The Mother Load

Author's note: Yada yada...went to Texas...these are pictures...  If you feel offended by my tone, take heart. I'm just trying to recreate the emotions of everyone in the car, when our 2 day drive home stretched into 4 long and snow-filled days.  I didn't take many pictures of the snow.  We were all too busy trying not to die in it to document it much.  We did make it home on New Year's Eve.  I celebrated by zonking out at 9.  I think Richard must have kissed one of the cats.





Mom, on the way home from Texas, I learned that the sun doesn't rise in Kansas until almost 8 am. I wonder what they pay bloggers in the sunflower state?



I learned that packing skills get better with each day that passes.




And gas station stops are for dancing.  (Poor kid thought we'd get home that night...)




I learned the people at IHOP have a sense of humor.




And the proprietors of this establishment are just gross.




I learned that weather like this can be a hindrance.  Also...well...that apparently you can't drive through Rocky Mountain National Park after a certain time of year, what with the 25 feet of snow covering the road.  Learning this fact AFTER you get within a mile of the entrance will cause your sister to be just a little bit upset...




Fortunately for me (and blog readers who like the alive version of me), this sign made my sister shout in utter euphoria, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS?!"




"THAT" is the Stanley Hotel, and "THAT" was Stephen Kings' inspiration for The Shining. And "THAT" is supposedly haunted.  And "THAT" makes my sister very, very happy.  Crisis officially averted.