Sunday, July 28, 2013

5500 miles

Glacier National Park had big shoes to fill after everything we had seen and experienced in Yellowstone!  A hike deep into the woods brought us to an incredible lake fed by 4 enormous waterfalls from the glacier over the ridge.  The water was turquoise and crystal clear.  The next day we spent the morning on horseback with guides sharing details as we rode through the forest.  A but more exciting was the white water rafting trip that afternoon...especially when we hit a rock broadside throwing both Lucy and Ann overboard!  As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, we took a walk that evening from our campsite down some train tracks.  Apparently the signs warning us to stay out of the tunnel through the hillside were legitimate, as halfway through a double locomotive came barreling through giving us all a good scare!

After leaving Glacier National Park, we traveled south for a bit(Missoula, MT is a fantastic city and filled with active, friendly people) then turned west across Idaho, Washington and Oregon, following the same route as both Lewis and Clark, and the settlers on the Oregon Trail.  We followed alongside the great Snake and Columbia Rivers, the latter as it powers through its massive gorge, always moving purposefully to the Pacific.  Thanks to a great tip from an old college friend, we stopped by for a visit at Multnoma Falls...absolutely beautiful!


As we continued west toward the coast at Newport, OR the temp read 102 degrees outside.  30 miles later, when we opened the doors of the RV along the shores of the Pacific it was 52 degrees and foggy.


While walking the beach the next morning, a state parks volunteer told us some fascinating stuff:
-the entire coast of Oregon is public space...no private beaches at all
-the rocky coast line was created by volcanic activity millions of years ago by Yellowstone NP
-the oxygen content of the water is much higher than the Atlantic where we live in MA, resulting in much greater marine life (which we saw first hand and Tanner will update below)


As we traveled southward towards California, we decided to stay at Cape Blanco State Park.  It's a 5 mile drive uphill off of highway 101 and the wind was raging off the ocean.  We saw 3 young bikers walking up one if the final hills, looking so defeated.  After we got into the campsite, we found them and invited them over for dinner, s'mores, and a chance to warm up and get out of the wind and fog.  Cass, Emily and PJ are Canadians traveling by bike from Vancouver to San Francisco.  They were grateful for what we could offer and we were grateful for the chance to serve them in Christ's name.


Onward we traveled to the stunning Redwood National Park and its 2000 year old Redwood trees...they took our breath away...





After a quick night's sleep in Willow Creek...famous for a certain museum...


We turned back east through Lasser Volcanic National Park and have arrived for the night in Reno, NV.  Tomorrow it's on to Yosemite!

Tanner's animal tally now includes harbor seals, elephant seals, sea lions, ospreys...and grey whales!  Yup...saw them right from shore in Oregon.

Elsie reports that the favorite DQ blizzard flavors seem to center on Midnight Truffles and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, although Johnny is partial to Choco Cherry Love.

Keep your prayers coming...we feel them!





Thursday, July 25, 2013

RV Living Update


Living & traveling in the RV is going pretty well thus far. For those skeptics out there, yes, admittedly it's still early on in our trip!  So here's the truth.

THE GOOD...
RV running well, no issues, yay! Everyone sleeping soundly, content with their chosen bunks and keeping their areas tidy.  Plenty of card and board games (I dare you to challenge Elsie to National Parks Memory), as well as some "unique" entertainment that only road trips can inspire.  Johnny is the solo driver, despite some offers from Ann, and doing a stellar job.

THE BAD..
Stopping for gas so frequently costing time and money (never mind the headaches and grumbling produced due to maneuvering this rig) is a bummer, however this is not unexpected.  The bathroom door keeps flying open while driving and objects DO shift while RV in motion. Note: do not leave quart of blueberries on counter.  Ann & Johnny are considering starving the children due to the fact that following feeding time chaos ensues.  Sometime a little hypoglycemia can be a good thing.  

THE UGLY...
Same loud noises, same odors, same 6 people. Only there is no escape.

Picture time!
















Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Custer


We have to back track a little as we left out one of our all-time favorite places: Custer State Park, SD (about 8 hours east of Yellowstone).  This is the most spectacular State Park with lush, majestic valleys filled with bison and plenty of other wildlife. We saw several beautiful herds of bison, up close and from a distance.  What a site! Kudos to the terrific rangers and volunteers who keep this incredible creation so pristine!  We were fortunate enough to secure a campsite among some large shady trees (yay!) for the night without a reservation.  Let me tell you,there is no underestimating the pleasure in finding clean, odor-free bathrooms and showers.
Strange as it may sound, kindling and firewood can be hard to find "naturally" in most campgrounds.  There are several reasons for this, one being that the brush is constantly cleared out by staff to reduce the risk of forest fires. Therefore, we are frequently purchasing both.  As we were preparing dinner together we asked the kids for ideas on how to help out at Custer.  They tossed around several ideas and settled on collecting kindling for the campsite next door, no small task. We were told people were due to arrive anytime and they thought it would be a welcome surprise to have a fire pit well stocked. As the evening passed and rain clouds threatened the kids covered the kindling, adding a note stating "this kindling provided by Parks with a Purpose".
Knowing we cannot make large donations or a great impact everywhere we travel, we continue to look for small opportunities  to show and share God's love.  Of course, God asks us to do this always. We are learning to be more mindful of this. Our eyes and ears are becoming more keen to the needs of those around us. We won't share these all with you, however know that we are praying and ask for your prayers in our mission to reflect His goodness. 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

3500 miles...


We've made it to Glacier National Park!  Camping just a few miles to the east of the west entrance and actually have wifi access for the first time in a while.  Here's the latest update...

We had an incredible time in Yellowstone NP.  Cody (WY) is such a western cowboy town...what a fun place to be.  Of course we went to the Cody Rodeo and marveled at the skills of the men and women who rode the bucking broncos, lassoed the calfs while riding full speed on horseback, and those brave enough to try and last 8 seconds on a bull.  When they invited the kids to come down and try and pull a ribbon off of the run away calf's tail, Lucy came a whisker away from grabbing it!  Good times!

Yellowstone was of course, remarkable.  The wonder and majesty of God's creation is awe inspiring.  Probably the highlight of highlights was watching a grizzly bear frolicking in the meadow just 50 yards away.  A beautiful animal.

We spent each night along the shores of the reservoir at Buffalo Bill State Park.  Total wilderness in the Wapiti Valley.  One evening a huge thunderstorm rolled through and we watched the lightning strikes head off over the mountains in the distance.  A kind park host kept us well supplied with drift wood for our fire.  A neighbor couple (who incidentally are going from west coast to east coast in their rv) gave us some great tips and even gave the kids $5 to buy Wilcoxson's ice cream...a Montana speciality...especially if you get the huckleberry!  Another neighbor saved our towels and chairs from blowing away when the storm came racing in and we were away in town.  Such kind people giving us small provisions of grace along our journey.

We spent a great morning with some fine and faithful folks who run the Provisions of Grace food pantry in Cody...a ministry of Harvest Church (www.harvestweb.net).  Each one of the volunteers we met spends close to 30 hours a week at the pantry, which in turn provides food to over 60 families in town twice a week.  We got to tour the facility, hear about the people they serve, and how the church is responding to the needs of the community.  We then heard what their most pressing needs were for the pantry that week, and went on a shopping spree to buy lots of fresh produce and dairy items.  It was moving to bring it all back to the pantry, spread it out on the table, and to pray over it, and for the volunteers, and for the families that will receive it.  The Missions Ministry at Covenant Congregational Church provided funds for just such an opportunity as this.  In a real and tangible way, the church there in North Easton impacted the people of Cody.  Praise God.

A couple quick updates...

Elsie reports that the ice cream intake has increased dramatically and Dairy Queen continues to serve us well.

Tanner reports we have now seen 500+ bison, herds of elk, more pronghorn than we can count, bald eagles, a golden eagle, a coyote, a marmot, loads of deer and mule deer, big horn sheep and one big grizzly bear.  Hopefully here in Glacier we will see some mountain goats.

Lucy continues to take lots of pictures that we'll post on our Facebook page (Parks with a Purpose).

Tobi has completely run out of books to read even with her kindle fire loaded down with them.

Ann met some amazing cyclists who are riding 4000 miles from Baltimore to Seattle to raise funds and awareness for cancer research...many of them riding for specific individuals battling the disease.  Very cool to see their commitment and determination.

