'Nuff said - I'm not ready for this to be over. It's gone by too quickly.
See you all soon!
Nicole
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Long Road Home
It's here. The last day. None of us really want it to end, and none of us want to stay out here forever. We're in that place of looking back and looking forward. Sigh.
I think Nicole may be having the hardest time. I can't be sure, but she's still huddled in the far corner of the upper bunk under a pile of covers, brandishing Oscar like a weapon and moaning, "I don't wanna go. I don't want it to end." You be the judge.....
Kristi says, "Last time showering in flip flops isn't that bad."
I say, "Let's hit the road."
We'll see you soon, if you're a Jefferson area person. We'll be giving tours of the RV later tonight for a very low admissions fee. What? How do you think we're going to bankroll this adventure?! :)
Katrina
I think Nicole may be having the hardest time. I can't be sure, but she's still huddled in the far corner of the upper bunk under a pile of covers, brandishing Oscar like a weapon and moaning, "I don't wanna go. I don't want it to end." You be the judge.....
Kristi says, "Last time showering in flip flops isn't that bad."
I say, "Let's hit the road."
We'll see you soon, if you're a Jefferson area person. We'll be giving tours of the RV later tonight for a very low admissions fee. What? How do you think we're going to bankroll this adventure?! :)
Katrina
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Some late night reflections
I have been posting pictures but I haven’t written anything in awhile. I know that there is a TON of new stuff, I believe both Katrina and Nicole wrote new blogs and I just posted tons of pictures- I think we are finally caught up on pictures actually! But it’s a lot for you followers of the blog in one day and now- just to put a cherry on top- I’m going to ramble theologically a bit. It's late at night and there's stuff bouncing around in my head~ Your forgiveness please!
The three of us noticed something interesting in these last couple of days about the arc of this trip. We started, well, if you don’t count Vegas, we started with a lot of astounding wonders. We were out in national parks, and reveling in God’s creation- the Grand Canyon, Slide Rock, Sedona, the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. I felt continually in awe in that part of the trip- the world God has made is so big and different from anything I’ve known, and beautiful beyond the telling of it. And so we made our way across the country.
The past couple of days we have taken a turn. It started as we pulled into Oklahoma City- to visit a tree I’ve been talking about for months. It is the survivor tree that is a part of the memorial built on the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. The memorial is hauntingly powerful- a tribute to the men and women and children who lost their lives on that terrible day. Today we arrived in Memphis, and spent a couple of hours at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel- the site where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed.
It is as if we are making the journey back into the brokenness of the real world- and I find myself wrestling with one of the essential questions that comes with being a person of faith this side of heaven. What about this brokenness and suffering and evil? We live at these crossroads- and it is so amazing and such a powerful act of defiance and faith to know that the same God who created the grandness of the Grand Canyon is present in our moments of deepest suffering too. The Oklahoma City memorial has outside of its gates a statue of Jesus, crying- with the two words underneath, “Jesus wept.”
We continue to head toward home now and despite our best efforts- the blessings and the burdens of the work we have left are starting to break in. And maybe that is how it should be. Maybe our challenge is to let what we have seen and done and the fun we have had nourish and inform us as we dare to stand at those crossroads with others.
Maybe answers still lie ahead of us on this journey- we are, after all, heading to grace-land in the morning. :) For tonight though, I am content to live seeing “in the mirror dimly,” to open myself to what God has to teach me, and to give thanks for the blessing to live the questions together with my friends.
Peace- Kristi
Memphis- Part 2
Dinner--- YUM!!!!!!
We all had ribs- the dry rub was a huge hit- though the wet was amazing too- as was the pulled pork. Here's a picture of Kristi's dinner:
Yeah, Katrina liked the ribs....
It was a LOT of food and we were really full. But.....
we still had enough room to share dessert!! YUM-O! :)
Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma City memorial:
Each end has a gate- one marked 9:01 the other marked 9:03- the bomb went off at 9:02 changing lives and this city and country forever.
Each end has a gate- one marked 9:01 the other marked 9:03- the bomb went off at 9:02 changing lives and this city and country forever.
There is a chair for each person who died in the bombing- they represent the empty chairs in homes and with families. These smaller chairs are for each of the children in the day care center who died.
