Cause it was TORTURE!!!!
Okay, we are in the windsurfing capital of the world here in Hood River, Oregon and so, like any good tourist, we decided to give it a go. Now I ask you, what is fun about balancing on a little piece of styrofoam on water that would be considered Class V rapids, holding onto a massive plastic sail that clearly has a mind of it's own and weighs at least a thousand pounds that you are supposed to control in 50 mile an hour winds while sailing across the cove? And all this while still standing up! Hahaha. They don't have you put on a wet suit for nothing - cause you know - you do get a LITTLE WET!! You're in the water more than you're on the board (is that what we paid for?) - well, okay - some of us were in the water more. India was handling it like a pro in her neon pink wet suit and purple life jacket. She was doing swell (on the swells) - going back and forth across the water with ease. She pretty much put the rest of us to shame. Ezra seemed to handle himself pretty well too and had a lot of fun. Judah did okay too. Noah, Dad and me - um, not so much. Sometimes Gary seemed to really get it, then you'd look again and he'd be in the drink. Noah looked like a total surfing dude in his long, wet, windswept hair, but he too spent a little more time in the pond than on the board. I don't know why, but this absolutely terrified me. Just standing on the board not even moving, I was paralyzed with fear. I'm sorry, I just did not see the fun in this at all. It LOOKED fun, for those that were still standing and actually gliding back and forth like you were supposed to do. But it was so hard to control for me and I just gave up. Give me a raft on some white water any day.
What was really annoying to see was this really rad dude in just shorts and a tee shirt and designer sun glasses hop on his glow-in-the-dark orange board, and sail off without a care in the world. Over and back and over and back and then he just gently slides up onto the shore. I don't think he got his big toe wet - the show off. Don't these people have jobs? Oh wait - this was his job. He was just between lessons and decided to go for a ride. What a life - eh? Doing something so fun and getting paid for it. For me it wouldn't be windsurfing, of course, but I think being a riverrafting guide would be the bomb. What could be better than meeting a bunch of new people from all over the world every day, sitting on the back of an inflated raft, sailing down the river with the sun shinning down and the breeze blowing in your hair? Yeah, I could get paid to do that.
While I was on shore waiting for the rest of the family to finish, there were some professionals on the Columbia just cruising down the river with ease. See, we were in this little inlet that was 'protected' from the big gusts and not as windy. (Oh really??) You know, to practice in a safer area. (riiiight) And the real windsurfers were on the main part of the river and man, they were just flying - literally. We also saw some kite surfers - boards attached to these colorful kites that the wind just grabbed and screamed them across the water. Amazing to watch. After these guys were done surfing, they just stood on the beach and sailed their kites for fun. It was cool to see.
So, we've had our fill of water sports for a while. Well, actually, that's not true. After we got back, the boys still wanted to jump in the RV park pool. And me, well, I'd go rafting every day, as long as it was hot and sunny. Too bad the summer's winding down.
Anyone hear of the Pacific Crest Trail? It's a trail that goes from Canada all the way down to Mexico. It's quite popular and it actually passes through just a couple blocks from our RV Park. And today in the town we're in it's actually Pacific Crest Trail Day. Go figure. So there's all kinds of goings on here today. We may decide to hop on the trail just for a bit - just to say we did. But not today. Today we are resting after our two days of fun and hard work on the water. I can still hear Casey in my head yelling, "Forward paddle, please!" Even when he was hollering at us, he was still polite! But if I hear those dreaded windsurfing terms 'jibe' or 'tack' anytime soon - well - it will be way too soon for me!
Have a good weekend everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Hold on to your hats . . .
First of all, what day is this and where are we? Okay, I was told this was Thursday already. Wow. How time is flying.
We left Salt Lake City (one day) and landed in La Grande, Oregon. It's in the north eastern part of the state and it's pretty desolate out there. But we were nestled in behind a nice little row of pine-covered bluffs and it was so quiet and peaceful, it was a wonderful change from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The RV pool was in the shape of a perfect circle surrounded by ponds that were filled with lilly pads. It was quite serene. After a few days of nothing but school and work, we set out again. This time to the Columbia Gorge. Amazing. You are driving through this sliced-out area of the Cascade Mountains next to the Columbia River that seperates Oregon and Washington. There are little towns on either side and orchards that dot the landscape. Spectacular.
Today, we headed out to the Mother's Market, the local health food store, which sits next to a trailer that sells homemade Thai food, and a surf board shop. (do they really surf on the river?) We then drive an hour 1/2 south to a teeny tiny town called Maupin. Population 300. We're greeted by an Hawaiian guy (in Maupin, Oregon?) and one of the locals - a high school graduate who drove us to the top of the Deschutes River. Well, not the exact TOP, but top enough for the flow of this story. We don our life jackets, to which Ching (is that really an Hawaiian name?) tightened up so tightly I swore Ezra almost started to turn blue. Then we hop in our raft with our guide, Casey, the local football star. Ching went with the other family we rafted with, which remarkably enough also had 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl (what are the odds). They were from Redmond, Oregon. The day was hot and fairly calm. And the water was COLD but refreshing! We grabbed our paddles and headed out. Three hours later, drenched and tired from rowing, (and man did we row) we 'put in', as they say in rafting lingo. Super fantastic it was.
Now, you would think that racing down the river dodging boulders the size of Hippos, and paddling for dear life into a wall of raging water coming directly at your face, and being tossed into the air at breakneck speeds was terrifying. Not compared to the ride in the bus back to town, anyway. The bus driver, and I will testify to this, did not watch the road the entire time. No he did not. I really think that the bus drove itself back to town, cause that old guy wasn't doing anything that remotely resembled anything in the way of steering. And if he had turned the wheel one hundredth of an inch to the right, we would have gone right over the edge, down the rocky cliff and into the river. No, there were no guard rails and no shoulder to speak of. Even the white line that would indicate the lane had been erased due to erosion. In other words - part of the road was GONE! Fallen into the river below! And did I mention he wasn't obeying any speed limit signs, not that there were any - and maybe that's why he felt he didn't need to obey them as THEY WEREN'T THERE. And so, he went his own speed, which was faster than any of the rapids on the river. No, the white water rafting was exhilerating, physically taxing, thrilling, and even relaxing at times (there were times we just floated, which was soooo nice and calming), I don't think anyone was scared (well, okay, maybe India was a teeny tiny bit nervous at the beginning), but it was just fun. Really, really fun. No, it's the drive back to your vehicle that you are signing a death waver for. Trust me. THAT was terrifying.
Well, I guess most of you all are back to school, as we are as well. Schooling with four children in a 240 square foot RV gets a little challenging, but we make it work. Sort of. Whether any of us have any sanity left by the end of this trip, remains to be seen. But as long as the boys rotate their spots - One on my bed, one at the table, one on Noah's bed - or maybe one outside on the picnic table, or sometimes, two at the table, but that's when they are kind of getting along with each other, so you can guess how often that happens - and then they switch around every day. That is sort of working. India has been going to the library with Gary when he goes, if the connection at the RV park gets too slow for him to work. Otherwise, she sits in her little cubicle (her bed) and studys there. (Gary is wise enough to retreat to the suburban or outside on a lawn chair) So the rest of us are all just cozy like little bugs in a rug or peas in a pod! Right? Um, not so much. Maybe more like - RATS IN A CAGE!! AAAHHH!!! :)
Anyway, better hit the hay. Take care, everyone.
Blessings,
jill and all
We left Salt Lake City (one day) and landed in La Grande, Oregon. It's in the north eastern part of the state and it's pretty desolate out there. But we were nestled in behind a nice little row of pine-covered bluffs and it was so quiet and peaceful, it was a wonderful change from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The RV pool was in the shape of a perfect circle surrounded by ponds that were filled with lilly pads. It was quite serene. After a few days of nothing but school and work, we set out again. This time to the Columbia Gorge. Amazing. You are driving through this sliced-out area of the Cascade Mountains next to the Columbia River that seperates Oregon and Washington. There are little towns on either side and orchards that dot the landscape. Spectacular.
Today, we headed out to the Mother's Market, the local health food store, which sits next to a trailer that sells homemade Thai food, and a surf board shop. (do they really surf on the river?) We then drive an hour 1/2 south to a teeny tiny town called Maupin. Population 300. We're greeted by an Hawaiian guy (in Maupin, Oregon?) and one of the locals - a high school graduate who drove us to the top of the Deschutes River. Well, not the exact TOP, but top enough for the flow of this story. We don our life jackets, to which Ching (is that really an Hawaiian name?) tightened up so tightly I swore Ezra almost started to turn blue. Then we hop in our raft with our guide, Casey, the local football star. Ching went with the other family we rafted with, which remarkably enough also had 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl (what are the odds). They were from Redmond, Oregon. The day was hot and fairly calm. And the water was COLD but refreshing! We grabbed our paddles and headed out. Three hours later, drenched and tired from rowing, (and man did we row) we 'put in', as they say in rafting lingo. Super fantastic it was.
