Saturday July 21, 2012

Happy Birthday, Lolo!  We got the boys up early this morning, as we knew it would be a long day in the car.  We carried all the bags and backpacks to the truck and Dave said he would pack the truck while we went for breakfast.  He is feeling much better, but didn’t want to take any chances.  He had another bagel for breakfast.  We noticed yesterday that the breakfast meals were huge so today we ordered two meals and split them.  We were plenty full so that was a good choice.  We got started out of the Grand Canyon and headed to Mesa Verde.  Unfortunately, we realized this morning that the boys had not gotten their Grand Canyon stamp for their passport books and it was too early for the Visitor Center.  I told them that they should each design their own Grand Canyon stamp, so we shall see what they come up with!  We stopped for lunch in Tuba City (Alex and Theo were hungry).  Do you kids remember Tuba City and the Taco Bell incident?  We didn’t want to repeat history, so ate at a Sonic!  The rest of us waited about a 100 miles and stopped again so the rest of us could eat.  We finally got to Four Corners and I took photos of the boys standing in four states (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah).  On the road again, Alex and Theo talked to their family who had just come back from Greece.  Dan then called to wish his mom a happy birthday.  We drove on until we came to Cortez.  We could see a huge thunderstorm up ahead with massive lightening strikes so we opted to stop at a motel instead of trying to set up the tents in this weather, as Mesa Verde is only nine miles ahead.  We will go out to eat in a bit.  The boys are deciding who will sleep on the floor, as there are only two queen beds in the room and no cots available and these guys are too restless when they sleep for all of them to be in one bed.  We dashed across the parking lot to a small lounge and grill for a light supper – no one was particularly hungry.  When we got back we let the boys swim in the pool.  They also enjoyed the spa pool.  After drying off and getting ready for bed, we let them watch a tiny bit of TV, which has been a rarity on this trip.  Dan drew the floor so we made a nice nest for him with extra blankets and pillows.  Theo will get the nest tonight.