Vacations Blog

(photo courtesy of Clayton.com- All other photos by Joe Romano)

I recently introduced you to Clayton, CA, a small town in the shadow of Mt. Diablo. 

After many years of political wrangling, Clayton finally managed to move forward with its plans for The Grove Park, which is now a focal point for many of Clayton’s downtown activities. 

Situated between Main St., Center St. and old Marsh Creek Rd, the park is home to what was once a huge orchard of Eucalyptus trees, referred to by locals simply as “the grove.” As a kid I spent many a 4^th of July in the grove. Residents would gather there after the traditional 4^thof July parade to enjoy barbequed corn-on-the-cob, hot dogs and watermelon. There were greased pole climbing contests and other great activities. Nowadays the grove is home to a local farmers market and some fabulous evening concerts. Saturday night Lisa and I took in local act, Mamaluke. 

Billed as one of “the Bay Area’s premier classic rock dance bands,” Mamaluke was also one of two finalists in KFOX radio’s “Last Band Standing” competition. Adding to their local roots, two members, lead singer Kenny Byers and guitarist Chris Rossi, graduated from Clayton Valley High School. And, to drill-down even further on the local slant, I was in Mr. Almond’s 5^thgrade class with Chris Rossi, and worked at Skipolini’s Pizza with Kenny Byars. Did any of this earn me a guest vocal during last night’s show?  Performance fail! 

Nevertheless, take one warm summer night, mix in a pitcher of sangrias and one of Skipolini’s famous pies, and top off with some great rock and roll; result - a guaranteed great time. All of Clayton’s local eateries literally surround The Grove, and all of them offer food to go. Or you can even save a few bucks and bring your own picnic.

There’s also the Clayton Store on the south end of the park for those last minute snack and beverage purchases. I’d suggest arriving a little early to stake out a nice spot on the lawn. Throw out a blank, have a beverage and a snack, read and enjoy the sunshine before show time. 

The Grove Park also has a playground and plenty of room to run, so Concerts in the Grove is definitely a kid-friendly event.

To check out upcoming concerts, click here –>  Concerts in the Grove - 2009  <— there.

The Grove Park
Main St. and Marsh Creek Rd.
Clayton, CA, 94517

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As you may have heard in my critically acclaimed (moms are like critics) podcast regarding travel with children (and pets), it’s always nice to make a pit stop count.

This is how we do it.  Get outside and stretch their legs and their imagination.  Also, run an unofficial tally on the local number of ladybugs.

For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays.

Photo by W. Honea

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This year, why not take the kids to Santa Barbara Wine Country?

Zoe and me, Los Olivos, just prior to getting my Father of The Year Award

Oh, yeah. Right. There are dozens of reasons why. (”Daddy, what’s a hangover?”) Nevertheless, when we travel northward, we always take a detour when we reach Santa Barbara. For starters, it’s a timesaver: the 101 through Santa Barbara can be one of the slowest stretches of freeway in the state. Traffic can slow to a crawl at any time, and this is never fun after one has spent two hours grinding one’s teeth in the morass of motor vehicles that is the L.A. County freeway system. But! Take the 154 north, through Los Olivos, and you may save some time. You’ll certainly get to see some pretty scenery. And believe it or not, there’s some family-friendly stuff amidst all of the wineries, though you probably won’t meet Paul Giamatti or Thomas Haden-Church.

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Innovation Analysis Group does a bunch of cool stuff, but that didn’t stop them from hosting yours truly in their ongoing series of travel-related podcasts.

Listen to the patient Addison keep me on track as I discuss the perils and benefits of traveling with children.  Really, there are benefits!

It’s only 14 minutes of your life that you’ll never have back. And yes, sadly, that is my real voice.

Traveling With Children

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Easy riding on the Hiawatha Bike Trail

First thing they do each morning is clear out the bears.

Because you really don’t want to meet a bear while you’re biking through one of the dark mountain tunnels of the Hiawatha Bike Trail in North Idaho.

The Hiawatha is the ultimate family bike trail in the United States.  According to me, anyway.  The trail winds along 17 miles of abandoned railbed, through nine tunnels, across seven high trestles, and among some of the most stunning mountain scenery you can imagine.

One of many tunnels on the Hiawatha Bike Trail

You start your adventure about two miles off Interstate 90, right across the Idaho-Montana border.  After parking your car and paying a trail use fee, you’re immediately faced with a black hole in the side of the mountain.  It’s the 1.7-mile Taft Tunnel, the longest and darkest of the many tunnels you’ll experience on the trail.

