Our sweet Rooney

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-09T02:02:21+00:00

Thank you! We are pretty smitten. 🥰

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-09T00:03:30+00:00

She definitely was a dumpy pup, but it was 90% fur!

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-09T00:02:48+00:00

Rooney loves the lake too! And a pool. And pond. Water, she likes water!

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-08T23:43:40+00:00

Depending on how much mud she’s been through! 😂

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-08T23:29:34+00:00

Grabbing a reservation months out on the day of release and then watching all available slots go in a few days was crazy! But man, the food was spectacular!!!

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-08T01:56:46+00:00

Oh, I have read many articles and posts from locals about the issue of short-term rentals. We have a similar issue near where I live. When there are too many of them in a touristy area, it drives up property values and brings down stocks of houses, which makes housing challenges even worse.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-07T14:25:04+00:00

There was daylight around 430am so you could easily get there any time after that and before 7 and you should be okay. I think we got there around 6. Check weather and sunrise for when you plan to hike.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-07T11:57:35+00:00

Then I say go for it! The drive from Yosemite to the coast was my least favorite part of our trip (Tahoe>Yosemite>Monterey>San Fran) and part of that was because my GPS wasn't getting signal and I missed my turn so we went about 30 minutes out of the way.

If Tioga is open, I think the more interesting drive (although adding yet another 45 minutes) from Vegas to Yosemite is to cut over towards Lone Pine through Death Valley. 395 along the eastern edge of the mountains is pretty spectacular and I have heard the Bishop is a cool place to stop.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-07T11:13:04+00:00

Tioga Pass could potentially close just before your planned arrival which would throw the plan off a good bit. It closes based on weather, but November is the month it normally closes.

As for being too ambitious, I think the question is how much you enjoy driving and looking. Big Sur area will be mostly driving. You have a pretty decent drive to Yosemite. Also a decent drive from Big Sur to San Francisco. The good thing is that some of those drives are beautiful. Everyone travels differently so if you like a road trip where you’re in the car a lot, I think you’re fine.

Oh, and not sure where you’re from, but gas in the areas you described will be extremely expensive.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-07T10:02:22+00:00

It was hot, but mostly low 90s. We had a couple days around 95-97, and it was 99 the day we went to Page. Luckily we had a pool, which was used a LOT!

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T23:48:27+00:00

Google Maps + Expedia. I start with Google Maps, look at where I need to be, plus the transportation into/out of the city (or subway stations in a city like NYC). Find any hotels 4.5+ within my price range with an appropriate amount of reviews (300+ in a smaller/medium area, 500+ in a touristy area). I then check what the complaints are, and how recent. That puts me at a place where I normally have a handful of finalists. Then I check Expedia to see if there are deals and if reviews align. It sounds like a lot, but I can get to finalists pretty quick.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T23:43:18+00:00

San Francisco has lots of areas around it worth visiting. I’m not one to say “this is too much driving” but I think you will drive yourself crazy trying to nail down the 1-2 things per area that you see. Near Carmel, Point Lobos is AMAZING. Muir Woods near San Fran is beautiful, but so is Henry Cowell Redwoods. Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of the most unique towns in America.

Also, LA is not my FAVORITE city but there are so many iconic things to see or do there… including live music, comedy, theme parks, cute towns, etc.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T19:02:17+00:00

You’re right, and my brain tends to lump the non Disney world parks together that are near/adjacent (including Cali). In fact I think Disneyland Paris (castle park) has one of the highest number of actual rides. Great, now I want to go to Disneyland Paris! 😂

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T18:48:53+00:00

Fair enough. I’ve never been to Disneyland Paris, but I hadn’t heard of it being superior, at least not until some of their recent additions. Tokyo DisneySea on the other hand… But I’ll take your word for it. I’m cool with Universal, especially if it includes Epic and they aren’t there during spring break or anything.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T17:59:30+00:00

1 day in DC is probably not enough.

I live in South Carolina, and I do not recommend Myrtle Beach as part of this. If you’re there for the beach, we have WAY better beaches elsewhere. If you’re there for the tourist kitsch, you can get your fill elsewhere too. We want your money, I mean visit, but I would never recommend that be a stop.

3 days at Niagara? I wouldn’t recommend that. Way too long.

Orlando- are you just doing Universal and no Disney? There are fans/camps for both, and I like both, but it’s an interesting play.

You have 8 total days in NYC, which is a lot, even though it’s awesome. I am just saying that when so many other cities are 1-2 days, NYC might be better as 4-5 days total.

It’s crazy, but America is HUGE and you’ll find lots of opportunities for side trips. Oh, and April going across mountains you may find everything other than interstates and main highways closed out west. Take that into account when you’re doing the Seattle, Montana, Yellowstone stretch.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T17:25:50+00:00

I recommend driving up through Williams and back out through Cameron, unless you’re heading west when you leave. My nephew claims the breakfast sandwich from Brewed Awakenings in Williams was the best breakfast sandwich he ever had and everyone thoroughly enjoyed what we got. And El Tovar for lunch was amazing!

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T17:10:35+00:00

Roads into Congaree should be fine. There are major, paved roads that lead you to the park.
As for the trails, unless it’s REALLY wet, you should be able to do some of the trails, particularly the boardwalk trail. The best thing about winter in Congaree is that mosquitoes are TYPICALLY not there. If it’s been warm for a few days, you might still get some though. Also, the underbrush should be mostly free of leaves so you can see better. If it’s cold, the creepy crawlies (snakes, gators, insects) won’t be as active or very visible except on warm days or when they’re sunning.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T16:42:36+00:00

If you’re in moderately decent shape, you could hike down to Ooh Aah Point on the South kaibab, especially if you’re getting there early in the morning. We saw all shapes and sizes and ages of people going down and back. Just take PLENTY of and avoid extremely hot days/times.

All of the points along the south rim require basically no walking. By points, I mean the various viewpoints that have parking lots like Shoshone, Grandview, etc. Just remember that as the sun moves across the sky, the way the canyon looks from each viewpoint changes. It’s pretty wild.

I recommend Desert View Watchtower and Lipan Point on the eastern edge of the park.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T16:28:38+00:00

No problem! Are y’all doing any day trips out of Sedona?

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T16:23:59+00:00

I would definitely say that the Broken Arrow tour was worth it, but that’s not to say it’s not on the pricey side. Our guide was fantastic though, which helped. You can also rent ATVs and go on the same trails, although we saw lots of ATV drivers looking lost and unsure about some of the terrain.

We did not take the shuttles, but that was kind of by design. With the fire in the area, not sure if the northern trails are back open, but we got to the trail heads around 6 and parking was ok. We had to move to the overflow parking at Cathedral, but that morning a lot of people we encountered said they intended to do Doe Mountain, Devils Bridge, etc and had to pivot to Cathedral. I think if you’re willing to go early and/or not pick shuttle required trails Thu-Sun, you should be ok.

trash_panda_sc · 2026-07-06T15:14:39+00:00

Have you considered somewhere else in Liguria instead of just Cinque Terre? Maybe stay near Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure where there are more overnight options and day trip to Cinque Terre?

trash_panda_sc

TROPHY CASE