Day 10: Wedding Day in 3 Parts

Part 1:
Diane, Sam and I had made plans to get manicures first thing this morning and then continue on with running errands in town. After being pampered at the nail salon, we switched gears and were in "get 'er done" mode.  What a team we made!  Divide and conquer was the name of the game at Wal-Mart and after a quick stop to pick up the kegs, we were blowing up balloons, and hanging signs all the way up the mountain!  Back at the lodge, the table decorations were in place, the cake was displayed, the pig was roasting (since 6 am) and the bounce house was blown-up.  Yes, folks.  A bounce house.  'Cuz that's just how they roll...er, bounce, as it were. While everyone was doing what needed doing, I helped entertain McKenna.  We got along just fine, that is, until she caught glimpse of her parents or grandparents!  Zach helped out too, getting her to laugh and smile with his silly antics. She was such a  joy to play with!  At one point in the afternoon there was a calm that came over the lodge as everyone enjoyed some down-time before the wedding.  Oh, and did I mention that the weather was absolutely PERFECT?  Well, it was.  Just perfect.

Part 2:
Just before 4:00, people began to arrive.  Car after car made it's way up to the lodge delivering guests who greeted the family and each other in a kind of pre-ceremony reception.  In true Allison and Richard style, the events of the day unfolded naturally, without being dictated or rushed by schedules. When they were ready to start, the guests were seated on a point overlooking the beautiful mountain backdrop.  As soon as the music started, so did the tears.  Despite the easy-going feel of the wedding, emotions still prevailed.  How could they not?  Allison was simply radiant in her mother's wedding gown, walking barefoot down the aisle with her dad to the music Diane had walked to at her own wedding.  And there was Richard, waiting for his bride, handsome and smiling.  Throughout the ceremony, Allison and Richard displayed sweet exchanges of emotion; it was hard to keep the tears from falling.  Even with the tears, there was laughter.  And with Allison and Richard, how could there not be?  In his heartfelt vows to Allison, Richard added in that he "would always have granola bars" on their adventures together.  Allison even chuckled at herself when she was caught up with emotion during her vows.  At the moment that Allison and Richard were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brown, the guests cheered wildly and Richard picked Allison up, threw her over his shoulder and began running down the aisle, only to trip and fall to the ground...both of them...bride and groom, dust and dirt! The crowd gasped while they lay there slightly stunned but laughing. Not missing a beat, Richard helped Allison up, threw her over his shoulder a second time and proceeded to the reception tent.  And that was that. The party started.

Part 3:
The food line formed quickly; the smell of roasted pig, chicken and baked beans filled the air.  Nothing like a good 'ole western barbeque!  Dinner was fabulous and Blake and I enjoyed talking with one of the men who had been tending the pig all day.  The guests mingled and laughed, ate and drank.  Kids and adults made their way to the bounce house while others signed the 'guest book' which was a custom-made wooden bench that guests signed with a wood-burning tool. The cake was cut and the bouquet was tossed.  And the party carried on.  The music and dancing continued.  Memories were made.  Pictures were taken.  The older folks fizzled-out, the younger folks did not.  Allison and Richard were married!  What a perfect beginning to their "happily-ever-after."  We were so happy to be a part of it.

Day 9: Wedding preparations

Sam and I lucked out.  Brad made breakfast for her, and Blake made breakfast for me (as well as a few others).  Don't worry folks, Zach was fed in there somewhere along the way.  After breakfast, folks started dispersing, each to their own task.  Brad went to town with Diane to pick up flowers and Zach and I helped Allison and Sam make cupcakes for the wedding cake.  Allison was in charge of making the 2-layer cake topper and we were in charge of decorating the 50-60 cupcakes to accompany it.  The day progressed nicely; Brad and Sam made the floral arrangements including Allison's bouquet while I helped Diane make the wedding favors.  When the guys came back from the rental place, the tent, tables and chairs were put into place.  Everything was coming together and it all looked so great!

Before dinner, Allison and Sam were headed to town to pick up a few last minute things and invited me along. Yay!  A fun girl's trip!!  So as we were making our way down the mountain and before we made it out of the development, Allison interrupted our conversation with "Ut-oh."  That's never good.  Long story short, the car quit.  Just like that.  So one phone call and a few minutes later, the guys (Richard and his dad, David) came barreling down the mountain to our rescue.  Okay, maybe it wasn't quite so dramatic.  But there we all were trying to decide what the problem was.  Finally, the guys concluded we were out of gas although Allison maintained that we most certainly were not. After a quick search for a missing oil cap, Allison proceeded walking up the mountain continuing to look while David, Richard and I pushed the car off to the side of the road while Sam steered. Alas, up the mountain we went, retrieving Allison about two-thirds of the way up.  Come to find out a few days later, it was the relay switch that caused the car to quit, not an empty gas tank!

