Jun 25 – Jul 1: Off to Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (Part 2)
June 26th
Weather in Lava Hot Springs: 78F/46F
Driving Route:
I shouldn’t have, but I did. Oh well, it was mild compared to the remainder of the day. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It was only one exit further north, it was early in the morning, and … I just wanted to. Benny was flabbergasted. He knew yesterday was a little unusual because of all the shopping and the money we spent. He actually mentioned it in his prayers before bed and I was once again reminded what a special and empathetic little boy he is.
“Please be with Aunt Gus so she doesn’t feel bad about spending money on food to feed us and help the blog to make money for us. Amen.”
That is not why I did what I did today. Psychobabble might say different, but I can say with all honesty it wasn’t. I just wanted to. I did not break the bank. We are not broke. We are not close to being broke. I can’t do this all the time but given for the next month we won’t have access to anything except high priced stuff, and we’ve been mindful of the budget up to this point, one splurge day isn’t going to kill us and may, in the long run, be more than worth it.
I really hadn’t planned on anything but getting to the next spot on our map but while we were eating, a couple of older ladies that were there with some others from a mission group told Benny how well-mannered and polite he was and thanked him for picking up their friend’s hat and cane she dropped when she almost fell.
Well as conversations go it came out that the friend had almost fallen because of low blood sugar and getting old wasn’t for the “weak and foolish.” Benny being Benny, and trying to make the lady feel better said, “Oh, it isn’t just getting older. I can’t have gluten ‘cause when I do it turns into a not nice day. And I can’t have red stuff either. Not even red gummy worms.”
He sounded so sad about the gummy worms that we all had a hard time not chuckling. Well everyone else started talking about dietary restrictions, both medical and religious ones and it came up that there was a farm stand down the road that was open with decent prices and nice produce. Yep, you guessed it.
The place is called Harward Farm and it has been in operation since the 1980s and I think is up to their sixth generation in the business. They’re known for their fresh produce, honey, and salsa. I needed more honey like I needed a hole in the head but I picked up some as well as salsa – which Benny and I both eat on just about everything so long as it is mild. As for what they had for produce: asparagus (making Benny laugh and snicker in a whisper, “Aunt Aspara-Gus.”), boysenberries, broccoli, fresh greens and herbs, cherries, potatoes, and rhubarb. I got some of everything but the rhubarb as I has no clue about that weird looking stuff. I’ve heard of rhubarb pie but now isn’t the time to experiment.
At Harward’s I picked up a business card for a gluten free bakery and since we had the time, I gave it a shot. It was called New Grains which made me question if they were really gluten free, but they were and more. Certified and everything. I got gluten-free pizza crusts and plan on having it tomorrow night. I also got hamburger rolls and hot dog rolls. They have high ratings but if they turn out gross, I’ll just turn them into salad croutons or some kind of crumbs for coating chicken or something.
A little further down the road was all we made when I see something in the sky then a sign for Flight Park State Recreation Area. It was only for twenty minutes but it was fun. Paragliders. It is something I’ve never done but always wanted to. The one time I said something about it Penny pitched such a fit she wound up having hysterics. I was going to leave her and Benny. I was going to break my neck or worse. I was going to … every disaster you could think of. I told her wanting to wasn’t the same thing as planning to and she finally calmed down but you can bet I stopped talking about that sort of stuff around her from that point forward. Funny thing is Benny remembered.
“Do you still want to fly Aunt Gus?”
“Maybe, but it isn’t at the top of my list. Maybe after we get done adventuring I’ll consider it again.”
He just looked at me and then asked, “Is it ‘spensive?”
“Yeah. But there’s places you can sign up for one jump. But you don’t have to worry.”
“I’m not. I kinda wanna do it too. Must be fun to fly like a bird. But I bet they say I’m too little.”
“Probably. But you know what my adventurous Little Bear? Let’s check it out when you get older. What do you say?”
“Coool.”
I chuckled and after a few more minutes, and most of the gliders coming down, I turned us back to the Interstate … and made it a few more exits before pulling off to go to a Camping World RV Center. There were a couple of things that I needed that wallyworld didn’t carry and that AutoZone didn’t have in stock.
First, I had to wade through the sales people and assure them that I wasn’t looking to sale, trade, upgrade or anything else. The Ark did help make one of them a sale however and the guy winked at me. Oh my gawd, he winked at me! Like … never mind, just so glad to get into the store part and away from Mr. Big Shiny Teeth. Geez.
After getting inside I grabbed the correct antifreeze for the van and then went to find something to cover the roof fan as it was picking up a bunch of crap when we drop … or when we were stopped. Nothing quite as fun as having to clean off owl crap, or maybe it was owl gack. Either or it had bits and pieces of something in it and I was and am uninterested and figuring out what it was. Lucky for me the roof fan covers were on sale for 35% off and I could afford to upgrade a bit.
