It's the last night of the trip. I'm pretty sad about that, honestly. There have been times of difficulty and times of pure fun. I will never forget Chris' reaction to seeing the stars (and especially the shooting star!) at the Grand Canyon or his dancing in the car. I realized that there is still so much more to see in this country, let alone the world. I stood amazed at the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains, Zion National Park, and the Craters of the Moon...just to name a few. I continue to be awed at the big differences and the personalities in each city we visited. I sit here unbelievably grateful for the ability, regarding both time and money, to be able to sojourn like this.
I think I can declare that the bonding goal with my brother was reached. I know we will always be closer because of this trip, no matter what happens in the future. We never talked about any heavy topics or really debated on anything. There was one time that we ventured into a political discussion, but the views of someone who's been out of college for four years and someone who hasn't experienced that side of life yet along with different sets of ethics and beliefs will always end with a stalemate. Not a big deal. I hope that I can say we have a better understanding of one another in general and that we can continue to bond as the years go on. I don't think this will be the only trip we go on together! There's already been talk of going back to Yellowstone and actually camping, talk of camping in Washington state, and so on. I'm excited to see what happens and so incredibly content with how this trip has turned out.
I've learned a lot about myself as well. I realize I rely too much on my own strength to get me through difficult situations. This comes off as high-strung and I also tend to snap at people (my brother mainly the past month) much quicker. I've learned that no matter what plans I make, they can and will go astray...and that's ok! I need to learn to let things go. I've also learned that I need to work on putting into practice what I say I believe. I can only think of one time that I really prayed the entire month...it was the night where I ended up driving 14 hours and was certain I wouldn't be able to stay awake for the last few hours without help. God helped immediately. We made it to Oregon without issues and without me feeling overly tired until we got there. I look back and question why I didn't try to connect more than just that one time. I did have my guitar, which I played several times at Grandma's, but I still missed the fellowship. I need to spend more time on what I know is important.
I have so many ideas for future trips now...places we went to, places we couldn't. I need to write them down so I don't forget! I've also come to see that this is only part of a larger journey that I didn't really realize I was on. I think a fitting end to this part of it can be summed up like this:
“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”
- J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring"
So, continue on I shall. I have no idea where the next steps will lead me, but my feet are eager and I will go.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The journey is almost over...weird
I'm sitting on a picnic table in Sioux Falls, SD. This is our last night camping and the second-to-last night if this crazy trip!! I was going to write something last night, but by the time we got to the campground, tent set up, and food made, I was so exhausted I was in a really bad mood. I simply needed sleep. I was going to update the group blog with all the videos we made, but alas...the wifi here is (shall we say) less than ideal. For all I know, my laptop may be mad or something. Who knows? Hurray for the internet on my phone with the blog app!!
Anyway, we've had some pretty crazy days this week. I (ok, we) really didn't want to leave Boise. At all. Ben and Laura were so welcoming and their house was so awesome that we very nearly skipped Yellowstone. After the fun we had there, we were REALLY wishing we wouldn't have left Idaho! A bison made me not be able to back country camp. When you see the videos, you will catch the theme that I rather dislike the big brown balls of fur known as the American Bison. Bah!
We then headed to Mount Rushmore from Yellowstone. This is an eight hour drive and we were very close to not making it to Mount Rushmore in order to see it on the 4th of July! We had to hang out on the side of the road to get pictures because the parking lot was full. To be honest, I didn't even know where the mountain was from the road because they held the lighting ceremony late...and I drove by it twice. I'm awesome, what can I say?? :)
Today, we went to Crazy Horse Mountain and then actually went into the Mount Rushmore park. Crazy Horse is always spectacular to see. It has changed significantly from the last time I was there many moons ago. It's just quite hard to tell! It's also disheartening to know that I will never see it's completion. Since it's privately funded, work on it is slow.
Mount Rushmore was just as fun as the last time, too. Perhaps more so, since I now know I'm related (albeit indirectly) to one of them! I am related to George Washington through his sister. Weird, right? It makes Independence Day as well as other things a bit more significant! It was strange looking at the giant head of Washington on a mountain and realizing he's part of (very) extended family!
For those that are wondering, yes we did stop at Wall Drug (the free ice water store) on the way to Sioux Falls. Oh was it interesting!! Chris learned that a jackelope is a real animal there. Silly brother! It was definitely a fun stop...and you certantly can't miss it! I couldn't begin to tell you how many signs there were for it! At that point, you just had to see what all the fuss was about!
