HAPPY NEW YEAR GIRLS!!!!

“As the year 2009 is about to end, may the best of 2010 bring its blessings to you and your family. Happy New Year!”

I just want to wish you BOTH a very Happy New Year! Like I've said before, you two are one of the best people nthat came into my life since becoming a DA fan.



Here's to many more happy bonding days on IDF, MSN, blogspot, and whatever other websites we can find! hahaah!
Love you girls!

~Maddi

QUESTIONS/CONCERNS?

Any general questions or concerns? Ask them here!

When the questions are answered, we can move our conclusions to their appropriate city post!

Maddi's questions: Are you both open for anything? From the looks of it, the trip is going to be more a sightseeing trip, which I am PERFECTLY fine with. Eka- how about you? Are there any specific things you want to do? Kiki- I know you love the sightseeing part; but what about other things? Want to make sure we all have a good time so let me know. :)

WOWWWWWWWWWWW

I just got to say that I love this....and this shall be my post.....for my random thoughts on the trip ..okay??? *needs control*

1. When should I make my plane reservations?
2. How long exactly will we be together?

Also, as I told Kiki before, I´m gonna be spending a week with my friend Carolina. Sje lives in Utah and might be joining us for my birthday celebrations in Vegas....WEEE!!


or Disneyland!! *shifty*

WORLDMARK RESORTS

http://www.worldmarktheclub.com/resorts

The resorts that are circled are the places we'll be staying at. Each of you take a look at the resorts and see what interests you about things to do there. Okey Dokey?

ETA: We need to work out accommodations in Oregon, Idaho, and Arizona. We can stay at the resorts that I have in those states. HOWEVER, will it be close to where we want to go?
Arizona: I say we find a place at the North Rim.

CALIFORNIA Here I Come!

Welcome to CA!!! Nice crash landing! So Maddi will pick everyone up from the airport and we can go straight to L.A. and do some sightseeing. Maybe have dinner over there. It should be a relaxing day before we head to San Diego the next day.

Downtown Fullerton will be cool to walk in. It's small but there are restaurants and bars we can visit. Depending on the day, there is a farmer's market there and it's pretty cool.

Or we can walk around Laguna Beach. It's kinda pricey over there. But it'll be nice to drive along the coast. Then there is also Old Town Orange where they have nice restaurants and it's known for it's architectural history. We can hang out there.

:::KIKI UPDATE:::

Just so you know, I'm finding flights to LAX for just under $300 on June 29. The other days around that time are at least $25-$30 more expensive. Just throwing that out there. ; )

SAN DIEGO

http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors

~ Old Town San Diego: This is where the Whaley House is. And they do ghost tours at night. :)
~ Downtown San Diego: Pretty cool bars & restaurants

Here is a book guide to stuff to do in San Diego: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sandiego/vpg09/index.php?startid=76 Let's all look at this guide and decide what we want to do. :)

Length of stay: One Full Day/ Possible Overnight Stay
Distance Info: From Anaheim to San Diego: 1-1/2 hrs.

L.A.

Possible hangout places:
~Bar 107 (bar/restaurant)
~ I cant think of the name but it's a restaurant/bar that has all white seating
~ Off Vine (restaurant)
~ Versailles (Cuban restaurant)

~ Blue 32 (bar)

We probably won't want to spend a lot of money on this day cuz we'll be saving up for our road trip. SOOOOO.... we can just walk around. And eat somewhere inexpensive. :)

Length of stay:____

DISNEYLAND

Weee! Disneyland! Someone will be able to get in free on their birthday... Hopefully they'll still have that deal. Hopefully I can get us free passes to go there. I do know some people that work there. So we'll see. Otherwise, it's gonna be expense. O_o

We can probably go to Downtown Disney this day. Its a shopping center and it's nice to walk thru, even if it's just one time. The Disney Monorail can take us from Disneyland straight into Downtown Disney. :) The House of Blues is there. Restaurants are OK, but less expensive to eat than eating inside Disneyland. :)

ETA: LOOK! Looks like if you volunteer, you can possibly get free admission to Disneyland. Click here for the details: Give a Day. Get a Day.

