Author: laurie

We laughed and listened to Harry Potter books for three days straight. We stopped at fun looking rest areas and a few quick campgrounds on the way home. We watched out for the “poisonous” snakes and insects… Maybe the sign should read “Venomous!”We found rocks to scramble on as we tracked east. Finally the Florida border. But hours to go!

We got to go to the Parade of Floats today. It was basically where all the floats from the parade come to park afterwards so the public can come and look at them up close. It was amazing seeing all the things that go into the fine details on the floats. There were long stem roses taller than Emmerson. Pictures made of seeds that were so intricate! We were all amazed with all the designs and work. We jokingly critiqued all the silver leaf on the floats. We still think ours was the best! 

We head towards home in the morning. It is going to be a hard few days of driving but we are all excited to get home and back to life and friends.

After a short evenings sleep, an early morning in the cold on the bus and a fun walk through insane crowds we were safely in our bleacher seats for the parade. We were able to walk behind the bleachers and visit a grocery store and get some parade snacks before the lines got too long. We saw the stealth bomber fly overhead! Then the parade came. IT was awesome to see everything put together! Our Ag PHD float came along out of order being pulled by a tow truck! Oops! It won an award and we all cheered! 

Today we had a free day from the HOP so we planned to go our and explore LA. Mom wanted to see the Hollywood sign but it was far too foggy. We ended up at a Farmers Market. We grabbed some hot cocoa and walked around. There was a lot of cool artwork. Now we are talking. New Year’s Eve Donuts! Everyone sipped their cocoa and nibbled on a few donuts before we headed over to the La Brea Tar Pits. It was quiet at the Tar Pits. We walked the ground before they opened and learned about the pits and what they have found in them. It doesnt look like much but they are still actively bubbling. There were little fissures in the grass and parking lots where new tar bubbles were coming up. It was really neat to see! They have scientists working day and and out on cleaning, sorting and labeling what is found in areas that they have excavated. We were impressed with the over 400 dire wolf skulls! Next we headed to Santa Monica Pier. The fog was really thick. We rode the carousel and then headed up the coast on PC1.

We stopped for some great fresh seafood at a place called the Reel Inn. Then drove up through Malibu and then cut through the hills on a bumpy curvy white knuckle drive back to Pasadena.

We are calling it an early night since we have to be on the bus around 4am for the Rose Parade.

This morning we were off to the Equest Festival. We arrived early with the bus and got to explore the grounds before it got too crowded. We got a few family photos, played some games, won a pony and had some snacks. We took our nice group seats with our tushy cushies that we got with our tickets. We loved the horses and all the showmanship!  Of course the Clydesdales were our favorites as always! E liked the little ponies. The next day was Band fest. We watched many of the bands perform that will march in the parade on New Years Day. We were given mini Remo drums when we entered! How cool! After our morning at Band Fest we hopped on the bus with a box lunch from Panera and headed to the Ronald Reagan Library for the afternoon. When we arrived we thought we would miss our tour. The line to get in was INSANE! The bus driver waved his arms and managed to gain faster access. We were whisked up the road and off on our VIP tours. We got to see an actual section of the Berlin Wall. We walked the grounds and learned of its beauty. We saw lots of memorabilia including the suit Reagan was wearing when someone attempted to assassinate him. We learned that Nancy Reagan was smart and wonderful! She donned this amazing outfit to protest at a gala. Somehow they managed to squeeze Air Force One into the building! We saw jellybeans all over and learned of their reason. Also, ask me why there was always a cake on Air Force One! This photo isn’t that great bu sitting on the rock on the right is a golden eagle! This is the first one in the wild we have ever seen.

Tomorrow is a FREE day from the HOP.