We've been back almost a week now, but it's taken a while for me to get this post done. It's been a pretty packed week of unpacking, recuperating, and some family stuff thrown in. But, better late than never.
Derek and I (and Ollie, of course) left on the first with our teardrop trailer, the new-to-us truck we bought in Dallas on the way, and suitcase full of baby stuff (along with some clothing for Papa and I) for almost three weeks in Colorado. We spent the first six days at my grandparents house in Montrose, and then set off with our camp gear for 12 days of exploring up the mountains. We basically covered the entire southwest quarter of the state.
Discoveries I made during our three week road trip:
1). The Biyast (our new truck) does not have off road tires. When you camp in the dirt, and it rains all night, you get stuck... The first night after we left my grandparents house, we parked up on this backcountry ski road in the middle of nowhere. It was completely deserted because, well, no one skiis in July. At 5 o'clock in the morning when you realize your wheels are stuck in mud, you kind of start to wish your campsite was a little less deserted.
2). The mountains are cold. Even in July. We knew this, but when I was packing, in Texas, in near 100 degree weather, it just wasn't something I thought about. I packed ONE blanket for our bed. The second morning (after we got the truck unstuck) we made a trip to Walmart for cold weather sleeping bags.
3). My husband is a durn good cook. (Okay, so this is not a new discovery, but at home I do all the meal planning, shopping, and cooking. I don't mind. Derek works, I don't. It makes sense for me to handle food). I don't hate cooking but I definitely don't find the same joy in it that some people do. So, since this is my vacation, and Derek is not working everyday, he's done pretty much all of it this trip. It's been lovely. And it's made me enjoy the meals I have cooked a whole lot more.
4). Ski towns are over rated. Maybe not for everyone, but they sure weren't our cup of tea. Too busy. Too expensive.
5). My son is quite the charmer. He's everyone's best friend, and he's gorgeous. I don't know how many times we got comments like 'Oliver, I think you need 20 brothers and sisters' or 'you guys are gonna have a bunch more of those, right?'
6). All you people who rave about the Texas sunsets are wrong. Sorry, but you are. Texas ain't got nothing on a mountain sunset. Here's proof:
7). Ron Howard is super cool.
8). Colorado has fully embraced the legalization of weed. It's everywhere. And it stinks.
9). You can take a shower at a truck stop for $3-6 dollars. They're pretty gross. For $10-12 dollars, you can buy a pass to a rec center and have as many showers as you want, and have all day access to their indoor, heated pools. When it's in the 50s and raining and you've been camping, it's totally worth the extra few bucks for the pools.
10). Cloth diapering on the road is not nearly as inconvenient as I imagined it would be. Which leads me to the next:
11). This whole 'infant potty-training' thing has actually made life easier. I only changed maybe 6 dirty diapers this trip (Oliver generally poops 3-5 times a day), and all but 2 those were on the way up when we were in the car for REALLY long stretches of time, and I wasn't bothering to get him our and take him potty. It's been really nice, when we get back in the car after stopping to nurse, or whatever, to know that we're not going to have to stop again 15 minutes down the road to clean tush.
13). I can totally breastfeed while wearing Oliver in the Ergo. This is really nice when you're hiking and there are no comfy chairs to nurse in.
12). My little Monkey ADORES his daddy. I mean, I know Oliver loves Derek, but let's face it - with the hours Derek has been pulling the past few months - he's just not around as much during Ollie's wakeful hours. This is by far the most time they have spent together. Oliver thinks his daddy is THE BEST. I'm just old potatoes at this point.
14). I'd much rather live in Colorado than Texas.
15). However, I don't think Colorado is my dream home.
Derek and I (and Ollie, of course) left on the first with our teardrop trailer, the new-to-us truck we bought in Dallas on the way, and suitcase full of baby stuff (along with some clothing for Papa and I) for almost three weeks in Colorado. We spent the first six days at my grandparents house in Montrose, and then set off with our camp gear for 12 days of exploring up the mountains. We basically covered the entire southwest quarter of the state.
Discoveries I made during our three week road trip:
1). The Biyast (our new truck) does not have off road tires. When you camp in the dirt, and it rains all night, you get stuck... The first night after we left my grandparents house, we parked up on this backcountry ski road in the middle of nowhere. It was completely deserted because, well, no one skiis in July. At 5 o'clock in the morning when you realize your wheels are stuck in mud, you kind of start to wish your campsite was a little less deserted.
2). The mountains are cold. Even in July. We knew this, but when I was packing, in Texas, in near 100 degree weather, it just wasn't something I thought about. I packed ONE blanket for our bed. The second morning (after we got the truck unstuck) we made a trip to Walmart for cold weather sleeping bags.
3). My husband is a durn good cook. (Okay, so this is not a new discovery, but at home I do all the meal planning, shopping, and cooking. I don't mind. Derek works, I don't. It makes sense for me to handle food). I don't hate cooking but I definitely don't find the same joy in it that some people do. So, since this is my vacation, and Derek is not working everyday, he's done pretty much all of it this trip. It's been lovely. And it's made me enjoy the meals I have cooked a whole lot more.
4). Ski towns are over rated. Maybe not for everyone, but they sure weren't our cup of tea. Too busy. Too expensive.
5). My son is quite the charmer. He's everyone's best friend, and he's gorgeous. I don't know how many times we got comments like 'Oliver, I think you need 20 brothers and sisters' or 'you guys are gonna have a bunch more of those, right?'
6). All you people who rave about the Texas sunsets are wrong. Sorry, but you are. Texas ain't got nothing on a mountain sunset. Here's proof:
7). Ron Howard is super cool.
8). Colorado has fully embraced the legalization of weed. It's everywhere. And it stinks.
9). You can take a shower at a truck stop for $3-6 dollars. They're pretty gross. For $10-12 dollars, you can buy a pass to a rec center and have as many showers as you want, and have all day access to their indoor, heated pools. When it's in the 50s and raining and you've been camping, it's totally worth the extra few bucks for the pools.
10). Cloth diapering on the road is not nearly as inconvenient as I imagined it would be. Which leads me to the next:
11). This whole 'infant potty-training' thing has actually made life easier. I only changed maybe 6 dirty diapers this trip (Oliver generally poops 3-5 times a day), and all but 2 those were on the way up when we were in the car for REALLY long stretches of time, and I wasn't bothering to get him our and take him potty. It's been really nice, when we get back in the car after stopping to nurse, or whatever, to know that we're not going to have to stop again 15 minutes down the road to clean tush.
13). I can totally breastfeed while wearing Oliver in the Ergo. This is really nice when you're hiking and there are no comfy chairs to nurse in.
12). My little Monkey ADORES his daddy. I mean, I know Oliver loves Derek, but let's face it - with the hours Derek has been pulling the past few months - he's just not around as much during Ollie's wakeful hours. This is by far the most time they have spent together. Oliver thinks his daddy is THE BEST. I'm just old potatoes at this point.
14). I'd much rather live in Colorado than Texas.
15). However, I don't think Colorado is my dream home.
Some cool tips I didn't know (like the rec center thing). Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnd Texas is glad you're back.