On Day 5 of our roadtrip we drove up the central coast of California on Highway 1. It was pretty foggy – not ground fog to make road visibility bad – but enough to make it hard to see the ocean. I guess that’s typical for mornings this time of year. The fog finally burned off about noon and we enjoyed a sunny, clear day with moderate temperatures.

One place we stopped along the coast was beach where Elephant Seals lived. They are great big critters with funny bent noses (like very short trunks!). There was a whole bunch of ‘em snoozing – and snoring! – in a pile on the beach. Every now and then another one would come out of the water and scootch up to the pile to join in the community nap, or one would up and squirm back out to the water. They used their flippers like hands! They’d lay there and flip sand up on their backs… or lay on their backs and scratch their tummies with their flippers. It was neat to watch them.

Later in the day we saw a batch of Harbor Seals on Monterey Bay. They were smaller than the Elephant Seals, and some had babies.

The highlight of the day was a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had a personal tour by one of the volunteers, who is the teenage son of Paula H. They went with us through the aquarium, and knew a lot about it to tell us that we wouldn't have learned otherwise. DH and I had been to the aquarium once about 18 years ago. That was before we had kids. The aquarium has expanded quite a bit since then, so it was fun to see the new exhibits. My favorite exhibit was still the sea otters. They are so much fun to watch!

We spent 2 or 3 hours at the aquarium and then went to the beach for a few minutes to let the kids wade and look for shells.

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Route 66

Day 4 of our roadtrip (see previous days below) called for an uneventful 10-hour trip from Williams, Arizona to San Luis Obispo, California. We continued to see signs about Historic Route 66 as we drove along and we talked about how much fun it would be to try to follow the old route sometime. We stopped in Kingman, Arizona for drinks (at Sonic!) and saw a museum about Route 66. I was just dying to go in, and we would have taken the time except it didn’t open until 9:00 and it was only 8:30. We decided we shouldn’t just wait around for the museum to open. So DH decided to get off the interstate right there and follow the old highway to Needles, California (about 50 miles) before resuming our originally planned route.

As we angled away from the interstate the highway began to look just as I had always pictured it in my mind. Narrow two-lane highway, no shoulders, sand right up to the pavement with the ribbon of road stretching across the desert as far as the eye could see. It was a surreal experience, especially as there was very little traffic and no buildings or other signs of human life for miles at a time.

We could see mountains ahead of us and I wondered how the highway crossed the mountains. We soon found out! This narrow two-lane highway twisted around and around and up and down, with hair-pin curves and sheer drop-offs (still no shoulders!), winding it’s way over the mountains. Now I could understand why the Joad Family in The Grapes of Wrath waited until night to cross the mountains so their car wouldn’t overheat! Did I mention it was already 100 degrees by 9:00 a.m.? Well, it was!

We passed through an authentic ghost town, somebody’s old car (from back in the day) that apparently hadn’t made it around one of the curves and was just stuck in the brush half-way down the mountain, and another “live” town that looked like something from the Old West with wild burros wandering through the streets. This stuff was REAL, too! Not staged for tourists.

By the time we finally made it back to civilization I was in desperate need of a bathroom! (Remember the Sonic drinks?) So we were happy to find a gas station, even if gas was $3.89 a gallon for regular! By then the temperature was 110.

We somehow lost the old highway about 10 miles before we got to Needles. The signs we tried to follow just led to a dead-end road, so we just got back on the interstate. I hadn’t noticed before how wide California is down in the southern part of the state. We drove across that wide expanse of desert, past Edwards Air Force Base, and gasped to breathe the next time we stopped at a blistering 114 degrees!

The rest of the drive was uneventful, and the coast was blessedly cool (mid 70s) by the time we got to our motel about 5:15 p.m.

I was just thrilled to get to experience this small portion of the historic "Mother Road"!

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We spent the first day of our trip traveling. We enjoyed southern Utah on the second day (see previous post). Day 3 was our day to see the Grand Canyon. DH had planned our trip to allow for plenty of time there. Our first stop inside the park was at an overlook that had a watchtower we could climb for great views of the Canyon. I was impressed to find plaques with verses of scripture (psalms of praise to the Creator) at various places... With it being a National Park I'm surprised they don't consider it a violation of "separation of church and state" or something stupid like that.

