Day 49

It's always easier to pack up when we only stay in one tent and helps with the cold weather too.  If the kids could cool their attitudes during pack up and set up I'm positive it could be even easier!

We were packed up and parking at Rebel Donuts in Albuquerque for a couple birthday donuts each before 9. Having a birthday on the road and away from friends is hard so I thought this might hit the spot! Brayden picked triple chocolate and chocolate mint, Ryan picked chocolate mint and caramel green apple, Laney picked Boston cream and raised yeast, and I picked maple cream and blueberry pineapple pancakes flavors. My pineapple was one of the best donuts I've ever had! The chocolate mint bite Brayden shared was surprisingly great too.

This is what 15 looks like!

We made it to Santa Fe more than an hour early than expected so we went ahead and did a Walmart resupply for birthday meals and few other things we needed. We ate our lunch in the car on the way to Meow Wolf.  Dave found this spot in his research for when he was with us but the timing didn't work out for him to be with us. Meow Wolf is an interactive art installation in a 22,000 foot space. There was supposed to be a mystery to solve but we were there just to explore and have fun.

Everything about this place was amazing! The art was fun and very interesting to look at and try to figure out. We were able to climb into tree houses, walk into a refrigerator, climb in and slide down a clothes dryer. We climbed inside an ice machine and walked through a fireplace to take us to some surprising paths. There was even a cleverly disguised bookcase that opened into another room like Scooby Doo. We were able to interact with the art in surprising ways. We were even able to chill out on some of the most comfortable furniture, take it all in, and have fun talking. We had a blast! It's no City Museum, but it was super fun!


After all that excitement we stopped by the art center also in the building and took a few minutes to create something. It's always hard to bring creations home on a summer trip but with only a few days back I was hoping they would last!


We had more than a 4 hour drive left so the kids watched movies and I cranked up the music to help it be a little more enjoyable. It always helps to break up the drives with a little fun and smiles on a birthday are always the best. Brayden requested veggie tacos for his birthday dinner but by the time we would get to the campground it would be getting late.  I don't like cooking and cleaning in the dark and I definitely don't like cooking in the heat! He'd been wanting to try the new Impossible Burger at Burger King so we stopped there instead to grab dinner and keep going. They were messy but delicious!

It was 103 when we arrived at Palo Duro Canyon. The view was like a small grand canyon with colorful rock formations and deep slices in the rocks. As we drove down into the canyon I would have normally stopped about 5 times for pictures but tonight I was grumpy.

When we picked up the map Laney noticed there was a posting about no fires of any kind in the canyon. Brayden was disappointed because he'd picked a dutch oven dump cake for his birthday dessert. The best I could do was a couple of marshmallows out of the bag and a birthday song. This birthday was going to be memorable for sure!

Once we got to our site the kids were fussing at each other when we set up the tent so we all took a 10-minute mental break from away. This was day 49 of constant interactions and we were all miserably hot so it was definitely time for a break.

Brayden picked a few card games for us to play and we enjoyed the warm night back together. Once it was dark and all the weird Texas bugs were swarming the lanterns and dropping on us from the trees above we slipped into the tent for the night.

The girls and I opted not to bring in our sleeping bags but Brayden wanted a quilt to sleep with. I thought he was crazy with how hot the night was. I grabbed our Frog Togg cooling towels in hopes it would help us get to sleep.  It was supposed to be in the 60s overnight but I wasn't sure that was going to happen!

Day 8

The air conditioner in the RV didn't turn off until 5am.  Brayden and Laney slept on the overhead bunk, Ryan and I slept on the couch, and Grammie slept in her usual bench spot. The blanket fair visited me and Ryan in the middle of the night because we actually got a tad chilly!

I had cell service at this spot so I got up early and wrote about the past 2 days and edited pictures. It was 5:30am and already 90 degrees. But it was completely bearable. Then about an hour later I was shade hopping and trying to upload everything so far. The lizards and birds seemed to have the same idea!

I opted for cereal this morning so we wouldn't have to cook. We'd bought two boxes at Trader Joe's and just about finished them. These kids are growing!













I was excited for a cold shower after I got the car situated to leave. And before too long we were back on the road. The views were just lovely for the first 30 miles. And we officially made it to California! Notice everyone standing in the tiny shade of the sign!

