lopso
Many people have described the cross-country trip that I undertook with my daughter and her two oldest sons as a prime opportunity for making memories. But on the road, you can’t be sure precisely what memories you’re making. You can plan the things that you think will delight your little guys, but there are the moments you cannot predict.
My daughter was uber-prepared with snacks and surprise activities for each day…books with sticker puzzles and magic drawing pads. She’d downloaded audio books and Raffi songs (remember Raffi?) I had scoped out Little Free Libraries all along the way, and many of our breaks revolved around looking for them in a scavenger hunt, where we would trade one of Meredith’s books for books that the kids would enjoy reading…and one or two for ourselves as well. We knew where we were sleeping each night. We thought we had spaced out our hotels so that our days wouldn’t be too long, but still found that bathroom breaks, gas refueling and lunch breaks considerably lengthened our days. I think we spent three years on our one-day drive across eastern Colorado and western Kansas alone! Interminable, but made bearable when I started singing “Fifty Nifty United States”. Campbell became obsessed with learning all fifty states in alphabetical order and had the song memorized by the end of the next day.
With all the preparation, there were so many moments unplanned and delightful. We had no idea where we would have lunch on our first day. The boys have their food preferences (hamburgers) and Meredith is an almost-vegan. So, she got on her phone and started searching for someplace in Needles, CA. (Needles is not the dining capital of the world.) She found a boating resort on the Colorado River where we almost believed the Caribbean vibe, and the boys could dip their toes in the water on the riverbank. Surprising memory #1.
We counted trains as we drove, laying down little wagers on who could pick a number closest to what we saw. And when we stopped for lunch near the train depot in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we had to wait for a train to leave before we could sit down and dine. My choice of a hotel for our last stop, the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa, was one I knew that they would enjoy. Located on the old Milwaukee Road train line, the hotel celebrates everything Perry, including murals of Perry’s railroad past in the dining room.
Campbell and Warren loved the train motif, to be sure, but what truly captivated them was Lopso, the sweet, three-legged hotel mascot. Every free moment was spent in the lobby petting and scratching Lopso, throwing the tennis ball to Lopso, hugging Lopso. Two hours after our departure I heard Warren’s plaintive little voice from the backseat: “What do you think Lopso is doing right now?”
I’m sure Lopso is missing you, Warren. And Campbell, as well. Two little guys who after six long days on the road were just as happy and excited about whatever comes next.
Love, Liz