And here is the survivor tree which was in the parking lot and which they thought had been killed in the blast. Instead it bloomed again, and is a symbol of survival, deeply rooted faith, and new growth even out of terrible tragedy.
The survivor tree again- truly a tree worth stopping to see....
The Big Texan- 72oz steak anyone??
In Amarillo, Texas we ate breakfast at "The Big Texan" a Rt 66 landmark famous for their promise that anyone who can eat a 72oz steak and all the sides within an hour gets the steak for free (otherwise it costs about $75). Don't believe it? Watch people try at www.thebigtexan.com We did not take the challenge, but we did have a good breakfast and a great time here.
Katrina poses by the free limo that will drive you back and forth to the restaurant- notice the horns~
Everything is bigger in Texas.....
And Nicole found her cowboy! No plaid shirt though.....
What do you think?? Could you do it??
Bandelier National Monument
Hiking in Bandelier National Monument.
Ancient dwellings carved into the mountain.
Ancient food storage places.
Kristi- inside one of the dwellings- again- conquering the fear of climbing up this ladder!
Yes, that's Katrina smelling a tree! It's a Ponderosa Pine- and it really does smell like vanilla. The whole area had a sweet vanilla smell mixed in with the clean fresh smell of the outdoors because of these trees.
Santa Fe- Part 2
On the road outside of Santa Fe.
Movin' right along- outside of Santa Fe.
The oldest house in America:
Santa Fe- Part 1
Taking it easy, enjoying Santa Fe, listening to some live music, drinking margharitas- now THIS is vacation- and the first 3 pics are a series of that moment:
We happened to visit Santa Fe on the weekend of a huge Native American craft festival!
Nicole and Katrina being silly among some local sculpture.
Petrified Forest and Painted Desert
Not sure how to caption pictures this beautiful.
"reds" part of the painted desert
The three of us.
Kristi went out on a ledge and freaked Katrina out to get this picture- think you'll agree it was worth it.
Same thing here- this is the blue mesa part of the painted desert.
Sedona & meteor crater & Rt 66
Winslow, Arizona- we love the Eagles
How fun is all this Route 66 stuff???
Nicole and Kristi at the meteor crater
Nicole on Rt 66 in Williams
Sedona landscape
Monday, August 24, 2009
Holy Baby Bat, Batman! (Part 2)
Sorry about the mix-up folks, apparently I'm not supposed to hit "ENTER" after putting a title to my post - "ENTER" equals "SEND" Oops!
So, let me tell you about the new friend we made along 40East on our way from Texas to Arkansas. Driving along the highway - Katrina driving, Kristi in the passengers seat and me, sitting on the floor between the two and straddling the luggage. It's about 10 o'clock at night and we're about one hour away from our final destination (after about 10 hours of travel) Kristi is asleep and Katrina and I having a quiet conversation so as not to wake her.
All of a sudden, Katrina says to me "What's that on our antenna?" I look through the front window and saw what appeared to be a large chunk of hair hanging on the side of the antenna (on the passengers side). We start to get a bit louder as we investigate this thing while going about 70 mph down the highway. Our conversation stirs Kristi who now is curious as to what is flapping in front of her like a flag on a windy day. "Oh look" she says, "a stowaway!"
I scurry to the back to get my trusty flashlight and shine it out the window. Indeed, we determined that it was a bird. "Well, how is it hanging on there?" Katrina asks her fellow RV'ers. "By it's little beak" Kristi exclaims. We marvel at the strength of this tiny bird and its beak going down the highway at such a speed. Kristi decides to take some photos and on further observation, we discover that it is not a bird, but a bat attached to our antenna.
Something else that astonishes us is that we have no idea when it decided to clamp down on our rig, but also that it was determined to hang on. The sight of this is not something we want to have in our faces for the hour or so it was going to take us to get to our destination, so Katrina decides to pull over at a rest stop that just so happened to be right ahead of us so that someone can get out and remove it. Taking the exit ramp, we see a sign that says "No Facilities". "What kind of rest stop is this..." we ask one another "...if it doesn't have a bathroom?" Not that any of us needed to use it, but an observation made by the group.
