The Harvey Heart: Colorado Vacation

My family had been itching to go on a vacation. In fact Michael our 8 year old asked when we were going to take a vaction since we had not taken one this year. When asked how he knew we did not go on vacation yet he replied " Cause we havent stayed in a motel with a swimming pool. So now it is a requirement for a vaction that we stay in a motel with a swimming pool. As a parent I larn new things all the time. Whatever happened to just staying at home and enjoying play time in the street. Any way we decided it was high time we went to visit my older brother Ronn and his family, since we havent seen them for close to ten years. Besides we had not been to Colorado, (This was before the churhc from Canon City had called us) ad Ronn had been on us about visiting them. Telling us that we had not come to visit, not realizing that the street goes both ways, like when was the last time they had come to visit us in Chicago. I mean if your going to be taking a vaction, might as well see the "Windy City". Soon after we made plans to visit Ronn, Calvary Baptist of Canon City calls, (sign from God?) you decide. Any way the trip to Colorado by the Harvey Windstar would end up being an adventure all by itself. We had decided that we would take a slow trip from Chicago to Longmont, Co. We were going to make small stops of interest on the way to give our children those wonderful memories of "remember the time". As we got to the wonderful state of Nebraska, I type wonderful with sarcasm in case any one is wondering. The harvey Windstar decided to remind us that we were not good stewards of its tires. The driver would have to hold the steering wheel almost 45degrees from level so the car would go striaght, and the pasanger would be rattled by the tires bouncing allover the place fighting the alighnment of the car. Th eonly one who seemed to enjoy it was Pricila as she kept her mouth open and listende to the aahh of her own voice as it quivered with the shaking of the car. We finally decided to stop somewhere in Nebraska, little did we know that from the time you decide to stop and the time you fianlly find a place you can stop is several hours in Nebraska. So with coruses of I have to go to the bathroom and does the motel have a swimming pool we finaly found a place, that offered both. I decided to have the alighnment done and I figured the tires needed to be balanced, well do that first thing in the morning and still have time to tae the kids to a museum before we have to get on the road. So we check in, Rush to McDonalds Scarf down the food so we can make it back before the pool closes and have time to swim. Whoever said you have to wait 1/2 hour before swimming didnt know what they were talking about. Whats a few stomach cramps and throw up among family? In the morning we raced over to the tire place which opened at 8:00am of course no one is going to be there at that tim eso we should not have to worr besides it was a saturday most people were at home shoveling thier driveways. Not the case when we get to the tire store there are several cars up on the rack and several waiting to go up on the rack. The manager of the place was niced and moved us to the front of the line, probably because we had 4 kids who had been cooped up in the car all day the day before sitting in his waiting room. The mechanic come coming in and talking to the manager I could tell it was about our car cause there was only one mechanic. The manager then brought my tires in which we had driven on for years and wanted to show me that the tires were down to the threads or wire or whatever that stuff is. What so wrong with that I still see a lot of rubber on the other side, he then explained that the rubber on the inside of the tire is not as durable as the rubber on the outside of the tire. Finally convinced that we could not drive on these tire any longer we broke down and purchased four new tires, which I found out for a fee the tire place would put them on my rims and for another fee they would take my old tires and sell them to someone else. Finally in a few short hours our car was ready and any thought of stopping at the museum for the kids memory was out of the question. Besides they will remeber the time we were at that tire store in Nebraska and you pulled all of the leaves off the $900 dollor rubber tree, or how about the tires we climbed on and had rolling all over the store. Those will be great memories for them. We were on the road and now I could put the car on cruise and go to sleep, until my wife reminded me that cruise control is not the car driving itself, should have named the car Kit oh well. We made it to Colorado just fine after that. Gabriel my younger son kept sayig look at the mountains, which we did. We had a great time at Ronns house. He has a beutiful home and you can see the mountains from there, I kept wondering how he could go to work every day with what looked like Gods play ground right out his window. We went to the Rocky Mountain National Park and almost hit some Mnt goats, we also were able to see several herds of Elk. What a nice time we had thank you Ronn and Sarah for your hospitality, we enjoyed eating elk for the first time, Seeing the Garden of the gods, and Estes park. Well since I have said so much I will post the pictures below and let you enjoy them.

Here is Gabe sitting on truck inside the worlds largest truck stop.