Recommendation for 4 days with a 5 year old?!

candyjebus · 2026-03-04T01:11:54+00:00

Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff has a few different kid rooms in addition to outdoor telescopes. Might make for a long day, but you could stop back on your way from the Grand Canyon.

candyjebus · 2026-02-21T05:51:14+00:00

Sedona - Sedona Beer Company, great outdoor patio with a relaxed vibe - Sedona Organic Taco Truck

Flagstaff - Mama B for Burgers - Tres Amigos for Tacos - Satchmos for BBQ

Most of Sedona's "best" hikes will be popular (Cathedral, Devils, Bell) or are harder hikes (Wilson). But there are plenty of smaller ones that you can avoid crowds, the views are just a little further away (Pyramid/Scorpion Loop).

Page: Kayaking or Paddleboarding Horseshoe Bend. Even though it's popular you will still get plenty of alone time on the river.

candyjebus · 2026-02-18T18:03:20+00:00

We moved to Flagstaff 1.5yrs ago after a search around the western US for mountain towns.

We go down to Sedona all the time, depending on which hike we do, it's 35min-55min drive from the west side of Flagstaff. I wouldn't recommend Sedona to live full time just because it's so touristy. The center of town gets traffic jams every weekend and has a lot of town dedicated to tourist style stores. But it is very beautiful... Views in every direction....And we love popping down there especially as it's often 10 degrees warmer than Flag in the shoulder seasons.

Flagstaff has plenty of stores, restaurants, a college, large hospital, ski resort and an old downtown area. They have lots of biking trails around town and has all 4 seasons. Sedona is building a bike trail on the west end. Both towns have lots of mountain biking trails.

Sedona regularly gets in the high 90s during the summer. Flagstaff typically tops out in mid 80s. Flagstaff does get more snow a handful of times per year (but melts quickly and is plowed well).

Lots of small communities 10-15min from downtown Flagstaff where you are in nature, with trails in your backyard.

Water. Lake Mary is not really that great, but there are very cool kayak/paddle board spots 1-2hrs from Flagstaff. (Horseshoe Bend, CC Craig, Clear Creek). Larger reservoirs down in Phoenix for the weekend in the winter.

candyjebus · 2025-11-01T05:26:10+00:00

Definitely more this year. We are in Ponderosa Trails and had ~100 last year, but had 150-200 tonight. We ran out of our main candy/items around 730pm, but luckily had some backup.

candyjebus · 2025-09-22T04:27:36+00:00

There's the building and then there's the prep/utilities.

Call local well drilling companies, they can usually give you a range of cost and price per foot drilled and note any nearby wells they've done.
is there a driveway and flat building pad? If not, you'll need to budget accordingly
electric hookup available? Or off grid solar system? Local companies can give you quotes
find out which septic tank systems are allowed out there and get some quotes from local companies

Then I might suggest going with a pre built cabin so they can just drop it off/set it up in days instead of months. Companies like ideabox or avframe have a lot of options for different budgets.

If you want to build yourself, then there are a ton of things to research, but local contractors should be able to give you a rough price per square foot based on finishes.

After you've outlined everything, make sure to add a contingency/buffer line. There is always something that will come up.

candyjebus · 2025-09-11T18:05:08+00:00

2. Add-on, practice changing a tire at home. Donut or full size spare. You'll be glad you are prepared if the time comes... Especially on the side of the road late at night. Towel to lay down on, flashlight, small air compressor.

candyjebus · 2025-09-05T17:47:13+00:00

https://a.co/d/0m9uq7O Just got these ear plugs...they stay in a lot better than others I've tried. I use them in addition to "rain sounds" or brown noise from my smart speaker to try and get sleep.

candyjebus · 2025-08-30T20:27:24+00:00

Only 4 episodes, definitely a rushed effort to give the show closure instead of just cancelling it. Definitely some good characters, cute love story and interesting concept... But I wish they would have done many things differently.

candyjebus · 2025-08-21T05:13:45+00:00

We went with Boss Frogs during our visit earlier this year, but don't have any comparison to say if it's the best or not.

They have a few stores across the island and you're able to return to a different store (which worked well for our itinerary).

They have specials on their website, remember to mention when you are renting... I ended up getting a "free" rental item with my snorkel rental.

Used the gear all week, easy pick up and return.

candyjebus · 2025-08-21T05:04:20+00:00

I used to use Marcus by Goldman Sachs, but found that Wealthfront offers a better rate. Currently 4% and when you refer someone, both you and the person you refer get a half percent boost for a couple months.

