The Buzzard Takes Over

Well, it's been a few days since "Dove" flew the coop with the kiddos in tow. I figure that if she is "Dove" then I must be "Buzzard". Thinking about them driving across the country this past weekend and seeing the sites this week has got me reminiscing about family vacations.

A couple years ago we took a two week family vacation to Colorado. When you start out on such an endeavor, you never know what will end up standing out as the "one unforgettable moment" of the trip. Over the two weeks, we spent wonderful time with relatives, hiked at the Black Canyon, stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast, bathed in hot springs, went horseback riding, rode the train between Durango and Silverton, toured the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings, walked aronud Aspen, and even did a little spelunking. All of this while surrounded by the magnificent Rocky Mountains.

But our "one unforgettable moment" didn't happen while we did any of the things mentioned above. In fact, it almost didn't happen at all. We almost left Glenwood Springs without taking the bike ride that would provide the "one unforgettable moment". It was supposed to be an easy ride where they truck you up river and you ride / coast on a path following the river back to town. The one warning they repeatedly gave was to be careful when riding next to the highway retaining wall. It seems that many people have caught their handlebar on the wall and lost control. In literature, they would have called that warning "foreshadowing". "Dove" was leading the pack and I was trailing to make sure we didn't lose anyone. All of a sudden I see Dove going over her handlebars and landing in the path. She ended up with a broken nose and thumb and several cuts and scrapes. At the time, it was stressful and a little scary, but it soon became the "highlight " of the trip. We even found the most charming emergency room.

Question of the Day: What "unforgettable moment" have you had on a vacation?