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vacation part 2
We left Flagstaff (I really like that town) and had 48 hours to get the minivan back to Dodge City, KS and pick up the repaired car. We stayed in a Hostel in Sante Fe but really didn't have time to do anything besides eat and sleep before we were on the road again. The drivers around there are CRAZY, speeding worse than I've seen it anywhere. We were really frusturated when we realized it would take almost 8 hours to get back to Dodge City so we were up at the crack of dawn to start driving. We didn't stop much except for restroom breaks and gas. We made it to Dodge city, transfer everything from the rental into the car and got the rental back with 23 minutes to spare !!!
Our plan was to drive into Boulder to see the Celestial Seasonings tour and camp in the Rockies. When we got to Boulder, we missed the tours and the plan was to camp close enough to the whitewater rafting place. At this point, we're all tired and cranky (at least I'll admit to that!) I'm also hot and wanting to come up with a plan together. We get into an argument in the grocery store, I'm hot so I want to make plans with what to do and what to buy for camping, she doesn't care and wants me to do it. After almost 2 stubborn hours later we finally agree that it's too late to camp and we should get a room, because Boulder is more expensive and our budget is dwindling I suggest sitting in a coffee shop to check priceline (wonder why we didn't do this before) but there's almost nothing left in the area (we later find out there was a HUGE convention that booked most things up). We end up with a reasonnably priced smoking KING sized suite with a jacuzzi tub. The boy slept on the couch and we all took turns in the tub. I checked our budget and thought we were already over it with almost 4 days remaining. This was after I made a KOA reservation for acamper cabin Kamper Kabin in Cheyenne Wyoming for our start home. I was really stressed about it and couldn't believe that we were so off the budget but I kept trying to relax and let it go because it woudn't be any fun if we stressed.
Next day we go to the tea tour and then to the whitewater rafting. I admit I wasn't looking forward to it, I almost drown in a motel pool as a kid and can only swim marginally. I think I also envisioned things much worse than it really was. I enjoyed it. The guide was GREAT. She really did a nice job. The boy had a blast doing the whitewater rafting. We were feeling good if not a little tired. Took off for Wyoming and had fun trying to find the place, I think P was a little more than annoyed but she never really showed it much.
Sleep and then back in the car to Black Hills, I took a wrong turn and added more time to the driving but it was beautiful driving through the Black Hills. I didn't realize how wonderful it is there. We found a campground paid for 2 nights. We had previously bought some food in Wheaton at the most friendliest Safeway's I've ever been to. She set up the tents and I made the dinner, we ate by latern light but the tents were up. The next day was a visit and tour at Jewel Cave, skipped going in to Crazy Horse (they wanted $25 for our car of 3!) and Mount Rushmore. It was HOT and we were tired so back to dinner andcampfire (there was a fire ban we were informed).
Our plan was to find the old mining ghost town that was suppose to be next to the campground but we couldn't find it and it was too hot for us to look to hard. We also decided it was too hot to stop at the Cosmos Mystery spot (they have one in WI that we may go to). The plan was to drive straight through to the family reunion. This was about 6 hours through South Dakota nothing.....in 105+ heat. We did stop at Wall Drug which was uninspiring, spent about 15 minutes there using the bathroom and buying donughts, the crazy boy stayed in the car (yes, in the horrid heat!).
We did make it to the family reunion, stayed longer than planned (the boy was having fun) we had previously decided to just drive straight through to home instead of crashing there. We were tired, homesick and the cabin didn't have AC. P drove a part and I drove the rest through a lot of heat lightening, some rain and LOTs of wind. I lost one of the roads and the boy had to help me out but we finally made it home around 4am on Sunday morning. Spent the day sleeping and just not moving.
Monday meant back to work for the adults and the boy needed to clean even if he spent 15 out of the next 21 hours back on the computer.
That's my report, impressions? I'll give those in my next post.
Our plan was to drive into Boulder to see the Celestial Seasonings tour and camp in the Rockies. When we got to Boulder, we missed the tours and the plan was to camp close enough to the whitewater rafting place. At this point, we're all tired and cranky (at least I'll admit to that!) I'm also hot and wanting to come up with a plan together. We get into an argument in the grocery store, I'm hot so I want to make plans with what to do and what to buy for camping, she doesn't care and wants me to do it. After almost 2 stubborn hours later we finally agree that it's too late to camp and we should get a room, because Boulder is more expensive and our budget is dwindling I suggest sitting in a coffee shop to check priceline (wonder why we didn't do this before) but there's almost nothing left in the area (we later find out there was a HUGE convention that booked most things up). We end up with a reasonnably priced smoking KING sized suite with a jacuzzi tub. The boy slept on the couch and we all took turns in the tub. I checked our budget and thought we were already over it with almost 4 days remaining. This was after I made a KOA reservation for a
Next day we go to the tea tour and then to the whitewater rafting. I admit I wasn't looking forward to it, I almost drown in a motel pool as a kid and can only swim marginally. I think I also envisioned things much worse than it really was. I enjoyed it. The guide was GREAT. She really did a nice job. The boy had a blast doing the whitewater rafting. We were feeling good if not a little tired. Took off for Wyoming and had fun trying to find the place, I think P was a little more than annoyed but she never really showed it much.
Sleep and then back in the car to Black Hills, I took a wrong turn and added more time to the driving but it was beautiful driving through the Black Hills. I didn't realize how wonderful it is there. We found a campground paid for 2 nights. We had previously bought some food in Wheaton at the most friendliest Safeway's I've ever been to. She set up the tents and I made the dinner, we ate by latern light but the tents were up. The next day was a visit and tour at Jewel Cave, skipped going in to Crazy Horse (they wanted $25 for our car of 3!) and Mount Rushmore. It was HOT and we were tired so back to dinner and
Our plan was to find the old mining ghost town that was suppose to be next to the campground but we couldn't find it and it was too hot for us to look to hard. We also decided it was too hot to stop at the Cosmos Mystery spot (they have one in WI that we may go to). The plan was to drive straight through to the family reunion. This was about 6 hours through South Dakota nothing.....in 105+ heat. We did stop at Wall Drug which was uninspiring, spent about 15 minutes there using the bathroom and buying donughts, the crazy boy stayed in the car (yes, in the horrid heat!).
We did make it to the family reunion, stayed longer than planned (the boy was having fun) we had previously decided to just drive straight through to home instead of crashing there. We were tired, homesick and the cabin didn't have AC. P drove a part and I drove the rest through a lot of heat lightening, some rain and LOTs of wind. I lost one of the roads and the boy had to help me out but we finally made it home around 4am on Sunday morning. Spent the day sleeping and just not moving.
Monday meant back to work for the adults and the boy needed to clean even if he spent 15 out of the next 21 hours back on the computer.
That's my report, impressions? I'll give those in my next post.
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This time there were more people and a little more freedom to do things (instead of being on the train).
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