Rolocado

This is the last lengthy post I'll have for the next week since we're embarking on what some might call a vacation...let's just call it a "family vacation" to Rolocado (As Anna would call Colorado) to go camping.

Actually, I cheated a bit a rented a cabin but we're bringing the tent along. I can't help it, the Type A now-Mother in me has to have a back up plan for rain, toddler not liking the tent, or bears. So cabin/tent camping it is.

It's going to be at Monument Lake in Colorado, which was only a 12 hour drive in the pre-Anna days. Now that this is our first trip with the newest family member, we're planning to break the drive out over two days. As far as we can get each day without pushing too far into insanity in the confines of a Toyota Tacoma pick-up cab.

Yo Gabba Gabba goes to Rolocado. Yes, 6 hours a day of DVD time, I am sure.


Paul and I have gone to this place a few times since we moved to Houston. It was usually a stop on our way to Durango, CO where we'd then move on to Silverton, CO. Mostly our trips consisted of lots of driving, to see how high up we could get. One year we took the train from Durango to Silverton, which was really cool. I think Anna will have to be a little older for that one, though. Our hopes on this trip for now are that the 12 hour drive there and 12 hour drive home will be met with good memories. Even though toddlers notoriously hate to be confined in car seats for too long.


Now I've honestly tried to back peddle my way out of this trip recently. Not that I don't want to go have fun with Paul and Anna, but just that I think this fun might get old to the toddler the first 4 hours in. Good old optimistic nut job husband is planning for nothing but good times and so has tried to squash my doubts. We settled on the cabin which has at least shut me up. A bit.

Who am I kidding, this place has a lodge with a restaurant on site. So it's not the actual destination that's freaking me out. It's the journey. In the car. I think. Also it's the fact that I'm trying to pack for a little human-like creature that changes her mind in 2 seconds flat from waffles to grits. And that when bugs bite her, they leave a huge whelp that's a major downer. And that she's particular about wearing the same shoes everyday, despite the pretty other ones going unworn in her closet. And that fishing with her daddy in the boat will get boring about 45 minutes sooner for her than it will for her daddy.

Everyone knows that Paul's the optimist. Whether he's right or not, most of the boundaries we've pushed with Anna have usually been at the urging of Paul, whereas I am much more comfortable with the daily routine and not shaking things up too much. The boundaries that are pushed usually end up just fine, if for any reason other than that Paul probably works extra hard to make it work so that the next time we think to push a little further he can tell me it's always been just fine in the past and we can do it again.

Anna has been on plenty of travel with us to some strange places. She's been to Colorado twice before (both by plane). She's overall a great toddler with a few standard toddler quirks and there's never been a real disaster. Just some extra work. So I guess in my mind it's just that it'd be so much easier to stay home this week and stick to routine than driving all the way to Colorado for this camping trip...except that I hope it yields good memories. And really I know Anna's going to get a kick out of alot if it...

Anyway, since we will be out of internet's reach, if my cell phone has service, I'll be texting little updates to this blog. If you see no updates, it means my phone has no service. So I maybe you'll be in on the fun too...in the comfort of your own home.