Day 11-12: The Last Days

Sorry guys, no pictures for this post...

I'm sitting at my computer thinking of the best way to tell you what happened the last night....... Well, here it goes!

Saturday was traveling through New Mexico,Texas, and most of Oklahoma... Or so we thought...

When we arrived in Bristow, OK at about 10:30pm. We tried to follow the directions the book gave us for getting to our campground. We'd turned the wrong way off the Turnpike, and proceeded to get lost! When we finally realized that we were lost, we turned around and went right back to the city. We put the GPS coordinates in my dad's phone, and finally made it there. But we got there at 11pm. An hour after closing.... So we didn't have a place to stay. (The nearest camp ground was another 50 miles away...) So, we deemed it necessary to continue driving for another 4 hours.

We drove until 4am, stopping somewhere on the far side of Springfield, MO. Dad parked the RV in a rest area parking lot, killed the engine, and tried to fall asleep. I, having stayed up with him (and so used to not sleeping), crashed almost as soon as he stopped moving. We (in the driving section) got about an hours sleep until we woke up feeling cramped from sitting so long. We took care of our business, then started driving again.

At about 7am, we stopped in Cuba, MO, ate breakfast, then traveled home, back to the great Ohio.

FINALLY!

After traversing about 5 thousand miles, driving 9-10 hour days, swaying back and forth with the motion of the RV, sleeping less and less each night, and learning to answer the call "RIGHT TURN!!!!!!", we were home.

So ends the Great RV Trip, in the year 2013.

Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts for safety! We missed you all, and wished we could've been with you! :)

Home Sweet Home

~T

Day 10: Gettin' Our Kicks on Route 66

We made it through Kingman, now on to Flagstaff!

To be honest, I thought that Arizona would be blazing hot! At some points, it was over 100º F, but when we stopped for the night, it got down to 56º F!

We camped in Kaibab National Forest. We got there when it was dark (of course) and thankfully, there were no bugs screaming to keep us awake! Although I have to say, lack of sleep has given us short tempers, and those were prevalent last night. It's kinda hard on a body when you only get about 4-6 hours of sleep a night. It's even harder for my dad, since he's driving the RV. Keep praying for us!

The road which we are using to get back home is Interstate 40... but it's also known as Route 66. I've been on this road once before, and it was almost 9 years ago! It's amazing to see all the history that comes with a road like Route 66. (But I have to say, the gift shop items are so lame... Little key chains, tiny shot glasses... BORING!) Known as the Main Street of the USA (also called the Mother Road), Route 66 is one of the original highways. Route 66 was established November 11, 1926, and the road signs appeared about a year later. It covers 2,448 miles of land, starting in Chicago, IL and ending in Los Angeles, CA. (got that off the back of my post card! )

Welp- We've made it out of Arizona, and are making our way through New Mexico. We hope to be on the far side before we stop for the night. Wish us luck!

So if any of you know me, you know I love writing! I was deeply pondering what I could do to make this a cool experience for me (and hopefully my family too) and so I decided to write a poem!

Going West

Sitting in a mobile home

Going to where the Buffalo roam

Lounging in my shorts and shirt

Watching tires kick up dirt

Rolling hills go speedily by

While majestic mountains touch the sky

Underneath a sky so blue

Emboldened by a map so true

Following this dust path

Calculating all the math

Finding a good place to sleep

While tempers quiet we try to keep

The days are long and boring

The night are filled with snoring

Each and every day we find

We leave our real home far behind

Going west towards the sun

Ready to have a ton of fun

But all the while thinking of home

And everything we've ever known.

I can't wait until school starts! We've got about a week and a half left of summer. It's crazy to think that our summer vacation has passed by so quickly! I'm excited to be starting my Junior year! So many opportunities to make new friends, and make differences! I'm so excited about all my classes, but mostly about Seminary. It's such a great class to be in, and it always helps to make my day better! :)

Stay amazing!

~T

(I was always fascinated by RV's... Big, small, pulled, driven... Now? I don't think I want to step foot in one again... at least for another 6 years ;) )

No, Not a turd... It's a wad of melted Milk Duds :)

Beautiful New Mexico sky!

