Parenting Milestone

Today is a milestone day. DD#1 registered for highschool.

It was just a year or two ago, that a toddler was at my feet. Somehow, time has slipped and she is now a young lady. A young lady entering highschool.

It is huge step. Understand, we have been a homeschooling family for the past 7 years. Other than Kindergarten and 1st grade we have schooled at home. Now we are going to enter the public school arena again. DD#1 is apprehensive, I can see it in her face. Guess what? So am I. No one told me how tied up emotionally I would be upon becoming a mother. How silly I was to think I was done with school upon my high school graduation.

This registration was also a pass/fail test for me. Have we prepared our child academically? Is she ready? Not only academically, but emotionally too. The registration itself was rather easy - not too many choices for freshman. Whew... that step complete.

Now we prepare for fall. The first day, first week, first quarter, first semester. Next year, every morning, my precious DD will leave our home and go to school. I think I'll miss her. And yet I am relieved that I am not solely responsible for the highschool transcript. I'm sure that I would have overcome... but it is a relief.

I think this will be beneficial for DD#1. It will provide opportunities to expand beyond her parents. I am confident in her discernment skills and maturity. She is intelligent and proven herself so I am not concerned about the studies being too challenging. More concerned they may not be challenging enough!

I am nervous for her - how could I not be? My first day of highschool was nerve wrecking enough and I attended the same school system for most of my life. This is her return to 'formal' education since a small child. Thankfully, this is a small highschool. DD knows a few other students - all from really neat families.

Now, exactly how did I get old enough to have a highschooler? I still feel like I am growing up and learning of myself. I guess time marches on relentlessly.

Grand Adventure: Ending, not so grand

What begins must end. Our vacation comes to an end. We have many memories of things we saw and were able to do. Other family memories such as the naked sock puppet, fake discounts, Radiator Springs, leaping deer, and DD#2 talking in her sleep.

For me, I have returned home ill. Hubby too. Last night my ear exploded in pain - child birth had nothing on this ear pain. Well, maybe not quite so, but at end of labor pains you have a reward of a bundle of joy. The excruciating ear pain has no such rewards. Unfortunately, it was late on a Sunday night and the only medical services available at that time is the Emergency Room. I had to 'gut it out' until morning.

Prayer, acetaminophen, warm compresses, and decongestant finally gave me some relief of the pain. This morning I was first in line at the clinic. The doctor confirmed my diagnosis of ear infection. Yeah - no kidding, doc! He prescribed antibiotics, decongestants, and fluids.

And thus ends our grand adventure. It was Grand indeed.

Grand Adventure: Day 13 HOME

From Topeka, Kansas to home - four stops: rest stop, gas, lunch, groceries - - HOME.

The house is in the same condition as we left. We .... However were vacation fatigued but happy to be home. Thrilled to have our own beds, pillows, bathroom, GOOD coffee, and not moving in a vehicle for hours on end :) :)

Hubby and I are both still fighting our colds but am trusting that now we are home we will recover swiftly.

13 days; 10 states; 1 tow truck ride; 1 doctor visit; 5 national parks; 10+ other stops; 9 hotels; many scenic drives; plains, mountains, canyons, deserts; sun, clouds, warmth, cold, rain, snow, ice, sand storms; 4,721 miles; lots of memories

Grand Adventure: Day 12 Mountains to Plains

Home - - a word that holds such meaning.... security, comfort, peace, own bed, familiar odors or aromas, space, familiarity, pets, ....

From about 9000 feet in Frisco, Colorado to about 800 feet in Topeka, Kansas

We came down the mountain between the Vail and Loveland Passes in snow/ice/rain mix. Semis were required to use tire chains. 29 degrees - a bit chilly. We needed to get down the mountain in the morning as 12-24 inches of snow were expected Friday night. We learned that the Denver area, our intended destination the day before, had been hit with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. That all occurred as we climbed the mountain and stopped at the top. We were snug on the mountain top in the snow.


The snow turned to heavy rains as we descended - - all through Denver. We contemplated returning to Colorado Springs as all enjoyed that area thoroughly. But in the end the desire to return home overcame the desire to see Pike's Peak again. We pressed on eastward.


Later, on the radio we heard the southbound freeway which we would have taken to Colorado Springs was closed. We were thankful for our decision - once again our footsteps were guided.