The RV is doing well, other than a busted door knob on the bathroom that is a constant source of irritation.

Thanks for the prayers...we feel them!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

2500 miles...

After close to 2500 miles, we've reached The Badlands in South Dakota.  We can see the strange peaks of this former underwater sea floor from our campsite and look forward to heading in first thing in the morning.  Then it is off to Custer State Park and the wildlife loop that include a huge herd of bison, loads of pronghorns, wild burros, prairie dogs, and who knows what else!  We'll camp in Hill City near Rushmore and Crazy Horse, spending the day in the Black Hills before heading into Wyoming.  Yes...we'll be visiting Wall Drug tomorrow after the Badlands.  Probably the best tourist trap in all of the USA!

We got such wonderful hospitality up in the UP of Michigan on Hagerman Lake from the Gotberg's and Strom's.  The kids spent the day tubing and trying to waterski, and we went down to Covenant Point, second best only to Squanto, for a visit.

We also stopped in to visit our old neighborhood, Currie Street in Maplewood, MN, and were thrilled that all the old gang was there.  It was just like old times, hanging out in the driveways, talking about life, and laughing.  Amazing people that we still love dearly.

At each stop we've been making sure to keep our eyes and ears open, sharing the purpose of our journey with those we meet.  Interestingly, it seems to make others want to help us instead of us helping them!  In Bear Lake, MI, a wonderful older couple gave us a tour of the town, took us to get firewood, and even helped us to get our fire started.  We shared our s'mores with them!  Red also showed me his trophy buck that won him first prize...a beautiful deer.

Today, Ann met Bob here at the campground, who is riding his bicycle from MI to Phoenix, AZ.  And yes, you just read that right.  His bike is loaded with packs and panniers, a tent and cook gear.  He is averaging about 80 miles a day.  He said the hardest part is being lonely, so we invited him to join us for dinner (he declined because he was already set) but Ann spent sometime after dinner talking with him and hearing more of his story.  It's good to know that sometime the best gift we can give to someone is our simple presence.

Thanks for all you prayers!  We feel them!

Elsie reports that soon after crossing the Mississippi River in MN we pulled into our first Dairy Queen. There was great rejoicing.


Monday, July 8, 2013

Day 1 & 2


Here's our first update...

Elsie reports that we have traveled 2 days and consumed zero total ice creams.  This must change quickly.

Tanner reports that so far we have seen a deer, a mother turkey and 4 babies, and one rabbit.  He looks forward to getting further west where there are bigger mammals.

Lucy took the photo of the day above.  More below about the story that goes with it.

Tobi's quote of Papa overreacting is: "shhhhh....we have neighbors you know!"

Coolest thing after 2 days: a field filled with hundreds of fireflies which we tried our best to catch.

We are now 1000 miles into our journey, and camping for the night at the Michigan Dunes near Sawyer, MI.  Beautiful spot and we were able to take an evening swim before the thunderstorms came rolling in.  Tomorrow we will head up the amazing coast of Michigan, heading for the UP.

Our first opportunity to serve came this morning, when Ann went into the tiny, time-warped to the 1940's office of the Rustic Acres Campground outside of Clarion, PA.  She talked with Quintin, the longtime owner, asking if there was anything that needed to be done, or anyone that needed help.  He asked why she wanted to know, and she explained about our trip across country to see the NP's and serve in Christ's name along the way.  He was deeply touched by this and talked about a weekly worship service they did there at the campground.  He then mentioned a single mom who lived at the campground who had just undergone surgery.  She was behind on her rent, and he was worried for her.

What a blessing that on our very first day we could make a difference in someone's life.  We were able to pay for half of her rent for the month, a surprise that Quintin couldn't wait to share with her when she returned later today.

I admit that I wasn't really thinking about helping anyone today...I wanted to get miles under our wheels, and figured our serving would be out further west.  But like the story of the Good Samaritan, we can't be like the priest or scribe and be in such a hurry to do God's work that we miss the needs right in front of our eye.  I'm grateful that Ann led us this morning to be mindful of that.

The RV is running well.  We're all excited to finally be moving.  Gas costs a lot!  We picks up trash on the beach after our swim.  God is good.  We are so blessed.  May we be a blessing to others in return.

Thanks for your prayers!  Keep them coming!

Peace,
Johnny