Well, we are cooking dinner as we speak, then it will be time for bed. Tomorrow we will be in Davenport, Iowa in a hotel. The internet should be more upload-friendly there. A girl can dream, right???
Monday, July 2, 2012
It's been a while!
Good Evening! It honestly seems weird to be on my laptop again. I've barely touched it in two weeks. That's what happens when I go to visit Grandma. I don't really even look at my phone all that often. I checked it now and then for texts and news updates, but it stays in the bedroom for the most part. I love that about going to Grandma's! I still can't believe that I've been away from home for three weeks. So much has happened and I've seen so many things, it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that it all happened in one trip. I have realized, with the help of Dad, that I can be rather high-strung. In some instances, I can keep my cool no matter what. On this trip, there's none of that. I don't know why. I'm sure that hasn't been too pleasant for Chris to deal with, but there it is. Now that I know it, though, I can fix it. That's my goal for the rest of the trip - take it one day at a time, and if I don't know where we're sleeping that night, the car is always an option! We've got enough stuff to make it somewhat comfortable. We'll see how this goes!
Monterey Bay Aquarium was awesome. It's my favorite aquarium. It may not seem like much from the outside, but the Open Sea exhibit is breathtaking! Where else are you going to see hammerhead sharks just swimming around with a sea turtle (Duuuuuude...) and a huge school of fish??
San Francisco offered up my favorite hotel of the trip thus far. Don't get me wrong, the Luxor in Vegas was spectacular, but the Encore Express in downtown San Fran was just so ADORABLE!! It's got hostel-like rooms as well as private rooms. You have to buzz the door to be let in for check-in, go up a flight of stairs, and there you are. I loved it. It was very cosy and just perfect for what we needed. We had dinner at this little place in China Town that you had to know was there (thank you, Justin!) then walked down to the water to take some pictures. We were close to the Bay Bridge, so we got some pretty neat pictures as the sun was setting.
On our way from San Fran to Oregon we decided to make a detour to the redwoods. I did not realize that this would be a 4.5 hour detour. That turned the driving day into 14 hours (arrival in Corvallis at 11:30 p.m.). Never again will I drive a car that long. It was brutal! It was worth it, though. The redwoods are fantastic!! I was just so dead tired by the time I got to Oregon that I slept for a long time. It was by the grace of God that we made it without me falling asleep at the wheel. Well, that and the soundtracks to Sweeney Todd and Nightmare Before Christmas. And I do have to give my brother credit. He stayed awake with me the entire time.
Corvallis, Oregon was also a great stop. We ended up staying a night as well as most of the next day with Brett and Hannah in the sorority house (don't worry, all the girls had moved out for the summer!). Ok, I spent much of the day with Brett and Hannah...Chris didn't really leave the room he was staying in. But we still had plenty of time to stop by the Tillamook Creamery to get fantastic ice cream and cheeses before heading to Portland.
The hotel in Portland was...interesting. The room was fine, the location was just off the highway, but there were some sketch people in the rooms next to us which caused me to feel slightly uncomfortable. They kept going in and out of the their rooms for who knows what and hanging out sometimes in front of the rooms. No worries, though. The next morning brought Voodoo doughnuts! Those were amazing. I want more! We also took some time to go to Timberline Lodge up on Mt. Hood. Seriously, I'm determined to go there once and actually do a bit of skiing. I've been there twice now and it's only to take pictures of the lodge and visit.
(Oh, fun fact about Timberline Lodge...the front of it was used in exterior shots of The Shining. So that hotel that they go to take care of? That would be it! Just not the inside...the inside of Timberline is way cooler! :-) )
After that was a stop at Mt. Saint Helens. It takes forever to get there, but again, completely worth it. They have pictures at the closest viewing spot that showcases how much the lava dome has changed since the large blast back in 1980. I gotta say, it's really spooky. Also, if a park ranger has a telescope set up, you can actually see the smoke coming from the lava dome. I really do love going there and I'm determined to spend more time there hiking and such in the future!