The next stop was at some Indian ruins, showing where the natives had lived 800 years ago. All that remained were piles of rocks showing where the walls had once been. It's hard to imagine how the human race has survived on the face of the earth for centuries before the modern conveniences we enjoy today.

From there we drove on to the Grand Canyon Village. We parked and took the shuttle bus to the Visitor’s Center, then back through the village to transfer to another bus that went along the rim of the Canyon to “Hermit’s Rest”. The bus driver on our way back told us about a mama mountain lion that had been seen in the area with 3 cubs. Apparently they were crossing the road in front of one of the buses one day and one of the babies just sat down in the middle of the road. The mama growled and fussed at it from the side and it wouldn't budge, so she finally had to go pick it up by the scruff of the neck and carry it off! I would like to have seen that! Sounds like some kids I know!

When we got back to the village we went to the post office for stamps and to the general store for ice cream and drinks. Then we hiked a half mile out to the rim one more time before we left the park. I would love to go back when we have more time to stay!

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I am cleaning out my inbox (from being gone) and came across this email my sister sent me. I thought it would be fun to post it here. Feel free to copy and paste to your blog, and comment here that you did so I can go read your answers!

A)  Four jobs [outside the home] I have had in my life:

1. nurse’s aide at a nursing home for 3 months when I was 18 (I hated it!)
2. banking: teller, receptionist, bookkeeper (not all 3 at once)
3. sales clerk at Goodwill
4. assistant children’s librarian at the public library (best outside job I ever had!)

B) Four movies you would watch over and over:

I don’t know about over and over (I’m more of a reader than a movie watcher) but some of my favorites are:

1. It’s a Wonderful Life
2. The Grapes of Wrath
3. Gone With the Wind
4. Sabrina

C) Four places you have lived:

1. Louisiana
2. Arkansas
3. Kansas
4. Idaho

D) Four TV shows you love to watch:

Again, I’d rather read… but I do like:

1. The Andy Griffith Show
2. The Waltons
3. Little House on the Prairie
4. Monk 

E) Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Washington DC
2. Mount Rushmore
3. California
4. Grand Canyon 

F) Websites you visit daily: (or semi-weekly):

1. Paperback Swap
2. Sonlight
3. BzzAgent
4. My Blog (to see who has commented!)  

G) Four of my favorite foods:

1. popcorn
2. Crab legs
3. Cheese cake
4. Starbucks caramel machiatto (Does that count as “food”? It’s my favorite “treat”!)

H) Four places I would rather be right now:

1. On a roadtrip to anywhere with DH
2. In a bookstore with a latte
3. In a hammock in a forest campground (with a book!)
4. I dunno where else… touring Europe? That would be fun!

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We just returned from a 10-day road-trip. Part of it was vacation, and part of it was work-related (homeschool convention). I'll be posting highlights of the trip as a series. There's too much to put in one post!

Our route took us from our home in north Idaho, down through western Montana, back through the bottom of Idaho, then down through Utah, hitting the Grand Canyon as we cut across Arizona to the central coast of California, then inland to Modesto where the convention was, and finally up through Oregon and Washington home again!

This first picture is of the highway through southern Utah. I love taking pictures of roads so this is a great one for my "collection". (That's partly why I named my website "Roads to Everywhere" referring to our love of road-trips!)

Our first sight-seeing stop was on Day 2 in Bryce Canyon National Park. We had never heard of it, but were passing right by it and we have a NP annual pass so we decided to see what it was. (We got our annual pass for $50 at Glacier NP when were in Kalispell, MT on Memorial Day weekend for the Montana homeschool convention. It cost $25 for a one-time visit, or you could pay $50 for an annual pass that would get you into any NP for 12 months. We knew we were planning to go to the Grand Canyon so 2 visits would pay for it. The visit to Bryce Canyon would've cost us another $20.) It was simply spectacular!

