West. The promise of lush land and the possibility of gold. In the two decades prior to the Civil War, upwards of 250,000 people emigrated to Northern California (a brand new territory at the time) to redefine their lives. And to maybe stike it rich. And if it meant packing up all your earthly possessions (that you could fit in your cover wagon anyway), saying good-bye to your family (probably forever, this side of Glory), and walking/riding maybe 2000 miles through unknown territory, then so be it. It was the dream. And it was their reality. And a harsh reality it was!

Of the tens of thousands that crossed this great country on the California Trail, perhaps the best known is the Donner Party. Due to some poor advice, late arrivals, the worst (and earliest) winter in recorded history and generally short tempers, the trip did not go well for them. (Check out the the link if you would like more details).
Today I-80 runs along the California Trail route as it crosses Nevada. Now we were heading East, not West as the emigrants, but I was struck again and again with the fact that there was no way, no how, no sirree bob that I would have signed up for that trip!
Here is the view from just west of Salt Lake City (actually looking west) that would have greeted those pioneers-

But just out of sight is the 40 Mile Desert (which includes the Great Salt Flats and is actually 50+ miles).


The trip had many ups and downs from that point on.


(and no tunnels to help them)






Back at Donner Lake (where the Donner party camped for that long, hard winter) there is a Emigrant Trail Museum and a commemorative statue to that ill-fated group of pioneers.

The height of the statue base (about 20 ft.) represents the snow depth from that winter. Geez.

I have great respect for those pioneers. Because I can’t imagine having the will or stamina to face the hardships that would be required to have crossed the country during that time.
Nope, I’m much more content crossing the country in my kind of covered wagon!

So it’s going to be a Looooong Drive.

3180 Miles. Yikes!
But every journey, as they say, begins with the first step -

Getting out of our parking spot at Diamond Arrow

and navigating the little winding mountain road down to the main highway.
OK, so main highway still meant winding road over mountains, but it really was a little wider!

Really.
Once we got onto I80, we just had to deal with skinny constructions lanes

as we crossed over Donner Pass and headed into Reno.


I think those first 100 miles might just have been the trickiest of the over 3000 ahead of us!

After a nice quiet night’s sleep behind the Nuggets Casino

we noticed a little problem as we hooked up the truck -

Uh-oh – it doesn’t look good!
Turns out the power steering fluid filter resevoir had lost it’s cap -

Never a good thing. And it isn’t something you have a spare for. However, we do have a quick thinking Gary along -

And it held like a charm (and hopefully will continue to do so until we can order a new top!)
As for the drive – it was lovely!



but yet, more construction….


And our resting spot for tonight -
Winnemucca, Nevada

and the campground is filling up!

250 miles down, 2930 to go. Give or take a turn or two!

Before we get too far down the road (heading to Pennsylvania), I wanted to take a moment to say good-bye to California. We’ve spent 8 of the last 9 months in this beautiful state, and regardless of how you might feel about the politics of the state, there is something for everyone in California!
There are quaint little towns -

and big cities -

There are miles of ocean shoreline,

not to mention the second largest lake in the country -

There are big roads through the mountains

and there are dirt roads through the mountains.

There’s Death Valley

and Joshua Tree National Parks.

There are the animals in the zoo,

the birds in the backyard-

and the birds at the Date Festival!

There are deserts that dissolve into mountains

and beautiful lakes that magically appear on mountain drives.

We enjoyed (ahem) some snow -

and and learned about palm trees!

We made new friends, reconnected with old ones, and just barely scratched the surface of some of the beauty that is California.
But perhaps the California “thing” that we are most sorry to leave behind is this -

Ah, farewell, dear In-N-Out. We hold your memory dear!

This last month as we went through our medical crisis and came out the other side, I continually said “Thank you, God” for the words of encouragement and support and the prayers that were lifted up to our Heavenly Father on our behalf. God was caring for us in so many ways, from the wonderful SOWER family that was physically at our side (along with the staff here at Diamond Arrow!) to our extended family and friends that prayed alongside us for healing and wisdom and comfort. Even when my prayers could hardly get past “Oh God, Oh God, Oh God”, your prayers were lifting us up. Yesterday as Gary had his second CT scan and another visit with the neurosurgeon, we knew that so many were holding us in their thoughts and prayers. And the news was excellent! Even though the SDH was still evident on the CT scan, it remained stable and Gary was not displaying any “deficiencies”. (That means after holding his arms out, palms up, for several seconds he could touch his finger to his nose (oh, while his eyes were closed). Last visit he was close – this visit he was right on target! The Dr. chatted for a minute or two, then shook our hands and wished us well as we travel back East. What wonderful news! We’re finishing up some projects here and we should be on the road after church on Sunday. We’ll be taking it slow and easy – stopping to hug friends and family along the way and making sure we catch any “must see” areas as we go. Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers.

