Claytonopolis: Claytonopolis Trek 2013

We did it AGAIN. We drove 1,980 miles and it went relatively smoothly. Our kids were sick just before we left. Annie had an ear infection. Both Kristiana and Annie had a stomach bug. Lucy had pinkeye on our trip and was teething. But, all that did not touch us. We made it through pretty well.

We did a couple of things new and different this year. On our first day of driving, we drove starting early in the morning and drove 13 hours straight to Colorado Springs. We only had a couple stops for bathroom breaks. I packed all our food for the day. Then we stayed a day in Colorado with my sister. We replenished the food supply a bit and continued on up through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and finally Washington. We all loved bringing our own food. We saved money, saved time and saved our waste lines. We ALL felt great at the end.

Alex was a great helper on the trip as he tended to his sisters needs. Kristiana was also a big helper. Although, she unbuckled herself and moved about the car a little too often. Kristiana was also our comic relief. She had lots to say about our journey. Her observations were so mature yet fresh. I know you are thinking you want to hear some of the hilarious things she said, but it was all things that you had to have been there. Her timing was perfect. It kept us laughing the whole way.

By the time we reached Washington Annie had decided to give up on being potty trained and went back to diapers. She was too stressed. I can't push it. When she makes up her mind, there's no other way but hers. She'll be fully potty trained someday.

Alas, our one travail of the trip was that Andrew had our van re-aligned before the trip. He thought that it was pulling to the right. So he took it in and had it down for a good price. Apparently, the mechanic did not set it right. By the time we had completed the journey our tires were bald. This is exactly what we had intended to avoid. We called the mechanic and he said he would pay for half of replacing the tires because our tire were already used. But, we don't want to put used tires on our vehicle, and we would not be in this mess if they had done the work right. This has caused my husband much stress. It's annoying for sure, but this is life. Sometimes you receive some hard knocks; and sometimes the hard knocks are life knocking.

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Road Lunch - half-eaten

Baby Lunch - jelly sandwiches and bananas are good!

Sisters - Part One

Colorado! We made it all in one day!

Colorado Springs Zoo

Notice peacock at the bottom left

Pony ride - Memories to make a childhood

Sisters - Part Two

100 7774

"Sister, I would like to get a workout in, today."

"Okay, let's go climb up the mountain. Don't worry, my enlisted men made it up with some breaks."

I looked it up. It's a 2,100 ft elevation climb, 3.25 miles long. It was great exercise. I just wanted a light jog and a little weightlifting, but this was way better. It was like being in an airplane looking down at the ground. It's a very vigorous climb, not for the faint of heart. Within 30 steps your heart is pumping pretty hard. Here's another blogger who explains it better (Manitou Hike). It's worth a quick look, because there are better pictures. Although, I do not know how he was able to take pictures because everyone on the trail look shaky and exhausted. It would be very difficult to turn around on the steep incline and take a picture without falling over.