What Next

Now that we are home, the focus is on giving the house the attention it needs and get ready for the next trip. School starts next week, so it's back to teaching. The next trip begins September 26 when we leave for the East Coast, including a week in the Pocono Mountains and 2009 family wedding #6.

What An Adventure!

Aug 10
Longest day of the trip. We visited Gary's mother in the hospital. She has declined so much that they can not allow her to return to assisted living, so tomorrow, they move her to Rose Haven Nursing Home. Mid afternoon, we headed to Lawrence to deliver a wedding invitation and pick ivy for Jessica's wedding (in the dark). Then down the road to Arlington, TX. We had one final adventure when Gary hit some construction debris that instantly blew a tire. Being in a restricted construction zone made changing the tire at 3 am very interesting. We got it done before AAA could find us and made it home by 9:30 am. A 28 hour day without sleep.
Miles traveled 935! Total miles traveled this trip 8,947

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggidy Jig

Aug 9
We traveled from Chamberlain, SD to Williamsburg, IA by way of dinner and a visit with Haylee and Nick. We hit severe storms that paralyzed the interstate traffic. We pulled off to get gas and find shelter from the hail only to discover that Gary had lost his wallet. Returning to Des Moines, he was very lucky that the employees from Home Depot had found it and kept it safely in the safe. Wow! That was one memorable day!!
Miles traveled 657 Best Gas Price $2.39 in Newton IA

Heading Home

We began the journey home. Today we traveled across most of Montana, a corner of Wyoming and thru much of South Dakota. Sights of interest included antelope, fresh snow (on the road) and a variety of interesting "biker" characters. The journey took us past Sturgis, SD where the annual "Harley Davidson" gathering attracts thousands of bikers. Hundreds of them were on I-90 with us. We also enjoyed the journey down 212 thru Custer National Park.
Miles traveled 674

Wedding #5

Friday, August 7
Today was spent preparing for and attending Jared and Rebecca's wedding. They are so young and in love, we delighted in their excitement when they showed us their new one bedroom apartment that will be home once they are married. Although the weather included rain, it didn't keep the 200+ people away from enjoying the union of this very God centered couple. A good time was had by all! The posed pic is Bride Rebecca, Groom Jared posed with his six brothers and parents (The Schlender Family). The two on the far right are Jesse (who's wedding we attended in Portland last month) and Josiah who's wedding we attended last year.

On the Road Again

Thursday, Aug 6
Today was primarily a travel day to get us from Powderhorn Ski Resort in Colorado, to Bozeman, MT. We departed around midnight and arrived in Bozeman at 1pm. This was just enough time to catch a quick nap before going to Doug and Sandy's house for dinner and to visit with their family. The boys were doing the "batchlor party" thing, but we had a nice visit with Jim, Bonnie, Sandy and the "girls". I'll leave you with a couple more images of Grand Mesa National Park, where we fished and hiked the last two weeks. The largest lake on the left is Island Lake (or favorite fishing spot).
Miles traveled 725

CO National Monument

Sunday, Aug 2 we drove 50 miles back west and south of Grand Junction to Colorado National Monument. This 36 sq mile mini-Grand Canyon has breathtaking views and a unique beauty to enjoy. We spent the day driving and hiking throughout the park who's exsistence can be contributed to just one man "John Otto". These images can't do justice to the grandeur that this monument holds.

CO National Monument

From fishing to hiking

Saturday, Aug 1
After five successful days of fishing, we shifted our energy to hiking. The picture above is the view we had while enjoying a picnic lunch. This morning we went over-the-river, around Mesa Lake (pic with fishermen & canoe), through the woods to "Lost Lake".(last pic) You could easily see 30 - 40 feet to the floor of the lake it was so crystal clear. Deep in the wilderness, miles from anything, we found it to be a jewel of a prize at the end of our hike.

Lost Lake