Zach's graduation gift was an all expense paid trip for four to Disneyland. Of course, Rob and I paid the expenses but it was something we all could enjoy. In theory. . .
I admit, it was my idea to take the "camper-truck" so that we wouldn't have to board the dogs or hire a house sitter and so that we could stay in an RV park and avoid expensive hotels. What I didn't realize was that the truck didn't have air conditioning and that driving through Nevada in mid-June is very, very toasty. Especially when there is road construction. . .
The worst part was how badly the heat affected poor little Lulu. We had to make several stops to find ways to cool her down. . .
Because it's difficult to schedule a trip around the busy lives of 4 adults, our trip was a bit rushed- we left on Sunday night after unloading from The Cherry Festival and had to be in McCall the following Saturday so Gloria could start high school camp at Quaker Hill. We arrived at our RV Park sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. late Monday/early Tuesday and still made it over to Disneyland by 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning. . .
We rode back and forth between the RV park and the resort on a shuttle. I went back often to check on the dogs which also gave me a little break from, well, everything. . . .
Overall, it was a fun adventure. . .
We traveled up through Northern California into Reno to avoid the awful heat of going straight through Nevada but it was still pretty hot. We found this great oasis in the middle of the desert. We all took off our shoes and waded in the water to cool off. The dogs were ecstatic! Lulu surprised herself and all of us when she leapt into the water as she was racing across the sand. It was a welcome break in an otherwise tense, dreary travel day. . .
We stopped for a late dinner in Reno and planned to find an RV Park in Winnemucca. . .
We pulled into Winnemucca around 3 a.m. and I just couldn't pay the $30 RV Park fee so we ended up pulling off the road, in the pitch dark, next to a sand dune just outside of town. I was ready to leave by 7 a.m. since we had to make it to McCall by 3 p.m. The only nice thing about this stop was the cool pic I got of Lulu first thing in the morning:
After a quick stop at home to pick up the car, I drove Zach and Gloria back up to Quaker Hill where we made it in plenty of time for camp registration. These are just a few of the girls in her cabin plus Hailey the counselor!
I was way too tired to drive anymore, so Lulu and I settled in to a hotel and spent a quiet evening and morning in McCall. . .
This just happened to be Lulu's 2nd birthday!!
She definitely enjoyed her day at the beach!
So. . . while it was a whirlwind week, I'm glad we went. It was fun watching the kids enjoy each other's company while they enjoyed the magic of Disneyland. I don't suppose there will be another vacation when it's just the four of us. I'm glad we made it happen. . .
