Life On The High Way

Get ready for a picture overload.

Given the amount of traffic and warnings I’ve heard about how crowded Arches can get, I wanted to get there early as we could. We did a fairly decent job of getting on the road early-ish. I would have liked to have left about 30 minutes earlier. It wasn’t until we were almost at the entrance of Arches that we realized we had no gas. So we had to head back to town, get gas, and try again. In the end, we weren’t early-ish.

Luckily, the crowds weren’t so bad, or so we thought. There are so many stops and wonderful sights to see in Arches, but we made a list of the top sights we wanted to hit since we were also trying to see some of Canyonlands today. Our first stop was Balanced Rock which was really cool. The kids tore off towards the rock as soon as they got out of the car. Hudson was, once again, in his element with tons of space and rocks to climb.

On our way back to the car, Hudson said “this place is way better than Yellowstone!” I almost went into a small lecture about how it is hard to compare the two since they are so different and one isn’t better than the other, but then I realized for him, it probably was better. In Yellowstone, we spent a lot of time in the car and when we did get out he had to stay on the boardwalks so he wouldn’t fall into geothermal pools. In Arches, he had a lot more freedom and autonomy which we are learning (and maybe should have already known) is really important to him. I’m not sure how to balance this need with the fact that he is 8, but it’s something we are thinking about.

Our next stop was Double Arches and it may have been our favorite stop of the day. It is beyond gorgeous and they let you climb up to take a photo in the arch! It wasn’t the easiest climb, but it was doable and I’ll so glad we did it. Lucy wants to do everything Hudson can which is hard given she is younger and smaller, but for the most part, she stays just a few steps behind him. After we climbed the arch, the kids found a “cave” they could crawl through. They did this more than five times. We finally told them we had to leave. I think they would have stayed there all day.

From the Double Arches we went to the Delicate Arch trailhead. This is when we realized the park was pretty crowded. The parking lot was full and it dawned on us people came here first which made sense since it was starting to get hot. Also, the signs say the hike will take a total of three hours. We arrived at the trailhead at 10 so we were going to be hiking while it was hot and lunchtime: not the best recipe for hiking with kids. But we were here so we loaded up the camelback with snacks and headed out. There are two trails you can take. One takes you to an overlook to see the Delicate Arch. This is the easier route. Given we had already taken our kids on one dangerous hike through Yellowstone we figured they could handle the “moderate” hike to get to the Delicate Arch. We were right! There were several families doing this trail and while there is one small section that you will want to have a death-grip on your children, it was fine.

Lucy doesn’t like the heat and made sure to tell me about it on the way up. I was getting frustrated that I couldn’t go as fast as I wanted and that she was complaining so much, but I tried to remember that we are doing this trip WITH our kids and that means doing things at their pace. She’s five. It was hot. It was lunchtime so, of course, she was going to complain and take it slow. Once I got my mind right, decided to slow down and relish the time I had with her we both enjoyed the hike much more. And the Delicate Arch was so worth the hike. When Hudson saw it he said “woooow!!” Lucy said “double woooow!!” I don’t have a photo of us under the Delicate Arch because a man with a nice camera took a photo of us. He is going to email it to me. I love meeting people along the way.

On the way back, we found a small arch (I’m sure it has name that I don’t know), that the kids wanted to climb up to and see the view. It was steep, but we all did it!

The hike down was much easier on the kids although Hudson was the one complaining with about a third of the hike left. I told Lucy that she was good hiker and she said “I may be a good hiker, but it doesn’t mean I like it.” At this point it was 12:40 and we were all ready for lunch. We packed our cooler with sandwiches so we sat in the truck eating our lunch. I’m sure we could have found a better spot to picnic, but we just needed to eat. I told Jordan while we were eating that I’m really thankful we are all healthy and able-bodied enough to be this active as a family on our trip. We climbed rocks, did a moderate hike, and even though I mentioned the complaining to keep this blog real, we had a wonderful time.

