Courtney's Blog July 14th, Day 9 of the Epic McFarland Journey!

A volcano..in the US? Why, yes! We drove out to see the volcano first thing. It was .5 mile walk there and back (so 1 mile total). It was mostly uphill, because that's where volcanos like to be. Above us. The path was covered in teeny, tiny pebbles. The kids were wearing their strapped sandals (not flip flops) but since it said the path was marked, we thought that was ok. It wasn't. ok. About 10 minutes into the walk we hear a little voice behind us. Now typically this little voice says "wait, guys, I have an itch". And the whole family turns around and stares at Gideon while he itches. It's kind of a thing now. Anyways, this time the voice said "Wait, guys, I have a rock in my shoe. It's hurwtin". This was stop #1 of #38943. On the way up Adam couldn't take it anymore and finally put him on his shoulders. I give him credit, we were all out of breath going up this hike, and Adam added 40 pounds onto himself. People on the hike were giving up left and right, but we kept onward. Seeing the volcano was 1)unexpected and 2)beautiful. 1) because we were just trudging along when we came to a sign that said "no further"....and I was like "where's the volcano!!!". It didn't just jump out at you. It was 860 feet up, and 500 feet across. It was really amazing to see trees growing out of it and at the same time see the tracks where lava used to flow!

On the way back down the mountain, Gideon discovered the bigger rocks, not the ones caught in his shoe. We would say "Gideon, look at the volcano!!" He would say, "no, I'm just baming these rocks". Check out his blog for the 14th to see proof. Next he found a rock we HAD to keep. He carried it almost the whole .5 mile trip down. I know you think the rock was small so I added a picture. See below. Abby was our tour guide. She did an amazing job reading the markers for us so we could learn all about the special trees that grow near volcanos, and see the trees that had been struck by lightning and were all curly. She has a great eye, just like daddy!

Next, we moved onto the ice caves. We did this part fast because it was beginning to thunder and lightning. Abby was terrified. There were some small tears, but she was brave! There was a 71 step trek down into the ice cave. These were huge, un-even steps. Both kids did great. Walking down each step it got progressively colder. Keep in mind, it was about 92 degrees out. As we walk down these steps, it was probably 55 degrees. Amazing. Something about the lava and the cave and its always cold...read Adam's blog for a reasonable explanation of this. We are at the bottom, we say to Gideon "come see this part", he says "but I have to go to the bathroom!". This kid just wants to pee on historical landmarks around the globe. We have him stand at the edge of the stairs to pee. Adam handles the "aiming". We wait. And wait. Abby is crying because there is thunder. I go sit with her. We wait. Adam finally says "cmon, Gideon, go!". Is this performance anxiety? He seemed fine on the Mississippi river (yes I had to do that singing rhyme thing to spell Mississippi right). No. Gideon says to Adam, "but I have to poop". Well, you ain't pooping off the steps big guy. Plus you're liable to get frostbite on your tush down here!! We jog back to the headquarters and find that boy a bathroom. I go with him this time...and hold him for dear life as it is a port-a-potty. I have a small daydream about him falling in and us being helpless to get him. Of course, in the daydream, he is having a fantastic time down there except for the part where he says "mommy, it's huwtin my nose!". No pooping. All false alarms, but he did get us out of the park before the rain! Thanks G!

We headed onward towards church rock. It was super hot so we didn't hike any trails and we were able to see it pretty good from the parking lot. Gideon and Abby liked it, but they really loved the prairie dogs instead! So cute. Running around and digging holes. We saw some in the parking lot on the way out..and as I was staring at one, I almost killed two others. After a lovely scream, we kept on our journey to Gallup for the night.

On our drive throughout the day, we saw some cool sites. First, there are all these old Route 66 bridges we are supposed to drive through. Adam checks with me before each one to determine if I think we can. My tolerance is a lot lower than his. Also, some beautiful sunflowers growing all on their own, in the desert, on the side of the road. I remind myself to be a flower in the desert.

We decide to have dinner at a local mexican restaurant that is famous! We get there and there is on street parking, but we are in luck! There is a spot right out front. We pull in and Abby reads from the door "We are closed for vacation beginning July 14th..." Of course. But we did see a beautiful wall mural in that part of town, so it was worth it. Cracker Barrell it is! After a semi-home cooked meal, we go outside to enjoy the rocking chairs! Gideon just loves these. And Abby loves to play checkers. We are sitting there when this odor approaches me. A man who looks like he has been working or walking all day sits down next to us. After a small while, I hear a "Ma'am, can I have some dinner? I am just so hungry". I was caught off guard. I say "excuse me?" Now he is caught off guard. I can see him contemplating whether or not to ask again. He says "I am just so hungry". My inner Bostonian kicks in. I don't know if I can trust him or what he is saying. Also, you picked a really nice place to stop at, there is a McDonalds right there where you could have bummed a free burger. I go with my gut. "I have some snacks in the car, is that OK?" He says "yes". I start to walk towards the car, he pipes up again "Can I have some chicken?". Well, now my inner outer sarcastic self comes out, "Sorry, I don't have any chicken left in the car". He just looks at me. I go get him 1 pop tart, a bag of pretzels, a bag of pirates booty, and a bag of salt and vinegar chips. I bring it to him. He says thank you. Thank God Adam had left the restaurant at this point, because I was scared there was a band of others who were going to steal my car. I watch him. If he's so hungry, he'll eat this. (Why am I still there? because Gideon still wants to rock..). He doesn't eat a thing. He just sits there. I am happier with my decision. I start getting nervous because he has seen my truck full of stuff. I say to Gideon "we have to get back to nana's house Gideon, she's waiting for us and its a very long drive". Gideon was like "who is nana?" Hhahahah PLAY ALONG GIDEON!!!! I stand up to leave and Mr. Hungry puts his arm out asking for a handshake. I entertain it and I do a quick one...he grabs my arm with his other hand and holds tight and stares into my eyes and says "THANK YOU SO MUCH". I am scared now and try to look unaffected. I let go and say "sure" and walk away. I think that was a last ditch effort for some chicken. Anyways, we leave, and as soon as we get in the car, Mr. Hungry stands up, leaves ALL the food we gave him on the bench and walks away. I want Mr. Hungry to see that I saw him leave that stuff so I drive towards him and let him cross the street in front of me. I give him what can only be explained as ...."the mom look".

Summary:

Discovered volcanos on the mainland, who knew? Avoided marking our territory again. Trusted my gut and it was right.

Ended the Day at the La Quinta, Gallup, NM

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