Christmas Adventures!!!

December 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone!!
We had a great Adventure in December. A lot like last year, we started our adventure with a Star Wars Movie!!! Rogue One....and it was amazing....Thank you George Lucas and Disney...

We opened our presents early because we left for our trip on Christmas day! Half size guitar and Mandolin...Great Christmas! 

Went to meet mom in Malibu for lunch, then the drive to the park:

Checked into our Hotel...yes I said Hotel, camping was NOT an option for this trip. We wanted a room with a heater and hot shower at the end of the day. HA HA HA! It was close to the park, food and wherever we wanted to go. We stayed in Three Rivers, CA  

Great place, nice people and close to all! I would recommend anyone to stay here if you're going to the parks. We were prepared for the weather. The other part of our Christmas Presents to each other was the trip itself, warm clothes, hiking boots, warm socks, thermal underwear, snowboarding jackets, gloves and hats. We checked into the hotel, went and found a cool little place to have Christmas Dinner, had a good nights sleep and ready for the next day!

A short, 15 minute drive and We made it...National Park Adventure: Giant Sequoia National Park
But, First, CHAINS Required!!!

Got'em on and ready to explore...Looking for the General Sherman...Largest Sequoia in Volume in the world!!! I'm sure we can't miss it...

Such a pretty drive...it was like driving to Santa's House....
We made it as far as you can go on the road, because a Cold snow storm had just passed through and closed the road.

So, we went off to the General Sherman...

Found him And he's so majestic!! A short little walk to see him. Nothing like the Delicate Arch hike!! After that, whenever we see hike, we think, "delicate arch" hike? oooooorrrrr....it's like 500 feet away!! THANK GOODNESS!!

We played in the snow too!!

It really wasn't that cold. For the most part we didn't wear our jackets for most of the day. Just when we Laid down in the snow!! HA HA HA!!!

Breakfast was our first time at this diner... Black Bear Diner   I have to say, one of the best we've ever had!! And  a ton 'O' food. Then, we were off to see family in Madera    Let me tell you...it's way out there!!! Directions are like, when you see the 2 cows in the yellow field, turn left. :) But we had a great time visiting with family! We poke a lot of fun at them, frankly, because it's easy because of where they live, but they love it and we're happy for them. Got to see the tractor and shoot at squirrels with a pellet gun...not a real one.  Hung out with the niece and nephew. So much fun!

Said goodbye, and made our way back to the hotel and packed to leave in the morning. We made it to LA for dinner with the parentals, then we were finally home!!! Even though the trip was amazing, it's always nice to be home, in your own bed, in your own house.

Last night we went to our favorite place for dinner. Fogo De Chao   Brazilian Steak House!!! We ate for an hour, drinks and dessert!! We literally. "rolled" out of the place.

Today and Tomorrow are FULL of FOOTBALL and laying on the couch!

Hope you all have a great New Year and 2017 brings you many Happy Adventures!!

Until Next Time
Enjoy The Ride!!!
Pat & Sondee

Summer Arches Adventure!!!

June 2016

Our Summer Adventure!!
We drove to Arches, Utah! 10 hours, through Lightning and Thunderstorms, up hills, sides of mountains....it was GREAT!
We had some much fun just getting there!

When we did, we were T I R E D!
Our new Family tradition when we go on an Adventure is......
Staying in a little Out-of-the-way Motel.. (you know...Bates Motel like) HA HA!
This time we stayed at the: DA DA DAH...

ROBBERS ROOST in Green River Utah. 45 miles from Arches.

The hotel was clean, small, and the people very very nice. We got there on a Friday night and the place closes down at 9pm. So, we found a Truck stop restaurant to eat!!! HA HA!!!

We had a good nights sleep then set out on our adventure in the morning. We had a big breakfast and bought lunch stuff for the cooler, some sodas and a case of water. The goal was to get to the Delicate Arch and take pictures. Little did we know what we were up against.

First of all, the drive into Arches is AWESOME! Then you drive up the mountain to get there! And, you drive switchbacks all the way up! SOOO fun! We took the driving tour of the entire park. Got out and experienced all the "arches".

The first was Courthouse...it totally looked like a courthouse.

The driving tour takes about 4.5 hours. It just depends on how long you stay at each area and finding parking!

We continued on to the next one...

Balancing Rock. Of course, Pat tries to knock it over!

Next was Windows..

We were inside a "window"..

On to the next stop!


Then THE PIECE DA RESISTANCE!
DELICATE ARCH

We park. We walk to the trail. We read the sign. 1.5 miles. (no problem). 4 bottles of water each. WHAT?! This is NOT an easy hike. You have to hike UP...STRAIGHT UP...for 895 ft. The temp was 85 degrees. Humid. So ya...needless to say, we took A BUTTLOAD of water. We were drinking so much that my hands were swelling, Pat was drenched and we were pouring some it on our necks. We almost turned back 3 times. But, we just took our time, stopped to cool down, and went on slowly. We actually got angry and said, F this, we're going to make it up there not matter how long it takes us!! We should've died! But we did make it, eventually.

