I apologize for the silence of the past few weeks. We just returned from a road trip to Bozeman, Montana to visit Marco's parents.
We've been visiting Bozeman for almost 10 years and each time it changes. Sure, the town itself has exploded in both good and bad ways. But what I'm talking about is how our 1,000 mile drives to get there have evolved over the years.
We used to drive alone and stop when we felt like it, sometimes driving all day and into the night. Then we did the drive twice when Annabella was an infant. The first, when she was two months old, we stopped every two hours so I could nurse her, but there were still long periods of time when she napped. And then there was our first Christmas as a family, where we'd intended to fly, but missed our plane and ended up just getting in our car at the airport and driving the rest of the way to Montana. The way there was pretty easy, considering, but on the way back the roads were closed in Tahoe for 6 hours. I was still nursing, but Annabella was also eating baby food. If you have the opportunity not to feed your child strained spinach in her car seat, I suggest you run with it.
Last year was our first trip with the boys and the first time we discovered that removing a seat in the minivan gave us room to strap a laptop to the top of the cooler with bungee cords so we could play the Toy Story DVD seventeen times in a row. The boys still cried a lot, mostly because I think they truly believed that we had moved into our minivan and this was where we were going to live from now on. But at least they napped. This year, not so much. And when I say "not so much," I mean "not at all."
But, once we got to Marco's parents house all the angst-filled hours of "Are we in Montana, yet," "Can I get out of my seat," and "Can you come back here and pick up that toy I just dropped," were replaced by lots of swimming, lounging, and spectacular views that made it all worth it. And, of course, all that granny and grandpa time is worth twice that long in the car and I'm not just saying that because they read this. Granny and Annabella share a fondness with pigs that is too similar not to be genetic and nobody gives better rides on his mower than grandpa.
We also rented a cabin nearby for a few days where we stayed with old friends while the kids stayed with the Morrones. We took a day trip to Yellowstone to commune with the elk and the bighorn sheep, followed by a soak in the hot springs at Chico. If you ever make it to Western Montana, I highly recommend either a day trip or a longer stay at Chico Hot Springs Resort. Unless drinking a frozen margarita while sitting in a really hot pool staring up at the Montana sky is not your idea of a good time.
*sigh*
I'm jealous, I just visited Missoula for the first time, but missed out on Bozeman. Any pics?
Posted by: J Maxfield | July 30, 2007 at 09:29 PM
Welcome home, glad the trip was great :D
Posted by: CoolB | July 31, 2007 at 05:03 AM
Glad to hear you got to get away for a few days. Nothing nicer than being able to see people you haven't seen for awhile, and even nicer to get away from the kids for awhile. Welcome back home though, and happy to hear you all got home safely.
Posted by: Eric T. | July 31, 2007 at 11:18 AM
My wife grew up in Bozeman and I grew up in Los Angeles. When we go back to visit her family she's always amazed at what big-box retailer has opened up since we last were there.
But, alas, Bozeman is still a one-Starbucks town (and it's in the Barnes and Noble, not a stand-alone).
Posted by: David P | July 31, 2007 at 05:13 PM