If you are a long-time reader of this blog, you may remember that for Merrick's 13th birthday we took a family trip to Silverwood. Well, that seems to have become somewhat of a tradition, as we just headed to Silverwood to celebrate C.C.'s 13th birthday. It was all planned and should have been perfect as the kids had Friday and Monday off of school so we could spend 2 days at Silverwood and they wouldn't miss any school. Unfortunately, plans went a little sideways. 3 days before we were supposed to leave, Merrick got diagnosed with mono. As a precaution, we were given a long list of prohibited activities. High intensity roller coasters were on that list.
When Merrick got diagnosed, we debated canceling the trip. We didn't know what, if anything he would feel up to doing. He wouldn't be able to ride rollercoasters and he is our biggest rollercoaster fan. We ultimately decided that in addition to the trip being non-refundable, it was not fair to C.C. to cancel. If Merrick was too sick to do anything, he could lay in the Airbnb as easily as he could lay at home, so the trip was still on.
Friday, we loaded up early and headed out. Merrick was definitely struggling, but he put on a mask and we hit the road. We made it to Coeur d'Alene early in the day. We started with stop at Walmart to get some groceries and a swimsuit for Jeremy, since he came without one, and then made our way to the lake.
Merrick had very little energy so we tried not to hike too far, just get to the water and sit. The water was so cold, but that didn't stop us from wading in a little. It may have been chilly, but the views were definitely worth it.
That night, we had a fire in the firepit and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for s'mores. We then got into the hot tub to cap off the night. It was a fun evening, but Merrick was wiped and we all went to bed pretty early. The saving grace for us on this trip was that Silverwood was only open from 11-7. That meant that we could let Merrick sleep in as long as he wanted each morning and get him to bed early each night.
Saturday, we headed to Silverwood for day 1. It was unquestionably a different day for Merrick then he would have preferred. He spent a lot of time sitting and was unable to go on most of his favorite rides. We still made the most of it and had fun. I was just glad we made it through the day.
Sunday, Merrick was tired, but said he wanted to still go to the park. By day two, we had it well dialed in what we could and couldn't do and what everyone's favorites were. As the day progressed, Merrick seemed to have more energy. The biggest negative of the day was that C.C. and I were both having really bad allergies and we each had an eye that would not stop watering. We did receive a blessing from heaven when a lady walked by, noticed C.C. was struggling, and gave her a pair of new sunglasses to help.
Monday, it was time to head home. We first went back to the lake, hiked a bit more, and walked around. Elsie was also set on feeding the ducks. Merrick was definitely pushing his limits and he was happy when we got back to the car and he had hours of sitting ahead of him. In the end, he had more hours of sitting ahead than he bargained for. There was construction just before Cascade Locks and we were down to one lane. We ended up sitting in traffic for an extra hour.
It was a different trip than we had planned, but I think we all still had a good time. I wish I could say that we will have a redo when Elsie turns 13, but Merrick will likely be out of the house by then (insert crying emoji here). I guess only time will tell how and when we make it back to Silverwood again.
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