Wednesday, August 28, 2013

10,000 miles

After leaving Canyon Country we headed deep into the heart of Texas. First stop was San Antonio, which we were all looking forward to. Unfortunately this was our first real disappointment of the trip. Riding bikes into the city in the blazing heat (even at 6pm), we were quite shocked by the numbers of homeless people; the acclaimed River Walk was underwhelming with over priced restaurants, dirty water, and your basic tourist traps. What a juxtaposition to the beauty we had been experiencing up to that point.

However, we did enjoy learning about the history of Texas at the Alamo. Unfortunately, No matter how hard we looked, we just could not find the basement or PeeWee's bike.



The next few days we found ourselves battered by the surprisingly large waves and strong rip tide on the beach of Galveston, TX.  The heat continued, of course, and the Gulf waters reached temperatures of about 90 degrees!  Crazy compared to the waters off if Cape Cod.  Thank goodness there was a pool to cool in!

With San Antonia still weighing heavily on our hearts, we spent some of our travel time in the RV preparing sack lunches, hoping to give them out to the homeless people we seemed to be encountering more often on our travels.

Upon reaching LaFayette, LA we enjoyed a little of the Cajun culture.  Ponte Breaux Restaurant offered some of both in that we tried jambalaya, gumbo, hush puppies, shrimp and fried alligator, and put our best foot forward two-stepping to some live zydeco music.  To top it off we spent one night at an RV resort complete with water slides and swim up bars.  This was certainly a new way to "camp"!


We decided to stop at a Police Station in downtown Baton Rouge to inquire about their city's homeless. They directed us to The One Stop where several area service providers offer counseling, shelter, showers, health care, employment services and more. We pulled up not knowing what to expect and found people in a lot going through piles of clothes. Ann asked one gentleman the best way to pass out the lunches and a line up to our RV formed immediately.  It seems that in a matter of seconds the 40 or more prepared lunches were gone, with plenty more people in line. We quickly opened our cupboards to offer what we could.  Johnny, Tobi and Lucy set to work making more sandwiches, Tanner and Elsie handed them out, along with granola bars, while Ann made conversation with the individuals waiting in line.  Asking if they wanted to wait in the shade, one gentleman responded that there was no way he wanted to loose his place in line.  A mom with toddler twin boys asked for something cold to drink, and we were relieved to discover our last 2 juice boxes.  Each and every person was polite, thanking us for anything we could give...even the man who was next in line when we ran out! He even blessed us for stopping by.  What a humbling experience.  Though we have taken many amazing pictures on our journey, we feel that this one is the one that will impact us the most.


Just outside of New Orleans we toured the Oak Alley Plantation and learned about the plantation life both pre and post Civil War.  We really enjoyed the emphasis placed on slavery on the plantation.


One of the real highlights of our journey down south was our swamp boat tour through the Honey Island Swamp.  We saw lots of wildlife...including Brutus...a really big gator.  How big?  This big...


After leaving the swamps, we turned northward and stopped in Jackson, MS, the home of the AA Jackson Braves.  The thunderstorms passed just in time for fan appreciation night, and we enjoyed a nice evening of baseball followed by some pretty sweet fireworks.  Tanner got some autographs, and even got a game ball from one of the really nice ushers.  The only downside was the hour long line for $1 hotdogs...we waited until the line was gone and even got free pizzas out of it!

We've got about a week to go.  10,000 miles seems incredible, but each mile created a thousand memories.  And for those of you who have been wondering...it finally happened!


Ann was great behind the wheel and even drove through Birmingham...no easy task!

The Blue Ridge Parkway is next...we'll keep you posted!






Friday, August 23, 2013

Multiple choice

We all ate this at dinner last night in Louisiana
1. Jambalaya 
2. Gumbo
3. Fried 'gator
4. Stuffed shrimp

The operative word is ALL because the above were enjoyed by many of us but only fried alligator was something each of us ate.  To top it off, everyone really liked it. Although Elsie only had a little claiming that "it tastes good but I feel weird eating it".



These photos were taken where?
1. The RV Park we stayed in
2. Breaux Bridge Water Park
3. Pilgrim Pines Conference Center




Yes, the RV Park we stayed in! We were astounded as well. It was actually called an RV Resort, and that it was.

Walmart Super Centers in the South have what?
1. No lines 
2. Someone pushing your cart out to your car and helping with shopping bags
3. Nail salons
4. Indoor play space 

We are chagrined to say it, however we must admit we have done most of our food shopping @ Walmart, as they are ubiquitous.  We now know that in the south you can relax with a mani and/or pedi  when doing your shopping. 


