Life On The High Way
The Travels and Adventures of the High Family
Day 19: Yellowstone
Wow! We spent a full day in Yellowstone and could have spent at least six more to see everything. We plan to head back later this week, but there is no way we will be able to see all the spectacular things this park has to offer. It’s so vast.
I was nervous heading to Yellowstone because I had heard bad reviews about long traffic jams and overcrowding. It was busy, but I wouldn’t call it overcrowded and we definitely didn’t have any traffic jams. Well, maybe one, but everyone was slowing down to see moose so it was ok.
We entered the western entrance of Yellowstone. We didn’t have a plan mapped out (2020 is teaching me how to wing it a bit), but we headed north to the Norris Geyser Basin. Before we got to the basin, we stopped at Beryl Spring which was the first hot springs we saw. As we continued to the Norris Geyser Basin, we saw a bunch of cars stopped on the side of the road and we quickly realized why – bison! There were two of them, and while I feel like I have probably seen Bison before, there was something special about seeing them in the wild just a few hundred yards away.
At Norris Geyser Basin, we stopped by Steamboat Geyser hoping to see it erupt. This geyser is not predictable, although lately they say it has been erupting about every 3-4 days. Steamboat Geyser can blow up to three times as high as Old Faithful, so if you are one of the lucky ones to see it erupt you are in for quite a show. Unfortunately, Steamboat didn’t blow while we were there and we made our way to Canyon Village. This canyon is considered the Great Canyon of Yellowstone and it was beautiful. We stopped first at the lookout point and then headed to Artist’s Point. There are many hikes you can do in Yellowstone and while Jordan and I were interested in finding some we could do with the kids, we also knew there was a lot to see and felt the need to do as much as we could on a weekend day. We are hopefully going back for a hike later this week.
We hopped back in the car and followed the Yellowstone River to Mud Volcano. While Jordan and I thought mud volcano was cool, the kids lost it over Dragon’s Mouth spring. This particular spring is in a cave and the water thrashing inside makes it sound like a dragon lives in there. They loved it! The drive from Mud Volcano to West Geyser Basin follows the shoreline of Yellowstone lake, which is, like most things in Yellowstone, gorgeous. We stopped at West Thumb Geyser Basin which has an incredible boardwalk over both hot springs and by the lake. I’ll be honest that at this point, our kids were kind of like, “yeah, another hot spring.” Lucy approached every spring with a very dramatic “Oh no! Not the smell again!” while holding her nose. She was, of course, talking about the smell of the natural sulfur smell the springs emit. The hot springs are abundant in Yellowstone, and while the kids still marveled a little at how hot they were, (Hudson asked every time we saw a new set of springs – what would happen if I fell in?), I could tell if they didn’t see active bubbling they were ready to move on. This was a great time for us to head to Old Faithful.
In full transparency, this was the low point of our day. Not because of Old Faithful, but because our kids kept asking where the gift shop was. I totally understand kids wanting souvenirs, but man, if I heard “when are we going to the gift shop?” one more time I was going to be like a geyser and blow. We finally found a gift shop nearby and Lucy quickly picked out a small stuffed animal. I grabbed a package of postcards. Jordan has no interest in souvenirs. Hudson, for some reason, could not make up his mind as to what he wanted. I really wanted to tell him, you probably won’t even know where this stuff is in a year, but… we let him do his thing. After about 15 minutes of him hemming and hawing, Jordan finally said, “We are out of here.” That’s when he picked two key chains. Go figure. We checked out and headed straight to the area to watch Old Faithful. Wouldn’t you know it – we missed it erupting by 15 minutes. Jordan made a new rule that if the kids ask to go to a gift shop before we actually see one, they don’t get to go. Since we had at least an hour before Old Faithful did his (her?) thing, I grabbed Jordan and I a beer from the Old Faithful Lodge. I stood in a line to get in the lodge. Then I stood in another line to get into the cafeteria. The National Park Service is taking Covid seriously, which I appreciate. The lodge was really cool inside. I wonder how far in advance reservations book up for that place. Sitting for an hour actually turned out to be good for us. The kids played freely and Jordan and I talked about what we had seen that day. The strangest thing was that the people on the bench next to us brought a cat. Yes, a cat. In Yellowstone. At Old Faithful. On a leash. You can’t make this stuff up.
