Yesterday I left off with Bunkey puking all over the hotel room floor on the night before we were set to embark upon a journey from California to Virginia. The timing of this puke-fest was great, since we'd just put our last load of laundry in the hotel machines and loaded the car with all the luggage, save for a few essentials we'd need to get dressed in the morning. While I scrubbed the carpet and wondered what we'd do about the smell if Bunkey continued to puke daily in the car, Hubs retrieved our laundry detergent and suitcases from the car.
We got everyone cleaned up, mostly, and went to bed, dreading the trip.
On Saturday, December 15th, we woke early, fed Bunkey a small breakfast with no dairy and set off for Las Vegas, our first stop, breaking for lunch on Route 66. The trip was relatively short, considering we were going cross-country, but we were glad to start off gradually, since it'd been a rocky week, health-wise. Bunkey, and the car, survived the trip, while Hubs and I convinced ourselves while that Bunkey had certainly contracted the stomach virus as me, this continued puking had to be linked to something else, possibly the milk, but we just weren't sure. We were certain, however, that he would not consume one ounce of milk until we made it to my in-laws' house in Kentucky! We drove down The Strip in Vegas, to quell my curiosity, checked into our hotel, and had dinner at Cafe Rio (I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be, considering the rave reviews my friends have given the place). Our plan for the next day involved touring the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon, and the Dam didn't open until 9:00, so we stayed up a bit late and readied ourselves to sleep in!
But, of course, that would be the night that none of us could sleep. Bunkey was restless and ended up in our bed around midnight. I was wide awake. And Hubs wasn't much better. We began whispering to each other, talking out possible changes to our itinerary. Around 4:00, after a few minutes of internet research, we sprang into action, making the command decision to leave at 5:30am, skip the Hoover Dam, and head straight to the Grand Canyon. the early start also allowed us to change Sunday's reservation from Flagstaff, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and shortening our longest day in the car.
We ate breakfast in the car, since the hotel didn't start serving until 8:00. Fifty miles from the Canyon, we stopped for gas and Bunkey threw up his breakfast of graham crackers and apple juice. I changed him in a McDonald's bathroom while Hubs filled up. Since we'd eliminated dairy, we were both baffled that our little guy was still getting sick, a week after all this started. At least the car didn't smell, since he hadn't thrown up milk! In the end, we decided to press on for the final push to the Canyon, something I'd wanted to see my entire life. We went about 10 miles up the road before the ice, winding two-lane road, and jack-knifed semis in ditches persuaded us to turn around and skip the Grand Canyon as well.
We arrived in Albuquerque at dinnertime, well ahead of schedule, and found a local place for dinner. As we waited for our order, Bunkey had a melt-down and we were forced to ask for doggy bags and eat in the hotel room. The restaurant was happy to comply, so we took our frustration (and Bunkey's temper tantrum) and high-tailed it outta there! Our original plan involved an overnight in Amarillo, but the change of plans that led to stopping in Albuquerque rather than Flagstaff put us only about four or five hours from Amarillo, so we'd made a second change to stop instead in Oklahoma City for Night 3 of the trip.
The next day, we we left New Mexico, Hubs informed me that if Bunkey threw up in the car again, we were driving straight through Oklahoma City and spending the night in Springfield, Missouri, and arriving at my in-laws' a day early, just to get off the road. I reluctantly agreed, not looking forward to the possibility of so many hours in the car. But, just a few hours into the trip, I looked behind me, saw the look on Bunkey's face, and told Hubs to pull over. We were just in the nick of time and saved the car seat from getting messy, although Bunkey needed a new shirt. I fished one out of the trunk and changed my little guy on the side of the road, with gusty winds causing us all to shiver, and we got back on the road. Hubs pulled into a McDonald's to steal their wifi connection to change yet another hotel reservation. We still stopped in Amarillo, at The Big Texan for lunch, though, rather than for dinner, as per the original original plan. And Bunkey had a fit there too, we had to eat in shifts, and we were all beyond cranky and trying to keep our spirits up. I bought Bunkey (and his unborn brother) glass mugs in the shape of cowboy boots, just like the ones my parents bought my brother and me during a stop at The Big Texan, and we took some pictures with the big bear (which was a different big bear from my childhood visit).
So, after lunch, we pressed on to Springfield, Missouri. We'd managed to change every single hotel reservation except for the very first stop. One of the reservations was changed twice. We shaved an entire day off the trip. We called and emailed our Midwestern relatives that we'd be arriving a day early. And, on Day 4 (rather than Day 5), we drove past the Gateway Arch on St Louis, and arrived in the sleepy town of Carmi, Illinois for lunch with my only living grandparent, my Papaw (I lost my Gramps 5 years ago and both grandmothers in the first half of 2012). Papaw's memory is fading, so the visit was neither long nor as easy-going as I remember visits with him, but we didn't want to be overtaxing, especially with a toddler in tow, and left after about an hour and after we gave Papaw his Christmas presents.
And, just two and a half hours after leaving Carmi, we arrived in Louisville, at my mother- and father-in-law's home. Bunkey had made it the entire day without throwing up, we'd arrived a day early, and Hubs hadn't seen his father in 13 months! Oh, and we had four days in the same bed, with no more road trips! It was a nice relaxing evening!