Sunday, August 18, 2013

Sorrow

Yesterday, we left Moab (UT) and Arches National Park and drive south towards Four Corners, the intersection point of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, as well as the boundary point between the Navajo and Ute Nations.  The kids had been looking forward to standing in all four states at once ever since we began our journey back in early July.  It was about 105 degrees in the shade when we arrived, and the fry bread we devoured was even hotter!



We enjoyed our visit, especially interacting with the Navajo and Ute craftsmen and women who displayed their amazing handmade jewelry and other items, including arrows with obsidian points.  As you might imagine, Tanner was especially intrigued and fascinated as the gentleman explained and demonstrated this craft, and our next blog post will include Tanner describing it.


We drove further south into New Mexico as we prepared to journey into the heart of Texas, but we did so with heavy hearts.

Both Ann and I have spent time serving on reservations in the past: Pine Ridge in South Dakota (Lakota Sioux) and Lame Deer, Montana (Northern Cheyenne).  They are deeply challenging places of cyclical poverty, and the local leaders who work so desperately hard to bring hope and vision to their people are inspiring.  But as we drove southward through Utah and passed through these tiny reservation communities with their run down and weather beaten government issued "homes", with absolutely no opportunity nearby for employment, we both felt a deep sense of sorrow for what the Native Americans have endured.  The image of mile after mile of the most desolate, unforgiving land that our country contains, littered with thousands and thousands of empty, discarded alcohol and beer bottles along the side of the road was a grim reminder of the reality of rampant alcoholism that ravages these communities.  Our mood was only deepened when we were approached by a visibly bruised Native American woman, who told us a convoluted story with slurred speech that made no real coherent sense, eventually asking us for money and/or a ride (unfortunately not in a direction that we were able to go) while her husband watched from the shadows of the gas station we had pulled into.  Though we were able to give her some funds and talk with her, we left feeling depressed and helpless at witnessing both the grand scale of the problem that many Native American communities face, and the personal face of it in this battered woman.

Next summer I plan to take our senior high youth group back to Lame Deer, MT, to both help as we are able, and also to expose our youth to the needs that exist within our country.  I know it will touch them deeply and impact them in powerful ways.  Ways that might lead to lives dedicated to making a difference.  Lives lived with a purpose that brings light into the darkness.



Friday, August 16, 2013

8500 miles...

Thoughts from Lucy and Tobi...

We have learned many things on this trip, including that Lucy is like a billy goat.  She is the fastest one in the family on all our hikes, even when our mom tried to sneak up on her and run by! Lucy's favorite hike was the Bright Angel Trail going down into the Grand Canyon and back up. Tobi's fav was hiking The Narrows in Zion.  For those of you who don't know, this is basically a hike IN The Virgin River through slot canyons. 


Fortunately, we've had some shopping opportunities along the way, buying gifts for our friends and momentos for ourselves.  The best purchase, by far, was Lucy's "magnificent" buffalo hat (Tobi insists this is the opinion of some, not all). See photo below. However, it is best for colder climates than we are currently experiencing!



People keep telling us we should be thankful our parents are taking us on this trip- and we are. But, if Elsie farts one more time Tobi threatens to do something vicious and mean. She doesn't know what that will be yet, but she's considering her options. 

One of the best things we do is building camp fires most nights and sometimes cooking dinner over the fire.  S'mores aren't bad either!  



Seeing the many canyons, hoodoos, and arches in Utah has been incredible! We are ready to hit the Deep South.  
















Saturday, August 10, 2013

RV Living update part 2

Now that we've been traveling for over a month we're all missing a few comforts of home.  However, there are some things we DON'T miss.  Here's a couple from each of us:

Elsie misses the library (she's not the only one), but she doesn't miss practicing piano.

Tobi misses the dishwasher, but she doesn't miss having a well balanced diet.

Tanner misses "space", but he doesn't miss his regular bedtime.

Lucy misses sleeping with covers ( ie not a sleeping bag), but she doesn't miss regular hygiene. 

Ann misses having a conventional size refrigerator and the gym (it's always a battle between food and exercise, isn't it?), but she doesn't miss her alarm clock.

Johnny misses showering (the rest of us miss him showering, too), but he doesn't miss T.V.

Of course, we all miss our family and friends and we hope you miss us just as much! 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

7500 miles...

