~A Remarkable View~ A Remarkable Year~
2012 was slated to be the most epic travel year in family history. It was the year of the MOART-a three month road trip that would take us 10,500 miles around the country. With all the prep and planning for our departure at the end of August, I fully expected that we would spend the remainder of the year close to home. I was wrong! Circumstances found us on the road and in the air at least once every month of the year, and sometimes more than once. It was a unbelievable 366 days (leap year, remember) of travel memories, family moments, and making the most of every minute.
January
~Howling Tornado at Great Wolf Lodge~
We started out the year with a low key visit to Great Wolf Lodge. GWL is a local trip for us, so we took advantage of the off season rates to celebrate an in-town nine year old birthday party. It seemed like a good way to start out the year, knowing that we wouldn’t be whetting our appetite for wanderlust again until August. Ha!
February
~Funky Folk Art in a country field in Texas~
We visited some “hometown” highlights in February and found some hidden gems we had never visited before, even though we have grown-up and lived in this area of Texas our entire lives. Finding a new favorite roadside art attraction and spending a day fossil hunting were some of the highlights.
March
~Houston at Dusk~
We hit the road for our first official trip of the year in March, and found our way to Houston, the largest city in Texas. Although, I’ve been in Houston a time or two before, I’ve never really explored it deeply or been all that impressed, but all that changed on this trip. We hit all the museums, tried out some unique family friendly eateries, saw a house made entirely out of beer cans, and collected some art from a cigarette dispenser. We did Houston up right and left the city knowing it (and liking it) a little bit better. (Dear Houston, I am sorry that I misjudged you as the armpit of Texas. You're not so bad, after all.)
April
~Look at them up there, looking all smug and superior!~
We loaded up the station wagon (not really, we’re much cooler than that-we have a mini-van) for another road trip, but this time, I think for the first time ever, I was hitting the road alone with the kids. Our trek took us through the state Capital of Austin, where we celebrated the relative weirdness of the city at the Cathedral of Junk. Our final destination was the German settled city of Fredericksburg, where the highlight of the trip was nearly dying enjoying the view at Enchanted Rock. But the absolute pinnacle of the day was watching my kids leave their tired old mom in the dust and then look down from the top with a mixture of embarrassment and superiority. Brats!
May
~Mother and Son Snorkeling Excursion~
May was a red letter month. A camping trip to the state capital and a tour of San Antonio was on the books to celebrate a yearlong study of Texas history. For the first time, I played Tour Guide for three other families, and since they are still talking to me, I must have done a decent job of planning the trip. Then, we were on hand for the highly anticipated opening of Aquatica at SeaWorld San Antonio. From there, I jetted off with Son #2 to spend a weekend in Clearwater, FL where the highlights were meeting the movie star Winter the Dolphin and spending mother’s day swimming with the manatees. A quick jaunt home to Texas to switch sons and suitcases, and then Son #3 returned to Orlando with me for the opening of Legoland waterpark and a preview of new attractions at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove. By the end of the month I was jetlagged, waterlogged, and ready just to stay at home for a while. Those were words that I never thought I would utter, but with more days on the road than at home, I was beat. I was ready to stay at home for a while, eat regular food, and stop living out of the suitcase. (My life sounds like a real trial right? You can all stop feeling sorry for me now.) Staying in one place, it was not to be. More travel than ever was on the horizon for the second half of the year….
Next Up: Hawaii and the 10,000 miles that changed my life forever