Colorado Vacation - Pulling an All Nighter

Wednesday, September 15, 2010


Day 1 & 2 of our Colorado vacation kind of bleed together.  Why?  Because we left yesterday at 2:30 pm and drove ALL NIGHT LONG to get to Colorado.  So for Mike and I...it's been one loooooong day!  Does it really count as a new day if you didn't ever go to sleep the night before?  I still feel like it's Day 1...but I guess since the sun set and has risen again...it must be day 2!

I picked the boys up from school yesterday and hurried home to meet Mike (who left work a little early).  We packed all the last minute items and got on the road (well almost...we had to stop for gas, ice, and coffee before we got out of town). 

Mike started a movie for the boys, took a few Benadryl to help him sleep, and then began to relax while I drove.  I planned to drive to Amarillo and then Mike would take the hard shift (the middle of the night shift) and drive to Salida, CO.  Everything was going as planned until (you knew there was a but coming...right?) I heard a thud and looked in the review mirror to see the top of the luggage carrier land in the middle of the highway along with a bunch of our camping gear (sleeping bags, kid carriers, etc).  Praise the Lord we were on the less busy Hwy 287 (north west of Ft. Worth) when it happened.  If we had been in the middle of traffic, I can't imagine the disaster that might have ensued.  I slowly pulled over to the side of the road and Mike (who's adrenaline had overridden the Benadryl) got of the Jeep to jog back and retrieve our belongings.  The boys asked what was going on and I told them and then asked them to pray for safety for us and for the other people driving by.  I couldn't help but have joy in the middle of a troubling time when Brody immediately bowed his head and began to pray.  (He prayed without ceasing until we were safely on the road again!)  I backed the Jeep up to where Mike was with the gear & luggage carrier lid and then we began the task of repacking the Jeep. 

We weren't exactly sure why the top of the luggage carrier didn't stay latched on, so Mike tied it down with some straps.  We'd left the ratchet straps at home (we hadn't needed them when packing the first time, so we didn't bring them) and the straps that we did have weren't doing the job very well.  We had to stop several times to tighten them back down again.  Finally we found a Wal-Mart and stopped there to buy some ratchet straps. 

Almost 2 hours later we were back on the road...oh wait!  Now Brody needs to go potty!  We pulled over at the next gas station.

Back on the road again.  Within about 30 minutes the chorus from the backseat of "I'm hungry!" began to get louder than the movie that was playing.  We pulled over at a Whataburger with an indoor playground (we don't even consider restaurants without indoor playgrounds when we're on long road trips!) 

An hour later we were finally back on the road.  I drove until bedtime and then we pulled over to put on the boys jammies and let them go potty.  The rest of the trip to Amarillo was uneventful.  The boys slept and Mike dozed off and on.  We arrived in Amarillo around midnight and Mike took over driving.  I attempted to sleep...but (seeing as I can't sleep on my back) it was virtually impossible!  I maybe got an hour or two of total sleep? 

At 5:30 am (mountain time) we pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot in Salida, CO.  The boys woke up and we headed into the store in search of a fishing license for Mike.  Of course, the license department didn't open until "between 6:30 and 7:00 am" and we couldn't head up to our campsite (where one of the main planned activities is fishing) without Mike getting a license.  A gas station attendant told us about a restaurant called Patio Pancake that opened at 6 am.  We got there just as they opened and walked in with all the regulars (you know...the local ranchers, the parts store employees, the "town fathers" who meet for coffee).  There weren't any other kids in the restaurant, so our boys were the entertainment for everyone there!  They were wide awake (they'd had a good night sleep) while Mike and I looked like we needed coffee. 

After filling our bellies with pancakes, eggs, and bacon, we stopped to get Mike's fishing license and then headed towards Mt. Antero.  The boys were happy to finally be in Colorado!  We're very happy to be here too.  Can you believe it's been 3 years since our last trip?  That's too long!!!