Unfortunately, the pressure change really caused issues with my cold. The congestion caused my ear to become terribly uncomfortable. Some decongestant and ear drops helped significantly.


We traveled long and hard getting into Topeka, Kansas 11:30. We encountered rain on and off for the entire drive across I70. Just one more day of travel and we'll be home.

Grand Adventure: Day 11 Arches & Frisco

We awoke to a beautiful morning in Moab, Utah. Hubby did not rest well... he is coughing something horribly. And yes, I am now fighting the symptoms of crud. I began drinking Emergen-C and juice.

We left our lovely hotel which had two queen beds and a sitting area. Very nice to have a little bit of extra space. It was quiet and peaceful.


Just a few miles from Arches National Park, we set out. We drove into Moab in the inky dark. Did I mention the road was dark - - no lights except for the the vehicles traversing the road with you. We had no idea the scenery. We were pleasantly surprised by the rising red rocks.


Arches National Park was amazing. We only did a driving loop and a small amount of hiking in the area. The natural arches and red rocks are stunning. Wished I would have felt better with more energy to enjoy the park. We spent all morning at the park, went back into Moab for lunch then started our journey to Colorado and our journey home.




A fairly easy drive until we hit the Vail area and Vail Mt pass. We could see the snow line in the mountains as we traveled and that is exactly what we drove in. Hubby had a rather heart pumping drive up to 10,600 elevation at Vail Pass in the snow/ice mix. Our defroster could not keep up. We finally decided at around 7ish with dusk descending to just stop for the night. We landed in Frisco, CO which is the Breckenridge Ski area. Unfortunately, the forecast called for 2-4 inches of snow that day and 3-5 the next with 12-24 the following night. We needed to get off the mountain the next morning! Daylight which makes a huge difference while driving.


I was disappointed that my mountain tops have been hidden in the clouds. But the snow makes it feel like Christmas.

Grand Adventure: Day 10 Zion & Utah

Hurricane, Utah

I awoke to thunder.

Hubby was not feeling well at all the previous night, had another rough night trying to get good rest. Everyone was sleeping, I slipped out, grabbed the computer, found coffee, and checked the weather forecast. Yep, rain. Smart, aren't I?


Hubby arose feeling lousy and just wanting to go home. Can't blame him. We had thought to drive north to Idaho then over to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful then home. We decided that this was just not the time of year for Yellowstone. The GPS unit said 1500 miles to home. But first Zion National Park.


We gathered our stuff and made our way to Zion National Park. Ohhhhhh how beautiful, even if clouds were covering the mountain tops. It rained, it was gloomy, it was cold. We stayed on the shuttle bus most of the time. But hubby being so sweet, even sick, did a few short hikes to water falls. I love water falls. He really should not have been out in the damp, cold. But he keeps repeating... I am here. We finished driving through the park which includes a trek through a mile long tunnel. Out on the other side.... was Road 89. Several hours to I70. Not much for food, lots of scenery, mountain driving, dropping temps, oh, and it started to snow. At one point we saw a beautiful rainbow - laying on the mountain. Very cool - - couldn't get a picture of it.




We searched maps, the GPS unit, the AAA books to figure out our next step. Not much in Utah going east. A whole lot of well.... nothing. We finally reached Richfield, ate a Wendy's where I think they had to butcher the chickens and cows prior to preparing our food. I took over the driver's seat. Ummmm... that turned into one interesting drive.


About 10 miles down the road was the next town - Salida? Salina? Something like that. The sign said - last services for 108 miles. I once thought I lived in the middle of nowhere. Not a chance. I decided to pull over for one final potty break - after all I had just eaten dinner and had a big glass of Diet Coke to sip on. Back on the road. When they say last services they mean it! Nothing for 108 miles! Not a town, radio signal, or cell phone signal. But the scenery - amazing! Hubby serenaded us with Toby Keith and Taylor Swift songs from the back seat (he had his own personal ipod at that moment). There's a reason he's not been invited into the choir :)


We reached a beautiful juncture driving through the mountains/canyons. It looked as we were going through two sinking Titanic ships. I got a little apprehensive when the sign said - 'Brake test 1 mile.' Exactly what was I in for on this drive? I had driven 'up hill' for quite a ways in buffeting cross winds. It could only mean that now I was going to go down. Yep - that was it - - 6.5 % downgrade for 5-6 miles. Love those signs that say 1 mile to run away truck ramp. I think of them as 1 mile of sheer terror for the run away truck driver ... :) :)


Hubby talked me through mountain driving which was actually pretty easy compared to what he drove through in CO last week. My heart really got pumping as I was passing a semi (after the down grade part) who began swearing as I was next to him. Took a few deep breathes and prayers of praise and thanksgiving to stop the adrenaline. I have now been fully initiated into mountain driving. Thankful for a wonderful teacher in the backseat. Didn't mind the backseat driver that day. You just don't get sleepy on these roads. It was overcast and spit rain every once in a while otherwise decent driving conditions.