Old Faithful blew and it was pretty cool! It was getting late in the day, but we still wanted to see the Grand Prismatic Springs at the Midway Geyser Basin. The photos of this particular spring are amazing. Unfortunately, in person, it’s hard to see how colorful it really is, but I’m still glad we went.
The kids received Junior Ranger books and they loved them so much more than I thought they would. They marked off the wildlife they saw and Hudson was obsessed with memorizing the temperatures that went along with the colors in the hot springs. There was a coloring sheet in booklet and he kept reciting, blue water is 198 degrees Fahrenheit , orange water is 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and so on.
When we arrived back to our cozy trailer we were all much more tired than we previously realized. The kids had a quick dinner, a quick shower, and quickly went to bed. I wasn’t far behind them. I was trying to read my book, but kept thinking about the west coast wild fires. I pulled up the latest news and Jordan and I decided that it just doesn’t make sense to head that way right now. I can’t tell you how disappointed we are. We really wanted the kids to see the Redwood National Forest and Crater Lake National Park, but, we will just have to put those plans in the back of the binder (yes, I really have a binder) for another time. We stayed up late talking about our options, but haven’t yet decided on the best course of action.
Yellowstone is iconic and I’m so grateful we made it here! The day, like most days in life, had really bright spots and some moments I think we all wish we could do over. I find it interesting that whether your family unit is in Sugar Land, Texas or Yellowstone National Park, the dynamics are still the same. On some level, I knew this, but recognizing it actually makes the trip more enjoyable. Why would a particular family member act differently when they are hungry just because they are in a gorgeous location? Of course a kid (or a particular mom) is going to get cranky when they are exhausted. Having realistic expectations regardless of location is always a good lesson to relearn.
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 18: Island Park, Idaho
After a long day of travel, it was nice to have a somewhat slow morning. We thought we had about a four hour drive in front of us, so we took our time getting ready to leave. The park we were staying at had a huge open space and the kids loved running around while Jordan and I went through our checklist. We bought them children size camelback in Estes Park and they love them! They had them on all morning. Let’s hope the newness doesn’t wear off before they have to wear them on a hike.
It was cold when we woke up – 34 degrees! – but by the time we were hooking up the trailer it was 50 and I had already shed my outer layer. This gulf coast girl is not used to dry weather. I couldn’t believe it was 50, sunny and I was wearing a tank top. Jordan loves the dry weather. There are parts of it I like (no frizz in my hair), but my hands are so dry and cracked! I’m dousing myself with lotion every day!
Our drive was a fit of starts and stops. Our air compressor we used to fill up our tires died a few stops back and it’s important to make sure your tire pressure is correct when you are pulling thousands of pounds. On our way out of Boulder, WY we stopped at an auto parts store to see if they had one we could buy. No luck. They told us the other auto parts store may have it. They didn’t either. We decided we would stop at a gas station and get some air when we could, but the gas station we stopped at to top off our tank didn’t have air. At this point we had already been in the truck for almost an hour.
We finally got on the road, as in driving without stopping, and came to Jackson, WY. I really wanted to stay in Jackson, but there weren’t good RV sites for us which is how we ended up staying in far eastern Idaho. Jackson looks like someplace I would love to visit someday. Once we made our way through the town, we started climbing. And when I say climbing I mean a 10% grade incline as we are pulling a x thousand pound trailer. Jordan was watching the transmission temperature like a hawk. I have never seen him more nervous on this trip. He was white and gripping the steering wheel like his life depended on it. At the time, I truly believed he thought it did. After several miles, we found a pull off area and decided to rest the truck there for a bit while Jordan did some google research on transmission temperature. It worked out well as we used the stop as a bathroom break. It probably was our most picturesque bathroom break we’ve had!
