Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds: What day is it?
Just in to Oklahoma we find ourselves nearly 1,000 miles from home.
Fact: You can take drugs to make you hallucinate.
Fact: Or, you can just drive. A lot. I took this picture in the middle of the night, 15 hours after we left Arizona. As you can see, we still had a little bit of driving to go. I didn't hallucinate too much on the drive, but a few times on a shoulder check I had to do a double take. I could have sworn my sister Maria was sitting behind Madeline in the back. Crazy...
We'll come back to the drive. First of all let's backup to the Gold Canyon in Arizona. Friday morning came quickly as I was invited to play golf with the wedding party. At 6:18am cousin Brandon Nauta and I did as we were told and followed the (profusely sweating for a guy who should be used to this weather) starter to hole #1. Only Brandon nearly rear ended the guy because instead of taking us to the hole, he took us to the path that would take us to the hole. When we got there I nailed the best drive of the day and off we went, literally and figuratively downhill from there. We played a best ball as a twosome because there either weren't two more people to play with us, or there weren't two more people wiling to put up with us. Either way it was a good round, although the drink selection from the course left a bit to be desired.
The view from the course.
After our early round of golf there was time for me to head to the pool with Tim and Deb and the kids while Kristi did a wonderful job of finding and operating a local laundry facility. Our laundry bag had grown considerably from the Albuquerque KOA and the odor grew with it. It is nice to smell clean clothes in confined spaces. After a much needed family nap we attended the wedding of Brett Nauta to LeeAnn Owens. I had hoped to get a chance to speak to LeeAnn prior to the wedding just to make sure that she was aware she was marrying Brett and the extended family came along as part of the deal. I didn't get the chance and I'm sure she'll learn over the next 7 years. I say 7 because at our table we were asked to give them marriage advice for # years of marriage. For you math people #=7 in our case. Kayleigh told them to kiss a lot, I'll keep my advice among the pages of the book until their 7th year. Here are some pictures from the wedding and reception. (p.s. reception chicken was fantastic and the caterer actually made rounds to ensure that things were ok for the guests... this might be called "Management by Walking Around or MBWA which I think is a Tom Peters things. That is your book reference for the night, amazon Tom Peters and just buy everything that appears.)
The pretty one is LeeAnn. The Khaki knee is Tim's. The guy in the pants and vest is Brett.
Ok, I lied. I only took one good picture of the wedding and this is it. My reception photos leave a bit to be desired. Although there is one of Kayleigh dancing with Brett that is pretty good which can be found in the Zion-Wedding gallery.
Saturday morning we made a quick trip to Paradise Bakery in Mesa, AZ which I think is a Panera subsidiary that they use for testing on animals. I mean people. After breakfast we did our final packing and strapped our backsides into the van for the first seconds of our drive.According to Apple maps (Hey! Apple maps actually got us home!) The drive home was 1,880 miles and would take about 30 hours. In reality the drive (exits and the like) was probably longer than 1,880 miles and took only 33 hours in the car. In hindsight, that is pretty amazing that we only "lost" three hours considering we have three kids under six, I drank like a fish, and we even stopped for two meals (at a real restaurant) on the way home. Our children really did do a great job on the way home of keeping themselves entertained and for the most part keeping attitudes in check. I suppose letting them watch movies did help as did the "missing" tablets of Benadryl but we made it and that is good.
I did promise one good story from the trip home and really I think that is all I have. Maddie is a hilarious passenger who likes to be tickled, repeats everything, and for any song on the radio can be counted on to scream "again" when it is finished. Ben and Kayleigh are Temple Run experts, can play a game called Ski Safari Blindfolded, and both are adept at picking letters and numbers off street signage on the way home. So good kids, boring for stories. The real fun started just outside of Texas where we stopped at Denny's for dinner. As we approached the van I wondered if the tail lights on the camper were working, so I checked them. They weren't. I knew the brake lights were fine, I knew the blinkers were fine, but the tail lights were not. I opened the lid to the lights and found that there was a bulb missing so I chalked it up to a camper that is old and let Kristi drive us toward Amarillo, TX. As you remember from a previous post Amarillo was a dangerous drive on the way in so I wanted to take that stretch, but I also needed a break so Kristi had one job... drive from wherever we were to Wilderodo, TX to make a driver change so I could take Amarillo.
