A Collared Lizard at Petrified Forest National Park. 1st time ever seeing one.

We have had a whole bunch of firsts this trip. Like most firsts, the results have been mixed. We loved making new friends on a trip and then staying with said friends at their home while still on the same trip. Not such big fans through of our first family ride in a tow truck. Also didn’t really enjoy southern Arizona with an on again (worked fine on the downhill) off again air conditioner (did not work at all when climbing). You have not lived until racing uphill in 115 degrees heat. The trick is cracking the window enough to let some air in but not allowing the outside heat to blast you square in the face.

Chilling with family on Fat Mans Loop in Flagstaff. Lucky for me I was still able to squeeze through the tight rocks.

Two awesome firsts were visiting San Diego and then later camping with a few cousins from Arizona in Flagstaff. We were not surprised by how much fun we had with Jamie and her family. We were surprised, however, by how much we loved San Diego. Just so everyone knows, Balboa Park has nothing to do with Rocky.

At Balboa Park in San Diego

Other firsts this trip include having a shoe swept from me while crossing a stream in Hawaii. This was followed by the first time ever hiking barefoot on a rocky trail. Later I iced my feet for the first time after a hike. On the plus side of firsts were a few newly discovered hikes in the Tetons and, of course, our foray into Hawaii. Am happy to say that not for the first time we have left our home in Chicago to find adventure and fun on the road.