After lunch, we decided to head Canyonlands. It was a thirty minute drive and we could tell we all could use some rest. Canyonlands was impressive. I don’t know if I would say it’s beautiful, so impressive seems to be the right word. We are learning that after about 3 hours of hiking our kids are sort of done for the day with more hikes. We didn’t have any hikes on the agenda but we did have some walks to get to overlooks. Since we weren’t actually done for the day this meant the kids were squabbling with each other (and us) most of the afternoon. At one point, I threw out the classic mom phrase “if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all,” and they were actually quiet for a bit. I guess they really didn’t have anything nice to say. The quiet did all of us some good.

We didn’t do any hikes in Canyonlands, but hit up about four spots: Grand View Point Overlook, Buck Canyon Overlook, Mesa Arch and Shafer Canyon Overlook. I’m always amazed that Hudson can find anything to climb or crawl under. Our last stop, which is actually the first when you enter the park, was Schafer Canyon Overlook. There is a ledge you can stand on to get a great photo. These younger people (maybe in their 20s) were dangling their legs off the side and doing silly poses as they were taking photos. I was praying we weren’t going to witness a fall. When it was our turn we just stood there, snapped a few photos and left. I still get nervous thinking about them. I hope their Instagram photo was worth it!

We left Canyonlands and headed home to the OK RV park that we have decided might be less than OK. Dinner was waiting for us in the instant pot which was so nice. Moving forward, I’m going to make sure I cook dinner in the instant pot before we leave on our full days of exploring so we can come home to a warm dinner. We don’t have sewer hook ups at this park so we had to take quick showers after our dusty and dirty day which was really unfortunate because we had amazing hot water pressure here!

Seeing all these natural wonders prompted Hudson to ask a lot of questions about the universe and specifically, how big it is. Jordan tried to explainand also found a video that tried to put the size of the universe in perspective. The kids minds were blown. Photos like the one below are some of my favorite because you see how large the rock is compared to us. Traveling around the USA, seeing large, beautiful landscapes, and iconic sights reminds me that I’m really just a small fragment of a much larger world. This trip has lead Jordan and I to question and reorganize our priorities. I hope that when we return home and enter back into “everyday” life we are able to keep this perspective.

Tomorrow is a travel day so we can see more of Utah!

Until next time…

Sarah

Day 29

After a late night with our new friends, we slept in a little bit. The kids were motivated to get through their school work so they could go play which was a nice surprise.

We were done with school around lunch time and Hudson and Lucy spent all afternoon playing. I’m not going to lie, it was nice having a break from either listening to them bicker or trying to find something to keep them entertained. I think they enjoyed the break from only playing with each other, too. Our RV neighbors/friends have three kids ages 9, 7 and 5. All five kids played so well together and we really enjoyed talking to the parents.

Once Jordan was done with work, he and Kyle, went mountain biking. I was going to drop off the guys and then take the kids to get ice cream, but they didn’t want to leave. My mind was blown! My kids were having so much fun they didn’t want to leave to get ice cream! The guys took off and I’m glad Jordan got to go do something fun on his own. He loves mountain biking and Houston doesn’t provide a lot of opportunity for that type of activity given it is so flat.

When he came back, we hung out, watched the kids play, made dinner, and got the kids to bed at a decent time. Lucy said it was “the best day ever.”

Day 30

This morning was a little more hectic than yesterday. I squeezed in a short run before Jordan took the truck in to a dealership since the “check engine” light was on. When I came back, Hudson had a math test, a Language Arts test, a spelling test, a science quiz, and a social studies project to turn in. He knocked his tests out quickly though (all A’s!) and was done with school before 9 am. It was amazing. Hudson and Lucy played with their friends for a bit before our neighbors headed off on some adventures. We waited at the RV for Jordan and I did some cleaning. The kids were “so bored.”

The truck was mostly fine. They had to replace the DEF heater which was under warranty. I love when issues are under warranty. Once Jordan finished up a work call we got in the truck and went on a scenic drive. While the kids complained, (“You mean we aren’t really going anywhere? We are just driving?!”) Jordan and I really enjoyed it. The fall colors are amazing! These photos won’t do them justice (taken out of a car window), but if you get a chance you should go to Utah in the fall.

