Yesterday was a mega highlight for the kids. Adventure city. Leaving Jay behind to do his consulting/ office work, we set out on the bus for WALMART. Yes, Walmart. We were in need of some high quality trip memorbilia. Jay got a 3-1 lego creator set to build a light house and Allie got Silvermist, the missing link in her fairy collection. The deal stands, NO ONE is to open the toys until the long bus ride starts. After Walmart, we navigated our way to Wendy's. Must say, the Firecracker salad is very highly recommended. Then we rode to Safeway. I almost bought a 2 gallon of milk, but realized that would dominate one whole hand and I had more important things to purchase. Baking soda for that odd smell in the freezer and a few candles for that odd smell everywhere else. Chicken, white beans, carrots, red peppers. Celery, kleenex, cough drops for big Jay.
Then, we navigated our way back to the bus. It was pretty cool figuring it all out, crossing dangerous parking lots and not losing either kid in the process. Allie loved it, had to sit in her own seat, far from Jay and I on the bus with her two little bags from the store. "Mom, am I kind of like a teenager?" Jay Jay will not ever be a public transit guy, "Mom, are we kind of like homeless people?"
Then we did the big 5 mile ride in Steamboat along the Yampa River. Jay Jay dominated, fast, had to be in the lead, on his new mountain bike with hand brakes and gears to shift. Allie did not like it. She is still riding the 64 dollar walmart bike from Hawaii that she got when she was 5. The girl was nearly in tears at the mountain bike store when we were making our purchases. Turns out the mountain bike stores do not carry the puppy power powder blue huffy of her dreams. That, and Grandma bought her that bike so NO, we are not getting a new one. And she fell off her bike trying a new move on the trail, the old stand up and pump for more speed. Tears, the I QUIT move. I had to pull out the old "well, unless you plan to build a house and live here forever on this bike path, I suggest you get on that bike and ride" voice. Much scowling and evil glances got it done. Later when we were comparing just who was the best on their bike that day, Jay Jay thinking he was the shoe-in, Allie reminded us all that she was the one who had to make a come back. Actual words, "I win, I had to make the come back".
Today was the big driving day. Huge. 400 miles from Steamboat Springs to Jackson, Wyoming. Can I just tell you that there is pretty much nothing between the two cities unless you count solar powered oil refineries, trains, trains pushing trains and trains pulling trains, cattle ranches, wild deer and long abandoned farmhouses? Okay, that is actually a lot of things, but over 400 miles, it doesn't feel like much. Pulling into Jackson, it is evident there is plenty of money in this town. Jay and I were talking about these resort towns. The pattern appears one of two kinds of people: those with means to live in luxury and those who work to provide the luxury. Well, and us, the nomadic drifter. The transient observer. AKA: Cheap trailer park residents.
We ate at Calico for Italian. Decent, probably over rated. Italian is just italian most of the time and 15 dollars for regular old spaghetti and marinara always makes me think that I could about the same or better in my own kitchen for far less. But that is the problem with spending 400 miles in the bus. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was anything in the bus. Cook in it, sit in it, be around the kids in it. Every night around 6 they start to go nuts. Loud, wrestling, fart humor, and it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, usually around 6:15.
Tomorrow is Jackson. Then on to Yellowstone. We need to talk to the ranger to figure out if we need to pay the 400 clams for the guided private tour or if the animals just really do practically run into you out there. And I need to run into Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart at the local coffe shop in town. It is going to be casual, you know, so they aren't all embarrassed. I'll try to post a picture.
Then, we navigated our way back to the bus. It was pretty cool figuring it all out, crossing dangerous parking lots and not losing either kid in the process. Allie loved it, had to sit in her own seat, far from Jay and I on the bus with her two little bags from the store. "Mom, am I kind of like a teenager?" Jay Jay will not ever be a public transit guy, "Mom, are we kind of like homeless people?"
Then we did the big 5 mile ride in Steamboat along the Yampa River. Jay Jay dominated, fast, had to be in the lead, on his new mountain bike with hand brakes and gears to shift. Allie did not like it. She is still riding the 64 dollar walmart bike from Hawaii that she got when she was 5. The girl was nearly in tears at the mountain bike store when we were making our purchases. Turns out the mountain bike stores do not carry the puppy power powder blue huffy of her dreams. That, and Grandma bought her that bike so NO, we are not getting a new one. And she fell off her bike trying a new move on the trail, the old stand up and pump for more speed. Tears, the I QUIT move. I had to pull out the old "well, unless you plan to build a house and live here forever on this bike path, I suggest you get on that bike and ride" voice. Much scowling and evil glances got it done. Later when we were comparing just who was the best on their bike that day, Jay Jay thinking he was the shoe-in, Allie reminded us all that she was the one who had to make a come back. Actual words, "I win, I had to make the come back".
Today was the big driving day. Huge. 400 miles from Steamboat Springs to Jackson, Wyoming. Can I just tell you that there is pretty much nothing between the two cities unless you count solar powered oil refineries, trains, trains pushing trains and trains pulling trains, cattle ranches, wild deer and long abandoned farmhouses? Okay, that is actually a lot of things, but over 400 miles, it doesn't feel like much. Pulling into Jackson, it is evident there is plenty of money in this town. Jay and I were talking about these resort towns. The pattern appears one of two kinds of people: those with means to live in luxury and those who work to provide the luxury. Well, and us, the nomadic drifter. The transient observer. AKA: Cheap trailer park residents.
We ate at Calico for Italian. Decent, probably over rated. Italian is just italian most of the time and 15 dollars for regular old spaghetti and marinara always makes me think that I could about the same or better in my own kitchen for far less. But that is the problem with spending 400 miles in the bus. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was anything in the bus. Cook in it, sit in it, be around the kids in it. Every night around 6 they start to go nuts. Loud, wrestling, fart humor, and it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, usually around 6:15.
Tomorrow is Jackson. Then on to Yellowstone. We need to talk to the ranger to figure out if we need to pay the 400 clams for the guided private tour or if the animals just really do practically run into you out there. And I need to run into Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart at the local coffe shop in town. It is going to be casual, you know, so they aren't all embarrassed. I'll try to post a picture.
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