Father and Son US Roadtrip 2013 on BMW K1200LT

[TonyBKK]

Woohoo! Another fantastic summer with my boy!

Flew to JFK to pick him up near the end of June-

Catching up over pizza at the airport while waiting for our flight to Seattle.

A happy reunion!

Pleasant enough flight to Seattle on Jet Blue, but we got there too early and there was no gate so we had to chill on the plane a bit longer than planned...

My good friend Dave was kind enough to drive all the way down from Bellingham to pick us up. :happy2:

We were happy to see Dave's wife Pon again as well as their Chesapeakes Mocha and Grace-

That evening, once my little guy was asleep, I went to work on our K1200LT, aka, the Land Yacht, which had been sitting mostly unridden at Dave's house since the previous fall. First task was to install the new EBC rear brake disc, as the OEM floating disc was loose on the rivets and making a terrible racket, which K-bike owners call the "cow bell"

The new EBC disc was pretty sexy

The old disc, pretty tattered-

That was easy!

Next task was to service the final drive-

Uh oh- this does NOT look good... :shock:

A little bit of metallic "fuzz" on the magnet is normal. Chunks of metal like this are not... :cry:

Dave has an awesome workshop and had the tools I needed to split the final drive case open-

Lots of metal in the final drive...

Hmmm, this looks expensive!

Fortunately, we're not so far away from one of the biggest BMW dealers on the West Coast- Ride West BMW of Seattle...

(not my pic)

 

[TonyBKK]

The broken bike was going to force us to adjust our summer plans, but we couldn't have picked a nicer place to break down than Bellingham!

What a beautiful town! I'm thinking seriously about moving there when my younger son reaches school age.

There are a bunch of parks within walking distance of Dave's house, our favorite would have to be Elizabeth Park-

Taking Mocha to Elizabeth Park became part of our daily routine while we were in Bellingham-

Elizabeth Park in Bellingham has a nice playground where Kristhawee made many friends-

I spent some time on the phone with Ride West and they told me a new Final Drive would cost $1600 and would have to be ordered from Germany, or that they could rebuild my drive for ~$1200 and that they had all the parts on hand to get the job done and they'd do their best to have the drive rebuilt before the 4th of July. Sounds good! Dave lent us his car and we drove down to Seattle to drop off the drive, then do some shopping.

After Ride West we hit up REI to get outfitted for our summer adventure!

Kristhawee got a nice new sleeping bag-

I picked up a new camping stove and some other odds and ends, then we hit a nearby Toys R Us where Kristhawee picked out some dinosaurs- ha ha! Look at his face! :mrgreen:

 

[Ian Bungy]

So where did all the Metal come from? The final drive looked pretty good opened up? Looking forward to another Fine Trip report!

 

[TonyBKK]

Ian Bungy;292780 wrote: So where did all the Metal come from? The final drive looked pretty good opened up? Looking forward to another Fine Trip report!

Usually the big crown bearing fails but in this case it was a smaller pinion bearing where the drive shaft enters at the front of the final drive... Quite lucky I caught it BEFORE we hit the road and that we were so close to a reputable dealer. I can't imagine what a headache it would have been if the drive had failed out in the boonies... :shock:

 

[TonyBKK]

Another highlight of our stay in Bellingham was a visit to Whatcom Falls Park with Dave and Mocha-

Gray, rainy and cold, but still quite beautiful!

Kristhawee was tickled pink that the park is full of Banana Slugs :smile1:

Good fun chucking sticks into the rapids and watching Mocha launch fearlessly into the icy cold water-

So green!

Dave helping Kristhawee out onto some slippery moss-covered rocks- Yikes!

Mocha wanted to get in the picture too

Bellingham always seems to start off cool, cloudy and rainy in the mornings, but as the day wears on the sun usually breaks through and warms things up nicely. Father and son at Whatcom Falls, Bellingham, WA-

In fact it warmed up to the point that Kristhawee wanted to get wet!

Good times!

 

[TonyBKK]

As we're driving back to Dave's house we spot a familiar looking FZ1 parked in front of the Kulshan Brewery-

Sure enough, it's GT-Rider member Feejer who's stopped by for a few pints on a beautiful sunny afternoon!

We've corresponded for years via GT-Rider but this is the fist time we actually met. Thanks again for the beers mate!!!