After that, we finally arrived at Grandma's house! It took us a good three days of doing NOTHING to recover from 11 straight days of driving. Chris spent his time on his laptop playing various games and I slept and then watched TV and hung out with Grandma. I have to say, I watched a lot of Wimbledon last week...and I mean a lot. It was awesome! I don't normally get to see that much since all of the matches are on while I'm at work!
By the time we recovered from the driving, it was almost time to go pick up Dad from the train station! I drove over to Edmonds a day early to go hiking and spend the night with my friend Sara, which was such a fun time. We went hiking to these waterfalls and the day was sunny and gorgeous! I realized how out of shape I am. (For those of you scoffing right now, let me remind you that I haven't done much running since last August. I participated in the Mini, but that doesn't count for much since I didn't do much training. So there.) The next morning, I dropped her off at the airport and then heading back to Edmonds to pick up Dad.
The main things we did when Dad was there was to go to Victoria, B.C. (Canada) and Poulsbo (Little Norway). It was pretty much 10 days of doing almost nothing. We had all these plans to go camping and hiking that simply didn't happen. Chris and I decided that it would be better to fly out and do all the hiking and camping after that then driving forever then try to keep up that pace. It just doesn't work like that.
We dropped Dad off at the Amtrak station in Seattle on Saturday, then our Aunt and Uncle came to Grandma's yesterday. It was a fun time seeing them (if only briefly) and also celebrating Grandma's birthday. We had pound cake, strawberries, and homemade whipped cream. The perfect way to end a trip to Grandma's!
Today, we drove all the way to Boise, Idaho. I had no idea that Boise itself was so pretty! You have to go though the Kansas of Oregon to get here, but it is worth it! Especially if you know people who live up in the foothills and can stay with them. Oh my goodness, the view up here is unreal! Chris and I almost don't want to leave tomorrow. But, leave we must. Tomorrow we go to Yellowstone National Park. If we can get a camping spot, it will be primitive. Which means, no updates until Mount Rushmore on Wednesday. We'll see what happens!
Chris and I did create a video blog today, but I don't have it ready to post on the joint blog. We'll get that up as soon as we can. Oh, and I could go into even more detail about my perspective on all this, but I simply don't have the time or energy to do so tonight. Gotta be up early!!
Until next time...TTFN!
Monterey Bay Aquarium was awesome. It's my favorite aquarium. It may not seem like much from the outside, but the Open Sea exhibit is breathtaking! Where else are you going to see hammerhead sharks just swimming around with a sea turtle (Duuuuuude...) and a huge school of fish??
San Francisco offered up my favorite hotel of the trip thus far. Don't get me wrong, the Luxor in Vegas was spectacular, but the Encore Express in downtown San Fran was just so ADORABLE!! It's got hostel-like rooms as well as private rooms. You have to buzz the door to be let in for check-in, go up a flight of stairs, and there you are. I loved it. It was very cosy and just perfect for what we needed. We had dinner at this little place in China Town that you had to know was there (thank you, Justin!) then walked down to the water to take some pictures. We were close to the Bay Bridge, so we got some pretty neat pictures as the sun was setting.
On our way from San Fran to Oregon we decided to make a detour to the redwoods. I did not realize that this would be a 4.5 hour detour. That turned the driving day into 14 hours (arrival in Corvallis at 11:30 p.m.). Never again will I drive a car that long. It was brutal! It was worth it, though. The redwoods are fantastic!! I was just so dead tired by the time I got to Oregon that I slept for a long time. It was by the grace of God that we made it without me falling asleep at the wheel. Well, that and the soundtracks to Sweeney Todd and Nightmare Before Christmas. And I do have to give my brother credit. He stayed awake with me the entire time.
Corvallis, Oregon was also a great stop. We ended up staying a night as well as most of the next day with Brett and Hannah in the sorority house (don't worry, all the girls had moved out for the summer!). Ok, I spent much of the day with Brett and Hannah...Chris didn't really leave the room he was staying in. But we still had plenty of time to stop by the Tillamook Creamery to get fantastic ice cream and cheeses before heading to Portland.
The hotel in Portland was...interesting. The room was fine, the location was just off the highway, but there were some sketch people in the rooms next to us which caused me to feel slightly uncomfortable. They kept going in and out of the their rooms for who knows what and hanging out sometimes in front of the rooms. No worries, though. The next morning brought Voodoo doughnuts! Those were amazing. I want more! We also took some time to go to Timberline Lodge up on Mt. Hood. Seriously, I'm determined to go there once and actually do a bit of skiing. I've been there twice now and it's only to take pictures of the lodge and visit.
