Spring Break — Ostriches, Dunes & a Pool Shark Rematch

Fourteen days. Two boys, one Giant Schnauzer, one Sprinter van, and enough ground covered that Huxley and Hudson now have strong opinions about dispersed camping.

It started with a flight — Richmond to Phoenix, then van down to Tucson. Angel was there. Spring break officially commenced.

The first real move was west. Tucson to San Diego, but not the fast way. We stopped at Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm somewhere in the Arizona desert, which is exactly what it sounds like — a farm full of ostriches, birds, and various animals that will eat food directly from your hand with zero hesitation. The boys were in. Todd observed from a safe distance, which was the correct call.

Imperial Sand Dunes came next. The kind of place that makes you feel like you're on a different planet — massive, windswept, completely absurd in the best way. Then we dropped into San Diego and hit Mission Bay. Camped there for the night. Woke up to the water.

Before heading north we ran the coast. La Jolla first — the seals at La Jolla Cove were doing exactly what they always do, which is absolutely nothing, completely unbothered by every human pointing a camera at them. Then we kept going north through Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Encinitas, Leucadia, Carlsbad, Oceanside. About fifty miles of coast towns, windows down, no particular hurry. Then we hung a right and headed for the desert.

Las Vegas with kids is a specific kind of experience. We did the Bellagio fountains, which genuinely hold up. We bowled. We did the strip. We stayed in the van, which in retrospect is a bold choice in a Vegas parking situation but it worked. The boys thought Vegas was simultaneously the greatest and strangest place they'd ever seen, which is the correct reaction.

From Vegas we pointed toward Big Bear Lake. Made it all the way to the campground. It looked great. It was full. Tried dispersed camping as a backup — the road got sketchy fast. Huxley, eight years old, called it. Said turn around. We turned around. Kid has good instincts.

Sedona instead. Camped for the night. In the morning we cooked bacon and eggs outside, which is one of those things that just tastes different when you're doing it in red rock country at elevation with nowhere to be.

Back to Tucson. Hung out with Angel for a night or two. Huxley wanted to go roller skating — the place was closed. He pivoted immediately to ice cream, which honestly showed real resilience and good priorities.

Flew back to Richmond. Stayed at the Graduate Hotel. Pool tables were still there. Huxley was still a pool shark. The rematch went about the same as the first one.

Fourteen days. Two kids who now know what an ostrich feels like when it eats out of your hand. Worth every mile.