We stopped at one scenic overlook and it was a half-mile hike to the previous one (which we had missed as we drove past). It was along the rim of the canyon so we just hiked over there. The temperature was over 100 (a dry heat, but still very hot), so I suggested we catch the (free) shuttle bus and ride back to the car. Well, the shuttle system was kinda weird. The bus didn't go directly back to where we had parked. Instead it went in the opposite direction back to the gate and visitor's center. So we had to ride it back to the gate and catch another bus going back into the park. DH was a little frustrated, but the kids thought it was great fun to ride the bus, so I thought it was time well-spent!

After we left Bryce Canyon we cut across through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument... 40 miles on a complete unimproved dirt road! DH and his brother had accidently driven over that road last fall when they went to Phoenix to pick up a printing press. The computer trip planner actually routed them that way! DH was impressed with the scenery in that area so he wanted to take me that way.

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May I just say that I am grateful to have a functioning computer this morning?  I nearly lost it last night... and that's not a loss I can exactly afford right now!

We are staying in our camper for 2 or 3 weeks while we get moved, so I've been using my laptop. Yes, I do have 2 computers: my main one on my desk, which is currently disconnected/packed/in pieces/whatever! and my laptop which goes with me to conventions and anywhere else I go. My desk computer is also "sick" right now (DH says he thinks the motherboard is going out), so rather than risk losing data I have switched to using my laptop until I can afford for DH to rebuild my desk computer. (I have to have a computer for work!)

So... imagine how sick I was last night when a bottle of water turned over right onto my laptop's keyboard! I immediately grabbed it and turned it over to drain the water out. It was still on, so I turned it off and then we started trying to dry it out. We decided it would speed things along if we used a blow dryer on it. After awhile DH started trying to turn it back on. The power light would come on but Windows wouldn't come up. I was nearly in tears. DH got on his laptop to see what he could find out. The first bit of information he found was: Never use a blow dryer to dry out a computer. Apparently it can cause static electricity to build up which can be very harmful. Wonderful. I was just sure the computer was permanently dead. I went to bed, very discouraged.

DH continued to work on it. He took the hard-drive out and discovered that it was still damp inside. So he just left it to dry some more.

This morning when we got up he tried rebooting... I have never been so happy to see the Windows screen come up!! We still can't get it to run on the battery, only if it's plugged in. Laptop batteries aren't cheap to replace, but they are considerably cheaper than the whole computer.

I am grateful!!

The moral to the story is: Don't leave bottles of water near your computer. Or if you do, make sure it's just water, not some other beverage! And if you should happen to spill water on your keyboard, don't use a blow dryer to speed the drying process! (It didn't seem to harm mine this time, but now we know that's not a good idea.)

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We actually did some moving-type activities today, so the fun has begun! I've been bringing home boxes from the print shop this week, and last night DH brought the shop's utility trailer home and parked it behind the house. He told the kids to start filling it up! So they did! I had to work today, so I wasn't much help, but oh, the kids had a good time! I cringe just to think of what's going in those boxes and in what order... but hey, it's getting packed and moved. I'm just so pleased that the girls are finally old enough to be a real help. No, they don't do things the way I would necessarily, but it still helps.

After DH got home this evening we went over to the "new" apartment to do some measuring and figuring. DH for some electrical wiring that he needs to do before we can move in, and me to figure out where to put furniture and curtains and such. DH said I could have the whole upstairs room for my "dream library"! It's a great big room... 20 x 30' or something and will be our bedroom and office, too, but there is plenty of room for lots of bookcases! I'm so excited!

Our vacation is scheduled in 3 weeks. We talked about cancelling, but as the trip includes a homeschool convention (in Modesto, California) where I'm supposed to represent Sonlight, we decided we better go ahead and go. We plan to move when we get back. I'm ready to go on vacation now! I don't want to have to stew about the move for 3 more weeks.

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It's time for us to find another house to live in. For the past 4 years we have been living in a house owned by the church we attend. The church has decided to sell the house, and we don't care to buy it, so we need to move. *sigh* I don't mind moving, but it's oh-so-much-work! This house is very small, and as the children are growing up we really do need a little more room.

