Well, all good things usually come to an end at some point. Today was our last full day in Maui and we lived it up at the resort swimming in the pool for the first time all week. Madeline was overjoyed with her flamingo floatie and had a blast in the lazy river. Since we had a red-eye flight back to Colorado we took advantage of all that we could at the resort and spent the entire day playing in the pool, eating at Duke's for dinner, and walking along the boardwalk one last time. On our drive to the airport, we even stopped along the way to enjoy our last sunset. Our week in Maui couldn't have been more perfect. I hope it's not too long before we return to this island for some more fun in the sun!

We got up and did another beautiful run along the boardwalk and back along the beach before heading out for the day with the kids. After driving and hiking the day prior we needed a day to just chill at the beach. We decided to head back to Oneloa Bay Beach and were happy to see it wasn't crowded again. The weather was a bit windy and overcast so there wasn't much boogie boarding since the waves were crazy. We opted for building cool sand structures and animals, turning Madeline into a sand mermaid, walking along the empty beach, wading in the shallow water, and snacking on the last of our treats. It was definitely not as adventurous as the other day at this beach but it was still super chill and fun nonetheless. After getting our fill of sun and sand, we headed back to the resort. Mike and I headed out later in the day and walked along the entire beach front from our resort all the way down to the end and then walked back along the boardwalk. We saw the most beautiful rainbow and then headed back to the kids for a quiet evening with the kids and another fabulous sunset. 

Sometimes, there are touristy things on websites or in guidebooks and you wonder if they are really worth it. The road to Hana is one of those things. It's become kind of a destination thing and there are a million possible places to stop along the way, so you really have to figure you out what your priorities are when you make this trek. For me, the priority was not sitting in traffic all day. If I've learned one thing living in Washington D.C. it's that you want to be going against the flow of traffic during your morning commute. The same is true in regards to the Road to Hana.

With that as our guide, we got up early and headed out before the other sleepy heads on Maui were awake and ready to go. By daybreak, we were well on our way to making our first of six hundred and twenty twisty turns on our way to the other side of the island. We didn't stop at the first set of waterfalls, or the second. We made a beeline for the end of the road with the idea of hitting things on the way back.  It was definitely the way to go. 

One stop we did make on the way was at the Hana Farms store. The banana bread there was legendary and with good reason, it was delicious and clearly made with bananas that had been crossed with cocaine. I could have eaten five loaves myself. It was so good. They also had cookies that were bigger than Madeline's head. In fact, a lot of things on this trip were bigger than Madeline's head....cookies, flowers, whales.

After filling ourselves with banana bread, we continued our twisty journey. We did have to stop by one of the dozens of roadside waterfalls because everyone got a little car sick, but we didn't stop for long! The drive itself was ridiculously beautiful with glimpses of the ocean, waterfalls, tropical forests and stunning vistas. Even if you are stuck in traffic, it's probably amazing. It's also very narrow in places which ads to the time it takes to make it all the way to the National Park. 

When we arrived, it was raining gently, which is ok on a hike in Maui because its 80 degrees outside. The Pipiwai trail is well worth the drive. It's an easy trail and it is stunning. The giant banyan tree is incredible, but we really enjoyed the walk on the boardwalk through the bamboo forest. The bamboo would knock together in the wind and it sounded so cool. On the way to the main waterfall, there was another amazing waterfall. Truthfully, the whole hike was fabulous and we barely noticed the 1.8 miles to Waimoku falls. Once done with the hike, we hiked down along the seven sacred pools and had lunch by the ocean. That was just as stunning as the hike in many ways. As we sat by the ocean, the sheer power of the waves against the lava rocks was fabulous. The vistas were stunning and the wind refreshing. 

After lunch, we began our journey back to the other end of the island. As we made our way back up the road, it was clear to see that we had made the right decision. There was a line of cars trying to get to the National Park. As we cruised back through the six hundred and twenty curves, we made a few stops. The first was for some coconut ice cream that was supposed to be super amazing. It was not. It was the most overrated ice cream I have ever had. Not worth the stop. The second was to see the wonky bark on some of the Eucalyptus trees. They were cool. The final was at a garden aptly named the Garden of Eden. A little pricey, but certainly worth the stop. The views were amazing, and all the flowers and trees were beautiful. It was a nice place to stretch the legs after being in the car for so long on the way back. After that, we headed back to the resort. We laughed at all the signs that had been changed to be somewhat inappropriate and marveled at all the broken-down cars. In fact, I thought it would be clever to just make those junked out cars mile markers, there were plenty of them to see.

