Kassidi, Kolton and Tim on the balcony of the Jackson Hotel.

Road trip. For me, perhaps the two most feared words in the English language. I am not a road tripper. I’m more of an air tripper. But this summer after my husband and I took a hard look at our finances and the economy, we decided to take a family vacation that was essentially a 17 hour road trip. My husband had visions of packing up the family, playing games along the way, stopping at points of interest, singing kumbaya – the ultimate in family togetherness. As it turned out, his visions were a bit fuzzy. Mine, on the other hand, were riddled with just one thought: How am I going to get through this?

I had purchased a week long stay at an historical hotel in scenic Poncha Springs, Colorado. By August in Texas, we were ready for a respite from the heat. I loved the idea of going to Colorado; I was not in love with the idea of how we were getting there.

Unfortunately, I’m a multi-tasker. I don’t even sit in carpool to pick up the kids without responding to e-mails, proofing text, going through the mail or reading a book. It’s just not in my nature to sit and just ride. I never leave the house or office for more than a thirty minute drive without a call list. When I have to take trips out of town to work with clients, I take huge call lists, plug in the blue tooth and get busy.

So, I got busy planning out our trip and more importantly, planning out the work I was going to take with me to accomplish during the 17 hour, two day road trip. Unfortunately, I’m a list-maker too, so I made sure I had lots of lists to fill up my time.

Day One: We leave at 6 am. I nearly threw up. But I was a real trooper about it and even offered to drive the first shift. Okay, I knew that no one that I was working with at the time opened until 9 am and by then, I could turn over my shift to my husband and get some work done. All was well until we hit College Station. The state trooper that I had a conversation with had no sense of humor at 8 am. And, I was losing valuable time, but hey, he had a gun so we chatted. He was not on board with my plan to make it to Amarillo in record-breaking time and issued paperwork to reinforce his point.

By 10 am, the kids had woken up, and I was really annoyed at just how far we still had to go. I took deep breaths and tried to adjust my attitude. I was calmed by the fact that I had enough Benadryl on board to adjust everyone’s attitude should it become necessary. Mine, of course, being the worst. Tim took over, and I got to work.

Interestingly enough, once you get out of Fort Worth and head toward Amarillo, civilization, or at least roaming internet access, is sparse. As we traveled through Texas, we went through towns so small, they didn’t even have a Dairy Queen. My children were in shock.

The first night we spent in Amarillo and got there reasonably early around 4 pm. It really wasn’t a horrible day for me. I’d give myself a solid B+ - the highest mark I would receive for attitude and patience on our journey. The kids were still jovial; the husband rather positive. We checked in our hotel and began looking for a place for dinner. I knew Amarillo was known for its large cattle industry. I didn’t realize how that translated into eating establishments until we arrived at The Big Texan Steak House and Motel. Yep, the place with the 72 ounce steak where everything is big, and if a customer orders the steak (roast) and eats it within an hour, they receive it free along with the claim to fame. The restaurant puts customers attempting the challenge on a raised table in the center of the room with a large clock above their head, and they time them. North Texas entertainment at its’ finest.

Stacey, Tim, Kolton, Kassidi and Elle white water river rafting in Colorado. I’m on the far left - dry, on the shore, in a lawn chair, waving and sipping a cool drink.

Day Two: We survived the night of far too much beef consumption (no, we didn’t take the challenge-but the kids did get free cowboy hats!), and headed out early. We were bound for Colorado, and we only had to go through three states to get there.

Once you pass Amarillo, there’s not a lot in Texas, but there’s still a lot of Texas. Periodically we would see “points of interest” or “tourist type” establishments. I’m also not a tourist-type person. When I get in the car to go somewhere, I tend not to want to get out until I’m there. I do not want to get out and see the world’s largest ball of string. This is the foundation for four to five hour car rides being about my limit.

We went through New Mexico, briefly, looked a lot like north Texas, and then hit Colorado. Yea! I just knew we were making progress. The topography changed quite a bit – more mountainous and up and down. I was back to wanting to throw up again.

By day two, the kids were no longer as precious as the day before, and mommy was substantially less precious. Still, Kassidi and Kolton were pretty positive, and we pressed on with our road trip knowing our destination would soon be realized.

After hours of Colorado and “Are we there yets?” we made it to Poncha Springs. Of course, we had to go through the Great Sand Dunes to get there – a three hour desolate stretch of nothingness, and I mean nothingness. The signs advertising the UFO Camps and the lone alligator farm, which since there was no water in sight, I was completely perplexed by, were disturbing. I began having dark thoughts about Roswell, New Mexico and wondering if the area infamous for alien abductions had a sister city. I was getting really worried about what I had gotten us into and began pulling out maps to determine exactly how far we were from Colorado Springs and civilization.

Finally, we rounded a corner and before we could blink, we saw our destination – The Jackson Hotel. Now, I say before we could blink because Poncha Springs is a very, very small town. There’s a convenience/liquor/deli/grocery store, a desolate volunteer fire garage with an antique fire truck, and the Jackson Hotel.

Days Three through Seven: Life at the Jackson Hotel was amazing. The weather was cool, and the historic ambience refreshing. It was well worth the torturous two-day ride.

Built in 1887 and now privately owned, the hotel is an old, historic structure that lays claim to many famous guests. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Frank and Jesse James and William “Billy the Kid” Bonney are just a few of the notables that have spent time at the Jackson, and legend has it, that some are still there in spirit. While the legend was a bit discerning to my kids, after battling the road for two days, I was more than prepared to take on a few spirits. Let’s just say the spirits and I, the liquid kind, became quite friendly.

Our time at the Jackson was quite memorable filled with sight-seeing and just being together. The kids went white water rafting, we toured the Royal Gorge and Monarch Pass, and we played lots of games. As the day grew closer, however, for our departure, I was not only saddened to leave this wonderful monument but dreaded our long ride home.

Day Eight: The best way to sum up the two day return trip home is bad - really, really bad. We decided to travel from Poncha Springs to Fort Worth the first day – that’s nearly 13 hours in a car. By the time we got to Fort Worth, I wanted out. And, I had no intention of getting back in the car. I told my husband I could get home, and he could just leave me right there. Fortunately, we all had had enough and checked into a hotel for the night. We didn’t leave until mid-day giving us, mostly me, ample time to adjust our attitudes.

While I would love to return to the Jackson Hotel and Colorado, I truly don’t foresee any road trips in my future. We’ll just have to determine a better way to get there. For now, I’m preparing for the holidays – making gift lists, planning menus, taking my Defensive Driving course. I’ll let you know how it goes.