Summer Road Trip 2008

First, let me say that I LOVE Roadtrips!!!!! That said, here is a day by day journal of our recent roadtrip:

DAY 1

Hmm... after a mere 4 hours of sleep, we were up at 5am to load the car. The kids are super excited for this trip- I'm glad. I always enjoyed it when I was young and I am thrilled to share the experience with them. We officially hit the highway at about 7:30 am. Not bad all things considered. The kids are happy watching The Spiderwick Chronicles on the DVD player..even Jen, who got sick yesterday with yet ANOTHER tonsil infection, is in good spirits. She is drugged up with antibiotics and ibuprofen. Hopefully she will get over this quickly and be able to enjoy the trip. I am exhausted! I forgot how much work it is to get ready for this trip. I am looking forward to a great time with my family. This road trip is going to be AWESOME!

Yeah! IT's Payson, AZ! We've been on the road for a little over an hour now. Aren't the mountains gorgeous? Our first rest stop is in Heber- about another hour.

NOW it feels official. We aren't just taking a drive through scenic Northern Arizona. We are now on I-40 heading east. Just outside of Holbrook are lots of these life sized dinosaurs along the roadside. Hard to believe that most people miss the opportunity for this kind of entertainment by flying cross country instead of driving!!! Gotta love it.

We are approaching the petrified forest ( AKA barren land with large tree trunks turned to stone strewn about). Sounds like it should be really impressive. I think, really, it is just one of those things Arizonans like to brag about having while hoping noone actually comes to check it out.

Welcome to New Mexico!!! As a little welcome to the state, Jennifer threw up in the car. Fortunately we came prepared with a bucket. Poor little thing has a tonsil infection and has really not been feeling well ever since we left Heber. Fortunately we will be stopping for lunch in 8 more miles in Gallup, NM. A little ibuprofen ought to help her out!

Albuquerque, NM: Time for a pit stop. Only 2 more hours of driving today. Chino and I are really feeling the drag. We need some serious sleep tonight. The kids are getting excited to get to the hotel. OUr room is supposed to be right next to the pool. The trick will be to get them focused on eating first, swimming next. For now, a little sonic drink stop is just the thing we need!

It was pouring down rain when we pulled into Tucumcari, NM for the night. Unfortunately the pool was outdoors so, no swimming! We checked into the hotel and then went to eat. I had read on the internet travel sites that Del's Restaurant was THE place to eat in town so, we checked it out. We got soaked from the car to the restaurant!! We had to wait a few minutes to be seated so, I had my fortune told by an old west miner

( Think Zoldar from the movie " Big"- only different theme). Apparantly, Im going to have a pretty good year. Yeah me! Man, we were very hungry! Chino and I had mexican food , the kids had american food and everyone nearly licked their plates clean! By the time we were done eating, the rain had turned to a light drizzle. We drove back to the hotel and unpacked what we needed for the night. I had everyone get ready for baths while I gathered dirty clothes to do laundry. Jolie and Jen were in the tub when the lights began to flicker, then went pitch black. So much for doing laundry. Chino went back to the car and retrieved some flashlights for us. The girls finished their baths by flashlight. We all got ready for bed and layed down. It was VERY warm in the room so we opened our patio door to cool off. To us, it was unusually cold for a summer evening- 62 degrees!

We spent the next hour having Chino tell the kids all about his childhood. They thought that was pretty entertaining. Little did they know the real show was yet to come. One of the kids started making shadow puppets in the light of the flashlight and before we knew it, it was a shadow puppet free for all. Jocelyn even made one that looked like one of the muppet's characters. The next morning she said to me, " Mom, that was fun last night. I never knew I had a talent for making Gonzo shadow puppets! Too cute.

Admittedly, I was so tired that I fell asleep holding the flashlight. Next thing I knew, the lights were back on so, I got up and inflated Janet's air mattress. We resettled everyone, closed the patio door, turned on the air conditioner and got some much needed sleep.