At one point, hubby finally figured out what we should do - - it was getting late and the towns are sparse. We were tentatively aiming for Grand Junction CO. Which we would have reached around 10pm. But then, as I said, my sweet man, said let's go to Moab, and since we are in the area - there's another neat national park to check out - - Arches. Okay..... new destination plugged into the GPS- arrival eta 9:00pm. After leaving I70 to go to Moab it was decidedly dark. The road is 2 lane, pitch black, and it began to rain persistently. By dark, I mean, no lights other than the other vehicles traversing the road with you. No traffic signs, towns, just inky black, dark. I kept driving, remember, not too many places to pull off and hubby needed the rest. DD#1 turned on Praise and Worship .... wonderful for the soul and perfect with all we have been seeing. "Lord of all creation - - - You are Holy" 30 miles later.... we are there in Moab.

Grand Adventure: Day 9 What day is it?

We lost track of days of the week, city, hotel room numbers, & time zone We left Flagstaff after 3 nights. It was good to stay put for a few days.


Hubby awoke full of energy and was practically perky. If you know him at all you know what an anomaly that is! He was bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to go. I, however, was dragging. Two nights of fitful sleeping was not helping. Hubby slept well last night but his congestion has raised the decibels on his snoring - - thus making it challenging for me to sleep well. The girls seem to be tolerating it okay.


We took off in the, once again, bright sunshine, for Nevada. Destination: Hoover Dam. We arrived late morning. I was surprised by the amount of people, and again the number of languages spoken around us (we have been impressed all week), and the wind. It was very windy!! Those of us with hair - it was blown straight out.

We pulled in to find out that all tours were canceled -- elevator is broken. (58 flights down) I felt bad for hubby, he was looking forward to this particular destination. The 'one' on his list. We walked around, took pictures, bought souvenirs, and departed.



Hubby does not like Vegas. He was in the city 15 years ago for a conference and has NO desire to return. However, we had to drive through the city after Hoover Dam to continue on to Utah.

Hubby humored us and drove right down the strip so we girls could see it. It was middle of the afternoon, I was a bit disappointed as I know the place is spectacular after dark. We talked about staying until after dark.... but decided it was not a place for the girls. Once we drove through I was rather content to leave. Not sure I would have enjoyed it other than to see the lights - but I've seen those from an airplane *grin* Seriously - - - NYC Times Square last year was great! I can live without Las Vegas. Besides it was too crowded with people for me LOL.


We made our way to Utah. Destination: somewhere near Zion National Park. The drive through Virgin River Canyon was amazing. Hurricane, Utah is where we stopped.

Not enough time to tour the parks so we are lying low. Hubby and DD#2 played mini-golf, DD#1 and I rested and caught up on email. Unfortunately - evening time, hubby went 'down hill'.

This trip has been one big adventure. The landscape is so varied. The distance so great from home. I think the GPS told me today it is over 2000 miles to home. This country is very large - - we are covering just a small section.

Grand Adventure: Day 8 Sedona & Jerome

Well, this day was just one of those unplanned, unexpected, just kinda happened days.

Hubby had a very rough night, which means, I also had a fitful night. In the morning with some gently, wifely urging... he went to the doctor. While he was out seeking medical attention, we girls had a leisurely morning in the hotel. The lobby is big with vaulted ceilings, fireplace, sofas & a tv. The diagnosis is a sinus infection. Now on a high dose of amoxicillin we are looking forward to hubby feeling better very soon.

