Mesa Verde RV Park turned out to be very nice. Good hookups, working outlets, and the guys made some excellent burgers and tater tots while Laura and I took the kids to the swings. I guess they never get enough motion.
Leaving Laura with the kids, I headed back to our campsite to see if I could help with supper. The guys had it under control, so I went over to the picnic table for a little rest. As I sat down on the wooden bench stained with bird droppings, loose strands of my pony-tailed and butterfly-clipped hair flapped in the wind (it wasn’t a breeze) and partially obscured my makeup-less face. Dressed in an old T shirt over a fave pair of comfy, baggy shorts that I normally wear only inside the privacy of my home, sipping out of a plastic cup and not bothering with good posture, I suddenly realized to my surprise that I actually looked like someone comfortable in an RV park. This wasn’t glamping, yet I was acting as if I were at home in familiar surroundings. The transformation was astonishing – but thankfully temporary.
The good food continued the next morning while Grandpa heated up the hand crafted breakfast burritos he’d put together the night before and I enjoyed a good cup of coffee from our not-travel-size coffee pot. For the second day in a row were on the road at 7:30 a.m., only to pull off again 10 miles later at Mesa Verde National Park. We wanted to see the amazing Cliff Dwellings. At the gate Emily May, Junior Ranger, presented her Pass to the guard and gained us free admittance. It really pays, who you know. We parked Big Truck and walked down to a scenic overlook, then turned to our left and saw the Cliff Dwellings, an ancient treasure nestled in the mountains of Colorado. An amazing site.
I began to get excited knowing that today we would arrive at the Grand Canyon. But first, another 6 or 7 hours on the road. Emily Molly and I holed up in the RV bedroom and began a cards tournament. Apparently I am a glutton for punishment. Molly and I both won 2 games of Crazy 8’s, but them Emily got on a roll and won all the rest. Old Maid was also a total bust for me. I lost each game. Then Grandpa came back with us and that was a game changer. Grandpa has a lot of experience at games, and Grandpa doesn’t like to lose. He beat the britches off Emily & Molly at Uno 🙂
As we entered Arizona Emily and I took to watching the passing scenery. Emily loves horses, knows how to ride and care for them, and said she hoped to seem some Wild Horses. Darned if we didn’t. She saw the first one, a yellowish white horse running across the land, looking feisty and free. Next we saw a group of them, mostly shades of brown and black, roaming around this Tuesday afternoon without a care in the world. It was beautiful, majestic, inspiring and we watched until we couldn’t see them anymore. But it couldn’t compare to what we would see in just a few hours.
Kim Robinson is an author living in Austin, TX. She and her husband have six children and fourteen grandchildren and enjoy spending time with family. Passionate about parenting, she writes and speaks about a variety of issues facing parents and professionals dealing with teenagers in crisis. She enjoys speaking at retreats and to various organizations.
Kim's debut novel, Chased by Grace - A Story of Survival, is available now.