All in all, the road to Hana was an amazing and fun filled day. It was well worth the drive and the one thousand and forty turns. 

Sometimes you wake up and you hope that it will be a great day. Sometimes you have a great day and sometimes you get handed a ball of garbage. Today was filled with hope for a great day, and that hope was realized with a perfect day on the beach. It started out with a beautiful run along the Kapalua coastal trail. The run was part boardwalk, part lava rock, and amazing views. The weather was perfect and the scenery divine. It's hard to believe that places like this exist.

After running and making breakfast, we headed up to Oneloa Bay Beach. Whereas Kapalua beach is known for its snorkeling, Oneloa is known for a great place to boogie board. It lived up to its claim. The beach itself was fantastic and there were very few people there. In fact, for much of the day, we had most of the beach to ourselves. The sand was wonderful, and we made various sculptures throughout the day and castles that went from our beach chairs all the way down to the crashing waves. Speaking of crashing waves, at first, the girls were pretty wary of trying to ride them. Some of them were pretty big, and the ocean loomed large behind it. There was an amazing sand bar about 100 yards out where the waves crashed perfectly. Mike gleefully spent most of the morning riding waves and then got the girls to go out with him. Soon, they were catching waves and riding them all the way back up onto shore. Even Madeline ventured out on a board with her dad holding her tight. It was all smiles as everyone got in on the action. It was a phenomenal day. The highlight was one wave that Sara, Emma, and Mike went to catch. It was quite tall. As it began to crest, a giant sea turtle popped its head out of the top of the wave, its mouth open as if it were gawking at this group of humans who grabbed the wave with it. It was a moment that will never be forgotten! 

After an amazing day at the beach, it was back to the hotel for dinner and the sunset. It couldn't have been a more perfect day in paradise. 

While the beach in Maui is amazing, our skin tone dictates that if we spend three straight days on the beach, we will spend the rest of the vacation applying Aloe and feeling miserable. So, we decided to spend today enjoying one of the other amazing aspects of Hawaii: hiking. The first place we headed to was the Waihee ridge trail. We brought our hiking poles and sturdy shoes with us on this trip for this very trail. It's steep and muddy. The views are amazing and the forest divine, but it's a solid climb. At least it's at sea level! The climb starts out in a really cool forest and quickly gains the ridge line where you can look out over the lush, green valley. It really is an amazing hike with gorgeous views. If you want to know more about it, check out Mike's website: whatmikeyliked for a more detailed description of the hike itself.

On the day we went, the clouds blessed us with some solid rain, making the trail more muddy but keeping us cool. We saw lots of people sliding down the steep trail and creating lasting stains on their clothes. We were grateful to have proper hiking gear. Teva's are a great sandal to bring to Maui as most of the hikes are doable with Teva's except for maybe the trails around the summit of the volcano. At the top of the trail, there is a little viewing platform where you can sit, have a snack or lunch, before you head back down. All in all, it was a great little hike that got us off our butts and onto the trail.

On our way back into town, we stopped and got ice cream cones and then headed to Iao Valley State Park. There is a little fee to pay to access this area. The hike to the cool views is super short and on a paved trail. It's a pretty cool little vista, but the real gem here is the creek that flows out of the park. There is a dirt trail that parallels the creek and there are endless little pools that you can sit in, jump in, and play in. We spent the rest of the afternoon here in the shade of the trees rejoicing in the cool waters. It was an unexpected find and it is very accessible.

After we had played in the river, we headed back to our condo for dinner, sunset, and a walk along the ocean. Maui couldn't be any more paradisiacal.

This morning, Sara and Mike went for a run down the boardwalk and to the state park. On the way, there was a monk seal sleeping on the beach. We decided to make that Monk seals example our template for the entire trip: sleep, swim, eat, sleep, eat, sleep some more. It worked out well. After breakfast, we packed all our stuff in the car and headed down the road to Kapalua Bay Beach. This bay is a protected little spot just 10 minutes away from our condo and is well known for its smaller waves and clear water and excellent snorkeling. It did not disappoint. We saw oodles of fish, lots of turtles, and built castles and figurines in the sand. It was a great place for Madeline to explore the ocean without getting pummeled by powerful waves. It was also a great place to snorkel because it was quite deep, but the water was very clear, and you felt pretty safe with the reef keeping any bigger sea life away. In the early morning, we saw whales eating just outside the reef. I couldn't believe that we could see the whales so well from the shore. It was a perfectly pleasant day at the beach. Before we all turned too red, we headed back to the condo, ate dinner, and spent the evening strolling down the boardwalk. Then we made like the monk seal and went to sleep.​

