
I was working on my regular writing when Hunter got up around 9:30. We got through our morning routine, got the hubster up and started the packing job.
I have to tell you… I have become a master of the quick pack. When I go from city to city working this job, I know exactly what I’m carrying with me. I can pack down the computer, get everything into my small rolling back and be out of a room in five minutes flat. I’ve always added another 10 minutes to get Paul up and out. For a toddler, though -- let’s try an additional hour. If not two!
Part of that is my need to be organized. That means separating out all the clothes -- the clean ones, the dirty ones and the ones worn once that aren’t so dirty. The really dirty ones are easiest to figure out -- those go in the laundry bag, and they’ll stay in the car when we go to the next hotel. The clean ones are carefully repacked, the others on top. There’s a sock check, to make sure every sock is retrieved, even if it’s wrapped in a sheet or duvet. There’s a swimsuit check, too -- I’ve left far too many swimsuits over the years on the back of hotel bathroom doors.
There was getting all the materials together for my research. There were all of Hunter’s toys to scoop up. There was getting the ice chest packed with ice and the contents of the refrigerator, packing the dry stuff, putting up the computer and packing up Hunter’s potty. There was making sure our stuff for Schlitterbahn was packed separately -- towels, clothes to change in afterwards (we all wore our suits over there), camera, sunscreen, snacks and pool shoes.
And then there was getting a cart, packing it and taking it downstairs. I estimate it took us just over an hour to complete all of that. That number startled me. It took us about 30 minutes to pack up after our one night at the Livingston, TX Holiday Inn Express (a very nice property with nice people, btw) so I hadn’t expected the delay.
And then there was the small matter of acquiring a snack that wouldn’t fill us up too much but would satisfy our hunger. After all, I’d had my breakfast of fresh fruit and cheese at 6 a.m.; Hunter had her yogurt and banana at 9:45 and Paul hadn’t eaten at all. In the end, with the car already packed, we drove into town and hit the drive-thru at Whataburger (not to be confused with Feltner’s Whatta-Burger) and then drove back.

Now, while I’m at it, I need to mention something to you. We had our deal in hand when we went up to the Guest Office and got our wristbands. But I did see the rates on a day at the waterpark. It’s about $45 if you just walk up and pay and go in -- $63ish if you go online and get admission and a souvenir cup and towel.
Let me say this: If that’s what you pay, you’re not paying attention. There are deals everywhere. You can get a package deal if you’re staying at the Moody Gardens Hotel. I bet you can get deals at other area hotels too. Online it’s $2 less for admisssion. If you decide to go later in the day, you can get in a lot cheaper -- for about $34. Just do an online search for “Schlitterbahn Galveston Deals” and you’ll have all sorts of possibilities. There you go.


Now, there aren’t a lot of photos from here on, since I didn’t have a waterproof case for my camera and frankly, who carries a camera in a waterpark, anyway?

We found the kids area first, and got Hunter accustomed to the idea of being in the water. Paul and I were both nervous Hunter would balk at the water, after her experience at the beach a few days ago. Not to fear -- she saw all those kids roaming everywhere and jumped right in, running up to the top of the pirate ship and staying there… not sliding down, not climbing down but just playing on the top of the amusement, just out of reach.
We did talk her into going with us to the lazy river, and I’m glad we did -- because I think that’s what we liked the most. We started off by boarding tubes at the Torrent River beach. Schlitterbahn offers these two-seater tubes along with the one-seaters, and we found one that was marked “Child Safety Seat.” This one had been adapted with the addition of a plastic bit across the second hole -- a great place for a child to sit. Paul helped me get Hunter into it, then he boarded a single tube and we all set off down the stream.

I was apprehensive about taking Hunter on the rapids, but she’d been hollering “faster!” for some time, so I wrapped my feet around her and instructed her to hold onto the handles. And she did. And she loved it -- so much we went around the whole Whitewater River course twice in a row. We would have gone a third time but I was concerned about Hunter and I getting sunburned. We’re both very fair, so it’s a concern.

The Wasserfest area of the park, as it turns out, becomes the winter version of the park. During the colder months, a selection of screens and windows and plastic windows are put in place to hold in heating. It’s a neat and novel concept. Rates are lower in the winter, since you don’t get as many attractions, but it’s still pretty awesome.

Paul and I wore down quick. After four hours at the park we were both toast, but Hunter was still going. It took a lot of talking and a promise to let her take a dip in the next hotel pool to get her to come out of the water and get changed.
The only complaint I had about the Schlitterbahn Waterpark were the changing area/bathrooms. They were hot. So hot, in fact, that I had to change me and Hunter in stages. I know, it’s hot outside and maybe the idea was to keep people comfortable, but boy wouldn’t a fan or two have made things better!
By the time we got Hunter in her sundress and out of her swimsuit she was starting to show a little drain, too. We slowly made our way back to the van, where I pulled cold beverages out of the cooler and passed them around. Hunter was asleep before we got on I-45 -- I suspect she was asleep before we left the whole Moody Gardens compound.
That was a long trip - the one from the waterpark into Houston to where we were staying. Those 48 miles felt like six marathons. We were all beat!

And our room. Wow. Another neat room. The Embassy Suites Downtown Houston is a new property, LEED certified and just nifty as all heck. Our room consisted of a living area with a desk and an L-shaped couch, flat screen TV and a couple of very strange tables. There was a little kitchen area with a half-sized refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker, a huge bathroom with vanity and walk-in shower and a bedroom with a huge king-sized bed.
That description really doesn’t cover it, though.. It’s just neat. Neat neat neat. The doors are painted with that hard shellac sort of yellow paint that will never need to be touched up. There are great design elements everywhere -- beautiful Millenium Eco designs featuring reflections of plant life. There was this fabulous mirror with a modern Celtic knot design over it.
And then there was “Punchy.” Hunter walked through the room with me when I was taking my photographs. She thought the couch was neat and the sink in the kitchenette was cool, but what she most took a shine to was a little decorative plant. She named it Punchy and started carrying it with her everywhere around the suite. I was concerned there would be an issue with parting with the plant when it came time to leave.






Still, I had to suck it up and get some coffee the next morning for the trip to the Space Center.
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