And the journey begins . . .

    Finally we're off!  I'll try to keep the posts short, but with our track record of road trips, there could be a lot to report!
    The first two nights, we tried our hand at living the life of a trucker, parking next to a line of big semis in a truck stop. First night - ok except for the traffic and the trains. The second night, the propane tanks went empty, and with it hovering around 28 degrees, it got a bit chilly. So at 3am we had to jump in the pick up and head out. Ok, yeah, great start. I'm already worried.
     Our navigator, Judah, has the National Monuments all scoped out on our route, and the first one was in the middle of Kansas. The sign for the turnoff was the size of a postage stamp and we turned onto a gravel road surrounded by sage brush and oil rigs. 7 miles later we drive over a ridge and oh my - these  huge rock formations stood rising up from the prairie. They looked like they belonged in Utah not Kansas! I stood on the ground taking pictures while the boys scrambled to the top jumping around like mountain goats. It was a bit scary to watch, but they had fun.
     We brushed through the tip of Oklahoma and Texas, driving through rain, snow, sleet, and a near white-out blizzard. WHAT?? That's why we left South Dakota!!  Thankfully we only fish-tailed once. (!) Yeah, my nerves are shot and we've only been gone 3 days!
     The bad weather was over as suddenly as it came on, so we kept going. We drove through an old lava bed and and finally found civilization (an RV park) in the middle of New Mexico. Yes.
     Gary hooked up the water, turned it on and - whoosh!!! A geyser from the toilet! You have got to be kidding! (Thank God it was just plain water since we hadn't used it yet.)
     And finally - SLEEP! Praise God!
     Day 4. We hitched up and drove to the White Sand National Monument. It was surreal. It looked just like snow. There were acres and acres of sand dunes. It was so strange. People actually brought sleds and slid down the hills dressed in their ski pants and boots. It was hard to get my head around the fact that it was sand and not snow! Gary and I ran up and down the dunes while the boys jumped of the edges filming with the GoPro. It was great. The sun beat down and there was hardly a breeze. Spectacular.
     Onward. We got 40 miles down the road and we hear a screech, and then steam starts pouring from the engine. See, I told you we have quite the track record. I'm ready to call AAA - but a few prayers to the Father, several minutes looking under the hood, and a few strips of duck tape - and we're on our way! I'm serious!  We got to the next RV park, Gary repairs the broken whatever pipe and the toilet is working again. I am so grateful to be married to Mr. Fix-it!
     I hope that is the last of the mishaps!
     I have to say, we all are so very very blessed to be able to go on this trip. We are blessed to see and experience all of God's amazing creation and we are just in awe how wonderful it all is!
     More to come - stay tuned!!