Little Bighorn Battlefield is about four hours away from Teddy Roosevelt National Park and it was only about an hour or two out of our way. We could get in for free with our 4th grade pass and Daddy Pig wanted the kids to see it.
There wasn't any RV parking left so the ranger had us go all the way up the hill, turn around and come back down to park in the overflow parking. Driving a large van with a trailer on these minuscule roads with steep ravines is not something I enjoy doing. I prefer flat, country roads with corn fields on either side. Perhaps one or two curves to keep it interesting.
This place is incredibly interesting and moving. It was worth the stop.
In what would become a common event on our trip, a lady coming the opposite way of us started obnoxiously counting out loud, "1...2...3...4...5... (expletive)!" She said it right as I passed by her. I was glad our kids weren't in ear shot. I know most people don't have seven kids these days but we do and is it really that big of a deal? Some people act as if we are parading around 7 rare circus animals. (Well, sometimes they act like it.) But each and every one of them are human beings with ears and eyes and minds and hearts. They are all loved and wanted and cared for. They can hear and feel the negativity and I don't ever want them to be embarrassed or ashamed of who they are and where they're from.
But I do have to say, we did get a lot of positive comments too.
After we left the battlefield, we headed west again towards Lewis and Clark Caverns. The drive was going fairly well until we heard a loud thud. Daddy Pig quickly slowed down the van and pulled off onto the shoulder.
"Sounded like a tire." he said.
"That was the Kindle." Tucker said from the middle bench. "Willow threw it."
Sure enough, Willow did throw the Kindle. She was done with it so she threw it overboard, naturally, and it landed with a thud on the step by the driver side passenger door. It was loud. But she was done with it, so what other option did she have?
We pulled back onto the interstate and Daddy Pig decided we should pull off at the next exit to check fluids and tires. The check engine light was flashing again and while we were thinking of it, we should do it.
I sat in the passenger seat while he looked under the hood and out of the corner of my eye, I saw his feet flying by the driver side window. I leaped up from my seat, frantic, wondering what just happened when his face appeared in the window with a huge grin. He had just done a cartwheel next to the van and here I had thought he had been hit by a passing semi. I wasn't even about to question why he was doing cartwheels on the on ramp; I was just so relieved.
The kids thought this was the funniest thing they ever saw. None of them realized their father was basically an Olympic gymnast.
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles or so off the interstate and it was fun to explore these little back roads that run right along a river. The park itself sits in a valley with mountains surrounding the campground.
While the kids ran around on the playground, Willow kept herself entertained by pushing her stroller around the campsite. And for the record, we didn't get much sleep this night either. In fact, it was worse than the night before. At one point, Daddy Pig mumbled, "Should we just pack up and keep going?"
We didn't. We persevered and I told him we would not allow a 14 month old adorable baby girl to win. She would fall asleep eventually, which she did, 2-3 hours later.
The nice, friendly Canadian who was camping next to us said the next day, "I only heard her for a little bit. She has such a quiet cry."
Translation in American: "I heard her crying for quite a while and while her cry is softer than some babies, it is still incredibly obnoxious but I didn't want to say anything so I put my ear plugs in and a pillow over my face and went to sleep, praying that she would shut up. And she finally did at 1 am and I got a good six hours of sleep and you only actually need four to survive so I'm fine. But I'm glad you aren't staying here tonight and maybe I'll get sleep for once."
To be continued...
There wasn't any RV parking left so the ranger had us go all the way up the hill, turn around and come back down to park in the overflow parking. Driving a large van with a trailer on these minuscule roads with steep ravines is not something I enjoy doing. I prefer flat, country roads with corn fields on either side. Perhaps one or two curves to keep it interesting.
This place is incredibly interesting and moving. It was worth the stop.
In what would become a common event on our trip, a lady coming the opposite way of us started obnoxiously counting out loud, "1...2...3...4...5... (expletive)!" She said it right as I passed by her. I was glad our kids weren't in ear shot. I know most people don't have seven kids these days but we do and is it really that big of a deal? Some people act as if we are parading around 7 rare circus animals. (Well, sometimes they act like it.) But each and every one of them are human beings with ears and eyes and minds and hearts. They are all loved and wanted and cared for. They can hear and feel the negativity and I don't ever want them to be embarrassed or ashamed of who they are and where they're from.
But I do have to say, we did get a lot of positive comments too.
After we left the battlefield, we headed west again towards Lewis and Clark Caverns. The drive was going fairly well until we heard a loud thud. Daddy Pig quickly slowed down the van and pulled off onto the shoulder.
"Sounded like a tire." he said.
"That was the Kindle." Tucker said from the middle bench. "Willow threw it."
Sure enough, Willow did throw the Kindle. She was done with it so she threw it overboard, naturally, and it landed with a thud on the step by the driver side passenger door. It was loud. But she was done with it, so what other option did she have?
We pulled back onto the interstate and Daddy Pig decided we should pull off at the next exit to check fluids and tires. The check engine light was flashing again and while we were thinking of it, we should do it.
I sat in the passenger seat while he looked under the hood and out of the corner of my eye, I saw his feet flying by the driver side window. I leaped up from my seat, frantic, wondering what just happened when his face appeared in the window with a huge grin. He had just done a cartwheel next to the van and here I had thought he had been hit by a passing semi. I wasn't even about to question why he was doing cartwheels on the on ramp; I was just so relieved.
The kids thought this was the funniest thing they ever saw. None of them realized their father was basically an Olympic gymnast.
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles or so off the interstate and it was fun to explore these little back roads that run right along a river. The park itself sits in a valley with mountains surrounding the campground.
While the kids ran around on the playground, Willow kept herself entertained by pushing her stroller around the campsite. And for the record, we didn't get much sleep this night either. In fact, it was worse than the night before. At one point, Daddy Pig mumbled, "Should we just pack up and keep going?"
We didn't. We persevered and I told him we would not allow a 14 month old adorable baby girl to win. She would fall asleep eventually, which she did, 2-3 hours later.
The nice, friendly Canadian who was camping next to us said the next day, "I only heard her for a little bit. She has such a quiet cry."
Translation in American: "I heard her crying for quite a while and while her cry is softer than some babies, it is still incredibly obnoxious but I didn't want to say anything so I put my ear plugs in and a pillow over my face and went to sleep, praying that she would shut up. And she finally did at 1 am and I got a good six hours of sleep and you only actually need four to survive so I'm fine. But I'm glad you aren't staying here tonight and maybe I'll get sleep for once."
To be continued...
Comments
Post a Comment