Idyllwild: Third and Final (Half) Day + Tips

[Scroll to the end, if you're just looking for the travel tips]

On our last day, I really wanted to have breakfast out, instead of eating leftover oats from who-knows-when that we found in the pantry at our chalet. We walked into town for breakfast at Idyllwild Bake Shop & Brew. I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast tots (topped with fried eggs, sausage, and pico de gallo), and OF COURSE we had to have another cinnamon roll. I'm going to be thinking about that cinnamon roll for weeks to come. The kids played inside and then outside on the graded patio before we headed back home to pack.

"All I need are these wooden donuts." (not an actual Ada quote)

TOTS!

My favorite thing on this trip was simply sitting outside on the patio and watching nature do its thing. But the sucky part about nature is the STUPID BUGS. I couldn't go five seconds without having to swat or kick something away. I can't help but freak out when something is buzzing IN my ear. I alternated between two methods: 1) being all chill by letting the bugs do what they may and 2) performing an auto-swat thing with my hands and shaking my foot. All while attempting to read. (Side note: I just started reading Little Fires Everywhere.) And watch birds. Anywho, about when I couldn't stand the bugs any longer, I went inside to finish packing up.

We returned to Idyllwild BrewPub for lunch. I wasn't as impressed with the food this time—though the brussels sprouts with ponzu mayo were still on point. But we had a good time playing cornhole as a family afterward. I thought, "Oh, this is good for the kids to be stretching their legs before the two-hour drive back home."

I'm cracking up at how the apparent hook in Cliff's mouth was totally by accident

Which leads me to the drive back home...

You know when you're just done with family, and you want them to stop talking? You know when you assume something—nay, you're SURE of something, because it's completely logical—but the universe is all "Ha ha! I'm going to poop all over your logical assumption!"

I assumed the kids would nap in the car. Because that drive over mountains and around curves and gentle rolling hills... it was putting ME to sleep. So, it would stand to reason that the kids, who were up LATE last night, and woke up EARLY at 5:30 this morning—they'll totally both sleep, and we'll have a peaceful ride home, and I can sip my coffee and eat my chocolate and read my book in quiet peace.

****Insert buzzer sound here*****

Nope. Nope. Nope. They were delirious. And giddy. They (mostly Ada) didn't stop talking and singing about poop and farts. And whining about ears popping. I'm glad they entertained themselves, and even held hands a bit. But I much prefer a quiet car.

I kept thinking about what Heather MacFadyen of the God-Centered Mom podcast says: don't sabotage the good in pursuit of the great. I didn't end up with the great, but boy was that vacation (including the drive home) GOOD.

And now, some tips. Don't even think that I think I'm an expert here. The following tips (and actually...this whole blog) are for me. For my bad memory that can't remember even the most basic things.

Tips for Travelling with Kids in Idyllwild:

• It's not very stroller-friendly. The downtown area has very few sidewalks (if you can even call them that) and lots of bumps and steps. If you're trekking more than a half mile into town, be aware that you'll be in close proximity to the locals' cars zipping past.
• The library is a HUGE win: air conditioning, kid-friendly activities, and a spot for your spouse to hang out while you wine-taste without him or her.
• Idyllwild Bake Shop & Brew has a kids' kitchen and various toys to keep them entertained while you sip delicious lattes and eat amazing pastries.
• Idyllwild BrewPub is spacious and pretty kid-friendly. The lower area has cornhole and jumbo dice, but there's not really a spot to eat your food.
• The bugs are insane in summertime. Our kids didn't get bites (either they got lucky or they simply didn't inherit the delicious bug-juice blood that I have), but don't forget the bug spray—if not for them, for you, so you don't end up itching all vacation.
• Decide whether it's important to have heat/AC. Our kids did fine in a cooler room of the house (luckily the house had portable fans). But what we got in charm, we paid for in uncomfortable lack of air conditioning. I found it hard to sleep. In wintertime, I'm guessing most places have central heat, but it's something to consider.
• OMG bring lotion in summer. And not that water-as-the-first-ingredient crap. I'm talking the GOOD stuff. Right now, we're going to take a moment and remember my skin, before it went to the DRY, 95-degree summer heat in Idyllwild. Before it looked fifty years older than it actually is.

  

  I seriously aged ten years (and may have gained five pounds, but I can't blame that one on the heat...)