Weekend getaway

Cooped up between work and cold and wet weather, we spontaneously decided on a short road trip to Rocheport last weekend, to ride the Katy Trail along the Missouri River.  We had our usual Saturday pancake breakfast, then told Noah we had a surprise for him.   We packed a change of clothes, put all the bikes in  the van, and headed out, stopping to rent a new movie.  We had hoped it would keep the boys occupied on the way down, but Yogi Bear didn't seem to interest them any.

Elliot finally fell asleep right before we got to Rocheport, and since this would be his only opportunity to nap, I stayed in the car while Mandy and Noah stretched their legs at the Les Bourgeois Winery/Bistro that sits atop the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River.  Noah had energy to spare and had fun running up and down the steep hill.  After a short nap, E woke up and we walked over to the A-Frame, the original winery building.  This place had not changed a bit since I went to college there 25 years ago, and neither had the college kids, who were wearing the same Polo shirts and tailgaiting (with beer) outside the entrance.  I remember college being a bit early for my appreciation of wine too.

Elliot looked ready to beat anyone who tried to take his grape juice away.

Picnic lunch at Les Bourgeois' A-frame

We had a bread, sausage and cheese lunch atop the windy bluffs, then drove down to Rocheport itself and unloaded the bikes.  Mandy took off with Noah who predictably raced ahead.  Elliot and I took a little longer, although he wasn't exactly dawdling.  He is getting really good at his pedal-less bike, but seemed to think the entire trail belonged to him, careening from side to side without regard to the other traffic.  He occasionally scared me by going right up to the steep dropoffs that are on the river side of the trail.

Waiting on Dad

Of course he has to climb the bridge to see the river better.

Noah continued to burn energy like  a rocket, racing his bike against me and Mandy, back and forth. We finally turned around and headed back, a little worried he might burn himself out. Elliot was done by this time and we fortunately had the forsight to bring the CoPilot for him to ride in on the way back.  We played in a playground near the trailhead for awhile, then took a break for some ice cream.  After another round of play, we headed to our next "surprise".

E was willing to accept a lift home

Playing in the train park!

Noah has no fear of jumping off anything

 

Noah has been begging us to go to to a hotel for a few weeks - his idea of the perfect vacation.  Mandy found a last minute cheap deal in Columbia, and we headed there to stay the night.  As we pulled in, and told Noah we were at his next surprise, he couldn't believe it.  "Are we really staying at a hotel, Mommy!?!"  "WOW, this is the best day, EVER!"  He was so happy, you'd have thought we just told him we were going to Disney.
 
We checked in, changed into our swimsuits, and headed for the pool - one of the main reasons that Noah thinks hotels are so cool.  Elliot and Noah both loved it, and my shoulders were sore from catching them both as they jumped over and over.  Afterwards, we changed and headed out to eat dinner.  We hadn't gone very far, and Noah looked ready to pass out.  When Mandy asked him if he was tired, he said, "No, I'm just having trouble keeping my head up straight."  We turned around and headed to the Cracker Barrell by our hotel, and had a high-carb dinner. 

Air E.

Noah can get some distance on his jumps.

I walked back to the hotel with Noah, and we gave both boys a baths, figuring they would go down pretty easily.  As usual, we figured wrong.  One room, one bed and one pull-out couch was not enough room or quiet for them to go down easily or together. We finally split up, and Mandy laid down with E on the bed and I laid with Noah. When they were both asleep, we put Elliot on the couch with Noah.   Mandy and I were  both so tired from the previous couple of days, we decided to go ahead and go to bed.

Passed out. Finally.

I couldn't sleep very well, so I finally got up around 3:00 AM, got a cup of coffee and went for a drive around Columbia.  It had been quite a while since I had been here, and it was a pleasant stroll down memory lane, sparking memories I hadn't thought of in years.  I went through the campus, by a couple of past apartments, my old dorm and the fraternity house I stayed in for a few years, and by a few other memorable places.  Maybe someday, I'll write down a few of those memories before they escape me completely.  I had quite a bit of fun in this town.

I came back around 5:30, and the boys were already up.  We went for breakfast and coffee, then Mandy took the boys swimming again.  We finally got packed up, checked out and headed to Stephens Lake park to let the boys play some more before we went back to KC.  It was a great park, especially for climbing rocks, but it was a cool morning, and we didn't stick around too long.  After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed home. 

Noah DiCaprio yelling, "I'm the king of the world!"

Well, hey there.

As we were leaving, we passed a firetruck and ambulance attending to someone who was lying down on the sidewalk.  As I pointed it out to Mandy, Noah complained that he couldn't see, and as we passed by, we just ignored him thinking it was probably best he didn't see it anyway.  A few minutes later, out of nowhere he said, "I didn't get to see the guy lying down, dead."  I said,  "He's not dead, he's just sick."  Noah said, "Oh, I figured since he wasnt moving he was dead."  For some reason, just the nonchalant way he said it made Mandy and me laugh, and wonder where in the world he comes up with this stuff.

The boys were both asleep a few minutes after we hit the highway, and in a bit of good luck, slept the entire way home. It was a good little getaway.

Best passengers ever.