Five Weeks On The Road: Twin Two-Year-Olds, The In-Laws, Rebel, And One Camper Van
I’m on the verge of surviving a 5000-mile road trip, having visited the in-laws, having spent several nights camping in the van with Luca and Dominic, having been locked out of said van by said two-year-olds, having somehow avoided Rebel kicking me to the curb, having…well, nearly *made it* back to Colorado. Yes!
We left Boulder August 24 and spent 4.5 days on the road, before rolling into a nice little house in Madison Park–a fun neighborhood on the shores of Lake Washington, with a playground and donut shop nearby. Fully livable.
We spent two weeks in the city and I didn’t offend the in-laws, near as a I can tell. They were still talking to me as we left town, so that’s a good sign. The boys rode their first public bus, had a bacon-maple bar at the Madison Park bakery (epic, but obviously a mistake–they learned the word “bakery” in no time and requested more treats every morning thereafter), and went swimming in the lake. Good stuff.
We bounced from the city out to Vashon Island, where Rebel’s mom lives. She’s a badass artist and had a great place on the water, with Grandpa Joe–who generously took the boys on their first boat ride. Minds were blown.
We decamped Vashon for Lopez Island in the San Juans–damn, after 42 years I finally got to the hallowed San Juan Islands and they’re what everybody promises they are: gorgeous, quiet, a wonderful destination. We should’ve spent more time.
I also snuck in a visit to Outdoor Research and checked out what’s in the pipeline for this blue-chip brand from the Pacific Northwest. More on that to come, but they have some cool pieces arriving this fall and next spring. Stay tuned.
I’ll mooch some gear out of the gang later in the fall–I’ve got my aspirant rock exam in Red Rocks in October, then my five-day ice course in Ouray in December. Good testing time!
We’re now in Bozeman, headed back to Colorado. Forest fires in the area have the skies a little cloudy, but I’ve hit the gym a couple times to keep the gut at bay. Luca and Dominic are obsessed with their cousin Nina, who’s 11 and an awesome playmate.
