And I vowed there would be no staycation
I would travel far and wide
To have friends and family by my side
I wasn't going to wallow at home in frustration
The pinnacle choice was tough
What could I do for my kids that would be enough?
I was dissecting an arterial branch
When I decided, "Maybe a dude ranch!"
That would surely get us off of our duffs.
I imagined us astride marvelous steeds
And Mom and Dad reluctantly agreed
So I researched and planned
Thinking of gold being panned
And lots of farm animals to feed.
Last week my plan came to fruition
We embarked on our tour of Colorado nation
With cowboy boots and hats in tow
We were ready to hit the rafts and row
Our way into Yampa River's gestation
Day 1: After only thirty minutes on my steed
He decided to fall to his knees
He rolled over in supplication
I had to scramble to avoid suffocation
Luckily the only casualty was a bruise on my knee.
As the bruise bloomed into its own planet
I vowed, "No more horse for me damn it!"
I biked, kayaked and hiked
While the rest of the family liked
Their horses so much I couldn't stand it.
They walked, they trotted and they loped
They learned how to corral cattle and rope
I smiled from the water and ground
Control I had found
I made peace with my lack of ability to otherwise cope.
Now I'm back in my office at the scope
With guarded but optimistic hope
It's time to pick vacation again
It cannot be a sin
To change course to avoid looking like a dope.
Alaska cruise anyone?? Disney??!!
Alas, Cecelia wants to go back to the dude ranch, "Way better than Disney, mom." I have to admit I loved Colorado in the summertime - wildflowers and Aspens with fluttering leaves that looked like a million chartreuse bug wings in the wind. Luckily there is plenty to do that does not involve large animals with minds of their own. Good vacations inspire cheesy poetry. And they generate lovely pics.
Looks like a great vacation...minus the naughty horse! When we were at Mito Camp in the fall, my horse kept trying to snack and put me in all sort of precarious positions in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter convinced me to do one short trail ride at the end of the week. My horse (a different one) kept snacking too, and I was having heart palpitations because that was what my other horse did right before he went down. And just the snacking was scary I agree! No more horses for me.
ReplyDeleteTyler Place in Vermont. Just got back. Will be our go-to vacation for years. No horses but tons of activities and organized activities for the kids so you don't necessarily need to bring grandparents (unless they want to go). www.tylerplace.com
ReplyDeleteI heard about that place! I met a psychologist at a party my best friend from med school threw - she is an ophthalmologist in Jonesboro AR. She swore it was the most amazing vacation on the planet, with lots of activities as you said for the kids. I looked at it last summer and chose this instead, but it is on my list.
DeleteThis place I went to, Vista Verde, also has organized activities. I planned it not thinking my parents would go - so I could have some time for me too. The kid's camps were so awesome I found myself ironically (and completely out of character) bribing my son with his ipad mini trying to get him to rest at the cabin - he chose biking with his new friends instead. I only did this when I worried he would get dehydrated!
Good to hear about Vermont from someone else - the psychologist described it as a utopian vacation.
It really was--especially for those of us with small children (mine is 2). I was somewhat surprised by the number of MD's there, but I guess if anyone needs a real vacation....
DeleteSounds like a blast (except for the suffocation part) - love seeing the kids. Tyler Place sounds amazing...MiM meet-up next year?
ReplyDeleteWe'll keep trying to plan . . . I turn 40 this summer KC! Let's not wait for MiM meet-up too much longer!
ReplyDelete