There are always a few alter egos that pop up when you spend a lot of time with people, particularly when you are all trapped in tiny quarters.  We’ve discovered Stuart’s ability to capture the spot on voices for Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo Boo. Wilson is a mean match for Shrek as she shouts out “Donkey” and Parker has a nasally voice he created all his own.  We crack up every time these egos pop out.  The laughter it creates diffuses any tension in the car, whether from our long drives or from hunger pains (and the In and Out Burger stop before Yosemite campsite was added bonus to settle the cravings).    The biggest ego in the car that has emerged is hard to ignore. . . Sancho.  His mustache is fierce and he can channel the attitude to match. He has his own theme song, thanks to Sublime.

Laughter is the medicine for the soul and we’ve experienced more of it out here than we have anywhere. It may be because we are delirious or it may be because we have stripped a lot of the unnecessary out.  We are left with ourselves.  We have to figure out the nuances of moods and irritability.  We have to embrace the boredom.   At some point, all of our true selves rise up and it forces us to pay attention to the good, the bad. . . and the gross.  I’ve determined that more than 85% of our connection on this trip centers around potty talk, literally bodily functions, and it fuels the giggles of our 7 year old like no other.

This trip has been about going big.  Going big with voices or going big with the sights we have seen, we are taking in some of the grandest views nature has to offer.  From the biggest hole in the ground, to the hottest place on earth, to the largest living sequoia tree, we are living large together. Laughing hard. Eating plenty. Driving tons. It’s hard to grasp the size of what we are taking in and pictures don’t quite do the sights the justice they deserve.  We try to wrap ourselves around the base of one tree and we can’t even fit.  These trees are so massive and so old.  They say their rings tell their age and scientists have told us their stories. Touching one up close is a story all in itself. It’s a story of a family on a road together.