It was inevitable. The worst part of any Big Trip. Worse than rain. Worse than cold. Worse than wind. Worse humidity. The atrocity that I speak of? Laundry day.

We made it 15 days without needing to go to the dreaded laundromat. Kathy has shuffled and recirculated the clothes to delay the inevitable. But we can delay no longer.

So we found a good laundromat and I think our luck changed. It started to pour rain. The one thing that makes laundry day even worse is beautiful weather. But this weather was horrible and we are glad we are not in it. Wait, was that the sound of thunder? Yes!

The one thing Ashley misses most is the ability to go into her room for a little alone time. It is safe to say she hasn’t had any alone time in 15 days. So she decided to use laundry day to her advantage.

She stayed in the van. A brilliant move. She had her tablet and her 3DS. What more could a girl need?

Meanwhile, we just kept tossing quarters into machines until the clothes were clean and mostly dry. Donkers decided to emerge from the van to help. He always enjoys a good photo op.

After 3 hours of laundry, we were finally set free. Our thought was to head back to World’s of Fun for a free lunch and maybe a couple of rides. But the rain was continuing to fall. So Kathy decided we should do the next best thing: Fazoli’s.

While slurping our spaghetti and devouring our breadsticks, we had a family meeting to decide where to go next.

The plan is to go to St. Louis. But if we deviate a little off the I-70, we can visit Marceline, the childhood hometown of Walt Disney.

Marceline has a number of sites to visit related to Disney. They also have the Walt Disney Hometown Museum.

So we booked a room in a nearby town and said goodbye to Kansas City.

After a two hour drive, we pulled into the Martin House Motel in Brookfield, Missouri. We were assigned a room and given an old school key.

Unfortunately, I accidently booked a smoking room and it was beyond disgusting. The smell was overwhelming. The room was tiny and dark. I would rather sleep in the van.

Thankfully, the girl at the front desk had a nonsmoking room available.

Our new room was larger, brighter and way less smelly. And best of all, the room had a view.

Yes that is the world famous Brookfield water tank. They even light it at night. It’s exactly like the Eifel Tower. So romantic.

We are trying to figure out where to go next. Maybe St. Louis. Maybe Springfield, Illinois.

The fireworks start at 11 pm tonight. Way past our bedtime. We will try to sleep through it.

We were all sleeping peacefully, and then… KAAAABOOOOMMM!

The ear shattering sound of thunder immediately above the tent had all three of us awake and ducking for cover.

Seconds later came the rain. Quickly, the soft patter of droplets gave way to the deluge.

We grabbed the essentials and ran for the van.

Not naming names, but because someone decided not stake down the rain fly, water was pouring into the tent. I grabbed the stakes, the hammer, and my water proof windbreaker and made a run for the tent.

I’m not sure if my water proof windbreaker is defective or made for wuss California weather, but I quickly learned the hard fact that the jacket is neither water proof nor does a good job of wind protection.

As I bent over to drive the stakes, it felt like I was directly under a waterfall. The water soaking every inch of my clothing from my cap to my socks.

After driving in a mere five stakes, I retreated to the van. At that point I was reduced to being a walking puddle; making everything in my wake soaked just like me.

We are at the point in the trip where we need to do laundry. So there are no clean clothes left. Kathy put together an ensemble of slightly dirty (but wonderfully dry) clothes so I could enjoy the rest of the day.

We were back in a themepark today. World’s of Fun is Kansas City’s largest amusement park. The park has several large coasters and lots of other rides and shows. We get in free with our Knotts Berry Farm annual passes.

We figured the park would be crowded given it’s the day before the Fourth. But we were wrong. The place was empty and we had the run of it.

Attached to our Knotts passes are two meal plans that give us four full sized meals each day we visit any affiliated park. We also have free drinks all day, too. I figured that the savings of not paying for admission, parking, food, and drinks during the day totalled at least $250. We paid for nothing.

As we were preparing to leave, Kathy took a look at the weather and it suggested a high likelihood of thunderstorms. Before she could ask the question, I agreed we should go retrieve the tent and get a room for the evening.

We got settled in and gave Cassie and Matt a call to find out about Sandy’s services and just to catch up. It was nice talking to them.

So this night, instead of sweating on a hot air mattress, we luxuriated in an actual bed, soaking in actual air conditioning and not worrying about the next storm. Tonight we bravely say, “Bring it on.”

The sun crept over the horizon filling the tent with light and warmth. Before long, it was baking like an oven. It was time to break down, breakfast and make a break for the road again.