Once the transmission temperature cooled down, we pulled back on the road. The only thing scarier than pulling thousands of pounds up a 10% incline is going down a 10% incline. There was some noise and Jordan shouted “it sounds like we have a flat!” Remember, we hadn’t found a place to air up our tires so this seemed completely likely. As I looked at the narrow, curvy, two lane road which was at a significant decline I thought “this is definitely going to be worse than Tucumcari.” Turns out it was the brakes and Jordan flipped the xx braking on and we were fine.
We finally found a gas station (it was called Stinker’s which is a really unappealing name to me), that had free air! The truck tires needed a little air, but the trailer tires were a-ok.
The rest of the drive was smooth. We played 20 questions with the kids. My favorite exchange:
Me: Lucy, does it eat other animals? Lucy: Nooo!! Definitely not. Well, maybe.
It was obvious this game was going to last longer than 20 questions. Her animal was a snow leopard for those who are curious.
We are staying in Island Park, ID. The RV park is fabulous. We had to drive four miles off the main road to get here so it feels remote, but it has excellent WiFi for school and work. And blogging. They have a playground the kids spent about 1.5 hours on when we got here. Also, the park is about 25-30 minutes from the west entrance of Yellowstone. Island Park has a lot of outdoor activities that we are hoping to take advantage of during the week.
When we finally arrived and set up, Jordan immediately got to work on getting access to the Longhorn game. Jordan may leave almost every door he touches open, but this guy can make technological miracles happen daily! I think I’m just going to log on to my Instagram every time I see a door wide open to remind myself that I can shut the doors he leaves open, but I can’t amplify WiFi in RV parks. (Note: I am 100% sure I have a daily habit that drives him crazy, too).
We grilled fajitas, ate leftover apple pie from Estes Park, and watched the first half of the game outside. I even popped on my orange and white headband to show my school spirit. It was a great night, but I want to be honest that 2/4 of us were a little irritable. I think it was the two long driving days. It takes some of us (an adult female and minor male) a while to shake off being cooped up for so long.
The kids went to bed after halftime and since we were winning 45-3, I went to bed and started reading a new book. If anyone has any good book or podcast suggestions, send them my way. Jordan and I have been listening to podcasts when we are driving and reading is my way to unwind.
We are thankful to be here safely and are looking forward to our adventure tomorrow!
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 17: Estes Park to Boulder, WY
This morning, we woke up and tried to do what we needed to for school as quickly as possible so we could head back to our rig and start our long drive.
Our truck was packed to the gills again. We arrived at our trailer in Loveland and it took so much more time to pack it back up than we anticipated! Since we had a long drive ahead of us, I was anxious to get on the road. Multiple RV blogs we read before we left on this crazy adventure said the worst thing you can do is rush. So while my natural instinct was to rush so we could get on the road, I reminded myself it would be much worse if we were to miss a step from working too quickly. Jordan nor I want to end up on the side of the road again.
We left a little after lunch and settled in to our drive. There was rain and a lot of wind at the beginning, but it cleared and we had a pretty easy journey to Boulder, WY.
The kids played games and yes, watched movies. Jordan and I listened to episodes of a Slow Burn podcast. We arrived in Boulder, WY (I always feel the need to include the WY so as not to confuse anyone that we are in Boulder, CO) right before sunset. It worked out perfectly because we didn’t have to set up in complete darkness. We’ve done that before. It’s not ideal.
This park is great, but we are only staying one night as we continue to make our way to Yellowstone. Our current discussion is whether or not we amend our itinerary because of the wildfires on the west coast. A lot of time and detail has gone into planning this trip so to scrap it and start over feels daunting and sad, but at the same time we aren’t interested in driving directly into wild fires. Based on forecasts that show winds shifting and some rain, we are going to wait until mid-week to make any decisions on altering our agenda.
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 15 & 16: Estes Park
Day 15
In the past, when people would ask, mountains or the beach?, I would immediately answer beach. After spending a few days here I think my answer will now be “both.” Why choose?