Now, you would think that racing down the river dodging boulders the size of Hippos, and paddling for dear life into a wall of raging water coming directly at your face, and being tossed into the air at breakneck speeds was terrifying. Not compared to the ride in the bus back to town, anyway. The bus driver, and I will testify to this, did not watch the road the entire time. No he did not. I really think that the bus drove itself back to town, cause that old guy wasn't doing anything that remotely resembled anything in the way of steering. And if he had turned the wheel one hundredth of an inch to the right, we would have gone right over the edge, down the rocky cliff and into the river. No, there were no guard rails and no shoulder to speak of. Even the white line that would indicate the lane had been erased due to erosion. In other words - part of the road was GONE! Fallen into the river below! And did I mention he wasn't obeying any speed limit signs, not that there were any - and maybe that's why he felt he didn't need to obey them as THEY WEREN'T THERE. And so, he went his own speed, which was faster than any of the rapids on the river. No, the white water rafting was exhilerating, physically taxing, thrilling, and even relaxing at times (there were times we just floated, which was soooo nice and calming), I don't think anyone was scared (well, okay, maybe India was a teeny tiny bit nervous at the beginning), but it was just fun. Really, really fun. No, it's the drive back to your vehicle that you are signing a death waver for. Trust me. THAT was terrifying.
Well, I guess most of you all are back to school, as we are as well. Schooling with four children in a 240 square foot RV gets a little challenging, but we make it work. Sort of. Whether any of us have any sanity left by the end of this trip, remains to be seen. But as long as the boys rotate their spots - One on my bed, one at the table, one on Noah's bed - or maybe one outside on the picnic table, or sometimes, two at the table, but that's when they are kind of getting along with each other, so you can guess how often that happens - and then they switch around every day. That is sort of working. India has been going to the library with Gary when he goes, if the connection at the RV park gets too slow for him to work. Otherwise, she sits in her little cubicle (her bed) and studys there. (Gary is wise enough to retreat to the suburban or outside on a lawn chair) So the rest of us are all just cozy like little bugs in a rug or peas in a pod! Right? Um, not so much. Maybe more like - RATS IN A CAGE!! AAAHHH!!! :)
Anyway, better hit the hay. Take care, everyone.
Blessings,
jill and all
Saturday, August 22, 2009
How far back can you go . . .
Well, it's an interesting place, Salt Lake City is. First of all, it seems like everything's free. All the museums and sites downtown are free and they will give tours for free too. Except for parking, unless you find a spot without a meter and good luck with that. Maybe that's how they pay for everything around here. But I must say, the people are so friendly it's mind-boggling. And yes, they all look and act just like Donny and Marie Osmond. Clean cut and happy.
We saw a few girls in wedding dresses one day, so I asked someone about it and we were told that last Saturday alone there were 70 weddings in the temple. In one day! Talk about your assembly line ceremonies. "I do. I do. You're done. NEXT!"
We toured the Visitor's Center, which wasn't your typical visitor's center, where you get brochures for all the local attractions, restaurants and events. (we never did find that one) No, this was all about the LDS church. But, it was so interesting. Really. There were beautiful paintings on the walls, displays of various happenings in the Bible, and of course, the skinny on Mormanism. We learned a lot. And one very cool thing was that they had a guide for every language group on the planet. You come in for a tour from Croatia, they'll have someone there to show you around that speaks Croatian. You from the Congo? Ukraine? Nepal? I swear they'd have someone there who'd speak the language and would give you a tour with a smile. This happened everywhere. Totally amazing. We have heard more foreign languages on this trip than I would imagine for still being in the United States. Really cool.
We drove out to the Great Salt Lake and everyone went -well - floating. Well, I didn't. I just had no desire to, but the rest did. There were bugs swarming everywhere, little shrimp swimming around, and the water stung the skin. But, it was really an incredible thing to just sit in the water, without any effort and just float there - I guess. You'll have to hear it from those who actually experienced it. Maybe India will tell the tale herself. I did wade in a bit though, and that was enough for me. It is true you do come out layered in salt. It's pretty strange. But there were showers, so no one ended up like Mrs. Lot.
We also went to this place where you can search for your ancestry. And again, it's free and there are tons of people that are there to help. Gary was able to go back to the early 1800's to Germany, and one of his ancestor's last name was Marx!! We are so hoping there's no relation to Karl. :) India was able to go back to 1500 on my dad's side!!! I was in shock. First of all, because I had always been told we knew nothing about our family history earlier than about 1860 and that we were 100 percent German. Well, come to find out - we're SWISS!!! There was about 200 years there where my relatives were born, married, lived and died in Switzerland. Then they moved to Germany for a short while, to Odessa Russia for an even shorter while and then to America. So all this time I have been saying I was a 'full-blooded German' I have to now admit there's a little more to the gene pool than I thought. And this is only on my dad's side. Who knows what one will find if they search all the wives of all these guys. It could shock your brain cells not to mention it would probably take weeks to try to look for it all. Hey, maybe then we'd find out where India got her red hair from!! Anyway, it was so fun to keep going back and back in time. 1500. Wow. MMM - Let's see. Switzerland. Land of the alps, Heidi, yodeling, Rolex watches, and - chocolate! Okay, I guess I can live with that.
We went to the Farmer's Market here and it was HUGE. I could really get used to buying fresh from the garden produce every week. And like any bigger city, there is so much in the way of culture, arts, and of course - FOOD. The restaurants have been fantastic. You know, I could like it in this area, except for the fact that the allergies have followed me here. Too bad, cause there is so much to see and do here, we feel like we've only scratched the surface. But, like all good toursits, we must be moving on. More to see, more to do. We're on to Idaho, land of the potato. Like people from Wisconsin are called 'cheese heads', what do they call people from Idaho - 'spud heads'?? Or just Mr. Potato Heads?
And with that lame joke, I better get to sleep. It's been a long, hot, 102 degree day. And so, I bid you - oh, how do you say good-bye in Switzerland? I've got a lot to learn . . .
Blessings,
jill and all
We saw a few girls in wedding dresses one day, so I asked someone about it and we were told that last Saturday alone there were 70 weddings in the temple. In one day! Talk about your assembly line ceremonies. "I do. I do. You're done. NEXT!"
We toured the Visitor's Center, which wasn't your typical visitor's center, where you get brochures for all the local attractions, restaurants and events. (we never did find that one) No, this was all about the LDS church. But, it was so interesting. Really. There were beautiful paintings on the walls, displays of various happenings in the Bible, and of course, the skinny on Mormanism. We learned a lot. And one very cool thing was that they had a guide for every language group on the planet. You come in for a tour from Croatia, they'll have someone there to show you around that speaks Croatian. You from the Congo? Ukraine? Nepal? I swear they'd have someone there who'd speak the language and would give you a tour with a smile. This happened everywhere. Totally amazing. We have heard more foreign languages on this trip than I would imagine for still being in the United States. Really cool.
We drove out to the Great Salt Lake and everyone went -well - floating. Well, I didn't. I just had no desire to, but the rest did. There were bugs swarming everywhere, little shrimp swimming around, and the water stung the skin. But, it was really an incredible thing to just sit in the water, without any effort and just float there - I guess. You'll have to hear it from those who actually experienced it. Maybe India will tell the tale herself. I did wade in a bit though, and that was enough for me. It is true you do come out layered in salt. It's pretty strange. But there were showers, so no one ended up like Mrs. Lot.
We also went to this place where you can search for your ancestry. And again, it's free and there are tons of people that are there to help. Gary was able to go back to the early 1800's to Germany, and one of his ancestor's last name was Marx!! We are so hoping there's no relation to Karl. :) India was able to go back to 1500 on my dad's side!!! I was in shock. First of all, because I had always been told we knew nothing about our family history earlier than about 1860 and that we were 100 percent German. Well, come to find out - we're SWISS!!! There was about 200 years there where my relatives were born, married, lived and died in Switzerland. Then they moved to Germany for a short while, to Odessa Russia for an even shorter while and then to America. So all this time I have been saying I was a 'full-blooded German' I have to now admit there's a little more to the gene pool than I thought. And this is only on my dad's side. Who knows what one will find if they search all the wives of all these guys. It could shock your brain cells not to mention it would probably take weeks to try to look for it all. Hey, maybe then we'd find out where India got her red hair from!! Anyway, it was so fun to keep going back and back in time. 1500. Wow. MMM - Let's see. Switzerland. Land of the alps, Heidi, yodeling, Rolex watches, and - chocolate! Okay, I guess I can live with that.
We went to the Farmer's Market here and it was HUGE. I could really get used to buying fresh from the garden produce every week. And like any bigger city, there is so much in the way of culture, arts, and of course - FOOD. The restaurants have been fantastic. You know, I could like it in this area, except for the fact that the allergies have followed me here. Too bad, cause there is so much to see and do here, we feel like we've only scratched the surface. But, like all good toursits, we must be moving on. More to see, more to do. We're on to Idaho, land of the potato. Like people from Wisconsin are called 'cheese heads', what do they call people from Idaho - 'spud heads'?? Or just Mr. Potato Heads?