Back at the house, the final preparations for dinner were being made.  Diane and Brad took over for Richard, who started dinner but was suddenly called to rescue his bride.  A fabulous chicken enchilada dinner was finally served and all was good at the lodge...the food, the people, the conversation.  Most of us turned in early for the night in anticipation for the big day ahead, and a few were left to celebrate into the wee hours...

Day 8: Burros and wolves and bears, oh my! Arizona to Colorado

This morning....destination:  Durango.  But before we could get on the highway, Blake decided to take us on a surprise adventure!  We were about to enter "Bearizona," a brand-new drive through zoo and park.  As soon as we drove up to the entrance, both Zach and our dog Ana perked right up.  Ok...maybe I did, too.  I've always enjoyed going to drive through zoos, perhaps because of fond memories of visiting them as a child.  The zoo was situated on acres of beautifully landscaped property without looking or feeling overly manicured.  It was great to drive along and observe the animals in their 'natural' habitat.  We especially enjoyed the wolves when they came prancing over to the camper in search of food.  Or perhaps they sensed Ana in the camper who was inside whimpering and salivating at the sight of them!  The bear habitat was equally exciting, but they kept to themselves and continued playing with one another.  Ana really went nuts when she spotted the bear out the window!  We really enjoyed taking our time driving from one exhibit to another.  We seemed to hit it just right, too, because we were early enough in the season that it wasn't busy.  After the drive through portion, we parked and continued on to the walk-through zoo which was still under construction.  Blake observed that the exhibits were being built with old buses, trucks and cargo trains as the base of the structures. The baby bear exhibit was a favorite for us, but the petting zoo was the highlight.  We entered the petting area and had the entire place to ourselves.  We wandered around petting and observing the pigs, goats, chickens and peacocks.  After a few minutes, a zookeeper came into the area with buckets of veggies and grain for feeding.  Zach and I were able to help feed the hungry critters and just laughed at how they all came running when they saw the food buckets.  They all gathered around and greedily nudged each other to get closer to the food.  Zach just thought it was the best!

Our trip continued as we drove on through Flagstaff toward Colorado.  Again, the landscape continued to offer fantastic views through the desert and mountain terrain.  But as we drove along, I couldn't help but be saddened by the poor Indian reservations we saw.  Some of the remote areas were so devastated and run down, they hardly looked liveable. There were many natives set up alongside the road selling crafts and fry bread to tourists driving through.  What I found remarkable was the warm and friendly spirit of the native people whom we encountered at stops along the way. 

Our next stop was at Four Corners, USA...the only point in the United States where the borders of 4 states meet.  It happened to be on our way to Durango and was literally out in the middle of nowhere.
Zach had fun running through 4 states in 4 seconds!  We did the tourist thing and posed for photos on the exact point where the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.  After pictures, we chatted with the natives there and purchased some souvenirs to take home.

When we finally arrived at Rincon Lodge (aka Brown/Swan wedding headquarters) in Durango, we were met by Sam and Brad who arrived a few days prior, along with the Swan and Brown families.  Introductions were made and the partying began!  It was so great to be welcomed by warm, familiar faces and fun to meet some new ones as well.  The evening finished out with dinner, wine and great conversation.  Discussions and plans were made for the next day, the day before the wedding.  We were so honored to be included in the festivities.  Eventually, the celebrations subsided and everyone turned in for the night. 

