played with all day long!

Chicky-Chick-Chock,

Abby

Fishing and Shelling

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 00:12:00 -0600

Pirates in Paradise

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 23:52:00 -0600

The Pirates in Paradise Festival was in Key West today. It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be, and Abby got scared with the re-enactment so we had to leave early. But we did get some AWESOME hippy pictures of us on the beach! Be on the lookout for these on our Christmas cards!

12/7/08-1/20/09

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:35:00 -0600

Everglades
Junior Ranger Program
alligators vs crocs
swimming with the manatees
christmas trees with Kati and Vern (the LOUD Family)
meeting Bryce and Steve
Mom's to wrap presents
Seth, Becky's and Tom's for Christmas, saw Grampa Bill & Granny Kay, Aunt Sandy
saw Santa Clause
Yankee Candle - Abby made candles and learned beeswax and bayberry candle making
hike to Bash Bish Falls
Christmas in Virginia with Mema
Appomattax National Park - Civil War
Ice skating for Abby's Birthday
Camper to shop
Luray Caverns - caves, stalagtights, stalagmights
Nashville, TN - Country music hall of fame, learned about country music in the old days when Gommy was first born; Car Museum - saw lots of prototype cars - swam underwater, flying car, 3 wheeled cars, some tiny tiny cars (only 350lbs), car with engines on both sides, LARC a big huge vehicle used by the Navy, could go in water and on land, tires were 9' feet tall; car that made into a bed
Oklahoma - saw a buffalo ranch, Daddy ate buffalo burgers
Amarillo Texas - Cadillac Ranch - spray painted old cadillacs that were stuck nose first into the ground!
Drove on Rt. 66 thru Glenrio, NM, an old ghost town, San Jon, to Tucamacari (the town said to most resemble Radiator Springs in the movie cars). We saw old houses, cars, hotels, restaurants, we even saw Mater, Lightening McQueen, the Conoco gas station and the garage from Cars
Arizona - we went to the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert National Park. We saw rabbits in the Painted Desert. The petrified wood happened along time ago when the area was underwater and the volcanic ash interacted water soaked wood and turned the wood into Quartz rock. The colors in the wood are from different minerals which soaked into the wood during the petrification process.
Meteor Crater, AZ - 50,000 years ago a meteor about 150' hit the Earth and caused a big hole in the ground. The meteor was made out of mostly iron and was very very heavy
Flagstaff to Tuscan to Quartzsite, AZ - Beautiful snowy mountain ranges to cactus and desert plants

Christmas Parade

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 23:32:00 -0600

We got to be on a Christmas float in the Key West Parade. I had joined the Key West homeschoolers group and when I found out they were going to be in the parade we asked if we could join them on their float.

Truthfully I thought Abby would have fun with this (and she did - throwing candy and wavng like a little princess) but EDDY was actually the one grinning from ear to ear the entire parade route!! Turns out he had never been in a parade!

The most beautiful campground ever!

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:09:00 -0600

We were suppose to leave from the KOA Friday to Leo's Campground, but we went down to take a look and none of us wanted to go there! So I went online and found the campground that I had actually seen on the travel channel - Bluewater Key RV Resort. All of their sites are owned (each site costs upwards of 1/2 million dollars!) but when the owner's aren't there they rent them out! We got a beautiful site, right on the canal, with a huge fishing dock, tiki hut, and patio set for $88 a night (which for Key West is really good). I can't wait to go!

Abby at our new campground with the fish she caught right off our deck!

She's been fishing for 6 hours straight now!!

Thanksgiving

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:06:00 -0600

We had Pat & Debbie over to the KOA for Thanksgiving. Eddy, Pat, Debbie & Abby hung out in the pool most of the day and amazingly dinner turned out good (except for my Key Lime pie which was actually more like Key Lime soup). I miss Seth, Tommy and my Mom. I'm glad we're going up there for Christmas. Holidays just aren't the same without family.

Abby's new Myak

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:01:00 -0600

The raft was just too hard to pull behind Eddy's kayak, so in comes the Myak! We took it in thru the mangrove swamps, saw jellyfish, and did some fishing.

Duval Crawl

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:52:00 -0600

I guess you have to do the Duval Crawl at least once in your lifetime and yesterday was my day! We started with lunch (and drinks) at this neat dockside restaurant which had a swimming pool right in the middle of the restaurant (Abby swam before and after lunch) and made our way down Duval Street stopping at each place with music! Three (or four?) drinks and many tee shirt shops later, we headed over to the beach to watch the sunset.