A new riding buddy and a fortuitous meeting as Feejer used to ride a K1200LT and also suffered a Final Drive failure and had some good advice to share.

There was a BBQ trailer in the parking lot making awesome pulled pork sandwiches so we settled in for some fantastic beers and great food!

Kristhawee seemed to like Eric's hotted up Fizzer too!

 

[Billy Baht]

Compliments for spending time with your boy- they do grow up fast!

And lucky you saw the metal shavings on the drain plug! Was the magnetic plug stock or an after market improvement?

 

[TonyBKK]

Some more pics from Bellingham- this is in the Maritime Heritage Park, also walking distance from Dave's house-

Respect to Ride West because they are crazy busy but have a policy to put out-of-town riders at the front of the queue. I got a call from them on the 26th that the Final Drive was ready, so blasted on down on Dave's VFR to pick it up. Throwing down ~$1200 for the rebuild was a bit of a bummer, but it is what it is! Got the bike put back together, made new footpeg risers and readjusted the harness for the little guy as he's grown a lot since last summer-

He's looking eager to ride!

Finally we are ready to hit the road!!!

We're going to meet my aunt and uncle and cousins in Olympic National Park!

Let's hit the road!!

Super happy that Dave is joining us, and Eric will meet us along the way too!

:happy1: :happy1: :happy1:

 

[TonyBKK]

Gorgeous ride through Deception Pass State Park and down Whidbey Island, with the snow covered peaks of Olympic National Park beckoning in the distance-

Riding past Ault Field-

Working our way down to Fort Casey State Park where we'll catch the ferry to Port Townsend-

Cool weather, no traffic!

Perfect timing- arrived at the Coupeville Ferry terminal just in time to catch the next ferry to Port Townsend-

Bikes go to the front of the line :mrgreen:

Loaded and ready to sail!

Doesn't look it, but it was very cold and windy on the deck-

Popcorn for the kids

 

[TonyBKK]

Woohoo! We're on the Olympic peninsula and making good time!

When we reach the 101 we take a right to head west towards Port Angeles-

Elk crossing!

Welcome to Olympic National Park!

A quick blast up to Hurricane Ridge!

The road up to Hurricane Ridge is awesome on a bike!

We are excited to see snow!

Welcome to Hurricane Ridge!

What a view!!

Little guy want to play in the snow!

Interesting mix of bikes, eh?

Ha! You know where this is headed...

Snow ball fight!!

Hurricane Ridge is aptly named- very very windy up there! We ducked in to the Visitor Center to warm up and check things out-

Grabbed a Junior Ranger workbook for Kristhawee and then we headed back down the mountain.

Cool road with a bunch of tunnels-

Eric, riding his DR650, decides to take us on a "short cut"

Hmmm, that was fun on the heavy Land Yacht... NOT!

I was happy when we got back on pavement

We grabbed a quick lunch at the golden arches in Port Angeles, then pressed on!

The views along the shore of Lake Crescent are amazing!

After a long day in the saddle we finally made it to Lake Quinault! What a nice spot to camp!

Sunset-

Here's Kristhawee with "Timo", the Olympic Chipmunk that I got for him at the Visitor Center-

Here's Dave testing out his new camping hammock that I picked up for him at Cabelas. Not so easy to find a hammock for a guy his size!

Kristhawee and I were very happy to see my aunt and uncle and cousins who had driven up from San Francisco and were heading to the St Juan Islands. Fantastic dinner of locally caught salmon then we lit off some fireworks as the 4th of July was fast approaching-

Firing off "Bootle Rockets" as Kristhawee called them

Sparklers are always good fun-

My cousin Rochelle showing off her slack line skills!

Dave was ready to pass out but Kristhawee decided to sneak in to his hammock and the ensuing struggle had us all rolling with laughter-

My cousin Sean showing Kristhawee how to walk a slack line- it's WAY harder than it looks!!

It was getting late and we'd had a long day, so we called it a night!

 

[feejer]

Great start Tony! Looking forward to the next chapters. LOL. Sorry about the "short cut", that's what happens when you forget to switch the Garmin's routing config to avoid unpaved roads!

Hard to believe Summer is almost over here. I think the fastest one yet But then again, will be time to wax up the skis (and get the DR out in the mud) soon enough too.

 

[TonyBKK]

Good morning from Lake Quinault, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA!

Kristhawee got busy picking wild Salmonberries and Huckleberries- a nice snack before breakfast!