We met our friends at a restaurant for dinner. Lucy was beside herself with excitement that she was eating out WITH friends. It was almost like it was 2019!

When we got back to the campsites, the kids watched movies and played outside while we all talked. It’s so interesting to me that while Kyle and I went to the same high school and graduated the same year it’s like we went to two different high schools. Meeting him and his family was another lesson to me that even though people can be in the same place at the same time their experiences can be vastly different. Moving forward I’m hoping I will do better and remember my experiences are just that – mine – and I can’t prescribe my reality of situation to someone else.

We are thankful we met Kyle and Brenna. Our kids had the best time and we enjoyed getting to know them. I’m so glad they pulled up right next to us in Heber City, Utah and made our time here a little more special. I hope our paths cross again!

Until next time…

Sarah

Day 27

Today is not going to be an exciting blog post. It was a housekeeping day. The kids did school (without much incident) and Jordan worked. The RV park here is requiring people to block off the laundry facilities for two hour increments so I had eight washer and dryers all to myself. I did ALL the laundry. We met an eighth-grade math teacher who teaches virtual one week and in-person the next. On the weeks she teaches virtual, she loads up her camper and goes somewhere else for the week. It’s interesting meeting so many people whose circumstances are allowing them to be more mobile. I wonder how much of this mobility will stick around when things go back to “normal.” The evening was dinner, more I Love Lucy and bedtime. This was truly a run of the mill day which are completely necessary to have on this type of trip.

Day 28

Another day starting with Zoom calls. Being completely transparent, there are days I think we should have homeschooled on this trip, but that thought is usually around 6:30 a.m. when I’m trying to get the kids on their morning Zooms. I let them skip one morning Zoom a week. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say I’m letting myself skip the morning Zooms once a week.

The kids are doing well with school this week. Hudson has a lot of instruction, assignments and tests this week as we near the half way point through the grading period. I need to find a bookstore nearby to buy Lucy some more books, but I’m proud of how they are doing this week. During what I decided was PE, the kids wanted to practice cartwheels. I don’t remember learning how to do a cartwheel so it’s hard to explain how to do it. Thanks to I’m sure what was my stellar example and a few youtube videos on how to explain a cartwheel to kids they got a lot better. I’m sure the fellow residents of the RV park also got a chuckle watching a 39-year old mother of two cartwheeling.

After school, I told the kids we were going on a hike and you would have thought I told them they were going to watch me perform long division. They complained so much about it that in my head I was thinking, “I don’t even want to go anymore. They are going to complain the entire time and it won’t be fun at all.” But we pressed on and took a 10 minute drive to a nearby trailhead. The hike was an easy two mile loop and once they were there, the kids were fine. At the end they even said they were glad we came. This trip has been fun, but I also recognize that a lot of what we are doing is so our kids can look back and say, “Wow, I’m glad we took that trip. I’m glad I hiked in Utah. I’m glad Mom and Dad ‘made’ us do stuff we initially didn’t want to do.” The full appreciation of this trip won’t happen until they are much older and I’m ok with that.

The landscape in Utah was beautiful. There were sage bushes everywhere. While we were out, Jordan started working with Hudson on getting his Woodchip badge for scouts. They talked about knife safety, the different types of pocket knifes and perform tasks with a knife to see if Hudson was ready for his own pocketknife. The lessons continued when we got back to our campsite.

While the knife lessons were going on and I was zoning out a bit, our neighbor came out of his camper with his family and we had the following conversation:

Him: I saw a sticker on your trailer. Are y’all from Texas?
Jordan: Yeah. Are you from Texas?
Him: Yeah, we live in Austin
Jordan: I grew up in Austin.
Him: I grew up in Houston.
Me: I grew up in Houston. What part of town did you grow up in?
Him: The Cy-Fair area
Me: I went to Cy-Fair Schools.
Him: What High school did you graduate from?
Me: Cy-Creek
Him: Me, too.
Me: What? No way! What year?
Him: 1999
Me: WHAT!? SO DID I!!