We have been looking at various options and have about decided that now is not the time to buy. Housing prices are just all out-of-reason in this area, IMHO. The house we live in is less than 1,000 square feet, 2-bedroom/1 bath, and *old* and it appraised for over $150,000! I just cannot fathom that! It will be wonderful for the church if they can get that much out of it, though.

For now we have decided to rent an apartment that is attached to one of the print shops owned by the company my husband works for. At least in this case we'll know the landlord! Other good news: it's actually bigger than the house we are currently in and the children will each have their own rooms. However, it needs some electrical work, so my husband will need to do that before we can move. Also, we are scheduled to go on vacation in 3 weeks. So the plan is to get the electrical work done during the next 3 weeks, then move when we get back from vacation.

I don't have time for this! I need to be working full-time this summer!

I was thinking wistfully today of the kick-back-and-relax summer days of my childhood. Is that life-style even possible any more?

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Dena posted pictures of her booth at the WHO convention... I had the Sonlight booth there, but didn't manage to get any pictures of it. Dena mentioned my flower pot, so I thought I should at least post a picture that I took at an earlier convention in case any of her readers followed the link over and wanted to see it... This was a display for Sonlight's new kindergarten level readers.

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On Thursday DH called to ask if I wanted to go camping that night and Friday night. Of course I did! We decided we could take the camper up to the state park that night and spend the night, then he would go to work on Friday. He thought I could stay out there with the kids on Friday, but I had to work, too. (I work from home but require the internet and phone, which we not available at the state park.) But we decided to go ahead and go up there that night in an effort to get a spot before the weekend rush on Friday evening.

We got up there about 8:30... still about an hour of daylight left. We found a nice spot so pulled the camper in and proceeded to set up camp. After unhooking and balancing the trailer, DH hooked up the water and electricity. Then he and the children "furnished" the campsite while I got supper ready. They put out the rug that keeps us from tracking so much dirt into the trailer, and set up the lawn chairs, and put a tablecloth on the picnic table, unloaded all the firewood and got the fire going. By then I had supper about ready, so we carried the food out to the picnic table. All that we lacked was to roast our hotdogs and we would be ready to eat. As I made the final supper preparations DH said he would go over to the camp host and pay the camping fee. The children went with him.

Pretty soon the kids came running back in a panic! (Scared me for a minute. I thought maybe something happened to DH.) But, no, apparently our site was reserved and we needed to move! It wasn't reserved till the next day so they hadn't marked it reserved, but we would not be able to stay there the next night, and since DH had to go to work early in the morning, we had to move that night! I said, "Well, let's eat supper first anyway, since we have the fire going and the food is all set out." DH said, "No. We can't. This campground is completely full. We have to go to a different campground [still within the state park] and the camp host there is waiting on us to show us where we can camp."

So... we carried the food back into the trailer, put away all the "furnishings" and firewood, dumped water on the fire, disconnected the hook-ups, rehitched the trailer and moved!

By that time it was after 10:00 pm so we didn't build another fire. We just nuked the hotdogs in the microwave, ate supper, and went to bed!

The rest of our camping trip was very nice, though. I enjoyed watching the sun come up with my coffee and Bible after DH went to work the next morning and before the children got up.

We got back out there about 6:00 on Friday evening. Still several hours of daylight. We had a fire and cooked hamburgers on the fire. Then DH and the kids went to a ranger program at the amphitheater to see a film about "Bears!". The dog and I stayed at the campsite to keep an eye on the fire. I listened to old time radio programs on my MP3 head-set and worked Sudoko puzzles while they were gone. The dog enjoyed watching the other campers and their dogs, and also the prairie dogs that inhabited the campground.

After that the girls roasted marshmallows and then went to bed. DH and I enjoyed conversation, the campfire, and the stars!

The girls had fun hiking and exploring and checking in on the walkie-talkies today. DH and I mostly just relaxed!

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We took our new RV to Kalispell, Montana to the MT homeschool convention this past weekend. That was fun!