And with that lame joke, I better get to sleep. It's been a long, hot, 102 degree day. And so, I bid you - oh, how do you say good-bye in Switzerland? I've got a lot to learn . . .
Blessings,
jill and all
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
It's hot . . .
Sometimes it's good to take the advice of a guy, sitting in the top of a luxury houseboat, that duals as the local visitor's center next to the Walmart, who's sipping a beer out of a wine glass, in 90 degree heat, giving out tourist information and free t-shirts with his company logo on them and ice cream bars to all who enter. Crazy things we've seen. Anyway, he suggested we take the road between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon to avoid the curvy-wurvy and vertical challenging roads. We took his advice, and we glad we did. Even thought we didn't see those two national landmarks, we just wanted to get through the area the quickest way possible. Because, we have now succumbed to the old addage, 'seen one national park/monument/forest/canyon - you've seen them all'. :) So, thanks Bill West of Lake Time shares - the houseboat was incredible by the way.
Well, we're in the land of the Mormons and you know - it's quiet nice here. Town surrounded by these tree-lined hills. Very clean. Easy to get around. And lots of very cool restaurants! It's very hot today - about 93 degrees and it's to get to 98 tomorrowand hotter the rest of the week. Whew. But it's the humidity - remember?!
Gary and India went to the library today - which is about as big as an average-sized town in South Dakota. It takes up an entire city block, has 5 stories just of books, and another story that includes a cafe, a nursery, and several little shops. Wow. No wonder it won 'Library of the Year'. You could get lost in there.
We are in a very nice, very new RV park now, and I have met several retired people from all over the country. It's funny - lots of them are looking for a different place to live and are just roaming around trying to find their perfect place. Some have sold their houses and bought this mansion on wheels for their home and they just go from place to place. And they say there's a recession. I do wonder - is it just 'the grass is always greener' syndrome or do we just get in a rut and want a change? Whatever, this park is filled with them - um - us. :) Ahhh - we are 'one of THOSE people'?!
We tried to go to the visitor's center, but as they are putting new tar on the road in front of the park that provides the only access in and out, so we are stuck here until they get at least the one lane done. Good thing there is a nice pool, a basketball hoop, and a good-sized playground to hang out in. Hopefully we'll get out sometime this afternoon, as we wanted to check out the area a bit.
We are planning to take a dip in the Great Salt Lake on Friday. I'm hoping they have showers like I've heard they do at the Dead Sea in Israel. Otherwise we'll come out looking like Lot's wife - all covered in salt!! AAAHHH!
Anyway, that's it for today. Pretty boring - as there was no big mishaps to report, thank God. (but the day is still young . . .)
(And thanks for the comments, Lisa B. At least someone feels our pain!!) hahaha
Blessings,
jill and all
Well, we're in the land of the Mormons and you know - it's quiet nice here. Town surrounded by these tree-lined hills. Very clean. Easy to get around. And lots of very cool restaurants! It's very hot today - about 93 degrees and it's to get to 98 tomorrowand hotter the rest of the week. Whew. But it's the humidity - remember?!
Gary and India went to the library today - which is about as big as an average-sized town in South Dakota. It takes up an entire city block, has 5 stories just of books, and another story that includes a cafe, a nursery, and several little shops. Wow. No wonder it won 'Library of the Year'. You could get lost in there.
We are in a very nice, very new RV park now, and I have met several retired people from all over the country. It's funny - lots of them are looking for a different place to live and are just roaming around trying to find their perfect place. Some have sold their houses and bought this mansion on wheels for their home and they just go from place to place. And they say there's a recession. I do wonder - is it just 'the grass is always greener' syndrome or do we just get in a rut and want a change? Whatever, this park is filled with them - um - us. :) Ahhh - we are 'one of THOSE people'?!
We tried to go to the visitor's center, but as they are putting new tar on the road in front of the park that provides the only access in and out, so we are stuck here until they get at least the one lane done. Good thing there is a nice pool, a basketball hoop, and a good-sized playground to hang out in. Hopefully we'll get out sometime this afternoon, as we wanted to check out the area a bit.
We are planning to take a dip in the Great Salt Lake on Friday. I'm hoping they have showers like I've heard they do at the Dead Sea in Israel. Otherwise we'll come out looking like Lot's wife - all covered in salt!! AAAHHH!
Anyway, that's it for today. Pretty boring - as there was no big mishaps to report, thank God. (but the day is still young . . .)
(And thanks for the comments, Lisa B. At least someone feels our pain!!) hahaha
Blessings,
jill and all
Monday, August 17, 2009
Beyond belief . . .
Well, it's Monday and we are in a little po-dunk (but nice) town in the southern part of Utah. We are very glad to be here - safe and sound. Are you ready for the latest? Yesterday, we hopped in the suburban, left Durango, CO and made our way to the Grand Canyon. It was a trecherous drive AGAIN (what is with this area anyway?! Have they never heard of straight roads??!) and we stopped for gas and noticed that we had water leaking out from underneath the RV. MMM. Well, it happened to be a severe break in the fresh water tank (probably because we drove over a forgotten soccer ball as we left the last RV park) and so all the water was dripping out as we drove. Great. But, not crucial, and since there was nothing we could do, so we just kept going. We figured we would have to try to repair it when we got to civilization. Because at this point, I can tell you, we were not anywhere NEAR civiliazation!! We did see a ton of 'beware of roaming cattle' signs as we went along, but for the life of me I can not fathom how any living creature could survive on red dust, rocks and sage brush. I mean - it was BARREN. For MILES. You could just see the covered wagons in your mind as they crossed this place back in 1860, and my thought was, no wonder no one was smiling in all those old black and white pictures there are of the pioneers. Pretty tough area, this is, I have to say.
Anyway, we get to the first lookout in the Grand Canyon and we were awed, of course. One thing that Gary was surprised at was that the crevice itself was filled with huge rocky land masses that spanned up and down the entire canyon. One would assume that it would be flat land, a deep chasm with the river flowing through it, and then the steep canyon wall on the other side. No, it isn't like that. You can see the river in some places, but it's view is obscured by all the land that seemed to just burst up from the valley floor. Incredible. And the colors were more than beautiful and the overall view - well - magnificent. We took hundreds of pictures and after oo-ing and ah-ing hunderds of times, we decided to head for the campground. We got within 10 miles of it, and believe it or not - I know - you are just waiting for it aren't you -what else could possibly happen to these guys anyways? Right????? Well - wait no longer!!! A tire blew on the RV! Can you believe it? Oh, come on. Yes, you can. Given our track record, this is pretty much expected of us by now - no??!!
Well, we pulled over into a little wooded alcove and saw the tire was shredded. So, we unhooked, let the campground and the ranger station know why we were parked in the forbidden zone, and since it was near evening on a Sunday, with no tire store around the next tree, we had no choice but to just wait til Monday to make the repairs.
So, we headed back to the RV, which was in the middle of the 'watch out for mountain lions' area, we locked everything up tight, ourselves included, into the RV and went to sleep. Well, some of slept. Bright and early this morning, we drove an hour to Williams, AZ, and on the infamous Route 66, we found a tiny old tire station with a restored Model T in the garage and bought a new tire. I always wanted to drive on Route 66, and here I got my wish! See, something good always comes out of bad - right?!
Back we drive to the RV, put the tire on, hook up the suburban and once again, head out down the road. Whew! Mid-afternoon we stopped in Page, AZ and saw Lake Powell. Beautiful. What a refreshing site, seeing all that azure blue water amid the vast arid desert. It was a site to behold. But, we are on a mission, so we kept moving on. Finally, at 7pm, we come to this little town, with a scrappy RV park, and decided to stop. So, here we are, ready to rest a bit after a couple chaotic days. We are so thankful to be safe and well, and I am glad things were able to get worked out as they did. And now we hope to get to Salt Lake City, or there abouts, tomorrow. (Our Father willing!!!) But with us - you never know! :)
Well, I better get some sleep. Have a great week everyone!!
Blessings,
jill and all
Anyway, we get to the first lookout in the Grand Canyon and we were awed, of course. One thing that Gary was surprised at was that the crevice itself was filled with huge rocky land masses that spanned up and down the entire canyon. One would assume that it would be flat land, a deep chasm with the river flowing through it, and then the steep canyon wall on the other side. No, it isn't like that. You can see the river in some places, but it's view is obscured by all the land that seemed to just burst up from the valley floor. Incredible. And the colors were more than beautiful and the overall view - well - magnificent. We took hundreds of pictures and after oo-ing and ah-ing hunderds of times, we decided to head for the campground. We got within 10 miles of it, and believe it or not - I know - you are just waiting for it aren't you -what else could possibly happen to these guys anyways? Right????? Well - wait no longer!!! A tire blew on the RV! Can you believe it? Oh, come on. Yes, you can. Given our track record, this is pretty much expected of us by now - no??!!
Well, we pulled over into a little wooded alcove and saw the tire was shredded. So, we unhooked, let the campground and the ranger station know why we were parked in the forbidden zone, and since it was near evening on a Sunday, with no tire store around the next tree, we had no choice but to just wait til Monday to make the repairs.