Excited to be in Maui, Sara got up and went running, followed by going again with Emma. They just like feeling superhuman running at sea level. Meanwhile, Mike went to the store and got the rest of the food we needed for our trip and made breakfast for everyone. We ate breakfast out on the lanai and enjoyed the perfectly pleasant warm air. It was delightful. Following breakfast, we got ready to go to the beach. The condo we stayed in came with beach toys, beach chairs, a beach umbrella, and a cooler. It was perfect for a day at the beach with the kids. We walked down to the beach by our condo, set up shop and spent the day playing in the sand, snorkeling, and watching dolphins and whales play offshore. It was amazing to have all this right by our condo. Watching the kids play was very rewarding because the smiles were genuine and the thrill of the ocean apparent. After a long day in the sun, we headed back to our condo, made dinner, and then went for a walk along the ocean. The sunsets in Hawaii are magical, and this first day was no exception. The only thing missing to make this the perfect day were our boys. Sorry guys, but at least you are having fun in Calculus! 

​Alright, so Spring Break got off to a little bit of a Colorado start. On Wednesday, we saw that a storm was moving through the Rocky Mountains. A big one. So, we had to act fast. The worry was that we wouldn’t make our flight in the morning to San Francisco or that our flight would be delayed and then we would miss our connecting flight to Maui. So, we got online and booked a hotel by the Denver airport so we wouldn’t have to drive to Denver in the storm. Also, we could leave our car at the hotel and not have to worry about parking, rather, just take the shuttle from the hotel to the airport in the morning. Crisis one averted. Second, we called United and because there was a winter storm warning for the morning flight and there was a likelihood for it being delayed, we got them to change us to a later flight...only this flight was direct from Denver to Maui! What a steal! So, we got booked on the direct flight to Maui for the same price as we paid to fly to San Francisco and then to Maui. Thank you winter storm.
 
We got the to the airport in ample time with no stress taking the hotel shuttle. Then, we went to the American Express lounge and had breakfast, just chilled out and relaxed. What we didn’t realize, is that we needed to do our COVID forms and get a special bracelet from the United people prior to boarding our flight. So, we leisurely walked to our flight right as they were getting ready to board, and then were told that they didn’t do the bracelets at that gate, only at a gate 1/2 way down the concourse....so we ran!  We ran down there, butted in line with our stuff that we had pre-filled out, got our bracelets, and ran back to the flight. It was tight, but we made it just in time to board with our bracelets. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but there were a dozen retired people trying to figure out how to use their phones and do the online forms.... painful.  
 
Once on board, we were only delayed for just a bit. They had to de-ice the wings before we took off. Since we were sitting right next to the wings, we got to watch the entire thing. It was fascinating. The flight itself wasn’t too bad for a long flight, although it was on a rather small plane for such a long flight. As we came close to Maui, we circled around the volcano, and it was amazing to see the lush tropical coastline. Just earlier that day, we were in a blizzard, freezing in Denver. It was refreshing to step off the plane and be bombarded with warm, humid hair. Sara’s hair immediately curled up like a perm, and my skin rehydrated instantly. It felt wonderful.  
 
We grabbed all our bags and then sat in line for our minivan at the least organized car rental place on the earth. It was a disaster. We waited for 45 minutes just to get to the counter even though we had a preferred reservation through Avis. I got there, and then the lady said that they didn’t have the minivan and it would be a two hour wait till it was ready. I told her that we had somewhere to be and had already paid for the car, and the reservation was guaranteed, and I would be fine if they upgraded us at no charge to an SUV. So, they gave us a big ol’ Ford Expedition and we were comfy for the rest of the trip.  
 
We headed from the airport to Costco (as I think everyone does) got our food and meals and towels and snorkel gear for the week, then headed across the island to our condo. It was a really pleasant drive and not stressful like Honolulu can be at times. We got to our awesome little condo at the resort, unpacked, had dinner, and then walked down to the beach for sunset. It was awesome. Maui, I love you!
 

