916 miles

June 3, 2015 | Stacy

We woke up in Rock Springs, WY at our lovely Homewood Suite. Breakfast was another adventure as my kids got to try Apple Jacks. Do we know how to live, or what?

And then we got in the van to begin our day’s journey of 916 miles. We were happy to leave 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Traffic was a non-issue. The speed limit was pretty much 75 mph throughout our day. We had no activities for today. We hoped to be at our friends’ house by 11 P.M.

We saw the Continental Divide. We saw the 45th parallel. I want to say clever things about Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and eastern Oregon. But what I keep coming up with is “boring.” Those mountains that were first so magnificent became so monotonous. Wildlife was sparse, as were water and trees.

Lunch was a quick trip through Wendy’s. Leaving the parking lot, John decided to give us all a Good Story to tell as he went down a one way street – the wrong way. Yeah – no one at that stop light missed our massive van with colorful windows as it slid down the left-turn lane. As John quickly escaped collision by scooting into a parking lot, Nigel furtively scanned the horizon looking for the authorities the kids were sure were going to cart John off for questioning.

We evaded arrest.

As mentioned above, trees and water were hard to come by. I was surprised at how much I missed that on the landscape. Initially the vast plains of Kansas and Colorado were intriguing, but soon we found the desolation discouraging. We are used to rolling hills, greenery, and –oh my stars- WATER. Where is the water out here? As we moved through the northwest we gained hills, but not trees or water.

For sure, snaking around turns often revealed spectacular vistas; however, they often just revealed dull mountains.

As we moved west in Oregon we FINALLY started seeing green, and eventually we were rewarded with the sight of the Columbia River. Driving all this way we are tremendously impressed with the explorers of the 1700 & 1800s. I’m hard pressed to think of too many places in today’s world where people invest themselves so heartily into, um, anything. The effort to find a route to the Pacific Ocean was finally realized as Lewis and Clark sailed down this beautiful river.

What was shocking to this family from east of the Mississippi is the lack of development along this waterway. Mile after mile after mile of beautiful water and shoreline with nary a building. Despite the lack of homesteads, commerce, or industry there was one thing prevalent on the mountaintops… windmills. I am so not a windmill person. But there they were.

Photos were hard to come by. When you are cruising at 80 mph it is hard to frame shots, and I think mountains are one of those things that photos can’t do justice. You really need to swing your head around to take it all in. A still shot only grabs a fragment. I’m still trying to reconcile while I don’t feel that same way about the ocean. But I don’t.

Stopping sounded appealing to no one. We were pushing hard to get to our friends’ house. With every rotation of the tires we were inching closer to the purpose of our visit. After 4 full days on the road trip, Marie (10) offered this most shocking nugget: “The last three days have been the best days of my life.” And I thought NOTHING would displace her tremendous love for our Disney Cruise. Turns out all we had to do to show her a good time was to trap her in a van for hours on end.

????

At 9:50 P.M. PST we were met at the end of their private driveway by Mr. Maxfield, Lauren, Andrew, and Ella, who were clearly running the risk of violating HOA noise ordinances if such rules are in place. I wish I had fantastic, tear-jerking images of the reunion as it unfolded in the driveway. But I don’t. It was really dark, one kid had to hurry to the bathroom, another had a moment of shyness, and Katriel woke up discombobulated and sobbing.

To feel so comfortable in a house you’ve never been in before speaks volumes about the people welcoming you.

Well over 3,000 miles ago we set out for our goal.

We made it.

It was supposed to be a short-drive day…

June 2, 2015 | Stacy

As we left Focus on the Family at noon we only had a 6.5 hour drive to our next stop in Rock Springs, WY. We’d hoped for a nice dinner, time to swim, and bedtime by 9 P.M. It was supposed to be easy. But it wasn’t.

Traffic.

A 20-minute stop that turned into 55 minutes thanks to – traffic.

Construction.

Some SERIOUS wind in WY that had us drop our speeds for more than an hour.

