Vacation Part 2: Forth of July and the Police Man

The second half of our vacation Daniel and I visited with my family in Idaho.  On our first day my Mom took me shopping for clothes as a birthday present. (It is hard to pick out clothes when there isn't anyone in the dressing room with you to see the clothes!) Then later we ended up getting to spend some time with my niece and nephews (along with their parents Jay and Amber). at the Lava Hot Springs pool. It was pretty fun to get in the pool for the first time in over a year. (I know, it is crazy, but we haven't gotten to the pool in Austin yet.) We also got to eat some yummy pizza and treats as well.

Then we got to spend some time with my sister Cortney and her husband Kyle. They first made us lasagna, and we got to see their apartment. Then, afterwards, we all went to Shoshone Falls for family pictures. Daniel had never been before. Fortunately the falls were coming over pretty strongly. We even let the photographer try and decide between us for who was the child and who was the in-law. After some subtle finger pointing she figured out who was who!

We ended up attending the annual Raft River Fourth of July community party which, as always, was lots of fun. The food was delicious. It was also really fun to see the people from the ward again! The fireworks show was exciting as always, and Dad was selected to help put music to the show to make the fireworks even more exciting! (He did a really great job, and it didn't even take too long him to put away the equipment after the show was over which was a nice bonus.)

During or first day of driving we were amazed to see that gas prices had actually gone down since we had left home! What a blessing! After our first day of driving our return trip, Daniel and I stopped at the hotel we had picked out. We had decided to try out Travelocity's "Secret Hotel" program. If you don't know about the program this is the low down. Travelocity tells you about various hotels in the area you are planning on staying in. You know basic information about the hotel: the general location, the amenities, and even a simple 1-5 customer rating. The secret of the hotel is not revealed until you have order your non-refundable stay. Sometimes it is a way to get really good deals. (Though other times you just get an average deal.) This time, Daniel and I got a great deal! (We got our room for half price, and it is probably the nicest hotel we have ever gotten for ourselves.) We had a good time splashing in their small pool and relaxing their hot tub after a long day in the car.

On our last day of driving, I was driving along a little two lane highway in New Mexico. I had set my cruise control to the speed limit (which was 65) and even check that with our GPS unit's speed feature. I noticed that a police man had on his lights and was driving down the other side of the road (and appeared like he might be trying to U-turn) Figuring that the law was the same in New Mexico as the other states I had driven in, I decided my best course of action would be to pull to the side of the road. (Driving Rule: Always pull over for emergency vehicles). I was a little more sure about my decision because another car had also slowed down and pulled over on my side of the road in front of me. After being comfortably in the shoulder of the road, I noticed that the policeman had u-turned as predicted, but that he had pulled in behind me and was talking on his radio! The policeman then walked up to our car, I rolled down the window and he said, "So you know, you are being pulled over today for speeding. Going 84 miles per hour." I shook my head and said, "That can't be us. I was going 65!" Daniel also chimed in (he notes, perhaps against his better judgment) that the policeman was wrong, and we were not going 84 miles per hour! (Which was true, the fastest we had gone all day was 75 mph in a 75 mph zone.) The policeman looked at us, and then said, "Well then, get your butt back on the road!" I think the moral of the story is that "It isn't a real 3000 mile road trip unless you get pulled over at least once!"