Topeka, the capital of Kansas, was an hour away. We drove straight to the Capitol just in time for the 11 o’clock tour.

The Capitol recently completed a massive restoration. The plan was to bring the building back to its original glory and it succeeded. Long covered murals were revealed. Replica lighting was recreated to look exactly like the original gas fixtures. Woodworking, marble tile, bronze, and copper surfaces all cleaned up and restored. Even the massive outer dome was scrubbed so that the green oxidation was removed.

We had a terrific tour guide who led us to both chambers of the legislature. They are in session for only 90 days a year. We also saw the governor’s office and the Supreme Court.

Best of all, we saw the famous mural of John Brown, a man who fought to keep Kansas a free state back in the 1820s.

After a quick lunch at the van, we returned to the Capitol for the dome tour.

The dome tour was incredible. We started with 7 in our group. The tour began on the fifth floor. Our tour guide warned us we would be traversing several hundred stairs, most of them steep and narrow, to reach the top.

We climbed to the eighth floor at the base of the inner dome. The inner dome is purely ornamental.

Once above the inner dome, there is an eight story climb to get to the top of the outer dome. The area between the inner and outer domes was described as an attic. We lost a couple of fellow tourists at this point.

The temperature outside was 90 degrees. You can probably imagine how hot it was in the attic.

We then started the most perilous part of the tour. And we lost another tourist. Then there were four: Ashley, Kathy, me, and some other guy.

The final climb is like a kind of thrill attraction. So narrow. So steep. And nothing underneath.

A long bridge, followed by a spiral staircase and finally a door the opens to the cupola.

We were now 25 stories up. The view of Topeka seemed nearly endless. And the fresh air was much needed.

Ashley was a little sick before the tour but she decided to tough it out. We were all rewarded with a feeling of accomplishment. I don’t have fear of heights, but I have to admit I was a little scared.

After we climbed down, Ashley got her mojo back in time for our next stop.

Less than a mile from the Capitol is Monroe Elementary School. This was a segregated black school during the Jim Crow Era. This school was the focal point of the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education. It is now a National Historic Site administered by the National Park Service.

We watched some videos and checked out the exhibits while Ashley completed her Jr. Ranger booklet. Soon she had pocketed badge number 4 for the trip.

Our final destination was a campground north of Kansas City, Missouri. It’s a very nice place and just $18 per night.

The campsite is near a lake and a wooded area, and it is extremely beautiful.

Ashley and I took a twilight walk to the shore. Ashley found a firefly and then hundreds of fireflies. She was so excited. They were easy to catch. So she captured a few and released them.

We are clearly in the hot and humid part of the trip. I will have to stop mentioning it because I expect this is how it’s going to be for a while.

We got down to our air mattresses. The air was still and wet. There was not a cloud in the sky. No way will we get any rain tonight. I decided not to stake down the rain fly.

Seibert must be at just the right elevation, because the weather overnight was perfect. I’m sure as we get closer to the Midwest we will find more heat and higher humidity during the days and nights.

Colorado was totally dry. Our eyes were red and burning and our mouths were constantly parched. We had to keep bathing our lips in Carmex so they wouldn’t crack in half.

This day was pure driving. Kathy had picked out three dozen roadside attractions to make the drive more enjoyable. Ashley and I, wanting to get through the driving as quickly as possible, allowed her to visit two.

The first stop was in Goodland, Kansas. Most people are no doubt aware that Goodland is famous for its record setting world’s largest easel. And we got to visit it.

The easel stands 80 feet tall and displays Van Gogh’s Sunflowers because Kansas is the sunflower state. As you can see in the photo, Ashley is a little shorter than the easel. She is now 60 feet tall. My how she has grown!

As we continued the drive, we lost another hour by entering the Central Time Zone. Three time zones down and one to go.

Many hours later, we made our second stop, St. Fidelis Basilica in Victoria, Kansas.

Here is some history, which Ashley found completely boring. The area was settled by German immigrants in the late 1800s. The community pooled their labor, money, and resources to build this magnificent Catholic church, which was completed in 1912.

We found a self guided audio tour that explained the history, construction, and architecture of the church.

Surrounded by miles of farmland, the basilica was absolutely beautiful inside and out. Although not officially recognized as a cathedral, the church has been nicknamed “the Cathedral of the Plains”.

We concluded our visit by lighting a candle for Sandy and saying a prayer.