We slept in on our final day in Iceland, slowly packed up our gear, said goodbye to our tranquil cabin, and headed back to Reykjavik. The best way to spend the last day on vacation is by relaxing in soothing waters. We booked a reservation at the Blue Lagoon and enjoyed the tranquility of this unique geothermal seawater. It truly was an otherworldly experience and is one of the 25 wonders of the world. After spending a few hours there soaking our tired bodies, trying on face masks, drinking our free sodas and slushies, we showered and headed for the airport. Thank you, Iceland, for such a magnificent vacation!

Since we had another red eye type of flight Madeline fell asleep for the last half of the flight and was dead asleep when we arrived in Denver. Mike had to carry her all the way through customs. It's a good thing she is a little thing!

​Off to get COVID tests! Since America doesn’t believe in science all the time, all travelers (vaccinated or not) have to have a negative COVID test to go back. We had made reservations ahead of time and so we drove back to Reykjavik to get tested. The testing center was very well organized. We got our barcodes scanned and they took out little family into a room and stuffed swabs in our nose. 30 minutes later we got an email with a certificate saying that we were COVID free. How tidy! Fortunately, we were all COVID negative.  
 
Since we were back in the Capital, we headed downtown to do some shopping and eat some fish and chips. Of course, we also had to get cinnamon rolls again from Brod and Company. We shopped a little, then took a bread break, then shopped some more. Madeline found the world’s longest hop-scotch board and a track to race down. After we were done shopping, we went to the fish and chips place we went to last time, but it was out of business, so we headed a little further down the street and got fish and chips. Madeline ate her fish with lemon. Mike got traditional Icelandic fish stew (plokkfiskur) with a piece of Rye bread. It was tasty too.  

After lunch, we tried out the museum, but that was a bit of a bust, so we headed over to Fly over Iceland which was a fun little Disney style attraction where you get to fly over the gorgeous vistas of Iceland in a big theater. It was a fun way to end our time in Reykjavik. We headed back to our cabin and got in the hot tub and sat and watched the waves, the birds, and the weather. It was a divine way to end the day.  

​More hiking! Today, we set-off from our quiet cabin to Skogafoss, which is one of the more impressive waterfalls in Iceland. The cool thing about it, is that the impressiveness of the giant waterfall at the base is just the beginning. After admiring its grandeur, we headed up the steep steps to the top and then off on the trail along the Skogar river. The actual trail goes all the way up to the Fimmvorduhals pass and is about 25 km long. We did about 4 miles up the trail and it blew our minds away. There are 27 major waterfalls along this trail, and they are all unique and breathtaking. Every turn and every time we crested the knoll of a hill, the views were awe inspiring. It’s like Iceland took every cool waterfall and canyon and put them on one trail for our convenience. Madeline crushed the hike. She is such an incredible little four-year-old. She never complains. She is ever so polite. She is creative and finds ways to entertain herself and those around her. It was a hoot hiking with her. We had lunch up on the trail, and then headed back down.  
 
Once back to the car, we decided to head a little further down the road to a famous canyon, Fjaðrárgljúfu.  The drive itself was miserably boring as the topography was very bland. Once we got there, it was like a who’s who of lazy, horrible tourists swarming for a photo. It was also 20 degrees warmer here and super sunny. The canyon was very meh in comparison to what we had just done. The problem is that Justin Bieber shot a music video here and people just flocked to it and then destroyed the area, so the government closed it for a while and then created a tourist path that doesn’t really allow you to enjoy the canyon. It would have been better if you could have walked along the canyon floor, but alas, Bieber has ruined yet something else for everyone.
 
After that, we drove back to Vik and had dinner at a really good burger place called Smidjan Brugghus. The burgers were tasty, and they had Nutella covered French fries with powdered sugar on them. Not sure if that would be good, we can attest to its divinity.  
 
Since Vik sits next to the black beach, we headed down there for a quick visit to the sea. It was windy and foreboding at Reynisfjara Beach, but the basalt cliffs were pretty cool. Iceland is very grandiose when the skies are overcast and the wind blowing. It makes you want to go back to your cabin on the lake, snuggle up with a blanket and watch the wind blow across he lake. So that’s what we did.

​Back in the car! We packed up our stuff, cleaned up our little apartment and headed down the hill back into town. We stopped by a bakery and they had truly wonderful stuff. It was hard to chose! We got sandwiches for lunch, doughnuts for the girls, and a bear claw about the size of an Icelandic Horse. The funniest thing was the girl at the counter looked like a model, but she was a SOUR apple. She was clearly not going to win any service awards. I have to say, that everywhere we have gone on this trip, the vast majority of people we have interacted with at stores have been teenagers. Sometimes, really young teenagers. The gas stations, gift ships, bakeries, ice-cream shops, grocery stores, coffee shops all seem to be run by teenagers with no apparent adults. I’m beginning to wonder if there was some kind of coup d’états during COVID wherein all the adults were banished to Grimsey island. Anyway, after the bakery we went to the grocery store, got gas, then headed out on the ring road. 

