halloween flowchart

This is what you get when you ask a bored 7 year old to give you ideas for his Halloween costume -- illustrations and flow charts! I've taken the liberty of interpreting handwriting. Yes, we are raising a nerd. The costume of choice is a "futuristic bounty hunter, but not like Boba Fet, mine needs more features." Features not detailed on this illustration: a helmet with fins, front armor, sleeve armor, communication system, antenna on jet-pack. The kid is lucky I wield a mean glue gun.

the car saga concludes (we hope)

So Mike flew to Phoenix Friday after work. Saturday he and the master negotiator found a 2001 Accord for me - black with a cream leather interior. It's the same year as the Taurus we're replacing, but fewer miles and (we hope) no problems. Then on Sunday they managed to find a 2000 Ford Escape for Mike. Yeah - a camping vehicle! It's got 4 wheel drive and a roof rack for when I overpack. ;-) Mike drove the Accord home last night. I haven't driven it yet because the place he bought it from only gave him a 3 day temproary tag. I've never heard of such. Whatever, that just meant that he *had* to go get it titled & tagged today. Now we just have to figure out when we're going to get back to Phoenix to pick up the Escape. Hopefully before the next camping trip, which is sooner than sane people might expect.

vacation re-cap day 6

We got up and it was rainy and wet. Instead of cooking breakfast, we decided to head to the little town outside the park and eat at one of the few restaurants. We chose one in the lobby of a hotel based on the fact that they had let Mike and his backpacking buddies eat there before even though they were pretty scruffy looking and hadn't showered in several days.

Got to the hostess station right behind a few other couples. She seated them but asked us if we minded waiting 10 minutes. Okay, no big problem. Then we saw the hostess go out for a smoke break. The we saw a hotel manager ask someone he was having a meeting with if they had eaten yet and proceed to waltz on in. 20 minutes later, after I made Mike go tell her we needed to be seated or we were leaving, we were seated in a nearly empty restaurant. No apology, no explanation, nothing. Niiiice.

We placed our orders (overpriced, under-portioned french toast stuffed with huckleberry cream cheese for me, overpriced but appropriately portioned omelet for Mike), but I still couldn't let it go. I was just looking around the place, seething. So I asked to speak with the manager who was apologetic. She explained that they were short handed because it was close to the end of the busy season but much of the summer help had already left. Fine. But, seriously, do they not understand that most people would be much happier sitting with a cup of coffee (blech!) or other beverage (yes!) and waiting for furthter service?! Or that the hostess should at least explain the situation?! Or that actual customers should probably be served before hotel employees?! Dimwits.

After breakfast it was still gray and drizzly. We drove a bit east on the Going-to-the-Sun Road (yep, that's actually the name of the road) and hiked from Sunrift Gorge to Baring Falls. We started off without rain gear, but the rain started picking up, so we had to put it on. I hate rain gear. It makes me sweat like sweating's going out of style. I never did get completely dry after this little hike and ended up getting chafed which kept me pretty uncomfortable for much of the rest of the trip. First the sunburn, then the chafing . . . awesome!

Thomas at Sunrift Gorge - so happy to be photographed!

under the bridge for the Going-to-the-Sun Road

on the trail from Sunrift to Baring Falls

service berries

Baring Falls

Since the rain had picked up, we decided to try a different area of the park. We drove to Many Glacier, but didn't get out of the car and do anything due to the rain. Next we drove up to Waterton Lakes in Canada. A few photos from there:

The guy at the window of the entrance to Waterton park claimed that the credit card machine was down. Personally, I think it's a scam. Either to keep more money in Canada or for him to personally make a bit off the exchange rate. It's a vast left-wing conspiracy, I tell you! ;-) Anyway, after paying for admission we had some Canadian money left. More than Mike was just willing to hand over to Thomas for the novelty factor. So after we were pretty much done sightseeing, we drove into the little town to spend this money. Mike had been buying individual microbrews pretty much every night at the parks to have with his dinner and wanted to find some cool Canadian beer to have that night. [Funny aside . . . we did not pack a bottle opener . . . every night I was opening bottles on the latch to the Taurus's driver door. The one night Mike attempted, he broke the bottle. Good thing I learned a few skillz in college, huh?] I don't know whether it's the liquor laws or just the little town we were in, but no beer was to be had in the little grocery store or gas station we stopped at. So we bought some gas.

That night we cooked, cleaned up in the dark (again) and went pretty much straight to bed. It was the chilliest night of the trip for sure. I had to get up for the bathroom in the middle of the night. As I approached the bathhouse, I saw *something* move in the dark. I had no idea what it was except that it was big and blondish. My heart was racing and I would have loved to just go back to bed, but I *had* to pee! I got back and told Mike about it and said "I'm not sure at all, but it could have been like a mountain lion or something." Got up the next morning and saw a big mule deer doe walking around the woods in the campgrounds. So much for the mountain lion, LOL!

car saga continues

So yesterday Mike fixed the secondary flappy door thingy and gave the part back to the mechanics. We *hope* to get the car back this evening, but the whole thing is pretty iffy. Last night we borrowed a vehicle (because we didn't get our act together early enough to get a rental car in this small town) and drove to a Carmax lot in Las Vegas to test out a few vehicles. Seems that we've settled on getting an Accord for me. Though I really did like the Infinity I drove a bit better. There's definitely more to choose from in the Accord market and upkeep/repairs will be less costly on an Accord. So, if the Taurus is ready by this evening, Mike is likely driving to Phoenix to meet with the master negotiator (his dad) and probably buy a used Accord. (Dude, we do NOT buy new cars in this household!) He'll leave the Taurus in Phoenix if his parents are willing to sell it for us.

