Okay, we were determined to get home today and we made it!! We left Benton, Illinois and headed East on I-24. We finished our book about 1 hour away from Nashville. The boys wanted another book so I stopped in at a Cracker Barrel and exchanged the book. We pulled into Chattown Skatepark about 7pm. John had an event on the boat that finished at 6pm and so he met us at the park. The boys showed him all their new skills and then we headed off to eat and go home. HOME sounded like a wonderful place for me!!
When we got home, the dogs came up to the rental car and started barking. But then I opened the door and they realized who it was. Needless to say, they were quite happy their family was back home. John arrived behind us and asked if the dogs were in or out when we got home. I was confused and said they were out of course. That was when John showed us their new dog door. They hadn't quite figured out that they could go in and out at will. They have now of course and love it. I do too because like my human boys they go in and out all the time.
It was great to be home and John wanted to show off the bonus room. He had finished it !!! It is huge and he did such a great job on it. The plan is to move my office in there and use it as an office and classroom for the boys. We are very excited about that.
It was so great to be home! For the 4-5 days that followed we were still very much recovering from the trip. But we are now more in sync. We have settled into the slower summer schedule. We have been to the pool almost daily and that is great for us all. Very restful. The boys swim and I read in the shade. We definitely need that after this trip.
Friday, June 29, 2007
June 20, 2007
Okay we got on the road leaving St. Joseph much earlier than we had been leaving. But I knew we needed to get to St Louis in time to do the Zoo and then get a little farther east/south.
We arrived at the zoo at 230pm Central. Just in time to get to the Sea Lion show at 3pm. It was really cool. We had great seats. The larger male sea lion, Alex, threw Frisbees into the crowd and Stephen caught one. It had teeth marks and smelled like fish but we thought that was really neat. Stephen was very excited. Unfortunately he stayed excited at each exhibit, and the Frisbee got left somewhere. We will have to go back to this zoo. It was huge and the boys and I stayed until it closed at 7pm but we still didn't get to see everything.
We got on the road and my goal was to try to get from St. Louis to Nashville. We would stay with some friends in Nashville, Jay and April Clark. We ended up having to stop around 10p and checking into a hotel because we were just so tired. I asked the lady at the check in desk how far we were from Nashville and she said about 4 hours. I was so surprised because I had figured us to be much closer than that.
I got into the room and the boys settled somewhat. I called Jay to let them know that we were not going to be able to make it that night. I mentioned we were 4 hours away and he said that made sense because we still had to go through Kentucky. Now, I am an amateur at map reading and thought I had been doing pretty good up until this point. The atlas I was using was one of the state by state things. I had followed interstate to 24 east and then to the state line of Illinois, where we had stopped. Then I picked it up again at the Tennessee line and calculated the mileage to their exit and added them together. After Jay mentioned Kentucky, I realized that I had completely forgotten that I had to take I-24 through another state!!! Oh well, we got a good nights sleep and headed out the next day!
We arrived at the zoo at 230pm Central. Just in time to get to the Sea Lion show at 3pm. It was really cool. We had great seats. The larger male sea lion, Alex, threw Frisbees into the crowd and Stephen caught one. It had teeth marks and smelled like fish but we thought that was really neat. Stephen was very excited. Unfortunately he stayed excited at each exhibit, and the Frisbee got left somewhere. We will have to go back to this zoo. It was huge and the boys and I stayed until it closed at 7pm but we still didn't get to see everything.
We got on the road and my goal was to try to get from St. Louis to Nashville. We would stay with some friends in Nashville, Jay and April Clark. We ended up having to stop around 10p and checking into a hotel because we were just so tired. I asked the lady at the check in desk how far we were from Nashville and she said about 4 hours. I was so surprised because I had figured us to be much closer than that.