The initial part of the drive was gorgeous and the mountains stunning. For some reason, the weather in the North of Iceland is warmer than the South. We drove for a couple of hours and then stopped for lunch in Blonduos. Mike cleaned the car windshield with the free hose/brooms that they have at all the gas stations and then we stopped at a park to play and eat. Every park here seems to have a big trampoline pad and there are lots of slides and ziplines. Madeline had a blast while we ate brie and grapes and our sandwiches from the bakery.  
 
Following lunch, we headed up the coast on a gravel road to Hvitserkur and saw the dragon drinking from the ocean. It was really pretty cool and it was fun to walk on the black sand in the ocean. The cliff trail going down to the ocean was silly steep and slippery and Mike fell while holding Madeline. He fell straight on his back and Madeline popped right out of his arms, like a fumbled football. Fortunately, instead of falling off a cliff, she landed in a cozy bed of moss and shrubs. Abby was the only other one to take off her shoes and walk out into the ocean, so she earned bonus awesome points.
 
Following the drinking dragon, we headed back down the road. This part of the drive was pretty boring and having driven it once is likely enough. The ring road is narrow, there are lots of slow camper vans and the drive gets rather tedious. We would recommend flying to the North and renting a car there for any future adventures. Gas isn’t cheap in Iceland and there isn’t too much to see on the way back down other than some cool waterfalls. 
 
About 6:00pm we rolled up to the cabin on the lake by Thingvellir. It was stunning. The sun was in the west, the lake was glistening, and we were no longer driving. Madeline enjoyed naming all the gnome statues and Abby found a secret path from the back deck to a hidden dock on the lake. Mike made tacos and everyone just relaxed and enjoyed the endless sunset.

​A little sleeping in doesn’t hurt when you’re on vacation, so we didn’t get started today until about 9:00am, which was nice since we had been getting up early the other days.  We headed out of town and started up the hill and had to stop to see the beautiful view of Akureyi. It really is a picturesque town nestled at the foot of the mountains with the water in the foreground. What a beautiful place!
 
We then headed out on the Diamond circle, or so they call it. We first went through a 7km tunnel, which was pretty cool, and then we drove up through Husavik, the whale watching capital of the North, and were awed by the views of the mountains and the Fjords. We headed North out of Husavik along the ring road and Mike discovered how to use the cruise control, which made the whole trip of 317 km much easier. It was fun to see the countryside and the vistas did not disappoint. We stopped at the overlook at Oxarfjordur and it was probably one of our favorite spots of the day. The cliffs were fantastic, and the puffins and fulmars nestling on the cliff edges, then catching updrafts and soaring around were awesome.  There is just something wonderful about staring out at the sea.  
 
From the Ocean, we headed deeper into Vatnajokull National Park and found our way to Asbyrgi canyon.  The canyon was either formed by glacial flooding, or when Odin’s horse, Sleipnir accidentally touched the earth here with a misplaced hoof so the legend is told. Either way, it’s a very different landscape here. The hike in the forest was dense with birch trees, artic thyme (small purple flowers), and ferns. There were also a lot of different birds and ducks than we had previously seen. Madeline enjoyed howling in the canyon and hearing the echo. It was definitely different than the endless cascade of waterfalls.
 
From there, it was on to Dettifoss, which stands in sheer magnitude as one of the great waterfalls around. The landscape is drastically different than the pastoral landscapes that abound. It was like being on the surface of the moon. Madeline pretended the sand was lava and hopped from rock to rock. The waterfall itself is voluminous and impressive. It was interesting to see the green cliffs on the Western shore from the spray. Everywhere else was desolate. There is another waterfall just upstream (Selfoss), which on its own would be a destination waterfall, but is dwarfed by the turbulent and noisy Detifoss less than 800 meters away.  
 
Saturated by waterfall viewing, we headed to something a little different, the boiling mudpots outside of Lake Myvatn. This had to be the best stop of the whole trip. It smelled like someone had taken a bunch of used diapers, set them on fire, then dumped raw sewage on it. It was horrifying and awful wrapped in a cloak of misery. The smell stayed with us for the next few hours. Why anyone would want to endure more than 30 seconds of this place, is a question I would like answered. Thank you Hverir!
 