From Anaheim to Solvang: _______

SANTA BARBARA & SOLVANG

Santa Barbara is a pretty quiet town as well. There are things to do for tourists. It's a very RELAXING city for me. And I do enjoy hanging out there. There are bars to go to but not like L.A. *is gloating* :P This will be another relaxing city to see.

Solvang is also considered wine country. It's about 28 miles away (30 min. drive) from Santa Barbara. IMO, it's a place you only need to go one time to enjoy. It's very quaint and nice to walk around. Not too much to do here except for get tipsy from all the wine tasting. Worldmark Resort lists some activities. If you want to do that, I'm open for it. weeeeeee!

Length of stay:____

Distance info:
From Solvang to Santa Barbara: ______
Solvang to San Francisco: 300 miles/5 hours

SAN FRANCISCO

weeeee!!! There is SO MUCH to do here! I don't care what we do... I'm open for anything.

As for that winding road: Did it ONCE- freaked me out!- and I refuse to do it again! :o I think it'll be cool just to do things at the spur of the moment. This place is just cool like that. :P

Kiki wants to visit the Alcatraz
Maddi wants to visit Fisherman's Wharf
Eka I'm sure wants to visit E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. hahaha!

On our way up to San Francisco, we can visit the Winchester Mystery House.

Maddi's ETA: LOL! Kiki... in California, that is technically about 45-50 minutes. :P I'm used to the driving since I live in Cali. It's the way of life here for the most part. So I can drive and you can enjoy the scenery. We may save more by staying in one place. ;)

Kiki ETA: Wee! I don't mind letting you do all the work! =p Also, I just put the times google map directions gave me. I always end up arriving sooner than they say anyway, so I know what you're talking about! I think they assume we're old fogies or something. hehe

Length of stay: ____

Distance info: SF to Windsor: 65 miles/1 hour 15 minutes

(this means we'll get to choose whether to spend more of our day after checking out of SF resort in SF or in Windsor! *likes the idea of not having to drive an extreme distance*)
Distance Info: From SF to ____, Oregon

WINE COUNTRY!!!

Accomodation:
Windsor Resort

We definitely need to visit V. Sattui. It's such a beautiful setting. And the wine is great! I'm so excited to go back here!

There is also Beringer Winery. Beringer wines are very good as well. And pretty inexpensive. :)

ETA: Btw, there's an indian gaming casino here. LOL! Wanna help the indians and gamble? :P

Length of stay:____

OREGON

Question: We should figure out which route we'd like to take. The coastal road, or I-5.

Here's an informative site on places worth visiting along the coast: http://www.delsjourney.com/close-ups/us/travels_nw/101_travel_tips.htm

Attractions:

~Sea Lion Caves in Florence,OR (http://sealioncaves.com/home/)$12


Length of Stay: _____
Distance Info: ______ Oregon to Seattle

SEATTLE & Snoqualmie Falls

Attractions:

~Space Needle ($16)

~Pike Place Market - popular waterfront market....watch out for flying fish!

~Seattle underground tour

~Market Ghost Tour (hehe.....)

~Kerry Park - great view of city skyline!(I think this is a must see!)

On the road to Coeur d'Alene:

~Snoqualmie Falls

Length of stay:____

Distance info: Seattle to Coeur d'Alene: 311 miles/4 hours 50 minutes

COEUR D'ALENE & TWIN FALLS

A beautiful town located on one of the 5 most beautiful lakes in the world! (According to National Geopgraphic, whose reputation is dismal at best. Teehee.)

This waterfall is in Twin Falls.

If you guys are into this idea, Coeur d'Alene offers a variety of water activities on the lake. They even offer parasailing! Though, I'm kind of gettinga kick out of the aqua cycles!!! LOL! I actually wouldn't mind trying that! Check out what they offer! http://www.cdaparasail.net./interest.htm

Length of stay:____

Distance info: Coeur d'Alene to SLC: 689 miles/10 hours 40 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY

Eka, we included this city so you could stalk David if you'd like. =p

In Utah, but not SLC:

Grafton Ghost Town(Rockville, UT) - this is not some hokey touristy ghost town, seems authentic. Worth a visit?