11:00 ish or so when hubby returned, we decided he needed a day to rest, sleep, get better. Thankfully, the night before we decided to spend another night here in Flagstaff. The decision then was .... what we girls should do for the day. We determined to do what was planned... go see Sedona. Off we went - just the girls. A beautiful drive through Oak Creek Drive. Ummmm I mean a rather tricky drive of 7.5 % down grade. It was very lovely however. Sedona is quite a tourist town. The landscape is very red - 'Red Rock' region. We got some information from the visitor center and set out to see the scenery. We saw Holy Cross Chapel - a building built into the rock designed by Wright. Then on to see other rocks. We could have done some hiking but we 'girls' were not much interested in turning red again today and we were tired from the Grand Canyon. Red dust was everywhere. We then went on to Jerome and an old, deserted mining town. Many of the original buildings and saloons still stand today. Now gaining in popularity with some of the 'artists' it is becoming a nice little tourist town. From Flagstaff to Sedona we dropped about 4,000 feet; to Jerome, we climbed about 2,000 feet. The scenery was beautiful and seeing the old buildings and town was fascinating.




It was time to return.... hungry as lions, we made our way back into Sedona. We picked up some dinner... eating quickly as I realized sunset was about an hour away and I needed to go through the canyon again to return to Flagstaff. I was not interested in driving it in the dark.

We returned to find hubby feeling slightly better. Good thing as then next day was a traveling day.

Grand Adventure: Day 7 A Grand Day

What goes down must come up!! Hee Hee



Hubby had a miserable night - he was really congested. He is a trooper though! The day was stunningly beautiful - could not have planned for nicer weather. In fact it was almost hot. Upper 60s to 70 degrees and sunshine.

We reached the park and found, like in many other areas during this off-peak time, that there is construction. Oh well - - We also found lots of people. I can't imagine being here in the middle of summer.

Our first glimpse of the canyon was breath taking. Again, pictures just don't give it any justice.

We packed up water, trail mix, granola bars, had a bathroom break and headed out to discover the canyon up close and personal.

Our chosen path Kaibab Trail, thanks for the recommendation Pastor. It is National Parks week - which means entrance into all parks are free (we bought our pass the day before not realizing this event). I am not sure but it seemed like it is drawing people - maybe it is always that busy. I have no way to judge as this is my first visit.

Our goal - - Cedar Point, the second vista on the trail. It is listed as 1,140 feet down and 3 miles. We were to allow 2-4 hours round trip. As we entered the trail head, a group of Asians were coming out...some rather elderly. I figured if they could do it - so could I. :)

We began our descent - I wondered if we were mistaken in leaving our sweatshirts behind. A cool breeze off a few patches of snow. As we descended we were met by hikers going up, huffing and puffing, red faced. Hmmmm I began to seriously wonder if we should stop at the Ooh Aah Point - the first point about a 1.5 mile round trip. A little further into the canyon I was thankful we left the sweatshirts behind, they would have just been added weight on the hike. Without the wind, it was quite warm.

The views were spectacular. A whole different perspective as you go down. Early spring - the greens are just popping. The canyon looks covered in a fine green grass. Being mid-day the sun was quite high and warm. We took a slow pace but I could feel the altitude affecting me.

We continued to meet hikers coming up - huffing and puffing. But some who looked as if they were in (or out of) shape like me, and others - more couch potato. Well... I encouraged myself, they can do it, so can I. We continued along the limestone, stopped and oohed and aahed at the first point. Looked down to see the path continue - looked up to see the path we had come. The top looked far away and the people were starting to look small.

We stepped aside a couple of times for mules to pass on their way up. Those creatures covered in sweat, continued their pace.. slow and steady. Down we went, my anxiety about returning up starting to creep up. We entered the red area of the trail. By the end our shoes, socks, and pants turned colors as well.

Step by step down we went and we reached our destination - Cedar Point. Wow! A very different perspective from lower in the canyon. Through the binoculars we could see the top of the trail head - oh those people looked like ants even through the binocs! Drinking water, eating trail mix and granola bars, we rested under a few small trees. We viewed the canyon, took our pictures... then began the trek back UP! What goes down must go up :)

DD#1 set a nice slow, steady pace. It was quite warm down in the canyon and we appreciated any shade we could find along the trail. We made a few acquaintances on our way up. Finally we reached the upper third - out of the red dust and cooler air. More shade too.

We made it to the top!!! Hubby was amazed that we did the round trip in about 3 hours. At the moment we could not decide if it was worth it. But it was worth the effort!! Our water supply was depleted and were were anxious to return to the visitor complex to find some more fluids.

Grand Adventure: Day 6 Astronomy Day

Hubby awoke this day feeling tough but wanting to go sight seeing with us. Off we went. First stop: Petrified National Park.

