Day 1

I was up with the sun this morning trying to use the things Dave wouldn't eat left the fridge. I threw together a zucchini bread for an easy breakfast and crab dip for an easy lunch or dinner. Things were going a little to well and getting done a little too easy for load up day however.

Grammie's RV had been in & out of the service place for the past 2 weeks for various electrical issues that just popped up - thankfully not while we were on the road! Sunday she woke up to a flat tire so she went to get a couple new tires first thing in the morning (thing #1!).  That's when thing #2 happened - a sprinkler turned into a fountain after being run over. Being the awesome dad he is, Dave headed to Maynard's to get us some donuts for a fun breakfast. That's when  thing #3 happened - the entry gate was stuck in the closed position. Not to worry as we have a temporary opening for big construction trucks about 20 feet away.  I moved the pump to the next sprinkler zone and fixed the gate. And I was done with my three things for today!

Once Dave got back we had donuts together and he headed to work. It was going to take awhile for the RV tires so we got on the road toward our first stop with this year's co-pilot, Stitch The kids were excited to see what was in their travel bags and to listen to all the music they'd downloaded. Their DS's were a big hit too since they hadn't played on them since our summer trip last year!

Our first stop was a quirky little museum in Abita Springs, LA. It was about halfway to our campground so I though it would be a fun place to stretch and have fun. This plaee was small but had the most weird and entertaining collection of stuff we've ever seen! I was like a museum of things you find in those I SPY books - collections of watches, strange little toys, buttons, bottle caps. In fact we played I SPY at one little window of things.













This my friends is one of those marble maze things made entirely out of Popsicle sticks.  My maker Ryan's eyes lit up and I could tell I'd be buying the 1,000 size box once we got home!

The second best part was the video games. Ryan played an actual old school clunky pinball  machine and I was able to introduce them to games of my childhood and they were amazed at the horrible graphics of Donkey Kong, Ms Pac-Man, Frogger, and Dig Dug.

And the kids would say the best part was the adorable cat that not only walked with us as we toured the place but actually jumped from a banister onto Brayden's shoulder for a cuddle and ride. It was then the girls decided they would like to buy him.






After a quick visit to the gift shop we got back on the road for a couple more hours to our destination. Without the cat. The kids were still completely amused with their stuff so I cranked up my music and enjoyed the drive. Well, until I noticed the storm ahead. We were about 30 minutes from our spot. It was kind of a tradition to have rain on day 1. Not a welcome one though.  This year I was brave enough to try out some new bags for my cargo carrier that are touted as being waterproof. That is where we keep our clothing bags so I was super nervous yet hopeful they would pull through. It looked like a quick afternoon thunderstorm so it would be a good test.

We stopped for some gas and finished just in time for the downpour to start. I got an evil look from Ryan because she'd just cleaned the windshield - a favorite kid job! We drove the last bit in the rain and arrived at the park 12 minutes before they were to close. The staff was surprised we were braving camping in a tent tonight and I'm suspecting it's not because of the rain!

Once the rain stopped we picked the least mud & wet area of our site and set up. Usually a kid is sleeping with Grammie but with us leaving without her we renegotiated the slumber parties with a rock-paper-scissors match. Tonight we would all suffer in the tents!

We explored the area a little bit then the kids wanted to play with legos so I took some time to rearrange some things we'd thrown in the car at the last minute.  Once Grammie arrived we helped her set up and were thrilled to munch on a quick dinner she'd prepped before we left (yay for no cooking!) and sit in some air conditioning. There were belly laughs and even tears from me & Laney as we all played a hilarious card game after dinner.

We were tempted to throw in some laundry at the campground laundromat simply because it was free at this park - first time I've ever seen that! I usually spend between $5-10 each time we have run out of clothes so an extra day of clean clothes for free is like gold. Instead we opted for bedtime in our tents. And that was when I knew for sure what the check-in lady was talking about. Trying to sleep in a 91 degree hot night was going to be painful.