Before I continue I need to emphasize something very strongly. Without Kristi taking two turns at the wheel we would not have been home as early as we had. She did a wonderful job for someone who hadn't really driving in two weeks and was thrust into it in the dark while pulling a trailer for the first time. So if you are reading this, Kristi I appreciate your driving and you were great! However... growing up my parents took us to places that required us to sleep in the van and usually we did so without seat belts and it also usually meant a sister on the floor. The apple not falling far from the tree I had Kayleigh sleep on the floor and Ben sleep in the back seat without his belt on. Both did so perfectly. While she was doing a great job of driving, Kristi forgot her drivers license at home which at this point was 1,000+ miles from where we were. So the stage is set with kids not buckled in, a driver without a license... cue the CB radio and 911.
It turns out driving without tail lights on a trailer is frowned upon. Even though she signaled her lane changes and the brake lights really did work, the other drivers on the road didn't appreciate that we were hauling an extra 15 feet behind the van without lights on it. Thanks to modern technology they started calling 911 or using CB radios to contact the authorities. Around midnight with our babies in the back and me resting in the front seat Kristi looks up to see the pretty flashing lights of a Texas county Sheriff who wanted to talk to us. Thankfully he came to my side of the van and he very politely told us our lights didn't work and we should use our emergency blinkers to let people know that we have a trailer. He also noticed that Kayleigh was (we had her move) now seated in the back seat without a seatbelt and suggested we buckle her in. Not once did he ask for a license, registration, proof that we were good parents, or anything of that nature. So I said thank you and off we went. Kristi was a bit shaken up by the ordeal but in a few years it will be funny. Like the time she killed a scorpion in Costa Rica.
We drove nearly 12 hours like this.
Sleeping handsome. I remember waking up like this in my parents basement during college. Somehow I managed to fall asleep walking from the desk to my room...
Really after getting pulled over and then let go quickly by a police officer there isn't much more to share. We drove and drove and drove and drove making stops when we needed to and pretty much letting the kids do what they wanted to as long as it was quiet and by 8:45pm we were close to home... and Ben had to use the bathroom merely minutes from home. Curiosity got the best of me and while Ben was inside answering nature I moved some cables around on the van/camper and look!
After that last stop, and the fuel light shining brightly we rolled in to our home around 9:30pm. Home at last.
There will probably be more stories coming, more photos to look at, and more ways for you to waste your time at my expense. Between a GoPro two cell phones and a digital camera we probably have close to 800 photos we could share, and maybe I will so some Sunday afternoon you can scoop vanilla out of a 5-gallon pail and watch each one of them on your old Kodak projection screen. Or I'll just give you a few more of our favorites. Thanks for reading, praying, and participating on our trip. We had a great time, saw amazing things and even had a chance to see family and attend a wedding. Not bad for 12 days on the run I'd say.
See you next time.
I call this one "Insectus Stuckus at Sunrise" Or an Oklahoma Sunrise.
A welcome sight. The blue sign, not the barrel.
Our friendly reminder that we really need to get home. Fast. Or slow to save fuel.
Day Nine feeling F.I.N.E.
Well for the first time since the 13th of August (all of 8 days I think) I am now sitting in a room from which I can walk to the toilet, shower, fridge, and my clothing all without leaving the same four walls. We are camped out at Gold Canyon Resort and Golf Course for a wedding. I'd tell you who it is but I don't know how to spell their names... the groom is Kristi's cousin Bret(t) and the bride is a nice young lady who I think I saw in the parking lot today (not being creepy) and I think her name is Leigh Ann. It could be spelled differently but going to Facebook to find out at the moment seems like too much work... alright I'll check.
I'll miss my backyard...