Our final stop of the day was our campground for the night in Chapman, Kansas. We drove a total of 340 miles today. In earlier Big Trips, it was common for us to drive 500 miles or more in a day. That’s just not happening this time. I like to think we have gotten wiser with age. Either way, my rear end can only handle 340 miles these days.

As I guessed, the heat and humidity are rising quickly as we head further east. And the bugs, which have been feasting on my ankles, are absolutely swarming. I tried bug spray, but it only seemed to attract the bugs and make them more angry.

And speaking of bugs, Ashley found her first firefly.

It was comfortable in the tent this evening. The low tonight was expected to be 71. That’s a big change from the near freezing night we spent in Utah just a few days ago. I like 71 better.

Our crummy motel worked out just fine. We all slept well, got our electronics charged, and got all cleaned up. Best of all, our van was not touched during the night.

Kathy chose to visit the Celestial Seasoning factory in Boulder for a tour. We had visited here during a prior Big Trip and we enjoyed it. Unfortunately, both times the plant was not operating. But at least Kathy got to sample some of their product.

We finished our brief stay in Denver with a quick stop at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The museum has exhibits mostly about climate change. We spent about 20 minutes here.

We left Denver and headed for the endless flatlands that lie to the east. We ended up in Seibert, Colorado. To learn more about Seibert, look up “middle of nowhere” in the dictionary. There is one gas station and one paved road. Our campground is on a dirt road. The place was clean and tidy and the owner was very nice.

Every night we say we are going to play games in the tent and fall asleep early. The only times we played games was the night of the wind storm and the night we were savagely attacked by the water cannon. So we are a little nervous about playing games before bed. And we never go to bed early. No matter, we are just doing what we want to do and figuring things out as we go.

The weather was mild overnight which allowed all three of us to sleep soundly. The super fresh air is intoxicating. Best of all, we are acclimating to the 6,000 foot elevation.

We broke camp and by 10:30 we were back on the I-70 East heading for Denver.

The landscape driving through Colorado is some of the best we have seen. The only problem is that our very old and very over packed van did not enjoy some of the steep climbs that took us over 10,000 feet in elevation. We just took our time. I have found that driving a little slower and keeping the RPMs low puts the stress on the engine.

We arrived in Denver around 2:00. We did a little shopping and ate a light lunch.

We had booked a night at an Extended Stay America. We have had good luck with ESA in the past. Unfortunately, our luck ran out. The property is gross. The people here are gross. There is a huge pile of garbage under the stairs. Worse of all our room is gross. The bed is puny, the bathroom is filthy, the floors are sticky, and there are funny stains on the walls.

Ashley can’t figure out what the problem is. Regular bed, private shower, WiFi, electricity. And four walls that won’t flap when the wind blows. To Ashley, this is heaven. But don’t get used to it. For tomorrow, we are back in the tent.

We went to 4:00 mass in a church with maybe 1,000 parishioners in attendance. Last week we celebrated with 24 other people. We liked the more intimate mass better.

After church, we had dinner at Kathy’s favorite fast casual restaurant, Fazoli’s. She is starting to trip plan to cities that have Fazoli’s in them.

We returned to our slummy motel and sought shelter in our room for the evening.

Finally! After entering five states. Visiting three national parks. And destroying one tent and two air mattresses. Finally today it happened. We made it to our first amusement park of Big Trip 4.

I didn’t know much about the park, called Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. I had heard it has a collection of unique rides and I was thrilled to get to visit.

The first indication that this is no ordinary place is the parking lot. It is teeny, tiny and it is free to park. There were maybe 20 cars in the lot when we arrived at 9:30 am, thirty minutes after park opening.

We purchased our tickets online, which meant we got to enter using the exclusive VIP entrance. But before entry, each guest is required to sign a legal release form. I have no idea what rights we signed away, I was just ready for some rides.

We were handed a park map to study. Like the parking lot, the theme park itself is quite diminutive.

The first ride of the day is aboard a bright orange 4 passenger gondola. With no delay, we were swept up 1,300 feet to the top of the mountain where the theme park resides.

We traveled almost straight up, over a beautiful, green pine forest. The views from the gondola are magnificent. The surrounding mountains are separated by the snake-like Colorado River. The small town of Glenwood Springs lies in a clearing to the south.

As we reached the summit, we passed over the tracks of the Alpine Coaster. Our next ride of the day had already been selected.

We exited the gondola at an elevation of 7,300 feet to find ourselves transported to a little dusty 1890s mining town. Even the ground is covered in gravel and small rocks. We quickly found the Alpine Coaster on the map and raced to the entry.

