Month: July 2015

Travel Dairy: The Trip Home Begins

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This is likely going to be the last post regarding the Road Trip of 2015 (unless Mr. Beetle makes a return appearance, in which case I’ll be posting his obituary).  I just finished putting a few things into the car, and cleaning out some of the trash (whilst keeping a wary eye out for the aforementioned Mr. Beetle … I’m certain he’s still in there, somewhere, and we’ll find him when I least expect it).  Katie and I are killing some time in the hotel room until leaving for today’s destination (Wichita, KS) primarily because we must first make a very important stop at Val’s to get some frozen pizzas, and Val’s doesn’t open until 11 (priorities, people).

We had an incredible day yesterday at the Henry Doorly Zoo.  I suspect that next year, after an African exhibit expansion is complete,  Henry Doorly will be the undisputed #1 on the Trip Advisor Zoo list once again.  While the zoo is very different from when I was Katie’s age (a sky lift, the Desert Dome and the Lied Rainforest, a sting ray beach where you can feed and touch sting rays), there are a lot of things that are the same:  the train, the sea lions, the hills (oh good GRIEF the hills …)  I missed the lagoon, with its countless Koi all clamoring for fish food and/or popcorn; as a child, I could not go to the zoo without stopping on that bridge to throw a few popcorn pieces over the railing, enjoying the frenzy as the Koi all clamored for a bite.  Katie enjoyed every exhibit (OK, maybe not the swamp part so much – the dark space, with alligators lurking in the waters, WAS a mite creepy).   I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see the animals through her eyes.

So I’m about to put Omaha in the rearview mirror and head back to Texas, traveling from my childhood home to Katie’s.  And like the reflection in a rearview mirror, Omaha is always in the background, sometimes up close and sometimes distant.  The familial ties that bind from Staffords, Kramers, and Barretts – all of whom I got to see this week; we commented last night over pizza how nice it is to get together for a visit that’s not orchestrated around a funeral (which, unfortunately, seems to be the stage of life we’re in).  The hometown ties that bind – my childhood home; my schools (yup, did a drive-by; they are the Millard South INDIANS thankyouverymuch, NOT the Millard South Patriots; I will probably never get used to that); the familiar signs of Bronco’s, Gorat’s, and La Casa; the trip along I80 from West Omaha into downtown and of course, the ever-present, ever-familiar zoo.

I have to admit to having a little bit of trepidation, embarking on this solo trip with Katie.  I love my daughter fiercely, but there are times when she drives me absolutely, completely, 150% bonafide crazy.  She’s got a strong willed streak – like Momma’s – and needless to say, our streaks sometimes come together in a not very pretty way.  Not to mention, for the girl with boundless energy, Katie can be unbelievably slow … usually when I desperately have to stop for a potty break and she is taking FOR-EV-ER to get out of the car!  🙂   Add to that the anxiety over traveling solo, with long stretches in the car without a copilot/backup driver, and I was a little nervous.

But it’s been an amazing trip.

Travel Diary, Day Four (and Three): There’s no place like home

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No post yesterday … too long a day!

Started with lunch at Misty’s … yes, we are eating our way through Nebraska.  Met up with my friend Mary for lunch and she gamely tagged along with me and one 8YO to Morrill Hall, which houses fossils from various sites across Nebraska, including Archie, a mammoth who is as much a part of the University of Nebraska landscape as Herbie Husker (Archie needs to work on his sideline antics, however).  We then trekked via car through and around the campus, which is so very different from when we went to school:  a lot more university housing, new class room buildings (but Oldfather, Bessey, Andrews, and Burnett still look like they did 20 years ago – and I’m sure they still smell like mothballs), lots of parking garages (nice change from the lot on north 14th that was colloquially known as “Rape Lot”, whether from actual crimes committed or just collegiate urban legend, who knows).  We then ventured to East Campus, where I never set foot when I was a student – East Campus being home to Ag, Dental, and Law (what those things have in common I have no idea).  But East Campus also houses The Dairy – part of the Ag stuff; yes, the University makes ice cream and cheeses and of course, it was awesome.  (I said I was eating my way through Nebraska … I see a lot of burpees in my future.)