After the mud pots, it was on to the lake where we walked around some cool green mounds and admired the vista. Lake Myvatn seems like a cool lake, but the gnats and flies there were relentless which must make for long and annoying days by the shore. Madeline fell and scuffed up her hands while running down a hill. The natural remedy, of course, was ice-cream, which was rather delicious and mostly devoid of flies.  
 
With our trip around the circle almost complete, we headed to our last stop, the magnanimous Godafoss.  Rumored to be the waterfall where the king threw in his pagan idols and adopted Christianity, the falls themselves are certainly a great setting for any kind of lore. The river, the falls, the grassy banks are spectacular.  We enjoyed the various views and the sheer power of this beautiful area.  
 
From the falls, we headed back to Akureyri for some fish and chips, only to find that the fish and chips store had closed. So we headed back to our apartment for some oven pizzas, French fries, and more ice-cream.  It was a delicious end to an adventurous day.

Happy Birthday Mike! Let’s get up and go look for whales! So, we drove up the coast to Dalvik and got on a boat with one other family and sailed out into the Fjord and the North Atlantic. There were lots of puffins to see, dolphins, and one lonely Minke whale. They say they call them stinky Minky because sometimes they have a bit of an odor, and I guess that is true because there was a bit of a stink to the Minke. Unfortunately, we saw no humpback whales on this trip, but maybe in the next 45 years or so. The crazy thing was all the waterfalls coming off the cliffs into the sea. Iceland is really the land of waterfalls. It’s stunning that everywhere you turn, there is another river, another waterfall, and another little stream. It’s amazing.
 
After whale watching, we went to a little park in the forest south of town, had cheese, grapes, and crackers and watched Madeline go down a slide about 200 times. She is an endless ball of energy and adventure.  
 
We then headed down to the Christmas store and bought a little ornament and then headed up to the Polar Hestar riding stables. The drive was gorgeous and it seemed like an endless parade of farms and fields at the base of the mountains. This country is truly gorgeous in the summer.
 
Once at the stables, Madeline played with the lambs and dogs while we waited for our horses to get ready. We then headed off down the road on our horses. Even little Madeline was riding along on her own horse right next to one of the guides. The Icelandic horses have a gear that other horses don’t have called the tolt. It was pretty fun to experience that and then ride up into the mountains. It was stunning country with a river coming through a canyon, mountain on every side with a Fjord at their base to the east. The mountain pastures were full of sheep and brand-new lambs (some just 1 week old!). It was an amazing ride with cool guides from Germany and Iceland. They were great with Madeline, and everyone had a good time. At the end, we had hot chocolate, cakes, and cookies. The only bad part was the price, which totally escaped Mike’s conversion capabilities. Sometimes, when travelling overseas, you don’t realize the price until it’s too late. This was one of those cases. A steep lesson for a seasoned traveler, but one that will not be forgotten. After that, we had dinner at the apartment, showers, and an early night. Off to more adventures tomorrow! 

The Icelandic people really love their licorice

Happy Independence Day America! We celebrated by eating a mondo breakfast at the hotel. It was Euro-fantastic. Once we were gorged, we packed up our gear into the cube and headed out to the Northern Island! 
 
On our way, we stopped at Glymur waterfall (the 2nd highest waterfall in Iceland) for a leisurely walk up a death-defying mountain with two perilous river crossings and death at every turn! It was totally up our alley. The first little bit was pretty easy, but then we had to go through a cave, and down the slope to the river where there was a really sketchy log river crossing. Of course, the water was super high, so there was some bonus traversing to be done. Abby screamed the most, and Madeline held on for dear life. Fortunately, no one fell in. 
 
After the river crossing, we headed up, up and up the steep slopes toward the waterfall. Madeline was a trooper and held onto the ropes on the steep parts, and our hands during the other really steep parts. It was kind of like Angels’ landing in Zion’s National Park except wet and slippery and a lot more Russian tourists.
 
The hike up was staggering and the beauty immersive. The waterfall did not disappoint, and the canyon was breathtaking. It’s hard to capture places like this with photos or videos because the feeling of the damp air on your face, the wind in your hair, and the exhilaration of standing on the edge of a cliff combine into a truly intense experience.  
 