The Alpine Coaster is like a hillside roller coaster with a metal track. Each rider sits upon their own small plastic sled on wheels that includes a hand brake to allow the guest to slow their sled if the ride becomes too intense.

I decided I would go first and Ashley would follow. After getting buckled in and receiving some safety instructions, I was ready to go. The sled slides forward on the track and quickly makes a U turn as it begins its descent down the mountain. The breathtaking views again on full display.

I understand why the sled has a brake. The thing hauls butt. No way I want to touch the brake though. I want max speed. And they won’t let me get hurt. Right? Or is that why I had to sign that legal thingy? I don’t care, I’m going for it.

The track makes many quick hairpin turns, bunny hops, and drops making its way some 3,400 feet of track through the ample foliage. At the end of this exhilarating ride, the rider is pulled up some 1,000 feet back to the station.

After a quick huddle to decide what to do next, we knew we had to do the Alpine Coaster again. There is no line right now. Literally, if I just rode this attraction 10 times and went home, I would have gotten my money’s worth. But there was so much more to do.

There was no line at the neighboring Eagle Zipline ride. Again, relying on the incredible views as the perfect backdrop, riders are taken 600 feet up a zipline and released for a return to the station.

Two world class attractions and we haven’t made it to the ride that brought me here, the Haunted Mine Drop.

This ride is the first and only of its kind in the world. Many theme parks have drop rides. But only Glenwood Caverns has a ride that drops its guests into a mineshaft. My expectations for this ride were pretty high. The Haunted Mine Drop blew my expectations out of the shaft.

We entered a well themed mine building to find a hilarious promotional video about the fictional mining company that operates the mine. Oh and guess what? No line. Do you see a trend here?

After being strapped into the seat, the room goes dark and a ghost appears who speaks of his dearly departed brother. Suddenly a demon appears shouting, “Fire in the hole!”

The room again is shrouded in complete darkness and, after several anxious moments, the ride vehicle plunges, free falling 125 feet into the pitch black shaft. It is intense.

At the bottom, a twisted skeleton lies on the ground next to a skeleton canary. He explains that his brother had killed him and he tried to murder us by pushing us down the shaft. We then ascend up the now dimly lit tunnel back to ground level.

I could go on and on about this park. And I already have. Yet I have barely started. There are two swing rides that send guest over the cliffs to look straight down over 1,300 feet. There are 2 wonderful cave tours (the oringal attractions to the park that stared in 1895). There are four 4D movies. And laser tag! Here is a link to a video about the park: https://youtu.be/0VdwXa62Yjc

Let’s just say we did it all. Most more than once. The longest line of the day was maybe 10 minutes. In all, we did 30 rides, shows, and attractions. It was a great day.

We reluctantly boarded the gondola for the ride back down to the van.

We had dinner at a hamburger restaurant called Culver’s. Their signature item of the day was a lemon crumble custard which was delicious.

Back at the tent, we all quickly fell asleep after a full, but enjoyable day.

After taking down the tent, we made the short drive into Grand Junction, Colorado for shopping and lunch.

We tried to eat lunch at Chick-fil-A, but the place was packed. They even had a guy directing traffic. We ended up at a nearby, and empty Del Taco.

The temperature was in the nineties, so we decided to hang around and play another game of Mario Party while soaking in the air conditioning.

I have been carefully studying Ashley’s strategies for dominating Kathy and me at Mario Party. I must say I played magnificently. On the final play of the game I could secure certain victory by rollong an 8 or more using two 10 sided dice. The first die was a 2. OK, I got this. I just need a 6 or more. The second a 5. I couldn’t believe it, one space short.

The game makes some final adjustments to the scores based upon different factors but I was still confident. I had led the entire game. Ashley was close and Kathy was in last throughout.

The game was finally ready to introduce me the champion. I eagerly awaited my crown. Here it comes! And the winner is…. Kathy?

Kathy and Ashley laughed. Ashley celebrated by high-fiving her mom. I sat and shook my head. I feel like Charlie Brown and that darn football. Good grief!

We traveled east on I-70 for about two hours to a Rocky Mountain town called Glenwood Springs. The elevation is around 6,000 feet and the landscape is green and lush.

Kathy found a nice private campground with a view of the surrounding mountains.

After getting set up we drove into town to get dinner.

