"Mom, you said we're done driving"
It is 2pm, and we're turning right at Topeka and heading north. Topeka isn't on our scheduled route, but this abstract news item from the previous 3 months has revealed its relevance: the Missouri River is at record flood levels. The Interstate is closed, State Routes are closed, County Roads are closed... with a quick prayer of Google-Map thankfulness, we wind our way onwards.
It is 5pm, and we pull into Platte River State Park, somewhere near Lincoln. The temp gauge on the car read 105°F for the previous four hours, but surely it exaggerates. Besides, tonight is 'skip the A/C'd cabin and sleep like the natives night'... in a teepee, the teepee that Eliza and Garrett came just short of peeing themselves over. Unsure what to do, tired from the unexpected driving, and just-plain-hot, we send the kids to the pool while we mull it over. The kids swim until the pool closes, we feed them at the picnic table, swing by the bathhouse for a quick shower, and head north out of the park. It is 8pm, and the temp has dropped to 98°F.
"Mom, we're on the big road! Where's the teepee?"
Delay while we try and get further up the road ("Should we tell them?" "Might as well"). We're heading further north. Forget the fees we've paid; forget that we don't know where we're going; forget that the obvious roads are closed. We are driving north into the night and we'll figure it out when we get there.