Once we gained the top of the falls, we crossed the river in our water shoes (yippee for planning!).  The water was cold, and we saw another person slip and lose their backpack down the river and over the falls. I imagine that canyon is a veritable treasure trove of stuff that people lose in the river. We hiked back down the other side and made it back to our car with only some dirty butts and sore feet. Our little 4-year-old Madeline hiked the entire 4.7 miles with 1250 ft of climbing all by herself, with the exception of being carried through the river crossings and a few dangerous rocky scrambles. Once back in our Peugeot box, we made PB&J sandwiches and headed north.  
 
The drive north to Akureyri was very pastoral and the ring road is a marvel of narrowness. Driving that in bad weather is not to be underestimated, but we had good weather and made it to our rental apartment without too much drama. Then Mike headed out to get groceries and hot dogs for dinner (so that we could be at least a little American on the 4th). The amazing thing is that since the sun stays up until about 12:45am, you really can get a heck of a lot done in the evening.  

Madeline was NOT a fan of all the gnats

Flying out of Denver is never that much fun. It’s a long way to the airport, and the traffic from the I-25 gap project doesn’t make it any easier to get there. But after sitting in traffic in Larkspur, we finally made it to the airport. However, we didn’t anticipate that everyone from Colorado was going to be travelling this 4th of July. The parking lot we usually use was full, so we had to make a mad dash for another place, but it was terrible, so we finally just had to suck it up and park at the airport. Of course, parking was just the start of the lines. The line for Iceland Air was long as well. Fortunately, we waited behind some Denverites who were headed to Iceland as well, so it was entertaining listening to them. Security wasn’t too bad, and we made it to our gate just in time to start boarding. It must be said, that Icelandair is great overall for a discount airline. The flight was easy and pretty comfy overall.
 
Somewhere, over the Atlantic we popped forward a day and landed in Iceland at 6:20am. Everyone got a little sleep, but none more than Madeline who got to lay down and sleep for most of the flight. The airport in Keflavik is kitschy, but the boarder control line was ridiculous. Somehow, we made it through it relatively quickly. We had our passports, COVID-19 cards, and documents ready to go. Once through customs, we fiddle faddled until Sara asked someone where our car rental company pick-up was located. We got in a van and headed to the Dollar car rental place and picked up our box (as Emma liked to call it). Considering the absolute lemon we rented last time we were in Iceland, this was a veritable Porsche. Fortunately, all our suitcases and Madeline’s car seat fit inside without any problems.
 
With everyone and everything loaded, we headed to the Hilton in Reykjavik where we dropped off our suitcases since our room wouldn’t be ready for another 8 hours. After dropping off our gear, we headed to the downtown area for a bite of breakfast. We thought about going to a swanky place, but the line was silly, so we headed to our old staple Braud and Co. With croissants and cinnamon rolls in hand we saw Leif Erickson’s statue by the church and then headed off to the zoo.
 
It turns out the zoo was more of a who’s who of Iceland petting zoo with a fair number of carnival rides. It was a lot of fun for totally jet lagged travelers. There were seals, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, reindeer, artic foxes, and pigs. That’s it. It was basically a collection of farm animals and seals. Seems about right. The rides were fun and there was a great playground for Madeline. Abby and Emma did some thrill rides while Madeline and Mike did the most Euro-cringey carrousel ever imagined. It was great. For some reason, Madeline had more energy than is reasonable and basically dragged us around. Emma demonstrated that she can’t do a hamster wheel and we caught it on video, ouch!
 
After the zoo/amusement park, we headed to the botanical gardens and walked around for 5 minutes but realized that our delirium was worse than we realized so we headed back to the car. From there, we went to the mall, because if you haven’t been to a mall in Iceland, then you haven’t lived. We got some lunch there and realized that malls in Iceland are about as awesome as malls in America.  
 
After slumming it at the mall, we decided that driving wasn’t safe, so we headed back to the hotel and fell asleep in the lobby until our room was ready. After that, we crashed hard in our rooms for three hours, then got up and headed out again. We got dinner at this cool hamburger joint. The guy behind the counter advised us to try the special Icelandic sauce for our fries. So, we took our meal to the park by the lake downtown and ate our hamburgers under a tarp of gnats. It turns out that the special Icelandic sauce is fry sauce. So, I guess someone from Utah taught the people in Iceland about French fries. It was delicious.  
 
After dinner, we went down to the lighthouse and walked on the ocean and let Madeline throw rocks back into the sea. At about 10:30pm, we headed back to the hotel, with the sun still shining brightly and fell asleep.