Ladies and Gentlemen!! THE DELICATE ARCH...

I have to say...BREATHTAKING!! Well worth the Death Hike...
It was so windy up there that my hat flew off!! There's no moisture in the air, so we got so cooled off. We stayed there for awhile! Cooled off ready for the walk down. Coming down, we talked and chit chatted all the way. Going up, no talking. We were cool and rested. It was still hot coming down, but it was DOWNHILL!

We got to the car, out of breathe, tired and hungry. Neither one of us had to pee the entire time!
First thing, AC on, Tennis shoes off, slippers on. Then, ham sandwiches, chips and a soda. We needed sugar and salt. After 2 sandwiches and an entire bag of BBQ chips, we felt so much better. And we were off to the last stop, looked at it, didn't get out of the car, then drove back to the motel.  So, no pictures... Devil's Playground was the last stop.

We took a shower, took advil, took a nap and woke up at around 6, went across the street to Ray's Tavern and had STEAK and Apple Pie A la Mode, homemade.

Best dinner EVER!

Had a great nights sleep, stopped and filled up with gas, got us some donuts for the drive home. When we got to St. George, Utah, HAD to stop at Cracker Barrel for some Chicken and Dumplings! Pat's first time! A M A Z I N G, of course. We now have a new tradition. Whenever there's a Cracker Barrel, we GO there!

This was one of the BEST adventures we've had. Can't wait til the next one. We are already planning it!!!

Until Next Time....

Enjoy the Ride!!!
Pat & Sondee

Birthdays Adventures!!!!

YES!!! It's been a SUPER SUPER LONG TIME since I posted anything!!! Crazy busy with work, Sondee switching jobs and just Adventuring!!!

OK here we go!
Since Oct 2015, the last post, of course the big outing was!

We had Pat's Birthday in November! He was working the Track but we do celebrate in May!

In December was,

STAR WARS!!!!
It was AMAZING!!! We got Jersey Mike's and sat in line at 5pm for the 8pm showing on Thursday! Yes, early tickets baby!!!



January and February was O'Connor's Home Improvement. But that's a whole different Blog.

March, Sondee changed jobs, closer to home and closer to the beach!!! WOOHOO!!!
And of course, DISNEYLAND and the New Star War Experience!!!

















Yes, we always end our Disney Trips at Roscoes!!!

That's it for now!!!!
I will Blog about our trip to UTAH!!!!

Until next time!

Enjoy the Ride!!!
Pat & Sondee

STAYCATION!!!! After Races Tradition!

Hello All!!!
I know it's been awhile. We've been crazy busy. But I want to share our STAYCATION! We had so much fun! Not only was it our After Races Vacation, it was our 2nd Anniversary Celebration!
Thanks to Aunt Nancy and Uncle Mike, we got to go to our favorite restaurant in the Gaslamp. Fogo De Chao, Brazillian Steakhouse. It's sooooo Yummy!!!

We both got off work early, packed the car and off we went to Encinitas, Moonlight Beach Motel.

Our view from our room! It's such a cool time at the Moonlight!
We got ready for our night out on the town.

All dressed up. Ready to eat!

All full and ready to go back to the Motel! Ya, no dancing, no bars, just 2 old people going back home to go to bed!!! HA HA!
But, Saturday, we went to Hawaiian Food Breakfast at Kealani's in Encinitas. We walked to the restaurant and back to the motel. Then got ready for a day at the beach!

Such a great day! We went in the water and splashed around. Warm and so nice to be in the water. Got some sun and back to the motel for a nap and dinner. Went to La Espeical for Take Out!!!! So we could eat on the balcony.

After dinner we walked down to the beach and watched sunset. So relaxing and pretty!

Stayed there until it was dark and went back. Sunday we packed up and went home. And pretty much relaxed the rest of the day. That's what this weekend every year is for, to relax, catch our breath and re-group. It works perfectly every year.

Until next time all!

Enjoy The Ride!!!
Pat & Sondee

O'Connor's Big Road Trip!!!

Hey Everyone!!

June was really eventful for us! School was finally out, the races were getting ready to get into gear and we were getting ready for our biggest road trip yet! Our Family Reunion in SOUTH DAKOTA!!! The last one was in Washington DC. I'm lobbying for the next one to be in SAN DIEGO!! BEACH BEACH BEACH!!! 

Well, we started our adventure, leaving Friday night and driving to Las Vegas. There we met mom and picked up Nolan. 

We had some running around Vegas to do that day, in 116 degree weather, so yes, we were all very happy. From there, we set off to North East Nevada. A little side trip of Mom's. 

To the Land Art

SUN TUNNELS

http://www.utah.com/wendover/suntunnels.htm

We made it to the Hotel...Nolan called it Bates Motel.