(Oh, fun fact about Timberline Lodge...the front of it was used in exterior shots of The Shining. So that hotel that they go to take care of? That would be it! Just not the inside...the inside of Timberline is way cooler! :-) )
After that was a stop at Mt. Saint Helens. It takes forever to get there, but again, completely worth it. They have pictures at the closest viewing spot that showcases how much the lava dome has changed since the large blast back in 1980. I gotta say, it's really spooky. Also, if a park ranger has a telescope set up, you can actually see the smoke coming from the lava dome. I really do love going there and I'm determined to spend more time there hiking and such in the future!
After that, we finally arrived at Grandma's house! It took us a good three days of doing NOTHING to recover from 11 straight days of driving. Chris spent his time on his laptop playing various games and I slept and then watched TV and hung out with Grandma. I have to say, I watched a lot of Wimbledon last week...and I mean a lot. It was awesome! I don't normally get to see that much since all of the matches are on while I'm at work!
By the time we recovered from the driving, it was almost time to go pick up Dad from the train station! I drove over to Edmonds a day early to go hiking and spend the night with my friend Sara, which was such a fun time. We went hiking to these waterfalls and the day was sunny and gorgeous! I realized how out of shape I am. (For those of you scoffing right now, let me remind you that I haven't done much running since last August. I participated in the Mini, but that doesn't count for much since I didn't do much training. So there.) The next morning, I dropped her off at the airport and then heading back to Edmonds to pick up Dad.
The main things we did when Dad was there was to go to Victoria, B.C. (Canada) and Poulsbo (Little Norway). It was pretty much 10 days of doing almost nothing. We had all these plans to go camping and hiking that simply didn't happen. Chris and I decided that it would be better to fly out and do all the hiking and camping after that then driving forever then try to keep up that pace. It just doesn't work like that.
We dropped Dad off at the Amtrak station in Seattle on Saturday, then our Aunt and Uncle came to Grandma's yesterday. It was a fun time seeing them (if only briefly) and also celebrating Grandma's birthday. We had pound cake, strawberries, and homemade whipped cream. The perfect way to end a trip to Grandma's!
Today, we drove all the way to Boise, Idaho. I had no idea that Boise itself was so pretty! You have to go though the Kansas of Oregon to get here, but it is worth it! Especially if you know people who live up in the foothills and can stay with them. Oh my goodness, the view up here is unreal! Chris and I almost don't want to leave tomorrow. But, leave we must. Tomorrow we go to Yellowstone National Park. If we can get a camping spot, it will be primitive. Which means, no updates until Mount Rushmore on Wednesday. We'll see what happens!
Chris and I did create a video blog today, but I don't have it ready to post on the joint blog. We'll get that up as soon as we can. Oh, and I could go into even more detail about my perspective on all this, but I simply don't have the time or energy to do so tonight. Gotta be up early!!
Until next time...TTFN!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Are We Done Yet?
I've hit my wall. I've been driving too long, I'm exhausted, and any little thing that goes wrong more than likely reduces me to tears (though Chris doesn't know how many times that's happened). I've called my dad in tears several times and he had to help find a place for us to sleep one night because I was close to catatonic sitting in Zion National Park.
We did make it through two nights of camping, which was quite a feat. The Grand Canyon was amazing, I will say. I thoroughly enjoyed the stay there! The next night was camping on the grounds of the Zion Ponderosa Ranch and Resort. We had a campsite, but access to a pool, bathrooms, showers, and WiFi. We went swimming that afternoon, which felt amazing. Then, it was on to Vegas...
We started off the afternoon by realizing we were staying in one of the towers and NOT the pyramid itself at the Luxor. I was less than thrilled, but the booking website finally made sense (Claire's Freak-Out #I-don't-know complete with a phone call to Dad). I also felt like there was almost nothing for us to do, really, since Chris is underage for almost everything. We did decide to go see Criss Angel's BeLIEve show, which was pretty cool. I had expected more of the Cirque du Soleil-style show, but it was just Criss Angel with Cirque influence in the staging and props. Still interesting, just not what I had anticipated. After that, we wanted to walk down to the Bellagio to catch the fountain. The Luxor and the Bellagio are on COMPLETE opposite ends of the strip...and I wore flip-flops. Big mistake. Chris walks fast and I was completely exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel.