It was after 8 P.M MT when we finally dragged our bodies into Applebees. Lunch had been more made-in-the-car sandwiches. It was steaks and shrimp all around, but we were almost too tired to enjoy it.

We got into our Homewood Suites at 9-something P.M. The service at this one was excellent and the hotel was beautiful. I didn’t think to take any photos as the kids scurried to get their swim suits on and I made camp. Katriel cried when John took the older 5 to swim, but I had planned to put her down. However, I realized we had left Minnie Mouse in the car. So instead, she and I watched something called Doc McStuffins until John and the kids came back. It was kind of cute.

They returned. John collected Minnie. Kids were asleep when their heads hit the pillows.

Wyoming is pretty. I’ve heard about their winters, however. I’m not sure I could live here.

Focused on my Family

June 2, 2015 | Stacy

OKAY – how was it that a stop by Colorado was somehow included in a trip from NY to OR, you ask?

For over 27 years, Focus on the Family has been producing a radio drama centered on the people of the fictional town of Odyssey. The main character of the program is John Avery Whitaker, but most folks call him Whit. Whit is a former agent in a government group similar to the CIA. He is now the owner of Universal Press and also owns and operates an ice cream shop called Whit’s End. Over 60 albums, hundreds of books, and dozens of movies have been created about the people in Odyssey.

And we own an awful lot of them.

At the Visitor’s Welcome Center an entire level is dedicated to the folks of Odyssey. It was a beautiful place of awe and wonder, and I’m so glad we went.

Were there other things we could have done in Colorado Springs, CO, 80995? Sure. But for this van of fans Pike’s Peak couldn’t hold a candle to walking into the Imagination Station.

The exhibit opened at 9 A.M.
The three story slide opened at 10 A.M. Stewart, Nigel, Marie, and Tabitha seriously enjoyed zooming down that slide!

At 11 A.M. Whit’s End Ice Cream Shoppe opened. I ordered Connie’s favorite – a Raspberry Ripple, and everyone else got Wodfamchocsods. (World’s Famous Chocolate Sodas).

We’re not in Kansas anymore.

June 2, 2015 | Stacy

(You knew that was coming, admit it.)
As we moved further west in Kansas into Colorado the land did indeed get flatter and had fewer and fewer trees. There was a lot to look at, however.

We drove through a storm. The rain wasn’t terribly impressive, but the winds certainly were. We witnessed tumble weeds. Lots of them. But we could catch none on the camera. They were moving too quickly! It was raining sideways, which was demonstrated as we passed on the left side of a larger vehicle and all the noise from raindrops hitting our car stopped completely!

Thankfully, it was short lived and we pulled into Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995 around 6 P.M. or so.

As our bellies are still on EST we were STARVING. Finding an eat in Pizza Hut caused great frustration, but was finally accomplished. AND – another cool story. The young lady brought me our bill for $55.00 for three large pizzas and 5 drinks. As I went to pay, she started playing with her register and looking back and forth to the receipt and informed me there was a special offered somewhere and she was applying it brining our bill down to $44. Yeah. I tipped her 20% of the original amount.

I think the Residence Inn from our first night spoiled me a bit. But my review of this Homewood Suites only earns 3.5 stars. And really all that saved it was the size of the room and the hard work of the kitchen steward. Our pack-n-play was not only not there, but the reception clerk send John to the basement to get it himself. I was glad I’d brought my own sheets for it as it wasn’t showroom quality. No toy for the baby like at Residence Inn, either. BUT – the size of the suite’s two-queen-bedroom was large enough to set up both the pack-n-play and Johanna’s travel cot, so we ~~corralled~~ secured all the children in the one bedroom, allowing me to stay up late in the living room to mess with my blogging.

Another day, another waffle maker. And again we were happy to find it was safe for Stewart. The powdered eggs were revolting.

I don’t know how Stewart ended up alone at a table… but he wasn’t complaining.

It was too quiet…

June 1, 2015 | Stacy

And I’m no novice. I should have known.

