Tales From Our Trip- The Final Chapter- I Hope!

Okay, I am really going to try to finish the stories from our trip. My back is cooperating for the moment. So here goes!
Day 8: Thursday. I could feel that the end was rapidly approaching. This day we headed back into Rocky Mountain National Park and went to Bear Lake, where I did not see a bear. I did see a beautiful lake that we walked all the way around. I think it was about a half a mile around it. I was still having trouble breathing with the altitude and what was left of my sinusitis. Most of the family decided to go on a mile hike to see a waterfall (Alberta Falls, I believe it was called). My mom and I opted to wait. She has bad knees, so it wouldn't be good for her. I really wanted to go, but I knew that I just didn't have enough air and it wouldn't be a smart decision for me to go. So we sat around and talked while we waited. Ian went with Colin and somewhere on the way, he managed to fall down and skin his knee. Thankfully, Aunt Becca had band aids!
By the way, Bear Lake is a very popular place to visit in the park! We had to park in a parking lot several miles away and ride a visitor's shuttle to and from the lake. Ian was so tired, he fell asleep on the ride back to the van!
Day 8: The 4th of July. Happy Independence Day! Becca's sister and her family was supposed to come out and visit, but her kiddos got sick, so it was just the ten of us. We spent the morning resting and then making potato salad and deviled eggs. We went up to a big rock to try to get a family photo. It was a bit too sunny, so they weren't the best pictures. We decided to try again later at a different location. Bob had planned for us to watch the fireworks that Estes Park sets off from the area near Twin Sisters. It was really hot when we left so we kind of forgot how cold it gets around dark. We were sitting there, waiting for fireworks and freezing and then tons of people came. I am sad to say that some of them who sat very near to our children, were less than sober. We moved the kids closer, but even then the topic of discussion from these people was pretty disgusting. Then the fireworks started, but they were very far away and kind of behind a tree. I sat there thinking, I'd like to go sit in the van. I thought that for a while and finally I said it out loud. So my mom, my dad, Ian and I all went back to the van. It was yummy warm in the van! We were all happy to be out of the cold and we could even see the fireworks a little better from the van. I was really happy that we went to the van early because it was already dark and my mom has to go slow. She would have had a hard time if she had tons of people walking with her while trying to find her way carefully in the dark.
So the fireworks idea was a good one, it just didn't work out the way we had envisioned!
Day 9: Time to say good-bye and head home. We cleaned up the cabin and loaded up the vans. There was crankiness and sadness. We were all ready to sleep in our own beds in our own homes, but reluctant to say good-bye, knowing it would quite a while before we see each other again. I was up at 4:30 am, I just couldn't sleep and I felt like I had a lot to get done before we left. Besides, the bed we had been sleeping in would have been heaven for Gilligan. It swayed and cupped you just like a hammock. So every time one of us would roll over the other would rock and rock. Colin compared it to a waterbed, but I preferred the hammock comparison. Sure, it had waves, but no waterbed I ever slept in was cupped like this bed!
We headed out around nine and drove to Estes Park, where we tried one more time to find a pocket knife for Ian. Let me explain this to you. On Tuesday, when we all had gone shopping in Estes Park, Bob and Becca found pocket knives for Hannah and Emily with their names on them and Colorado on the other side. The girls used them for whittling and Ian was rather envious. Andrew already had a pocket knife, so Ian was the only kid without one. So Colin thought it would be neat to get one for Ian. So on our second trip to Estes Park, we went to the store where Bob and Becca had found the knives, only they didn't have the name Ian (sorry Ian, it's almost like trying to find my name somewhere, talk about next to impossible!). We decided to give it one more try before we left Colorado. We just wanted a pocket knife for Ian. It didn't matter if it had his name on it. So we went to almost every store in town. I kid you not! If it was downtown and had even the most remote possibility, we went in. We did find a tiny Swiss Army knife, but it didn't have much on it and it was almost $20....keep looking! We found scary looking blades at least five inches long. Uhhh... not for a 7 yr. old!!!!! Finally, we stopped in the Colorado Homestead store where Ian had purchased two light up globes and a stuffed Bison that Grandpa named Billy. They didn't have any pocket knives. We asked if they knew of any stores that might have a pocket knife suitable for a 7 yr. old. The lady told us she was certain that the store by Subway had them. Oh, that store, by where we STARTED our shopping??!!!
So we went there and at first, I thought it was another dead end, but then the sun shone through the window onto a display and harp music began to play!!! There it was a whole display of pocket knives with elk or wolves and Estes Park on them. Ahh, sweet success!!! It only took an hour to find! Well, three trips and one hour on the last trip! Colin chose one with an elk for himself and Ian chose one with a wolf howling at the moon (well I helped him choose, he was too distracted by the marionette puppets). I also found a brown ball cap with a moose and Estes Park embroidered on it for me! Ian and Colin had purchased hats on our first trip, so now we all had hats that said 'Estes Park'. Ian used his money and bought himself a horse marionette puppet. He was very excited about it! Bob's kids had been in to puppets and it got Ian excited. Andrew bought a coyote puppet and Emily had purchased a horse marionette puppet (not the same as the one Ian got) and all the kids had put on several puppet shows using puppets and stuffed animals. It was very cute!
So now, with our purchases in hand, it was time to head for home. First stop: Brigham City, Utah.
Now keep in mind, every motel we stayed at had a pool and so far, we'd arrived too late or too tired to use them. Colin was determined to get there early enough to go swimming this evening.
We stopped in Loveland, CO to grab some lunch, get the fluid and tires checked and gas up. Good thing we had the tires checked. They had been affected by the altitude. The pressure was at 42 lbs!
For lunch, I had a burger at Burger King. When we reached Wyoming, we pulled over at a rest stop and ended up getting 50 cent ice cream cones at McDonald's. I'm not sure which one got me, the burger or the cone, but I started feeling bad. Colin had to make several extra pit stops, so I could be sick. I messed up our schedule! I think it was almost 9 by the time we got to our motel. I wasn't going swimming since I wasn't feeling good. Colin didn't go swimming either!
Okay, I thought this was going to be it, but my back says, enough! So hang in there, we're really close to the end. Only two more days to tell about. I will finish the story soon!