Random (and interesting) trip facts.

We are home! 

 Wonderful, wonderful home!

Here are a few interesting facts from our trip:

Departure date:  April 12, 2012.

Arrival back home:  June 24, 2012.

Length of time gone:  74 days.

Territory covered:  28 states.

National Parks visited:  6.

Most expensive gas:  $4.35 in CA.

Least expensive gas:  $3.26 in MO.

Number of miles driven:  9,805!

Amount spent on gas:  LOTS!  $4, 848.41.  That's if we didn't lose any receipts. :)

Rolls of quarters used on laundry:  7. ($70) Thanks to several people who allowed me to do laundry in their house!  I'm sure that saved me a few quarter rolls.

Worst mosquitoes:  MS, OK

Nicest people:  in the Northwest.

Coldest temperatures:  Crater Lake, OR and Jackson Hole, WY...both in the low 30's.

Warmest temperatures:  OK...no doubt.  95 humid degrees!

Highest elevation:  8,000 feet in CO and WY.

Windiest places:  Eastern CO and KS!  It was a workout keeping the RV on the road.  Not fun.

Worst breakdown:  in Edmond, OK...broke a suspension arm (whatever that is) and it stopped us dead. For 2 full days.

Least worrisome breakdown:  the leg-rest on the passenger seat quit working.

Our over-all favorite places:  OR, MT, WY, CO.

Least sought after spot in the RV:  the rear facing chairs at the table.

Best restaurants:  San Diego and San Francisco

Worst restaurant:  Kumback Lunch, Perry, OK

Best coffee:  we still go with Starbucks, though we liked several we tried in the Northwest.

Oddest people:  CA wins this hands down!

Best driver:  Hmmm.  We took a poll on this one - the girls, that is.  Abe is the smoothest driver.  You are less likely to get slung around, fall off the toilet, get catapulted up into the cockpit, spill your drink, or get car sick when he drives.  Tim is the best for parking, backing, maneuvering.  He can drive that RV over the craziest roads - roads not meant for 38 footers.  For example:  Jerome, AZ, the Pacific Coast Highway from Morro Bay up to Monterey, CA, the crazy streets of San Francisco, the Smith's driveway in San Diego, CA,  etc.  I now have complete faith and (almost) no fear when we drive somewhere.  I know that if it's somewhere we want to go, Tim can take it there.  Also, he can put the RV in almost any spot.  He backs it like a pro and makes it fit in spaces you wouldn't think it should fit. For example:  a 30 foot camping space in Sedona, AZ.  That's 8 feet short of what we need.  Did that stop Tim?  Oh no.  Just stick it in there cock-eyed with the rear end up against a bank and a 2 inch gap between the pop-outs and the trees.  No sweat; no problem.

Worst driver:  There's no such thing.  We're all awesome!  I am probably the most cautious.  It's kind of hard to be wild and crazy when you can barely reach the pedal.  Marci is very confident.  She drove through rush-hour traffic in Charlotte on the very first leg of our trip - did an awesome job.  There was the time in WA when Mar took the wheel from Abe.  Tim and I were sleeping in the back and didn't know they were switching out.  I think she was testing the brakes.  I just know I woke up very suddenly when my 4 inch-thick Tom Clancy book hit me in the back of the head, and my face cracked up against the back of Tim's head. Ouch. He threw his arms out to brace himself and keep from falling out of bed. Just that one little slam on the brakes, then all was well.  We went peacefully back to sleep.

Best swimming hole: South of Salina, KS.

Coldest swimming hole:  the Merced River going through Yosemite.

User of the most band-aids:  Tim

User of the most stamps:  Sherri

Who ate the most sunflower seeds:  Sherri, Abe, Marci.  Tim and Angi can't seem to manage the putahandfulinyourcheekcrackoneopenchewthenutspittheshellout thing. We're still working with them! :) Conni can do it, but thinks it's too much work for too little return.

Who watched the most movies:  Conni

Who texted the most: toss up between Abel and Marci

Who yelled the most in the shower when someone else used water:  Abe, for sure!  You'd think a little cool water was gonna kill him!