So, we headed back to the RV, which was in the middle of the 'watch out for mountain lions' area, we locked everything up tight, ourselves included, into the RV and went to sleep. Well, some of slept. Bright and early this morning, we drove an hour to Williams, AZ, and on the infamous Route 66, we found a tiny old tire station with a restored Model T in the garage and bought a new tire. I always wanted to drive on Route 66, and here I got my wish! See, something good always comes out of bad - right?!
Back we drive to the RV, put the tire on, hook up the suburban and once again, head out down the road. Whew! Mid-afternoon we stopped in Page, AZ and saw Lake Powell. Beautiful. What a refreshing site, seeing all that azure blue water amid the vast arid desert. It was a site to behold. But, we are on a mission, so we kept moving on. Finally, at 7pm, we come to this little town, with a scrappy RV park, and decided to stop. So, here we are, ready to rest a bit after a couple chaotic days. We are so thankful to be safe and well, and I am glad things were able to get worked out as they did. And now we hope to get to Salt Lake City, or there abouts, tomorrow. (Our Father willing!!!) But with us - you never know! :)
Well, I better get some sleep. Have a great week everyone!!
Blessings,
jill and all
Friday, August 14, 2009
When things go wrong . . .
Well, the reason I haven't posted in a few days is that my computer has been acting funny and for a while I couldn't go anywhere or do anything. Not to mention the fact that a book fell onto my keyboard and busted the backspace key. Why couldn't it have been say, the Pause Break key, or any of those F keys (what are they for anyway?!) or even the goofy squiggly line key? Nope, it has to be a key I use ALL THE TIME - cause I make so many mistakes I spose. So, now if I want to backspace, which I do - right now - I have to push on this little rubber thing under the key because the key isn't there. Nice eh?
One little piece of advice while traveling, be sure things are battened things down in your RV before you take off down the road, or, you may just find that when you stop and open the door, a quart of honey has spilled all over your floor! Icky sticky. Try dealing with that after you've climbed through 3 mountain passes going 20 miles per hour on roads only wide enough for maybe big horned sheep and lizards -certainly not two way traffic, you pulling a travel trailer with semis coming at you the other way. Can you say 'STRESSFUL'?!
Oh, and I had bought this really great cast iron enameled baking dish that had just fit into the RV oven and I really liked it, but after we cooked in it, it cracked all the way through! Rats. So, I go to the store, buy a Pyrex dish to replace it, I bring it back to the RV and guess what? It doesn't fit - it's too big!
Is Murphy's law in effect here or what?! Enough already!!
But hey - our suburban is still running - so we Thank God for that!!!
Yesterday we went to Mesa Verde. It was so high up on the Mesa (table in Spanish, cause it looks flat just like a table top) that I wondered how in the world the ancient people even found their way up there. The houses were built in these alcoves under rocks on the side of the cliffs. Crazy. Since no one was there to know for sure, the guide filled us in on the theorys that abounded about these dwellings and the life of the people. It's interesting, but so hard to imagine. As we drove back down the Mesa, through these winding hair-pin turns, you could look down over the valley, and I couldn't help but wonder why in the world the people wouldn't have just settled down there, where farming would have been much easier, where there was better access to water and would be wildflife in abundance? I just can't figure it. The ranger/guide told us they thought it was because there was a threat from other tribes and this was their place of protection. I think I would have just moved elsewhere, rather than tried to scale down the side of a cliff to hide. But hey, that's their story, and they're sticking to it. But it was interesting to see anyway.
On the way out of the park, we saw a wolf on the side of the road. At least, we think it was a wolf. It could have been a coyote, but Gary didn't think so. But what was strange, was he just stood there in the road, and we drove right up next to him and he just stayed there. We talked to him and as the car rolled along, he followed! I bet the tourists had been feeding him, cause he was much too friendly. We wanted to get out and pet him, for he looked so sad and lonely, but of course we didn't.
One more thing, when you are in the valley and look up to the Mesa, it looks like it would be totally flat. And when you get up to the top and look over the entire Mesa area, you understand why they call it the green table (in English), for it looks like a giant flat table top across the land for miles. But in reality, it is very hilly much more rollie-pollie than it looks from a distance. But it is covered with these small juiper and evergreen trees and lots of yucca plants and scrub brush. Thus, the green in the name. It was yet another something different to behold I will tell you.
Well, today we'll rest, read, and relax. Tomorrow, we head out early (God willing) to the Grand Canyon. More of His awesome creation. It's been sensory overload on this trip!
Well, I have to go see if I can find someone who would like a brand new Pyrex baking dish . . . Have a great weekend everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all
One little piece of advice while traveling, be sure things are battened things down in your RV before you take off down the road, or, you may just find that when you stop and open the door, a quart of honey has spilled all over your floor! Icky sticky. Try dealing with that after you've climbed through 3 mountain passes going 20 miles per hour on roads only wide enough for maybe big horned sheep and lizards -certainly not two way traffic, you pulling a travel trailer with semis coming at you the other way. Can you say 'STRESSFUL'?!
Oh, and I had bought this really great cast iron enameled baking dish that had just fit into the RV oven and I really liked it, but after we cooked in it, it cracked all the way through! Rats. So, I go to the store, buy a Pyrex dish to replace it, I bring it back to the RV and guess what? It doesn't fit - it's too big!
Is Murphy's law in effect here or what?! Enough already!!
But hey - our suburban is still running - so we Thank God for that!!!
Yesterday we went to Mesa Verde. It was so high up on the Mesa (table in Spanish, cause it looks flat just like a table top) that I wondered how in the world the ancient people even found their way up there. The houses were built in these alcoves under rocks on the side of the cliffs. Crazy. Since no one was there to know for sure, the guide filled us in on the theorys that abounded about these dwellings and the life of the people. It's interesting, but so hard to imagine. As we drove back down the Mesa, through these winding hair-pin turns, you could look down over the valley, and I couldn't help but wonder why in the world the people wouldn't have just settled down there, where farming would have been much easier, where there was better access to water and would be wildflife in abundance? I just can't figure it. The ranger/guide told us they thought it was because there was a threat from other tribes and this was their place of protection. I think I would have just moved elsewhere, rather than tried to scale down the side of a cliff to hide. But hey, that's their story, and they're sticking to it. But it was interesting to see anyway.
On the way out of the park, we saw a wolf on the side of the road. At least, we think it was a wolf. It could have been a coyote, but Gary didn't think so. But what was strange, was he just stood there in the road, and we drove right up next to him and he just stayed there. We talked to him and as the car rolled along, he followed! I bet the tourists had been feeding him, cause he was much too friendly. We wanted to get out and pet him, for he looked so sad and lonely, but of course we didn't.
One more thing, when you are in the valley and look up to the Mesa, it looks like it would be totally flat. And when you get up to the top and look over the entire Mesa area, you understand why they call it the green table (in English), for it looks like a giant flat table top across the land for miles. But in reality, it is very hilly much more rollie-pollie than it looks from a distance. But it is covered with these small juiper and evergreen trees and lots of yucca plants and scrub brush. Thus, the green in the name. It was yet another something different to behold I will tell you.
Well, today we'll rest, read, and relax. Tomorrow, we head out early (God willing) to the Grand Canyon. More of His awesome creation. It's been sensory overload on this trip!
Well, I have to go see if I can find someone who would like a brand new Pyrex baking dish . . . Have a great weekend everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Ode to the missing toothbrush
A toothbrush I found, yes I did.
Where, you may ask, was it hid?
Way underneath the passenger seat,
In the suburban - isn't that neat!
Now arises in my mind a question,
How did it get in such a location?
Monday, August 10, 2009
some photos from the grand hike
This was before the hike ....
... we were all rather happy!!! (key word is before)
just before we hit the five-peak-ridge trail
what a view
THE RIDGE
wahoo!!! look at Mom go!!! she did so great
See that point? WAAAY up there? yep, we were up there.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens are proclaiming the esteem of El, and the expanse is delaring the work of His hand.
It's all down hill from here. . .
Right. What were we thinking anyway? Well, I was thinking a nice little hike in the woods, you know, well-marked paths, birds singing, sunlight through the pines. No, this climb is on Extreme Sports Network. It's only a 10 1/2 mile hike, but never before have these words been more true - 'it was uphill the whole way'. We trudged along and thought for sure we were at the peak, but no, there was yet another one ahead of us. In fact, I think there were at least 5 peaks. We wondered why all these people we met coming down had giant walking sticks, hiking and survival gear and bags with straws - can you say 'oxygen deprivation'? We were so light headed because of the thin air, I spose that's probably what made us keep going - WE WERE OUT OF OUR MINDS!!
But, the length of the hike and the fact that the trails were almost completely unmarked, and that you just kept going up and up and up - was NOT the most terrifying part. No - it was the - and I seriously kid you not - two foot wide walk way on top of this ridge 10,800 feet up with sheer drop offs on BOTH SIDES! And what's funny - I'm afraid to get on the second rung of a step ladder!!!! Really. Okay, it most definitely was NOT funny.