I got into the room and the boys settled somewhat. I called Jay to let them know that we were not going to be able to make it that night. I mentioned we were 4 hours away and he said that made sense because we still had to go through Kentucky. Now, I am an amateur at map reading and thought I had been doing pretty good up until this point. The atlas I was using was one of the state by state things. I had followed interstate to 24 east and then to the state line of Illinois, where we had stopped. Then I picked it up again at the Tennessee line and calculated the mileage to their exit and added them together. After Jay mentioned Kentucky, I realized that I had completely forgotten that I had to take I-24 through another state!!! Oh well, we got a good nights sleep and headed out the next day!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
June 19, 2007
This turned out to be another day that we just didn't get very far. I was getting pretty tired and the driving was getting the best. We decided to stop in St Joseph, Missouri for a decent dinner at Cracker Barrel. VEGGIES!!! and nothing wrapped in paper! It was wonderful! In the retail area , we got a book on CD to listen to in the car. We got" Half Moon Investigations". It is about a 12 year old private investigator. It sounds good and should keep us engaged. And hopefully awake.
After dinner, the boys played checkers on the porch. Stephen beat Johnathon and was quite proud of that accomplishment. We decided that we were too tired to continue driving and went to the closest hotel with an indoor pool. The boys swam til 10pm local time. Then we crashed and slept in. The next morning we got up and headed to the breakfast bar. It turned out to be a real breakfast instead of the continental kind we had gotten used to. It was a nice break and we needed it.
We headed out and started the book. I recommend it. It was very funny. Our goal for today is to get to St. Louis and do the Zoo!!!!
After dinner, the boys played checkers on the porch. Stephen beat Johnathon and was quite proud of that accomplishment. We decided that we were too tired to continue driving and went to the closest hotel with an indoor pool. The boys swam til 10pm local time. Then we crashed and slept in. The next morning we got up and headed to the breakfast bar. It turned out to be a real breakfast instead of the continental kind we had gotten used to. It was a nice break and we needed it.
We headed out and started the book. I recommend it. It was very funny. Our goal for today is to get to St. Louis and do the Zoo!!!!
June 18, 2007
We headed out from Cheyenne a bit late. This became our routine actually. It was just hard to get motivated to get in the car and drive. We were not on the road for more than 75 miles when I just had to pull over and walk around. I just was having a hard time staying awake. The rest area had a playground an dthe boys were playing and I was reading. Actually I was reading Isaiah 40:31, I needed that!
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
We got back on the road and just decided to take it exit by exit. We had a lot of fun creating some really crazy stories about cow Police and FBI Horses. You have to be sleep deprived and bored to follow along. :) We did safely arrive in Grand Island, Nebraska. I had hoped to get that far but we were really tired. I chose a hotel with an indoor pool so the boys could swim the next morning. As we were loading into our room, we saw that the pool had no water. The boys immediately asked if they could skateboard in the empty pool. We asked the next mornign but as expected they said no. The younger guy working in the pool said he had already thought of it.
As we were loading the car the next morning, we saw a storm chasing vehicle in the parking lot. They boys thought thatw as really cool and wanted to take a picture and we did. As we were, the owners came out and the boys got to talk with them. It was a husband and wife and they homeschool as well. It is their foundation and they chase everywhere. They will be heading through our area in a couple of months for hurricane season. Here is their website:
http://www.chasing4life.org/ Dr. Eddy gave each boy an autographed picture. It is the same one you see on their opening page.
After this, we went skateboarding at the park in Grand Island. We stayed less than 2 miles away. The skating is just fun! They boys love it and I love the way it tamps the energy level down. After 2 hours, we get on the road. Finally, today we have cell service!!!!
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
We got back on the road and just decided to take it exit by exit. We had a lot of fun creating some really crazy stories about cow Police and FBI Horses. You have to be sleep deprived and bored to follow along. :) We did safely arrive in Grand Island, Nebraska. I had hoped to get that far but we were really tired. I chose a hotel with an indoor pool so the boys could swim the next morning. As we were loading into our room, we saw that the pool had no water. The boys immediately asked if they could skateboard in the empty pool. We asked the next mornign but as expected they said no. The younger guy working in the pool said he had already thought of it.
As we were loading the car the next morning, we saw a storm chasing vehicle in the parking lot. They boys thought thatw as really cool and wanted to take a picture and we did. As we were, the owners came out and the boys got to talk with them. It was a husband and wife and they homeschool as well. It is their foundation and they chase everywhere. They will be heading through our area in a couple of months for hurricane season. Here is their website:
http://www.chasing4life.org/ Dr. Eddy gave each boy an autographed picture. It is the same one you see on their opening page.
After this, we went skateboarding at the park in Grand Island. We stayed less than 2 miles away. The skating is just fun! They boys love it and I love the way it tamps the energy level down. After 2 hours, we get on the road. Finally, today we have cell service!!!!
