Vacation

Since the last post the entire family has had a very nasty cold while traveling to three other states (Idaho, Wyoming and Montana) on a 2,000 mile 10 day trip.  The best part is we are all still here and doing well.

Karen and I made a game of tracking license plates from the different states and Canadian provinces.  For Canada we saw Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.  For the states we saw plates from all except Delaware, West Virginia (though we met someone from West Virginia), Rhode Island and New Hampshire.  And yes we did see Hawaii.  I even snagged a picture so Karen would believe me.  The image is a little fuzzy but you can make out the state name...

As part of the prep for the trip Karen got the doctor to sign off on a handicap parking permit.  She also got a note from the doctor enabling her to get a National Parks Access Pass.  It is a no cost pass that allows persons with permanent disabilities (terminal cancer affecting one or more life activities counts) free access to the national parks and some other areas.

The week before our planned vacation Karen, James and I ended up in the doctor's office.  I came away with prescriptions for more medications than I have been on in the last 10 years combined, which is to say four.  James was probably the best of the three of us with Karen right behind me.  A few days into our trip Becca started showing symptoms too.  Thankfully she travels very well and was able to get plenty of sleep.  Karen was able to catch up on sleep while I drove so she came home feeling far better than when we left.

Becca after her bath

James after breakfast (with a runny nose)

We started off on Friday with a trip to Karen's parents in Logan.  On Saturday we made a day trip to a little place a few hours away in southern Idaho called City of Rock National Reserve.  We were able to see quite a bit of it in the few hours we spent there.  It isn't a very big area but it is a haven for rock climbers.

We ate dinner at a little picnic area near this rock formation called the bread loaves (pictured below).  An older couple was there just relaxing and getting ready for dinner.  James, being our little ambassador, broke the ice.  We talked for a bit and they even let James mooch some bites of avocado from their dinner.

Sunday we took it easy and only drove to Karen's sister's house in Afton, Wyoming where we stayed until Wednesday.  From there we made two day trips.  Due to some low blood count levels Karen had to get a blood test during our trip so we stopped by the hospital in Afton Monday morning.  After that we made the first of our day trips to Jackson, Wyoming and the Teton Village where all of us took a tram ride.  The weather was great for us though a little windy at the peak.  I should have listened to Karen about grabbing the wheelchair out of the car to make things a little easier on her.

Tuesday we headed up to Grand Teton National Park and did a driving tour of the park.  We ended that day with a picnic near Jackson Lake Dam after picking up dinner at the Jackson Lake Lodge.  I was amazed and grateful for how accommodating the staff were for Karen's gluten free needs.  No matter how many reviews you read about how great a place is for gluten free food you are always a little hesitant until you can actually talk to a person.

Wednesday morning was very busy with packing and getting Karen another blood test.  Her Monday blood test was very low.  On our drive we came across an interesting little building.  We were trying to decide whether or not the building would collapse without the campaign signs.

We drove all the way up to Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone which is near the North entrance to the park.  It was a car tour of another park and we stopped off at a lot of different spots along the way so we didn't make it to our hotel room until well after dark.  And when I say hotel room I mean it was just a room with shared bathrooms and showers down the hall.  Becca and James did well and were very quiet which Karen and I appreciated and I'm sure our neighbors did as well.

Thursday started off with me trying to pack the car while a herd of elk grazed around the hotel.  It was also the only day of our trip that it really rained on us, gratefully it was just off and on.

 

There was a dirt road with some great views of where the fire came through in the 80s.  A bonus was there were very few people on it.  We were very lucky so few people were around.  It was the perfect time to visit.  The weather was great (except parts of one day) and there were few people (except at one spot).  If we had made the trip just a week or two later many of the places would have been closed for the year.

A short distance after the dirt road joined back with the main road was the turn off for the petrified tree.  It was a short 75 yard walk to it though it started raining again on our walk back to the car.

We stopped off at a lot of other sites along the way and had to eat lunch in the car due to rain.  Ironically, the rain stopped a few minutes after we finished eating.

While in the park there were several signs reminding people to drink plenty of water and that their bodies would need more due to the elevation and low humidity.  At one of those I kind of laughed and pointed the notice out to Karen which was near an elevation sign at which point she chuckled.  The elevation read a few hundred feet lower than where we live (~6000 feet elevation) which happens to be much drier than Yellowstone.

The one place I really wanted to see with Karen was Old Faithful.  Our timing couldn't have been better.  We parked the car, unpacked, got Karen situated in the wheelchair with James on her lap and Becca in the baby bjorn carrier on me and walked up just as it erupted.  We spent a few more minutes there walking around but had to hurry on our way since we had to get to Idaho Falls for the night.

In hindsight we should have waited since about 15 miles from the park exit at West Yellowstone a bolt was driven into our passenger side rear tire requiring a pit stop.  As it was a 'new' car I had only glanced at the tire changing equipment.  While changing the tire we had a couple of people check on us to make sure we were okay.  It is nice to know there are nice people willing to help out no matter where you go.

 That bolt was in the tire...

We ended up not needing any help since luck (or Someone else) was with us and everything was in working order, including the full size spare.  That meant we skipped the tourist trap repair prices in West Yellowstone and headed straight to Idaho Falls.  Karen and I checked into our hotel room and got directions to the a tire repair shop (Jack's Tire and Oil) and then I headed out to grab dinner from Outback while Karen got the kids some food, baths and then ready for bed.

Friday morning we got the tire replaced then headed out to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.  We had talked about skipping it but decided nothing was going to keep us from getting as much vacation in as possible.  We actually got there before lunch and we were able to talk with a nice couple that likes to raise rescue dogs.  They had three of them which James loved.  This couple had even picked up a pair of hitchhiking girls from France.  The girls were making their way to Yellowstone and loved practicing their english talking with Karen and playing with James.

Similar to City of Rocks, Karen had been to Craters of the Moon before and had been trying to get me to go for a few years.  Needless to say I wish we could have gone out there when she was healthy and able to hike around a bit.  There is plenty to see from the car but there are a number of short 1/4 - 1 mile trails that can be hiked.  There were some shorter paths I was able to take James on but were too long for Karen.  It ended up working out since Becca was sleeping in the car for most of the car tour and Karen was able to stay with her and the car.

We ended up back at Karen's parents and spent Saturday recovering and then made the final drive home on Sunday.  It's probably a good thing it wasn't a longer trip.  The good news was Karen's blood tests were way up for her chemo appointment which was two days after this photo was taken.  I guess the vacation helped.

In the spring we hope to head south to some of the National Parks in southern Utah.  It won't be a marathon trip, just a long weekend here and there to let us spend more time together as a family.  We just need to get a tent and some other gear together to keep the costs down.  Gas and food are enough without spending too much more money on lodging.  I am very grateful to the family members who were able to put us up for all but two of the nights on our 10 day, 9 night vacation.  I am also very grateful for an employer, supervisor and coworkers who let me have the time off to spend with my family.

Braden