To say I was scared would be the biggest understatement of the century. I was almost crawling in some places. Now, you may say - why go on? Why do this? Are you crazy?? Well, yes, but that's totally beside the point. What happened was, we came up to the first part of the narrow ridge, and I stopped and said - no way - I am NOT going on. I will NOT Ever do that. But the children wanted to see if at the next bend it started to decline or turn around - you know - if we were really, finally at the apex or not - so they went ahead. And ahead, and ahead, and . . . So, the mother hen comes out and goes after them. So, what at that point was I more scared about - really? Myself falling headlong over a cliff, or one of my children doing the same? I mean, I have little Judah, and Mr. No-fear himself - Ezra and all kinds of visions danced in my head. And they weren't of sugarplums. So, I went after them, and began shouting, which of course does no good, except would maybe start an avalanche and then . . . (stop thinking that)
We came upon three people who said they saw the kids about 4-5 minutes ahead. 4-5 MINUTES?? Definate Panic Mode. I was praying so hard -praying for our safety and praying the children would just stop so I could see them, you know, and they finally stopped and I was so relieved, and then I was instantly so angry - you know what I mean - I told Gary to go talk to them, cause if I did right then, it wouldn't be pretty. So, now that we established that we NEVER get too far ahead or behind so as not to be seen by the rest - we plunged on. At that point I was so mad, I was bound and determined to conquer this beast if I had to get down on my hands and knees to do it - tears and all. But that was before we hit the first peak. (doesn't 'peak' mean - um - the TOP?) Now mind you, we are meeting people coming the other way, who keep telling us, 'oh it's all down hill from here'. Well, there must be alot of politicians that are hikers in Colorado, cause that was stretching the truth just a weeee bit.
Now I must say, that the views, should you choose to look at them, were spectacular. When they said a 360 degree view - whew - they meant it. You really felt like you were on the top of the world. (at least 3 times, I might add) I admit to looking out one time, but that was before we hit the narrow ridge, and it was in this nice little campy area with big rocks to sit on and lots of trees around and it was nice -like you could have a picnic there or something. (Cue the Barney music) But the ridge, the ridge of horror, the ridge of doom, was a long bridge of rocks, so my eyes only looked down at the ground right in front of my feet. At some places I had to put my hands up as blinders by my eyes, but then, it was hard to balance without my arms out to the side to help me. To say this was trecherous, or death-defying- is putting it mildly.
Three crests later, we finally began to head back and around, which meant we were on our way down - right? I mean, we had climbed up for 4 hours, surely we were on our way down! Not so fast, Tonto. Their version of down, is several feet of up, and then a couple feet of down. Gary, then either to try to encourage us or just to annoy us, I still don't quite know which - took up the 'it's all downhill from here' mantra. But he had to keep saying it, every few feet, because we just kept going up! But I just knew that we were going to be walking for the rest of our lives, or that night would come and it would be us and the bears having a mid-mountain slumber party. You know those stories of hikers lost in the woods being air-lifted out - that was what I thought the headline would look like, with our names listed. 'Dumb South Dakota Family Lost On Colorado Mountain'. Sheez.
And one more thing, thanks National Park system for the lack of signage along the route. We had no idea how far we'd come nor how far we had left to go. Course, had we known it would be that arduous, that long, and that high, we probably wouldn't have done it, so maybe that was their evil plan all along. Don't tell these lazy city slickers a thing - just get them started, get their brains all fuzzy in the high altitude and when they get down, we can have them where we want them. Maybe they'll even WANT socialized medicine then . . . (sorry for the political commentary, but it just kind of fit right there)
So - we FINALLY get to the parking lot - 6 hours later and I have never loved seeing our old beat-up, always breaking down suburban as much as I did then. I can not believe we did that. I can not - as petrified, white-knuckled as I was, actually did that. I can not believe I let my children do that! (But- hey, there was a family we met at the beginning of the ridge climbing with their FOUR year old, so I didn't feel like I was a total jerk of a parent.)
So, now all I want is a massage, to sit in a hot tub, and a tee-shirt that says 'I climbed Crag's Crest' - or 'I Crag'ed the Crest' or something like that. But when we got to the visitor's center - it was CLOSED! Oh, come on! So what do I have to show for my feat? A natural Rocky Mountain High, a pounding headache, relief and the memory that I did something I NEVER thought I would ever do. One guy said, well, that's the way to conquer your fear. Well, I don't know if I actually conquered my fear, but I did conquer that blasted mountain. I still can't say I'm glad I did it though, ask me in a few days when the oxygen returns to my brain.
I am sooo ready to leave Colorado. I've had enough. In fact, I'd like to by-pass the rest of the tourist traps and head over to Washington State (at 600 feet!) and chill. But NO - we have the Arches, the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, the Aztec ruins and Mesa Verde left to see.
Oh, come on. Isn't that what Encylopedia's are for??! They even have colored pictures in them now.
Well, anyway, we're back on level ground and so thankful for it. I'm resting today, for I am an out of shape old woman and need to recuperate. (Except my boys just suggested we go kayaking. rafting, and/or rollerblading today. ) They're funny little kids, aren't they??!
Hope all is well with everyone, and if you ever get to Grand Junction - Do NOT try to hike the entire upper Crag's Crest Trail, unless you really like living on the edge - and by the edge - I do mean - THE EDGE. :)
Blessings,
jill and all
But, the length of the hike and the fact that the trails were almost completely unmarked, and that you just kept going up and up and up - was NOT the most terrifying part. No - it was the - and I seriously kid you not - two foot wide walk way on top of this ridge 10,800 feet up with sheer drop offs on BOTH SIDES! And what's funny - I'm afraid to get on the second rung of a step ladder!!!! Really. Okay, it most definitely was NOT funny.
To say I was scared would be the biggest understatement of the century. I was almost crawling in some places. Now, you may say - why go on? Why do this? Are you crazy?? Well, yes, but that's totally beside the point. What happened was, we came up to the first part of the narrow ridge, and I stopped and said - no way - I am NOT going on. I will NOT Ever do that. But the children wanted to see if at the next bend it started to decline or turn around - you know - if we were really, finally at the apex or not - so they went ahead. And ahead, and ahead, and . . . So, the mother hen comes out and goes after them. So, what at that point was I more scared about - really? Myself falling headlong over a cliff, or one of my children doing the same? I mean, I have little Judah, and Mr. No-fear himself - Ezra and all kinds of visions danced in my head. And they weren't of sugarplums. So, I went after them, and began shouting, which of course does no good, except would maybe start an avalanche and then . . . (stop thinking that)
We came upon three people who said they saw the kids about 4-5 minutes ahead. 4-5 MINUTES?? Definate Panic Mode. I was praying so hard -praying for our safety and praying the children would just stop so I could see them, you know, and they finally stopped and I was so relieved, and then I was instantly so angry - you know what I mean - I told Gary to go talk to them, cause if I did right then, it wouldn't be pretty. So, now that we established that we NEVER get too far ahead or behind so as not to be seen by the rest - we plunged on. At that point I was so mad, I was bound and determined to conquer this beast if I had to get down on my hands and knees to do it - tears and all. But that was before we hit the first peak. (doesn't 'peak' mean - um - the TOP?) Now mind you, we are meeting people coming the other way, who keep telling us, 'oh it's all down hill from here'. Well, there must be alot of politicians that are hikers in Colorado, cause that was stretching the truth just a weeee bit.
Now I must say, that the views, should you choose to look at them, were spectacular. When they said a 360 degree view - whew - they meant it. You really felt like you were on the top of the world. (at least 3 times, I might add) I admit to looking out one time, but that was before we hit the narrow ridge, and it was in this nice little campy area with big rocks to sit on and lots of trees around and it was nice -like you could have a picnic there or something. (Cue the Barney music) But the ridge, the ridge of horror, the ridge of doom, was a long bridge of rocks, so my eyes only looked down at the ground right in front of my feet. At some places I had to put my hands up as blinders by my eyes, but then, it was hard to balance without my arms out to the side to help me. To say this was trecherous, or death-defying- is putting it mildly.
Three crests later, we finally began to head back and around, which meant we were on our way down - right? I mean, we had climbed up for 4 hours, surely we were on our way down! Not so fast, Tonto. Their version of down, is several feet of up, and then a couple feet of down. Gary, then either to try to encourage us or just to annoy us, I still don't quite know which - took up the 'it's all downhill from here' mantra. But he had to keep saying it, every few feet, because we just kept going up! But I just knew that we were going to be walking for the rest of our lives, or that night would come and it would be us and the bears having a mid-mountain slumber party. You know those stories of hikers lost in the woods being air-lifted out - that was what I thought the headline would look like, with our names listed. 'Dumb South Dakota Family Lost On Colorado Mountain'. Sheez.
