adventures with the in-laws

As I held Wow’s head against the back of his car seat to avoid it jerking forward every time my FIL hit what seemed like an unending series of deep holes on this unpaved, unmarked, interminable “road” to only-god-knows-where, I was reminded again of how different family vacations are with my in-laws. We had to roll the windows up to avoid being hit in the face with twigs from the overgrown foliage that lined the path that purportedly led to the island’s most pristine beach.

Growing up, my family spent 99% of vacations at the Oregon coast, central Oregon, visiting my dad’s extended family in Rhode Island, or visiting my mom’s family wherever they happened to be living.  Everyone was responsible for his or her own reading material and there was usually an athletic activity available. If it was just the four us, the day would typically feature both an early afternoon and post dinner trip to the candy store, taffy shop, or ice cream parlor.

In contrast, LD’s family once road tripped in a Geo Metro from their home in northern New Mexico to Playa de Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula. It might also be mentioned that my FIL, at 5’10, is the shortest of the four-member family. And that the Geo didn’t have air conditioning. They took only local roads (i.e. no toll roads), ate in local eateries, and avoided the typical "tourist traps" along the way.

They are, simply put, a family who craves adventure. And although I am fortunate to have been included in some of their travels, I was a bit worried about the current situation – specifically that we were going to get a flat tire and become stranded with no decent map or phone service in a rural area of an already sparsely populated island.  When I asked FIL if he thought there was a spare tire in the somewhat beat up rental car, he replied “probably”. This is interesting because it is the exact same answer he gave when I asked, on Easter Sunday night while driving on the reserve tank and unable to find an open gas station, if he thought we could make it home. And we did.

But with both my babies in the car, it wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. I mentally calculated how many glasses of wine I would need to unwind should we eventually make it back.

The beach was beautiful and there was great snorkeling to be had in the reef just offshore.  MIL and Munch built a princess castle decorated with pink seashells. While snorkeling, I had the absolute bejesus scared out of me by a huge lobster that seemed to appear from nowhere. LD caught (and later released) a blue-eyed hermit crab he wanted to show Munch. 

And we made it home in one piece (as did the rental car).

A many thanks, MIL and FIL, for all the memories, especially those that required a little wine.