Mt. Rushmore, I presume?

Mount Rushmore--Still impressive after all these years. Our first and only visit was in August of 1992. Today, the grounds have been all updated. There are museums and gift shops and a restaurant not there before.

But the biggest difference to us is that this time we bring our little girl where before it was our little boys

She read to us little factoids from the park brochure. We count that towards her "schooling." And though the presidents in granite impressed, she was maybe more taken with the museum and its exhibit that simulates exploding the mountainside with dynamite. One presses the chosen target in the rock then pushes the plunger. Boom! Kids love that stuff--that and pressing pennies through a souvenir machine which would seem a no-no in a federal park. Maybe a penny isn't considered protected legal tender these days.

A picture so pretty I had to post twice

Yes, I took this. Thank the natural beauty of Wyoming and a little added saturation via Photoshop. And, the subject matter being the splendidly sleek and shiny Airstream.

Free at Last

We took the advice of another Airstreamer and took the scenic roads out of Colorado rather than I-25 out of Denver. We were so glad we did. We headed up Highway 9 stopping in Kremmling to eat lunch at a cute diner/bakery called My Family Restaurant. The glazed donut I had was so good that I made Robert buy a whole apple pie for later. I have this notion that on this trip I will uncover the place that bakes the best apple pie. (However, we discovered later that MFR may have the worst.)

From Highway 9 we headed north toward Steamboat Springs, a town we'd visited years ago when Ryan had a baseball tournament there. I remember Robert declaring then he was going to find a stuffed buffalo head to bring home as a souvenir and we joked about where we'd hang it. Then he discovered how pricey they were and from then on we were eyeing every buffalo head in every restaurant wondering if it could be had for less. We are still on the lookout for "the deal."


Anyway, we skipped Steamboat and took more back roads to get to Laramie, Wyoming. In Laramie, we were given excellent directions by an employee outside an auto parts store for the best route to Custer, South Dakota. In wonderful Wyoming vernacular he said: I will forewarn you that 32 starts out all nice and straight but turns real twisty-like, but I believe it is the faster route." Once again we took someone's advice to forgo the Interstate and we were glad we did. If his recommended route was indeed quicker it wouldn't have mattered to us anyway--so beautiful was this road. We were alone for most portions and surrounded by 360 views of landscape and sky so stretching and vast that but for the highway and some utility lines the year could have been 1807 , not 2007. Beautiful, beautiful Wyoming!

We arrived in Custer after dark pulling into Big Pine Campgrounds where the manager had tacked our campsite info to the bulletin board outside the closed office. Robert managed to get us parked and hooked up before falling into bed. Allison and I stayed up watch Born Free on the DVD player. I think I was 10 when I first saw this movie and in my memory it was a glorious, touching tale of fuzzy lion cubs. Watching it with my daughter I was struck with how stiff and sappy and sexist it was-- the woman always resorting to near-hysterics to make a point and her husband always bossing her around, telling her to "Go to bed!" Forget the cubs woman--free yourself! Let Andy Williams and his Academy-award-winning song be the soundtrack for your escape. Run or toughen up!

30+ years later I finally get it: This film was propaganda for the feminist movement. Aha! I see now. What subversiveness! Born Free was not really about the lion cubs, but the cry against domination and manipulation in marriage. But of course, the message was lost on my young self. What else did I miss?

Not a good idea after all

Robert hitched up the Airstream and took it to the welder to have a platform added for stowing the generator. While he was away I found that fellow Airstreamers from Airstream Forum had written to warn us not to add that platform. I went on to read a pile of admonitions against adding any weight to the back end of the trailer and they all sounded reasonable and even alarming ("You'll ruin your trailer.") So--I shared this with Robert who all along did not want to add the platform, but was doing so because I insisted on not having the generator ride along with us in the Tahoe. Now I was informing him that we should abort this effort. Of course, he was irritated at me for all the trouble this event caused, but glad in a sense to avoid the expense.

So, now we had to go retrieve our trailer, bring it back up the hill, and park it right back in the drive. We had to pay the welder a fee for his trouble--the trip he took to take a look at the trailer, and whatever else he did. A foolish adventure all around. And especially rotten for me, since the whole thing had been my idea.