After leaving Sequoia/King's Canyon, and enjoying a great evening and morning of hospitality at the Phoenix home of Ann's Aunt Joyce and Uncle Bob (more pizza than we could eat, and a beautiful neighborhood swimming pool), we made the long journey across the desert, with just the briefest of stops in Joshua Tree National Park, where the temperature hovered at 109 degrees.  It was there, at a gas station in the middle of no where that we had an opportunity to help someone in need.  As I was filling up the RV with gas, an older, worn auto pulled up to the pump behind me, and a woman approached me while her husband and young daughter went inside.  She came right up to me and asked for money.  I admit that every instinct I had was at work judging her.  She (and her family) were overweight, she looked bedraggled, and sounded uneducated and possibly struggling with some forms of mental illness.  I wanted to turn my back and ignore her.  But I remembered our trip motto...Parks with a Purpose...and that purpose is to serve others in Christ's name.  Especially those in need.  So, I offered to fill her tank with gas.
While I went in to prepay her gas, she continued approaching other cars asking for money.  Ann struck up a conversation with her, asking about her needs and challenges, caring about her as a person, and validating her.  She was grateful for both the gas and the conversation.
As we drove away, we both felt a bit hollow inside.  So often it seems that the help we give seems insignificant in the grand scheme of the life of the one in need, and yet, it just as often seems that those in need wouldn't take the real help they need even if it was offered.  Frustrating, yet we give as we are able, hoping that even small moments of light along the way might impact in ways we could never hope for or imagine, through Christ's power and love.

What did we do next?  After a fun day in Sedona on the Pink Jeeps...The last few days have looked something like this...











The Grand Canyon.  Too awesome for words.

Now we're at the border between AZ and UT heading into Zion NP tomorrow.  Canyon country here in UT looks to be spectacular and we're excited about what the next week holds!






Saturday, August 3, 2013

6200 miles

We've been busy since our last post, and way out of wifi or cell phone range.

Where have we been these past days???


and...


Yosemite was as breathtakingly awe inspiring as people had told us.  The Yosemite Valley is beyond compare.  So much to visually take in...El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalveil Falls, Yosemite Falls...so massive and so amazing.  To see the power and majesty of God's creation.  Wow.  Our trip up to Glacier Point was nerve racking, especially since our 31 foot RV was over the recommended length for the road and the turns would be tight to handle in our VW super beetle, but so worth it.  What a view...


We even had time for some swimming in the river that runs through the valley while we watched climbers heading up El Capitan directly behind us.


More amazing was leaving that night and seeing the lights of the climbers suspended halfway up the sheer vertical face of the cliff as they slept strapped into the side of the mountain!

Our next stop was King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks...we knew we'd see some big trees, but oh my...


The General Sherman tree above is about 2500 years old and is the largest living thing on the earth by volume.  We felt like insects next to it.  At another section of the forest we even got to climb through a giant sequoia that had fallen and was hollow inside.  Look how small we look in it!


We saw three black bears in Sequoia in one day, the last one walking right in front of the RV.  Totally awesome!

While in King's Canyon we camped for 3 nights at a beautiful campground called Sunset.  We were high up on a rock ledge that looked westward out over the city of Fresno.  The sunsets were spectacular and the night so clear we could easily see the Milky Way, shooting stars and satellites.


Always wanting to help in some way at each place we go has led us into some interesting opportunities so far.  We've been able to directly help individuals in need, entire communities, and even people at random.  This time, our service wasn't very exciting or glamorous, but it was deeply appreciated by the park rangers when we offered...we picked up trash in every campsite in the campground.



Tonight we're experiencing quite a shock to our system as we moved from the chill of the mountains to temps well over 100 degrees here outside of Joshua Tree National Park.  We're looking forward to visiting with family in Phoenix tomorrow before we head northward to Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

Again, we deeply appreciate your prayers.  We were hit hard by a stomach bug, but have since recovered.  We've had moments of stress and are all a it overtired, but still overjoyed to journey forward.  It's hard to hear of friends back home going through hard times and not being there with them, but we trust our prayers are being felt.

Elsie reports that there seems to be a scarcity of DQ's in Cali.  Bummer.

After all the bears and deer, Tanner enjoyed watching a beautiful bald eagle soar above us as we swam in Hume Lake.

Tobi is rejoicing over electrical power tonight to recharge her kindle.

Lucy is in the lead for MVP of the trip...what a good helper she is.

Ann continues to be the glue holding all of this together.

Johnny is ready for a second career as a long haul driver.