How crazy is it that our camping neighbors are a guy I graduated high school with and and his family?! We didn’t know each other in high school (I think our graduating class was around 560 students), but I can’t get over what a coincidence this is. He and his wife have three kids close in age to our kids and they played well together. We are all here for the next several nights and I’m so thankful Hudson and Lucy have someone to play with when school is over and playtime starts.

The kids were up too late playing so they went to bed dirty and tired. In the grand scheme of things, a late night of carefree playing in a field with kids is just what they needed. And I (oops, I mean they) will be skipping their early morning zooms tomorrow.

Until next time…

Sarah

Lucy woke up this morning and I asked her how she slept. She replied, “So great, Mom. I feel totally recharged.” I think we all felt the same way.

Saturday mornings are my favorite. No school. No work. No church. There is nothing we have to wake up for. No where we have to be. There is a large field at the RV park we are staying at where the kids ran around and played. We could see the field outside of our RV window so I drank my coffee and watched the kids play. I love when they can play freely without adult interaction. I think it’s so good for them.

When we finally all got dressed and headed out it was 11 am. The weather was gray and windy, but the temperature was about 62 so we thought we had dressed accordingly. When we reached the Utah Olympic Park it was raining and 52! Luckily, the ski and olympic museum were inside. They only let a certain number of people in the building at a time. The museum was really well done. We all did the skiiing and bobsled simulator and then individually did the ski jump simulator. I’m not saying I should move to Utah and give ski jumping a go, but in this family I definitely won the gold medal. We wandered outside and were able to see people actually training for ski jumping. It was so impressive!

Given that the weather was gross, the rest of our tentative plans weren’t going to work out since they were all outdoors. We sat and ate lunch in the car trying to figure our our next move. I found a Toyota Land Crusier Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City so we decided to head there. I love Toyota Land Cruisers. I have always wanted a old, blue Land Cruiser. There was one for sale across the street from my in-laws house in Austin one time. I really wanted that car, but an old vehicle without seatbelts isn’t the best option to ferry your small children to school and extracurriculars. So, I’ll leave owning one of these in my “dream” category for now. The museum, which is managed by a foundation, has well over 100 Land Cruisers, owners manuals, toys, literature, ads and more. I just thought I loved Land Cruisers before this. The people who run this place are obsessed, but their obsession makes for a really cool place to stop when it is raining in Salt Lake.

Once we left the museum, the kids asked to go “home.” We obliged. Hudson played transformers. Lucy played with her Barbies. Jordan played on his ipad. I took a short nap. We grilled salmon burgers and ate outside as the weather cleared up a bit. I love being able to eat outside with out humidity or sweat. Somewhere along the way, Jordan picked up some I Love Lucy dvds. When we came in for the night, we put one on and were anxious to see how the kids would react. They loved it! Hudson was almost rolling on the ground he was laughing so hard. He even declared it “the best tv show ever.” It helped that the first episode we watched was the famous chocolate factory episode.

While I was disappointed we didn’t get to explore Park City and Deer Valley outdoors today, it ended up being a good, relaxing day. Fingers crossed the weather rebounds tomorrow and we can spend the day outdoors!

Until next time…

Sarah

I have never considered myself outdoorsy. I think if there was one trait Jordan wishes I had it would be that I was the kind of girl who camps, hikes, and enjoys being outside. However, I’m realizing location has a lot to do with whether or not I want to be outside. Having spent most of my life in Houston (which I dearly love), it is understandable that I don’t like being outside unless we are directly on or in water. You basically walk into steam bath every time you step outside in Houston and it is totally flat. The topography isn’t all that interesting. This trip has taught me that I actually do like being outside and hiking when the humidity is 27%.

The first half of the day was our usual wash, rinse, repeat. Zoom calls, Kindergarten books, Chevron work calls. A highlight of the first half of our day is that we have an RV park booked for the Grand Canyon! So thankful to have that task done! I have a surprise about our trip to the Grand Canyon, but I’m going to wait until we are there to share it with everyone. For the second time, I got an email from a teacher that one of Hudson’s assignments wasn’t turned in. I had submitted them, but when I went back to look, they were still “uploading,” from about four days ago. I took a picture to show that we did submit them on time, but they were caught in uploading purgatory. It’s a little frustrating because we, especially Hudson and I, are doing our best to make sure assignments are completed and turned in on time. Technology. It’s allowing us to take this trip, but also causes a little stress from time to time.