There are a lot of trains out West!!

Such a rebel!!

Copy Cat... :P

Saw this at the rest area right inside the New Mexico/Arizona border

You decide

My sweet Hacky sack!

Don't ya know!

Day 9: Hoover What?

Our travels today took us to Pahrump, NV where we visited my Grandma's niece and her husband. *(Little back story) My grandmothers sister, Bonnie, passed away this last year. She was then cremated, and we were supposed to meet my Gma's niece in Idaho to continue on to the Pacific Ocean. There, we were to spread her ashes. Since that never happened, we stayed near my Aunt Bonnie's (Gma's daughter) and then made our way down to Pahrump. The last time we saw them, I was about 8 years old.* We talked and laughed and shared stories of Great Grandma Peggy, and of Great Aunt Bonnie. (My grandmothers mother also passed away last year) After a short visit, we started our long journey home!

Las Vegas... Where to start? That city is so huge, so full of casinos, it's a wonder people can actually breathe there! The traffic is insane, and the general feel of the city makes me uneasy... Such a large, imposing city, almost as if it doesn't want you to pass it by. Which in gamblers cases, it doesn't. Las Vegas is definitely a crazy city!

Adam's Advice ( :D )--- Hello everybody back home!!!! :) Hope you are all having fun!! :)

I asked around if anyone wanted to put anything in todays blog update, and the only one who wanted to was Adam...

Our first stop? Hoover Dam! Such a let down... You couldn't even see it from the RV! It seems that every major monument or sight that we have seen on this trip wasn't up to par with what we thought of it... But don't let that get you down! A friend once told me to think happy thoughts, and so that's what I am going to do!

“How long does happy last? Can I keep it in my grasp? I realize it's up to me.”

~ Down by Terron Brooks

Keep happy thought in your head! Remember who you are!

~T

P.S- Happy late B-Day to Megan!!! 

Sin City...

More Vegas

I just like it for the Sun flower :) (I'm totally kidding)

The temp as we were leaving Vegas to go out to Pahrump

The road that seems to fall off the earth!

Only shot of Hoover Dam that I could get.........

Day 8: Mormon Territory

Traveling through that place called Utah, the home of the Mormons! It's great to see the temple from the highway, but seeing more than one? It's amazing!

During our travels, through places like Salt Lake City, Provo, and Jordan, we stopped to break at a place called Cove Fort. (A little history lesson for y'all) Ira Hinkley (Great Grandfather to President Gordon B. Hinkley) received a letter from the Prophet, Brigham Young, telling Ira to go and build a fort for travelers to go and stay when they were tired from traveling the inhospitable land. A few years later, the fort was built, and Fort Cove was born. It thrived through most of the late 1800's. On May 21, 1994 President Hinkley (then the prophet) dedicated the Fort as a Church Historical Site. It was really amazing, and there was a spirit there that made it seem as if the people who lived there and stayed there were around to help the Elder tell the story.

Last night we stayed in Willard, UT. To be completely honest, it was a lot like staying in Crawfordsville all over again!! The bugs were so loud, only when we woke up (if anyone really even slept) it wasn't because of crows... It was because of a train! It scared me so badly that I almost fell off the Perch! (I call it the perch, because when you look out the windows, you can see virtually everything around you, and it's higher up than everyone else :D ) It was cool, because when we got up for breakfast, we looked out around the RV, and saw the Willard Bay, which connects to the Great Salt Lake! WOO! It was awesome! The showers were actually a lot like the showers at Girls Camp, but WAY MORE DIRTY! Other peoples hair, squished bugs, and mold were on the walls and floors alike. It was utterly traumatizing! (Not really, but it made me grateful for Sister Stankosky and her ever vigilant care of the showers at GC)

Not much else has happened today! We've been on the road most of the day, traveling swiftly and making good time, and working out the tasks for the day.

All my love to those back home!

