May 282016
 

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Idaho Highway 12 Road Trip via J5MM.com (13 of 14)

Last August we took a splendid road trip that lead us through Washington, Idaho and finally Montana.  Towing the Airstream through the contrasting landscapes was like a massive lesson in geology.  Hwy 12 is just one of many of Idaho’s “Scenic Byways,” and I here to tell you first and foremost that this particular stretch of highway took my breath away.  I highly encourage you to come and visit and if you follow my future posts covering this trip of ours, you will see why.

We began the first leg of our trip in Syringa, Idaho which is home to the River Dance Lodge, owned by ROW Adventures.  ROW invited us to come out and experience some outdoor adventures the Lodge offers up such as fly fishing, white water rafting, guided hikes and more.  We had plans to camp on-site as they have two dry camping spots, but since the outdoor temperature was a ridiculous 107 degrees, we opted to camp down the road at the River Junction RV Park that offered up full hookups and with full hookups, we would have A/C (our generator can’t handle running the A/C sadly).

Plans with ROW were a day of guided fly fishing and another day of white water rafting, neither of which did pan out because the rivers were too low for either adventure.  But we did experience a fun tubing and float trip.  It was my first time ever tubing down a cool rushing river and I can tell you, it was the bee’s knees especially considering how scorching hot it was outside.  It was also B’s first time commandeering his very own kayak and the boy had a ridiculously fun time.  So all’s well that ends well.  Thank you ROW Adventures for inviting us out :)

Since it was SO. HOT. I did not cook, at all.  We literally survived on cherries that we picked up from a fellow selling them roadside and goodness, they were the sweetest cherries we’ve ever had.  We also enjoyed tartines, which is just a fancy way of saying, “open faced sandwiches,” :)  Super easy way to eat when you absolutely can not bear to even think about turning on the stove — I still can’t get over how hot it was that summer!  I also realized last summer why the new Airstreams now come with two A/C units.  It took FOREVER to cool down our Airstream in that heat and even then, when it was 107 degrees outside, we could only get down to around 80 degrees inside.

I also feel terrible that it has taken me so long to finally begin writing about this trip!  So much has been happening in our lives.  Hubby has had two operations on his hip this past year.  You see, I have never mentioned this before, at least I don’t think . . . but he suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and because of his disease, he is prone to falling and when you have a hip replacement, the first thing the doctor tells you is, DO NOT FALL WHATEVER YOU DO.  It does not matter how careful a person is — if they are prone to falling, they WILL fall, eventually.  And he did.  And it was the scariest day of my life because I was upstairs and he was downstairs and I heard him fall and I heard him cry out and I tried to run to him so fast, but I couldn’t (B was at his baseball game, thankfully!).  I felt like I was wearing a pair of cement galoshes — I absolutely could not move quick enough to get to him.  When I finally did get to him, he was on the floor in his office, writhing in pain and I was standing over him DO YOU WANT ME TO CALL 911?! — he thought for a moment (and I knew he was thinking about the health insurance’s required co-pay of $500 for ambulance/ER services, because he likes to pinch his pennies) and finally he said YES.  and then I couldn’t remember how to dial 911!  Imagine, I just sat there starring at my phone in shock.  But I eventually did remember and the ambulance did come, and another ambulance came and even a fire truck!  But here we are NOW 12 months later and he is healed up, thank goodness.  In other news, he had an appointment with a neurosurgeon to see if he would be an ideal candidate for deep brain stimulation surgery and he IS.  He absolutely IS!  I was under the impression this surgery only treats people who have uncontrollable shaking (which he does not) but that is just not the case.  It also helps eliminate other symptoms of PD.  In hubby’s case, the man is just SLOW AS MOLASSES.  Forgive me if that sounds a little harsh, but it’s true.  That is his only symptom.  He is slow and gets “stuck.”  Turns out, this surgery will be 100% effective in treating him.  So we are incredibly happy!  B told me the other day, “Mommy, I can’t imagine how daddy is going to be.” (because B was only three years old when hubby was diagnosed, he is now 12), I told him, “Honey, he will be the same daddy, only speedier.” :)

Speaking of B, the boy has straight A’s in school and we are so proud of him.  I still can’t believe that sixth grade will be over for him.  It seems the older I get, the faster time goes.  It’s a little scary!

Oh and at home we are finally finished with the upstairs flooring project.  We went from 16 year old carpet to hickory hardwood floors and I am very pleased with the outcome.  We had to haul 16 years worth of “stuff” from the upstairs to the downstairs and believe me when I tell you, that was quite the job!  I thought twice about hauling all that stuff back upstairs so we ended up giving most of it away to our local Buy Nothing Project.  Have you heard of that?  It’s a generous online community where members get together on Facebook and “gift” items they no longer need!  I learned about this after bumping into my neighbor while we were both walking our pooches and she enlightened me.  I could hardly wait to get home and sign up.

For example, do you see my grand baby’s new red “rock and sleep” in my office below?  I was gifted that from a sweet mom in my neighborhood who no longer needed it!  I literally picked it up this morning.

Now the only thing missing in this picture is a baby!  Lucky me — I am going to see her and my daughter tomorrow.