Yes, we went back in time. Pat was worried because we were in Room 1. (Psycho reference)

In order to get in our rooms, the keys were left under the mats because the motel office closed at 5pm. (Psycho) We took showers but then repacked the cars because we had to wake up at 4am. But that night, trains went by the motel all night long. (My Cousin Vinny reference here).  Pat had every scary and thriller movie go through his head. So, not much sleep and no place to get coffee or food. But off we went.

I truly don't know how we found them and made it out. (Deliverance reference here). We had to be there at Sunrise because it was the Summer Solstice. But what we didn't realize was that the Sun Tunnels were actually in Utah! An hour ahead. HA HA HA! So mom hauled ASS on a dirt road, with dust, rocks and dirt FLYING!!! 

These are the directions to get there because GPS doesn't recognize this area of the world. 

We did make it, at sunrise. Got some really great pictures and had a great time roaming in and out of the tunnels. All the while, picking on mom about this little trip. She said you'll never forget this experience, she's right, never. When we drove in..er...slid sideways because mom was driving so fast, dust everywhere, spilling into everyone's cameras and video's, for this one moment that comes but once a year!!! Yes, people were camping there the whole weekend to get this magical moment! The lady from LA comes flying in like a NASCAR driver.

So, after 30 minutes, we were all hungry! We went into Wendover, Nevada, ate, and hit the road to Deadwood, South Dakota. Sunday was the day of 3 states and driving through Wyoming diagonally. That's a lot of Wyoming.

We made it Deadwood by 9pm. 4 states in 1 day. Woohoo!!! 

This is where we all stayed!!! The whole Fam Bam. We had to get all of our stuff into our room and prepare for the next day. We all met in Uncle Mark's room to just all hang out for awhile. Talking and eating and lots of drinking. But Monday was very eventful.

We did both of these in one day! After driving all day on Sunday, Monday we did the same. Devil's Tower is 90 minutes from Deadwood. We smiled all the way through it!

The next day was off to Crazy Horse!

Nolan got a ROCK!

That night we went back to Crazy Horse because they have a Laser Light show. It was cool.

On the way back, at night in the forest, is not a fun drive back. Deer and Big Horn Sheep on the road. We had 11 deer on the road to avoid. 

The next day, we went on the scenic drive with rock tunnels and pig tail turns.

We were in the middle of a Buffalo Herd, saw Antelope and wild donkey's. 

We went our to dinner in town often and we found these bar stools.

Pat loves trains, so we took the 1800's train.

We found out a lot of information on South Dakota by taking this train. Before the ride, we had lunch at a Saloon and I had steak and Pat had Buffalo!!!! It was all so good. Pat said I was eating like a Ranch Hand all week!!! And yes I did!!!

After the train, we had to book it back to town because Family dinner was that night and we needed to be there!!! 

It was Aunt Nancy's birthday celebration as well. We had music and liquor all night long. Then pictures started. 

First the aunties and uncles:

Trying to get these guys to just stand and smile for the camera is worse than the younglings. 

Then the next Generation:

Oh, all of the neon was for Nancy's birthday celebration.

Then this generation with partners:

Mitch was squatting down...he he!

Then the whole Fam Bam

This picture was surprisingly easier to get than the older folks!!

After dinner a few of us went next door to 

Saloon #10

There was live band, Uncle Jeff was buying the younglings shots all night, bad influence, we danced all night and had a great time!!!!

Yes, there are NO pictures from this time. We have Snap Chats but alas, they're gone.

The next morning at breakfast, no one was "awake". This last day was  a very easy day. Pat, Nolan and I walked around town, had lunch, and went back to the hotel early.

Yes, Wild Bill and Jane's graves..That was it for the day. Actually, we all took naps. 

At dinner, we said our goodbyes to those leaving early the next day. 

In the morning was good bye's, breakfast and packing. 

Mom and Nolan went back to Las Vegas, but, Pat and I weren't done with our adventure.

We drove all the way to Four Corners NM. We got there at midnight. Only after I got pulled over by a FEDERAL RESERVATION OFFICER. "I pulled you over for your speed". I shook my head yes. Top speed on the reservation, 83 MPH. He let me go!!! WHEW! I don't know why.  We were driving a car from Tennessee (rental), I had a license from California, driving in Arizona. We should've been arrested just for confusion. 

Midnight, Four Corners was closed. We drove into Shiprock NM (28 miles). Everything was closed and no hotels. So, we drove back to Four Corners. Parked in the dirt, with other cars around, slept in the car. I slept and Pat played with his Stars App to see all the stars! 

It opened at 8am, we went in got our pictures and started home. A Day of 4 states!!!!

In Arizona, Pat said, Let's go through Sedona...Okay! Why the Hell not!!! 

I drove the rest of the way home..This is what I looked at the whole way...HA HA HA! Poor baby was tired...

We got home at 7pm on Saturday night, we had at the entire Sunday to rest...

IT WAS A FANTASTIC TRIP!!!!!! Can't wait til the next one!!!!

Enjoy The Ride!!!

Pat & Sondee