The Wandering Goose :: vol 15 :: Goodland KOA

Chapter 1 : Driving Royal Style
So, way back when were in Kelso, I made a tentative plan for stops on our drive back to Kansas.  Royal sat in front of the TV and I couldn't hardly get any input out of him.  So, I made the plan and for our stop today, the stop before our last section of road to cover before we made it home, I had 2 options.  One was in Strasburg, CO, a little over 400 miles, the other was Limon, CO, around 470 miles.  Limon I wasn't too keen on stopping in, you know, since it doesn't hold very fond memories, since the last time we were there it was because our fuel pump had died and we were trapped there.  The drive to Limon would take about 6.5 hours, which for us meant more like 8 hours.  A full day of driving.  Well, that just wasn't gonna cut it for Royal.  He started talking crazy and saying things like, "Why stop tonight?  Let's just keep driving until we get home"  I calculated what it would take on the GPS and it said we wouldn't get home until 11pm, which for us, with food and bathroom breaks and gas breaks, because none of the 3 ever seem to happen at the same time, we'd be home closer to 1 or 2am.  I said, "No. Freaking. Way."  Royal just chuckled to himself and said, "I think we can do it."  So, he kind of compromised and said, "Let's just get to Goodland, KS, eat some dinner, and then decide from there."  Goodland in my opinion was too far to go.  It was almost 600 miles, 8.5hrs, which in Goose-time translates to like 10 hours.  Oi. Vei.  Too. Freaking. Long. In. The. Car.  But we pressed on and passed from Wyoming into Colorado.

And we cruise around Denver and past Strasburg and then past Limon.  I almost cried.  I really wanted to be done driving, but the kid's were doing okay in the back seat watching some new movies we picked up earlier in the day, and Royal really wanted to keep going.  So, I took a pole.  I asked the kids what they wanted to do.  "Do you guys want to stop for dinner and then keep driving and get home, so we have no driving to do tomorrow?  Or, do you guys want to stop for dinner, and sleep in the trailer, and then get up in the morning and drive some more"  Both kids opted for camping for the night.  Hallelujia!  I swear I didn't influence them in anyway, but I wasted no time calling an RV park and securing us a place to park for the night!   Unfortunately, with about 80 miles left before Goodland, our A/C decides it's totally going to die.  Not like before, where half the truck is hot and half is cold, I know how to fix that now.  This is all the vents are blowing air, but it's not cooled air, it's just air.  I almost scream.  Oh wait, I do.  I'm not ashamed to admit, once I had confirmed that yes indeed, the air was not going to get any cooler, I yelled, "I HATE YOU, TRUCK!!!!!"  To which, Royal gasps and pats the truck's dashboard and says, "She doesn't mean it.  Don't listen to her."  The rest of the drive was pretty miserable, but the temperatures were starting to get into the low 80's and the sun was behind us, so I tried my best not to complain, but it was pretty darn uncomfortably warm in there.

And then we drive into Kansas.

And I glance at our thermometer.  It's 86 now.  I swear it was just 81!  It's like we crossed the border and the temperature automatically went up 5 degrees to say, "Welcome back, suckers!"  So, I do what anybody would do.  I stick my hand out and give Kansas the finger. 
But, nevertheless, we make it to Goodland around 7pm.  An 11 hour day with almost 600 miles covered.  Brutal.  I told Royal he is not making our travel plans from here any more!

Chapter 2 : The Campground
The KOA here is really pretty nice.  The sites are pretty big and there is a huge playground and a swimming pool and a 3 acre park where I can take Sam to run.  I have no pictures of it because it was dark by the time I got dinner made and picked up and kid's in bed and well, that's just the way it goes sometimes.  :)

So, we shall be home tomorrow. with only a 4-5 hour drive to do.   I'm sure I'll be glad I was in the car for 11 hours today, when we get home around lunch time, right????