Thursday, July 27, 2006
travelogue:
DAY ELEVEN Well, by late tomorrow afternoon we will be home again. It has been a fun, relaxing vacation! I never did write any more about our pack trip… As I wrote before, the trip in took much longer than expected. Which, would have been fine with me, at least!, had the last hour of the ride not turned hot and had we had something to drink. Actually, though, we had gorgeous weather all through this trip. It was unseasonably warm and dry while we were in the back country of the Rockies…not hot, just right (other than the last hour of our trip in). The only rain during our time in Canada was after we were in the van driving out of the mountains. It rained again last night in South Dakota…but, again it was AFTER we were tucked into our hotel for the night. The swimming area had full glass walls looking out to the east and west. The storm didn’t come until after we were down swimming. It was neat seeing the storm outside while we were playing in the pool. We made up a new game last night… Rayna and Doug stayed in the shallow end of the pool and would throw an inflated rubber ball out to the deep end where Darcy and I would use our feet to throw it back to them. The little kids could use their hands, but Darcy and I could only use our feet. We had the entire pool to ourselves (as well as the hot tub). Meanwhile, Grant could come out on our room’s balcony during commercial breaks and look out on the fun we were having below in the pool. (Ours was the only balcony.) Doug also took his power ranger action figure into the pool and spent a good deal of the evening diving beneath the water to retrieve his little guy off of the floor of the pool. The shallow end was 3 feet deep, so Doug had to really work at it to get the little guy off the bottom. Doug can’t swim yet, but he doesn’t have any aversion at all to going under water with his eyes and mouth wide open. (We have tried for TWO YEARS to teach him to CLOSE his mouth before he goes under water…but it is a lost cause. I don’t know how he keeps from choking and/or swallowing tons of water…but, it doesn’t seem to bother him at all to have his mouth WIDE OPEN the entire time he is under water.) Vonnie and John enjoyed the hot tub for about fifteen minutes and then retreated back to the room to eat popcorn!
Yesterday when we shopped around in Keystone, South Dakota, Darcy was going to spend her souvenir money that she had been given prior to the trip. Doug and Rayna both spent theirs in Canada at a Wal-Mart. I had pointed out “Canadian” type things to them (typical souvenir ware), but Doug chose a Power Ranger action figure and Rayna chose a generic Barbie doll that had clear, sparkly fairy wings. This was probably their way of protesting my cruelty earlier in the evening… Thinking they needed some new movies for the trip home, I had decided to buy some kid movies for them, but I had told them I was going to pick them. My criteria was that it had to be “G” rated and couldn’t be Barbie-anything (all that Rayna likes) or have violence (which cuts out all the Superhero things that Doug and Darcy are so fond of). They had packed 28 DVDs for the trip….every one of which was either Barbie themed or Justice League or Power Ranger themed. Rayna literally had dissolved into tears that I wouldn’t buy a new Barbie movie. Doug and Darcy were rather put out with me, too. They were all certain that they wouldn’t like the four movies I chose….Benji, Duke (another dog movie), Sheerluck Holmes (a Veggie Tales movie), and Pooh’s Heffalump. (As it turns out they have loved every one of them.) But, anyway, I think that it probably why Doug was so set on buying a Power Ranger with his money and Rayna was so set on buying a Barbie with hers. Darcy saved hers.
Then, yesterday, when we were at Keystone, Darcy decided she was going to use her money. She saw a crystal that she wanted to buy. Rayna was wanting one, badly, too. I felt bad for the two littler ones that they didn’t have any money left, so I told them that if they kept it under $5, I would let each of them get something too. Then, to be fair, I told Darcy that I would pay $5 of her $7.50 crystal. Rayna picked a $2 crystal and Doug picked a black horse figure that cost $4. Darcy, ever the frugal child with her OWN money (not with her mother’s!), decided to change which crystal she was getting. She switched to a $5 crystal so that she wouldn’t have to use any of her own money at all. Which, left me back in the same position…oldest child with money to spend and two little ones who had none left!!!! (Somehow, I felt like I had been outfoxed!)