Saturday night was dinner at Sonja’s – with slip and slide for the kids and just chatting with us three old college friends.  The topics have changed – from boys and classes to our kids and jobs – but in spite of having not seen each other for many years, it’s like we didn’t miss a beat. We’ve already picked out a weekend to try to get together next summer – never easy with kids, jobs, and other life stuff but we’re gonna try.  Facebook is grand, but it doesn’t replace seeing old friends.

Today was the trek from Lincoln to Omaha.  First stop:  movie theater to see the Minions, which was very cute but has the very annoying side effect of making my child speak Minion for the rest of the day (every word sounds like a 2YO trying to say “banana”.  “Did you wash your hair yet, Katie?”  “Boonahnah!”).  Lunch at the 11Worth Cafe with LOTS of family who was nice enough to take time out of their Sunday to meet up with us over ginormous plates of eggs, sausage & biscuits with gravy, and lots of other yummy food (had never been there before … gonna be a regular stop when we come through Omaha again.  The waitress called everyone “honey”, which is ALWAYS a sign of gastro greatness.  I’ll definitely be back, assuming I can bank enough burpees ahead of time.)

And then guess what?  We met up with Skip!  He took advantage of his weekend to fly into Omaha then drive to Des Moines to catch up with one of his friends at the Republican candidate gathering thing in Ames (he arrived too late to see Trump self-implode, apparently).  So we were able to spend some time with him before he headed to the airport for what’s looking to be a very, very late night for him.

Tomorrow it’s Zoo time – Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is often rated the #1 zoo in the country if not the world, although I saw recently where it had slipped a bit.  It’ll be like I’m in third grade all over again – I think it was mandatory that every kid go there at least once a year on a field trip, and our family always bought the “membership” to gain us basically unlimited access to the zoo all summer.  I remember trekking coolers with lunch to the zoo and buying popcorn to feed the frenzied carp off of the bridge over the lagoon.  No coolers for us tomorrow .. but I did save money for popcorn.

Travel Diary, Day Two: Ah, nuts

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We drove the rest of the way between Wichita and Salina with a wary eye out for Mr. Beetle, and with me thinking every little tickle on my legs was Mr. Beetle trying to get acquainted (“Hello!”  “AAAUGHH!”  <<crash>>)  We made it to the hotel without further incident, crashed overnight, got some breakfast (Cheerios for Katie, extra large coffee for me) and finally hit the road once Katie was able to separate herself from the TV in the dining area.   Of course, we first had to confirm Mr. Beetle wasn’t in the vehicle.  Either he’s truly gone OR he’s just waiting for a very opportune time to reappear (“Hello!’  “AAUGHH!”  <<crash>>)

For once, Katie didn’t immediately plug in the iPad but we talked – about Amelia Earhardt (coming up with theories of why she crashed), the Titanic (how salt water corrodes everything, and that’s why there are no skeletons alongside her in the ocean) and that led somehow to Ellis Island, and how people would change their names, sometimes on their own and sometimes because the person noting their entry just flat out couldn’t spell it.  But eventually she did plug in her iPad, which meant I got to hear her sing along with Uptown Funk about 4,328 times.

Stopped at a Runza for lunch (that’s a Nebraska thing), checked into our hotel (once I could figure out how to get there … it’s in a weird little corner of Hwy 2, 56th Street and Old Cheney Road without actually being ON any of those roads), and then spent the afternoon killing some time.  Hit the mall for some walking and a Barnes and Noble for some reading material (books on Amelia, Titanic, and one on Neil Armstrong for good measure).  Ran into Hy-Vee and picked up Skippy’s extra large Dorothy Lynch dressing (times two – yeah, it’s another Nebraska thing).  Then it was time to meet up at the ballpark with my friends!