Who drank the most coffee/lattes:  Tim, no doubt.

Who slept the most:  Bear.

Who drove the most:  Tim, Abe, Sherri, Marci in that order.  Angi chose not to drive.

Who took the most pictures:  Sherri

Who took the worst pictures:  Abe

Who wrestled the most:  Abe, Angi, Marci.  I think the girls came up on the bad end of that every time.  Abe would quote scripture at them:  "You're gonna reap what you sow!" then harass them to no end.

Best practical joke:  Angi putting chili powder in Abe's mouth while he was sleeping.

Why traveling in an RV is THE WAY to do a trip like this:  There is no in and out of people's houses every night.  Or in and out of a hotel.  No living out of a suitcase.  No having to eat at a restaurant every  meal.  You have your own space;  your own bed.  I can cook and eat like normal - don't have to live off of fast food and junk.  No sitting for hours while you drive, strapped into a seat belt and smashed in between other people.  You can get up and roam around, lie down, sleep, cook, eat, watch a movie, work on the computer, etc, while you're going down the road.  How awesome is that?  You have room to get away from each other; room for some privacy.  Not lots, but some.  And cargo space?!  Wow.  Lots of it.  Room to bring home multiple rocks from various areas, some flea market treasures, and of course, room for all the camping gear, vehicle maintenance stuff, snow clothes, books, lawn chairs, 4 suitcases, sports equipment, guitar, firewood, fishing gear, and just about every "what if" thing imaginable.

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this trip.  It was a trip of a lifetime.  I think we will all look back on it with very good memories.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to take it.  Thankful for Tim making it happen.  Thankful for our kids doing all they could do to make sure they could be with us as much as possible.  Thankful for God leading us; for all He brought our way.  His way and His timing is always perfect!

So many of you "traveled" with us.  I hope you got a taste of what it was like.  I hope you got to "see" some new country and maybe even got to know our family a little better.  Our desire is to share our life with you - to encourage you in whatever way we can.  To share what God has done for us and taught us.  To be a small light of God's love and redemption.  To reach out in love - to friends and family that we know and love, or to the random stranger we meet at a gas station,
or an RV park,
or the pool,
or at the lake,
or in a restaurant,
or at the laundromat,
or alongside the road while changing a flat tire,
or wherever we are!

 If a trip like this is something you and your family have always wanted to do, I encourage you to do it. Even if it's a smaller version of this, do it.  Do it before all your kids are gone.  Do it while you can enjoy it with them.

God bless you all, and may you live a bountiful, abundant life in Christ with your family!

More "Did-You-Know's"

Did you know...

...Montana is called Big Sky country for a reason?

..that seeing a wildfire that we normally only hear about on the news is pretty cool?  And scary?  The magnitude of it is overwhelming.  Here is a "smokeset" view from Ft. Collins.

It's so weird to be able to smell smoke for days - like you're living in a giant campground with campfires everywhere.

...that the Denver/Ft. Collins, CO area is known for it's cinnamon rolls?  We tried them at a restaurant that is famous for them.  We ordered two for our family, and could barely finish them.  Hugeness!

Yes, they were good, but....nothing to really write home about.  Needed to be cooked about five minutes less.

...that every state has it's version of Rednecks?  Even in cowboy country where real men haul hay wearing blue jeans and chaps; where the hay is stacked on a real hay wagon/truck.  We saw this in CO. I never saw the guys hauling this hay, but I'm almost POSITIVE they were wearing overalls - had to be!  It's the only thing to wear if you're driving this.

...that you should never sit/lie down in wet grass?  At least not if you're going to get back up in front of hundreds of people.  (The fanny pack and tall white socks with black tennis shoes kind of round out the whole picture, too.)  This happened right in front of Abe.  If you could've seen the look of horror on his face...!

...that when you've driven through this kind of farmland for a couple of hundred miles, it is hard to believe there could ever be a bread shortage in the world!   I just had to sing, "Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain...." a couple of times.   Love farmland!

