roadtrip, anyone?

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I have too many anniversary stories to do just one a day, so here's another: For those that might have taken the time to do the math, we actually got married on a Thursday. Why? Well, that in and of itself is today's story...

Prior to meeting Mary, I had gone to school for a couple years at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and had some very good friends there. One of the coolest places I had ever been was the nearby Iron Springs Chateau - it was th...is wonderful melodrama dinner theater where the wait and show staff were local college-age kids. The evening began with a family-style dinner with the melodrama immediately following, and then a vaudeville olio full of foot-stomping, sing-along song, dance and comedy routines throughout the evening.

Anyway, Mary & I decided that a roadtrip would be a good honeymoon (that's a theme throughout the past 25 years, for those who know us well!), and we chose to drive to Colorado first to meet up with some old friends and go to the Chateau, as well as see the Academy & where I had lived for a couple years, Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods, etc, and then head up to Yellowstone National Park for some sight-seeing and a little camping before heading back to the 'real world'. Some of my buddies from college wanted a chance to meet this girl who had captured my heart so quickly upon my return to the northwest.

So back to why get married on a Thursday: You see, between the Iron Springs Chateau's hours and my friends' schedules, we could only get reservations for a Saturday evening. We figured it would take us the better part of two days to drive there, so thus a Thursday wedding. Very few of our relatives understood... Thus, we got married on a Thursday afternoon, and drove 65 miles to the 'metropolis' of Pendleton to stay at a nice hotel for our wedding night, and then hit the road the next morning.

One might think that driving 1000 miles the day after your wedding is a bit crazy - and you'd be right - but we were glad we did, since on Saturday we hit a paving project in the pass going through the Rockies that cost us several hours (although we had a nice picnic lunch on the hood of our car while waiting), and barely made it down to the Chateau in time! However, a great time was had by all once we did make it, and our honeymoon trip was the first of many, many travels Mary & I have shared over 25 years - and I wouldn't trade any of them for the world!