The Long Ride Home

After leaving Yellowstone we had a 3 hour drive to Pocatello, Idaho.

It was our least favorite hotel of the whole trip.  But we were all exhausted and knew we'd be home in our own beds the next night.  Hotels booked through Priceline don't guarantee how many beds you'll get.  You can request, but nothing is guaranteed.

Well, the Red Lion in Pocatello only had rooms with 1 bed.

Wade had to make the executive decision of who slept where.

I'm so glad I'm married to the executive decision maker.

After the prime spot of the hotel bed (which the executives automatically get), the next coveted place was the hotel's roll-away, which Davey was granted since he had already slept on both the cot and the floor previous nights.

One notch below that was our cot, given to Lucas.

Annette got the sleeping bag on the floor.

After the lights were out for 10 minutes it didn't matter to anybody, because we were *out*.

We decided we would bite the bullet and drive the whole way to Vegas from Pocatello in one day. I have to do a little bragging here and say the kids were great. With no DVD player and the Gameboy lost somewhere in the van, they kept themselves entertained with the mp3 players, I Spy books, Lemony Snicket's audio books, Mad Libs, naps, snacks, and various games with Davey's bag of small plastic animals he got in Mammoth. I was pretty impressed for spending 10 hours in a minivan.

We also stopped at my *favorite* restaurant for lunch.

Can you guess?

Here are a couple clues.

If you've ever eaten here, you know what these taste like.

In the store there is always a wide variety of old time toys and treats.

Look who I found hiding up on the shelf.

Bring back memories for anybody?

Have you guessed?  It's Cracker Barrel!  I love that place. Curses on Vegas for not having one!

Well we made it home safe and sound.  I had cleaned the house from top to bottom when we left and it was just as clean when we got back (thanks Amanda!). It's so nice to come home from vacation to a clean, tidy home. Especially when you pull in at ten o'clock at night.

We're already thinking about next summer, and turning this whole road trip thing into an annual event for our family. Might even rent something from Cruise America.

Trust me -- it is sooooo much better than flying!