We recently had to leave our island comfort zone to take our son to his 1st year of college in Boulder, CO. As exciting as the new chapter is for the boy, selfishly, I did a little kicking and screaming as I did not want to leave our quiet little Covid-free (currently) island bubble. Fortunately, late last year we decided to convert our old truck to a pop-top camper for family camping trips/college visits, which would also allow us to experience some of the breathtaking beauty the US of A has to offer.

Our truck was parked at the in-laws’ place in Encinitas, CA, so after arriving in San Diego, we loaded up for a long road trip with an 8-month-old, a 12-year-old, and an 18-year-old. Yes, a variety of needs to be met along the 2,500+ mile journey. Luckily the camper allowed us to avoid hotels altogether, camp in state and national parks as well as get off the grid from time to time. With fires blazing in western Colorado, we took a roundabout route that took us through the following spots to name a few:

Stop 1

Lake Powell in southern Utah.

Stop 2

Park City for some mountain biking

Stop 3

Idaho to access the western entrance of Yellowstone National Park

Stop 4

Wyoming via the southern exit of Yellowstone into Grand Teton National Park

Stop 5

Colorado University at Boulder. Go Buffs! (Even though the photo is of a bison)

Heading Back to Kauai

The original plan was to return home to Kauai on September 1st and take advantage of the quarantine testing protocol that was supposed to allow those able to show a negative test the ability to skip the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Governor Ige had different plans and extended the mandatory two-week quarantine for visitors and returning residents alike so we cut the trip a little early and came home to serve our sentence.

The flight home was empty, maybe 20 people on a 737. The national guard greeted us upon arrival and require some paperwork to be filled out so they could monitor our quarantine and inform us of the guidelines.

Still no firm answer on when they will implement the testing protocol that will allow us to bypass quarantine and get to a new normal. Until then, those that return home must pay the price of time served. As you can see from the photos above, it was well worth it.