After school and work, the real fun began. We drove the thirty minutes to the west entrance of Yellowstone. We stopped and bought some bear spray before we entered the park. A few days ago, I was like, “eh, who needs bear spray?” but then I read about a man who was mauled last month in a state park not far from where we are staying and his words of advice were that “everyone carry bear spray.” So we did. Although Jordan did say to me, “If we see a bear, you take the picture, I’ll deploy the bear spray.” Teamwork at its finest.

The wildlife in Yellowstone was showing off this afternoon. As soon as we entered the park, we saw this big guy. Then a herd of bison and huge grouping of elk. The traffic was much worse today than it was on Sunday which was surprising to us. We assumed the traffic would be worse on the weekend. Maybe it was just due to people slowing down to see the animals. The start of our hike was near Biscuit Basin. We hadn’t stopped at Biscuit Basin on Sunday, but I’m so glad we did today. I think it was our favorite geothermal spot. We saw a small geyser, active bubbling springs and the colors were incredible. Hudson said after Dragon’s Mouth Spring, that Sapphire Pool, was his favorite spring. Lucy loved the blue color, but still isn’t a fan of the smell. I mean, who is really?

We followed the boardwalks to where the Mystic Falls hike began. Several publications said this hike was great for families and it was until we reached a fork in the road.

We hadn’t really thought we would take the longer route, but we got to this point pretty quickly and the kids seemed like they were doing great so both Jordan and I shrugged and said, “Let’s take the longer route.” I’m going to say this was one of our top ten parenting mistakes. Before I move on, I have to tell you a story from a few nights ago. Somehow we got on the topic of sharks and I asked Jordan if he would ever go shark diving in a cage off the coast of South Africa. He, of course, said yes. The kids were asking all sorts of questions, so we pulled up a youtube video and showed them what we were talking about. They immediately asked if we would ever let them do it. We said it depends on a lot of factors, but it was dangerous so we would be very thoughtful about it. Cut to today. We take the path to the overlook and about halfway up the trail Jordan and I are shooting looks at each other like “this was a bad idea.” There are switchbacks that climb 500 feet that are very narrow and steep. It is most likely fine for adults (who are wearing hiking boots), but for a 8 and 5 year old in sneakers it was daunting. Jordan was gripping Lucy’s hand. My feet slipped under me several times. For some reason on a hike, Hudson sheds his typical cautious rule-follower personality and leaves the trail to climb every rock and ledge possible. Typically, we let him. Today I screamed, “Stay on the path,” or “Get away from the edge” more times than I can remember. It wasn’t our easiest hike, but the emotional toll it took was exhausting. We tried to remind the kids that what they were doing was a little dangerous (we didn’t want to freak them out too much), but also that they were doing great. Luckily, we made it to the overlook without major incident. Hudson has a scratch on his shin. I have one on the back of my ankle. Lucy was filthy. The three of us all fell down at some point. Jordan was the only one who didn’t skid or fall. He was also the only one wearing hiking boots. I made a mental note that we all needed hiking boots if we were ever going to do something like this again. The overlook was amazing though and even though some questionable parenting got us there, I’m glad we made it! As we were sitting there, Hudson asked, “Was that more dangerous than swimming with sharks in cages?” And now, that we had cleared the switchbacks, Jordan and I sighed and said “yes.” This thrilled him. Later when we asked him about his favorite part of the hike, he said “the danger aspect.”

From there, we made our way to the falls and they were stunning. The rest of the hike was easy. As we were making our way down the trail, Hudson asked if it was a bad decision to take the longer route. Jordan replied “It was a bad decision, but it had a good outcome.” Hudson asked what that meant and Jordan said, “We got lucky.”

The light in Yellowstone in early evening is beyond beautiful. The sun glinting off the river was so pretty to me. Apparently, I said this a lot, because Lucy said, “Mom, we know. You think it is ALL pretty.” She wasn’t wrong. I think, in total, the hike was about 4 miles and we arrived back at the truck around 5:45.