Even our bikes are enjoying the view!

After a hearty breakfast we packed up and hit the road-

We headed back up the coast in the direction of Hoh Rainforest, making some stops along the way to check out the beautiful coastline-

Kristhawee and Marcia, or "Baby Kitty" and "Momma Kitty" as they like to call themselves

Some pretty cool formations!

Kristhawee hitched a ride with Sean. It's funny; I used to carry Sean on my shoulders when he was Kristhawee's age!

Kristhawee and Sean at Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park-

A little further up the coast we head inland, following the Hoh River to the Hoh Rainforest-

So green!!

This place gets over 200 inches of rain every year and is cold and wet most of the time, but we've lucked out and hit it on a warm sunny day!

Moss everywhere!

My little guy is pretty good at catching rides- here he's brought Timo along for a ride on Rochelle's shoulders-

I have never seen mosses and lichens in such abundance and volume!

We set off down the Hall Of Mosses Trail to take in the sights-

I brought along Kristhawee's Junion Ranger workbook and we worked on it as we hiked-

Unbelievably clear water in this small stream-

Rochelle and Kristhawee spotting fish-

On the road again we headed north to the little town of Forks, once a logging town, more recently it's been made famous by those shitty Twilight movies

We picked up some camping supplies there and then rode west to the Mora campground near the coast-

The campground was quite full but we lucked out and got two spots together.

Kristhawee and Rochelle really seemed to connect- too cute-

Dave and Kristhawee and always competing to see who can be more naughty

Good times around the campfire-

When Dave was ready for bed he discovered that someone had already taken his hammock

It took a bit of coaxing, but eventually we were able to relocate Kristhawee to my tent-

Good Night!!

 

[TonyBKK]

In the morning we packed up and rode the short distance from Mora to Rialto Beach-

Wow, that is a big chunk of driftwood! Imagine the size of the wave that deposited it this far up on the beach!

Kristhawee and Dave at Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park-

Heh heh, somebody's gonna get wet!!

Somebody made a little driftwood shack at the base of this huge tree-

Our destination today is Sol Duc Hotsprings! We stopped at the Hungry Bear Cafe to grab some brunch along the way-

We cross the Sol Duc River many times-

Another gorgeous day! Not a cloud in the sky!

Welcome to Sol Duc Valley

We scored a great campsite under huge trees right on the bank of the Sol Duc River-

Kristhawee was very eager to check out the hot springs!

Dave and Kristhawee at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, Olympic National Park!

Next to the spring fed hot tubs is a big pool and we spent a good part of the day swimming and relaxing at this beautiful spot-

Kristhawee's swimming seemed a bit rusty, but he still loves water!

Good times!

When the big pool got too cold we'd return to one of the hot poos to warm up again-

My boy loves butterflies

There was a small store at the resort and Eric grabbed an ice cream for the little guy on the way out-

 

[Ian Bungy]

What a Beautiful Country. Really Impressive. I hope I get to visit it one Day! Great that You can make regular Trips during the Summer and meet up with Dave and Family! The New Zealand Summer is unfortunately over the Christmas, New Year Period which happens to be the Best weather here in Northern Thailand and also a Busy time for Business so It doesn't work out for Me!

 

[NickyBKK]

I heard, but never really realized that the US has so many beautiful spots until I watched your roadtrips.

I am looking forward to going on a US roadtrip myself one day. (never thought that I would say that).

Keep those nice pics coming! :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[TonyBKK]

Eric took some nice pictures which I hope he won't mind me sharing here

At the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center:

Could not have asked for a nicer spot to camp!

My beat up old REI Halfdome was to be our home for the next couple months!

All the fixings for dinner of the BBQ- fresh local salmon and burgers!

Fun after dark-

A beautiful sunrise over mirror-still Lake Quinault-

Kristhawee and Sean-

Rochelle showing off her climbing skills-

Father and Son at Ruby Beach-

 

[feejer]

NickyBKK;292833 wrote: I heard, but never really realized that the US has so many beautiful spots until I watched your roadtrips.

I am looking forward to going on a US roadtrip myself one day. (never thought that I would say that).