The sign I noticed next was cautioning 7 miles of "dips". I told Ryan to get in ready in the backseat as her stomach lurched and Brayden took a picture. It felt like a 5-minute roller coaster - so fun! The kids were playing a DS game together so they were focusing on their screen. I could see when a good one was coming up so I'd speed up just a little bit to make it fun. I giggled as they would scream when they lost their stomachs!

Our next stop was a quirky one about an hour or so down the 2-lane road we were traveling. It was in the ghost town of Rice, California where there used to be a tree everyone would toss their underwear on. The tree suspiciously burned to the ground so the Shoe Fence began. One of Brayden's assignments this summer for 4-H is to take pictures of shoes so he was excited to grab the camera for this stop!

After about 2 hours of back roads (with fun dips!) and interstate we were driving by Joshua Tree National Park and the Salton Sea. First, I had no idea we had a sea in North America. Second, it was now 118 degrees. We had about an hour left and I was getting nervous about the temperatures! That last hour of driving was so much fun though! We cut through mountains on some super fun winding roads that made me feel like a kid doing the pretend driving thing turning the steering wheel back and forth, over and over.

With about 30 minutes left we were still at 118 degrees but then we began to climb up to Julian, CA. The road zigzagged up a mountain as I watched my car's thermometer drop a couple degrees every minute. By the time we pulled into the campground it read 89 degrees. We could absolutely handle that!

We quickly set up and explored to Grammie's site to help her. The water hookup she was to use was broken so we waited while the host tried to resolve it. Maintenance and ranger staff had already left for the day so she opted to do without for the day and hopefully have it fixed tomorrow.

I brought over the last of our meals from the home freezer and we heated up a quick dinner that felt like home. Parmesan pasta with mushrooms, a ceasar salad, and nectarines. I'm thinking Dave isn't eating quite this well back at home!

And speaking of back home, Dave is our fake foreman overseeing all that is happening in the last month of the building of our home. He sent pictures of what we'd been anxious to see - the counters and flooring. We oohed and aahed for a little while. It's hard for all of us to be so excited to have our house finished and still be present on the trip and not wish it over so we could move in.

Once the dishes were done Laney and I grabbed some games from our campsite to bring back. We have noticed so many different and strange plants in the area! We are having fun trying to identify all the birds too! I didn't bring our bird book so we are guessing for now and hoping to ask a ranger tomorrow.

We played a few games of Quixx then I took Ryan and Brayden back to our campsite for a few games of our own. On our drive up the 2.5 gallon jug of water we'd been lugging around succommed to the elevation change so Ryan thought it was super fun to drink out of the tiny hole that leaked water over the backseat floorboard. We're going to need some baking soda soon for that to be bearable!



We played Golf and the kids version of blackjack until it was dark. It was already a very nice temperature outside so I knew our night would be a get-in-your-sleeping-bag-in-the-middle-of-the-night kind of night. Instead of sleeping bags the kids opted to grab the quilts out of the cargo top I'd brought for the really cold nights. They were so excited! Who knew?

The cards we were playing with were from Key West so when we turned the lights out Brayden asked if we'd ever been to Key West. We'd been several times for work but I decided to tell the story of how I'd surprised Dave with a trip before we had kids and all the fun we'd had while we were there. So many of the stories we tell the kids were either about when they were little or when we were little so they enjoyed this one laughing the whole time.

Day 7

It was chilly when I woke up this morning - just perfect for a long sleeve t-shirt. I woke up at 5am again and noticed on the campground rules that quiet hours were from 8am-8pm. What was I going to do for 3 hours?? The entire campground was asleep so I decided to hike down the nature trail.

This trail went down to the visitors center or the long split went down to the entrance of the park - probably about 3 miles. I didn't think everyone would be asleep quite that long so I just decided to hike for about an hour.

The first spot I came to was the old foundation of the CCC quarters inn the park. We've run into CCC works all over the country and the things they accomplished at this park were no different. Young men needing jobs who worked hard creating trails, buildings, and roads that we use today while they received $25 per month with $20 required to go home to their families. They also received an education - many learned to read or learned a trade. Brayden and I love learning about this program.

As I passed through the meadow jackrabbits were darting into and out of the grass. This meadow was natural and high so there was probably much more wildlife hiding in there! Up ahead I saw a blur on the trail and once I realized what it was and pulled my camera up, it darted across the boulders into his little home. I guess this wasn't the ringtail I was going to get for my birthday. Of course my camera was still in landscape mode so he's just a blur in my picture. See him kinda?