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ut-grafton.html

Length of stay: Forever, if Eka had her way. =p

Distance info: SLC - Vegas: 425 miles/6 hrs 45 minutes

OR SLC - Grand Canyon (North Rim): 390 miles/7 hours 30 minutes

VEGAS, BABY!

We need to visit Serendipity! The original one is in New York but their hot chocolate is to die for!

Kiki edit: But I don't want to die. = (

Length of stay:____
Distance Info: From Las Vegas to North Rim Grand Canyon: Approx. 280 mi./ 6 hr. drive

GRAND CANYON, AZ.

This is what Eka wants; this is what Eka gets. :)

We can go to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. That can be the last trip before we head back to California.

From reading on the internet, it looks like the North Rim is a good place to go. It's far less crowded than the south, where you almost have to elbow your way to the overlooks in summer. Because of the canyon's shape, views are better, and the drive through Zion National Park on the way is an added attraction. The North Rim is closed in winter. An overnight trip to the North Rim allows time to visit Zion National Park, too. If we plan to stay overnight at the canyon or near Zion, reserve well in advance. The National Park lodges fill up fast, and they're the only practical option on the North Rim.

http://www.grandcanyonhiker.com/planners/gettingthere.shtml

Maddi ETA: Kiki, what would be the distance between SLC & Arizona? I'm asking cuz if Erika's friend drives to Vegas, we can make LV the last trip and Eka can go back with her friend. :)

Kiki answer: Driving distance from SLC to North Rim is 390 miles/7 hours 30 minutes.

Driving info: North Rim to Las Vegas: 226 miles/4 hours 45 minutes

July Schedule

The first couple of days is going to be tricky. It all depends on when you both arrive. Do you want to arrive at the end of June? Or arrive AFTER July 4th? Since we don't know what exact day you'll both be arriving, our schedule will remain tentative. :P

Day 1: Pick you both up; eat dinner in Downtown Fullerton; chat the night away. weee!
Day 2: San Diego/ Whaley House/ Downtown San Diego/ etc.
Day 3: L.A.; sightseeing which will pretty much be driving around the city. Eat somewhere in L.A.
Day 4-6 Solvang and Santa Barbara
Day 7-10 Wine Country & San Francisco. I think we should definitely stay 4 nights here.
Day 11: Oregon - quick sleep over to get to Seattle
Day 12 - 14 Seattle; we may be ok 2 days here unless we decide to go to Vancouver, Canada
Day 15: Idaho; How long do we want to stay here?
Day 16: Utah
Day 17-19: Las Vegas
Day 20 - 22: Grand Canyon

Ok this is tentative only. Feel free to edit whatever you want on this schedule. :)

Kiki's thoughts:

The schedule looks good so far! Just a few questions......: Where will we be staying on Day 3? (It doesn't really matter I guess, but I'm just nosy and want to know! =p) Also, when we see a city for a certain day, I'm assuming that means we'll be staying overnight in that city on that day?

Budget/Expenses

EVERYTHING WILL BE FREE!

WEEEEEE!!!
____________________________________
EDIT: As it turns out, everything will NOT be free. :O Here are the possible costs we're looking at. We can definitely lower it but we need to figure how to budget. :)

Click here:

Plan A:USA Road Trip Costs

Plan B: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AnmOMovLP_jPdFNrbkVyRk80c2JaT19US181cWtmeWc&hl=en (I'll edit later. Blogger is being a brat.)
Plan C: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AnmOMovLP_jPdHk1MHphc3hfUmpabU11aml5dlNiZWc&hl=en

Booo... we may have to forego a trip if it starts getting too expensive. Since Eka is going to Utah to visit her friend... well, I'm ok not going there. :P LOL! The only reason I'd go there is to see David.


ETA: I've updated the spreadsheet. It's formulated so that whatever number you add on it, the formula will add the costs to your trip. I put a column for each of us. Maddi=pink, Kiki=Orange & Eka= Lavender. ENJOY. It'll be up to you to add your "Food/Leisure" costs. :P

Kiki edit: Why do I get the ugly color? *cries*