~T

P.S- Mr. Ewing! Adam would like to report that no sharks have eaten his toes off yet! :)

Us eating Dinner in Idahome (by the side of the Highway)

When trying to find us a place to sleep, Dad hit a rock... This is how far he moved it

Cool looking thing in Utah

Entrance to Cove Fort

Interior of Cove Fort

Elder Crow :)

Look who's having fun at Cove Fort??

Days 6-7: Idaho Couch Potatoes!

Well, the first couple days in Idaho have been fun! We've been hanging at Bonnie's house, having so much fun that I neglected my first duty on this trip... To update this blog! :)

It's kinda hard to tell the difference between a potato farm and a soy bean farm, but I think I might have gotten the hang of it! It's pretty cool to see the Potato State up close! If there's any doubt in your mind, let me put it to rest. Just because all you see is potatoes, doesn't mean that it's a boring state! The mountainous scenery that you can see everywhere is way better than the ground! :)

Near the house of my Aunt is a cool little river, complete with a little dam. Lucas took me across, giving me the grand tour of how to correctly walk across a dam. :) I have to admit, I was literally swept off my feet! Haha :D I didn't get too wet though, thank goodness! The water was cool and refreshing after hiking for a while in the heat! It got over 90 on Monday here in Idaho! Way more hot than back in Ohio, but the sweltering heat is yet to come! We still have to travel back through the desert, which can only mean no long socks for me! :) (and if any of you know me, I am famous for my amazingly crazy long socks!)

We (Bonnie's kids and the RV travelers) went into the mountains to camp last night. We drove up on Monday, to McCall, ID. It took 4 hours, but Bonnie had us taken care of. We listened to a murder mystery called Envy. (written by George Olson) From the campsite, you could see the river, clear and crisp, talking in it's own way to the towering pines that made up the shore. The stones in the river varied in color, shape, and size. They were slippery from being in the river so long, but the texture on bare feet was something else.

Well, we're packing up to leave, and I am sad to go. We had the most amazing time here, and even though we didn't get to go and see the ocean, I wouldn't trade the last 3 days for anything!

Next stop, Vegas!

~T

** Dad put a new thermostat in the RV, and we get 2 MPG better with the new one than we did with the old one! GO DAD! :D

Sage the cutie :)

Looking at the river at Chinook Campground

Who is this man?!?! ;)

Day 5: One Stone, Two Stone, Red Stone, Yellowstone

Well! We made it through part of the mountains! :) WOO!! It was really scary, but it was breathtaking at the same time! Steep grades, and crazy beautiful scenery, along with sleeplessness and short tempers makes for a fun time in the mountains! :)



I'm going to just say this now, that riding above the drivers seat has it's advantage! :) The things I see up here are unhindered by mirrors, GPS' , and peoples heads. The scenery is so amazing that it's hard to look away! The mountains, and the views we can see from them really put it into perspective of how much God loves us, to put us on an earth that is so beautiful! It's saddening to me to see people stuck on their phones, or watching TV when they could be outside enjoying nature! (I know that sounds stupid, but I LOVE being outside! :) Nature is my second home. )



I'm sitting here in Yellowstone, just after Old Faithful erupted... and it was kinda disappointing! Don't get me wrong, a geothermal water volcano is amazing, but the eruption part was the sad part. I thought it would be bigger (like Mount Rushmore) and that it'd be a little more spectacular. The height reached 100-110 feet high, and the spray that came off was quickly swept away by the strong breeze that was blowing.


Now, I'm on the road, sitting in my little perch. We're in Idaho now, nearing Rexburg, ID. I think that puts us about 4 hours out from Bonnie's house! I'm so excited to be seeing them soon! It's been almost 4 years since we've all been in the same place! (I think 4's are a theme in this trip! :P ) We just passed the Rexburg Temple! It's the first temple I've seen this whole trip... Hmmmm.... It is beautiful though!


I don't know about you all, but I'm sick and tired of being in a car! 10 hour days driving cross country really starts to take it's toll on a body after the first 4 days! But, Keep moving on! The best is yet to come!


All my love,


~T

*Special shout out to all the followers back in The Ohio! You guys truly are amazing!

Old Faithful