And one more thing, thanks National Park system for the lack of signage along the route. We had no idea how far we'd come nor how far we had left to go. Course, had we known it would be that arduous, that long, and that high, we probably wouldn't have done it, so maybe that was their evil plan all along. Don't tell these lazy city slickers a thing - just get them started, get their brains all fuzzy in the high altitude and when they get down, we can have them where we want them. Maybe they'll even WANT socialized medicine then . . . (sorry for the political commentary, but it just kind of fit right there)
So - we FINALLY get to the parking lot - 6 hours later and I have never loved seeing our old beat-up, always breaking down suburban as much as I did then. I can not believe we did that. I can not - as petrified, white-knuckled as I was, actually did that. I can not believe I let my children do that! (But- hey, there was a family we met at the beginning of the ridge climbing with their FOUR year old, so I didn't feel like I was a total jerk of a parent.)
So, now all I want is a massage, to sit in a hot tub, and a tee-shirt that says 'I climbed Crag's Crest' - or 'I Crag'ed the Crest' or something like that. But when we got to the visitor's center - it was CLOSED! Oh, come on! So what do I have to show for my feat? A natural Rocky Mountain High, a pounding headache, relief and the memory that I did something I NEVER thought I would ever do. One guy said, well, that's the way to conquer your fear. Well, I don't know if I actually conquered my fear, but I did conquer that blasted mountain. I still can't say I'm glad I did it though, ask me in a few days when the oxygen returns to my brain.
I am sooo ready to leave Colorado. I've had enough. In fact, I'd like to by-pass the rest of the tourist traps and head over to Washington State (at 600 feet!) and chill. But NO - we have the Arches, the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, the Aztec ruins and Mesa Verde left to see.
Oh, come on. Isn't that what Encylopedia's are for??! They even have colored pictures in them now.
Well, anyway, we're back on level ground and so thankful for it. I'm resting today, for I am an out of shape old woman and need to recuperate. (Except my boys just suggested we go kayaking. rafting, and/or rollerblading today. ) They're funny little kids, aren't they??!
Hope all is well with everyone, and if you ever get to Grand Junction - Do NOT try to hike the entire upper Crag's Crest Trail, unless you really like living on the edge - and by the edge - I do mean - THE EDGE. :)
Blessings,
jill and all
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The terror of the monument
Yesterday was quite the day. Gary and I went walking on the Spanish Trail in the morning and after reading a bit, and eating more watermelon, we hung out by the pool. Around 2pm, our buddy Jake pulls up with the suburban, fixed and ready to go. Turns out it wasn't the fuel pump after all! Yeah. It was the fuel pump relay - a little black plug thing that cost about $14.00. It probably took all of 20 minutes to replace that, but of course, Jake charged us $150. (!) MMM. Oh, well, he's a nice enough guy and he did come to our rescue and had to search to find the actual problem, but anyway, I'm just glad it's fixed. We should really get serious about a different vehicle - eh?! What is up with us and car trouble anyway??? I do not know.
After we munched on chips and salsa and leftovers, we drove up to the Colorado National Monument. It's like a mini Grand Canyon. Steep caverns, colored rock layers, some that are rough and jagged, some that are so smooth-looking it's like a dripping of butter. In some places, it looks like hardened lava, and much of the ground is red. Utterly amazing. The rock formations that stick straight up in columns from the bottom, the caves, the small bush-like trees, the spanning view over the city - breathtaking. There are little scenic overlooks every few yards it seems and we stopped and gawked like the tourists we are, and walked a bit on the Coke Oven's Trail. The children wanted to walk the whole thing, which is 6 miles long and would take about 3 hours and it doesn't make a loop, it just stops down at the bottom and well, you'd have to figure out how to get back to your vehicle that you left on the top. So, they just hiked a little ways, and came back. But they want to hike around the area some more because it's just too awesome to behold. Really. Of course, they also wanted to hike out onto the perious boulders that look like they are ready to fall off the side of the mountain with little more than a sneeze. My brave children (or are they completely devoid of any sense of safety?) nearly drove me to a nervous breakdown. What am I going to be like at the Grand Canyon??? I dare not think of it . . .
Well, this am we're off to the Mesa. 10,000 feet up and covered with evergreens and lakes, We plan to hike the Crag's Crest Trail, a 10 mile jaunt, so, we better get going. First, we're going to stop at an organic peach orchard and grab some breakfast and lunch!
Have a great Sunday!
Blessings,
jill and all
After we munched on chips and salsa and leftovers, we drove up to the Colorado National Monument. It's like a mini Grand Canyon. Steep caverns, colored rock layers, some that are rough and jagged, some that are so smooth-looking it's like a dripping of butter. In some places, it looks like hardened lava, and much of the ground is red. Utterly amazing. The rock formations that stick straight up in columns from the bottom, the caves, the small bush-like trees, the spanning view over the city - breathtaking. There are little scenic overlooks every few yards it seems and we stopped and gawked like the tourists we are, and walked a bit on the Coke Oven's Trail. The children wanted to walk the whole thing, which is 6 miles long and would take about 3 hours and it doesn't make a loop, it just stops down at the bottom and well, you'd have to figure out how to get back to your vehicle that you left on the top. So, they just hiked a little ways, and came back. But they want to hike around the area some more because it's just too awesome to behold. Really. Of course, they also wanted to hike out onto the perious boulders that look like they are ready to fall off the side of the mountain with little more than a sneeze. My brave children (or are they completely devoid of any sense of safety?) nearly drove me to a nervous breakdown. What am I going to be like at the Grand Canyon??? I dare not think of it . . .
Well, this am we're off to the Mesa. 10,000 feet up and covered with evergreens and lakes, We plan to hike the Crag's Crest Trail, a 10 mile jaunt, so, we better get going. First, we're going to stop at an organic peach orchard and grab some breakfast and lunch!
Have a great Sunday!
Blessings,
jill and all
Jake, sunflowers and root beer floats :)
AND .... we have a guest blogger! This is India, sharing today (Friday the 7th) from her point of view. :) Enjoy .... maybe. hehe
Today dawned bright and clear. We all went rollerblading (well, Mom ran - and Dad stayed behind to work) in the morning on Riverfront Parkway - it was beautiful! It was a good thing we went when we did - because it started to get really hot after we were done.
Blah, blah, blah ... day goes normally by. Watermelon for lunch, laundry, swimming, ping pong, cool little Mexican place for supper .... THEN, it happens - (cue dramatic, scary, movie music) we drive out across the parking lot of the little Mexican restaurant, and - the suburban dies. Wonderful, right?! So, we sit there for a couple minutes - everyone thinking ''hum, what do we do now?'' Just then, driving by on the street, someone spies a jeep with a HUGE toolbox on the back, and a sticker on the side reading: ''Jake's Mobile Auto'' with a phone number. Dad whistles to him (he had his windows down), waves - and over drives Jake. Jake is a big burly guy - with lots of tattoos. A few of us were a little not-so-sure about this Jake fellow. He looks around under the hood, starts the car (or tries), dinks around for a little bit .... ''yep, it's the fuel pump''. Super! Fantastic! The part alone is around $350. *gulps* At least the old one is still under warranty (Halleluyah!), so we will just have to pay for labor. Or so we thought.
ANYWAYS .... Dad starts talking to Jake, and finds out that Jake runs his own mechanical/bodywork/repair shop thingy, from the back of his jeep. Pretty cool, huh? So, of course Jake says he'll fix it for us, might take a day or so, but he's happy to do it. (mmm ... $$$) And so, the question arises, how on earth are we going to get back to the campground? We have a few options actually ... rent a car, call a taxi or walk over to the nearest car dealership to just buy a pickup and be done with it already!!! Jake has another option. Turns out, he has this old cop car that he bought from some guy that didn't want it anymore - and offers to give us (and all our stuff) a ride back to the campground! Dad agrees, so Jake leaves to go get the car and come back. While he is gone - Mom had called AAA for a tow truck, that way it could be towed to Jake's house so he could put the new fuel pump in it. Jake comes back, the tow guy comes, the suburban gets towed to his house ... THEN we all pile into Jake's snazzy cop car (which was really cool I might add) and he takes us to the campground! What a nice guy - he offers to come pick us up if we need to go anywhere tomorrow and says he'll call with how things are going in the morning. Oh, forgot something. When we were riding with Jake in the cop car, he turned the music up really loud. It was ... interesting to say the least. Some crazy, electric, rock something or other - that kind of made my head spin! I find out later - Dad and Mom both knew what song that was, who the artist was, and what the lyrics were!!!!! That college life - man, I'm telling you - they learned some strange things back then.
Whew! That happened in the space of ... oh about a few hours. OMIGOODNESS - we don't have any water, Mom realizes. Now, mind you, our campground is a looonnnggg ways from the city, so it's not like it's a short walk to a grocery store or anything. How are we going to survive without water?!?!?! Well, turns out there is a little convenience store just ''down the road'' (riiiight - more like a long ways down the road) that Dad, Noah and I decide to walk to, so we can pick up some water. we trudge down there (I'm snapping photos on the way), and ... well let's just say we picked up a few more things then we came for. We got: watermelon (yes, a whole one to carry all the way back), two gallons of water, 6 avocados, ice cream (yes, they had soy!!!!), root beer - and then we got sunflowers and an Odwalla juice for Mom, since she was kinda stressed about the whole suburban thing.
