Roadtrip!!! February 15-16, 2008

Isn't it beautiful!

Some of you may know that we have a new (well, different and bigger, not new) vehicle where all 7 of us can comfortably sit. Before there was a lot of complaining of people touching other people. Anyway, we decided to take a road trip last weekend to test out the ride, so we headed to the mountains to go tubing. We left Friday night and drove up and stayed in a 'suite' at the Best Western. ooooooeeeeee!!! It even had a heart shaped jacuzzi tub in the room. We took turns jacuzziing. Next time we'll leave the kids at home. Caution: Unclothed girls ahead.




The next morning we got up bright and early, got all ready and headed to our tubing destination. As we were driving into the ski resort we heard that the tubing sessions were sold out until 5:00 p.m. What??? What are we going to do now? Well, let's hurry and get tickets, first of all. As I was standing in line to buy the tickets, the sold out sign was updated to include 5:00 p.m. Okay, one last session. I bought the tickets for the 7:00 session. Now there's no turning back. We already spent the money. We will go tubing at 7:00 p.m. What are we going to do until then? Well, we had just eaten, which is our families all time favorite activity, but we can't do that again for awhile. In the meantime, from the back seats, "What are we doing?", "Where are we going?". Fights and fussing ensue. Oh, what have we done? Let's drive around and see what we can find. Still, from the back seat, "Where are we going?", "What are we doing?". Grrrrrrr. Stop asking, obviously, we don't know, yet.

So, we drive around for awhile and hit the local Walmart to buy some more snow gear since we came unprepared for the winter activity. We always have to go to the local Walmart. Then, we drive around some more, with 5 kids in the car asking, "Where are we going?", "What are we going to do now?". Shhhhh!!! Look at the scenery!

At first we decided to check out the miracle museum, or something like that. Looked like a tourist trap so we nixed that idea. Finally, we started following signs to Grandfather mountain. Oh, that will be fun. As we started driving up the mountain, the curvy mountain road, Aaron's fear of heights was becoming quite apparent. Oh this is cool! It's so beautiful! What? We have to pay to go to the top? (Aaron said that.) Well, we're here and we have nothing else to do. Let's do it. So we pay and up we go. We have the pamphlet of all the things we can do inside the park, like, check out the nature museum, see the hibernating bear, cross the mile high swinging bridge, and eat. We were all starving by now and that was first on the list. Let's go to the top and work our way down.

Well, we made it to the top. Aaron was feeling a bit jittery after driving up the mountain so we all went into the gift shop to grab a snack and use the restroom before we started our short climb to the bridge. Before we got out of the car we made it clear that everyone was to stay close and the girls were to hold someone's hand at all times. We didn't want anyone to fall off the side of the mountain. Alright. Ready. Set. Go. "Everyone, stay close!" We head up the steps. As we approach the bridge, "Okay, wait a minute," Aaron says "I don't think I can do it." Of course, Alex and Wesley are halfway across the bridge, at this point, and have stopped to hang over the side. Okay, you stay here with the girls and the baby, I'll go get them. Now, I become the wicked stepmother. "What are you doing? Get off the bridge! Come back here right now! Didn't we tell you to stay with us?" Alright, we're all together again and no one has crossed the bridge. Well, no one in a weakened state should carry a baby across the mile high swinging bridge, so Aaron stays with the baby and Alex and Wesley, who are now in trouble, and I cross the bridge with the girls. Someone had to cross it. We took some pictures on the other side and headed back. We did it. Now let's go eat. .



We head back down the mountain to the nature museum and restaurant. All in all a fun time. Aaron had time to recuperate so he could go make it the rest of the way down the winding mountain and then we headed to the ski lodge for some tubing. Tubing was fun and uneventful. Lauren only made it through half the session before she came to sit with mommy and Wyatt in the lodge where we chatted and watched the skiers. Here are some more pics. It was too dark and cold for me to get any good pictures of them tubing