Trip to California (and 9 other states)

Ok, so our road trip was delayed a little. Kobe's flight from NY was late.
DAY 1:
We got on the road around midnight on June 5th. Stopped at the Petrified Forest in Arizona and the Meteor Crater. Purchased a National Park annual pass for $80 since it costs everytime you drive through one. UGH. We decided to go ahead to the Grand Canyon in order to get an early start on Sat. It was amazing and beautiful. It was also surprisingly very cold. Kobe had to bundle up in a blanket. Drove throught the park and stopped many times for pics. Kobe stayed in the van half the time. He was worn out.
DAY 2:
Up early and drove to Vegas. Took a tour of the Hoover Dam, which was interesting (to us, not the boys). Checked into Circus Circus in Vegas and drove the strip. Took boys to the indoor amusement park to ride some rides. Kobe got a day pass, Caden just rode the coaster. While there, we saw Criss Angel sighning autographs. Got some pics. That was cool. Had tickets to see "La Reve" that evening. Walked the strip some, the show was great. The boys really enjoyed it, we had seats in the splash zone, 2nd row. Went back so Kobe could ride more rides, then bed.
DAY 3:
On the road early toward Hollywood. On the way passed through Death Valley (which is another national park). Walked up to the top of a small mountain and had a great view. Once again, Kobe hung out in the van. Temperatures can get to 120 there, but we had mild temps in the 60's. No need to turn off our air conditioner as recommended. Drove through LA and stopped in Hollywood. Walked Hollywood Blvd. and saw many stars. Also saw the handprints. Caden was in heaven. Took some pics with characters. Saw the Hollywood sign and Kodak theatre, and where Jimmy Kimmel is taped. Stayed around 3hrs then continued on to Steve's in Menlo Park. Got to his house arond 11pm, and were greeted by Mia, all wide-awake! She was excited and would not go to sleep until like 1am. LOL.
DAY 4:
This day had no plans. Up, fed Mia, did a load of laundry (we had Kobe's suitcase from his trip), hung out with Steve. Mia had a dr's appt and then we drove up HWY 1 so the boys could see the Pacific Ocean. They found some clams, shells, rocks, and jellyfish. It was still really chilly out. Ate lunch at In-n-Out Burger, which is now my children's favorite. We would eat there again later in the week. Animal style, YUM-O! Visited Fishermans Wharf and about froze.
DAY 5:
Toured San Fran on a bus. Mia's first bus ride! Saw the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks (view of the city), Hoit Tower, City Hall, downtown San Fran, the crooked road (can't remember the name of the street), China Town, Little Italy, Botanical Gardens, and Fisherman's Wharf again. Kobe slept half the time. Steph was able to join us for the tour of Alkatraz. She was off work. We took a ferry to the island and had an audio tour of the prison. Interesting, but very crowded. This was Mia' s first boat ride too! Mia of course, is so good, and rarely gets upset. So, it's easy to take her along.
DAY 6:
Slept in. Hung out. Steve played video games with the boys. He also took them to the park to shoot hoops. Made them sprint, and do lunges all the way home. Kobe pulled his groin and had to be treated with ice. You'd a thought he needed surgical attention or something. Went to IKEA. Kobe stayed with Steve. Steph had been very busy with work and a lecture. She hasn't been around much. At this point it seemed our vacation was flying by.
DAY 7:
Drove to outlets about an hour away. Did a little shopping. This was the day we had In-n-Out again. Out to eat that evening with Steph too. Ate in downtown Palo Alto at a 50's diner. Mia got some too! Drove by Stanford's campus. Hated that we had to leave in the morning. Mia was so excited to have company over. We blew up her new pool from Nana and she played inside. It was too cold out. She is crawling her own special way, and gets into everything. She giggles, squawks, and is so happy. She definitely has her mommy and daddy right where she wants them!
DAY 8:
Left around 8am. Drove to Yosemite National Park and its awesomeness. Breathtaking view of God's creation. Had lunch by a river in the mountains. Drove through the park and saw amazing beauty. Got to hotel in Winnemucca, NV around 11pm. This day was trying on us. Very tiring.
DAY 9: Left around 7am. Drove through Salt Lake City and saw the Great Salt Lake. We also drove throught the Salt Desert. Looked like snow on the ground. There was an accident that closed the only hwy around SLC for 4hrs. We sat at a dead stop for 2.5 hours. There was no other way out. Deidra, our GPS, couldn't even help us. Finally after about 12 hrs on the road, we got to our hotel in Denver around midnight. Didn't set the alarm...
DAY 10: Slept in till 9am. Kobe wanted to swim. Left hotel at 10am and decided to go to Casa Bonita. Boys or Michael had never been. Stayed 2 hrs there with all the entertainment and arcade. It was fun. Got home at 9pm. Unloaded, and hit the hay.
This vacation was one of a lifetime. I was glad we decided to see all we did. Most likely, we will never go back. Out of all the great things we did or saw, being with Steve, Steph, and Mia was the best. Mia is getting so big, and turning into a little girl! Being so far away from them, well, just sucks.

All in all, we drove over 3500 miles, through 10 states*, and over 10 days. It was quick, short, exhausting, and WONDERFUL!

*Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, California, Wyoming, Utah, & Colorado. WOW