My solace is in this fact: The both of us are complete novices in Airstreamology. We'll surely be taking turns at making mistakes.

Deadwood on my mind

Tomorrow morning Airstream Abby gets a platform welded on her back-end so to tote the generator--Robert's department, so I don't know the exact details. We should be on the road to South Dakota by Friday morning. Hopefully, we'll make it to Custer in one day. We'll go north on 25 from Denver to Cheyenne then cross over to the Black Hills. I almost cut this trip out of our itinerary since it requires making a big loop eastward. Our general direction is straight north so to hit Calgary and Banff to visit friends there in early September. But it would be a shame to forsake the rich sights of South Dakota: the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood. Especially, Deadwood, since I now have an intense desire to check it out.

Actually the HBO series, Deadwood, is motivation enough to head to the Black Hills. Since I rented the first episode Robert and I have become hooked. In just three days we've watched the entire two seasons. We've become Deadwood heads! I'm embarrassed to admit to the hours we've wasted in front of the television. My back is stiff and Robert complains of a nagging headache, but God, I love that show.

The Airstream has become our movie theater since Deadwood is so vile and brimming with profanity that we have to hide it from Allison. We tried watching it in the condo but we were turning into rotten parents always saying, "Allie, get back to the basement!" What a joke that we haven't even camped yet. So far, our chic and shiny camper has served only as an expensive hideaway den.

That will all change soon enough.

Busted

Excuse me sir, but keeping your travel trailer in the parking lot violates the covenants of our homeowners association.

It was only a matter of time before someone came after us. A trailer in the drive is a no-no even if it is a shiny new Airstream. Robert managed to avoid a fine or tow and somehow convinced the property manager to allow us a few more days. Nothing he manages ever surprises me--I just duck out of sight and let him negotiate.

We are here until Friday.

I wore pink flip-flops to the Rodeo

We left the Airstream parked outside the condo and took a long drive. We went through Winter Park and Granby ending up in Kremmling, a cowboy town about 30 minutes north of Silverthorne. Robert discovered a rodeo was in progress. I wasn't prepared--I didn't have my telephoto lens or my boots, but that didn't stop me from crawling under the fence to get closer to the action. We saw the last two events: ladies barrel racing, and bull riding. One 12-year-old bull named Duster was such an old pro; he knocked-off his rider in less than one second then promptly trotted to the pen. Nobody got gored which took some of the fun out of the event for me.



All cowboy hats, boots, spurs, and tractor trailers--then somebody has to spoil the authenticity of the scene with their corporate jet!

Leveling Airstream Abby

For the week we've been parked in front of our condo in Silverthorne we have been unlevel. Every day I ask Robert to right us. Today he finally did. All it amounted to was hitching the trailer to the Tahoe and piling some plastic blocks to to run the Airstream wheels atop of. This, so far, has been the most taxing thing we've had to do. If there was an automatic leveler we didn't get it with the Airstream. We have to rely on old-fashioned eye-balling and checking the bathroom door to see it stops opening.

In the clouds

Allie and her daddy ride the chair lift for the Alpine Slide in Breckenridge.

Deep and Wide

The rain has gone and Summit County is once again the best place to be in summer. We hear that back home a heat wave is creating 100+ temps. Awwhhh.

We drove nearly two hours to Royal Gorge to see the world's highest suspension bridge. We weren't aware that it would cost over 20 dollars an adult to cross it. An "amusement" park of sorts surrounds the bridge. Overall, we weren't too impressed and even resentful of the strategically-placed gift shops we had to traverse through. Still, the site was interesting. The bridge sits about 1500 feet over the Arkansas River. I never found out why it was necessary to build or what lies on the other side. It seemed to end at another gift shop.


I enjoyed spying on this group of Mennonite (I think) women as they watched someone they knew ride the Rip-cord over the Gorge. The plain people fascinate me. How they reconcile themselves to the larger culture; how they protect their own--this fascinates me. I can't help staring, looking for cracks in their resolve. Are those Nike sneakers they're wearing? Is it okay that they eat a Big Mac?