I drooled over the new refrigerators. I mean what we have is nice but the next one up was a whole two cubic feet bigger than the 7 we have. And there were some double doored ones that were 12 cubic feet. We don’t need it but it was sure fun to spend a few minutes imagining, at least until I heard Grandma Barry’s voice in the back of my head going, “It’s just more to clean Honeybun.” Ugh. She’d tell Grandfather Barry the same thing when he wanted to buy her something. I think he got a kick out of her telling him no when so few people ever did.
I did buy some stuff besides the two necessities, but they were inexpensive and useful. The stack a plate organizer has finally gotten rid of that irritating rattle in the galley cabinet. I put a napkin between the plates and then sit them is the holder and they neither slide or clack. I tell you both Benny and I sighed with pleasure, then laughed when we realized what we were doing. Thank goodness we can laugh at our OCD on occasion.
I also got a fruit and veggie hammock for under the cabinet that will keep the stuff from rolling around and falling off the counter top and being bruised. Benny thought it was hilarious because it really does look like a macrame hammock. He wanted to know if when it was empty if the Crew could take turns in it. Monkey. He is really just a monkey.
The sliding cabinet spice rack will get that stuff out of one of the drawers and give me room for other things and the organizer bins for the frig will help in that space as well. I felt very productive and smart and headed out to the van and got us back on the road.
After Camping World, I wasn’t on the road long and was kinda starting to kick myself for the money I spent. I wasn’t wasting anything, everything was going to get used, but still … it was nothing but wants including the roof fan vent cover. And then I see a sign for REI store and just figuratively say the heck with it. My face must have said something though because he started laughing.
“Laugh you silly Circus Bear. Let’s go empty the wallet.”
Uh oh. Wrong thing to say. He gets serious and says, “It’s okay Aunt Gus, we don’t have to.”
I sigh and stop him to have a seat before we get out of the van. “You know you can trust me not to hurt us, right?”
“Sure!”
“Then … look, I know this is different from how I usually am. Your mother used to say that I squeezed pennies hard enough to make them cry.”
“Did you?” he asked like he wasn’t sure if I was serious.
I chuckled. “It means I’m a penny pincher … someone that doesn’t like to spend money if I don’t have to.”
“Oh, I know that. We buy everything on clearance,” he said matter-of-factly.
I snorted. “You’re probably one of the few five years olds on the planet that knows what a clearance sale is. But … we don’t buy everything on clearance. Anyway … what I’m trying to say is that you can trust me about everything. Including trust me with the money we use to take care of ourselves with. I won’t waste it. And it is okay when some days kinda turn into what we did yesterday and what we are doing today. They aren’t needs, but everything will get used.”
He hugged me. “I know Aunt Gus. I forgot sometimes you like to figure your speech and the words don’t match what you mean.”
Trying not to laugh I nodded. “Yep, it was a figure of speech about the wallet. So, are we good? Ready to go see if there are any clearance sales here?”
“Yeah! Let’s go!”
Benny and I had fun looking at everything, including the gluten-free camping food but we also avoided a lot of temptations. I did get him some gluten free gummy worms and sour apple rings, but I told him only because there was no red, pink, or purple in them. I also got a couple bags of bacon jerky. And I picked up some fruit paste bars that were on clearance because they were close to their best-used-by date. For my evening snack after Benny goes to sleep, I got a couple of resealable bags of corn nuts. My abuela used to make me corn nuts when I was little, and they still make me think of her. If she thinks of me in Heaven, I hope it makes her happy that she left a lasting impression on her daughter’s daughter.
The last two items I added were a box of fire starters and a package of solid fuel tabs. They aren’t selling that stuff at wallyworld anymore, some kind of safety or insurance reason. It’s like how only hardware stores that have a license sell spray paint now even though Dad and Grandfather said you used to could buy it everywhere. Now you have to show your ID and have the store salesmen unlock a metal cabinet to get them for you. They used to say that things have changed a lot. Grandfather Barry says he remembers his father telling him that when he was growing up, his father used to cut the seat belts out of the family car. Things used to be so weird. Dad was always grouching about the five-point seat belts we have now. He said it was like being an astronaut just to drive a car. Like I said, weird. It must have been a lot different in the old days. I wonder if Benny will tell his kids how different life was when he was a kid. Now that really is a weird thought. Next!
The Honey Jar was another word-of-mouth quick stop at that same exit. I did say I needed more honey like a hole in the head, right? Well, I got even more but most of what I got there were honey sticks. Perfect for hiking and lots of flavors with, get this, no artificial colors added. Thank you, Creator. You know, I get tired of having to read every blessed package before buying something, but I guess that is just my life as I am going to have to live it for Benny’s sake. The stick flavors they had in stock were blackberry, cinnamon, clover, ginger, green apple, lemon, orange, peach, raspberry, vanilla, watermelon, and wildflower. Where I’m going to store eight hundred honey sticks is beyond me. I bought that many to get the bulk discount and because they are dead useful as a treat, quick energy, drink sweetener, oatmeal flavoring, etc. They don’t spoil if you store them properly either. I got a bag of honey caramel corn that also was all natural and gluten free much to Benny’s delight.
