Day 10

It has been an eventful last leg. We ended up running very late last night and did not end up getting into Palo Duro Canyon until 11 at night. This proved a problem. The gates to the park closed at 10. Typically, when you arrive late to a campground, there are late arrival instructions in a box outside the office or some sort of instructions. The box outside the office marked "late arrivals" was empty in true government worker fashion. We checked the reservation paper and it gave a number to call for late arrivals. We called this number and again in true government worker fashion it led to a loop recording of the park hours instead of actual late arrival instructions. By this time the kids were asleep and we were tired. There happened to be a dirt lot next to the entrance gate. We decided to pull into this lot, leave everything hooked up, and just sleep there and get an early start in the morning. We carried the kids back, put them to sleep and then tried to rest ourselves, a certain level of anxiety apparent sleeping out in the open. We finally began to nod off to sleep when, at round 1 in the morning, we hear the unmistakable sound of a vomiting child. I rushed to the back to find, Alex and most of the bottom bunk coated with vomit. She was pale and uncomfortable. I quickly cleaned her up and gave her some medicine. I moved the sheets aside and put her back to bed. We slept the best we could, with one ear open listening for more illness. We decided to wake up and get on the road early. I set my alarm for 6. We were still tired when the alarm went off and dragged ourselves out of bed. We dressed the children, still half asleep and loaded them into the car. It was a dim morning and deary eyed, we hit the road. The ride home was mildly unpleasant as result of four tires children and one that was ill. Halfway home, Nate too joined the fray. We head a sound and looked back to see him painting the back of the drivers seat with vomitus. We cleaned and medicated Nate and pressed on. We made fairly good time the rest of the afternoon, even getting in a few podcasts along the way. At around 4 we arrived back home to a much hotter and drier Georgetown than the one we left. Everything was as we left it. We set the kids free and began to unload. Just like that, the trip was over. Tomorrow marks a return to work and the stress and routine of all of that. Even with the sad realization of what tomorrow brings, I still pause for a second on the way back to the trailer and smile. I smile briefly for again I remember. I remember the feeling of a free mind. The enormity and beauty of mountains, the fresh air, the open road, the stunning, the ugly, life, death, clean air and the feel of a horsefly bite. I remember all of these things in a second. I feel them and I smile. For now I am not the tiger in a cage for I remember these things. People always comment on my attitude and propensity to smile. "You are always smiling" they say. I realize that I smile because somewhere in there, I remember. Until next time.....