Day 7: The Grand Canyon

Another 'picture this' moment:  After all the anticipation of our trip to the Grand Canyon, the weather went from cool, bright and sunny to cold, gray and snowy.  And so we entered The Grand Canyon National Park, and couldn't see a thing!  Go figure. This was the first visit to the Grand Canyon for both Zach and me.  Despite the crummy weather, the lodge area and the Grand Canyon village was congested and all hustle and bustle.  Blake commented on how much things had changed and become commercialized since his last visit 10+ years ago.  We decided to skip the village attractions at this point and drive the south rim heading east.  By the time we maneuvered all the ins and outs of the area, we were up on the rim with no views.  So, we pulled off and heated up some soup for lunch!  I must admit, it was kind of cozy and peaceful, sitting alongside the road, watching the snow fall and cover the pines.  I must also admit that I was disappointed.  Here we were at the Grand Canyon after months of anticipation and nothing...couldn't see even 50 ft in front of us!  At this point I thought we might just cut our GC trip short and move on to something else.  But after lunch, we drove up to a few lookout points and could catch glimpses of the canyon walls here and there.  We were hopeful.  The precipitation hung low, deep into the canyon but opened up in patchy areas enough to give us a sneak peek.  After a few more stops like this, the sky opened up and clearing began.  The true beauty and splendor emerged from the fog and mist to display the canyon in all its glory.  WOW!  That's all we could say.  The views were spectacular, but more impressive was the sheer size and depth of the canyon.  I honestly didn't think I'd be so moved by the grandeur of the canyon.  I really thought that I had a pretty good idea of the size and beauty of it from all the pictures and movies I've seen.  I honestly thought it was going to be one of those experiences where you would stand on the rim and look out and say, "Ok.  That was pretty.  Now let's go."  Instead, Zach and I would say, "Wow!  That is so beautiful.  We want to see more!"  And so we did, in and out of every lookout point along the way as we headed to the furthest point east at Desert View and The Watchtower.

After climbing the Watchtower with Zach and taking in the incredible views, we headed back to the village to catch a tour bus to take us to the west end of the south rim.  It was late in the day, nearing sunset, and Blake was thankful not to have to drive.  We just sat back and enjoyed the ride, stopping at points along the way.  Sure, the views continued to be spectacular, especially with the setting sun, but it was at this point in the day that we enjoyed chatting with other folks riding the bus with us.  Well, I should clarify.  Zach chatted, and Blake and I, for the most part, just listened and chuckled to ourselves as Zach carried on about about everything from his travel adventures to the tooth fairy.  Let's just say, God bless the retirees who engaged Zach in conversation all the while genuinely enjoying everything he had to say.

As we left the park at dusk, we saw many elk and mule deer grazing alongside the road. We stayed at a campground in Williams, about an hour south of the park, so we stopped at a restaurant along the way for dinner.  As we were heading inside, a young couple parked and emerged from their car that was decorated with a "Just Married" sign.  Entering the restaurant at the same time, we congratulated them and they just beamed.  After ordering our dinner, Blake excused himself from the table (and anyone who knows Blake well enough knows he was up to something).  When he returned, I said, "You just paid for their meal (meaning the newlyweds), didn't you?"  He replied, "I don't know what you are talking about."  But sure enough, their waiter brought us their bill.  Blake paid it and we left without them ever knowing.  We returned to the campsite exhausted, but refreshed from the beauty of the outdoors and a day full of wonderful memories.

Day 6: New Mexico to Arizona

Today was another day of hot, dry, desert driving.  Add in winds upwards of 40 mph and that gives us dust.  Lots of dust, sand and tumbleweed blowing across the road, just like you see in the movies.  At times, it was all Blake could do to keep the camper on the road. We stopped at a Wal-Mart out in the middle of nowhere (literally) so Blake could nap and Zach and I could pick up a few essentials (like water).  It was quite a scene...picture this:  Zach and me, walking (sideways, against the wind) across the parking lot, Zach with his eyes clenched shut, and me clinging to the boy so he wouldn't be blown away!  When we returned to the camper, we found Blake spitting dust and sand that had been blown into the camper through whatever crevice it could find.  Everything in the camper was covered in dust!  Suddenly, everything had a reddish-brown hue. Oh joy. By the end of the day, Blake's forearms and wrists had quite the workout from battling the desert winds!  Conditions improved slightly as we crossed the border from New Mexico to Arizona when the landscape began changing as well.  As dusk approached, we finally spotted some elk along the road.  We arrived at our campsite late, but the night was clear and beautiful and the stars were shining bright in the ink-black sky.  Things were calm again and we settled in for a good night's rest.

Day 5: Texas and New Mexico

Hot.  Dry.  Dusty.  And hot.  We have places to go and things to see, but in order to get there, we must drive...long distances.  And so we drove, or rather, Blake drove and I napped (only a little) while Zach kept Blake company up front.  Zach was so excited to finally reach 'the desert!'  Not a lot of excitement other than the discovery that we lost the trim (side panel) to the camper door.  We expected to lose a hubcap, but an actual piece of trim?  And so it goes on the open road...

