Day 16

(I have backposted below the Rock Story for anyone who is interested in Days 13-15)

August 4, 2008 – Monday – Day 16

0545 Penny is barking which wakes me up.

0605 Get up and start getting ready.

0630 Wake up the kids and start loading the van.

0712 Leave

0715 Pass a house with a space shuttle mail box.

0716 Dad called – we forgot the sippy cups.

0718 Back to pick up our cups and Ryan’s Gatorade. And leaving again…

0835 Stop in Parker for gas and breakfast. $3.87/gallon.

0837 Pull across the street and stop again. Bella has a bloody nose and needs a new shirt.

0910 Arrive at Denver Airport to pick up Grandpa R.

1000 Stop at first available gas station for another clean-up. This time Bella threw up. She says she was reading too many princess stories so maybe she was just car sick. Guess we’ll be doing laundry at the hotel tonight.

1054 Wyoming!

12:03 p.m. Leaving the Old West Pioneer Days Museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming. There is not immediately obvious place to stop for lunch so I get back on the highway figuring I’ll stop and the next exit or two.

Turns out there is nothing at the next exit and before I know it, there’s a sign telling me No Services for 50 miles!

12:14 p.m. The prairie out here is very windy and empty.

We passed an accident. Looks like two pickups flipped. No one appears to be hurt and a few other people have already stopped to help.

12:45 p.m. Buffalo Grill in Chugwater, WY is the next available food. And the only services for another 30 miles according to the blue sign on the highway. So, Chugwater it is. Population 244. Not much going on except a few motorcycles who have also stopped to eat at the Buffalo Grill. Oh and a word of advice – when the sign says “dip” you should SLOW DOWN. A LOT! While we were eating, a few guys came in and got to talking about the accident. No one was hurt. One guy was driving a pickup and towing another one behind him. They think the tow bar broke and the gusty wind caused the accident. Eavesdropping pays off because now I know a little more!

1:37 p.m. Leaving lunch.

2:07 p.m. Stop in Wheatland, WY for gas and coffee. $3.99/gallon. No McD’s so I have to get iced coffee from Burger King. Not my favorite but it’ll do. Lana ordered an iced tea. She added her splenda then took a drink. That was NOT iced tea! I tasted it as well (by request) and agreed with her diagnosis. Coke. With Splenda. Which in case you were wondering is not actually very good at all. Yuck!

Continue our drive towards the hotel. There are several trains out today and we even saw a section where they were building NEW train tracks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen NEW train tracks before.

3:35 Arrive at the hotel in Lusk, WY. Pretty small town. Nice hotel with a HEATED pool and flowers hanging outside all the rooms.

4:45 p.m. Go to the pool for an hour to swim. Amazing how much more fun it is when the water isn’t ice cold. They also had two floating lounge chairs that we all enjoyed using.

7:15 p.m. Back from dinner at the Outpost Café. Good food. Good service. Sometimes small towns are the best place.

9:00 p.m. Get the kids settled for bed. Ryan will sleep with Grandpa in his room. I start the laundry.

Chat with Ron…

Work on updating blog when I realize I forgot the laundry! Go quickly to change it. Notice a minivan with the light on. The family just went inside so I’ll check again on my way back as it may be on a delay. When I pass by again, the light is still on. I knock on the door to tell them. She gave me a bit of a look but after our dead battery in LA I figure better safe than sorry!

And now it is 10:18 and I’m waiting another 15 minutes for my laundry to hopefully be dry so I can go to bed.