Today, we stopped by Wall Drug in South Dakota. Incredibly, Vonnie and John had never HEARD of Wall Drug, before…so, of course we had to stop! Besides, Grant and I had gone there when we were on our honeymoon and this is the first time since then that we have been in South Dakota. Darcy FINALLY spent her money…well, at least the U.S. dollars that Pastor and Miss Alice had given her before we left. (She still has her Canadian money.) She bought a velvet bag full of magnetic rocks.
While we were at Wall Drug, the two littler ones were transfixed by the giant moving, roaring T-rex. He moves his head side to side and his eyes move in an eerily life-like manner…but, once every 12 minutes, he raises up from behind his neck high barricade and begins roaring fiercely as the alarm lights go off and the smoke begins rising. Doug, particularly was in awe of this. He begged to go back a second time…so, we found ourselves waiting twice for the monster to come to life. I had to take a photo of DOUG rather than the monster--Doug was just standing there in frozen horror/awe…his mouth wide open!
After Wall Drug, we stopped by 1880’s Town…where they have some of the set props from “Dances With Wolves” and some old Western buildings. We had looked through these when we were on our honeymoon fifteen years ago--but, there wasn’t a charge back then…or, if there was, it had been a nominal one. These days, however, it costs $8 per adult and $5 for kids. So, we didn’t go in. It just didn’t seem worth paying that much when we only had half an hour or so to look around anyway. Not sure I would have paid that much if we had had all day!…even though it held the sentiment of being one of the first things Grant and I experienced together as a married couple.
We are headed for Sioux City, Iowa tonight. I will post this on the web tonight when we get to our hotel room. (Right now we are on the road and I am just running my lap-top off battery and typing this up in my Word program.) ¶ 7/27/2006 06:21:00 PM
DAY ELEVEN Well, by late tomorrow afternoon we will be home again. It has been a fun, relaxing vacation! I never did write any more about our pack trip… As I wrote before, the trip in took much longer than expected. Which, would have been fine with me, at least!, had the last hour of the ride not turned hot and had we had something to drink. Actually, though, we had gorgeous weather all through this trip. It was unseasonably warm and dry while we were in the back country of the Rockies…not hot, just right (other than the last hour of our trip in). The only rain during our time in Canada was after we were in the van driving out of the mountains. It rained again last night in South Dakota…but, again it was AFTER we were tucked into our hotel for the night. The swimming area had full glass walls looking out to the east and west. The storm didn’t come until after we were down swimming. It was neat seeing the storm outside while we were playing in the pool. We made up a new game last night… Rayna and Doug stayed in the shallow end of the pool and would throw an inflated rubber ball out to the deep end where Darcy and I would use our feet to throw it back to them. The little kids could use their hands, but Darcy and I could only use our feet. We had the entire pool to ourselves (as well as the hot tub). Meanwhile, Grant could come out on our room’s balcony during commercial breaks and look out on the fun we were having below in the pool. (Ours was the only balcony.) Doug also took his power ranger action figure into the pool and spent a good deal of the evening diving beneath the water to retrieve his little guy off of the floor of the pool. The shallow end was 3 feet deep, so Doug had to really work at it to get the little guy off the bottom. Doug can’t swim yet, but he doesn’t have any aversion at all to going under water with his eyes and mouth wide open. (We have tried for TWO YEARS to teach him to CLOSE his mouth before he goes under water…but it is a lost cause. I don’t know how he keeps from choking and/or swallowing tons of water…but, it doesn’t seem to bother him at all to have his mouth WIDE OPEN the entire time he is under water.) Vonnie and John enjoyed the hot tub for about fifteen minutes and then retreated back to the room to eat popcorn!