So this is a little diddy about Brett and LeeAnn (I checked the names!) two American kids living in the hot land. You young folk probably don't even know what I just did there... oh yeah life goes on. Anyway today we woke in Zion and left probably the most beautiful camp site and location we have seen on our trip. With the exception of the shower situation this was by far our favorite place for at least 4/5 of us. Benny liked St. Louis because of the pool... can't argue with a boy and his pool. We loaded up and headed through the 1.5 mile tunnel under a mountain which was the longest tunnel in History (1927) and according to Kayleigh also the longest tunnel in Zion. The second longest tunnel in Zion is probably short enough that I could hold my breath while running through it. All in all this was probably one of the longer, yet "good" drives that we had. With the exception of a wasted 30 minutes or so in Flagstaff trying to get to Chik-fil-a we made great time and were at Gold Canyon in time to shower up (I didn't wear sandals!) and hit Chili's with Nana and Pa.
After dinner I raced through Walmart picking up a few things I needed for tomorrow. I cannot tell you how happy I was to see a Walmart... and like Ray I say Walmart (ok he said Kmart but most of those are dead) ______. Again kids you might not know that one, go watch Wapner and maybe you'll get it. As I was saying Walmart was great because it had what I needed at a price I was happy to pay. I think we had to pay nearly $5 for a box of lousy graham crackers at the Happy Campers Market in Zion. As nice as the national parks are I sure do think that people are getting greedy. I also find that interesting as many of the "homes" we've seen in the place we've visited don't look like the ones we are used to. I'd like to think it is a mix of what the climate calls for, but at the same time I can't help but notice people living in what I would consider run-down or poor conditions, all the while driving beautiful trucks. I'm not sure where I'm going with this other than to say that if you are reading this from the comfort of your couch or bed on your smart device please consider yourself pretty blessed. Or instead of feeling blessed maybe it is time we ask what we could live without.
Lest you think I'm getting too deep I'll leave you with pictures of my kids double fisting drinks at Chili's. Ben made Sprite water and Kayleigh Orange Juice Water. As I've said before I think Madeleine has really come into her own on this vacation, at least for me. She's talking up a storm and showing and incredible amount of personality and independence. Kristi pointed out that on this trip her favorite part was probably being a part of everything. We had nowhere to leave her, no one to watch her. If we did it, so did she and she loved it.
Ben was mostly Ben. He did a good job squishing a few bugs and was great at being our little leader while he had the energy in the Grand Canyon. He's a sensitive soul who loves hugs, taking care of his sisters, and watching the good guys triumph in movies like the Incredibles. He screamed so loudly today while watching that in the car. He also likes finding numbers and is incredibly competitive while at the same time not really knowing winning or losing.
Kayleigh loves to help. She showed some signs of total independence some good and some bad. Knowing the questions or songs to bring up when Ben was struggling showed good thinking on her part. Getting up in busy traffic just after I asked her to stay in her chair until I said it was safe was a bad choice. She's incredibly bright and as much as I know independent thought is going to be a key to her success in life I sure wish she'd reign it in a bit. I'm simply too slow to keep up.
Well I think that is it for now. I'm in need of some rest before showing the wedding party how to golf tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading, if I get a chance I'll post some pictures of the kids at the wedding. Or maybe I'll get a great video of Kristi and I doing the Boot Scoot 'n Boogie.
Good night everybody.
Random Thoughts:
1. When driving around high cliffs what is the point of a sign telling you to wear a seat belt? Chances are the vehicle goes flying off the cliff and at that point the seat belt is the least of your worries.
2. Why are passing lanes in Arizona always on the up hill?
3. Why is Arizona so cloudy and rainy? I thought it was a hot happening place?
4. Why do I have a craving for a salad?
One more to brag about my kids. They climbed this and then descended it, all with attitude.
Day Nine feeling F.I.N.E.
Well for the first time since the 13th of August (all of 8 days I think) I am now sitting in a room from which I can walk to the toilet, shower, fridge, and my clothing all without leaving the same four walls. We are camped out at Gold Canyon Resort and Golf Course for a wedding. I'd tell you who it is but I don't know how to spell their names... the groom is Kristi's cousin Bret(t) and the bride is a nice young lady who I think I saw in the parking lot today (not being creepy) and I think her name is Leigh Ann. It could be spelled differently but going to Facebook to find out at the moment seems like too much work... alright I'll check.
I'll miss my backyard...
