Labor Day Vacation

Okay, so enough time has passed that I feel I can relay the actual events of our chaotic Labor day getaway. I know most of you have seen National Lampoon's and the Griswald family....well we turned into that family on our journey to Pitkin. And I can easily put the blame on Rodney, because when we went through Coolidge, KS he just HAD to mention that this was the town where the Griswald's grandma died. This is the moment things started to head south!

Up to this point in the day the weather had been cool and we hadn't needed the a/c, but it was getting towards late morning and I was starting to get warm. So I asked if we could turn the a/c on. I waited patiently for a few minutes and it seemed to be blowing nothing but warm air. We all debated whether or not hot air was actually blowing from the vents. After going through Syracuse with the windows down and realizing how much cooler it was outside than inside, it was decided that indeed the a/c was blowing hot air and we would be riding with windows down. I was okay with that because the weather was nice and I knew that if we stopped to check things out, we might never get to Pitkin. Just ask anyone who has done a mechanical repair with Rodney....it takes a long time! Sorry, but that's a fact Rodney (I am sure Janis and Janelle will back me up here).

Finally around noon it was time for our lunch stop. And of course, Rodney just couldn't leave it alone and had to pop the hood and take a look, make a phone call to the neighbor back home, and finally make it inside to eat. Luckily at this point, he decided not to do anything and on we went to Pitkin. Or so I thought. Before we reached La Junta Rodney had decided to stop and buy some sort of test light to test something (I will admit that I am no mechanic). Upon testing, decided to by-pass something and off we went a short thirty minutes later. We had barely made it to rocky ford when something started to smell hot. At first the guys decided it wasn't our car, but something else in town we were smelling. Shortly out of town, the decision is made to pull over and check to see if in fact was us who was stinking! You guessed it, it was us!

Some other mechanical repair/adjustment was made and off we went once again. Now things would have been just fine had we not stopped at Salida to get a few groceries. This is the point where things completely fell apart and the vacation turned crazy! While Janis was in getting the food, Rodney decided to once again pop the hood and check things out. Next thing we know, Rodney is heading across the parking lot to the Checkers auto parts store. An hour later, Janis returns from the store and Rodney is still missing at the auto parts store. I am starting to realize that this is not looking good! I mean this is looking BAD! Rodney eventually appears from the store only to head back into Wal-mart for tools! We're sunk now! It is going to be midnight before we get to Pitkin...is what I thought to myself....had I only known!

To make this story a little shorter....it was decided that we shouldn't be driving any more with the a/c compressor the way it was. So we had a decision to make. Try and make it over Monarch and to Pitkin, then get a part at Gunnison...which by the way, if the parts goes out, the car completely shuts down and we have no lights and no brakes. I immediately decided that the kids and I are not, under any circumstances, going over the pass with the possibility of no lights or brakes. Jeremy on the other-hand plays the part of the super hero/idot and says that we can do whatever we want, but he is going to get to Pitkin tonight! That instantly made me mad....that's another story though, but I am sure you other moms and wives can relate!

We ended up spending the night in Salida, renting a car and driving back to Canon City to get replacement part, installing it and finally getting to the cabin around 3 on Saturday. We spend some time at the fish hatchery, at the kids pond and took a short four-wheeler ride before coming back to the cabin and roasting hot dogs and making smores. Sunday we took the kids up to Alpine Tunnel, but on the way back down it started raining and we didn't get to ride any more.

When we got back to the cabin Jeremy noticed that one of the Suburban tires looked low and so it was decided that the tire should be changed before we headed home. We spent 20 minutes Monday morning before we left trying to get the tire pressure adjusted just right. It was all for nothing, because between Pueblo and La Junta the spare tire blew the tread! So the guys put the original tire back on and we drove slow to La Junta, where we had new tires put on!

So what should have been about a nine hour drive out and 9 hour drive back turned into 45 hours on the road! Needless to say, I was a little grumpy by the time we got back to town and just ready to get into my own bed and rest. We all went with the thought that our time away would be relaxing and restful, but it was at best a change from our normal routine! The kids handled it well considering their amount of time in the car and the hot, windy weather in the car.

Click here to see some photos from our vacation!