Rocky Mountain High

We are in Colorado for my cousin, Joey’s, wedding. Dad, Noah, Tyler and I loaded into the car, dropped Mom off at the airport and headed northwest. Mom got an airline ticket weeks ago when we weren’t sure the rest of us could go. Aside from it also being better for her recently injured back, she had to get there early to help with last minute wedding plans. Brian is heading to Xtreme Camp with our church youth this weekend. So, it was just the four of us making the trek to the mountains.

We chose the route that took us through Oklahoma and Kansas. The mileage is a little longer than going through New Mexico, but we were told it would shave an hour off our drive. Nothing gets you in the mood for mountainous terrain like driving past endless wheat fields. I think that's what kept Lewis and Clark going - the promise of what was ahead. Dear Kansas, you gave me my college roommate and Wizard of Oz, but that's about all you can boast. And, Oklahoma, thank you for your zoo, your Bricktown and for giving us our puppy, Barkley. I mean, it’s gorgeous land. There just isn’t anything to keep you entertained. My dad could only distract me with “Hey, look at those cows!” the first 17 times.

We did find the wind power in Kansas fascinating, though. It looked like a little alien city with all these windmills dotting the landscape.


I lost track of how many times we stopped, but I think it consisted of two meal stops and 46 potty stops. (Special shout out to T for pooping in the potty, by the way!) Now that we're nearly out of the diaper phase, we may be investing in Depends to get us through long drives like this.

I love my Dad. Some people like to take advantage of drive throughs and some people don't. Based on the fact it took us 16 hours to get to CO and 13 of those were actual driving, I'll let you decide what category my Dad falls into. (I love you, Dad.) And, to be fair, he'd just gotten back from work in The Czech Republic about 40 hours before. So, yeah, the multiple stops were probably what he needed. Not to mention we had two small bladders on board and their aim isn't good enough for tee tee jugs yet.

This was our first stop, a picnic, at the Oklahoma welcome center.

The boys had fun. They got to look at bugs...

and play with sticks while drinking yogurt and getting their lean on.

Little did they know they were in for 15 more hours of car time.

Incidentally, I think someone should let the authorities know about this tip scribbled on the park bench.

We passed the time with 11 library books, snacks, activity books, Tom and Jerry and Finding Nemo DVDs and a 30 second attempt at listening to Swiss Family Robinson on CD. That was for Dad and me. Until I realized that a British voice speaking in monotone isn't good keep-Dad-awake-while-he's-driving audio. And, some of us napped.

Thank goodness. Did I mention it was a 16 hour trip?

So now we’re in Colorado. We pulled into the Hyatt around 2:40 a.m. Texas time. I like this Colorado. We lived here for 11 months when my Dad was stationed at Peterson AFB. While it’s somewhat different from my southern roots, I still love the mountain views and having four seasons. Most of all, it’s good to see my cousins again and meet two little ones who’ve been born since the last trip here. Noah and Tyler are also getting their first introductions to a lot of my Korean extended family. They are in for some yummo Korean food, some pinching of cheeks and, very likely, some karaoke. It's fun. There will be pics.

P.S. I love my Dad.