Yet even as I am thanking you, I need also to be thanking God for these times. Sometimes when you hear the words “emergency brain surgery” and you are thousands of miles away, saying “Thank-you, God” doesn’t come all that easy. I’d like to share excerpts from a small devotional book by Ruth Myers – 31 Days of Praise - that have touched me deeply as we traveled these unknown roads.
Father, I’m so delighted that You are both loving and sovereign, and that You cause all things to work together for good to those who love you, to those who are called according to Your purpose. …In spite of what I think or feel when I get my eyes off You, I choose not to resist my trails as intruders, but to welcome them as friends.
Thank You that each difficulty is an opportunity to see You work…that in Your time You will bring me out to a place of abundance. I rejoice that You plan to enrich and beautify me through each problem, each conflict, each struggle…that through them You expose my weaknesses and needs, my hidden sins, my self-centeredness (and especially my self-reliance and pride). Thank You that You use trials to humble me and perfect my faith and produce in me the quality of endurance…that they prepare the soil of my heart for the fresh new growth in godliness that You and I both long to see in me….I’m grateful that you look beyond my superficial desire for a trouble-free life; instead, you fulfill my deep-down desire to glorify You, enjoy Your warm fellowship, and become more like Your Son.

May this be my daily plea!

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (The Message)

Did you know there is a growing number of families who have chosen to leave their stick houses behind and travel around the country fulltime with the kids? Me neither! Well, several months ago I was approached by the editor of a brand new “niche” magazine called Fulltime Families asking if I would be interested in writing an article on the ins and outs of quilting in an RV. After I made sure she realized we were not exactly in her niche market, I went to work. Here is what was published in their May Issue -

When my husband announced his “Empty Nest Plan” – that we would sell our house, quit our jobs, buy an RV and travel around the country for a year – I had no idea what that would look like. We had never RV’d, never even spent a night in a campground. But while there were more unknowns than knowns, there were also endless possibilities. Maybe I could write a book. Maybe we’d be able to catch up with friends and family around the country. And maybe I would have time to QUILT! So as we began to downsize and make plans for this great adventure, I made sure that my trusty sewing machine, jumbo cutting mat, favorite fabrics and necessary tools all found homes in our new 300 sq. foot home. And in the last 5 years (so much for being on the road for a year), I have found that quilting in an RV requires at least these three things –
Storage
In order to make space for my sewing machine and all those sewing accessories I had to sacrifice the ability to have an on-board washer/dryer. So back in the cabinet that was all plumbed (as they say) for a washer and dryer, we installed two nice deep drawers with a rolling tray on the bottom for my machine, and we were set! We hung a thread rack on the wall which keeps my spools organized and even adds a little colorful “art” to the bedroom.
The jumbo cutting mat lives either behind the sofa or standing up in the closet. Of course there might be a couple of other bins of fabric in the closet and a roll or two of batting under the bed. Maybe.

Workspace
One of the most important requirements for quilting in an RV is having very patient and flexible traveling companions. Because in OUR house the only place to sew is on the kitchen table. And when I’m sewing up a storm, meals can get pretty sketchy!I try to keep my different projects in their own separate bins to help keep things a little organized and to also make clean-up quick and easy. But having a sympathetic husband who doesn’t mind eating dinner alongside the sewing machine or having extra spools of thread hanging out next to the salt and pepper shakers goes a long way toward making quilting in an RV do-able.

Time
When we first started out, we were staying in campgrounds for a couple of nights, and then moving on to our next destination. I found that pulling my sewing machine out and getting a couple of squares made for a quilt just wasn’t happening. It wasn’t until we started staying in one place for longer stretches of time that I found I was actually making progress on my different projects. Right now we stay put for about three weeks at a time, take about a week to move to our next spot, and then settle in for another three weeks. During our moving week, I’ll pull out some hand-quilting or maybe work on a knitting project (I’m getting quite accomplished on knitting dishcloths!). Generally, the cutting board and the sewing machine wait until we have a full hook-up and a little extra time.

Here’s one final thought on quilting in an RV. I have scaled down the size of my projects. While I have made several full size quilts during the last five years, I have found the most joy in making wall hangings, table runners and potholders! Small space = small projects. The math works.
Happy Quilting!
Stephanie
Rvthereyet.org – stop by anytime!
P.S. – Just so you know, the visiting friends and family plan has worked out well. The writing a book plan – not so much. But, hey, there’s always the next five years!

(They didn’t have room for the photos, but I thought you might enjoy the “visuals”)

Gary encouraged me to send in my “Hello, this is Doris from the Census Bureau” post, and much to my delight, it showed up in their June issue!

So even though this little magazine isn’t in the position to pay me anything, it still has been fun to be a “contributing columnist”.

If the concept of fulltiming with kids intrigues you, check out this website too -
Families on the Road
It has a list of lots of families that are blogging about their fulltiming adventure! And I do mean adventures!

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Quick Gary Update – He’s is doing GREAT! If we didn’t know the “thing” was there, we wouldn’t know it was there. If you know what I mean. CT scan still scheduled for Thursday the 17th. Keep praying! Thanks!