When we finally made it to Albuquerque, we stopped at the first 'non-chain' restaurant we saw and pulled into The Owl Cafe.  As is often the case, it didn't look like much, but man, did they have GOOD food.  We're talking really good food, folks.  It wasn't until after leaving the restaurant did I learn that they are known for their green chile burgers and were once featured on the Food Network. Blake and I both ordered burritos, however, his with green chile and mine with red.  We agreed.  Best burritos ever.  The menu even had a disclaimer about their chile sauce being "muy caliente"!  Even so, they were absolutely delicious.  And since it was Mother's Day, we ordered homemade desserts to boot.  So today was about the food.  Let's face it.  On road trips, you'll have good food and you'll have bad food.  And if you're lucky, you'll have really, really good food.  Today, we were lucky.

**Gas deal of the day:  Erick, OK (7 miles from TX border)  $3.69/gal.

Day 4: Oklahoma

Wouldn't you know it, but when we woke up Saturday morning, there was a yard sale at the campground!  We scored some great deals, but I can't share all the details just yet because I found something for my mom.  Sorry, mom, you have to wait until we get to GR to see what I got you!  What I can tell you is that Zach was thrilled to find a great deal on a brand new water gun!  And how fitting because the temps would soar into the 90's for the weekend!  As we drove west through Oklahoma, we decided it would be fun to stop in Arcadia, home of several iconic Route 66 landmarks.  We decided on 'Pops' for dinner, a soda-shop/restaurant/gas station featuring a wide variety of bottled soda in every flavor imaginable. Blake chose a buffalo burger for dinner while Zach and I opted for regular beef burgers to go with our yummy sodas; any guesses on our soda choices??  Well, I went with the Route 66 Cream Soda, Zach chose Kutztown Red Cream Soda and Blake ended up with Big Red.  The overall experience was just ok; we might have enjoyed it more if the service was better.  Oh well.  We came, we saw, we moved on.  But, not very far.  While we originally decided to try to get to Amarillo, TX that night, Blake was drawn to a campground just down the road from Pops.  It turned out to be a great stop. Temps finally cooled down after sunset so we sat around the campfire and enjoyed the evening.  Our camping experience has been great so far, despite the bunk refrigerator and a few other kinks with the camper.  The days are long on the road, but the rest is good at night.  The Dad Wagon is the perfect camper for this type of travel...all the conveniences for long road trips without all the mumble-jumble for full-on RV camping.  Dad would have loved this trip.


An LOL moment:  In the morning, Zach came running into the camper saying, "Quick! Quick!  I need my video camera!"  When asked what it was he saw, he said "Hurry!  It's a snail!"  LOL

Day 3: From Springfield to Springfield and Route 66

Illinois to Missouri...
Today Zach and I visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum while Blake serviced a few blocks away.  We took our time in each of the galleries, taking in all the details of Lincoln's life.  The displays seemed to come to life with the use of life-like wax figures and recreations of places like the log cabin where Lincoln was born in Kentucky and his law office in Springfield, Illinois to rooms in the White House. There were 2 shows to take in, which were both informative and entertaining.  Zach had fun playing in Mrs. Lincoln's attic where he dressed up in period clothing, played with old-fashioned toys and constructed a log cabin with Lincoln Logs.  Zach's souvenir purchase of the day was a bag of Civil War figures.  He has also been collecting the penny souvenirs that you press out of a machine with an imprint on it.

After leaving Springfield, IL, we started toward our next destination:  Springfield, MO.  As is often the case, I was in the back napping while Zach was up front chatting away with Blake (Zach gave him the play by play of our day at the museum).  I woke up just as we were passing through St. Louis, just in time to see the arch.  The next time I woke up, Zach and Blake announced that we were going on a cavern adventure!  In all his years of traveling, Blake said he must have passed by Meramec Caverns one hundred times.  But, today, we would stop.  It turned out to be a wonderful 'private' tour as we were the only 3 people for the last tour of the day.  We even had a tour guide named Blake!  The deeper we went into the cave, the more beautiful it was!  The stalactites and stalagmites were absolutely beautiful!  Zach mentioned how creepy it was to be deep inside the cave, just the four of us.  But Blake and I thought it was perfect.  We couldn't imagine being able to enjoy the tour as much as we did if we had to rub elbows with 97 other people!  So yes, this was truly an adventure; one that Zach couldn't stop talking about!  A few more flattened pennies and a couple of souvenir coins later, we were back on track heading to our campground in Springfield, MO.