We pulled in, showed our newly obtained national park pass bought the previous day. We were told that it was National Park week and that admission is free to all parks for the week. Arghhhh! LOL

Petrified forest is full of giant logs petrified and full of gems. We didn't take a lot of time to explore the trails. Apparently, there are lots of dinosaur fossils and such in the park. The short amount of time we did walk the trails, we all turned a little red, not realizing the sun's intensity. It was a lovely day, quite warm and sunny.

The park also includes some of the Painted Desert. This is a stunning landscape. One can see for a long distance. One mountain peak was 120 miles away. The clouds cast shadows over the stripped, painted landscape. Similar to the Black Hills of the Dakotas but yet unique in it's own way.





Onward we went to Meteor Crater. DD#1 loved this place. A giant hole in the desert floor where a meteor hit at some point. This is where the Apollo astronauts trained for their moon missions. In the exhibit area there is a meteor piece made mostly of iron weighing over 1,000 pounds.









We then made our entrance into Flagstaff, AZ. We located a hotel, had dinner at Salsa Brava, a wonderful Mexican place. Then to Lowell Observatory. Here we were able to view Mars and Saturn through the Clark telescope which was built in 1898! Very cool. Saturn was incredible!! WOW!!! We could clearly see the rings around the planet and its moons. DD#1 entertained us and those around us waiting in line by pointing out many stars and constellations. They also had a 16" telescope viewing the moon and M3 globular star cluster.

A very full day. The cool night air at the observatory did not help hubby.

Grand Adventure: Day 5 Colorado to Arizona

We arose to another beautiful day, the view of the mountains from our room was beautiful. I could look at that everyday.

This day we visited our first National Park - Mesa Verde. We ran into road construction so it took a bit to get up the mountain. It was windy and chilly. A lot of trails in Mesa Verde leading to ancient dwelling places of the Pueblo people. We signed up for a tour of Cliff Palace. Our tour guide, Clyde, is a Navajo Indian. He mostly discussed the Indian culture and beliefs. I would have liked to have learned a bit more about the cliff home - oh well. The depth is about 900 feet, with structures of 4 stories. It was a tight squeeze through the rocks to get back to the top. Incredible to think that people made their homes in a cave of a cliff.



We returned to Cortez for lunch then settled in a the drive to Four Corners where Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado meet. Driving through the Indian reservation of Colorado - - not much to see. We arrived to find the monument closed for refurbishment. Disappointed, we decided to pretend we stood in all four states at once since were within a few hundred feet. We have great pictures of the closed sign.

Then we got in for a long drive - down through New Mexico into Arizona. Again, I was in the driver seat - hubby will let me drive across flat lands. A dull land through Indian Reservations. Saddened me to think this is what we, Americans, 'gave' the Indians. It is a flat, barren land, the color of puce. DD#1 said it was the color of the Crayola crayon 'golden rod' which she and her sister used to call 'poopy color' as small girls.

We drove through a few small sand storms and saw thunderstorms of dark clouds and lightening in the distant mountains.

As we drove, I did not realize that as hubby rested he was actually going down hill physically. By the time we reached Holbrook, AZ, he was quite miserable. Achy, feverish, congested. It seemed he caught the crud the girls had the week before we left. We pulled into a hotel, tucked him into bed. We girls went in search of meds and a case of water. Once we had him settled we found dinner and hung out in the hotel's small lobby to give him a chance to rest.

Holbrook, AZ is on the old Route 66. As we drove around this small town, we quickly identified some similarities to Radiator Springs of the movie "Cars". We even found the cone motel! A hotel with wagwams. I had a very nice conversation with a gentlemen that could have been 'Doc'. It was really quite funny.

Grand Adventure: Day 4 Route 550

This day, we set out early, rising at 5:30am to go to Durango/Mesa Verde/Cortez... we really had no idea just how far our travels would take us. DD#1 was in an incredibly great mood, bubbling with chatter. DD#2 was quiet. I think she was unsure of the drive ahead of us. Hubby wisely chose the "scenic" route. Route 550 across Colorado.

Our first pass was Wilkerson - 9,502 feet ... We topped the summit and my breath was literally taken away; my jaw dropped. The view of the Mosquito & Sawatch (?) ranges.

The rest of the drive, my jaw continued to drop - - the views were stunning. The song.... "The Majesty of the King" kept reverberating in my mind. We were blessed with clear skies and comfortable temperatures.

