Originally, our return trip was going to be just that, a return trip. Then, when my parents entered into the itinerary, I thought it would be awesome to include a visit to my brother in Boulder. When asked what they would most like to see out west, Sam responded with The Grand Canyon, Chloe wanted to see the Redwood Forest. I told them both were out of the way and out of the question. My dad, however, started trying to work it in. Chris pushed for it as well, and convinced me that it could work. So, we never made a final decision.
I was giddy when my mom and dad arrived at the Seattle campground. I am always excited to see them, and this time the excitement was exponentially higher, being on the brink of adventure.
As they settled in, we all discussed our route options. We could:
A. Head to Mt. Rainier, Hell's Canyon, Dinosaur National Monument, and over to Boulder and Chris & Anna. This would give us more of an opportunity to explore and actually camp instead of just crashing for the night as we had been.
Or..
B. Do the big loop. Redwoods, Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon...
We unanimously decided the shorter, more direct way would be fine.
At breakfast the next morning,
my dad pulled each of us aside and asked if we secretly wished to be doing the big loop.
I have no idea how anyone else answered the question, but something (possibly his own wanderlust) led him to believe that we might regret playing it safe. As we climbed into Carlos, I saw the kid in my dad when he leaned over to me with an impish grin and a sparkle in his eye and said, "Let's do it!"
I couldn't get the maps out fast enough.
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