...that hiking up to 8,000 feet elevation is tough for us low-landers?  Not much oxygen up there!

...that when you have no lap to set your wallet on, you have two options:  Stop carrying a wallet, or do what it takes to get a lap!

...that it's okay to wear three or four different shades of red at one time?

...that there's just nothing quite like sitting around a campfire.  If you've never done it, you should try it!

...that a rodeo is lots of fun?  Don't turn up your nose unless you've actually been to one - a REAL one.  There's nothing quite like watching some idiot try to cling to the back of a 2,000 pound bull whose sole mission in life is to buck the idiot off!  Keeps you on the edge of your seat!

...that Wyoming has these:

about like Florida has these!

Been to Florida three times - never seen an alligator.

Drove through MT, WY, and CO - never saw a bear.  Or a moose.  This is as close as we got...

Apparently, they are in the areas we were in, but just didn't want to be seen.  I wonder if cold and snow had anything to do with that?  Needless to say, I was disappointed.

...there is something cool you can do with old worn-out boots?  Try this:

...that there are some parts of the country so bleak; so dry, windy, and non-fertile, that the only thing that will grow is this:

Wind farms!  Can you see the rainbow?

...that Bear prefers sleeping in the middle?  And not down at the foot, either.

...that in Jackson Hole, WY, they have extensions put on their fire hydrants so they can be located in the snow?  Crazy, huh?!

...that they make campers for midgets?

Just kidding!

Well, that's about it for the cross-country trip posts.  But life still moves on; still happens.  Who knows what will come up next?  What will the Lord bring our way?  I look forward to serving Him, to loving my family each day, and to living life to the fullest!  Whatever I can share with my friends and family, I will.  

I hope you have been blessed, encouraged, and even entertained by our cross-country trip.  I love you all!

My childhood home; my family.

Coming into OK, we decided to try another restaurant out of our trusty little Road Food book.  This is in Perry, OK.
A real hole-in-the-wall.  General consensus:  We would never go back.

This is a small town with a little town square.  No stoplight.  Just this:

As we were getting into Edmond, OK, I was really getting excited to see my family.  Abe was driving.  We were off the interstate and heading into town to find a place for him to get a haircut.  We were coming down a hill to a stop light; several cars in front of us.  Suddenly, POW!  A huge noise!  Then we kind of floated a bit to the right.  Then a loud thunk as the whole right rear end dropped down.  Thankfully, we were going pretty slow.  We stopped at the light.  I jumped out and did a quick run around to see if we had blown a tire.  Tires looked fine.  I couldn't see anything else.  Light turned green.  I jumped in and we slowly drove on looking for a parking lot we could turn into.  We probably went another mile before we found one on our side of the road we could get into.  As it was, we still parked illegally across 5 parking spots.  Abe got out and discovered that the right rear had dropped down to where there was no space between the wheel well and the tire.  He crawled underneath and saw a broken bar/brace thingy going to the axle.  I called my Dad; told him we were broken down.  Abe talked to Tim.  Mom and Dad were there within 45 minutes.  Dad took a look, called someone he knew to get things going for repairs, then they took us back to their house.  I stuck a note in the window of the RV explaining we were broken down and were making arrangements to get it fixed and out of there.  And prayed we wouldn't get towed. :)

It was so good to arrive here!  My childhood home.  I was born and raised here - all 18 years before I got married.  I love it!  Good memories.

The barn.  There is no better place to watch a storm coming than from the peak of this roof!

 One of the things I miss about home:  green pastures with cattle in them.

Dad and I stood on the front porch and watched it rain.  I love a summer storm, and love the way you can stand on this porch and watch it and not get wet.

Dad and Abe trying to get a sick cow up into the corral and down the chute to give her a shot.  She vehemently did not want to go.

She led them a merry chase for several minutes....

...ran to the fence and cleared it in one leap!  Pretty spry for a sick cow.

She ran down the driveway to be near some sympathetic friends....