Kansas. Not a drive-thru state!

June 1, 2015February 3, 2019 | Stacy

Since we first started sharing with people that we’d be traversing the country we’ve been treated to much commentary. One of the things we heard repeatedly was how boring Kansas would be. “Just miles and miles of corn,” “Vast expanses of nuthin,” and “Watch out for tornados.”

If we saw corn, it was not yet knee high to any insects.
And they’ve done a really good job of covering up the expanses of nothing with buildings, animals, and businesses.
And we are grateful God saw fit to spare us any tornados.

I’ll be honest. In my research of things to do between Kansas City, MO, and Colorado Springs, CO, I did not turn up a ton of prospects. But one thing suggested by TripAdvisor was something called Monument Rocks, and/or Chalk Rocks. Now, this place doesn’t have any real website… and details on arriving at the destination are sketchy. Mapquest and GoogleMaps don’t recognize the request, and no address exists to punch into the GPS. But if you are willing to deviate off of the most direct route from A to B, use a Paper Map, and foray down 7 miles of rutted dirt roads, you will be rewarded.

No more words.

This is an amazing thing…
The kids BEGGED to stay. When we first tried to leave, I literally heard begging and pleading.
Rocks. Free rocks.
No admission fee.
No princess meet and greets.

No FastPass.

Rocks.

Now, maybe it was because it was compared to more van time. But it was nice.

2 Peter 3:5 –

For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,

The 2015 Tour of Walmarts?

May 31, 2015 | Stacy

I’ve lost track of how many Walmarts we’ve been in this trip.
It’s become our go-to place for potty breaks and lunch supplies.

Our fast food options are a little limited with Stewart’s allergies. Plus – it’s just not that yummy. It can be cheap enough thanks to value menus; but we have, as yet, decided to reserve them for when we really have no time to do otherwise.

Instead, we’ve been stopping by Walmarts for bakery rolls, lettuce, and treats.

Doesn’t everyone want to make 8 sandwiches on their laps at 70 mph?

The “I Forgot” Game

May 31, 2015 | Stacy

Marie: I forgot my camera.

Tabitha: I forgot the charger for my camera.

Stacy: I forgot the license plate game board

Stacy: I forgot my visor

Stacy: I forgot sunscreen

Stacy: I forgot swim diapers

John: I forgot all the printouts of safe places to eat

And just in case I wasn’t already in the running as the winner…

Stacy: I forgot my wedding band.

Really…

Actually – it stopped being funny midday Saturday. I’m not some novice traveler. I can pack in my sleep. I’ve got my go-to Florida Packing List down to a science and can tell you our minute-by-minute, meal-by-meal, outfit-by-outfit plan from every trip for the last one-and-a-half decades! “I’ve got this.”

Road Trip 2015 – I’m a big loser.

Details… I missed so many details. Sure, I made sure we booked hotels that accommodated our party of 8 in such a way that I wouldn’t have to tiptoe around with a flash light to make my early A.M. hot Dark Chocolate Sensation. But then I packed the hot chocolate that requires MILK, not water. Oh – and the instant coffee packets I picked up to make it My Way… left them at home.

I’m not being funny. I’m not being melodramatic. I blew this. I sincerely enjoy traveling and all the planning and prep that go with it normally enhance my experience. This trip… I just keep being reminded of all the ways I didn’t measure up.

The worst part (so far!) is that both Stewart and Marie have written projects they wanted me to proof-read. I’ve been putting them off and told them I’d read them whilst I had all that down time in the van on our road trip. Friday, Stewart put his screenplay, “The Monster Among Us,” and Marie’s book, “The Return of the Jaminns,” on my new laptop.

You know – the one I NEVER INSTALLED OFFICE ON!

So – instead I am typing another blog entry. (Into the now user-interface-less Windows Live Writer that I will have to cut and paste into Blogger into the hotel room. If I remember to bring my mouse in from the van.)

At least we slept well?

Okay – I’ll type a blog about the hotel. It rocked.

Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Kansas City — dinner and rockin’ hotel accommations

May 31, 2015February 3, 2019 | Stacy

When you’ve been 630 feet in the air you work up an appetite. We were pretty tired, had had a mighty breakfast, and really wanted to get to the hotel to swim. We opted against lunch and just mowwed (is that a word? blogger says no) on muffins, cereal bars, juice boxes and cheese sticks. The cranky-factor was high and we just worked on making time across the lovely state of MO. (I think I could live here. Looks like a flat version of NY.)

Around 4:00 P.M. CST we decided we needed to ~~feed the animals~~ nourish our family and I did a search for a KFC (which they’ll be delighted to hear some lady just associated with the word nourish). We found one and because I have more time than sense I even did a TripAdvisor review of the place. They had a BUFFET. A KFC BUFFET. I’m not a big fan of KFC, but I love buffets. Why? I’m glad you asked. I’ve had WAY too many experiences in restaurants and at theme parks where you can talk to a kid about food choices, but because they can’t SEE exactly what you are talking about you don’t always know if they are really going to eat it when it gets on a table in front of them. With a buffet you’ve more-or-less got a WYSIWYG situation. Granted, after they taste it, they may balk… but you just GO GET SOMETHING ELSE. Now, some folks counter with buffets being a hassle for parents because they have to get up and down and up and down many times and do not get to actually sit and enjoy their food. I see this as a faulty argument. I think of it as burning the calories as I eat them.

OH – and the best part — $8.49 for John, Stewart, and I, and $4.99 for the middle four. Katriel was free. AND drinks were included. Less than $50 for 8 people. Nice.

We stopped at Walmart (where they had a height restriction for vehicles entering the parking lot). Apparently truckers are not wanted in Oak Grove Walmart. Why did we stop at Walmart? BECAUSE I FORGOT THINGS!

Our hotel was just 30 minutes away and, baby, did it rock. The manager had emailed me on Friday with a question about our reservation. It seemed their system had us down for TWO suites, each with a king-sized bedroom, a 2 queen bedroom, and sofa bed in the family room. It seems they weren’t able to offer us two suites with exactly that set up and he had some suggestions to offer us instead. Well, we are larger-than-life, but we don’t need quite that much space. I contacted him and explained we only needed one suite that size.

When I checked in a lovely employee Lisa said, “I see you talked with Michael about the room changes.” She went on to explain we have two connecting rooms. One with a king bedroom, full-bath, and kitchen/livingroom, and another with a 2 queen bedroom, full bath, and kitchen/livingroom. And because of our inconvenience (???) HE TOOK 50% OFF our charges. We ended up with plenty o’space for — $97.00 USD. Total. Not each room. Michael, dude, you rock.

The hotel was beautiful. And I hate hotels. I’m sure I’ll explain why in one of these posts sometime. My kids were loving the digs. It was just a very nice place.

We lugged in only what we needed (which still required two trips) and donned swim suits. Then our 8 road-weary bodies made merry in the salt-water pool and hot tub. (Okay – okay – I for sure did not get in the pool. It wasn’t freezing-freezing, but I require some pretty warm water temps or sunshine high in the sky to swim.) But I found something I could get excited about.

MAN we look TIRED! LOL.

At 7:45 P.M. we called all out and as we needed to drip-dry, we circled some chaises and chairs around and did family bedtime prayers in the pool room. We scooted back to our rooms and melted into the crazy-awesome beds.

I woke at 5 A.M. (my body thought it slept in til 6 A.M.) and enjoyed some tea whilst John hit the showers. At 6:15 A.M. we started waking the little ones and then moved on to the bigger ones a while later. PBS provided the treat of broadcast television (a vacation-only indulgence) while we packed up our gear.

We headed down to the complimentary breakfast which pleased our hungry crew and provided me with ample exercise.

Check out those waffles. Oh. Yum.

The littles got some more eye-candy while the biggies and Daddy loaded up the van.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.