Wilson riding a duck at the playground in Capitol Reef.
Last Sunday I was wandering the isles of the “general store” outside of Capitol Reef National Park. We had no more fresh vegetables or fruit in the RV. Despite checking Yelp and TripAdvisor I had come up empty handed other than this general store for groceries. I grabbed some limp asparagus and asked the owner when new produce arrived. “Maybe every Tuesday?” That was his response. MMMMK. I knew there had to be something else close by. Despite what Google told me.
You know who knows stuff? You know who knows stuff better than Google? Playground moms! The next day we took the kids to the playground in town and sure enough a super chatty playground mom showed up. She saved the day. She shared that, two towns and 15 minutes over was a real grocery store. I could have kissed her. Fresh steamed broccoli for all! AND APPLES FOR SNACK TIME!
No more treats for you Jane Louise! Its fruit and veggies here on out!
This isn’t the only time a playground mom has “saved our lives”. Ok, maybe I’m being a little (a lot) dramatic but seriously, when you’re seemingly in the middle of no where, or at least the desert, you just need things.
When we were in Joshua tree the kids were a little over the park on the last day or two. We took them to a playground where I struck up a conversation with a playground mom and she gave me a list of story times, kids nature programs, and an adorable little Wild West town that we could take the kids to and let them run around. We took them there right from the playground and they had a ball! None of her suggestions were in my Google search or on Trip Advisor. Again, all the praise hands for the playground moms!
“Mama, HANG!”
So, my advice? Almost every town has a playground. If you’re traveling and need something, take the kids there. They get to play and if you’re lucky, your personal travel agent will stroll up and give you all the inside scoop for your time in town. Its a win/win!
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