Travelogue: Day 1, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

The joy is in the journey. –Unknown

5:30 am
My alarm is going off. It's a good day. It is the first day of vacation. And I'm sleeping in.

7:45 am
Nope. Not yet.

9:00 am
OK. It is time to get serious about vacationing. Where did I put that checklist?

10:15 am
I think we made pretty good time getting the car packed. We're a little bit late getting out the door, but we're on vacation, so we can do what we want, right?

10:23 am
Breakfast at McDonald's. What you eat on vacation stays on vacation.

10:37 am
Mr. Bug got new tires on Saturday, checked the oil and gassed up the Trooper. But we're making a quick stop to get the squeaky belts we got a month ago tightened and then we'll really be on our way.

Only three hours to go.

10:58 am
Mr. Bug's sister is calling. It is probably a good thing that we're a little bit late getting underway. They forgot the inner tubes for tomorrow. We'll stop at their house and get them.

11:14 am
I'm loving the chit-chat going on as we drive.

11:46 am
We got the tubes. And had a quick potty break. Already. I promise I went before we left.

12:27 pm
Oh, look at those colorful kayaks on that car in front of us. They must be headed off for a fun summer adventure. Wait. We're headed for a fun summer adventure. Awesome.

1:29 pm
What is it about about travel and migraines? I put those pressure point wrist bands on before we left to help with the motion sickness, which is sometimes a trigger. I came prepared, with plenty of drinks. And the moment I started to even think that I might be feeling that familiar left-side-only ache, I took my meds. Only two more hours until I can take some more. Sigh.

1:33 pm
Welcome to Idaho! I've never been to Lava Hot Springs. I'm kind of excited. We'll be there soon.

2:09 pm
Wait. That sign just said we're going to Burley. It should say we're headed to Pocatello. And we should have gone through the Malad Pass. I think we got on I-84 instead of staying on I-15 an hour or so back. That is always a tricky spot because to stay on I-15 you have to take a turn-off.

Ugh. No data service. No digital navigation. I'll give my sister, who lives in Idaho Falls, a call to see if she can help us.

2:28 pm
Yep. We were on the wrong road. My sister headed us in the right direction and we've got data again. Yay for Google maps.

3:07 pm
Rest stop. Gotta love a road trip.

4:00 pm
Lunch. Finally. McDonald's again. I'm determined to win at Monopoly. All we need is Boardwalk and we've won a million dollars.

4:38 pm
Home sweet home.

We're vacationing with Mr. Bug's family. The challenge is finding a place big enough to accommodate everyone. Even missing 16 (out of 51) people, there aren't enough beds by half.

5:11 pm
Well, we've got all our luggage in and a bed claimed for Mr. Bug and me. It looks like Grasshopper will be camping with the older boys in the back yard and we've found a comfy spot for LadyBug with some of her cousins.

5:13 pm
Everyone is back from Lava Hot Springs. Due to our detour through Burley, we missed swimming today, but it's all part of the game. We have lots of fun things planned for the next few days and we're having a good time.

6:20 pm
Dinner: baked fettuccine, salad, homemade rolls, conversation and camaraderie.

{Riley, Tyler, Sarah, Kenneth, Andrew, Myriam, Grasshopper, Mr. Bug, LadyBug}

7:03 pm
We brought Mr. Bug's laptop, but there's no WiFi. We're kind if in the boonies, but I do have data service, so I'm trying out Blogger's app from my iPhone. There aren't many editing options and typitty-typing on the little keyboard on my screen is tedious. But, I'm on vacation and I have plenty of time.

8:36 pm
It's about time to wrap up. We're in charge of lunch tomorrow and I need to cut the watermelon and prep a few other things.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's adventure.

8:42 pm
Hold the phone. It appears as though today's adventure isn't over. Some if the girls found a garden snake and have decided to make a pet of him.

{Emily, Amber, Kate, LadyBug}

{Emily}

{Amber, LadyBug}

{Amber, LadyBug, Kate}

Until the next adventure . . .