HAHA we must have been quite the sight - walking down the frontage road, two kids and an adult carrying odd groceries, Dad with the watermelon on his shoulder, walking along the highway. But we didn't care. :) (Unfortunately, I couldn't take photos on the way back - I was carrying too much stuff)
Then - the day ended as nicely as it had begun. We had root beer floats, which none of us children had ever had before, by the way - Mom loved the flowers - and then we watched a movie that the campground was playing for free! What an a day! And now, I had better get some sleep - oh, but I have to study some first. Priorities you know.
Shalom!
India
Thursday, August 6, 2009
An evening at the Farmer's Market . . .
Grand Junction has a weekly farmer's market every Thursday night that takes up about 6-8 blocks on Main Street and I think the entire town comes out for it. There are the typical farmers selling their produce and honey, plus others selling homemade soap, baskets, and jewelry. There was a group of guys playing their banjoes, another group playing rock music, and some belly/bollywood dancers. And there was also this circle of people playing bongo drums and snare drums and tamborines and a variety of different percussion instruments, and anyone could come by, pick up an instrument and join in the rhythm. It was so cool. Old men and women, babies and toddlers were slapping bongos, rattling rattles, and hitting drums along with the truly skilled musicians that kept the beat. Really, really neat.
While we were walking along, we were stopped on the street by this radical surfer-speaking-dude named Brandon who was totally on fire for God. He asked all about us and was just totally calling us the rad and narly family. He was very clean-cut, except for his one earring, and he and his wife ran a booth for Essential Oils, but we never got around to even talk about that. He just wanted to know our story, who Jesus was in our lives, where we went to church and all about the children. Then he told us all about the way-cool things to do all around here man, like all the radical hiking and climbing and biking and, dude, it's a way cool awesome place to live, you know, man! :) He was a really nice guy, but it was so odd to hear him talk like that and not have long hair and carrying a surf board. He seemed like he should be in Malibu instead of the desert of Colorado! It would be fun to bump into him again while we are here. Who knows . . .
We went to the Visitor's Center and the most amazing thing about this area are the surrounding bluffs or mesas. You look up on one side and the rocky cliffs are straight up and completely flat on top - or at least - it looks that way from the road. Actually, the one bluff is covered with evergreens and lakes, much like the entire Black Hills area except the elevation at the top is 10,000 feet! The temperature can be 20 degrees cooler on the top than in the valley. It's called the Grand Mesa National Forest and is the largest flat top mountain in the world!! We plan to hike there this weekend, especially since Brandon told us how radically awesome it is!
And on another side is the Colorado National Monument that is a completely different type of mesa area with red sheer-walled cliffs with no vegetation on top to speak of. We can drive around that in a couple hours, I guess, so we hope to do that as well.
Then, on yet another side of the valley are these sandy dune cliffs called the Book Hills or Book Cliffs. The dunes lay sideways and look like books stacked on a shelf.
I'm telling you, it is sooo different here. So many different aspects to the landscape and terrain all in one place. You look around and can't help but sense the power of God and be amazed at all of His creation. It's so complex and varied and wonderful and just really makes you pause to take it all in. At least that's the way I see it.
One other interesting thing about this area is the way the streets are numbered. The address of a place might be 29 1/2 Rd. and D 1/4. That means, that it is 29 and 1/2 miles from the Utah border and 4 and 1/4 miles from the northern edge of town going south. (4 as in: the street named A would be 1 mile from the north, B would be 2 miles and so on) Total grid system. Makes perfect sense and you sure know exactly where you are and how far away some place is. But is it quite funny to drive down the street and see the signs: 8 1/4 Rd, 8 1/2 Rd, 8 3/4 Rd. - one right after the other! Again - just so different!
Well, time to sleep, perchance to dream. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
(What is this, the Shakespeare hour?!)
Blessings,
jill and all
Oh, PS. The suburban started, then stopped again, and started again, so we took it to a garage, had the fuel filter changed and it's worked since. Let's hope and pray that was the fix!
While we were walking along, we were stopped on the street by this radical surfer-speaking-dude named Brandon who was totally on fire for God. He asked all about us and was just totally calling us the rad and narly family. He was very clean-cut, except for his one earring, and he and his wife ran a booth for Essential Oils, but we never got around to even talk about that. He just wanted to know our story, who Jesus was in our lives, where we went to church and all about the children. Then he told us all about the way-cool things to do all around here man, like all the radical hiking and climbing and biking and, dude, it's a way cool awesome place to live, you know, man! :) He was a really nice guy, but it was so odd to hear him talk like that and not have long hair and carrying a surf board. He seemed like he should be in Malibu instead of the desert of Colorado! It would be fun to bump into him again while we are here. Who knows . . .
We went to the Visitor's Center and the most amazing thing about this area are the surrounding bluffs or mesas. You look up on one side and the rocky cliffs are straight up and completely flat on top - or at least - it looks that way from the road. Actually, the one bluff is covered with evergreens and lakes, much like the entire Black Hills area except the elevation at the top is 10,000 feet! The temperature can be 20 degrees cooler on the top than in the valley. It's called the Grand Mesa National Forest and is the largest flat top mountain in the world!! We plan to hike there this weekend, especially since Brandon told us how radically awesome it is!
And on another side is the Colorado National Monument that is a completely different type of mesa area with red sheer-walled cliffs with no vegetation on top to speak of. We can drive around that in a couple hours, I guess, so we hope to do that as well.
Then, on yet another side of the valley are these sandy dune cliffs called the Book Hills or Book Cliffs. The dunes lay sideways and look like books stacked on a shelf.
I'm telling you, it is sooo different here. So many different aspects to the landscape and terrain all in one place. You look around and can't help but sense the power of God and be amazed at all of His creation. It's so complex and varied and wonderful and just really makes you pause to take it all in. At least that's the way I see it.
One other interesting thing about this area is the way the streets are numbered. The address of a place might be 29 1/2 Rd. and D 1/4. That means, that it is 29 and 1/2 miles from the Utah border and 4 and 1/4 miles from the northern edge of town going south. (4 as in: the street named A would be 1 mile from the north, B would be 2 miles and so on) Total grid system. Makes perfect sense and you sure know exactly where you are and how far away some place is. But is it quite funny to drive down the street and see the signs: 8 1/4 Rd, 8 1/2 Rd, 8 3/4 Rd. - one right after the other! Again - just so different!
Well, time to sleep, perchance to dream. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
(What is this, the Shakespeare hour?!)
Blessings,
jill and all
Oh, PS. The suburban started, then stopped again, and started again, so we took it to a garage, had the fuel filter changed and it's worked since. Let's hope and pray that was the fix!
Strange weather and more strange things
Well, we're sort of settled in among these hills in what they call the high desert. We're at 5,000 feet above sea level and it's supposed to be hot and dry. But we talked with a native who said there's been a light rain here nearly every evening and it's expected again today. The ground seems very dry, but the air is a bit heavy, almost humid. Not like South Dakota, but not like the arid climate we thought we'd see. The storms are very different here. Scattered across the sky and you can see the rain falling and the lightning with it, lots of lightning, but in a very small space. There may be a little wispy storm here, then blue sky, then another wispy storm over there, and more blue sky. Very strange.
We left South Dakota just before the fall allergy season hit and I thought we had it beat. But in Loveland and even Estes Park, the symptoms followed. So, we thought for sure once we got over the mountains into the dryer land we'd be free and clear. No such luck. The sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes have follwed me here. Rats. Allergies - 2 Jill - 0
This may be a short visit.
We are in a beautiful valley that grows lots of produce and we are headed out to the orchards today. Well, at least that what we had planned to do. Can you say 'car trouble'? Again?
While going over the mountains, in which we were going about 20 miles per hour at times, we were driving along and the suburban just quit. The engine just stopped running. I pulled over, Gary looks things over, opens the gas cap, closes it and it started. Talk about strange. Then, we pull into the RV park, unhook everything and decide which Mexican restaurant we were going to try, and the suburban is dead. Just will not start. Battery is good, everything seems fine, it just won't start. How crazy. So, we went for a walk, had some popcorn and went to bed!
And we'll have to call a garage to figure out what's wrong. Gary thinks it's the fuel pump, of which we just replaced before we left South Dakota!!! Hopefully we won't have to walk everywhere, or heaven forbid, rollerblade!!!! AAAAHHHH!! Does anyone have a good diesel pickup for sale??!
What's also strange about this area is the landscape. It's got these rocky flat-topped hills everywhere, and these trees that I have never seen before. They are tall and fluffy like a gigantic mushroom. They are beautiful and when you come over the hill atop the valley, they cover the area like a cloud. The valley is plush and green due to the irrigation and there are miles of orchards all over. Then the hillside is very dry and sandy, without a tree or bush to be seen. Some of the soil is blood red and some is a light tan color. It almost looks like Arizona without the cactus. The Colorado river flows through here and we've seen lots of people in canoes, kayaks, and rafts. Ideal for whitewater rafting, which we hope to do sometime.