Being the "true camper" that I am, I volunteer to step out of the RV and take care of this thing. I take the small broom that Cruise America provided for us and whack at the end of the antenna, flinging this bat onto the windshield. Katrina then thinks it's a good idea to turn on the wiper blades to toss it off. First of all.....GROSS! And it didn't work. The wipers only tossed it to the other side, this time landing it in the tight area between the hood of the RV and the windshield. I then decide to take my broom again and use it as a pool stick and shoot it across the windshield like an 8-ball. Again, not completely off. I pass the broom then to Katrina who is able to hold on to the end of it and reach out her side of the window to swat it off.
The added bonus to this already exciting adventure is that on this rest stop ramp were a few tracker trailers doing exactly what one would think that a trucker does at a rest stop - rest. It is at this moment that Kristi decides to share with us that she recently watched an expose on Dateline about some of the shady things that actually happen at these rest areas. It was enough to freak out the "true camper" who decided to step outside of the safe RV.
Here endeth this little adventure with the bat and the "resting" truckers. We were on the road in short order, but not after laughing hysterically at the stowaway bat.
Signing off,
Nicole (The true camper)
So, let me tell you about the new friend we made along 40East on our way from Texas to Arkansas. Driving along the highway - Katrina driving, Kristi in the passengers seat and me, sitting on the floor between the two and straddling the luggage. It's about 10 o'clock at night and we're about one hour away from our final destination (after about 10 hours of travel) Kristi is asleep and Katrina and I having a quiet conversation so as not to wake her.
All of a sudden, Katrina says to me "What's that on our antenna?" I look through the front window and saw what appeared to be a large chunk of hair hanging on the side of the antenna (on the passengers side). We start to get a bit louder as we investigate this thing while going about 70 mph down the highway. Our conversation stirs Kristi who now is curious as to what is flapping in front of her like a flag on a windy day. "Oh look" she says, "a stowaway!"
I scurry to the back to get my trusty flashlight and shine it out the window. Indeed, we determined that it was a bird. "Well, how is it hanging on there?" Katrina asks her fellow RV'ers. "By it's little beak" Kristi exclaims. We marvel at the strength of this tiny bird and its beak going down the highway at such a speed. Kristi decides to take some photos and on further observation, we discover that it is not a bird, but a bat attached to our antenna.
Something else that astonishes us is that we have no idea when it decided to clamp down on our rig, but also that it was determined to hang on. The sight of this is not something we want to have in our faces for the hour or so it was going to take us to get to our destination, so Katrina decides to pull over at a rest stop that just so happened to be right ahead of us so that someone can get out and remove it. Taking the exit ramp, we see a sign that says "No Facilities". "What kind of rest stop is this..." we ask one another "...if it doesn't have a bathroom?" Not that any of us needed to use it, but an observation made by the group.
Being the "true camper" that I am, I volunteer to step out of the RV and take care of this thing. I take the small broom that Cruise America provided for us and whack at the end of the antenna, flinging this bat onto the windshield. Katrina then thinks it's a good idea to turn on the wiper blades to toss it off. First of all.....GROSS! And it didn't work. The wipers only tossed it to the other side, this time landing it in the tight area between the hood of the RV and the windshield. I then decide to take my broom again and use it as a pool stick and shoot it across the windshield like an 8-ball. Again, not completely off. I pass the broom then to Katrina who is able to hold on to the end of it and reach out her side of the window to swat it off.
The added bonus to this already exciting adventure is that on this rest stop ramp were a few tracker trailers doing exactly what one would think that a trucker does at a rest stop - rest. It is at this moment that Kristi decides to share with us that she recently watched an expose on Dateline about some of the shady things that actually happen at these rest areas. It was enough to freak out the "true camper" who decided to step outside of the safe RV.
Here endeth this little adventure with the bat and the "resting" truckers. We were on the road in short order, but not after laughing hysterically at the stowaway bat.
Signing off,
Nicole (The true camper)
The Things We've Done to Our Bodies
If you're reading the title and you're Nicole's family, then you may be a bit worried right now. The la
st time she went away with Kristi and me, she came back with an extra hole. Don't worry. To my knowledge, she has not had anything pierced or inked on any part of her body. Then again, there was that few hours I wasn't with them in Vegas..... :)
No, dear people, I have the wonderful job of reporting to you the things we've done to and with our bodies. Such as:
- the gianormous bruises we're all sporting on our legs: Kristi from walking into several ancient pueblo ruins, and Nicole and I from hauling in and out of the upper bed in the evening and morning.
