Our glorious month long vacation is finally underway. We were scheduled to leave early Saturday morning and have two long (500 mile) days of driving. Mandi got a little antsy and we pulled out Friday late afternoon, just in time to hit Denver rush hour. Oops! The highlight of the drive was stopping for a surprisingly great Texas BBQ taco at Serious Texas BBQ in Fort Collins, CO. Delicious pulled pork, cheesy potatoes, onions, and jalapenos wrapped in a flour tortilla for $5 each with some clever salsas (cherry chipotle and cranberry habanero). While the food was awesome, the real adventure was the handwashing station. We’ve never seen anything like it. There were two tubes to put your hands in and warm water sprayed them down.
Automated Handwashing System from Mark Winland on Vimeo.
How have we never seen these anywhere before? Seems like the perfect apparatus for a family with small children. After losing an hour to traffic, we pulled into the Wagonhound Rest Area in WY just after dark, about 9:15pm after driving 240 miles. It was quite the unsuccessful night of sleep, but Mandi says she has a new respect for truckers. They came in and out all hours of the night. They sleep and eat in their “office” without getting to go home and see their families for days at a time, in places like truck stops, rest areas, and Walmart parking lots where there isn’t a good sleep to be had. We were reminded how thankful we are for truck drivers in America! That being said, we didn’t get much sleep and rolled out at 6:15am hoping to avoid the infamous WY wind.
As promised I pray for you guys every night (or morning). What a wonderful relaxing vacation this sounds like. Dad and I loved traveling by car and seeing the sights. Emma & Ethan will stay with us for at least a week so we will read your blog together and look on the map to see where you are. Love you lots and can’t wait to see all your photos.
Mark & Mandi,
We just saw your email and are very psyched about following your adventures. We are baking in the high 80s and 90s with over 50% humidity, so we will be living vicariously through you as you frolic through the Northwest. We’ve never seen that handwashing thingy either. Who knew?