Since it was the holiday weekend we stayed over an extra day and went to Glacier National Park. We were disappointed that the pass on the Going-to-the-Sun Road was still closed, so we couldn't go all the way over it. We bought an annual NP pass because we plan to go to the Grand Canyon later in the summer, and the pass is good for any NP. Two visits to a NP pay for the annual pass! That would also allow us to go back to Glacier after the snow has melted to drive the complete Going-to-the-Sun Road. It's only about 4 hours over there, so we could make a day trip of it if we wanted to.

Since the main road wasn't an option we took a 27-mile-long gravel road up the western edge of the park. I was hoping we might see some moose or bears... but no such luck. We did see quite a few deer, though. And they were mostly just curious, not skittish. They would just stop and stare at us as we stopped and stared at them! "Nothing to see here. Move along please!"

The scenery is beautiful in northwestern Montana. Unfortunately for us it was a chilly, drizzly weekend. But we still enjoyed the trip!

Next up: Boise, Idaho next weekend for the Christian Homeschoolers of Idaho State convention.

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"...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." (Hebrews 12:1)

Life is so over-whelmingly busy, sometimes I wonder if I'll make it. It seems that there's never enough time to get everything done, and responsibilities crowd in on every side. As I read this verse earlier this week I began to think about what some of the "weights" in my life might be. What could I "lay aside" that would help me "run with endurance"?

I remember reading a quote several years ago that said something like: "God will give us the strength and grace to do everything He has called us to do." Has He really called me to do everything I've taken on?

Maybe not.

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Why is it, that so many things that are actually inconvenient are labeled, "For Your Convenience..."? Do "they" (whoever "they" might be) really think we're that stupid?

I was just in Safeway buying some cough medicine for my child who has a cough. In the cold medicine aisle was a notice: "For your convenience Sudafed products are now available in the pharmacy." I did know that. It's been that way for several years. But... excuse me??? For my convenience??? I don't think so! I understand why they had to do that, and have jumped through the hoops without complaining on more than one occasion to buy that particular product... but please don't try to make me think this is a favor you're doing me!

Okay... well... in a round about way, maybe it is. I guess it is for "my convenience" to help control drug abuse... but, really, couldn't they just say what they mean? "Unfortunately, due to abuse of an ingredient in Sudafed you will now be required to ask for it at the pharmacy. We apologize for the inconvenience."

I've also seen signs at various places, "For your convenience please turn off your cell phone..." What? Are we just so selfish we will only be coerced into being thoughtful if we can be convinced that it's in our own best interest? If so, that's kind of a sad commentary on our society!

But you know what? Maybe that's just the way it is. I have noticed repeatedly that most people (even Christians) are only willing to help out with needs of others if it's convenient for them first...

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I've been tagged by BooksandBairns to tell "6 Random Things About Myself"... She suggested my #1 item ought to be that I own and wear a red gingham shirt! The reason she knows this is because we both showed up dressed in red gingham shirts and denim skirts at a homeschool event the other day... totally unplanned! I looked at her and said, "Who wears red gingham any more? Well, obviously ME... and apparently YOU!" I love gingham! The dress I wore for my senior picture was red gingham. I also love seersucker.

Random Thing #2: I can count on one hand the number of times I have pumped gas in my life. I am persuaded that pumping gas is a "Man's Job" and the men in my life humor me

#3:  The only way I can listen to anything is if I have something to do with my hands. Otherwise my mind wonders. I wish it would be acceptable to take my knitting to church

#4: I am widely traveled within the continental US, having visited something like 35 states, but I've only barely been across the border into Mexico and Canada. Never overseas. I'd like to visit Europe... but I doubt I ever do. I'd also like to go on a road trip to Alaska. That seems more likely than the Europe trip.

#5: I think a day-old piece of cornbread crumbled in a glass of cold "sweet" milk makes a pretty good breakfast!

#6: I have traced my family tree clear back to Adam and Eve! (Okay, so everything before about 1500 or so is more than likely mythology... it was still fun to do.) I love seeing where all the branches wander off to.