The trail weaved around a dry river for quite a while until I reached the homestead where I'd decided to turn around. This homestead was built by a husband and wife and was expanded over the years to accommodate their growing family. It survived an earthquake and many harsh winters.

I can't imagine waking up to this view every morning!














While I was hiking I was trying to figure out the time difference. It was 5am when I woke up and very bright. I know I hadn't seen a Pacific Time Zone sign but the time here was definitely an hour earlier. It finally hit me that Arizona doesn't participate in Daylight Savings Time! I'm so used to falling back and springing forward I'd forgotten there were some states that don't! So once we get into California I may still wake up at 5am but maybe the sun will be just rising?



By the time I got back to our site there were several families around us awake so I thought it was safe to start making breakfast. Since it was so cool we'd decided on me cooking pancakes on my stove instead of Grammie running her generator to cook. The girls slowly got up and made their way to folding their laundry and helping cook breakfast. Our trips aren't all fun and games!






After we cleaned up and packed up we got on the road toward our next spot. Today would be another 6 hour drive but we would be making our first Trader Joe's stop. The girls were excited to grab a Redbox movie and be in charge of shopping. We ended up with lots of snacks and lots of fruit - typical for them! On our way out of Tucson we drove by a massive Amazon building that had about 75-100 planes parked next door. I'm assuming it is a distribution center? The girls wanted to go in and shop!

The scenery was the same the whole way with distant mountains and dry desert. Phoenix was a stressful city to drive through - I didn't realize it was quite so big! The traffic was a monster on this weekend day. I can't imagine if we'd driven through on a weekday!

Once we made it off the interstate we had about another hour to drive. The temperature was 112 and seemed to be rising. Our next stop was Buckskin Mountain so I was hopeful we would be driving up into a nearby mountain for some relief. I realized we would be able to swim in the Colorado River so I'm guessing we wouldn't be.

When we reached the entrance to the park it was 116. It was a flat park right on the river and our spots were the only ones with trees. Not that they helped at all! The girls and I made the executive decision to forgo setting up the tent and head straight to the water. It was perfectly chilly and provided so much relief! If I'd had a raft I would have tied it to a tree and floated there all day!

We took in the view and watched the skiers go back and forth along the river while the kids played all kinds of games in the water. We were just happy to be cool!

I dragged the kids out of the water to eat dinner and after about a 20 minute settling of food we went right back to the water.  There were a bunch tiny bats flying all around us eating bugs and skimming the water to drink.  They even buzzed our heads a few times!

I'd checked the weather after dinner and it was supposed to cool down over night to 95. Definitely not something I was interested in being in a tent for! There was a breeze but it was so hot it felt like it was coming from inside an oven. We walked up to the campsite once it was dark and I declared it impossible to sleep so we grabbed pillows and headed to Grammie's RV. We were SO very thankful to have that option!

The air conditioner had been running since we'd gotten there and it was still warm, but so much cooler than outside. We didn't expect to be sleeping on beds this early in our trip! I tried to read but only ended up finding the spot I'd left off last time before I gave up and went to sleep.

Day 5

My night was very cozy tucked in my sleeping bag and it was still dark when I slipped out of the tent well after 6am. I'm thinking it's because we are so close to the Mountain Time Zone? I think caught up on any lost sleep from the night before. The sun was rising behind the mountains so these were the best photos I could get.

The air was still chilly which made for a perfect quiet morning.  I noticed on my phone there was strong wifi available very close to our campsite so I headed back to grab my computer to upload the first days of the blog.  It roughly takes 45 minutes to an hour to edit pictures, write about, and upload each day so I try to break it up and upload a few days all at one time. I also try to wait until I have left a camping spot to upload to keep us safe.  This is a private blog but you never know.

Once I was finished I saw the kids with me were awake so we started breaking down our tent and packing the car. We only had a three hour drive this morning so we weren't in a rush but I'd much rather pack up when it's cool. We drove over to Grammie's spot when we were finished to enjoy some freshly baked muffins. Baked goods are something we rarely eat on the trip since it's impossible on a camp stove. I guess we need to camp with Grammie more often - we're spoiled!  The girls wanted to climb the trail behind her campsite with Lola. I'm not sure she was too impressed but they had fun at least! Brayden is hit or miss these days with kid adventure so I'm glad the girls have each other.