June 16, 2007
We managed to survive the drive from Meeteese to Casper. Oh man, was it boring. It would have been nice to have some variety in the scenery. We stopped in Casper and got directions to the skatepark. The boys had quite a bit of energy to burn off. They skated for almost 2 hours and we restarted our trek. I wanted to get to Cheyenne before we stopped today. We made it - barely. Again the scenery doesn't help because it just doesn't change much. You could always tell if there was a water source because you would suddenly see a clump of trees - or sometimes a single tree.
June 16, 2007
We finally got to Yellowstone today. We ate lunch and walked around West Yellowstone for a bit before heading into the park. Once in the park I realized how large it was and knew that we weren't going to be able to see all that I had hoped. We decided to focus on the the thermal features in the Lower and Upper Geiser Basin. You pass through the areas on your way to Old Faithful. We got to Old Faithful about 5 minutes before a predicted eruption. It was so cool!! But when it was over, Stephen asked "Is that it?"! He just didn't understand what a neat thing that was. We continued on the road and stopped at The Kepler Cascades. This was a really big waterfall area and was stunning. We then had to continue around the lake and out the East Entrance. We were going to have to get a bit rather east for a hotel room. The other wildlife we saw in the park were Elk, Deer, Trumpeter Swans and a Bald Eagle.
We were trying to stay in Cody, Wyoming but the town was full and we had to head a bit further south. We ended up in Meeteese, Wyoming, population 351! The boys had their first taste of sulpher in the water. We ended up getting bottled water out of the car after that. :) We had a great breakfast at he The Spoke and headed out of town. We started heading toward Casper, Wyoming.
We were trying to stay in Cody, Wyoming but the town was full and we had to head a bit further south. We ended up in Meeteese, Wyoming, population 351! The boys had their first taste of sulpher in the water. We ended up getting bottled water out of the car after that. :) We had a great breakfast at he The Spoke and headed out of town. We started heading toward Casper, Wyoming.
June 15, 2007
We headed out from Butte, Montana today. We left later than planned and so the previos post didn't actually work out as planned. We decided to visit a museum in Bozeman, Montana. It was the Museum of the Rockies. We were going because it was the largest collection of dinosaur bones in the USA. When we got there we found that the also had an exhibit of King Tutankhamen, King Tut. We were all really excited and the boys were completely freaked out about the mummy. After doing some research this morning, I realized that the exhibit is all reproductions. It was still very cool. They also had an 1889 farm on the site. It was a family farm that had been moved to the museum grounds. It was a working farm with costumed people working it and giving demonstrations and talks. This was really cool. They boys and I worked a small loom in the craft room. We met a few of the volunteer workers and they were another homeschooling family from that area. They work at the Tynsley House one day a week. What a cool way to learn!! The thing the boys enjoyed doing at the house was working the well and watering some plants with the water. I highly recommend this museum!! We spent the night in Bozeman to head out again toward Yellowstone the next day.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
getting on the road again
We had a short stay in Butte, Montana. We head out tomorrow to Yellowstone National Park. We will look at Old Faithful and some of the other geysers and of course the falls. We will then head to Cody, Wyoming. We will skate at a new park there. We have skated here in Butte. And will try to stop at a park in many of the major places along the way home. We plan on skating in Bozeman tomorrow before going into Yellowstone. I am not sure if I will be able to post any pictures until I get back. I shoot 35 mm and don't have a working digital right now. Hopefully, I will be able to add more as the days go on.
We hope you are all well!!
We hope you are all well!!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Friday, June 8th
Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well. We were very happy to get on the road again today. We were stuck yesterday due to the high winds. The winds actually caused 4-6 semi's to overturn. I am glad we didn't even try it. We went to Little Bighorn Battlefield. My dad is pretty versed in the battle. Johnathon was really listening and wanted to hear the whole story. It is a beautiful area. There were a lot of horses with foals. My niece loved that part.
We are currently at Spring Creek Campground in Big Timber, Montana. We are parked beside a swollen and fast moving creek. I am looking forward to hearing it when we are sleeping. As we were coming in, we watched the snow up on the mountain. You could see it with a naked eye but we also used binoculars. There is also stocked trout ponds. We fished for about 30 minutes and came up with 10 trout. They are cleaning them now and we will be eating them with corn and salad.