This morning, we discovered that our refrigerator wasn't working.  It's a bit of a bummer, but as long as the coffee pot works, I'm okay :)  We may just have to resort to a cooler and a bag of ice, like people did in the old days!

A fun tidbit:  Our travels today and in the days to come will take us along some stretches of the famed Route 66....

**Gas deal of the day:  Stanton, MO  $3.75/gal

Day 2: Birmingham to Springfield

We pulled into an RV park late last night and settled in for a good night's rest.  The morning had me brewing coffee and fixing 'dip' eggs and toast for me and the boys.  The amenities were non-existent at the so-called RV park, so after breakfast, we started out for our next stop at UAB Medical Center. This stop would take about 3 hours, so Zach and I made ourselves at home in the camper. While I re-organized our living space, a Star Wars battle ensued in the back of the camper, complete with sound effects and hidden storm-troopers.  Once we got down to business, Zach and I worked on his travel journal.  He loved it because he was able to color and add stickers.  I encouraged him to use the journal as a way to keep track of little details (like the yummy vanilla chai he had yesterday from a neat little coffee shop in Corbin, KY) and the prices of things (his chai was just a few cents less than a gallon of gas). We will add pictures to his journal later, but in the meantime, we will add facts about the states and places we visit and fond memories of our daily adventures.

As we drove north from Birmingham, we saw evidence of tornado damage from the storms that ripped through the area the week before.  While the damage we saw was nowhere near the devastating images we have seen on the news, it was still enough to offer a glimpse of the fury the tornadoes left behind. We also saw huge disaster relief semi's and Red Cross volunteers heading in to offer help and hope to the victims. In stark contrast to the weather system that caused these horrible storms, the weather today was gorgeous with bright, sunny skies and temps in the upper 60's.

We had our first restaurant meal for dinner this evening since leaving Brevard yesterday morning.  While camper-dining is cheap and convenient, it does lack the offerings of a well-balanced diet.  Blake and I were both craving salads and Zach....well, he was craving a cheeseburger!

'Quip' of the day:  Zach and I were playing "My Father Owns a Grocery Store" and it was my turn to guess.  The letter Zach called was "Q".  So, of course, I started guessing things like quince, quail and Quinoa.  Stumped, I finally gave up, at which time Zach chuckled and yelled, "cucumber"!!!  

**Gas deal of the day:  Bessemer, AL  $3.99/gal

Day 1: On the road...

Greetings from 'the Dad Wagon'!  Join me, along with fellow travelers, Blake, Zach and our dog, Ana, as we chronicle our journey across the country and back again. We will post highlights and share random musings from the places we go, the sights we see and the characters we meet along the way.  We are regular 'road-trippers', having logged many miles together over the years, but we are usually riding in an over-packed mini-van.  This time, we are on what we consider to be a 'real' road-trip as we are traveling in true comfort and style in Dad's beloved Rialta camper, now lovingly known as The Dad Wagon.

We have been planning this trip for months now.  We are going to Durango, CO for the wedding of Allison and Richard later this month, and figured we'd make the most of a trip out west by adding in  places we'd like to visit along the way.  Well, mostly along the way...but even if a few of the places are a little out of the way, we figure we might as well make the effort to see and do as much as we can.

Today, however, and for the next few days, we will be working.  This translates in to 4 accounts in 4 states.  Corbin, KY was first and now we are on to Birmingham, AL.

As Blake does all the driving, Zach and I spend our time in the back reading, playing games, watching movies and napping (okay...I'm the only napper...Zach is a die-hard traveler and often sits up front to keep Blake company with his constant chatter).  Today we read about Abraham Lincoln.  We studied about Lincoln a few months ago and because we are going to Springfield, IL, I wanted to refresh Zach's memory about all we learned.  While Blake is servicing, Zach and I plan to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.  Sam and I once did a similar field trip years ago by visiting all the landmarks related to Lincoln in downtown Springfield.  Zach is also brushing up on states and capitals and other fun facts by playing a game called "Stack the States" on the the iPad.  During this trip, Zach will also be keeping a travel journal. 

We hope you'll check in with us from time to time...we have some great stops planned!

**Gas deal of the day:  Corbin, KY  $3.75/gal