We also did not get to Sequoia National Forest as planned. The GPS is dumb, let's just say that. So I spent nine hours straight driving. We also went through an area where there were more Spanish-speaking radio stations than English-speaking. I hated the drive yesterday. Hated. It.
I also want to break Chris' phones...yes, plural. Apparently, people require constant communication with him so one of the phones is ALWAYS buzzing. I'm about ready to break them or throw them out the moving car. It also caused him to not speak for almost the entire drive yesterday...eight hours of silence is not enjoyable if you're driving. Just watch the video posted on the joint blog...it's entertaining to say the least!
BUT, we are out of the desert (thankfully!!). The drives should be more scenic now and the countdown to Grandma's has begun! We will be there on Wednesday evening, so we're getting so close! I'm really really excited to go to Monterey Bay Aquarium today, which is one part of my childhood that I'm extremely happy to relive. We also are staying in San Francisco tonight, so a very short drive.
Oh..and Happy Father's Day!! Thank you, Dad, for letting me vent and just being encouraging not only on this trip but in general. You rock! I love you!!
We did make it through two nights of camping, which was quite a feat. The Grand Canyon was amazing, I will say. I thoroughly enjoyed the stay there! The next night was camping on the grounds of the Zion Ponderosa Ranch and Resort. We had a campsite, but access to a pool, bathrooms, showers, and WiFi. We went swimming that afternoon, which felt amazing. Then, it was on to Vegas...
We started off the afternoon by realizing we were staying in one of the towers and NOT the pyramid itself at the Luxor. I was less than thrilled, but the booking website finally made sense (Claire's Freak-Out #I-don't-know complete with a phone call to Dad). I also felt like there was almost nothing for us to do, really, since Chris is underage for almost everything. We did decide to go see Criss Angel's BeLIEve show, which was pretty cool. I had expected more of the Cirque du Soleil-style show, but it was just Criss Angel with Cirque influence in the staging and props. Still interesting, just not what I had anticipated. After that, we wanted to walk down to the Bellagio to catch the fountain. The Luxor and the Bellagio are on COMPLETE opposite ends of the strip...and I wore flip-flops. Big mistake. Chris walks fast and I was completely exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel.
We also did not get to Sequoia National Forest as planned. The GPS is dumb, let's just say that. So I spent nine hours straight driving. We also went through an area where there were more Spanish-speaking radio stations than English-speaking. I hated the drive yesterday. Hated. It.
I also want to break Chris' phones...yes, plural. Apparently, people require constant communication with him so one of the phones is ALWAYS buzzing. I'm about ready to break them or throw them out the moving car. It also caused him to not speak for almost the entire drive yesterday...eight hours of silence is not enjoyable if you're driving. Just watch the video posted on the joint blog...it's entertaining to say the least!
BUT, we are out of the desert (thankfully!!). The drives should be more scenic now and the countdown to Grandma's has begun! We will be there on Wednesday evening, so we're getting so close! I'm really really excited to go to Monterey Bay Aquarium today, which is one part of my childhood that I'm extremely happy to relive. We also are staying in San Francisco tonight, so a very short drive.
Oh..and Happy Father's Day!! Thank you, Dad, for letting me vent and just being encouraging not only on this trip but in general. You rock! I love you!!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Well, that was interesting
The past few days have been interesting, to say the least. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to post until tomorrow evening. But that's just the latest in the unexpected parts of this trip. The drive to Four Corners then to Phoenix was honestly quite uneventful and really boring. I would have gladly taken just boring, but then life decided to throw me a curveball.
When we left last Saturday, we made it to Illinois before I realized I had left my National Parks Pass that was purchased just for this trip sitting on my desk at home. Dad had to overnight it to the place we were staying at in Phoenix. We get to Phoenix, but no pass. Dad calls me to let me know they tried to deliver it but since we didn't have the apartment number, they took it back to the distribution center. Oh joy. Now, it's 7:00 in the evening, I need to use the pass the next day, and no idea how to get it. Let's call it Claire's Freak-Out #1.We finally get ahold of customer service and they hold the pass for in-person pickup, but Kim had to be the one to get it since it was addressed to her. This may not have been possible, but it worked out. So, off we went to the Grand Canyon, pass in hand, thinking that everything else should go smoothly.
