It’s late Sunday night and we’re on the way home. It was a full visit to the cabin, even though it was just a weekend. We had two and a half days and two nights, giving us a luxurious amount of time to sit on the deck, walk in the woods, soak in the hot tub and gaze at the stars.

The visit felt disorienting in a time-travel way–probably because our 5:30 AM departure time meant we were all still half asleep, making our arrival in a land far away feel like a dream. Our trip to Wyoming usually starts and ends with a two-day drive. This trip started and ended with a two-hour flight. It was so easy. It was a weekend getaway instead of an epic journey. It’s hard to believe we were really there.

This type of quick trip may become more common. When there were eight of us making the trip, flying and renting a car was too expensive. Now that there are fewer of us, new possibilities open up. We can be there and back in the time it would take us just to drive one way, so we can visit more often, to take care of the cabin and see our family.

I love the big trips to the cabin–a road trip, the car stuffed with kids and the dog and luggage and snacks. Those long, settle-in visits will still happen in the summertime for a while longer. This new way to have some cabin time has its own charm–it’s refreshing and invigorating-less preparation, less recovery time. It’s more like a spa visit than setting up housekeeping.

If only we could bring Tie.