The snow was still around on day 15 and it was gorgeous! Every time I looked outside I thought it looks like a winter wonderland in September. Our plan today was to go in to the town of Estes Park once the kids were done with school and Jordan and Dad were done with work. We had an exciting moment during a school break when Lucy said, “what is that?” and we saw a huge elk outside the kitchen window. This elk doesn’t even look real, does it? This picture looks like a stock photo when you search “elk in snow.”
We all loaded up and headed down the mountain to town. The town is really cute and has an abnormally high number of candy and ice cream shops. After making the kids walk past the first three or four, we stopped in one. There was also a darling book store. I love book stores. Hudson found the new Dog Man book and immediately started reading it. I could have spent hours in town “piddling,” as my mom and Grama call it, but we didn’t have too much time. I plan to go to the town center next time we are there. I’m serious about planning a summer 2021 vacation in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Fingers crossed it can happen.
The sky was clear tonight and the owners of the house have a huge telescope. I went downstairs to read some chapters of my book, while the kids, Jordan and my parents found Saturn and Jupiter. How lucky are my kids (and us!) that they hiked in beauty, played in the most gorgeous snow, and were able to star gaze and see planets? I’m telling you, these kids live the life.
Day 16
The kids slept in this morning because Hudson did not have an early Zoom call. Remember, we are on MT, so while they have to be on Zoom calls in Sugar Land at 7:45, here it is 6:45. I let Lucy sleep in as well and she didn’t wake up until 8 am! This was our last full day in Estes Park. We did the usual school/work routine and in the afternoon I began gathering and packing our stuff. I found it interesting that Hudson had a math worksheet over place values that talked about the population of Waco, TX, which was our first stop. In case you are wondering, the population of Waco is 138,183.
We went to dinner at a local restaurant, Bird and Jim. The kids were so well behaved and we enjoyed dinner. A lot of our conversation was about my parent’s time in Waco, TX. Maybe that math worksheet got me thinking about Waco. Most of the stories I had heard before, but it’s different hearing them as an almost 40 year old mother of two. One highlight: my parents rented a house for the first seven months my dad was in law school and when they bought a house their monthly payment was $88! This sounds incredible until you also know my mom was making $7,000/year while teaching in Waco.
We went home, watched some of the Houston Texans football game and put the kids to bed knowing we had a long day tomorrow.
Our time in Estes Park has been, for the most part, relaxing. Virtual schooling has been easy this week, for which I am eternally grateful. We had extra hands with the kids and my mom made dinner every night. I was able to both workout and take a shower. Previously, I had to choose one each day with the free time I had, so I could either be healthy or clean.
Tomorrow we have a long drive to start making our way to Yellowstone.
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 14: Estes Park
The forecast predicted snow, but as kids from Texas we held our breath. I remember multiple times as a kid being told it “might snow” only to see a little ice on the road. Estes Park did disappoint. We woke up to bright white snow on the ground and it continued to fall most of the day.
Waking the kids up at 6 am to log on for school can be difficult, but when I said there is snow outside they popped right out of bed and threw their clothes on. They played outside for ten minutes while I made their breakfast. The snow was incredible. The house we are staying in has floor to ceiling windows and more than once today I thought, it’s like we are in a snow globe!
Virtual schooling was so much easier today! I don’t know if it was the long weekend or if the kids are settling in to their groove, but there were no tears from a child. Or me. I think the snow helped, too, because once they completed an assignment they would go play outside in a completely different way than they are used to.
Once the kids were done with schoolwork and Jordan and my dad were done with work, we went hunting for a hill to sled on. We drove to the nearby YMCA, but the snow was at least seven inches and we (I) did not pack clothes for heavy snow. Snow was getting in our shoes, and little Lucy’s jeans weren’t covering her ankles!Also, it looked like the hill wasn’t mowed before the snow came and our sledding wasn’t going to work out. It was nice to see this Y though. It’s a fabulous Y and the grounds and facilities are so impressive!