Sure. We got to the Grand Canyon and got a campsite without any problems. That's when we start to set up the tent...I burn my shoulders in a matter of minutes (yay). We get everything set up and put in the tent and decide to make dinner. We brought a little camp stove with butane gas tanks...but quickly realized we brought nothing practical to light it with. Chris had his knife and flint, but let's talk about how fun THAT was. In the meantime, as we were both sitting in the car trying to figure out what to do, DinoCrow (seriously, it was massive) swoops down from the sky, busts open a package of Ramen that was sitting on the picnic table, and proceeds to take off with the Ramen in its mouth. Wonderful. A bird just stole my dinner. Stupid bird.
The next morning, everything seemed to go smoothly getting packed up and out. I thought we had left enough time to get to Zion National Park in time to get a campsite. There were three times as many there as there were at the Grand Canyon, so surely we would be fine. Wrong assumption. We get to ZNP, and the ranger at the gate said there were still a few places left. But, it's a 12 mile drive from the entrance to the campsite. By the time we got there, everything was full... a.k.a. Claire's Freak-Out #2. I think I cried at least twice, maybe three times, and did what I always do when I freak out - call my dad. Between Dad and Chris (who also maintained a level of chill I wasn't able to achieve at this point), we managed to get a campsite about 10 minutes from ZNP but it also includes access to a pool, bathrooms, showers, and WiFi.
But in the midst of all this, I can be thankful for several things. I got to stay with and catch up with my friend Kim, who I haven't seen for 12-13 years. Chris and I got to see the Grand Canyon at sunset (and take an exorbitant amount of pictures!). I thought that was amazing until we saw the stars - an amount of stars I've never seen in the sky before. Chris and I just sat outside for a while and watched the stars. Chris even got to see a shooting star...which he was over the moon about!
I have seen so much of this amazing country and we're nowhere near done with this trip. I have seen God's handiwork in so many things and I stand in awe of His Creation. I'm so thankful for the safety we've had, the ease of the driving (though, at times, boring), and the amazing things we've gotten to see. I'm so glad we set out on this trip and I honestly can't wait to see what else we come across!
When we left last Saturday, we made it to Illinois before I realized I had left my National Parks Pass that was purchased just for this trip sitting on my desk at home. Dad had to overnight it to the place we were staying at in Phoenix. We get to Phoenix, but no pass. Dad calls me to let me know they tried to deliver it but since we didn't have the apartment number, they took it back to the distribution center. Oh joy. Now, it's 7:00 in the evening, I need to use the pass the next day, and no idea how to get it. Let's call it Claire's Freak-Out #1.We finally get ahold of customer service and they hold the pass for in-person pickup, but Kim had to be the one to get it since it was addressed to her. This may not have been possible, but it worked out. So, off we went to the Grand Canyon, pass in hand, thinking that everything else should go smoothly.
Sure. We got to the Grand Canyon and got a campsite without any problems. That's when we start to set up the tent...I burn my shoulders in a matter of minutes (yay). We get everything set up and put in the tent and decide to make dinner. We brought a little camp stove with butane gas tanks...but quickly realized we brought nothing practical to light it with. Chris had his knife and flint, but let's talk about how fun THAT was. In the meantime, as we were both sitting in the car trying to figure out what to do, DinoCrow (seriously, it was massive) swoops down from the sky, busts open a package of Ramen that was sitting on the picnic table, and proceeds to take off with the Ramen in its mouth. Wonderful. A bird just stole my dinner. Stupid bird.
The next morning, everything seemed to go smoothly getting packed up and out. I thought we had left enough time to get to Zion National Park in time to get a campsite. There were three times as many there as there were at the Grand Canyon, so surely we would be fine. Wrong assumption. We get to ZNP, and the ranger at the gate said there were still a few places left. But, it's a 12 mile drive from the entrance to the campsite. By the time we got there, everything was full... a.k.a. Claire's Freak-Out #2. I think I cried at least twice, maybe three times, and did what I always do when I freak out - call my dad. Between Dad and Chris (who also maintained a level of chill I wasn't able to achieve at this point), we managed to get a campsite about 10 minutes from ZNP but it also includes access to a pool, bathrooms, showers, and WiFi.
