Ronnie and Becky and the kids at Devils Kitchen rock formation.
Lunch and one of the only 2 pictures with Wade in it. He spent a lot of time trout fishing.
Well, it’s hard to believe that the summer of 2007 is over. At this time last year we believed that we would have a certain new member of the family home from China by now. In August of 2006 Becky and I went to Missouri for a short trip with Wade and Misty, Carmen and John, and all five grandkids. We had so much fun that we reserved two cabins for August of 2007. When it came time to confirm the reservations and pay in February, we decided to cancel because we thought it was too close to when we might get our referral. Maybe next year we can take everyone including that “Little China Girl”.
Let me tell you about last year’s trip. Like a lot of other vacations I’ve been on, the planning was almost as much fun as the “doing”. It is the “going” part of the vacation that usually wears me out, and this trip was no exception. As usual we had a foolproof plan to leave at 06:30. Finally at about 09:00 we were on the road. In our Crew Cab pickup was me, John and Carmen, Bradley, and Caleb. In their Durango were Wade and Misty, Ben, Tyler, Sunnie, and Becky. I led the way and we took a short cut just across the river that worked well, as the road which a few years ago was graveled was now asphalt. I felt good, we were an hour and a half behind schedule, but it looked like smooth sailing ahead.
The first stop occurred a little closer to home than I had hoped. It was actually the first convenience store that we came to in Oklahoma. A cell phone call from the Durango advised of the need for a bathroom stop. That’s good, I thought, we will get everybody relieved then get back on the road for a long haul. We parked and sat in the truck for a few minutes, while the Durango riders got out and wandered around the store. It was an old combination general store/gas station/grocery store. Since it seemed to be taking a while for people to start getting back into the Durango, I went in the old store and looked at dusty hats and saddles with Tyler. I wondered what was taking everyone so long. I went outside and around the corner to the bathroom. There was half of my family standing in line. There was only one bathroom and it was a one-holer.
Finally, everyone was through with the bathroom, and we started loading up. I was amazed that it takes ten minutes to load eleven people into two vehicles. Another ominous sign was that several of the kids and a couple of the grownups had opened up new cans of Dr Pepper. I realized that miles per gallon of gas was probably the least of my worries. What was important was how many miles could we get per ounce of Dr Pepper. I started imagining a new kind of math problem; a car is traveling at sixty miles per hour, inside the car a ten year old boy drinks a twelve ounce can of caffeinated, sugary soda in ten minutes. How many miles will the car travel before the boy announces that he is about to wet his pants? How many miles can the car travel before the boy actually does wet his pants? It was very complicated.
Back on the road again. New sights to see, the pleasant drone of wheels on asphalt, the boys in the back seat engrossed in a video game, and John and I can talk while Carmen reads. We’re making good time now. About forty miles up the road and we are in the Kiamichi mountains, just hills by most standards, but pretty with thick hardwoods and pines to the horizon, and very little traffic or houses. Suddenly I see headlights flashing behind me. The Durango riders are signaling me to pull over, the cell phones are not working. I pull over and walk back the Dodge, noticing that the temperature feels like it’s about ninety five. “What’s wrong” I asked, as Becky opened the back door and Ben got out? “Ben’s car sick”, Becky replied. I looked at Ben, but he wasn’t throwing up, just standing on the roadside kicking rocks. “ When did he start getting sick” I asked. Becky started to say something, but Sunnie chimed in and said, “it was just a few minutes ago, it was right after Becky said that she hoped these hills didn’t make anyone car sick.” I gave Becky my withering death ray glare. She saw it, but it bounced right off. She had already activated her “I’m a grandmother and I will baby my grandkids all I want” shield.
At this point I asked if any of the kids need to relieve themselves again, and Tyler and Ben took advantage of the thick foliage beside the highway. Everyone else passed. I wondered how far to the next bathroom, could we make it? We got back on the road again and rolled steady for about another hour, passing through three or four little communities. We got the cell phone message that we needed another bathroom stop, and luckily we were just a few minutes away from a little town that had a decent convenience store. By now the temperature was around a hundred degrees and I knew that our plan for a roadside picnic was out of the question. The kids all had snacks and drinks, even though we planned to stop for lunch at Fort Smith, about seventy more miles up the road.
Miraculously we made it all the way to Fort Smith without any incidents. We found a McDonalds and a Taco Bell adjacent to each other and some ate tacos, and others had burgers. I started the kids going to the bathroom as soon as they were finished eating, and we managed to be back on the road in a somewhat timely fashion. Just a few miles east on I-40, and we turned onto the new interstate going to Springdale. This is a long scenic stretch with no rest stops on the interstate. I expected to be in Springdale within an hour. Before we got out of Fort Smith completely the phone rang. “Ben needs to find a bathroom” Misty said. “He just went in McDonalds didn’t he”, I asked in exasperation? “Yes, he did, but now he needs to do something different”, was the reply. We found a likely store and Ben went in escorted by an impatient dad. A few minutes later we took off again.
If I want this story to not take longer than our trip, I am going to have to summarize, so here goes:
1:30 PM, 20 miles from Ft. Smith- Becky needs a bathroom ASAP.
1:45 PM, 37 miles from Ft. Smith- We exit and drive down into a small town and find a grocery store where Becky and I use their facilities.
2:05 PM, back on the Interstate.
3:15 PM, we take the wrong exit in Springdale, Ark.
3:35 PM, stuck in traffic in Springdale
3:50 PM, stop at gas station in Springdale. Wade is feeling sick, Misty says he ate two boxes of Hot Tamales candy and a Big Grab bag of Fritos. I start feeling sick just thinking about it.
4:30 PM, trying to get everyone back in the vehicles. I tell Becky that if she will take over driving, that I will just start walking on ahead. If the family catches up with me to stop and pick me up, if not I will go ahead and check us into the lodge, it’s only another thirty miles or so. Becky gives me a death ray glare, she is no mood for sarcasm
4: 50 PM, we manage to get back on the freeway and head north.
5:15 PM we take the correct exit off the Interstate.
5:50 PM, we stop at the last convenience store before we get to the lodge. I don’t remember why, it just seems like that we can’t pass a store now without stopping.
6:10PM, we get back on the road
6:30 PM, we roll triumphantly into the lodge parking lot.
We enjoyed the weekend immensely. We hiked all of the trails, and the kids played in the river to their hearts’ content. The trip home on Sunday was just like the trip up there, except we were tired and cranky. Now that I think about it, maybe it was a good thing that we didn’t go back this year. I’m not sure that I’m rested up enough yet.
Ronnie
We have so many great pictures Becky is creating a slide show. We should have it posted in a couple of days.
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