We headed home and the kids, my mom and Jordan started building a snowman. I came outside as my mom and Lucy were building the second snowman. The others eventually went back inside seeking warmth and from then on, Mom and I made the snowmen. I think they turned out so well! (Jordan is wearing a vest and holding a beer. I’m in a skirt and colorful top. Hudson is wearing his glasses holding a Lego and Lucy has a cute outfit on with a bow).
Before dinner, PapaGeorge gave Hudson tips on how to properly shoot in a game of pool and Lucy got in the hot tub. This girl is a huge fan of hot tubs. I’m a huge fan of this hot tub and this view!
We ate a delicious stew which was perfect for this cold night. Somehow after dinner, we got on a tangent of physical activity so Mom and I were helping Lucy with her backbends and cartwheels. I tried to demonstrate, but I’m not sure my demonstration actually helped her understand what to do. Hudson did push ups for more time on his iPad. I’m not sure what a parenting expert would say, but it was the evening after a long day of school and playing in the snow and I figured 15 push-ups earned him ten more minutes. If you see Hudson with an exceptionally strong upper body, please don’t judge me.
Today was another good day! I am falling more and more in love with this little piece of Colorado everyday!
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 13: Estes Park
For the first time, I’m playing catch up with this blog! Our first full day in Estes Park was great!
It was nice to have a time off of work and school on a week day. The forecast showed some freezing weather so Jordan headed back to our RV to make sure it was ready for the cold. Since our rig is in Loveland which has a lower elevation than Estes Park, we weren’t too worried about it, but Jordan took a few precautions. PapaGeorge and Nan took the rest of us to Glen Haven General Store to pick up delicious cinnamon rolls. We were planning to eat outside, but due to Covid they weren’t allowing people to use their picnic tables. They tasted just as delicious at the house! Hudson said the cinnamon rolls tasted like King Cake, which is one of his favorite desserts.
This afternoon, we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. I can’t believe I had never been here before! I think it is my new favorite place. I am already thinking about when and how we can get back here so we can do more hikes, which pleasantly surprised Jordan. We did the Emerald Lake hike, which was just over four miles. The kids did a great job on the hike, although they wanted to stop and climb every rock along the way. Given that the name is Rocky Mountain National Park, there are a lot of rocks they were anxious to climb.
As cheesy as it is, the hike reminded me that the journey is just as important, if not more, than the destination. The scenery was breathtaking and every look out point was a perfect picture opportunity. I could have spent four hours hiking to Emerald Lake only because I could have spent 30 minutes at each stop along the way. The kids got very tired of me asking to take pictures so I just started snapping as we hiked. When we arrived at Emerald Lake, Hudson climbed up a cliff. I’m not sure if “cliff” that is the technical description, but as a mom standing at the bottom, it looked like a cliff to me!
We came home, had a delicious casserole my mom made and put the kids to bed reminding them they had to wake up early for school the next day.
So to sum up, we adore Rocky Mountain National Park! We can’t wait to come back!
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 12: Colorado Springs to Estes Park
We spent a slow morning in Colorado Springs. We had to leave the RV park by noon and couldn’t check in to the RV park near Estes Park until 2 so we took our time. It was a nice change of pace. Every morning we have had school or somewhere to be, so we took advantage of some down time.
I had to run to Target because although it was 91 degrees that day in Colorado Springs, the forecast shows Estes Park to have a high of 29 and a low of 19 on Tuesday. So there I was sweating in the parking lot while hauling gloves, hats and appropriate shoes to the truck.
We headed out of Colorado Springs and on our route experienced very hazy skies due to the forest fires. Colorado has a state-wide fire ban and I can understand why.
We parked our RV at a site that is 45 minutes away from Estes Park because we were meeting my parents to stay in a house until Friday. There was ash falling out of the sky as we unloaded our rig. It felt strange moving all of our things out of the trailer and no doubt we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies rolling into Estes Park. Our truck was stuffed!
The drive to Estes Park was beautiful! The kids even put their ipads down to admire the natural beauty. Ok, so we made them put their ipads down to admire the natural beauty, but when I asked Hudson if he was glad he saw the landscape he replied with a resounding “yes” so I felt that was a win.
