Category Archives: Pictures of the Adventure

Photos of our travels and stops along the way

Arizona

We made it!
It was a pretty simple trip, direction-wise. Get on I20 (about 3 miles from the house), drive until it dead-ends into I10. Continue on I10 through New Mexico and then into Arizona. Stay on I10 until you come to Route 191 in Willcox. Go south about 55 miles, turn left and then left again – and you’re there! Simple, right?
With the truck packed to the gills, a box of glazed donuts and a Costco-size bag of Cheez-Its handy to keep us fortified, we began our travels a little later than usual (8AM instead of 6AM) to (hopefully) avoid the Dallas/Ft. Worth morning traffic.
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We didn’t quite glide through the cities, but we did make it out the other side without incident.
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Phew.
We were hoping to get to Van Horn (a solid 600 miles and yes, still in Texas) for our overnight. We made it, but I have to say the last little bit went from a bit windy but manageable
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to high winds and reduced visibility.
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We were oh-so-happy to stop for the night and we woke to a crystal clear morning!
Morning in VanHorn
The wind had settled down and as we drove into New Mexico, all was clear ahead!
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But before we knew it, this
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turned into this –
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And then this popped up on our phones –
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Oh. Oh No.
Thankfully the visibility never got to zero, and we were able to continue on safely. Just as we were entering Arizona, a light rain started, which I think helped calm down the dust storms.
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A little blue sky even peeked through the clouds to cheer us on!
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Finally our last leg down Rte 191
Final Stretch
and into our home for the next three weeks!
Home for March
It’s a sweet little single-wide and we are more than comfortable!
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Conrad Clutter abounds!
We are so very thankful for those (almost) 1000 safe miles – and especially thankful that we were in the truck and not the RV! Between the winds and the construction and traffic – it was so nice not to be supersized!

Thanks for coming along on the drive – it’s been a while since I’ve taxed you with so many windshield shots!
Steph
Oh – and if you want a little more info about where we are this month, check out the Where are We Now page!

These Boys!

What a very special time I had last week! It was the first time I got to observe (and interact!) with these four boys in their ‘natural habitat’ for a whole week, and what a joy it was. With Mom and Dad away (being spoiled on a cruise), Meemaw (the Grandma in residence) and I (the back-up Granny) were large and in charge!
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We did a little schoolwork –
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Tackled a little yardwork –
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and played a lot of games (because that is what I am really good at!)!
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We kept the ‘screen time’ to a minimum (virtually none during the week), but when it did happen it did keep everyone quiet for a spell!
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Because, let’s face it – even Grams enjoys a little screen time now and again!
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The week seemed to fly by! The two older boys did a great job of caring for the animals (puppies, dogs, pigs, chickens and a cat!) along with their other chores and schoolwork.
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And the ‘littles’ helped around the house with simple chores (and keeping me in line!). Meemaw was the main taxi driver and chief cook (along with her teaching schedule and appointments!), and I filled in all the gaps that I could!
But regardless of how much fun the week was, for the boys, the best part was Saturday morning when Mom and Dad came home!
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It was a busy week – and I was so glad I could share in the care of these sweet boys.  It was truly an honor to be able to tuck them in at night. (Ok, there wasn’t much ‘tucking in’ with the older two – but at least I got to hug and kiss them each night!).

I was also pretty glad to be reunited with my dear husband and back in my own bed after a week away.

Oh, and naps. =)

Steph

Mondays are for Memories

Last week my “Monday Memory” post was about a National Park that totally surprised me. Today I wanted to share a memory from 16 years ago when we almost missed going to one of the true jewels of our National Park system – Yellowstone National Park.

From Glaciers to Geysers – 8/28/2009

Old Faithful being faithful Last week we were checking out glaciers and this week we were watching boiling water bubble (or shoot!) out of the earth. Isn’t it amazing what a couple hundred miles can do?

We almost didn’t go to Yellowstone. Since the opportunity came at the end of our 5-week trip from Alaska, we were really just content to sit and be cozy at our quiet (well, except for the train nearby) resting spot outside of Sarah and Brandon’s house. In all honesty, we were a little National Parked-out. Sort of Spectacular Scenery Overload. But S&B really encouraged us to go, assuring us that Yellowstone was really “different”, and that it wouldn’t be just more beautiful landscape. They were so very right! We were given a perfect day for our excursion – blue skies, puffy white clouds – and while the park was busy, the roads weren’t too very crowded. The only really big crowd we saw was at Old Faithful, but then again, who doesn’t stop for Old Faithful?! We drove part of the Grand Loop – and were impressed with not only all of the thermal areas, but also with the great diversity in the park. We saw elk both resting and drinking along the Madison River and then later in the day a herd of them was busy sunning themselves in front of the visitor center at Mommoth Springs. Massive bison walked right by us on the road, an interesting cause for a traffic jam, and herds of them could be found in the lush valleys along Yellowstone River. On the thermal side, we saw steaming hillsides, bubbling mudpots, boiling ponds, and (of course) shooting geysers. All of it was fascinating – all of it beautiful – all of it a reminder of our Creator’s kindness it giving us such marvels to view!
Elk along the Madison River
Lower Geyser Basin landscape
Pool at Lower Geyser Basin Area
Boiling Mudpot
Firehole Lake
Grand Prismatic Spring
Opal Pool
Thermal pools along Yellowstone Lake
Upper Falls crashing into the "Grand Canyon"
Road hanging over edge
Mammoth Hot Springs - Upper Terrace
The Ride Home

So, Yellowstone? SO glad we went. (Guess what, there are more Yellowstone photos HERE!)

And today? We’re SO glad we’re nice and comfy here at Camp Utmost, about 30 miles NE of Missoula, MT. The rest of our Sower team will be arriving today and we’ll start work on Monday. Not only are the slides out and the utilities hooked up, but we even have the outside rug down and the awnings out. I’m sure I’ll have more reflections (and maybe even a couple more pictures (gasp)) about our Alaskan Adventure, but for now it’s back to “regular” life. And what a wonderful life it is! Thank-you, Lord!

A Valentine Bouquet

Homer-24 Iris-4 BrackleyBeach-6
KW mimosa Georgeson Botanical Garden-22 Ikoniak garden-5
IMG_7148 Tulips - Skagit Chena Hot Springs Day-10
daffodilso-matic IMG_7142 Georgeson Botanical Garden-6

A small selection of flowers from around this beautiful country – this bouquet for you this Valentine’s Day.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:
Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
I Corinthians 13:13
The Message