We will be having a long driving day tomorrow. Dad wants to leave when he wakes up. So we will clean up and stow things tonight before we go to sleep. He will actually get on the road before anyone else wakes up. We are heading to Libby, Montana.
Last night we tried out a skatepark in Sheridan, Wyoming. It was an okay park. It was all concrete. There were a few areas that were kind of dangerous. It was great for the boys because they needed to burn off some energy. Johnathon never meets a stranger and met a guy that was helping him with some tricks. There was also a deaf teen that was really good. I got to talk with him a bit. My sign is really rusty but he appreciated the effort. It helped that he read lips so well.
I will write again soon. I am also going to try to post some pics tonight.
We are currently at Spring Creek Campground in Big Timber, Montana. We are parked beside a swollen and fast moving creek. I am looking forward to hearing it when we are sleeping. As we were coming in, we watched the snow up on the mountain. You could see it with a naked eye but we also used binoculars. There is also stocked trout ponds. We fished for about 30 minutes and came up with 10 trout. They are cleaning them now and we will be eating them with corn and salad.
We will be having a long driving day tomorrow. Dad wants to leave when he wakes up. So we will clean up and stow things tonight before we go to sleep. He will actually get on the road before anyone else wakes up. We are heading to Libby, Montana.
Last night we tried out a skatepark in Sheridan, Wyoming. It was an okay park. It was all concrete. There were a few areas that were kind of dangerous. It was great for the boys because they needed to burn off some energy. Johnathon never meets a stranger and met a guy that was helping him with some tricks. There was also a deaf teen that was really good. I got to talk with him a bit. My sign is really rusty but he appreciated the effort. It helped that he read lips so well.
I will write again soon. I am also going to try to post some pics tonight.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Saturday, June 2nd and Sunday, June 3rd
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Hello! We are finally on the road. We left Spring City, TN last night around midnight. Johnathon was so excited and stayed up until about 1:30 am. Finally, once he realized the landscape wasn’t changing that fast, he went to sleep. Stephen had fallen asleep around 10pm and didn’t even stir in the leaving process.
We woke up this morning in Illinois. Once everyone was awake, we stopped and had breakfast and walked my parents 2 dogs. They are Chihuahuas and so take up very little room. They actually ride under my dad’s seat. We crossed the Mississippi and the
Missouri rivers today. We did see The Arch in St. Louis from a distance. We will stop
there on the way back.
The boys have been a bit bored. They don’t do seated real well. We have recently started playing Yahtzee – thanks to a birthday gift from the Blakney’s. I finally beat Johnathon today!!! Yeah! We also have DVD players and game systems and that has helped to some degree. We did take a 2-3 hour break outside Kansas City, MO for Dad to sleep. We met a family traveling from Knoxville, TN. They are going out the same route as we are. They are also a homeschooling family. It was 3 teens traveling with their grandparents. We hope to see them again tomorrow at Mt Rushmore. The boys used the time at the rest area to skateboard a little on the sidewalks. The weather is beautiful. It has been nicely overcast with a breeze at the last rest stop. My sister, Leslie and I were enjoying a cup of coffee outside at a picnic table. Then everyone joined us. Dad woke up around 4 Central time and we were back on the road in about 25 minutes. We arrived at the Walmart in Souix Falls, Iowa last Saturday Night. Did some shopping - of course- and then crashed. Did some more shopping on Sunday morning and then got on the road again.
We arrived at Hill City, South Dakota after 6pm local time on Sunday. Finally, we are going to be in one place for awhile. We are staying at Crooked Creek Campground and it is really beautiful.
Monday morning rolled around and Dad was chomping at the bit to get us on the road to do some sight seeing. Our first stop was an overlook and as we were taking in the sights, I realized that we could see George Washington's profile from Mt. Rushmore. It was so cool. We continued on to Mt. Rushmore and did the whole tourist thing. It really was fascinating to see and Johnathon especially enjoyed it.
After that, we started driving through the Badlands. I was fascinated by the topography here. It seems to be more dirt than rock. We stopped for a picnic and the boys and Cloe, my niece, were climbing the mounds.
I am sorry that I haven't posted any pics yet. I hope to get that done on our next stop. I just need to raid them from my Dad's camera.