We found a restaurant called Thor’s Grill. They serve Tex Mex and the food was really good. But here’s the best part. On Thursdays all patrons 50 or over get their meal for 50% off. It is the first time I can ever remember being excited I’m over 50.

We went back to the campground to get ready to go to sleep. The low this evening was 54. So long as it’s above 40, that works for us. Ashley had her pink bunny slippers and Donkers to help keep her warm.

Later at night, the wind picked up causing the tent rock. Ashley was awakened, concerned we were in for another wind storm. She removed her slippers and gloves to be ready to make a run for the van. Thankfully, the wind subsided and she slept the rest of the night peacefully.

It was a mild, quiet evening in the campground. Our site was a few feet away from the Colorado River. On the opposite shore was a sheer red rock wall that soared over 100 feet high. We slept like zombies. (Ashley informed me that zombies terrorize people at night with murderous rampages and most of all they don’t sleep. But I don’t care, I’m sticking with the definition of zombies meaning we slept well.)

We got up around 8, enjoyed breakfast, broke down the tent, and we were back at Arches by 9.

Ashley was greeted by Ranger Luke, who quizzed her about the park. When the grilling ended she had badge number 3.

We drove back into the park to visit some of the spots we didn’t see yesterday.

Before we left on the trip, Ashley purchased a plush Brutus the Ghost Town Donkey at Knott’s using some gift money from Grandpa. Brutus (or Donkers, as Ashley calls him) joined us on this trip. My original plan was to make this the Donkers travel blog. Now I feel bad, because this is the first time I have mentioned Donkers. The adventure thus far has surprisingly centered on the pink bunny slippers. Donkers finally emerged for a couple photos and then he scampered back to the van.

After visiting a half dozen arches, Ashley love for Arches National Park was waning. Her enthusiasm was declining with each arch we visited. Kind of like trying to eat that tenth slice of cake. Sure I would eat it, but it’s nowhere near as good as the first. Ashley make a proclamation: She would not go on another hike to see another arch. She said they all look the same and she was arched out. Being sensitive to Ashley’s mood, we visited two more arches and left around 2:00.

We got a camp site at a Colorado state park near the state border. We used the occasion to clean out the ice chest and make dinner. We finished up playing Mario Party (Ashley won, as always).

Seems like we are finally settling into somewhat of a routine. The key is to realize that nothing is going to turn out exactly like we hoped. If we can all set our expectations accordingly, the trip will go much smoother and the chance of us having positive memories of the trip at its conclusion will improve.

I woke up around 3:45 and grabbed my phone. A text from Kevin revealed the sad news I was expecting but not ready for. My Aunt Sandy had just passed away.

Sandy helped us buy our first (and only) home. Sandy hired my dad and his friend to remodel her home after they retired. But most of all, Sandy was mom’s lifelong best friend. I have never seen a stronger bond between two sisters. A very happy thought is they are back together in heaven.

Trevor put it best. “(Aunt Sandy) has been an important part of our family for as long as I can remember.” Make that as long as I can remember, too, Trevor.

Kathy and I visited Sandy a few days before we left on the trip. We talked about the kids, and the trip, and just reminisced about old times. It is a memory I will cherish always.

In the morning, I texted Nancy to express my condolences. I asked about timing for a funeral mass. Nancy urged us to “keep on our adventure. It’s what (Sandy) would have wanted.” With a heavy heart, we continue on.

We stayed at the Travelodge as long as we could, enjoying the WiFi, running water, and electricity.

Our next big stop was Arches National Park.

We arrived around 3:30 and found a campground 2 miles from the main gate. Quickly picked a site, tossed up the tent, and drove to Arches.

The plan: hit a couple trails and be back to the tent by 7 to get to sleep early. The reality: had too much fun, couldn’t pull ourselves away, left at 9:00 and didn’t hit the air mattress 10:00.

Ashley is loving Arches. They have a very easy Jr. Ranger program. She completed it in 20 minutes. She also likes that we are allowed to hike straight up to and under the arches.

Ashley’s has acquired a skill for rock climbing. She was scaling rock walls at steep angles with dangerous sheer cliffs on either side. Ashley took these challenges like a professional. Her new hiking boots have worked great.

After a particularly arduous trek, we made our way back to the parking lot, walking on the sidewalk. I heard a scream. I turned and saw Ashley down on the ground holding her skinned knee with her skinned hand. She survived the treacherous hike and then failed the task of simply walking (she was fine, by the way).

We are heading back into Arches tomorrow for more good hiking and badge number 3.

Finally allow me to say one last thing, pink bunny slippers.