We're looking to replace Mike's truck as well. It's been a good run, Purpletruck, but after 10 years, we'll be putting you out to pasture, pretty literally. Mike has a great idea. Instead of selling Purpletruck for not much money, he wants to drive it to Indiana and leave it there. Then we'll have a vehicle to drive when we visit without renting one. There Purpletruck can rest easy in the shade with only occasional outings in his golden years, just enough to give the old man some exercise, nothing too strenuous every day.

vacation re-cap day 5 and the car saga

We spent the night at the overpriced Holiday Inn in Bozeman, MT. Did I mention that it was $140? And that it did not include breakfast? Eh. Whatever. We got to take showers! And do laundry! Both things were a definite plus in the middle of the camping vacation. National Park campgrounds often do not have showers. There are usually showers *somewhere* in the park, but not necessarily where you are. Even then, they are coin-operated, which just boggles the mind.

Mike got up early and took the car in. They figured out that (hold up, I'm about to get technical here) this little flappy door thingy that directs the air to either be heated or cooled was stuck and sending all the air to be heated. Great, sounds like an easy fix, right? Well, maybe, if you happen to have one of those little flappy door thingies lying around. Rather than wait 3-5 days for the part to come in, we had them rig it so that the air could only get cooled.

Went to Wal-Mart and grocery shopped for the rest of the trip and then drove up to Glacier. When we got to Glacier it was (surprise!) getting dark. And really windy and threatening rain. Yeeha! We did manage to get the tent up and dinner made before it got too dark. Clean-up took place in the dark and was, honestly, a little half-hearted. I was tired, cold & couldn't see.

The car saga continued after our return from vacation. When we got back home, Mike had our favorite garage order the part. Yes, unfortunately, we have a favorite garage here in town. We took the car in last Wednesday evening to have the part put on Thursday. Ideally it would have been done then so we could go on yet another camping trip. Yes, Mike is part gypsy. The car was not ready by Friday afternoon. In trying to replace the flappy door thingy, they found that another flappy door thingy attached to the original door flappy thingy was broken. Mike is frustrated with our current vehicle situation and has spent the entire labor day weekend online car shopping to replace both our vehicles.

Today we found out that Ford doesn't sell just that part on its own. The assembly needed is about $450. For a car we are looking to trade ASAP. Umno. Mike called some connection in SC who has some material Mike may be able to use to patch the 2nd flappy door thingy and is overnighting it. This should be fun. I'm already tired of the whole thing.

so this is how it's going to go down

I found my first grey hair while we were on vacation. Not growing from my scalp, but from my left *eyebrow*! Twice as long as the rest of my eyebrow hairs, wiry and unruly. Seriously? I'm going to get old man brows??

Meditation Point

( photo lifted from some stranger's blog . . . thanks, Google image search!)

In the dark, somewhere between Yellowstone and Livingston, MT we passed by a little chapel with the sign "Meditation Point". I would have liked to stop, but we went by too fast. Isn't that just the way life is sometimes.

vacation re-cap day 4

We got up, broke camp and got on the road by 10 am. I swear, it did not matter what time we got up, whether we cooked breakfast or not, whether we took down the tent and packed the car . . . we could not get moving before 10. An aside . . . my man can really pack a car. We had a few passersby shake their heads and snicker when they saw our piles and piles of stuff to be crammed into the Taurus. I'm not saying Thomas was particularly comfortable. I'm not saying that there was a way to see out of every window. I am saying that it was all in there.

We drove Mike to the camp store so he could use a phone book and make some calls to arrange for the car to be repaired and for a hotel. I checked us out of the campsite, secured the refund for our unused night (how very nice of them!) and figured out the best way for Thomas to complete his Junior Ranger requirements. Met back with Mike at the campstore. While we were gone he had arranged for the car repair. When we arrived, he still had to make the hotel reservation. He had called the Best Western in Bozeman, MT and was quoted $140. He called the Holiday Inn, also $140. This, my friends, if how I know Mike was really ready to get moving with the day: He decided, after 2 calls, that $140 must be the going rate and booked it. I can't tell you if we've ever paid that much for a hotel room. We like to keep it under $100 around here, folks! And anyone who knows Mike at all can tell you, the man knows how to pinch a penny.

With our arrangements made, we set off. First stop was to see the West Thumb geyser basin and the West Thumb of Yellowstone lake so we could attend a Ranger talk and get Thomas's Junior Ranger requirements met. We attended they typical ranger talk about geology and millions of years and blah, blah, blah. We're pretty nerdy, but even my mind wanders when they start up with the millions of years. I'm not entirely sure why they make ranger talks a a requirement for Junior Rangers, but rarely gear them toward children. I *heart* our National Parks, but this is a peeve of mine.

By this point in the trip, I was kind of over the hot, stinky pools of water. But here's another one somewhere in the West Thumb Geyser basin

Our next stop was back at the visitor's center by Old Faithful because it, apparently, is the only place in the whole park that you can turn in work for their Young Scientist badge. It was kind of a pain and totally out of our way, but hey, we couldn't deny the little nerd the patch he worked so hard for.

upper Yellowstone Falls

closer view of upper falls

at Lower Yellowstone Falls

After the falls, we stopped at Canyon Village for dinner and started making our way to the North entrance to head to Bozeman. Saw a bit more wildlife on the way out.

Herd of elk.

This is a funny story. The bison was wandering down the road, first staying to the side, like above. Then it wandered closer to the middle. Right after this picture was taken, I made Mike roll the window up. Once it passed his window, Mike rolled the window back down and was going to take another photo. The bison turned its head, looking back at us. We could not get that window back up fast enough!

mule deer running around Mammoth village

Sorry it's grainy, it was getting dark.

leaving the North entrance, through Roosevelt Arch

Goodbye Yellowstone.