We head out in the morning and will be going through Wyoming and then onto Montana. I understand from John that we might be running into some snow. The boys are excited about that.
Here is some entries from Johnathon:
Hey dad you still sleeping alone? I don’t think you are. ( This is Terri interjecting here. Johnathon and I have a bet on how long it takes before John starts letting the dogs sleep with him. Just wanted to add a clarification to Johnathon’s question. J ) Yesterday seemed like it would never end. Hey will you email some of my skateboard pictures?
So chan chan have you been to the skate park yet? I can’t wait until your party in August! I might get you a pro board from flamingo sk8shop.see yah dude!!!
Hola zachy so have you gotten on that new skateboard you got or has your mom still kept you off huh?
Hello! We are finally on the road. We left Spring City, TN last night around midnight. Johnathon was so excited and stayed up until about 1:30 am. Finally, once he realized the landscape wasn’t changing that fast, he went to sleep. Stephen had fallen asleep around 10pm and didn’t even stir in the leaving process.
We woke up this morning in Illinois. Once everyone was awake, we stopped and had breakfast and walked my parents 2 dogs. They are Chihuahuas and so take up very little room. They actually ride under my dad’s seat. We crossed the Mississippi and the
Missouri rivers today. We did see The Arch in St. Louis from a distance. We will stop
there on the way back.
The boys have been a bit bored. They don’t do seated real well. We have recently started playing Yahtzee – thanks to a birthday gift from the Blakney’s. I finally beat Johnathon today!!! Yeah! We also have DVD players and game systems and that has helped to some degree. We did take a 2-3 hour break outside Kansas City, MO for Dad to sleep. We met a family traveling from Knoxville, TN. They are going out the same route as we are. They are also a homeschooling family. It was 3 teens traveling with their grandparents. We hope to see them again tomorrow at Mt Rushmore. The boys used the time at the rest area to skateboard a little on the sidewalks. The weather is beautiful. It has been nicely overcast with a breeze at the last rest stop. My sister, Leslie and I were enjoying a cup of coffee outside at a picnic table. Then everyone joined us. Dad woke up around 4 Central time and we were back on the road in about 25 minutes. We arrived at the Walmart in Souix Falls, Iowa last Saturday Night. Did some shopping - of course- and then crashed. Did some more shopping on Sunday morning and then got on the road again.
We arrived at Hill City, South Dakota after 6pm local time on Sunday. Finally, we are going to be in one place for awhile. We are staying at Crooked Creek Campground and it is really beautiful.
Monday morning rolled around and Dad was chomping at the bit to get us on the road to do some sight seeing. Our first stop was an overlook and as we were taking in the sights, I realized that we could see George Washington's profile from Mt. Rushmore. It was so cool. We continued on to Mt. Rushmore and did the whole tourist thing. It really was fascinating to see and Johnathon especially enjoyed it.
After that, we started driving through the Badlands. I was fascinated by the topography here. It seems to be more dirt than rock. We stopped for a picnic and the boys and Cloe, my niece, were climbing the mounds.
I am sorry that I haven't posted any pics yet. I hope to get that done on our next stop. I just need to raid them from my Dad's camera.
We head out in the morning and will be going through Wyoming and then onto Montana. I understand from John that we might be running into some snow. The boys are excited about that.
Here is some entries from Johnathon:
Hey dad you still sleeping alone? I don’t think you are. ( This is Terri interjecting here. Johnathon and I have a bet on how long it takes before John starts letting the dogs sleep with him. Just wanted to add a clarification to Johnathon’s question. J ) Yesterday seemed like it would never end. Hey will you email some of my skateboard pictures?
So chan chan have you been to the skate park yet? I can’t wait until your party in August! I might get you a pro board from flamingo sk8shop.see yah dude!!!
Hola zachy so have you gotten on that new skateboard you got or has your mom still kept you off huh?
Friday, June 1, 2007
Okay, I just set this up and we are going to record our travels during the next month. Right now it is still very crazy and chaotic. We will be loading up in a few minutes to head to my parents in Spring City. We will then load into the RV, get organized a bit, and then rest. That was a joke :)! The boys and I will post as regurlarly as possible. Please keep us all in your prayers as we travel. See ya soon!!! Terri
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