Burnout setting in?

Or am I just depressed because the y button on my laptop just went caput on me....now what? my short-lived blogging career halted overnight?!  So we're back in CO and I've received a real tongue lashing for not posting anything about the race early enough.  This is tough work, there is really an ethical principal that we must uphold if we put ourselves out there.  Yesterday was our longest driving day yet.  Boise to Fort Collins. That would be 751 miles.  We didn't leave until about 10AM, and we stopped once for dinner/lunch and various rest areas, gas stations.  The entirety of a corner of Idaho, a corner of Utah,

and practically the whole width of Wyoming,

then down to Colorado.  Phew!!!!  I'm starting to get a little tired of driving, but really, I feel sort of sad that I'm going to leave all of these beautiful vast open spaces behind.  I'm trying to soak up the scenery before returning to IL, but really, that's a challenge.

I like the nothingness of driving and driving and thinking and thinking and listening to music.  Ashby was busy, playing with Barbies, reading, looking out the window, talking to her new bear,

flower

talking to me, and on.  She didn't sleep until about 9:00PM.  There was a gentleman who we met who was riding his slick yellow bike from Boise to CO Springs.

He wanted to give Ashby a green bear.  Sure, why not?  She instantly fell in love with it, and what do I care, one more object?

We finally pulled into Rock Springs after about a million hours of driving.  Time for dinner/lunch, whatever.  I needed to stop moving and it's always good to feed a child something besides gatorade, and caramels.   At the gas station, we noticed, of course, the closed down, ubiquitous:

photos by Ashby

Given the fact that we were in Wyoming, listening to David Sedaris (here's another bad parent award, which I will jointly accept blame with peter, because he GAVE me the book on tape).  So there we are listening to Sedaris and the first sit down joint we see is called Thad's.  I'm about to insist we eat there on principal alone, but the Taco Time sign down the road beckons (faster, easier, and, well, they give out TOYS).  We pull into the parking lot (of the brand new taco time) and what do we see?  Lo and Behold a Real Mexican restaurant.  It took a little twist of the arm, but Ashby finally agreed that toys aren't all that important.  As soon as we walked in and she realized she could watch a telenovela, well, deal done.  Great meal, fabulous wonderful service from the sweetest guy in Wyoming (that I know).

yeah, yeah, but it's made with Real Sugar

"but i look horrible in pictures!"

girl knows how to eat a proper taco