This is where you’d better have some good flashlights strapped to your bike.  We rode through the Taft Tunnel with one good light and several weak ones.  My son took the strong light and the lead, and we followed a tiny flashing red light clipped to his backpack.  It didn’t take long for me to start hallucinating as I followed that bouncing little light into the pitch black.  In the cool, quiet center of the mountain, you start to feel like you’re cycling off into space.  And you miss the spot, about halfway through, when you cross from Montana into Idaho.

Eventually, as the tunnel curves, you see a little white dot of sunlight on the other side, and you exit the tunnel to find a lovely little waterfall and creek.  Here’s where the scenery begins as you start your descent of 1000 feet over the course of 15 more miles on a compact dirt and gravel trail.  With a 2% grade, it’s an easy ride for everyone, regardless of experience and skill.  My son easily did it at the age of 7.

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Snoqualmie Falls Washington

If you are from the Seattle area, or will be visiting soon and are looking for a short day trip which provides a taste of Washington’s stunning scenic beauty, along with the option to do some hiking, picknicking, or even have a first class spa and lodging experience, consider a trip to the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to see Washington’s picturesque Snoqualmie Falls.

Snoqualmie Falls, a short 30 minute trip east of Seattle off of Interstate 90, is one of Washington State’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting over one and a half million tourists each year to the picturesque 270 foot high waterfall. On a recent trip to Snoqualmie Falls my wife, son and I spent the afternoon on the grounds alternating our time between a large open grassy space (where we picnicked), walking some family friendly hiking trails, and a covered observation point jutting out over the the canyon which overlooked the raging water careening over the edge of the falls.

The Bottom of Snoqualmie Falls

The observation point has a concrete slab and sturdy railing which put us at ease while we allowed our young toddler to take in the sheer power of the falling water without his parents suffering a near heart attack every few minutes.  Many energetic visitors to the falls take advantage of the relatively steep trail to the bottom, where they can visit a powerhouse and watch large turbines generating power then follow a boardwalk which brings them closer to the base of the falls, before having to turn around and make the trip back up to the top.  We opted out of this option with our toddler in tow, but plan on taking him to the bottom as soon as he is big enough to walk most of it himself.

Salish Lodge perched above the falls.

Lastly, If after visiting the falls you decide that the picturesque scenery warrants a longer stay, consider booking a night at the Salish Lodge and Spa uniquely situated right above the falls themselves.  I have not stayed there but I have only heard rave reviews from those I know who have.

All this scenic beauty is just minutes from Downtown Seattle.  If you are here, what are you waiting for?

Photo credits: From Flickr Creative Commons top photo KM photography, second from Randy Wick; Salish loadge from salishlodge.com

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Grand Teton Nat'l Park, Photo by Circumerro

“Babe?” I said to my husband one weekend morning. Laptop at hand, I had the road atlas by my side, a Word document going that I was using to record our plans, and MapQuest queued up in my web browser.

“Yep?” He replied, absently reading the paper.

“We’re stuck in Cody, WY.”

“Hmm…” he mumbled.

“No, really, hon. We’re stuck in Cody and I don’t know where to go from there.” I rustled the edge of his paper to get his attention. Clearly, he wasn’t understanding my sense of urgency.

“Sorry, what?” He looked up from his paper and blinked at me. Because, obviously, we were sitting quite happily in our living room, and not stranded at the side of the road in some random corner of the mid-west.

“Okay,” I explained patiently, “Here’s the plan so far. Phoenix to Salt Lake City, spend the night there, then three nights in Jackson Hole. I’m going to try to get us lodging in Yellowstone itself for two nights, and from there we’re going to Cody to spend one night. After Cody… well, I don’t know which way to go to get us home.”

After I finished this little speech, my husband replied with, “Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” and went back to peacefully reading his paper. Which you might think is inconsiderate, but my husband knows I LOVE this stuff. So really I wasn’t expressing an issue so much as looking for validation of all of my hard work.

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We love Balboa Park. It’s like Central Park, only the weather’s nice year-round and you’re much less likely to get mugged. Also, it’s bigger than Central Park and there are more museums, the best zoo in the country, and my wife and I got married there.

The Prado, Balboa Park, the very spot where my wife and I got hitched.

It’s impossible to see and do the whole park in a day, but if you’re visiting San Diego this summer, the folks who take care of the place have posted a great list of cheap and even free(!) things for you and the family to do there. Some highlights of that list are after the jump (getting married at The Prado is not among them, as Prado weddings are the opposite of cheap).

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