But in the midst of all this, I can be thankful for several things. I got to stay with and catch up with my friend Kim, who I haven't seen for 12-13 years. Chris and I got to see the Grand Canyon at sunset (and take an exorbitant amount of pictures!). I thought that was amazing until we saw the stars - an amount of stars I've never seen in the sky before. Chris and I just sat outside for a while and watched the stars. Chris even got to see a shooting star...which he was over the moon about!
I have seen so much of this amazing country and we're nowhere near done with this trip. I have seen God's handiwork in so many things and I stand in awe of His Creation. I'm so thankful for the safety we've had, the ease of the driving (though, at times, boring), and the amazing things we've gotten to see. I'm so glad we set out on this trip and I honestly can't wait to see what else we come across!
Monday, June 11, 2012
I Get It Now
For all of you who have moved to Colorado or want to, I get it now. I just spent the day driving from Denver to Cortez through the Rockies. There's now a small part of me that wants to move here myself and Chris is also now more determined than ever to get here. I also get why, once people move here, they never leave! I had to get through Kansas, though, to get to today...which I'm still shocked we survived with only one instance of drawn blood!
Yesterday was honestly not that great with an exception here or there. I spent the majority of my day driving through the entire state of Kansas (all 600 or so miles of it). Brutal...simply brutal. Chris drew first blood of the trip when he scraped my shoulder with the Twizzlers plastic container. I made it well known that it hurt (perhaps I was being a bit overdramatic?? ;-) ) and he sarcastically asked me if I needed a band-aid. The sibling bonding really ramped up when Chris pulled out the Would You Rather? book and started asking me questions. Mercifully, he censored some of them and flat out didn't ask certain ones. I had forgotten that it was me that bought it for him...that was kind of a dumb move on my part! It did kill 45 minutes or so, which I was definitely grateful for. Driving through Kansas can be summarized as this: one dead straight line set in the middle of a sometimes green, often brown piece of paper. Oh, and don't forget the wind. I spent 6 hours fighting the car when it wanted to go careening off the road from the crosswinds. Semi trucks made that experience even that much better!! I saw three tumbleweeds cross the road and started wishing for more civilization to show up, but to no avail. When we finally got to Colorado, there was dancing and celebrating. Trees became a joyful sight to behold and the hills that began to appear was amazing. To be honest, we will never stop talking about how disheartening it was to drive the length of that state in one day.
The night was spent with an old friend of mine from high school. I had a great time catching up and reminiscing about the crazy stuff she did and how oblivious I was to just about everything! I'm sure Chris learned a lot about me and what I was like when we were "his age" (Somehow the phrase ..."at our age" or "when you get to be this age" kept being said...apparently 26 is REALLY old, but I beg to differ!).
I did have to pull rank with Chris once yesterday, which I genuinely felt bad for. I hold myself partially responsible for having to do so in the first place, which means I won't let it happen again on my end. Decades later and I'm still working on this whole "Big Sister" deal. Sibling bonding took a small hit for that one, I'm sure, but today seemed to be just fine.
The Rocky Mountains are absolutely unreal. It's been the best drive of the trip so far, and it made up for the drive through Kansas. There was definitely one moment where I was moved to tears from the sheer beauty of what I was seeing. We deviated from the GPS based on my friend's suggestion and we definitely didn't regret it! We stopped at two pull-offs in order to take pictures, which probably put us back by an hour but we didn't care at all.
I will say that there is one advantage to driving the entire time: I get to see everything we drive by. Chris will read books or play on his iPhone (which I don't necessarily blame him for...I'd probably do the same thing), but there are times that I feel he's missing the breathtaking scenery and general splendor. No matter, though, because we took so many pictures that it's hard to not remember this trip! I've honestly had such a fantastic time being able to spend this time with Chris and I'm just so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do something like this...just me and him. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Yesterday was honestly not that great with an exception here or there. I spent the majority of my day driving through the entire state of Kansas (all 600 or so miles of it). Brutal...simply brutal. Chris drew first blood of the trip when he scraped my shoulder with the Twizzlers plastic container. I made it well known that it hurt (perhaps I was being a bit overdramatic?? ;-) ) and he sarcastically asked me if I needed a band-aid. The sibling bonding really ramped up when Chris pulled out the Would You Rather? book and started asking me questions. Mercifully, he censored some of them and flat out didn't ask certain ones. I had forgotten that it was me that bought it for him...that was kind of a dumb move on my part! It did kill 45 minutes or so, which I was definitely grateful for. Driving through Kansas can be summarized as this: one dead straight line set in the middle of a sometimes green, often brown piece of paper. Oh, and don't forget the wind. I spent 6 hours fighting the car when it wanted to go careening off the road from the crosswinds. Semi trucks made that experience even that much better!! I saw three tumbleweeds cross the road and started wishing for more civilization to show up, but to no avail. When we finally got to Colorado, there was dancing and celebrating. Trees became a joyful sight to behold and the hills that began to appear was amazing. To be honest, we will never stop talking about how disheartening it was to drive the length of that state in one day.