Keep those nice pics coming! :thumbup::thumbup:

Yep, Dave and I are pretty lucky to live up here. Tony, for next year you may want to consider a ride up to Fairbanks, AK on the Cassiar Hwy through BC, then the Klondike and Top of the World Hwys through the Yukon territories. Then loop back through Denali Nat. park down to Haines and catch the ferry (3 days) back to B-ham. Gorgeous ferry ride through the channels/Alaskan coastline. Would take a month to do it right but a trip Kris would never forget. Bison, bear, elk, you name it everywhere.

 

[TonyBKK]

feejer;292845 wrote: Yep, Dave and I are pretty lucky to live up here. Tony, for next year you may want to consider a ride up to Fairbanks, AK on the Cassiar Hwy through BC, then the Klondike and Top of the World Hwys through the Yukon territories. Then loop back through Denali Nat. park down to Haines and catch the ferry (3 days) back to B-ham. Gorgeous ferry ride through the channels/Alaskan coastline. Would take a month to do it right but a trip Kris would never forget. Bison, bear, elk, you name it everywhere.

I very much want to ride up to Alaska with my son but I think I'll save that for when he's a bit older.

The tentative plan for next summer is for me to ride to New York and pick him up when he gets out of school in June, then do a tour of New England, exploring Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Upstate New York, Vermont and Maine and then return to Minnesota via Toronto and Thunder Bay and on to the Twin Cities via the North Shore of Lake Superior and Duluth!

Something like this:

(https://www.google.com/maps?saddr=Roslyn,+NY,+United+States&daddr=Acadia+National+Park,+Mount+Desert,+ME,+United+States+to:44.2472558,-72.5878194+to:Buffalo,+NY,+United+States+to:ON-6+N+to:Terry+Fox+Courage+Hwy%2FThunder+Bay+Expy+W+to:Interstate+94+W&hl=en&ll=44.621754,-79.628906&spn=12.729477,33.815918&sll=44.960365,-93.277445&sspn=0.049437,0.132093&geocode=FU-ObgId7iyc-yn3NhyWJobCiTElI9GQM2f-GQ%3BFXyNpAIdSTvu-yGEVVX8DiLfYiklKaIOsqOuTDGEVVX8DiLfYg%3BFdcoowId1WWs-yk1AEr2Fwi1TDFjrykwlOhDKw%3BFS9ljgIdX2lM-ymh5d9SYRLTiTFxgR8YpQQjmA%3BFVSJsgIdSN8h-w%3BFUP84gIdH7Ot-g%3BFa4grgIdiNJw-g&oq=buffalo&mra=dme&mrsp=6&sz=14&via=2&t=m&z=6)

It's "only" ~2500 miles and we might even make it to Minnesota in time for the 2014 BMW MOA which will kick off in St Paul from July 24th!

 

[TonyBKK]

Once we got back to our campsite we tried to help Dave find a tree big enough to support his hammock

After trying a few different spots he eventually anchored himself to a large dead tree, which promptly fell over when he got into the hammock, almost landing him in the river below :lolno: You had to be there- it was damn funny!!

Kristhawee and I wandered down to the river and he got to building cairns out of stone and making a whole backstory to go with them

Quality time with my boy

We discovered that the rocks were full of these cool little spiders. Their abdomens blend in perfectly with the surrounding stones-

Scrambling around along the banks of the Sol Duc River- there were a lot of deer wandering around here-

You can just see the Land Yacht and Dave's hammock in the upper right-

Spotted a cool looking centipede-

Bushwhacking!

Poor Dave was trying to take a nap, but Kristhawee put an end to that plan!

Later that evening we attended a Ranger talk about Cougars-

Pretty interesting stuff, though smart **** Dave did his best to try and piss off the ranger by asking questions like, "What do they taste like?"

(You gotta understand that Dave is a hunter, and taking him to a national park where he can't shoot stuff really messes with his head!)

 

[TonyBKK]

Good morning from Sol Duc, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA!

After a quick brekkie Kristhawee wanted to go check on his towers before we set off on a hike to the Sol Duc Falls. A bit chilly this morning!

His cairns were still intact

Don't fall in little dude!

We set off with Dave for the relatively short hike to the Sol Duc Falls-

It's a pretty easy trail through beautiful old growth forest, though muddy in spots-

Beautiful!!

Father and son on the Sol Duc Falls trail, Olympic National Park-

Almost there!

A cool old shelter that was built by the CCC way back in 1939!

Sol Duc Falls straight ahead!

Kristhawee pointing the way

The Sol Duc Falls aren't terribly big, but they are incredibly beautiful!