Can’t wait!

~ Monica XO

Idaho Highway 12 Road Trip via J5MM.com (14 of 14)

One of my favorite pics of hubby (and Oliver) ❤

my sweet hubby

  11 Responses to “Last Summer’s Road Trip Through Idaho”

  1. Beautiful… and you have me thinking about warmer days ahead. Our family of 3 is mere weeks away from starting life as full timers in our 30′ Airstream!! Blog launch and fun recipes from my kitchen TBA. So excited, but sad to leave my awesome job as a physician assistant in Neurosurgery behind for a few years. So, want to let you know that I wish you and your DH the best with his upcoming procedure. Here’s to less broken bones, and life in the fast(er) lane;)

    • Mere weeks! Eeeeee!! I am so very excited for you and in a 30 footer nonetheless. Congratulations :) You will have to keep me posted on your blog launch so I can follow your adventures and hopefully those adventures and ours will cross paths. Now that would be something. Thanks for your kind words about my hubby, I will pass them along to him. We are really looking forward to our future XO

  2. So glad your hubby is doing better! Sounds like you stay very busy:) thank you for sharing your life and your incredible talent with us!

    • We are glad to he’s doing better too, thank you!! Oh and we are really looking forward to our future now since it just seems so much brighter :) XO

  3. Dear Monica, you always have such wonderful blogs! This one is no exception, so personal. Your family deserves to have wonderful outcomes and I wish the best for all of you. It is good to see an upfront picture of your boys! I remember B a lot smaller when I started reading your blog. Time does go quickly and now a grandchild! Looking forward to more of your trip and love the open face sandwich!

    • I figured it wasn’t fair to hubby to NOT mention what has been happening with him, since this space documents so much of how we live. He’s such a good soul I tell you, really just goes with the flow and never really lets anything get him down. I really admire him for that since I am rather the opposite lol We are a good balance for one another. As for B, it’s hard for me to believe how small he was when I first started this space — time is going by too fast, but one thing is for sure, I’m glad you have been here reading along. Means a lot to me and I hope to meet you one day! XOXO

  4. Oh wow, what a scary story. I do hope the DBS goes well, that’s so awesome he’s eligible for it.
    I have been a RN working in hospitals for many years and I’ve seen just about everything several times. But when my own husband had a seizure, all I could do was stare at him and scream. And I could not figure out how to call 911, a passerby called for me.
    On a lighter note, Idaho is indeed gorgeous. I had no idea, I thought of it as a way to get from WA to Montana. What a lovely surprise that was.
    Your pictures are just so beautiful. We just bought a class c RV, I know almost nothing about it all, but I’m so anxious to get out on the road. You have inspired me to really make it nicely furnished. It’s slowly becoming my little doll house!

    • I’m sorry to hear about your hubby and I understand completely how you must have felt. I’m so sorry and hope he is well! Even though you have been an RN and have seen it all, this was your dear hubby so it’s no wonder you reacted how you did. On a brighter note, congratulations on your class C! I was the same way as you, I knew nothing about RVing but as time went on, I learned via trial and error and I tell ya, I would not travel any other way. As a matter of fact, I visited Montana a couple years ago via PLANE and the flight departure times became so delayed that as I sat in the airport I thought, “Heck! I could be home by now had I traveled with my Airstream.” That’s when I decided, unless we decide to travel overseas — the Airstream is our first choice of transportation in the USA lol Please keep me in touch, would love see pics of your doll house! HUGS to you XOXO and I am sending safe and happy travel wishes your way ♥

  5. Best wishes to your entire family and I hope all goes well with the surgery. I will keep him in my thoughts. You have a lot on your plate and a granddaughter as well. All the while, your son is growing up so fast like they all do. I look back at my blog and at Jack in particular and cannot believe how mature he is becoming. We are already looking at colleges and working on AP courses. Enjoy middle school because it gets crazy real fast. That is especially true when they are looking at elite universities. Brace yourself for the cost and the competition. The pluses and minuses matter for the GPA. An A- becomes a failure. Crazy. I was just thinking of you as I have to go to Sandusky for a conference for the next few days. The kids are going to Cedar Point and I hope to join them in the evening. I just want to go back to Grayton Beach and stay in the Airstream for another week. It was heaven. Best wishes

    • Oh my , I just saw this sweet comment of yours last night. Forgive me! Thank you for the heads up on what’s ahead for me regarding B and school. I actually had a conversation with B at the dinner table last night and told him about the pluses and minuses and how they count. You should have seen the expression on his face. GOOD TO KNOW. Also, you gave me goosebumps about visiting Sandusky/Cedar Point. I have the sweetest summer memories from that little town. When I first got my drivers license I remember, driving to Cedar Point was one of my first “long distance,” trips. I miss Ohio terribly I must say. I’m going to have to sit down and catch up on your blog — thank you for being here. You know I always love reading your comments to me, they make me smile. Hugs to Melizza and the kids XO

  6. Will you be writing up your itinerary and any recommendations on the highway 12 trip in Idaho for someone to follow in your footsteps in a one week camping/hiking trip like you did? Thanks so much.

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