Over the Plains

Over the Plains

After leaving Columbus we headed up towards Chicago.  Casey put in some serious hours behind the wheel and the rest of us enjoyed the scenery and got some schoolwork done.  There is some beautiful country in that area.  

We enjoyed driving into Chicago and seeing the amazing buildings.  As we got deeper into the heavy traffic and narrow streets, we realized that it was not a great idea to continue to drive through in the R.V.  so we just headed on out onto the open highway.  Maybe next time we will get to explore the city and enjoy the famous deep dish Chicago pizza.

This next part of our trip consisted of gorgeous scenery, schoolwork, and reading.   Many hours of driving and a few states later we arrived in South Dakota.  We passed the famous Mississippi river, so I snapped a picture of it.    We stopped at campground there and enjoyed our first campfire and smores with the kids.  

We discovered that we were close to the Badlands, so we decided to drive through them and was it ever worth it!  The views were incredible.  We were able to go for a walk through them and it was like we were in a different world.  The kids were excited to run and climb through the cliffs.  It reminded me of southern California a bit.  It was a lot of fun and very HOT!

We were happy to finally see the mountains come into view the closer we got to Mount Rushmore.  The drive up to the mountain was beautiful.  As we rounded the last bend, the faces came into view and we were all amazed.  We viewed the museum there and did the short hike through his studio and up as close as they will let you get to the top.  It was incredible to stand there and see the faces on the mountain in person and also to learn how they accomplished such a feat.

Our next stop on the way was Yellowstone National Park.  I had been to the park when I was sixteen and was really looking forward to showing my family what an amazing place it was.  We ended up spending the next two days driving and walking all through Yellowstone.  We were amazed at the animals, hot springs, geysers and scenery.  It was also really neat to learn all about how the geysers and hot springs worked.

                                                    We caught this geyser just in time!

                                                             Learning how it all works.

                                                                  Gorgeous waterfall

           We took a short hike up on the mountainside and I captured Malaya with the wild flowers.

                                                                  Mammoth Falls

One of our favorite places was the mud geysers...they bubbled and spewed mud everywhere.  It was really funny to watch!

More Mammoth Falls

                                                           Camping outside of Yellowstone.

  We felt very blessed to see a black bear, herds of bison, antelope, big horn sheep, moose, deer, and elk.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Yellowstone and decided to finish it off with a swim where the hot springs mixed into the river.  It was a really fun experience!  Too far to the right and it was too hot…too far to the left and it was too cold…somewhere in the middle where the water mixed was just Right!  An excellent way to finish a wonderful stay in Yellowstone.

Heading North

From Debbie’s house in Anderson, South Carolina, we headed up to Ohio.  On the way we stopped and made use of Walmart’s luxurious parking lot for the night.  Then we headed to a museum called Answers in Genesis.  We learned all about creation and how evolution just doesn’t add up.

Then we got to see the story of creation and Noah’s ark in 3D.  They did a great job of making realistic sets and some of the characters actually moved and talked throughout the display.  I loved the part about Noah’s ark, it was great for the kids to see things in a tangible form, it made it seem more real for them as well.

The boys especially really liked a concert done by Buddy Davis.  He sang silly songs about creation and then shared the gospel with some more songs.  It was fun and really well done.  We were also able to get a picture with him at the end.  As you can see they loved it.

They also had a beautiful garden outside and the kids ran around enjoying the fresh air.  I guess I should mention why Malaya is in a wheelchair.  When we were at the lake the day a couple of days before Malaya had decided to explore the island without any shoes on.  She stepped on a sharp stick sticking out of the ground and cut her foot pretty good.  Needless to say she wasn’t able to walk around a museum for the day.  I have to say that she rather enjoyed the experience of riding around in the wheelchair, learning how to maneuver it and make it roll down the ramps!

We finished our time at the museum with the petting zoo.  All the kids, fed the lamas, goats, camels, steer, donkey and two zebra horse crosses.  They were pretty cool looking.  It was a great day and we were all tired out when we were done!

From there we drove up to Columbus and stayed with one of our good friends that we met in Panama, a few years ago, Brain and Trenda Lowery.  It was so good to see them and their family again.  The kids have grown so much, it has been too long. After a delicious breakfast of apple french toast and bacon, Trenda took Casey and I on an architectural tour of Columbus.  It was beautiful to see the old buildings and stunning parks.  We also made a stop at an authentic german restaurant.  Casey thoroughly enjoyed a bratwurst, and sauerkraut, while I ordered a jumbo chocolate cream puff.   It was so tasty!  

We spent the rest of our short time with them chatting, watching the kids play and visiting around the supper table with Brian.  We were able to learn all about Columbus and life there.  Thanks so much for your hospitality, Brian and Trenda, it was a privilege to stay with you.  

Family Reunion Part 2

Debbie and Jeff have been truly blessed with a large enough home for all of us to stay at.  There was lots of space for everyone to read, play games, visit, and play fooze ball together.

One evening, we all piled into the vans and went to a nearby field to play kickball.  There was an empty baseball diamond at the park and so we all set up and played ball!  There was a lot of running, cheering, yelling and laughing as each team tried their best to get the highest score!  

*Sorry I was too busy playing to get a picture at that game!*

It was very special that we were all together this year on Father's Day.  So we celebrated together with Krispy Kreme Donuts and homemade cards from the kids.  

Later then went out for Famous Southern Barbeque...a request of the father's represented.  It was delicious and we even ended up with a table big enough for everyone.

I think the kids enjoyed dessert the most, as they all got ice cream bars.

A favorite time for everyone was the evening that Grandpa sang songs with the grandkids and told some stories of his past and some of Great Grandpa’s war stories as well.  The children sat captivated taking in each detail. Grandpa also prayed over the whole family and thanked the Lord for His faithfulness to all of us. 

Our last adventure together was awesome!  Debbie took us to a lake not too far from where she lives.  We were all very impressed when we arrived and excited that we were able to find a private beach for us all to play on.  One of Debbie’s generous friends also lent us his four kayaks for the day.  This enabled us to explore a couple of islands not too far out into the lake.  We all had a blast kayaking around the lake, playing on a sand bar we found, using the kayaks as paddle boards, and just chilling at the beach.  It was a gorgeous day and a great way to end our special time together as a family.

*I didn't get enough pictures of this day either as I was way too busy swimming....!  But it was an awesome day.*

Overall we had a relaxed enjoyable time together and it was such a gift to have us all in one place for the first time.  Thanks everyone for making the effort and time so memorable.