Vacation Recap:: Day One

Sunday morning we woke up early and loaded up the car (Mike is an expert car loader, by the way.  Like putting together a puzzle, he can make just about anything fit.)  By 10:30 we were ready to hit the road for our Summer 2010 Family Vacation to Robbers Cave State Park.  After we stopped by my parents' house to pick them up, we were officially eastward bound and on our way.   Our first stop was only an hour into our trip as we veered off the interstate in Shawnee, OK (our beloved college town) to eat a delicious barbeque lunch at Van's.  Then, we were back on I-40 headed toward Oklahoma Hill Country.  Did you know Oklahoma actually has some beautiful, hilly areas?  It's true!  It's not all dusty and flat.  I think most people imagine Oklahoma to be boring and depressing like it was depicted in The Grapes of Wrath.  Maybe out west in the panhandle things can look a little desolate and desert-like, but head east and it is nothing but green rolling hills and sparkling lakes for miles and miles.  Our sweet Lucas reached a big milestone on this trip as well:  facing forward in the car!  He is nine days away from his first birthday and weighs 21 pounds, so we made the decision to flip him around to enjoy a forward view.  He loved it!

One of my favorite things to do when we travel in any part of the counrty is to drive through and explore small towns.  I am fascinated by them really.  I gaze out the window at the historic buildings, run-down stores, and quirky signs, and I let my mind drift into daydreams and questions:  What would it be like to live here?  What do people do for fun in this place?  I wonder what our house would look like?  What jobs would we have? 

               Driving through McAlister, OK

After a three hour drive both on and off the interstate we finally arrived at our destination.

We checked into our small, but cozy cabin:

And explored our surroundings:

Behind the cabin

View from the front porch

There were plenty of tall trees to wander amongst and play tag around.  My aunt, uncle, three cousins and their spouses and children were all checked into the cabins next door which gave my kids plenty of playmates to run around with.  It was very hot (like 105 degrees!) and humid, so within minutes of playing all the children had pink faces and sweat-drenched hair.  After unpacking and organizing the food that we brought, the best way to end our first day at Robbers Cave was a dip in the pool.

Ahhhh....that feels nice.

 

PS) On a completely different note, go check out my friend Maria Rose's blog Little Things Are Big.  She is hosting great giveaways every day this week!  Woo hoo!