After we got out of
there, I told myself we really did need to stay on the road, or it would be late before we got where we were going. And we did until I saw it … the Great Salt Lake. We needed to stop and eat lunch anyway? Suuuuure you say, any excuse is better than none. So be it. We pulled off into a state park and we ate and then played in the water for a bit. Maybe a little more than a bit. Okay, it was an hour and a half. But hey, who is counting?
I swore the last stop I was going to make was at the Honeyville Store. Not only was I running out of time, but I was also running out of space. They had a scratch and dent area and I know I shouldn’t have but I did. Peanut butter powder, gluten free flours and baking stuff, and a case of freeze-dried meats that were banged to heck and back. It still cost a pretty penny, but I hoped in the long run to save money by not going to the store so much.
That was it for stopping except for a brief pull over to take a picture of the “Welcome to Idaho” sign. Didn’t have much reason to stop after that – no temptations – until we had to get fuel and that was where we got off the Interstate and onto Hwy 30 and eventually into Lava Hot Springs. What should have taken us three and a half hours had taken us … well, a whole lot longer.
This KOA didn’t have a lot of on-site amenities but what it did have was access to the “World Famous Hot Springs.” As in it was just a five-minute walk to get to them. What is there? Here’s the advertisement:
Pure, all-natural mineral water is 102°F -112°F. No chemicals or sulfur odor. Five pools - two outdoor gravel bottom pools, two Jacuzzi pools and one rock bottom pool. Dressing rooms, heated floors and coin-operated lockers. Visit the gift shop for Lava Hot Springs souvenirs. Open Year Round! Except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
I bought two two-day passes for the hot water and two two-day for the Olympic indoor pool. Benny was overjoyed. He could sit in the cooler of the hot springs with me and I would take him to the Kiddie Cove and sit with him. Only after sitting in the hot springs and then going inside he said, “I’ll go into the swimmer class if you want to go swim fast with the ‘dults.”
“It’s okay Squirt. You …”
“I promise Aunt Gus. Look, the teacher has an orange vest on and a whistle so that everyone follows the rules.”
I gave it a think and one of the pool guards noticed my hesitation and said, “Can he swim?”
“Like a fish.”
With a grin he says, “My daughter is about to start a class. Like he said, everyone follows the rules or they get out of the pool. And everyone in the class gets a light-buddy on their wrist so that they don’t go outside the area they get assigned to.”
I looked at Benny. “You really want to try?”
He nodded. I’d said I needed to get him socialized to kids his age. It was time to put my money where my mouth was. I walked him over and signed him in and made sure that I got introduced to the “teacher.” I was about to introduce Benny when he said, “Hi, I’m Benny. I can swim like a fish but I promise to follow the rules and not show off.”
The girl blinked in surprise but then her training kicked in. “Hi Benny. Nice to meet you! And thank you for following the rules.” She looked at me and nodded in understanding. Benny sometimes acts like he is on the Autism Spectrum but he always tests out of it. He is delayed socially, I was just hoping this helped and didn’t set him back further.
I was almost too nervous to go but I did. I knew I needed to do this as much for me as for Benny. I needed to remember that I wouldn’t help him by smothering him, and I wouldn’t be doing myself any favors either. So, I swam a lap and then looked over and he seemed to be doing okay. I swam another and he was still okay. I started swimming for real and the next time I looked up Benny was sitting on the edge of the pool patiently.
Startled I swam over to him. “Everything okay?”
“It was cool Aunt Gus but the class is over.”
From the lifeguard chair I hear, “He did great! He really can swim like a fish.”
I waived and thanked the girl that had taught the class. She had continued to keep an eye on him even when the class was over.
“Thanks. I hadn’t meant to lose track of time.”
“You didn’t. Class had to end early because one of the other kids had a meltdown. Benny didn’t though. He’s a cool kid.”
“Yes. He is. And thank you again.”
We decided one more dip in the hot springs and then we were going back to the van for dinner but we got side tracked by the free Sunken Gardens that was also part of the complex. It was nice to walk around but we really were hungry after that.
“And we’re coming back tomorrow?”
“Yeppers Squirt. Don’t rattle the crockery,” I told him making him laugh. “You know, I’m proud of you.”
He smiled and the rest of the evening has been nice and relaxed. Tomorrow not so much. I have really got to do the maintenance and organize the inside of the van. And I need to do it quickly so that I can keep my promise that we’ll go back to the hot springs tomorrow. And I owe the blog a post and need to take care of some adulting and with all the free wifi I can handle there is no good excuse not to get it done.