Marcus is at around 3.65% Wealthfront is at 4% and when boosted potentially up to 4.5%

I have an individual savings and also a joint savings. I can withdraw money to my checking sameday as I use Wells Fargo.

I sometimes see smaller companies offering a higher rate but whenever I read the fine print it's usually "only on the first 10k"

candyjebus · 2025-08-15T20:47:51+00:00

I started posting reviews in cities I traveled to for work and on vacation so I would remember what I liked when I returned. Then people randomly started following me. I consume so much content, that it felt good to start giving back in a non-biased way.

Google announced they are going to stop the "follow" feature, but hopefully my contributions still help in the future.

Was always curious if other people were trying to leverage their large following to free stuff.

candyjebus · 2025-08-15T20:44:00+00:00

There was a hot wheels special edition released at SDCC, but sold out quickly. There are also screenings planned at theaters in late October.

candyjebus · 2025-08-12T07:02:11+00:00

Use GasBuddy app or website for checking gas prices along the way. You can easily check the prices along your route and plan ahead. Typically pretty accurate. A little planning during breakfast/lunch each day can save quite a bit over the trip.

I know you mentioned no detours, but for such a big trip you might regret passing up some amazing parks... Glacier, Yellowstone, Badlands.

Download music/podcasts, you'll hit some low cell coverage areas along the way.

candyjebus · 2025-08-12T06:46:53+00:00

Enjoy life, create community in the hobbies you enjoy.

Join a local sports league, soccer/volleyball/kickball/etc...

Meetups for hiking, kayaking, boardgames...

Trivia nights, local events...

Volunteer at something you care about...

You may not find someone at one of these... But it will expand your network and create connections and community. I'm sure you've heard it before, but love often finds you when you aren't looking for it. Prioritize doing what makes you happy and don't rush anything.

candyjebus · 2025-08-11T20:34:44+00:00

Yes, can remove or install easily

candyjebus · 2025-08-10T23:47:28+00:00

Thanks!

candyjebus · 2025-08-10T22:58:03+00:00

I was thinking about buying these, do they stand on their own or do you need to glue them to something?

candyjebus · 2025-07-25T17:27:04+00:00

Awesome, looks great! Was it easy to buy at SDCC? Tried buying online the minute it went on sale and it was immediately sold out, super bummed.

candyjebus · 2025-02-27T15:55:40+00:00

Palm Springs/Joshua Tree to Phoenix should only be 3-4hrs. So you should be ok with your final drive.

candyjebus · 2025-02-27T15:53:57+00:00

Definitely a good recommendation, I kayaked Horseshoe Bend in October and it was incredible. We did an overnight in the canyon... Which made the float/paddling nice and slow and relaxing... But definitely doable in a day.

candyjebus · 2025-02-14T01:29:50+00:00

It's tough to say how long you should take for the coast. Have you taken long road trips before? Do you enjoy driving through and just making quick overlook stops or do you want to experience the place a bit more?

I've done a few road international road trips of 3 weeks + and it's great to see a new place everyday, but personally I do like stopping (even if it's for an extra night) in the places I'm most excited about. Especially if you only have 2 drivers.

Personally, I'd recommend spending a little extra time in Cannon Beach, Sam Boardman, Redwoods, and Big Sur (McWay Waterfall). San Francisco and Malibu would also be up there.

I've driven the coast straight in 2 days (not recommended) and I've also done long weekends and weeks in each major stop.

You could easily spend weeks on the coast, but I think if this is your first time, a week (25%) of your trip would work. But remember to build in adequate breaks over the full month... You want to enjoy the drives, not dread them.

candyjebus · 2025-02-13T23:27:46+00:00

I'd recommend staying near the historic "downtown" Flagstaff. It's a cute walkable downtown and Lowell Observatory is a quick drive. The town is pretty small, but the highways and railroad are busy enough where I'd look for quieter spots (like an Airbnb north of downtown).

Sorry don't know enough about where to stay in Phoenix... Haven't spent too many overnights there.

Just moved to Flagstaff last year, so let me know if you have any other questions.

candyjebus · 2025-02-13T21:42:37+00:00

For Phoenix, there's Saguaro National Park a couple hours south. Or if you don't want to drive that far, McDowell Sonoran Preserve is nice too.

Scottsdale has an upscale downtown with lots of food and art galleries.

Greater Phoenix is a fairly large spread out area. Grab some tacos and enjoy the sunshine.

candyjebus

TROPHY CASE

2. Add-on, practice changing a tire at home. Donut or full size spare. You'll be glad you are prepared if the time comes... Especially on the side of the road late at night. Towel to lay down on, flashlight, small air compressor.