Greetings from New Mexico! We have been on the road for over 3 weeks now, and are officially beginning the long trek home. Janice and the boys have now seen many of the wonderous sights I've seen over the last 9 or so years. First with Gary, my good friend, on motorcycles in 2007; then with Barbara in a car in 2011. None of the trips were the same, but this trip is the most special because of the people with me. My new wife and my two only grandsons make this the best trip ever.
There have been some difficult times along the way. I get very tired at the end of the day, and my patience gets very thin. At those times, if the boys aren't behaving, I get really cranky. Tonight was one of those nights. I feel bad when I get short with the boys, but I don't seem to be able to prevent it. So, I'm feeling down tonight. I don't want to admit it, but maybe I bit off more than I can chew. Four and a half weeks on the road, unpacking and repack ingredients the car every day, with two energetic boys is a lot. 15 National Parks or monuments in 23 days is a busy schedule!
But there have been many, many great times as well. I cherish the talks I've had with each boy. I've explained to them about my lack of contact with my grandfathers and the reasons for this trip, and I believe they understand. Each has told me that they will remember me. Both have told me how glad they are that they are with me and Janice on the trip. So, the good far outweighs the bad.
The list of "to dos" for the trip are nearly completed. We still have more than 2,000 miles between us and home, so perhaps we'll stumble into some interesting stops en-route. In any case, I will cherish the time with Janice and the boys between here and home.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Yellowstone Update
We're spending our last night in West Yellowstone tonight. Today it was overcast and showers, so we came in early, missing out the new only one "must see" item. Rain drove us away, but we plan to go there tomorrow as we're leaving the Park. Otherwise, our time in the park was perfect. We saw just about every hot feature, most animals, and every Creek and river there. Jessie and Adrian were amazed, and my gang loved it. This being my fourth visit, I spent my focus on them and their level of satisfaction. I am very pleased that they have enjoyed it as much as they have.
Tomorrow we leave and head south into the Grand Tetons National Park. We'll have two cars, so we'll not be able to share as a family on the way there and on to Jackson. But I intend to make the most of it. The boys wanted to ride with their parents, so it will be some alone time for Janice and me.
After Jackson, we all leave on Tuesday morning for Salt Lake city got out last night together on this trip. Wednesday morning, Jessie and Adrian will leave us at the hotel and fly to San Francisco for several days there and then several days in the Napa Valley. Then home after that.
We, on the other hand, plan to head east to Dinosaur National Monument and then south to Moab and other parks and attractions. We're approximately half way through our epic adventure. I am so blessed and pleased to be able to do this with my family and my wife. I don't know why God is so good to me, but I recognize that HE is and am so thankful for that blessing.
More down the road.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
West Yellowstone
8/3/16 We made it to West Yellowstone! Tired, and a little beat up, but we're okay. Traveling with two rambunctious boys takes a lot of energy and patience. We love them with all our hearts, but they're two very active boys.
Their parents have now joined us. Their travels worked just as planned, so they met us at the hotel. The boys were so excited to see mom and dad. While the boys never whined or complained about being homesick or missing their parents, it was easy to see their eyes light up and their excitement on their nightly telephone calls or Face Time sessions. So having them to touch and hold, and their voices made them very happy.
I can tell that their behavior is different when mom and dad are with them, but only a little. They are good boys, pretty normal from my perspective.
Janice is doing fine now. She's like a kid seeing something exciting and new for the first time. She gets excited and grabs the camera to record what she's seeing. I'm so happy that we are able to do a trip like this with loved ones. She's loving time with the boys.
We've had one significant downer on the trip. About 4am on August 1, my phone rung. It was from my son in law. He was on his way to work and he glanced at our property as he does every morning. He noted that the roll-up door to our shop was open. He knew we were out of town and it was shut each day earlier. Driving down the driveway and behind the house to the shop, he could see that the 4 wheeler always parked in the shop was missing. Someone had broken the locking mechanism and stolen our almost-new ATV!
He called law enforcement and waited on their arrival. After 2 hours, the deputy arrived, did his investigation, found one partial fingerprint, and filed a report. We have some suspicions as to who did it, but we know it had to be someone who knew we had one, knew where it was kept, and knew we were away from home. Damn!
Initially we were pretty upset. But after thinking about the situation, decided not to let a stolen 4 wheeler spoil our vacation. It's a shame that there are low down thieves like that, but there are. It can be replaced.
The other part involving the incident is realizing that in spite of a good lock and family being fairly close by, we're vulnerable. I'm glad we were gone; it's just not worth getting hurt or worse over a 4 wheeler. I'm thinking on how to make the garage and the rest of our property more secure.
While I'm writing about the less than fun topics, I'm also in the process of selling my townhouse. I have a buyer, we've struck a deal, the home inspection issues are nearly all resolved, and the closing date is scheduled for a date that we'll still be on this trip. I think we're down to one last issue--the renter had a big dog that stayed with her and her friend. Unfortunately, the dog left the place smelling very doggy. So I need to get the carpet deodorized refund what is left of the tenant's deposit to her. Hopefully this phase of my life will then be over.
I'm sharing these two downer items just to illustrate that life goes on even when you're on vacation. It will all work out....
Their parents have now joined us. Their travels worked just as planned, so they met us at the hotel. The boys were so excited to see mom and dad. While the boys never whined or complained about being homesick or missing their parents, it was easy to see their eyes light up and their excitement on their nightly telephone calls or Face Time sessions. So having them to touch and hold, and their voices made them very happy.
I can tell that their behavior is different when mom and dad are with them, but only a little. They are good boys, pretty normal from my perspective.
Janice is doing fine now. She's like a kid seeing something exciting and new for the first time. She gets excited and grabs the camera to record what she's seeing. I'm so happy that we are able to do a trip like this with loved ones. She's loving time with the boys.
We've had one significant downer on the trip. About 4am on August 1, my phone rung. It was from my son in law. He was on his way to work and he glanced at our property as he does every morning. He noted that the roll-up door to our shop was open. He knew we were out of town and it was shut each day earlier. Driving down the driveway and behind the house to the shop, he could see that the 4 wheeler always parked in the shop was missing. Someone had broken the locking mechanism and stolen our almost-new ATV!
He called law enforcement and waited on their arrival. After 2 hours, the deputy arrived, did his investigation, found one partial fingerprint, and filed a report. We have some suspicions as to who did it, but we know it had to be someone who knew we had one, knew where it was kept, and knew we were away from home. Damn!
Initially we were pretty upset. But after thinking about the situation, decided not to let a stolen 4 wheeler spoil our vacation. It's a shame that there are low down thieves like that, but there are. It can be replaced.
The other part involving the incident is realizing that in spite of a good lock and family being fairly close by, we're vulnerable. I'm glad we were gone; it's just not worth getting hurt or worse over a 4 wheeler. I'm thinking on how to make the garage and the rest of our property more secure.
While I'm writing about the less than fun topics, I'm also in the process of selling my townhouse. I have a buyer, we've struck a deal, the home inspection issues are nearly all resolved, and the closing date is scheduled for a date that we'll still be on this trip. I think we're down to one last issue--the renter had a big dog that stayed with her and her friend. Unfortunately, the dog left the place smelling very doggy. So I need to get the carpet deodorized refund what is left of the tenant's deposit to her. Hopefully this phase of my life will then be over.
I'm sharing these two downer items just to illustrate that life goes on even when you're on vacation. It will all work out....
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