- the fried intestinal tracts: we've had more spicy food and beans than we can recount. Perhaps we should leave it at that, but no, dear people, I shall explain further. We also have a standard breakfast of a banana smeared with peanut butter. Have a few days of those and..... Then there's the average mealtimes: breakfast around 10 a.m., lunch whenever we can grab it (usually around 3ish) and then dinner most usually around 9 or 10 p.m. Eek.
- the driving: we're averaging around four hours minimum of drive time every day. There have been a few days that we've had to push across several states to lay tracks for home. Those days are particularly hard on the bodies, especially since the person in the back gets tossed around and the person in the navigator seat has to deal with a floor that gets so hot it actually has melted the soles of our shoes a bit. We just ride with our feet up on the dash, which means that there's a cramping issue to contend with.
- the skeeters: those insects from hell that are only getting worse as we leave the southwest and head towards the east. The Texas ones could lift small cars and children. We're at Graceland now, and while they're not as large, they're out in droves. I'm going to leave a comment card for Elvis about this in the morning. I mean, really, what kind of establishment is he running around here?
- the heat: it's hot. our feet swell. our hair is fried. 'nuff said.
- the barbeque: in Memphis, it's the thing to do. And we did it. A lot. Like, we ate our weight in ribs. Then had pecan pie. With ice cream. And a cherry on top.
All in all, this RVing stuff is more physical than we expected. Don't get me wrong, it's not enough to deter us from doing this again. We're tough girls! :) We're gonna have some wine and watch the lights of Graceland twinkle next door. Skeeters, bite me. Oh, wait........
Katrina
st time she went away with Kristi and me, she came back with an extra hole. Don't worry. To my knowledge, she has not had anything pierced or inked on any part of her body. Then again, there was that few hours I wasn't with them in Vegas..... :)
No, dear people, I have the wonderful job of reporting to you the things we've done to and with our bodies. Such as:
- the gianormous bruises we're all sporting on our legs: Kristi from walking into several ancient pueblo ruins, and Nicole and I from hauling in and out of the upper bed in the evening and morning.
- the fried intestinal tracts: we've had more spicy food and beans than we can recount. Perhaps we should leave it at that, but no, dear people, I shall explain further. We also have a standard breakfast of a banana smeared with peanut butter. Have a few days of those and..... Then there's the average mealtimes: breakfast around 10 a.m., lunch whenever we can grab it (usually around 3ish) and then dinner most usually around 9 or 10 p.m. Eek.
- the driving: we're averaging around four hours minimum of drive time every day. There have been a few days that we've had to push across several states to lay tracks for home. Those days are particularly hard on the bodies, especially since the person in the back gets tossed around and the person in the navigator seat has to deal with a floor that gets so hot it actually has melted the soles of our shoes a bit. We just ride with our feet up on the dash, which means that there's a cramping issue to contend with.
- the skeeters: those insects from hell that are only getting worse as we leave the southwest and head towards the east. The Texas ones could lift small cars and children. We're at Graceland now, and while they're not as large, they're out in droves. I'm going to leave a comment card for Elvis about this in the morning. I mean, really, what kind of establishment is he running around here?
- the heat: it's hot. our feet swell. our hair is fried. 'nuff said.
- the barbeque: in Memphis, it's the thing to do. And we did it. A lot. Like, we ate our weight in ribs. Then had pecan pie. With ice cream. And a cherry on top.
All in all, this RVing stuff is more physical than we expected. Don't get me wrong, it's not enough to deter us from doing this again. We're tough girls! :) We're gonna have some wine and watch the lights of Graceland twinkle next door. Skeeters, bite me. Oh, wait........
Katrina
Sunday, August 23, 2009
I LOVE TEXAS!
Don't ask me why I'm so excited about being in Texas, but I am. I super stoked to be in Texas. It's too bad that it is a quit trip through the panhandle and Amarillo is our only stop. Aside from the mosquitoes, this place seems pretty cool.