We experienced our worst traffic jam on the way out of the park which was unfortunate because we were all tired and very hungry and our snack supply had been depleted on the hike. When we FINALLY got out of the park, we stopped at Beartooth Barbeque in West Yellowstone. It was really good, really expensive Barbeque. They make their own bbq potato chips though and that alone was worth the price. Lucy kept saying, “I really want to go get some ice cream, but I can NOT stop eating these chips. They are delicious!” The owner was super friendly and while I recognize they totally overcharge because hungry tourists are stopping at one of the closest restaurants outside Yelllowstone, I would recommend going there.

We got back to the RV around 8:15 and once everyone showered, we all went to bed. I have already decided the kids will sleep in tomorrow. I am so impressed by their physical ability. Kids can do so much more than we think they can. I wouldn’t suggest this hike to other parents with young kids, but there is something really cool watching your kids push their limits and end the day with a little more confidence than they had at the beginning. I just need to order them some hiking boots.

Until next time…

Sarah

Idaho is surprising me. I guess since this state is known for potatoes I assumed it was nondescript and brown. I was definitely wrong. I went for a short jog this morning and this is what I saw. Definitely not brown and nondescript. Also, a good reminder that your assumptions can be wrong.

This day was pretty low key. Beyond the usual schoolwork and work, Lucy and I drove into town to grab some groceries. We haven’t been in a location yet where the groceries were limited until today. The grocery store was a glorified convenience store with a little produce. Luckily, we found what we needed and after dropping off our postcards, headed home.

The kids have met another little girl at the RV park. Her name is Niola who is eight and in the third grade like Hudson. Both kids have loved riding bikes with her and playing at the playground. When I told Niola she had a pretty name she said she was named after her grandmother who “sadly passed.” Lucy chimes in and told us “she killed herself.” I could hear Jordan and both take a breath and then Niola explained “she had schizophrenia.” Then Lucy pops back in and says “when you have Pennsylvania you hear voices like ‘Lucy…Lucy.” I was a deer in the headlights during this whole exchange so I didn’t correct her “Pennsylvania” to schizophrenia. My kids are learning about all sorts of subjects on this trip. Hudson and Lucy really enjoy playing with Niola and are asking for a way to keep in touch with her.

I’ve mentioned that the lack of space isn’t really bothering us, but the lack of down time is. I can tell the newness of the trailer is wearing off a little and our “go-go” mindset is taking a toll. Also, I had this idea that every day needed to be amazing and magical. We had some really cool plans for this afternoon, but we scrapped them and let the kids play with Niola, I did laundry. We grilled outside and then played pickle ball. We have no idea what the rules to pickle ball are. We just yell and celebrate when someone hits them ball over the net. It was just what we needed.

Jordan is still dealing with our hot water pressure. He drains it, flushes it out, and the hot water will have pressure for a while. Then it starts sputtering again and ha repeats the entire process. When we get to a bigger city, he may look into getting some other tool to fix the issue. When we wake up it’s usually around 35 degrees so decent hot water pressure would be nice!

I’m personally feeling a little stressed. Obviously, I’m the main person who manages the kids schooling which takes up most of my time. Virtual parents out there – are you amazed by the sheer number of emails you receive?! I’m also desperately trying to find an RV park close to the Grand Canyon with our amended dates which is taking so much time. We HAVE to go to the Grand Canyon. I also volunteered to be our schools’s fall fundraiser chair before we decided to take this crazy trip. In hindsight, I should have stepped down when I realized I wouldn’t physically be in Sugar Land. I feel like I’m dropping the ball, letting people down and for me, there is no worse feeling. I can’t believe at one point I thought I could take a six-week online creative writing class while on this trip. That’s going to have to wait. It will all be ok. It will all work out. I’m just going to keep repeating that phrase.

One thing that is so cool is seeing all the different license plates in the RV parks. I’m going to start keeping a tally of how many we see. It’s cheesy, but seeing all of these state names reminds you how big our country is!

Tomorrow should be more exciting. I think I said that yesterday!

Until next time…

Sarah

It’s hard to follow up a full day at Yellowstone! Today was back to school and work. It was also a complete reworking of our trip.

