Great Wolf Lodge

The drive to Great Wolf Lodge in North Carolina was about eight hours long. Grant and Jackson were cherubic movie-watchers, and Elizabeth was happy as long as she had a mirror to look at. Mom and Dad Merritt met us at the parking lot, and we got settled the night of Wednesday, Aug. 4.

The next morning, I met Dad Merritt at the water park early. He was there as the president of PurePlay, a company that cleans and repairs water parks. While he assessed the slides and the 750-gallon dumping bucket, I snapped photos for Hailey to use in her new freelance designing job: marketing Pure Play through e-mail blasts to clients.

Then, it was time to unleash the boys. When you walk into the indoor water park, you see a wave pool in front, a kiddie play place to the right, and a three-story structure for older kids to the left. Every five minutes or so, a bell started to ring, and kids and parents alike crowded under the bucket. Some lay down, others closed their eyes and waited. Jackson was brave and took his turn under the downpour many times.

Grant and Jackson both enjoyed the kiddie pool. There were stationary jet skis that with squirting guns on top, spouting fountains and a lifeguard chair with a raccoon inside that oversaw a mini dumping station. Grant spent most of his time crawling in the shallow water, which made gashes and sores on the tops of his feet from the cement floor, and also going down the blue slide over and over again. Jackson joined him on the blue slide, but he wore a life jacket and rode down on his back with his hands behind his head eyes closed, in a maximum-chill pose. He also ended up with raw toes and had to be carried up to bed one night because his feet hurt. Of course, that didn't stop either one of them from racing back down the next morning.

Elizabeth sat toe-deep in water with Hailey and me or in Grandma's lap. She was most excited when she was tossed in the air repeatedly, essentially in the same motion she's used to from her jump-a-roo. She made a sour face when she got splashed, which was often, though we eventually found the key spots to sit out of reach of the jet skis and other spraying mechanisms that seemed to be everywhere.

The wave pool was less exciting for us than for some, probably, because we go to the ocean about once a week. But Jackson became quite a sailor on a two-man inner tube. We paddled out to the 5-foot area and let the waves wash us to shore. There were about a hundred people in the pool at any time, so we had to be careful not to crash into too many people.

Behind the wave pool were the attractions for older swimmers. And Jackson. He climbed the five flights of stairs over and over again and kept asking for more. Other than the Howlin' Tornado, which featured a small drop and was restricted to people 48 pounds or heavier, Jackson could go on three adult slides, and he was usually the smallest kid in line. But if he was nervous about going down any of the slides, he never showed it.

He had two favorites: Mat Racing and River Canyon Run. In Mat Racing, I usually carried blue mats, which were similar to tobaggons, up the stairs for both of us. Then, we went into blue or orange chutes and enjoyed about 20 seconds of adrenaline rush. Jackson said he tipped off his mat during one race but was able to scoot back on before the big drop at the end. Grandpa took him on the slide multiple times and always beat him. Jackson asked why and learned it was because Grandpa was bigger. So Jackson was sure to eat as much as he could at dinner to boost his speed. The next day, Jackson told me his speed had increased from 35 mph to about 72 on Mat Racing. He also had fun on River Canyon Run, which was slower-paced but still fun. The tube was about 8 feet in diameter and, for a stretch, was dark. Jackson raved about the black out section on the slide.

Outside the park, there was more to see. Another pool had four basketball hoops around the edge, and the water was only 3 feet deep, so Grant could stand on his toes and keep his neck out of the water. Jackson was totally focused and worked on his form until he eventually made four shots in a row.

Next to that pool was a mini golf course. Jackson and Grant survived the heat one day and sank some putts through 18 holes. By the end, Grant was dripping sweat down his cheeks, and his hair was all wet. We went back up to the hotel room and got ready for more time in the pool.

Mom and Dad Merritt left Friday afternoon, and we stayed until late morning on Saturday. It was a memorable vacation, full of lots of laughs, good food and chlorine. Everyone was worn out by bed time every night, including the adults. Elizabeth had another milestone, too, as she transitioned from scoot-scoot-flop to full crawling.

The ride home was another movie fest for the boys, and Hailey and I worked on the Part 2 summaries for On Cortez Road. After two stops at McDonald's, we arrived home at about 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7. Now, we have two more days of vacation until I have to go back to work.