Once, in Las Vegas, I saw a gaggle of them following their bearded man-leader through the buffet at a casino. Were they here to gamble? See Sodom up close? Would they turn to salt? Was that a cell phone hooked to her elastic waistband? And once, while having my latte at Starbucks in Kansas City, I looked up to see two young plain women carrying pink bling-bling handbags fashioned with sequined initials. Little concessions, little cracks. I worry for them. I want them to stay quaint and untainted. But they are women, so it's only a matter of time before they go bad like the rest of us. The day I see one in Pucci print I'll know the end in near.

Can't beat McQueen for cool

Charming as the constant rainfall has been it has put a damper on our outdoor plans like taking the kids hiking, or to the Superslide in Breckenridge. We did get one hike up Lily Pad Trail before the rain moved in. Sara informed me that she and I will hike Buffalo Mountain this time. I hope we get to. She is all buff and in-shape these days and I pray I can keep up with her.

What else do you do when it rains but have a movie marathon? We removed the framed art prints from the condo living room wall and Luke and I set up my projector. We put the girls in the Airstream to watch a movie with less-adult content. Today, Allison recounted the movie for me. "My Big Fat Jew Wedding" she called it and I bit my lip. Jew, Greek, what's the difference to her? It was a heck of a funny movie. We adults struck out more than once with our picks. I want my wasted hours back! Well, actually, tonight we watched the latest ROCKY movie which I thought was so so sweet and tender, as much as possible for a movie with boxing in it. But the best movie of all was the 20 minutes or so Robert and I watched on the bar television at Briar Rose in Breckenridge of the marvelous Steve McQueen racing through the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt. Every flannel-clad patron at the bar was cheering for McQueen, the icon of 60's cool. Where are those stars today? Or those cars? Is that a cell phone in his bag?

While the kids were off with Sara and Ed, and while I dipped into a clothing store "just to look," Robert found a cozy spot at the westernized-Victorian style, Briar Rose, where the walls are painted blood red and accented with paintings of reclining naked ladies. The Briar Rose was a boarding house for silver miners back in the late 1800's. It still retains the flavor of those days even if now you can get a Heineken with your buffalo steak.

Oh, the euphoric smell of new

We are still parked out front of and plugged into the condo in Silverthorne. I cancelled our reservations for the campsite at Lake Dillon since this current situation is just too cozy. We shower and launder, cook and loiter in the condo saving the Airstream from any misuse. I aim to keep it in a perpetual state of pristine for as long as possible: I want the euphoria to last. Impossible, I know.

I'm after everyone to remove their shoes, put away their clothes, and replace everything to its proper place. If they don't comply I will turn into a wicked witch with the new O-Cedar broom I keep stored in the shower. I feel so clever at my organization of our 200-something square feet of domicile. I managed to neatly tuck our stuff into a sensible order, careful not to overstuff or to underthink the logic of placement. Allie's stuff goes in the bins below the sofa and the overhead cabinet. My camera stuff has its bin; bug spray and first aid items go in the cabinet by the door. Our seasonal clothing is in space bags and Rubbermaid containers left in the car. The Yamaha generator sitting currently in the condo garage needs a spot. Robert wants to have a hitch/platform thing added to the back of the trailer and I say, "Good idea," since the thought of carting it around in the Tahoe is unpleasant as is stowing it in the Airstream while in motion.


I've decided it's actually nicer to keep the dining table-top retracted in favor of the sofa arrangement/Allison's bed. With the table down we have a large "L" sofa which is especially cozy. However, Allison, being a child, finds it fun to make a fort with the pillows. I figure any harmless amusement she invents is okay seeing we allowed her only a tiny bag of her "toys" from home. Right now, the Airstream seems to all of us like a super-chic playhouse. We have yet to camp. Maybe this is the very best way to begin. Just like dipping a big toe in the water, we are slowly getting a feel for what we are about to dive in to.