Since we decided yesterday that we weren’t heading to Washington, Oregon or California, I sat down with a map, calendar, and lap top. Planning this trip, for the most part, has been my responsibility and I enjoyed it! Replanning it has been hard. It feels silly to say it was emotionally hard, but it was. I had all these ideas about the kids in the Redwoods and hoping they would be awed as much as I was when I saw Crater Lake. We had planned to see friends in Portland, San Francisco, and in Bakersfield. Hudson was so excited about seeing Hollywood as he is borderline obsessed with movies these days. It was also hard because there are more RVs on the road now than ever which means the RV spots are few and far between. I spent over an hour trying to stay in Jackson so we could go to Grand Teton National Park. When I would find a spot (I found 2!) the park wouldn’t have WiFi so, it was a non-starter. It was also hard because I just wanted to spend my day working on this, but the kids had school. They are getting so much more independent (can you hear my shouts of joy?), but they still need me close by. I was frustrated that I didn’t have the ability to focus all my attention on this task. Then I felt guilty. It was all around not our best day. It wasn’t Tucumcari bad, but it was disappointing.

I started thinking a lot about planning today. I’m a planner. I like to know where I’m going. I like to know what’s expected of me. I used to want to know as much about my future life as I could. I get anxious when I don’t see a clear path. There is a place for planners in this world. If there weren’t planners, we wouldn’t be on this trip. Planners aren’t always the most fun, but there have to be a few of us sprinkled in the mix to keep things moving forward at times. Jordan isn’t really a planner. I think being married to me and having kids has changed that a bit, but left to his own devices, he would roll out to a national park, not knowing what entrance he was headed into, if he needed to pack a lunch, or what his agenda was. And you know what, it would work out! Over the course of our eleven years of marriage I am slowly learning to be more flexible and he is slowly learning that a little planning can go a long way.

As I was thinking about this, I asked Jordan, “where did all my planning get us?! Was it worth it?” He replied, “it’s important to have plans, but it’s also important to know they won’t go exactly as you think.” He was dropping words of wisdom in a travel trailer.

With a new perspective, I sat down again and figured out a new route. Here is our plan: When we leave Idaho we are heading south to Utah. We will spend time in Park City (more like Deer Valley). Then we will head to Arches National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Zion National Park. From there we pick up the rest of our journey and go to the Grand Canyon and Big Bend. Our new itinerary puts us home a week earlier. Here are the pros about our new plan:

– I’ve heard amazing things about Utah’s national parks, but never felt compelled to go. I doubt Jordan and I would have planned a trip to Utah on our own, but now we are going!

– Similar to the point above, in the future I am sure we will travel with the kids to Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco and see all the natural wonders there.

– This will be a new experience for all of us! I’ve never been to Utah and Jordan hasn’t been to these national parks. Seeing these wonders for the first time will be a family experience.

– Getting home a week early will help us better prepare for the kids moving to in-person learning. (We anticipate they will be going back the second nine weeks). Coming home on a Saturday and then starting school on Monday was going to be tough. Who planned that?!

And you know what? All my previous planning did help us out! I was more efficient at searching for and booking RV parks. In the middle of this, Jordan took the truck in because the check engine light was on. I have never seen someone check gauges and lights as much as Jordan since our day on the side of the road. The diagnostics said everything was fine and the alert was likely due to cold weather.

After a long day of making reservations, canceling reservations, school work, and traveling in to town for the truck, we had a simple dinner and the kids made s’mores. They’ve been begging to the entire trip, but most places have fire bans. They were happy to finally have some. For some fun, we unrolled this awesome national park scratch off poster our dear friends gave us. We scratched off where we have been and talked about where we were going. We also addressed some postcards.

I hope tomorrow is a little more exciting adventure-wise for us, but even on grand adventures sometimes you have to sit down and sketch out a plan.

Until next time…

Sarah

ps – When we told the kids we weren’t going on our planned trip, Hudson’s first response was “I’m not going to see Chloe!?” How sweet his first thought was of his friends. Here’s a pic of them from a couple of years ago.