The house is owned by a family friend and it really is amazing! The kids were blown away (so were we!) and my parents made a delicious steak dinner when we arrived. The hot tub was the kids’ favorite feature so far.
We are thankful to be here and look forward to spending the week in Estes Park!
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 11: Colorado Springs and Denver
We were expecting a morning where everyone slept in a little given it was Saturday, but Lucy was up before 6 am with a bloody nose. She actually thought the whole thing was cool because Hudson is usually the one that has nose bleeds in our family. She kept exclaiming “I can’t believe I’m really having a nose bleed” and “make sure to tell Hudson this happened.” All the while I was thinking “there is no way she is going back to sleep after this excitement.” So we all started the day bright and early!
Jordan took the kids to replications of cave dwellings in Manitou Springs this morning while I stayed behind to clean the trailer. It didn’t take long to clean and I thought back to how easy it was to maintain our small apartment when we first got married and even our first house. Instead of Biggie’s “mo money, mo problems” my issue is “mo house, mo cleaning.” Maybe we will downsize after this adventure.
Jordan said the cave dwellings were well done and the kids enjoyed themselves.
When they got back, we packed lunches and headed to Garden of the Gods. Here is a tip – don’t go to Garden of the Gods the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. It was insanely busy. The last time Jordan and I were here was about 9 years ago. We easily drove through the park, found spots at the pull-offs, checked out the landscape, and kept driving. This experience was totally different. We couldn’t find any where to park and had to drive around 30 min before we found a place. Luckily, it was right near some picnic tables so we had lunch. It was really nice.
The last time we were at Garden of the Gods we weren’t necessarily super active so with that information I wore a dress and sneakers. After lunch, since we couldn’t easily move around the park in our car, we took off on a hiking path. I thought to myself “I am not dressed properly for this,” but I didn’t want to be the reason we all turned around. About 10 minutes in, Lucy said “I’m tired. Can we go back to the car?” I seized my opportunity and said I would take her back. It worked out well because this gave Jordan and Hudson some one on one time which Hudson thrives on. For days, Hudson has been talking about “climbing a mountain” so Jordan let him climb a 30 foot rock. He loved it!
Meanwhile, in the car, Lucy talked about how she wanted to take a girls trip to Paris between our birthdays (hers is in November and mine is in December). She planned that we would go to the Eiffel Tower, go look at art in museums, and have tea. I told her that sounds like a fabulous plan. She said the boys could go to England.
The most exciting part of the day for the kids was driving to the Denver area and seeing their cousin, Kingston. We met at a local park and the kids played hard for an hour before we went to a nearby pizza place for dinner. Littleton, where we had dinner, has main street closed down so that restaurants can have more room to seat patrons. I was really impressed by how the area has adapted. I wish I had taken a photo.
The kids loved being with each other! Kingston is the kids’ only first cousin and it’s hard to visit often since he lives in Colorado. We are hoping we see him and his dad, Jason, sometime over the holidays.
After dinner, we drove back to Colorado Springs and settled in for the night feeling a warm contentment with the day we had.
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 10: Travel Day
Today was not as exciting as the previous two days. We woke up, started school and work, and prepared to leave Alamosa, CO.
The RV park we stayed at, Base Family Camp, was so great. They kids had space to roam and play between assignments. We would highly suggest Base Family Camp to anyone who is staying in the area.
Before we left there was a bike rack Jordan had been meaning to install. When we rushed out of Sugar Land there were several things we still needed to do. This was one of them. We had to have the trailer loaded and ready to go before we left. As usual, the install took longer than we expected (might have something to do with the screw that broke off), but we left the park about 3:30 pm and headed towards Colorado Springs.
The drive was easy which we don’t take for granted anymore! Any time there is a noise, even from outside the truck, both Jordan and I jump and look at each other terrified. So far, the second truck has run great, but I’m only half-joking when I say I think we have a little PTSD from our day on the side of the road. The RV park in Colorado Springs is close to Garden of the Gods, which is one reason we booked here. The location is great, but it is a very crowded park. There is no place for the kids to run and play which should be fine since we will be out sightseeing most of the time here.