We got to the ball field – home of both the Huskers and the Salt Dogs – and Dave, Mary, and Micah were waiting; a few minutes more and Sonja and Christopher showed up.  Hotter than all get out in Nebraska – and humid – but we got seats in the shade and there was a strong wind blowing, so it wasn’t that bad.  The ball field is not huge and we had seats behind the home team dugout, which was prime space for catching foul balls although we didn’t get any.  After downing her hotdog (Fairbury brand, of course – yes, another Nebraska thing) Katie did manage to stay somewhat engaged in the game, and she was on point to keep foul balls from conking Mary in the head (we forgot a glove, but she had her hat).

At one point – I’m not even sure I know why, or the context – Katie’s watching a batter and saying “Hit im in the nuts!  Hit im in the nuts!”

Mary and Sonja were very amused.

The game ended up being something of a snoozer through the ninth inning, with very few base hits and no score until the bottom of the ninth, when the Salt Dogs were able to get runners on second and third, and the last batter got an awesome hit to the outfield that was able to bring the runner home.  But, Mary, Sonja and I got to catch up on life since college, and we all agreed it wasn’t all that long ago.  We are definitely NOT OLD.

After the game, Katie and Christopher got to run the bases – lots of fun for them, and for Mommas to watch – and then we patiently waited out the ground crew, doing their thing, because once they were done:  fireworks.

Not certain what today holds other than (1) More Nebraska greatness via Misty’s and a visit to Archie and (2) Katie will in some number of ways continue to amaze me.

Travel Diary, Day One: The Stowaway

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Katie and I are making a girls only road trip to Nebraska. The origins of the trip were originally just to connect with some of my old college friends, but because I’ve got some extra vacation to burn, I thought, what the heck – we’ll take a whole week and head up there, visit with friends and family, check out the zoo, who knows what. (Plus, it’s one week less to pay for camps or childcare of any sort … although the hotel and gas expense will make camps look reasonable.)

So we load up our suitcases, a small cooler next to Katie with some drinks, a bag full o snacks (my mother taught me well), and a big cooler in the back (for bringing back frozen Valentino’s pizza!) We have lunch with Daddy and hit the road at about 12:30. Destination: Salina, KS.

And we CRUISE. Katie’s happy and content in the backseat with iPad, headphones, and snacks and nods off near Blackwell, OK. I’m staying awake and not having to stop to pee every five seconds in spite of the medium sized Whattaburger cup in the center console (note: everything is bigger in Texas … a WB medium is like a jumbo anywhere else). We don’t stop til we hit Wichita, about five hours up the road.

So stop in QuikTrip for gas, and I ask Katie if she wants a hot dog for dinner. (Don’t judge. It was that, OR a stop in McDonald’s in Salina where the food is equally gross, with the extra added bonus of Mommy having to kill time in the petri dish known as PlayLand.) We go in, make a pit stop, load up on food and drinks, and hit the road.

Katie opens her milk while we’re buzzing along at 75MPH and starts SCREAMING hysterically and crying … there is a GINORMOUS BEETLE IN HER CUPHOLDER.

Did you catch that I’m buzzing along at 75MPH?

So she’s totally freaking out, in hysterics, and I of course can do nothing. So I tell her to hang tight, I’ll pull off as soon as I can and we’ll take care of Mr. Beetle. (And I’m thinking, HOW in the HECK am I going to get a beetle out of the cupholder without losing my own s**t? Bug killing is in the Daddy Job Description. I know. I have checked.)

Next exit: We pull off; there’s nothing but a recycling plant on one side and an asphalt lot on the other with one dilapidated, possibly abandoned Ford Explorer and several potholes large enough to swallow a BMW Mini. But … what choice do I have, so I stop in the Lot of Death and hope there’s no meth-head hanging out in the Explorer. Katie’s hysteria is still there, although a bit tempered for the moment, because we’ve stopped and we’re going to take care of Mr. Beetle.

I get out, Katie gets out – and proceeds to tell me that the beetle was in the cupholder of her carseat. Which means two things:

One, in all likelihood, he snuck in there while I had her seat sitting on the garage floor. Not sure why that is relevant, but I was really wondering how he got in there.

Two, piece of CAKE for getting him out of there – remove the seat, turn upside down, open cupholders, he falls out, we squeal and possibly send him to his death underneath the soles of our shoes, and we hit the road.

Except … when I flip it upside down … no Mr. Beetle.