Yesterday when we shopped around in Keystone, South Dakota, Darcy was going to spend her souvenir money that she had been given prior to the trip. Doug and Rayna both spent theirs in Canada at a Wal-Mart. I had pointed out “Canadian” type things to them (typical souvenir ware), but Doug chose a Power Ranger action figure and Rayna chose a generic Barbie doll that had clear, sparkly fairy wings. This was probably their way of protesting my cruelty earlier in the evening… Thinking they needed some new movies for the trip home, I had decided to buy some kid movies for them, but I had told them I was going to pick them. My criteria was that it had to be “G” rated and couldn’t be Barbie-anything (all that Rayna likes) or have violence (which cuts out all the Superhero things that Doug and Darcy are so fond of). They had packed 28 DVDs for the trip….every one of which was either Barbie themed or Justice League or Power Ranger themed. Rayna literally had dissolved into tears that I wouldn’t buy a new Barbie movie. Doug and Darcy were rather put out with me, too. They were all certain that they wouldn’t like the four movies I chose….Benji, Duke (another dog movie), Sheerluck Holmes (a Veggie Tales movie), and Pooh’s Heffalump. (As it turns out they have loved every one of them.) But, anyway, I think that it probably why Doug was so set on buying a Power Ranger with his money and Rayna was so set on buying a Barbie with hers. Darcy saved hers.
Then, yesterday, when we were at Keystone, Darcy decided she was going to use her money. She saw a crystal that she wanted to buy. Rayna was wanting one, badly, too. I felt bad for the two littler ones that they didn’t have any money left, so I told them that if they kept it under $5, I would let each of them get something too. Then, to be fair, I told Darcy that I would pay $5 of her $7.50 crystal. Rayna picked a $2 crystal and Doug picked a black horse figure that cost $4. Darcy, ever the frugal child with her OWN money (not with her mother’s!), decided to change which crystal she was getting. She switched to a $5 crystal so that she wouldn’t have to use any of her own money at all. Which, left me back in the same position…oldest child with money to spend and two little ones who had none left!!!! (Somehow, I felt like I had been outfoxed!)
Today, we stopped by Wall Drug in South Dakota. Incredibly, Vonnie and John had never HEARD of Wall Drug, before…so, of course we had to stop! Besides, Grant and I had gone there when we were on our honeymoon and this is the first time since then that we have been in South Dakota. Darcy FINALLY spent her money…well, at least the U.S. dollars that Pastor and Miss Alice had given her before we left. (She still has her Canadian money.) She bought a velvet bag full of magnetic rocks.
While we were at Wall Drug, the two littler ones were transfixed by the giant moving, roaring T-rex. He moves his head side to side and his eyes move in an eerily life-like manner…but, once every 12 minutes, he raises up from behind his neck high barricade and begins roaring fiercely as the alarm lights go off and the smoke begins rising. Doug, particularly was in awe of this. He begged to go back a second time…so, we found ourselves waiting twice for the monster to come to life. I had to take a photo of DOUG rather than the monster--Doug was just standing there in frozen horror/awe…his mouth wide open!
After Wall Drug, we stopped by 1880’s Town…where they have some of the set props from “Dances With Wolves” and some old Western buildings. We had looked through these when we were on our honeymoon fifteen years ago--but, there wasn’t a charge back then…or, if there was, it had been a nominal one. These days, however, it costs $8 per adult and $5 for kids. So, we didn’t go in. It just didn’t seem worth paying that much when we only had half an hour or so to look around anyway. Not sure I would have paid that much if we had had all day!…even though it held the sentiment of being one of the first things Grant and I experienced together as a married couple.
We are headed for Sioux City, Iowa tonight. I will post this on the web tonight when we get to our hotel room. (Right now we are on the road and I am just running my lap-top off battery and typing this up in my Word program.) ¶ 7/27/2006 06:21:00 PM
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I love your trip pictures - it is so funny - we did many of those same things this summer!!! Loved watching your daily journals!!
Becky
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Becky
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