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Our homeschool skate meeting was today. Typically the kids skate... the moms have a meeting, with time for fellowship (what I call "just vis'tin'") afterwards. Well, today we had an interesting experience...

I knew it was "Meet the Candidates" day at the skate, and while I'm not exactly what you'd call "politically active" I figured I would just take my knitting and find an out-of-the-way corner to just listen... or tune 'em out and daydream... as I knitted. As we approached the skating rink we noticed that traffic was backed up really bad. (Small city, main highway, but not an interstate. The highway has really lonnnnng stop-lights through that part of town, but traffic usually does flow pretty well.) We soon realized that the stop-and-go traffic was a result of the traffic light being out. It was a huge mess! I gingerly made my way through the intersection and arrived safely at the skating rink to discover that the power was out in that part of town! After some general confusion and chaos the skating rink people finally decided they could open all the doors which would allow enough light inside that the children could still skate, and the weather was pretty enough that the moms and the "candidates" could have their meeting outside. That worked out about as well as could be expected. I got the kids signed in to skate then went back out to find a seat in the sunshine. (The wind was chilly! I was only bearable when the sun was not behind a cloud.)

Now, like I said, I don't pay a lot of attention to politics. I am forever grateful to those who do! When it comes time to vote I usually just ask someone I trust who I should vote for! Not very responsible of me, I know, but I figure I do my part taking responsibility for other things in life. Today's experience was a perfect example of why I don't care for politics! I actually thought I might take away something worthwhile from this opportunity to hear each candidate speak. The homeschool organization had a short list of questions for each candidate to address. Guess what? Every last one of them had the exact same answer for every question! (Okay, there were a couple of minor exceptions, but nothing that would swing my vote one way or another.) Really, the only thing I had to judge them by was my general impression of personalities! Afterwards I was visiting with a friend and confessed my aversion to politics. She told me which of the candidates were "good ones" and I was kinda surprised to find that my "gut feelings" had not steered me wrong. But, overall, I considered the 2 hours of listening to the various ones speak a general waste of time. I still wouldn't know who to vote for if my friend hadn't told me!

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When change is gradual it seems like it's not quite so painful. Fortunately for us, most change is gradual. Every now and then, though, the seasons of life have defined lines. My family crossed one of those lines this week... we bought a travel trailer!

Growing up in the country, I never had occasion to go camping as a child. My husband, on the other hand, was a "city boy" and his family frequently went camping. He was the youngest of 5 children, so by the time his memories were being formed his family had a travel trailer. What is rather sad to me about that is the fact that those are practically the only memories he has. He remembers very little about his childhood except their camping trips.

I was introduced to camping as a bride of 6 months. We borrowed a tent and made do with whatever else we had that would serve as camping supplies. I remember sleeping in our coats on our first camp-out because it was in the 40s at night and we didn't have sleeping bags. We cooked our meals over an open fire. I absolutely loved it! Since then we've accumulated an assortment of "real" camping supplies, including our own tent and sleeping bags... and we head for the mountains or the forest as often as we get a chance.

About 3 years ago we "upgraded" to a tent trailer. I actually like sleeping in a tent, but we decided a trailer would be more convenient. We could keep all our supplies together in it (and not have to round them up every time we wanted to go camping), and if we wanted we could even travel with it. For camping it was great! But for traveling, it was more trouble than it was worth.

This spring we have decided that the time has come to get a real travel-trailer for a variety of reasons, camping being the least of them. For several years I have been a consultant for Sonlight Curriculum and we travel to various homeschool conventions each summer. We have been pulling a utility trailer to these events anyway to get my display materials there. Our tent trailer was not big enough for the display materials plus what we would need to live in the trailer for several days. Not only that, it had no bathroom. The new RV will give us what we needed in that capacity. Also, we live in a very small house. We have talked about building an addition to give us a little more elbow room. However, my husband has not the time nor skill to accomplish such an undertaking. But we can use the RV as an office and spare bedroom. And, of course, take it camping if we want to.

So... I figure... our tent-camping days are over. *sigh* We have officially reached middle age! *grin* I know we will love having the trailer... and it will be so convenient for traveling... but still... it's just a little sad.

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