There is a constant spray that keeps everything incredibly green-

And creates countless rainbows!

My old point and shoot camera barely does justice to this magical place-

We settled down on a perfectly placed bench to enjoy a small picnic next to the falls. Life is good!!! :happy1:

 

[TonyBKK]

After we got back from Sol Duc Falls Kristhawee wanted to hit the pool and hot springs again; who am I to argue with such a good plan?

Then it was time to hit the road and head on back to Bellingham. Bye bye Sol Duc!

Amazing views and a fantastic road around the south shore of Crescent Lake-

We stopped at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center near Port Angeles so that Kristhawee could earn his Junior Ranger Badge-

Congratulations Kristhawee! I'm very proud of you!

National Park Visitor Centers are always a lot of fun to explore-

Just managed to squeeze on to an early evening ferry back to Whidbey Island-

Eric and Kristhawee on the Kennewick Ferry-

Popcorn for the kids again

Zoomin north-

Riding down had been cool and overcast, but today was sunny and warm. Passing Ault Field again-

Dave lookin tough

Crossing Deception Pass again which returns us to the mainland-

And so ends our visit to Olympic National Park! Hope you enjoyed it; we're just getting started!!! :happy1:

 

[feejer]

TonyBKK;292868 wrote: We stopped at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center near Port Angeles so that Kristhawee could earn his Junior Ranger Badge-

Ha, ha! That was a great moment. The Thai side really came out in him when he saw that new shiny GOLD badge!

 

[TonyBKK]

Good morning from Bellingham, Washington!!

Haha! Kristhawee slept with his new Junior Ranger badge and Timo the Olympic chipmunk :mrgreen:

Life is good! Until, fingers crossed, I drop the drain plug from the K1200LT Final Drive...

Once again it's full of metal!!!?! :thumbdown:

FUKC ME!!!!

The bike had performed flawlessly over the weekend and I thought the Final Drive had been sorted... This is really starting to get on my nerves!

Quick call to Ride West then I tear the Final Drive off the Land Yacht and cruise on down to Seattle on Dave's VFR again...

The Ride West service manager is sincerely apologetic and promises that he'll get the drive sorted asap. But today is July 2nd so I don't have much expectation of anything getting done before the 4th of July holiday, but, it is what it is...

I need to cool off a bit (and I'm beginning to think perhaps it's time to get rid of the Land Yacht) so I take some time to admire the selection of second hand bikes that Ride West has out on the pavement-

I've always found the F800GT an intruiging bike. Sporty but with a belt drive. Interesting-

This Ducati StreetfighterS is pure sex on wheels-

And considering all the upgrades and low mileage the pricetag seems pretty reasonable-

This dirt cheap low mileage Kawasaki KLR650 really caught my eye-

Can you believe that these go for over half a million Baht in Thailand?!?! :wtf:

I rode back to Bellingham, stopping along the way to pick up some fork seals for Dave's VFR as one of the forks was leaking-

Our poor Land Yacht isn't going to go far in this state

Can't thank Dave and Pon enough for their wonderful hospitality- we ended up staying with them a lot longer than expected and I can't think of a nicer place to get stranded

Kristhawee took all in stride- he loves Dave and Pon, the dogs and Bellingham and probably wouldn't have minded spending the entire summer there

I'd tried to teach him to tie his shoes last summer when he was five, but he couldn't quite get it. It looks like he might get it this summer!

 

[TonyBKK]

I wasn't expecting to hear back from Ride West until after the 4th of July holiday so imagine my surprise when my phone rings on July 3rd and Ben, the Service Manager tells me that they split the drive, inspected it, and can't find any damaged parts...

I can tell he's embarrassed when he goes on to explain that perhaps the technician who rebuilt the drive had failed to clean all the old metal out of it before he put it back together...

Grrr! How is that possible I wonder out loud. One would have thought that a shop that charges over $100/hour for labor would have mechanics who would not make such mistakes. What a phenomenal waste of time for both me and Ride West. I can tell Ben is pissed too. His mechanic's sloppy work has cost them a lot of billable hours.

Ok, deep breath and relax.... Get suited up and blast on down to Seattle AGAIN. It's about 90 miles from Dave's house to Ride West, so I've already racked up a lot of miles and wasted a lot of time and fuel going back and forth...