My jaw has road rash as it continued to remain agape throughout the drive - tee hee

The Continental Divide - Monarch Pass 11,312 feet. The snow covered peaks, the rugged terrain, the pine trees... my ears popping, needing more oxygen :) :)

Hwy 550 - a very scenic route through the mountains. The road is windy, with many switchbacks and several passes. Hubby drove through them with skill while we girls gasped at the waterfalls, the peaks, the drop offs (right next to the road and my seat!), the views.... I took pictures and then put the camera down and decided to just enjoy the viewand the ride. Even the towns we passed through were at heights of 9,000 ft. Ouray declared itself the Swiss of the Americas - this the beginning of the amazing drive. Silverton - the mining town in the middle; finally coming down to Durango at around 6,000 feet.



We continued to Cortez for the night. Hubby relaxed in the pool with the kids - he earned a relaxing evening following all the mountain driving. I did some laundry. We slept well.

Grand Adventure: Day 3 Breath Taking

We spent the day in Colorado Springs/Manitou Springs. We randomly selected a hotel on the drive. God directed our footsteps to exactly where we wanted to be - - the foothills of Pikes Peak in Old Colorado Springs bordering Manitou Springs.

Everything we wanted to see and do was in Manitou Springs within about 3 miles.
We slept fairly well even at 6,000 some feet. While preparing for our day - DD#2 developed an acute mid/low back muscle spasm that put a little anxiety into my heart. The pain was quite severe. She was yelping in pain, pale, & sweating with pain. We rubbed her back, gave her ibuprofen, prayed over her.... the spasm passed. That was the end of her neck and back troubles :) Praise the Lord!!

We left the hotel to find a mountain summit, the sky was clear, the air crisp, perfect day for veiwing. We made our way to the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The mountain had heavy snows so we could not make it to the summit. We did however get to make it to about 13,000 feet - about 1,000 feet shy of the summit. Other than getting a little altitude sickness - - it was simply breath taking. The awesome beauty of God's creation. I am in love with mountains!!! The streams, babbling brooks, trees, wildlife, fresh air - thin air - - all breath taking.

DD#1, who seemed to be unsure about this adventure west, beamed from ear to ear on the Railway. We could see the Continental Divide from up there - as well as several states including Kansas & Wyoming. The views were stunning and I am certain our pictures will not do them justice. Hopefully we have been able to sear the sights into our memories.

DD#2, however, had a little more challenge with the heights and altitude sickness combined with motion sickness. Her stomach was a mess. We got her drinking water and looking around which helped her immensely.



We decided a pizza lunch was in order. We stumbled upon a great little pizzeria. We plotted our next destination.... which we decided would be Seven Falls. We plugged our destination into the GPS. We arrived to find it temporarily closed for renovations until May 28. Disappointed we drove back about a mile to a visitor’s center. The helpful lady gave us a map and some trails to hike. Again, our footsteps were being guided. We were in a City Park - everything was free (bonus!) We went to Cascade Falls were we hiked up about .3 miles, a rather steep .3 miles. DD#2 practically ran the entire way up. This is her "thing". It was a bit chilly but very tolerable with a fall/spring jacket.

From Cascade Falls we went back down the 'hill' to Mt. Cutler. We climbed about 400 feet to 7200 feet. About a mile hike. The trail was easier than the Falls - more gradual. We were nearly the only ones on the trail - only met 2 to 3 others. Protected from the winds it was quite warm. Again DD#2 was enthralled racing up the path. We even had a glimpse of some of the "Seven Falls". (all without paying the fee :) The view from the top was amazing! I wish I could give words to it but they fail me. I returned down the hill with sorrow. I was actually glad Seven Falls was closed - the hike was incredible.

Dinner was delicious - - Stage Coach Inn in Manitou Springs! Yummy beef & buffalo steak dinners.

Grand Adventure: Day 2 COLORADO

Mountains!! Need I say more? We drove all day from Lincoln NE to Colorado Springs. The cross winds were sooooo high that even the semis were struggling to stay on the road. High wind advisories all day. It did get old driving in it.


Can you believe it? Hubby let me drive for two hours this morning :) I got the easy drive if you ask me. I dealt with wind gusts but he dealt with constant wind the rest of the day. This is our first trip with the girls that they are old enough to sit in the front seat. So I had the treat of crawling in back for a nap and to be beat soundly at a game of Farkle by DD#2.