The night was spent with an old friend of mine from high school. I had a great time catching up and reminiscing about the crazy stuff she did and how oblivious I was to just about everything! I'm sure Chris learned a lot about me and what I was like when we were "his age" (Somehow the phrase ..."at our age" or "when you get to be this age" kept being said...apparently 26 is REALLY old, but I beg to differ!).
I did have to pull rank with Chris once yesterday, which I genuinely felt bad for. I hold myself partially responsible for having to do so in the first place, which means I won't let it happen again on my end. Decades later and I'm still working on this whole "Big Sister" deal. Sibling bonding took a small hit for that one, I'm sure, but today seemed to be just fine.
The Rocky Mountains are absolutely unreal. It's been the best drive of the trip so far, and it made up for the drive through Kansas. There was definitely one moment where I was moved to tears from the sheer beauty of what I was seeing. We deviated from the GPS based on my friend's suggestion and we definitely didn't regret it! We stopped at two pull-offs in order to take pictures, which probably put us back by an hour but we didn't care at all.
I will say that there is one advantage to driving the entire time: I get to see everything we drive by. Chris will read books or play on his iPhone (which I don't necessarily blame him for...I'd probably do the same thing), but there are times that I feel he's missing the breathtaking scenery and general splendor. No matter, though, because we took so many pictures that it's hard to not remember this trip! I've honestly had such a fantastic time being able to spend this time with Chris and I'm just so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do something like this...just me and him. I can't wait to see what happens next!
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| Chris took this picture of me up in the mountains. There's another one I like even more, but you don't see how high up we are or the scenery that was just breathtaking. |
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| I took this picture of Chris in the same place. It really was a great place to spend half an hour! |
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Day 1: We Survived...
Day 1 is in the history books! It was an eight hour drive from Indy to Kansas City, MO with very few issues. I can honestly say that I wish I could bear hug the person who invented cruise control! We started off leaving an hour later than I wanted to, but it was pretty much my own fault. Regardless, the car was packed to the brim and we set off.
The first thing I did? Hit myself in the forehead with the sun visor before we left the driveway. I'm awesome.
The driving really wasn't that bad until the last two hours of the day. At that point, Chris was playing with his phone and playing more chill music than I really needed. I was SO bored...I'll have to work on that tomorrow! I kept trying to say, "Hey, look at that sign!" or something, but I got a "mm hmm" response most of the time. It doesn't help that Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri all have the same landscape: flat and green. We almost made it all the way to KC on one tank of gas, which made me a very happy person!
If the rest of the trip consists of the kind of stuff we got to do this evening, this is going to be the most amazing road trip I could have possibly asked for! Until tomorrow from Colorado...
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| We display our Towels for the trip...all we need, but the car is packed tight...just in case |
The first thing I did? Hit myself in the forehead with the sun visor before we left the driveway. I'm awesome.
The driving really wasn't that bad until the last two hours of the day. At that point, Chris was playing with his phone and playing more chill music than I really needed. I was SO bored...I'll have to work on that tomorrow! I kept trying to say, "Hey, look at that sign!" or something, but I got a "mm hmm" response most of the time. It doesn't help that Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri all have the same landscape: flat and green. We almost made it all the way to KC on one tank of gas, which made me a very happy person!
The evening was filled with catching up with a fantastic family friend (well, she's pretty much just family) and eating some amazing food. We ended the night at this place called Jazz, which is decorated to the nines with New Orleans paraphernalia and had live jazz music every night. We ate beignets for dessert and listened to some awesome music. It was so relaxing and I was in absolute heaven! It made me miss playing jazz...might have to pick that back up here at some point!
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