We got on the road shortly after breakfast and were able to enjoy the beautiful drive back out from the mountain. I have no problem with long drives especially when there is something beautiful to see along the way. The girls were busy playing games in the back seat and would look up for a brief moment when I would tell them to look out their window. Maybe one day they will appreciate the scenery. I know I didn't at their age very much.

Our drive after that was kind of a mess. We were behind truck after truck on 2-lane roads under construction and the view was mostly barren or industrial oil production. I kept seeing RV park after RV park with about 50 RVs crammed in the space of drug store parking lot. I could only guess it is temporary or seasonal housing for those working in the area. The temperatures were climbing quickly to triple digits and I couldn't imagine living there! Of course many people wouldn't choose living in a tent for 2 months either.

                                   

We decided to stop at Carlsbad Caverns National Park to enjoy the cavern and exhibits before setting up today. Lola had her first visit to a kennel as animals left in vehicles was prohibited. She wasn't thrilled with the idea for sure. I bought my annual National Park pass since we would be visiting several National Parks on this trip and we decided to visit the exhibits to learn about the area. 

The girls jumped into this picture first. I'm not sure they will ever outgrow these! We learned about all the bats and other wildlife in the area. I decided I would like a ringtail for my birthday this year. I am always able to find at least 3-5 animals I would like to add to my list.  We learned about caving next and the kids tried it themselves. Ryan definitely would actually go caving but I believe Laney and Brayden would need a little incentive. 

We watched the park movie next to learn about the history of the park then headed to the elevators down to the cavern. We'd debated walking in via the natural entrance we just weren't really sure about having enough time. The elevator spit us out steps away from the Big Room and I was speechless. It was so enormous I just couldn't get over it. No picture I took even began to show just how big this area was. We later read it is the 5th biggest in North America being the size of 14 football fields. 

We have been to many caves during our travels but have never formations like those in Carlsbad. We saw lion's tails, draperies, popcorn, cave pearls, and much more. The more we walked the more in awe we were of how this place came to be.  Ryan wanted to go visit the "Bottomless Pit" which we learned wasn't really bottomless but a very dark 140 feet deep. People originally thought it was bottomless because they would throw a stone into it and never hear it hit the bottom. They later found it it has a sandy bottom which softened the sound.

We visited a few other spots then decided to head back upstairs. In a very Disney-like fashion we were dumped into a gift shop. It was time to by our first set of post cards though so the kids looked around and found the perfect ones and helped me pick out a sticker for our roof cargo carrier.  I'm not sure I've seen Lola happier than I did when they emerged from the kennel. I'm wondering if she had decided we weren't coming back!

We pulled into our campsite with time to quickly set up, let the kids swim for 15 minutes, eat dinner and leave again. I plan our trips loosely so we can pick and choose what we want to do along the way but there was no way I was going to miss this event. We drove the 50-minutes back to the park for the bat flight program.  I was a little worried we were going to miss it with the sun dipping lower by the minute but as we walked up to the amphitheater and sat down we were treated to a talk by the park ranger including what to expect, what they repectfully requested we do, and many random bat facts. 

Mid-sentence the ranger was signaled that the flight had begun. We looked around and noticed about 50 bats circling the cave entrance then the real show began. The crowd of 500 people were completely silent as this tornado of bats streamed out of the cave to find dinner. The constant sound was like a fan turned on high. And we sat there as they just poured out of the cave twisting and swirling for more than 15 minutes. I wanted to see what it looked like as they left the area so we walked to the top of the amphitheater to see what could easily be mistaken for smoke leaving the cave. Hundreds of thousands of bats searching for their food. We stood there for at least another 5 minutes watching until it was almost too dark to see them anymore. If it weren't such a long drive I would have come back to see them return before sunrise.

There was one bad part of the flight program. In order for us to not confuse and intimidate the bats any electronic devices were not allowed to be used or even on. Knowing this we'd left all of ours in the car so I will just have to rely on my old memory to treasure these moments. Or I guess I'll just have to come back. A lot.

We said our goodnight and I tucked the girls for the night and headed to the laundry room. We didn't necessarily need to do laundry yet but having it very close to our campsite with free wifi was a luxury I would trade a little sleep for tonight. I watched our clothes spin, edited pictures, wrote about our day, and planned for the next day until after midnight.

