I decided to take the girls on a road trip west to visit their cousins in California. It all started out as a simple little wish that I have had for a few months now. I really thought the girls would enjoy a long road trip. All I have to say is, “Who wants to go for a ride?” and the girls are jumping up and down at the garage door. Like I said, I had been wanting to do this for a few months now. Well my lease on my car was coming up and in talking with Bill and Andrea, Rick’s brother and sister-in-law, they decided they would like it. After arranging all the details and buying a new car, I promise to blog about that at another time as well. I test drove the two same cars, a Porsche Cayenne and a Mercedes GL450 for a week straight. I think the sales people were not liking my indecision so much. I will go into the pros and cons when I can’t think of anything else to blog about. While I ended up buying a new Mercedes GL450, Rick and I were standing there waiting for them to detail it so I could take it home and we decided that Rick’s mother needed a new vehicle. She has been driving the same vehicle for the last 6 years. Yes, I know 6 years may not be long for some people who drive cars. Yes the little BMW she currently has drives great, but what the hell, we like to spoil our mothers. I mean hell, they had to put up with both of us for 32 years….ok Rick’s mom had to put up with him for a little longer….8 years but who is counting?

So after Rick now deciding he was going to make the caravan to California driving the new Mercedes E class car for his mom, I decided to recruit a few others for the adventure. I wouldn’t want to waist all the fun on just myself, so I convinced Josh and Annie to ride with me and my, over the road long haul father was more than excited to participate. Rick and the Dad took off earlier while I got the girls loaded up in the back of the SUV and made them comfortable with beds and blankets and chew toys. I felt like a proud father that was taking his kids across country to see their fathers old stomping ground, It really isn’t my stopping ground that would be the Mormon enclave of North Ogden that they had been to numerous times, so somehow this just seemed more exciting.

Finally after fueling up the car and setting out westward we were on our way. Annie had her IPOD hooked up and was mastering the DJ. Unfortunately for Annie, she had to sit in the back with the girls. I do not know what Rick fed then, I am sure it was all his fault somehow, but you would not believe what a nose hair shriveling smell a French Bulldog and a Boxer can manage to mix up together while confined in the back of a car. I had to give Annie the new citrus air freshener to dangle from her nose so she wouldn’t pass out back there.

I am sure if you are a follower of my blog you know that I love the color blue, I mean just look around at the design right.  Well I had the chance to see the most beautiful set of dancing blue lights follow me for a while right outside of Elko, Nevada. The not so beautiful part was that they were paired with a horrible set of dancing red lights. I just happened to be talking on the phone to the Hertz rental guy when I noticed the wonderful blue techno lights that seemed to rotate in perfect unison to the music of DJ Annie. I kept trying to tell the Hertz rental guy that I could not discuss the fact that he didn’t have an SUV for me to drive back to Utah in on Sunday and that all he had was a Chevrolet Cavalier. Finally I ended up hanging up on him and pulled over. Office Aranda was a very nice police officer, but he still wrote me a ticket for doing 85 in a 75 mile zone. Good thing I had taken my Xanax or the situation could have ended up very differently.

We finally made it to our destination for the day and stayed at the ever luxurious Atlantis Resort and Casino. We were excited that they allowed dogs until we found out the rooms that they allow dogs in are out at the back of the hotel and are reminiscent of a 1980’s Travel Lodge. The smokey glass mirrored walls, the giant floral pattern bedspread that hides any stain and the old square key, no fancy credit card looking device. I was hoping that if I just went into the casino had a few beers I wouldn’t remember what the room looked like and then soon it would be 5:00 in the morning and off to Manteca we would go. Josh and Rick did hit a small jackpot on a $25.00 dollar machine and won $3,500 so we called it a night and went to bed.

The last part of our road trip took up and over Donner Pass which I think is just a beautiful little drive. I love the whole Tahoe area and wouldn’t mind exploring around there some more at another time, but this was a mission of car deliver and cousin meeting so we continued on. We arrived in Manteca and Rick, Annie and Josh went and checked into the hotel down the street while my father and I went to Rick’s Mom and Dads house. Rick’s parents knew that I was coming with my father to bring the SUV for Andrea and Bill, they did not know about our other covert operation and that Rick, Josh and Annie were waiting around the corner to surprise her with a new car. We sat and talked with Chuck and Judy for a little while, Bill and Andrea came over with the girls and everything seemed to be normal. Judy stepped out to water some plants on the front porch and that was the signal, around the corner drove Rick in the new Mercedes with big red bows tied to it. Judy thought it was a quincinera procession and then it stopped in front of her house and out stepped Rick. She was excited and was all emotional that Rick had showed up. Then Rick handed her the set of keys and she went all wild woman on us. She was excited and it was even more exciting for us to see her so happy.

We all went out to Bill and Andrea’s house to see their new backyard and to play with the girls. The girls love hanging out with T-ko and Maddie. The girls put on a great lip-syncing concert for me of their favorite Miley Cyrus songs. I love those girls and wish they lived closer so we could spend more time with them. Bill and Andrea’s house is looking great, they terraced the back yard and added two gazebos, a pond and horse shoe games. Talk about a lot of fun for those weekend parties.

Since we tired and needed to get up early to head back to Utah in the morning we decided to call it a night. Luckily Chuck and Judy let the girls sleep at their house so we didn’t have to sleep at the 1980’s travel lodge again. Maddie ended up in bed with Grandma and Grandpa and Chuck got the ever famous Maddie wake up call of her licking his face. Hertz had gotten us a small SUV to drive back to Utah and we were on our way. The girls slept the whole way home, T-ko sprawled in the back and Maddie snuggled in my arms. I think the girls enjoyed their Road Trip, I guess I will have to plan another one.