Advertisement
Published: August 12th 2013
Edit Blog Post
We came so close - only 24 hours left and we would have made it through a 22-day RV excursion without a single medical incident. Oh well.
We set off from our campsite in Grandby for Rocky Mountain National Park, having already decided that this would be a driving tour since we knew we needed to set aside significant time for packing up the RV and preparing to return our rental tomorrow. The views we encountered as we drove through the park on Route 34 were gorgeous. As John Denver crooned about being 27 and finding himself once again in the Rockies, it was easy to see what inspired him so much. Deep, steep valleys; huge, rocky hillsides; lush, dense forests; unexpected ponds and lakes dotting the landscape - the Rockies offer a lot to look at, both from afar and up close.
Billy was quick to pronounce this his favorite park of all time when we stumbled upon not 1 or 2, but 3 different herd of elk, and, as a coup de grace, a herd of big-horned sheep, all simply lounging on the green pastures, not altogether far from the road, in the wide open, impervious to
the scurrying tourists clicking away with their cameras. Our son died and went to animal-lover's heaven today. He may just end up living in Colorado if he remembers this trip vividly enough in about 15 years.
Sean woke up feeling okay today, but quickly disintegrated as his stomach began earnestly trying to rid itself of phantom contents. After a few hours of non-stop dry heaving and spitting up bile, as well as listening to Sean grow increasingly upset about driving, in mountains, on zig zagging roads, we made the call to head to an urgent care center to get the medicine we were kicking ourselves for leaving home without. Sean is prone to these kinds of episodes when he takes ill with a stomach bug - long after his system has emptied itself of any and everything, his stomach just doesn't get the message to calm down and quit for some reason. Thanks to a miracle drug called Zofran, we are usually able to fend off trips to the ER for rehydration and IV meds. Unfortunately, we left our stash at home and had to resupply on the road.
So, Sean and I spent about 3 hours in
Boulder Urgent Care, confirming what we already knew and just waiting for the magic pills that would settle his stomach and allow life to return to normal. This, of course, sort of threw off our day. Instead of getting to the campground tonight early and packing up before dinner, we rolled in just around 6:00 pm. The three non-invalid kids ran off to play in the heated pool and video game arcade, while Sean finally relaxed a bit with a movie, and Todd and I began the daunting task of figuring out what the heck to do with all this stuff. Let's just say that the UPS store will be one of our key stops tomorrow after dropping off the RV.
Despite the setback and later hours, we did make good progress. We have to be completely out of the RV by 11:00, which is going to be challenging, but as we sit here finishing up our laundry at 1:00 am, I think we're in pretty good shape. The day certainly didn't turn out the way we anticipated, and Sean is still not feeling quite right even with the meds, but on the whole it was still a good
day. Our plans may have to adapt for the return trip depending on Sean's status, so please pray that the morning sun brings a calm stomach and a happier kid so we can start our long trek home.
Marcia
Advertisement
Tot: 0.202s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 12; qc: 50; dbt: 0.1249s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Grandma
non-member comment
At last!
Now, Sean, you've finally given everyone something to remember on this trip! I know it wasn't easy, and I've thought of you all day - I so hope you're feeling okay now - but everything had been just too perfect! I was so afraid someone would be lost in the big hole, or left behind stranded on a rock, but maybe it was that plate of dessert that threw the strike! I just reviewed the great picture, and the pile on the plate does look dangerous! I can't wait to hear you're better! By now, you've said "Goodby"