Pick up the Final Drive and explain to Ben again that I'm riding with my 6 year old son on the back and that we're headed all the way to Minnesota. I need to know, no bull$hit, if the bike is going to make it. I do not want to risk a breakdown in the middle of nowhere with my 6 year old on the back.

Ben does his best to assure me that the drive is solid and will not fail. I sure hope he's right!!!

A plan is hatched to get out for a 4th of July blast with Dave and Eric to see if the drive holds together and spits out any more metal. Thinking that the bike would be out of commission for some time I'd stripped it down a bit to do some other maintenance- it's a strange looking beastie once the "tupperware" is taken off!

So, I stayed up late on the 3rd putting the bike back together and come Thursday it was again ready to roll!

Happy Independence Day!

Perfect day for a ride! Beautiful weather, not much traffic and no cops (thank goodness!)

He we are on the Diablo Dam in North Cascades National Park-

Kristhawee wanted to spend the day with Pon and her daughter so I was able to wring the K1200LT's neck a bit. I'm not used to riding the Land Yacht solo and unloaded. It's pretty darn quick when you get the revs up!

A bit further east we pulled off at a viewpoint to take it all in. Wow!

We continued on to the funky little western town of Winthrop where we enjoyed a fantastic meal at Three Fingered Jacks before blasting back over the Cascades.

Eric let me take his Fizzer for a bit- wow, what a bike! I saw triple digits on the speedo a few times and am thankful that we didn't cross paths with any law enforcement officers

 

[TonyBKK]

4th of July in Bellingham was nuts! There are signs all over town saying No Fireworks Allowed, but it became evident even before the sun went down that no one follows the rules and everyone was in the mood to blow stuff up! :mrgreen:

Add to that the fact that pot is legal in Washington now and it was hard to tell is all the smoke was from gunpowder or ganga. And what a trip to be able to walk down the street past the coppers with a joint in your hand!

Pon stayed home to avoid the mayhem while Dave, Kristhawee and I wandered down to Heritage Park to enjoy the fireworks over Bellingham Bay. It was a fun 4th of July! Happy Independence Day!

I had dropped the oil out of the final drive earlier and it came out nice and clear, so it seems Ride West had finally sorted the Final Drive. Yippee!

It was finally time for us to hit the road! Thanks again Dave and Pon! You guys are awesome!!!

We're headed to North Cascades National Park! Gorgeous day for a ride!

Through the oddly named town of Concrete and then the little village of Marblemount, Highway 20 follows the Skagit River up into the Cascades-

Welcome to North Cascades National Park!

We pulled off at the Newhalem Campground and found ourselves a really fantastic walk-in campsite deep in the woods and within earshot of the Skagit River-

Set up camp and then we set off for a short hike on the River Loop Trail which would take us to the Visitor Center where Kristhawee could pick up a Junior Ranger workbook-

Always feels good to stretch our legs after sitting on the bike

A very nice trail through thick forest and moss-covered hills-

There would be a ranger talk later in the evening. Tonight's topic was about Wolves!

Fantastic Visitor Center at Newhalem!

Books, toys, puppets, arts and crafts supplies- a kids paradise!

If you've followed our previous adventures you'll know that my kid loves Banana Slugs. So imagine his joy when he found one he could "ride"

We both learned a lot about North Cascades National Park during our time exploring the Visitor Center-

It was getting late and we needed to head back to camp and cook up some dinner before the Ranger talk-

Discovered a "drinking fountain" that could easily have doubled as a shower

Dinner is served! Yeah, Spagettios with meatballs, I know, pretty terrible, but he simply adores this stuff!

S'mores for dessert!

Kristhawee is still a pyromaniac

Like father, like son!

We hiked up to the Amphitheater to catch the Ranger program and I must say I was very impressed! The Ranger was a hottie, and while I would have expected her to be 110% pro-wolf, she actually did a really good job of presenting both sides of the debate. At the end, when I asked Kristhawee if he thought wolves are good or bad he surprised me by answering "Both!" Wow, my kid gets it!!

It was pretty late and time for bed. Last year we read Rudyard Kiplings "Jungle Book" and Kristhawee loved it. This year I brought some other classics- Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London. Wow, I forgot how brutal Call of the Wild is... But Kristhawee is pretty mature for his age and quite enjoyed it, though as usual, he passes out after a few pages

Sweet dreams my little prince! We have a full day planned for tomorrow!!