When we arrived to the park, Jordan plugged a device we have thats tests the power at our sites and then protects our rig in case there is a power surge. It showed ok at first, but then gave a warning. There is not another RV spot available within 25 miles of Colorado Springs this holiday weekend so I assumed we would just have to deal without power. Luckily, the 30 amp plug was working and we brought another handy tool, I believe it was called a dog bone, that would allow our 50 amp trailer to hook up to 30 amp power. We can’t run both AC units (there is one for most of the trailer and one for our bedroom) but in Colorado that isn’t a problem.
Here’s a funny story about Lucy. Earlier in the day during a school break, she snuggled with Maisie, our dog, and said “When I’m in college, I’m just going to cuddle my dog and eat snacks.” Part of me thought this sounded amazing and part of me thought “I hope her idea of college changes in the next 13 years or we are going to have to think about where we are sending our tuition dollars.”
Hudson spoke up much more today during school and it was so helpful! In the picture below you can see him raising his hand. I can tell he is getting more comfortable with Zoom calls although, at moments, I’m struck by how odd it is my eight year-old is learning via a Zoom call. 2020 is weird, man.
All in all, today was relatively uneventful, but this is what we prefer on travel days!
Until next time…
Sarah
Day 9: Great Sand Dunes
I was able to wash my hair. I know this is the update you were all waiting for. Our hot water seems to be working much better. I’m so thankful Jordan is a “fixer.” Our kids will say all the time, “Dad is so good at fixing things.”
Today wasn’t quite as blissful as yesterday. Virtual schooling can be hard. I can not even begin to fathom how working parents are handling this. Some days it feels so chaotic. Today was one of those days. Lucy is in Kindergarten so most of what she does is hands on, as it should be. Her teacher is wonderful and supportive, but I also have a 3rd grader who needs help. Hudson always wants to make sure his answer is “right” and doesn’t like to speak up on Zooms if he has a question. And believe me, he has tons of questions. He is a very curious child, but also a perfectionist. This combo is hard for virtual learning. We are working on Hudson speaking up more and asking questions when he has them on video calls and he is getting more confident to take this action. I also heard a tip to turn off a feature so that your child can’t see themselves. Turning this off can make them less self-conscious so we are going to try that, too.
Truth be told, I probably didn’t set the best tone for today either. All I wanted to do is take a shower and with two kids who were in school and always needing something from me it was difficult to do. Jordan had a small break and worked on Lucy with her math and when Hudson was on a Zoom call, I was finally able to take that shower. Do not underestimate the power of hot showers and coffee.
Once school was over and Jordan wrapped up work, we headed back to the Great Sand Dunes to sand sled. My cousin, Justin, gave me so many great tips to take kids sledding. One was to bring swim goggles, so that if it was windy the sand wouldn’t bother their eyes. This idea would have been perfect except that when we entered the park today, attitudes were not at their best and the goggles were tossed in the sand. Sandy goggles kind of defeat the purpose of not getting sand in your eyes. Once we started sledding attitudes turned around and we had fun! My favorite memory from today was watching Hudson climb a huge dune to help Lucy who was half-way up and struggling to make it to the top. He helped her climb a little higher, only to push her down so she could sled. He ran back down so excited for her. These kids are so different from one another and some days all it seems they do is pick at one another. It can be exhausting. I can’t tell you what this one little act did for our hearts as parents. Check out all these fun videos and photos!
We came home sandy again, washed the kids off outside with our water hose and had a quick easy dinner inside. Our view was pretty spectacular. The kids went to bed at a decent time and we were able to have some downtime. Jordan jumped on a virtual happy hour with some co workers and I started a new book. I love my family and am so excited for this adventure, but I need some quiet time alone to recharge. This is hard to accomplish in an RV, so I can’t tell you how nice it was to sit and read. Alone. We are all looking forward to a long weekend with no school and work!
Until next time…
Sarah
Life On The High Way 