So this is a little diddy about Brett and LeeAnn (I checked the names!) two American kids living in the hot land. You young folk probably don't even know what I just did there... oh yeah life goes on. Anyway today we woke in Zion and left probably the most beautiful camp site and location we have seen on our trip. With the exception of the shower situation this was by far our favorite place for at least 4/5 of us. Benny liked St. Louis because of the pool... can't argue with a boy and his pool. We loaded up and headed through the 1.5 mile tunnel under a mountain which was the longest tunnel in History (1927) and according to Kayleigh also the longest tunnel in Zion. The second longest tunnel in Zion is probably short enough that I could hold my breath while running through it. All in all this was probably one of the longer, yet "good" drives that we had. With the exception of a wasted 30 minutes or so in Flagstaff trying to get to Chik-fil-a we made great time and were at Gold Canyon in time to shower up (I didn't wear sandals!) and hit Chili's with Nana and Pa.
After dinner I raced through Walmart picking up a few things I needed for tomorrow. I cannot tell you how happy I was to see a Walmart... and like Ray I say Walmart (ok he said Kmart but most of those are dead) ______. Again kids you might not know that one, go watch Wapner and maybe you'll get it. As I was saying Walmart was great because it had what I needed at a price I was happy to pay. I think we had to pay nearly $5 for a box of lousy graham crackers at the Happy Campers Market in Zion. As nice as the national parks are I sure do think that people are getting greedy. I also find that interesting as many of the "homes" we've seen in the place we've visited don't look like the ones we are used to. I'd like to think it is a mix of what the climate calls for, but at the same time I can't help but notice people living in what I would consider run-down or poor conditions, all the while driving beautiful trucks. I'm not sure where I'm going with this other than to say that if you are reading this from the comfort of your couch or bed on your smart device please consider yourself pretty blessed. Or instead of feeling blessed maybe it is time we ask what we could live without.
Lest you think I'm getting too deep I'll leave you with pictures of my kids double fisting drinks at Chili's. Ben made Sprite water and Kayleigh Orange Juice Water. As I've said before I think Madeleine has really come into her own on this vacation, at least for me. She's talking up a storm and showing and incredible amount of personality and independence. Kristi pointed out that on this trip her favorite part was probably being a part of everything. We had nowhere to leave her, no one to watch her. If we did it, so did she and she loved it.
Ben was mostly Ben. He did a good job squishing a few bugs and was great at being our little leader while he had the energy in the Grand Canyon. He's a sensitive soul who loves hugs, taking care of his sisters, and watching the good guys triumph in movies like the Incredibles. He screamed so loudly today while watching that in the car. He also likes finding numbers and is incredibly competitive while at the same time not really knowing winning or losing.
Kayleigh loves to help. She showed some signs of total independence some good and some bad. Knowing the questions or songs to bring up when Ben was struggling showed good thinking on her part. Getting up in busy traffic just after I asked her to stay in her chair until I said it was safe was a bad choice. She's incredibly bright and as much as I know independent thought is going to be a key to her success in life I sure wish she'd reign it in a bit. I'm simply too slow to keep up.
Well I think that is it for now. I'm in need of some rest before showing the wedding party how to golf tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading, if I get a chance I'll post some pictures of the kids at the wedding. Or maybe I'll get a great video of Kristi and I doing the Boot Scoot 'n Boogie.
Good night everybody.
Random Thoughts:
1. When driving around high cliffs what is the point of a sign telling you to wear a seat belt? Chances are the vehicle goes flying off the cliff and at that point the seat belt is the least of your worries.
2. Why are passing lanes in Arizona always on the up hill?
3. Why is Arizona so cloudy and rainy? I thought it was a hot happening place?
4. Why do I have a craving for a salad?
One more to brag about my kids. They climbed this and then descended it, all with attitude.
Curious George Goes to the Zoo: Day Eight
Well we made it, our last day of camping before the hotel and wedding. I'm honestly quite excited to be able to a. shower for free and b. shower with no shoes on.