I can't help myself

I am beside myself with happy happy joy joy. This Airstream trailer is so much better than I expected. Remember, we bought it sight-unseen. Now that I've had a day to organize and get acquainted with "Abby," I am in love! I want to write the designer, Christopher Deam, and gush with idolatrous praise. Every little thing has been thought out: Every detail to function, efficiency, and purpose has been created with beauty in mind. I think the thing is stunning.

I love the way the halogen lighting reflects off the interior aluminum skin. I love the luscious brown colors mixed with celadon accents. I love the chrome fixtures, the built-in speakers, the wrap-around windows. The bedroom is perfect. The bathroom is wonderful. The closet, the stow-away drawers, the shower, the pantry, the kitchen, the sofas--all perfection. Did I say how much I love Christopher Deam? Don't know him, but I love what he has done to Airstream trailers.

As I write, I tell my husband and my nephew, Luke, who just arrived with Sara and company to meet us for a week in Summit County, that they are witnessing me at my most happiest. To be in my little cocoon all polished and shiny sitting on my cushy sofa with my Mac PowerBook under the speakers listening to a super-cool Colorado radio station is pure contentment. Sara and Ed went to get dinner fixin's and a good wine. We'll feed the kiddos and then retire to the Airstream for adult conversation. Happy happy joy joy!

She's a Beauty!

We love her already! Our new Airstream International. Allison has named her, Abby. We drove into Denver, arriving last night, and went straight to the dealership ( Windish RV Center) this morning. It took a few hours to get the Tahoe rigged for towing and for us to get instructions on how the Airstream operates.

I barely had time to organize our stuff before Robert was corralling us to head up the mountains to Summit County. I said, "Don't you want to practice a little here in Denver first?" Of course not. Up we went sometimes at 25 miles and hour. We were surprised how smoothly the pull went.

I am absolutely thrilled, but tired. I'll write more when I get some rest.

Load 'er up

We leave for Colorado Thursday. We'll pick up the Airstream and head up to Summit County for a week where we can get familiar with it in an area familiar to us. I've reserved a campsite on Lake Dillon. It has no hook-ups, but the few camps that do are either booked or closed due to work related to the pine beetle infestation (that's another story for another time.)

I'm having a difficult time sorting what to pack when it comes to clothes. We will be in several different climates and seasons over the next few months, so we need appropriate clothing for each. And we'll be enjoying many diverse activities from hiking and fishing to site-seeing though cities and visiting friends. God forbid, I allow us to look like dirty, crumpled yahoos when we finally get a night out at a nice restaurant in Vancouver or San Francisco. There are no dressers in the trailer, and only one small closet. We need to plan and pack wisely. This is probably, for me, the most stressful aspect of planning this trip, because, as everyone knows, I like my life to make sense. If it's cold I want a sweater; if it's colder I want a jacket. If I'm hiking I want my hiking shoes and my backpack--oh, and maybe a windbreaker. Oh, and then there's the shoe conundrum. Can hiking boots go with a black dress? Can I justify the cowboy boots if I only wear them with the jeans and not the tennis skirt? This logic only confounds me further as I imagine every scenario in which we may find ourselves and the necessary attire and gear that it calls for. Where to stow all this crap I don't know.

However, I seem to have no problem deciding what electronic, photographic, and communication equipment to take. All my toys get to come: two laptops and printer, two cameras with extra lenses and a tripod, a camcorder, two Ipods, a projector, cell phones, a data card, binoculars, and of course all the respective cables, wires and adapters, and software. Obnoxious, isn't it? But I cannot imagine this adventure without the materials and equipment I "need" to document it. We may need a trailer to pull behind the trailer for my techie gear.

I am making a sacrifice to weight limit by not bringing a lot of reading material. (Books are heavy.) I understand that by camping we will be "roughing it" (as much as you can in a new Airstream International CCD with audio package and queen bed.) And I'll keep the weight down by skimping on the kitchen stuff. Once, William-Sonoma was my toy store back when I thought I could buy my way into becoming a good cook. But I'm prepared now to eat on paper plates and cook with inferior-grade cookware. I've packed a whisk and a wooden spoon. The rest we'll buy as needed.

My heart will not be troubled. I will learn to adapt and appreciate--two things I am good at. This adventure is self-inflicted and I intend to enjoy every minute of it.