We're late (what's new) in pulling out this morning. I slept better last night, not sure why. Katrina and I decided to switch it up and put our heads at the other end of the bed. Perhaps this was a good call and we were both able to sleep better. Or...the further we go and the more we push, the more tired we become. Anyhow, it was good to get a good nights sleep and actually sleep in 'til 9AM! It's been some early rising.
We're getting ready to pull out and head pretty much across the street to this steakhouse place. I'm excited for coffee - haven't had any in days. I'm finding that as we leave one state to enter another, I feel a little saddened knowing we're another state closer to home. Don't be upset, my family who may be reading this, but this great adventure that took so long to plan is flying by and I wish we had more time. Although we've already discussed doing this again sometime in the future - going the northern route. I love the idea!!!
Well, friends - the others are unplugging the hoses from the rig and leaving the electric in for me while I finish. Hope you're enjoying the pictures - we're enjoying taking them and sharing them with you.
Much love to you all!
Nicole
We're late (what's new) in pulling out this morning. I slept better last night, not sure why. Katrina and I decided to switch it up and put our heads at the other end of the bed. Perhaps this was a good call and we were both able to sleep better. Or...the further we go and the more we push, the more tired we become. Anyhow, it was good to get a good nights sleep and actually sleep in 'til 9AM! It's been some early rising.
We're getting ready to pull out and head pretty much across the street to this steakhouse place. I'm excited for coffee - haven't had any in days. I'm finding that as we leave one state to enter another, I feel a little saddened knowing we're another state closer to home. Don't be upset, my family who may be reading this, but this great adventure that took so long to plan is flying by and I wish we had more time. Although we've already discussed doing this again sometime in the future - going the northern route. I love the idea!!!
Well, friends - the others are unplugging the hoses from the rig and leaving the electric in for me while I finish. Hope you're enjoying the pictures - we're enjoying taking them and sharing them with you.
Much love to you all!
Nicole
Texas: Land of my Birth....
....and land of mosquitos the size of small VWs.....and heat, lots of hot, hot heat in the air. This is only a brief stopover as we push our way through the center of the country. The next stop of any consequence that we'll make is in Memphis, but there are miles (and a few states) to go - and a tree! - before we get there. After arriving too late for Nicole's steak last night (darn that time change! It's gotten us a couple of times now), we discovered that the same hotel/restaurant that serves the 72 oz. steak for dinner also lays out quite the spread for breakfast. For pastors who never get to go to Sunday brunches or buffets, the allure is too great to resist. We're on our way there as soon as we brave the elements of nature in order to unhook our rig. Our plan is to saddle on our feedbags, then, on completely full stomachs, drive through Texas and Oklahoma to Fort Smith, Arkansas. I know, I know. It might not be a good plan, but we're mid-trip and we're throwing caution to the wind!
*Sidenote: Some strange phenomenon is happening here in Texas, Land of the Big. Apparently, a true Texan's hair grows bigger in proportion to the amount of time one spends on Texas soil. My hair, never what anyone would call thin and stringy, has taken on a life of its own. It's huge and untameable today. Let me just call it like it is. Subsequently, any pictures that result from this day's escapades shall result in no negative comments about my big hair (that I've rustled back with hair clips AND a hair band.) Can we all agree on that? :)
Yeehaw, pahd-ners, Katrina
*Sidenote: Some strange phenomenon is happening here in Texas, Land of the Big. Apparently, a true Texan's hair grows bigger in proportion to the amount of time one spends on Texas soil. My hair, never what anyone would call thin and stringy, has taken on a life of its own. It's huge and untameable today. Let me just call it like it is. Subsequently, any pictures that result from this day's escapades shall result in no negative comments about my big hair (that I've rustled back with hair clips AND a hair band.) Can we all agree on that? :)
Yeehaw, pahd-ners, Katrina
Slide Rock
The girls- post slide. Behind us, the rocks we slid down. (for fun- check out the guy in the speedo in the upper left corner- We wore pants, he did some DANGEROUS sliding)
Kristi- sliding- conquering her fear!
Kristi and Nicole floating their way to the pool after the slide.
Katrina joyfully slides her way down.
Nicole slides off the little waterfall at the end of the run. The only thing you can't tell in the pictures is how cold the water was!!
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