Early afternoon we spotted our first glimpse of the mountains. Oh how magnificent! And such a treat after the long, flat, mono-tone colored terrain of Nebraska. Tumble weed blowing, cows, feed lots, corn stalks.... and then hills which turned into mountains. It was worth the drive to get here :) Although my rear end was a bit numb that night.

The girls were delighted to stop in at Focus on the Family. We got there just prior to closing, but they got to see "Whit's End" of Odessey.


We had dinner at the Mason Jar in Manitou Springs and then walked "The Garden of the Gods" - many rock formations with vistas of Pikes Peak which is snow covered. These stunning rock formations were mostly red - jutting out of the ground in all shapes.


The sky is so brilliantly blue here - incredible. The weather is tolerable - - high 50s, low 60s. The wind is brisk, however.

We spent the night at the base of Pikes Peak.


Quote of the day - - on the far west side of Nebraska; DD#1 exclaimed "I think I see a lenticular cloud formation!" Apparently you only see these near mountains. We had yet to spot the mountains. :)

Grand Adventure: In Search of Mountains

Destination: Grand Canyon and points in-between

We packed our bags, loaded the suburban, got ready for bed and a good night's sleep. We were planning to get up early and hit the road. We were hoping to get across the plain states the first day. A lofty goal and a long day's drive.

That was the plan... first our departure was delayed by DD#2. She was walking a bit crooked and stiff. Our crooked DD needed to be straightened out. So we delayed our departure until after the chiropractor opened. Bad news - we got a late start; good news - I was able to get a good cup of coffee from my favorite coffee shop.

DD#2 all straightened out and feeling better, we got our coffee, and made tracks out of town. We cruised right along through the cities, through a rain storm, looking forward to stopping for lunch. Making fairly good time.

Side note here: I am the most normal, crazy person, you'll ever meet. My goal: to entertain our driver and tour guide, hubby. I challenged him to a game of war - which I had to play his hand too. He won. Then I pulled out a sock puppet - that made him grin. (he knows I'm a bit nutsy) The girls joined in the fun. DD#2 had a stripped, dog sock puppet. Hubby added his own - - the naked sock puppet. LOL LOL

As I was saying, we drove through some rain, cruising on the interstate. We crossed a bridge, hit a bump, and heard: 'thunk, thunk, thunk, clang, thunk' Not good. Just past this bump was a rest stop. Hubby pulled in to check things out.

I, being, a girl didn't have a clue. I did take the vehicle in to the shop prior to leaving for a good check up. It got new tires, brakes, serpentine belt, ac belt, and oil change. I was assured we were good to go. But the noises eminating from the vehicle were not good.

First point of interest was the trail of liquid leading to our parking spot. "Uh oh," I thought. Well, hubby wasn't too concerned, he determined it was just rain build up in the 'pan'. Okay.... girl here, I'll believe him. Although something was definitely wrong with the rear brakes.

Time to call for a tow truck. Thankfully we were near a decent sized town. Ames, Iowa. DD#2 exclaims "I've never ridden in a tow truck before, this should be fun!" "Okay, if you say so honey."

Our hero came in an extended cab tow truck. A young man, tall, lean, & lanky. He had short cropped hair with a section a bit longer in hopes of a mow hawk. Very kind and courteous. He loaded up our truck and all of us and took us to town. He made a recommendation for lunch. He even got a chuckle when again, DD#2 exclaimed a funny. Seeing a semi truck hauling animals - - "Oh, look! Horses!" "No sweetie, those would be pigs, we are in Iowa now."

Our lunch was fabulous. If you find yourself in Ames I have a great recommendation for a restaurant. We still had to time to fill. It turned out to be something with the emergency brake (remember I'm a girl). It would take a couple of hours to repair. Across the street we spotted a Salvation Army Family Store. We headed in there to shop for a bit. We had fun finding the most outrageous outfits we could find. Just a few blocks away were Target and Wal-Mart, another good time filler and we were getting exercise! Then to Panera for coffee and treat.

Finally the call came... the truck was repaired and ready to go. We were off again!

I believe our delays were for a reason... I have a Blessed Controller, my heavenly father watching over me and every step of my life. I also caution you to be careful what you pray for... I asked God to reveal himself to us on our trip.

We made it to the east side of Nebraska and called it a night. Not as far as we had anticipated but we were on our way.