Parents of young children with netflix subscriptions may have had the opportunity to watch a Curious George episode where George and Yellow Hat (my abbreviation) take the subway to the Zoo to see something cool. Only instead of getting to the zoo George and Yellow Hat get seperated on the train system constantly waving as the other travels by on a different train. Well today that was us. Almost. We were getting off a crowded bus in Zion after a morning of hiking and poor Benny was the first (and only) member of the party to get off the bus. There he was in tears on the other side of a shut door while ther est of us pounded and screamed for the driver to stop. Thankfully he did stop. but poor Benny was traumatized to the point that he wouldn't get on the bus to get back to our van. Nothing quite as awful as seeing your kid on the other side of the class crying his eyes off because he thinks his family is abandoning him. Suffice it to say he'll be afraid of park busses, but he was soon back to his rambunctious self.
Hmmm... as I write this it seems as though my connection is slow so I might be short on pictures. I'll have to make up for it with my witty and detailed writing. I'll try to add more tomorrow.
Today started early and slowly. We got up, ate our cereal and made our way (after reading the map for instructions) to the bus stop to take the bus to Zion lodge to start our hike. We did the Emerald Pool trails and covered 2.6 miles with our little hikers today. They even did a route marked "Not for Children". It honestly really wasn't for children but Kristi and I don't really do well with limitations like that. If a sign said cliff and we could see a clear cliff we'd stay away. Anything that can be construed as a non-child threatening limitation is usually met with a "oh yeah, watch me". I think our kids have picked up on it too. They did a great job climbing rocks and logs up and down a trial to see three sets of pools. We have a couple of great pictures to share in the next few days.
Kolob Resevoir. Home to cows, horses, mud, two oddly placed outhouses and plenty of bumper breaking rocks. (The bumper is fine I drove around them)
Speaking of climing... we took a van ride up to Kolob Resevoir. If anyone gives you the opportunity to take a helictoptor up there please do so. The views of the mountains are great and the land is definitely not a popular tourist attraction. However if you have a simple car or van please stay down. We basically drove an hour up to see an oversized pond. We started to drive around the pond at which time I joked to Kristi "Hey I bet we get 7/8 around and have to turn back". Clearly a joke based on the long journey up, and sadly a joke similar to "Hey, Watch this!" We made it around the lake, dodigng mud, horses and rocks before we came to a section that was impassable to the family mini-van. I think the highlight of the drive, and maybe the day, was listening and watching as Madeleine screamed her lungs out when she saw a cow. We even rolled down a window and let her say hi.
After our drive in to nowhere we stopped to buy a five minute shower. Boys on the left, girls on the right. The showers were basically broom closets with a shower stall attached to it. Benny and I were fine, the ladies may have had to deal with some unsavory things left by other people. It was memorable, but not the kind of memory you want to have. Not to mention it was a dollar a minute.
When the trauma of the shower was over we returned for pizza pies and anything else we could jam into our faces so we didn't have to pack it in the cooler for the drive home. 9-10 hours from now I hope we are safely strapped to our seats with camper in tow on our way to Gold Canyon Resort and Golf course. For now though, our three kids are sharing stories with each other in the camper when they are supposed to be asleep. Those are tired buggers but they just won't shut their eyes. They've covered school, stories about dragons, and even a funeral. It simply drives home the point that I'm the fifth smartest person in the family.
A nice grandmother on the trail offered to take our family picture. As you can see the kids are beat and behind my neck Madeleine is sleeping. Would you believe these kids stayed up yacking for an hour after bed?
Well that is it for camping. When I married Kristi she wasn't much of a "camper" and since we wed I'm not sure we've done more than 2-3 nights of camping, usually with friends and never with three kids. (Ok I'm remembering a week of camping at Hoffmaster, but that was just where we slept while spending days at Maranatha.) So at the risk of being mushy on the Internets I do have to tip my hat to my wonderful wife for putting up with this trip and the wonderful job she did in helping to make everything go smoothly. Each day we had lunches to eat and string cheese to snack on while we traveled. She also helped with tear down and hooking up the camper to the van with very few, if any, angry husband moments. Without her work it would be Happy Meals, candy, and bruised bumpers. Thanks, Kristi. I can't wait until next time :)
I hope to update tomorrow about our trip to Gold CAanyon (Chik-Fil-A stop planned in Flagstaff) and also to update some photos. Until then, stay classy planet earth.
This picture is simply here because I think it is cute, and I'm looking for a modeling agent.
Me with my little hikers... and the mooch on my back?
The scenery from what I will now refer to as "death drive 2014". Kolob Resevoir