Day 4

I was happy to wake up to a tent still standing after a sleep-filled night step out into a cool morning. I'd fallen asleep pretty fast but my camping momma bear instincts woke me up when I felt a real breeze and saw a flicker of light flash. I listened for thunder but only heard what sounded like planes far away on both sides of us. I was just about it dismiss it as something else when the tent walls popped in and out from the wind and I saw another flash. This was definitely a storm on the way!

I leapt out of the tent to grab the rain fly and heard Laney right behind me ready to help. I was looking around prioritizing the things that needed put away before the rain came while we were hooking the rain fly onto the tent. The wind was picking up quick so I decided first to secure the rain fly with stakes and check all the stakes already around the tent. Storms always seem worse inside a tent but this wind was going to be a real pain!

Next I rolled up and secured the bags on our cargo tray then packed up the camping chairs. Laney grabbed our swimming clothes off the clothesline and we tossed everything in the car. Lucky for us it hadn't started raining so I even had time to grab the kids' books and duck back into the tent. I pulled up the weather on my phone and saw were were minutes from the beginning of a monster thunderstorm. There wouldn't be much sleeping for awhile. My weather app said rain only until 1am so I was hopeful for it to be a quickly moving or quickly changing storm.

While the kids read I kept checking the weather and making sure the tent was ok. With each gust of wind the poles would try to flex in which would bring the walls in on Laney. I expected the thunder to jolt us but it seemed to move more around us and within a few minutes I was hearing it on the other side of us. I kept doing the Poltergeist counting to make sure the strong part of the storm was moving away from us and before long we were only left with rain. By 11:30 we were all back fast asleep to the rain on our tent and covered with sleeping bags because it was 75 degrees - yipee!!  And I don't thing I moved until I woke up at 6am.

Our tent looked great so after a trip to the bathroom and spooking about 23 deer, I took some time to write. Deer were eating breakfast and birds were flittering all around me the whole time. I was still hoping to see that little fox again. Grammie stopped by on her walk to tell me she'd seen a pig too!

Once my kids were finally awake we walked to the RV for some fresh biscuits. Camping with Grammie is like staying a resort! With full bellies we packed up our campsite and got on the road for a long drive across more of Texas. There wasn't much to do on this drive so we marked a Walmart stop to pick up a few things and to stretch our legs.
We were barely away from our campsite when the wineries started popping up. I'd noticed about 10 when I started counting them. I had no idea Texas had wine country! By the time we made it to Fredricksburg I'd counted 52 wineries in the span of about 20 miles. Time to plan an adult road trip I suppose!

It was another few hours before we showed up to Davis Mountain State Park. I had originally tried to stay at another park nearby with a natural spring but as we drove by I was very happy we hadn't. The place was packed! I guess that happens when it is over 100 degrees outside.

This place was nestled into the mountains and seemed full of life. There were storms all around us so we helped Grammie get set up first then once the big one seemed to go around us Brayden and I set up the tent. Dinner was already ready for us to dig in by the time we got back! We have been eating like royalty the last week for sure! Tonight was alfredo spinach mushroom ravioli casserole with salad - delicious!

We were all stuffed as we piled into the car to experience the scenic drive. I would have hiked it and had Grammie pick me up I just really wasn't sure what was happening with the weather. There were dark clouds in just about every direction with lightning - definitely not ideal hiking weather on a bare mountain!

The Interpretive Center seemed open so we peeked in to find we had just missed a program about the area's wildlife - bummer. We did stay for awhile checking out the local birds all around the viewing area they had set up. There were all kinds that I don't even know but I did spot a finch, a bunch of hummingbirds and a few pigeons.

Once we got to the top of the mountain we saw the magnitude of the storms. I'd left my camera and phone at the campsite so Laney let me use her phone.  I was a little nervous with all the lightning, but it was far enough away that we took a few minutes to watch the clouds roll around. The temperature had dropped around 20 degrees and the view was spectacular. We visited the summit as well as the CCC trail to two other lookout points. I could imagine on a clear day the sunrise or sunset would be absolutely beautiful.











I had Grammie check the weather on our way down to make sure we would be alright in the tent for the night. Amazingly, the storm was to go completely around us and the overnight temperature was to be 67 degrees. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited about actually getting IN my sleeping bag!

Once we got back it was bedtime so I took Laney and Brayden with me. We read for about 10 minutes until I had read the same sentence about 27 times and still didn't know what it said.  After lights out the three of us laid there relishing the cool breeze.

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.