Well, we are headed for the Old Spanish Trail, which we have nicknamed, the Old Spinach Trail, just for fun. Have a great Thursday!
Blessings,
jill and all
We left South Dakota just before the fall allergy season hit and I thought we had it beat. But in Loveland and even Estes Park, the symptoms followed. So, we thought for sure once we got over the mountains into the dryer land we'd be free and clear. No such luck. The sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes have follwed me here. Rats. Allergies - 2 Jill - 0
This may be a short visit.
We are in a beautiful valley that grows lots of produce and we are headed out to the orchards today. Well, at least that what we had planned to do. Can you say 'car trouble'? Again?
While going over the mountains, in which we were going about 20 miles per hour at times, we were driving along and the suburban just quit. The engine just stopped running. I pulled over, Gary looks things over, opens the gas cap, closes it and it started. Talk about strange. Then, we pull into the RV park, unhook everything and decide which Mexican restaurant we were going to try, and the suburban is dead. Just will not start. Battery is good, everything seems fine, it just won't start. How crazy. So, we went for a walk, had some popcorn and went to bed!
And we'll have to call a garage to figure out what's wrong. Gary thinks it's the fuel pump, of which we just replaced before we left South Dakota!!! Hopefully we won't have to walk everywhere, or heaven forbid, rollerblade!!!! AAAAHHHH!! Does anyone have a good diesel pickup for sale??!
What's also strange about this area is the landscape. It's got these rocky flat-topped hills everywhere, and these trees that I have never seen before. They are tall and fluffy like a gigantic mushroom. They are beautiful and when you come over the hill atop the valley, they cover the area like a cloud. The valley is plush and green due to the irrigation and there are miles of orchards all over. Then the hillside is very dry and sandy, without a tree or bush to be seen. Some of the soil is blood red and some is a light tan color. It almost looks like Arizona without the cactus. The Colorado river flows through here and we've seen lots of people in canoes, kayaks, and rafts. Ideal for whitewater rafting, which we hope to do sometime.
Well, we are headed for the Old Spanish Trail, which we have nicknamed, the Old Spinach Trail, just for fun. Have a great Thursday!
Blessings,
jill and all
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Here we go . . .
Our goal yesterday was to get everyone outfitted with rollerblades, so we could all go rolling around together. Nice theory. India is crusing along while Gary runs, and they are miles ahead. Noah and Ezra take off by themselves while Judah and I are still trying to cross the street! We finally do, and we get to the back of a fire station and just go round and round in their lot. We really never made it to the bike path at all. We were kind of getting it, we thought, until we hit a downward slope, and did you know, that the breaks don't really break on those things? Don't tell me they work, cause they really don't. And concrete is so unforgiving. So, yes, we discovered that one really does need gloves and knee pads if you don't know what you're doing. And I also discovered that maybe I am better suited to running rather than rolling.
We spent yesterday evening with our friends from Estes Park, Texas and Missouri. Fun, fun, fun. They are all wonderful families and we had a really great time. So utterly amazing that we were all here together at the same time - completely unplanned on our parts. Incredible, God is.
Today, we plan to head over the Rockies. It's to be 100 degrees in Grand Junction today - oh my!! But it's the dry heat, you know, so it shouldn't be too bad. :) We just pray our suburban doesn't overheat again, and we make it there before nightfall. I'll let you know how that pans out.
Well, take care and keep in touch everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all
We spent yesterday evening with our friends from Estes Park, Texas and Missouri. Fun, fun, fun. They are all wonderful families and we had a really great time. So utterly amazing that we were all here together at the same time - completely unplanned on our parts. Incredible, God is.
Today, we plan to head over the Rockies. It's to be 100 degrees in Grand Junction today - oh my!! But it's the dry heat, you know, so it shouldn't be too bad. :) We just pray our suburban doesn't overheat again, and we make it there before nightfall. I'll let you know how that pans out.
Well, take care and keep in touch everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Purple mountains majesty . . .
So, we're in Loveland, Colorado and well, loving it. It's flat here, but just in front of you are these huge, snow-capped mountains. Breathtaking. We've not done much, really. Just kind of been hanging out. India has gone roller-blading and I have been running with her. The boys have played mini golf and done some swimming and Gary and Judah have gone golfing. Just trying to finally soak in the nice weather and the SUN!!! Yeah!!!!! Gary has been working, of course. Hey, someone has to pay for this trip . . . :)
We met up with some wonderful friends who are in Estes Park and it was fantastic, as always, to see them. The drive to Estes is horrific. Unless you enjoy going 40 miles per hour, around curve after curve after curve - up hill. Ugh. Not my idea of fun, I can tell you. Estes Park is nestled in between the mountains and is quite beautiful. It's a tourist haven, much like the Black Hills, but without as much to see and do.
We hope to see some friends from Missouri tomorrow who just happen to be here for a family reunion. Pretty cool 'coincidence'. Then we should be heading further west - hoping to get to Grand Junction. They grow a lot of fruit there, so we are hoping to eat some peaches and nectarines, maybe some plums. Yeah! There's nothing like a peach picked fresh from the tree. M-M-M! Yes, they're better than smores! And there's not a twinge of guilt afterwards!
We will be going over the Rockies then, so, you know, pray for us, cause we still have our suburban, and well, it doesn't pull the trailer up hill very well. Okay, not well at all! We barely made it up to Cheyenne, WY, and for a while, I thought we never would. We have been looking for a different vehicle since we left South Dakota, with no luck so far. So, what would normally take maybe 4 hours, will more than likely take us 8 - 10. Z-Z-Z-Z.
And just to let everyone know, RV's tend to eat toothbrushes. Yes, it's a confirmed fact! Just like dryers eat socks, RV's eat toothbrushes. (Are all appliances in cahoots with each other against us humans? I'm seeing a mad electrical conspiracy here. . .) For some reason, each one of the children mysteriously lost theirs one by one, within a day of each other. Now, one, I get. But all four children at the same time?? Very strange. Well, okay, we did find one of them in the toliet, and even though it had been flushed, (Thank God) yes, we did throw it away and bought a new one. (I know - it's icky anyway) I must say, it's amazing how things can get lost in this cracker box of a trailer. 250 square feet of space. Think about that. I mean, come on. It's not like there's a lot of places for things to hide. Oh, well. We have instructed the children to put their new toothbrushes in a safe, undisclosed spot. We'll show this RV who's boss.
Well, better run. We're headed to Boulder for the afternoon. Our friends spied this new organic Italian restaurant owned by a Jewish/Mexican woman and they want to try it out. Funny, I know. Isn't this a great country?!
Take care all!
Blessings,
jill
We met up with some wonderful friends who are in Estes Park and it was fantastic, as always, to see them. The drive to Estes is horrific. Unless you enjoy going 40 miles per hour, around curve after curve after curve - up hill. Ugh. Not my idea of fun, I can tell you. Estes Park is nestled in between the mountains and is quite beautiful. It's a tourist haven, much like the Black Hills, but without as much to see and do.
We hope to see some friends from Missouri tomorrow who just happen to be here for a family reunion. Pretty cool 'coincidence'. Then we should be heading further west - hoping to get to Grand Junction. They grow a lot of fruit there, so we are hoping to eat some peaches and nectarines, maybe some plums. Yeah! There's nothing like a peach picked fresh from the tree. M-M-M! Yes, they're better than smores! And there's not a twinge of guilt afterwards!
We will be going over the Rockies then, so, you know, pray for us, cause we still have our suburban, and well, it doesn't pull the trailer up hill very well. Okay, not well at all! We barely made it up to Cheyenne, WY, and for a while, I thought we never would. We have been looking for a different vehicle since we left South Dakota, with no luck so far. So, what would normally take maybe 4 hours, will more than likely take us 8 - 10. Z-Z-Z-Z.
And just to let everyone know, RV's tend to eat toothbrushes. Yes, it's a confirmed fact! Just like dryers eat socks, RV's eat toothbrushes. (Are all appliances in cahoots with each other against us humans? I'm seeing a mad electrical conspiracy here. . .) For some reason, each one of the children mysteriously lost theirs one by one, within a day of each other. Now, one, I get. But all four children at the same time?? Very strange. Well, okay, we did find one of them in the toliet, and even though it had been flushed, (Thank God) yes, we did throw it away and bought a new one. (I know - it's icky anyway) I must say, it's amazing how things can get lost in this cracker box of a trailer. 250 square feet of space. Think about that. I mean, come on. It's not like there's a lot of places for things to hide. Oh, well. We have instructed the children to put their new toothbrushes in a safe, undisclosed spot. We'll show this RV who's boss.
Well, better run. We're headed to Boulder for the afternoon. Our friends spied this new organic Italian restaurant owned by a Jewish/Mexican woman and they want to try it out. Funny, I know. Isn't this a great country?!
Take care all!
Blessings,
jill
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