Gone A Little Crazy

Driving. Driving. Driving. So, if we left the Tetons at 7:48am this morning and we’re still driving at 8:11pm tonight with another 5 hour push, does that make us crazy? From Yellowstone to I-90 was some of the slowest, most beautiful driving to this point. Curvy mountain roads led us through the Big Horn National Forest at a less than desireable speed of 40 mph. Canyon dips and mountain climbs ate up our day, gave little back in distance, but tore at our hearts to stay and never return. It’s a mix of the lushness of Idaho and the stunning rock stratification of the Badlands. I think I found my paradise. Not to sound like an infomercial, but I could possibly sing it’s praises all day long. Realizing that it would be too late to set up camp in our favorite spot in the Badlands, a free little campground out of the way of everything except herds of buffalo and barking prairie dogs, we decided to instead let the kids sleep the night away in the car while we sped over South Dakota to crash in a hotel for the night. This is a strategic move as it sets us up for a very short day of driving tomorrow (instead of another marathon day) to a spot in the middle of Minnesota that we’re very excited about and another short day Friday will land us amidst family in Wisconsin.

I know you’re now wondering if we’ve gone off our rockers. And if you’re not thinking that, you’re probably curious how we made it 12 hours in a car (pit stops, of course) with 2 small children. Well, it’s a miracle. In reality, the kids continue to amaze me. We did happen to also do some planning ahead to for these long days of driving. We brought at least one complete change of books and toys. This along with some ‘sure to please’ time consumers, serious effort reading and singing together, and a couple little surprise toys throughout the day set the kids, and us, up for a successful day on the road. The highlights of the day? Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear read with vigor and family participation in creating the animal noises, this one even got the baby laughing. The Automoblox are always a hit, a particularly riveting story told by dad with vinyl sticky bugs, and a brand new Etch a Sketch. Old school, I know, but everyone was fairly content, and this without a DVD player! Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against playing movies in ones’ car, in fact I think I’d rather enjoy that too, but on a trip where we’re making a conscious effort to bond with each other and discover the world and ourselves, the DVD player may greatly hinder that endeavor. And amazingly, we found that we really enjoy each other. We can make each other laugh, we can listen and tell stories, and we truly like being together. That’s my favorite discovery to date. Hoping to sleep in tomorrow, knowing that won’t happen, and looking forward to more spontaneous craziness.

One more item of particular note, somewhere around Eastern Wyoming, the husband decided to turn off the AC and just let the ‘cool’ air come in. Instead, we were inundated with warm, humid air. I choked back tears as the sweet, and often not so sweet, air of home hit me. We are close. So close the atmosphere itself whispers memories to me, it’s hard to believe that home still hits so near to my heart. Will it always have this effect? Is anyone else this emotional about going home when you’ve been away for so long? I will take it, I will take Americana at its grassroots and enjoy each friendly wave on the road, the helpful people, and the muggy air.