The Avengers were eager to get back in to the Corp of
Discovery for another westbound adventure. The past few weeks had been full
consisting of moving to a new house, Camp Thurman week, and preparations for
the trip.
Hawkeye and Black Widow woke up early to get a headstart on
the final preparations and finish loading the trailer. The Littles all began
waking up around 8:00, excited to leave. We experienced a few minor setbacks
because it seemed like whatever off obscurity that was needed was still located
at the other house. By 10:00 we were ready to pull out, but the Corp of
Discovery had low tires and, naturally, the air compressor was at the other
house.
We drove through town, filled up the tires, prayed for
safety and a wonderful, memorable trip – and were off.
The goal for the day was a KOA located in Limon, Colorado.
This equates to roughly 8 ½ hours of driving time. We knew we would take
longer, however, because stops are never quick with seven people and we were
towing a trailer.
First stop of the day was the first Kansas rest stop and
tourist center. We filled up with gas and took traditional photos with the
cardboard cutouts from the Wizard of Oz. Captain America always smiles a bit
more when we are in his home state – and today was no exception.
The main stop was planned for a rest area shortly after
Salina on I-70. It is a nice rest stop with covered picnic tables, a creek with
a little bridge, and clean bathrooms. It is a good place to stretch and let the
littles move around before another long drive. Everything was going well until
it started raining about 15 minutes before the planned stop. We can live with a
little rain but then of course it started lightning as only the Midwest can.
Giant cloud to ground bolts – so our great rest area with covered picnic
benches and a creek was scuttled. The littles were now grouchy, hungry, and
tired of sitting (as were we all).
We found a new rest area – or rather parking area – about an
hour down the road. Hawkeye suggested trying the next stop but it was another
hour. Black Widow was ready to stop. It was not the best/cleanest of stops. We
did have a covered picnic table but there were no bathrooms. In fact, we were
the other people there with the exception of 18-wheelers who were most likely
sleeping. We ate sandwiches and chips for lunch. Hawkeye got a tennis ball from
the car and played a game for a littles which consisted of trying to bounce the
tennis ball from the ceiling and catch it. All of a sudden a giant popping boom
sound same from the highway. A truck pulling a trailer had a tire that blew. He
reversed back into the parking area to change his flat.
Back on the road, we crossed the border into Colorado and
arrived at the KOA around 9:30 CST. We set up the Corp of Discovery. Hawkeye
took the Littles down to a small playground area while Black Widow prepped a
quick dinner. After dinner, we cleaned up and got ready for bed. Everyone was
tired and the cold night air felt good.