...and they went after her on the 4-wheeler.  They got her back in the pasture, but not in the corral.  So much for a shot.  I guess if she dies of worms, it's her own bloomin' fault.

This is a ritual that I have to do every time we go back to OK.  I've done it ever since I was a girl.  It's just something fun for me, but I have to see if I can still do it.

The goal is to make it down to the gate...without falling off.

Yes.  Made it.

Just kind of nice to know you can still do something at 43 that you used to do at 16. :)

Cousins.  Left to right:  Carson Easley, Casey Roy, Conni, Darbi Easley, Bear.

These 4 really put Papa's 4-wheeler through it!  They took it down in the pasture after a big rain.  Talk about wet, muddy kids!

Cousins.  Logan Roy and Abe.  This is in Grammy's kitchen...still one of my all-time favorite kitchens.

Conni sitting on what became known as the Love Rock after Tim proposed to me here 24 years ago.

Later, I look out the front door, and Tim is standing on the Love Rock - trying to get enough service to talk on his cell phone.

Saturday, June 23, 2012 was a Stamper family reunion.  Stamper was my mom's maiden name.  My Grandma Stamper wanted to get as many of the family together as she could.  Most of us were able to make it.  Here we are making hamburger patties for 64 people.

We played a few games; one of them a recipe for disaster and injuries!  Blindfolded soccer. My nose is still feeling the effects of having collided with DaNeille's head.

Cindy laughing; DaNeille and I nursing our injuries.  Grant was a lame coach.

Chelsea, Lauren, Marci.

Grant and Anna's baby Carly.  So adorable!

Koby Carroll.  Cindy and Shannon's youngest.

My sister Jenny, and my oldest brother, Gary.

Alan and Jenny Easley.  Kids are Darbi, Carson, and Cole.

My youngest brother, Grant and his wife Anna.  Kids are Darcy, Brady, and Carly.

All 7 of us kids.  Oldest on the right: Gary, Greg, Sherri, Cindy, Jenny, Christie, and Grant.

My Dad with his 4 girls.

Conni holding Adeline, Chelsea's baby.

Gary and DaNeille.

All the Roy kids with their spouses.  From left to right:  Andy and Christie, Alan and Jenny, Gary and DaNeille, Tim and Sherri, Shannon and Cindy, Grant and Anna, Greg and Shannon.

Some of my nephews:  Patrick Morrow,

Isaac Morrow,

Koby Carrroll.

Conni and Darcy.

Marci holding Adeline; Chelsea's baby.

Carly hamming it up.

Rob and Chelsea.

Grant with his youngest - Carly.

Koby showing of his ball glove and cleats.

This Luther part of our trip was unplanned.  We originally had to be home on June 14 so we knew we wouldn't be able to make it back to Luther on the 23rd for the family gathering. But God made a way for it to happen!

I don't believe in happenstance.  I believe that all things happen for a reason.  I don't know why we broke down in Edmond, but I know God knows.  Why did it rain so hard the day after we got to Mom and Dad's?  Why then?  I don't know, but I do know that because of the rain, Dad couldn't get into the fields to do any farming.  Therefore, he was around the house for 2 days while I was there.  I got to spend lots of time with my Dad.  I'm so grateful for that.  Grateful for the 2 hour visit Tim and I were able to have with Dad on Saturday - just the 3 of us.

Now I'm home.  I love wandering around my house, trying to remember where the light switches are and which cabinet the cups are in.
I'm overwhelmed at the state of my yard - anyone have a baler?
My mail pile is staring at me.
The voice mail box was completely full.
I'm mesmerized by the flush handle on the toilet.
My frig is completely bare - so is the pantry.

But east or west,

MY HOME IS BEST! 

It is so good to be home again.  We had a wonderful trip.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  We saw some beautiful country, some not-so-beautiful country, met some neat people, reconnected with lots of friends and family, and had lots of good times and talks with our kids.

I thank God for the privilege of getting to take this trip.  I encourage any of you that have always wanted to do something like this to DO IT!  You will love it!

Can't wait to see all my friends and family back here in VA!