We laughed so hard when we saw this shirt. It was a little how we were feeling after being so sleep deprived from missing an entire nights sleep. And we were delirious so there's that.

We thought it would be fun to spend our last day going back to Magic Kingdom. This time we opted for the better parking lot since we knew our legs would be tired at the end of the day. It was overcast in the morning which was wonderful. This morning was all about riding the rides we didn’t make it on the first day at Magic Kingdom and riding our favorites again. The big kids headed to Space Mountain while Mike and I took Madeline to Small World since we didn’t get a chance to do that earlier in the week. The line was super short so that was a total bonus. Madeline loved that ride and just kept pointing to all the things she loved. It was so cute to watch her excitement. We ran over to Tomorrowland and met the big kids at the Astro Orbiter. We rode that and then hopped in line to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride. Mike and Peter were ridiculously good at this ride and always got the highest scores. Then we headed to ride the cars and made our way to the Haunted Mansion and passed the carousel and sword in the stone on the way. All of the kids tried pulling the sword out of the stone. It was so funny watching Madeline try so hard. She even cracked her knuckles before she tried the second time. It was hilarious. Madeline was so brave in the Haunted Mansion. There were a few sections that scared her, but she did pretty well for a 4-year-old. At this point the sun was now out and it was getting hot, so we headed over to Splash Mountain and waited in line so that we cold cool off on the ride. The line was almost an hour but totally worth it. Splash Mountain was still everyone’s favorite ride, especially Madeline. With the heat picking up we decided to find a shady spot to each lunch. On our way to eat lunch we got to see the parade with Mickey, Minnie and Pluto. That was a lot of fun! We tried to stay as cool as we could the rest of the day by doing rides that were either in the shade or inside. We explored the Swiss Family Treehouse, rode the Little Mermaid ride, and did Buzz Lightyear again. Madeline was so excited when we surprised her by buying a new Toy Story characters set for her. We ate ice-cream sundaes and then decided to call it a day since it was way too hot to keep walking around. The closer parking was an added blessing at the end of our amazing week at Disney and Universal Studios. We headed back to the house to hang by the pool and just relax.

​The girls and I decided to stay back at the house and relax while the boys left to go back to Universal Studios. While the girls and I relaxed by the pool all day, the boys spent more time at the main part of Universal Studios, riding more of the Harry Potter rides, riding the Hogwarts Express, exploring Diagon Alley, and just having fun. They came home in the early afternoon and then we all headed back to Universal Studios to eat dinner at NBC Sports Grill. After filling our tummies and waiting for the sun to go down, we decided to all go to Diagon Alley and walk through the shops. We even got to see the dragon at the top of the bank blow fire out of its mouth. It was pretty exciting. Then we all rode the Hogwarts Express train to the other side of the park. Madeline really loved the train ride. As we were walking out of the park, we saw some friends from back home in Colorado and chatted for a little bit and then headed back to the house. 

​After a few days of doing the Disney thing, we headed to Universal Studios to experience the non-Disney side of things. We were there mainly to experience all of the Harry Potter attractions. We spent most of this day exploring the Islands of Adventure Park. After a very mediocre Spiderman ride, the big kids and I stood in line for the Hulk ride while Mike took Madeline to Dr. Seuss land. The line seemed to take forever but, in the end, it was worth it because this ride was super thrilling. There were several loopty loops which was a lot of fun. Afterwards we met up with Mike and Madeline and explored the Harry Potter side of the park. We did a rider swap since Madeline was too small to ride and took turns with the big kids riding Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I have to say this was the worst ride ever. It was so nauseating kind of poorly done. It made us all realize why there is just something so special about the Disney parks. Moving on, we walked through Hogsmeade, drank some butterbeer, and saw the Hogwarts Express. The big kids ventured over to another big kid ride while I spent some time in Dr. Suess land with Madeline. Then we all ate lunch in the shade and enjoyed some downtime. We headed back over to Hogsmeade to ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Although we had a spot in the virtual line, we still waited in line for at least an hour. The weather was so hot and much of the line was outside, so we were not too happy about that but once we got inside the building all was well. The ride was amazing, and it totally exceeded our expectations. The big kids were excited to ride it twice since we had to do another rider swap because Madeline wasn’t big enough to ride it. I was a bit jealous they got to ride it twice. Since we were all melting by this point, we decided to call it a day and headed out of the park and made our way home to relax in the pool.