6.19.2008
End of the road: Seattle
Lela and I have made it safe and sound to Seattle, WA. It has been a few days since our arrival and we have finally settled in. We were stuck in a hotel in Seatac, WA for a few days before we could move into our apartment in Seattle. It was a little bit of a let down because I envisioned this "grand finale" to our trip. Instead it was a just a quick trip up I-5 North and there we were. That's probably why I hadn't updated the blog earlier.
The weather is a little colder than we had expected. We've been wearing jeans and sweatshirts daily. The sun briefly shined into our apartment earlier today before it moved further west (our apartment has a very slight eastern exposure). Orange has been soaking up all the sun she can given it doesn't shine through the window very long. Although, it still seems that she is more comfortable in the van rather than inside the apartment, but I sure that will change with time.
Our apartment is very nice and modern. All the furniture is stained a nice dark wood, the windows are very large, and the porch is a nice for a quick getaway. The couch is covered in a nice sage microsuede material and the matching chair has a nice green and yellow print. It feels like we are in a very nice hotel room. A big change from sleeping inside a 17 year old van.
There is a lot I am already missing about the trip. Waking up, sliding open the van door, and breathing in the fresh air. Starting the day out with great optimism and excitement for what unknown was yet to come. And believe it or not, leading a more simple life is actually, well, simpler.
The drive up the pacific coast on route 101 to Seattle was awesome. At times the road was so sharp and steep while the whole time the trees and the waves of the ocean were just to your left. I was driving and it was incredible. It probably was even better for Lela. It was about this time that we started seeing VW Vanagons/Buses/Eurovans all over the place. I would say they are probably as common as any model Mercedes or BMW in Baltimore. I am sure that our van came from this region. We stopped at a roadside expresso stand and got "filled up" and didn't stop to eat until we reached Seatac. We knew our trip was ending and the real world was awaiting us (well, at least Lela).
A special note to all of you that have been keeping up with the blog. We are extending an invitation to come at visit us during our stay. Our apartment is little, but we would love to have you! Some of you have already made plans to come and see us which is so great. We look forward to it very much.
We also couldn't end this without thanking our God for keeping us safe, healthy, and spirited throughout our trip. He is everything to us and we hope to grow stronger in our faith daily with His guidance. Thank you Lord, we love you.
The weather is a little colder than we had expected. We've been wearing jeans and sweatshirts daily. The sun briefly shined into our apartment earlier today before it moved further west (our apartment has a very slight eastern exposure). Orange has been soaking up all the sun she can given it doesn't shine through the window very long. Although, it still seems that she is more comfortable in the van rather than inside the apartment, but I sure that will change with time.
Our apartment is very nice and modern. All the furniture is stained a nice dark wood, the windows are very large, and the porch is a nice for a quick getaway. The couch is covered in a nice sage microsuede material and the matching chair has a nice green and yellow print. It feels like we are in a very nice hotel room. A big change from sleeping inside a 17 year old van.
There is a lot I am already missing about the trip. Waking up, sliding open the van door, and breathing in the fresh air. Starting the day out with great optimism and excitement for what unknown was yet to come. And believe it or not, leading a more simple life is actually, well, simpler.
The drive up the pacific coast on route 101 to Seattle was awesome. At times the road was so sharp and steep while the whole time the trees and the waves of the ocean were just to your left. I was driving and it was incredible. It probably was even better for Lela. It was about this time that we started seeing VW Vanagons/Buses/Eurovans all over the place. I would say they are probably as common as any model Mercedes or BMW in Baltimore. I am sure that our van came from this region. We stopped at a roadside expresso stand and got "filled up" and didn't stop to eat until we reached Seatac. We knew our trip was ending and the real world was awaiting us (well, at least Lela).
A special note to all of you that have been keeping up with the blog. We are extending an invitation to come at visit us during our stay. Our apartment is little, but we would love to have you! Some of you have already made plans to come and see us which is so great. We look forward to it very much.
We also couldn't end this without thanking our God for keeping us safe, healthy, and spirited throughout our trip. He is everything to us and we hope to grow stronger in our faith daily with His guidance. Thank you Lord, we love you.
6.14.2008
Day 17-18: Nehlam State Park - Pacific Ocean
As I sit hear typing this I hear the Pacific Ocean waves coming onto shore, the crackel of the campfire and feel the stong breeze coming off the water. Welcome to Nehlam, Oregon. We left Missoula, MT and headed due west all the way to the west coast. I am sure Glacier NP is nice (northwest Montana), however our warmth and comfort was our priority so we canceled our trip there. We stopped along the way to the west coast at Lewis and Clark State Park in Montana and stayed the night. It was a great little park along the L&C trail that had flush toilets and showers. Don’t get too excited, the showers cost 25 cents each three minutes, and for me that would equate to nearly $3.00 for a shower. Pretty expensive! So I passed. I was still pretty clean from the 2 showers I had taken at the Ponderosa Lodge. Lela and I had actually bought chocolate, grahm crackers, and marshmallows in Yellowstone to make smores but because the weather was bad and our fire pit was snowed over, that never happened. So we made smores at L&C park. I found that the trick here is to make sure the the chocolate gets melted too, so just put some on a grahm cracker on the edge of the fire to get it a little warmed up. Once you place the toasted marshmellow on there, it’s perfect.
In the morning we had some cheesey scrambled eggs and then set out to make it to Nehlam State Park in Oregon. We chose this park because of it’s location and in case it was full there were some more camping sites further north up the coastal highway. We were so excited to be able to see the ocean again. We started out our trip on the Atlantic and finally we were going to make it to the Pacific. We were psyched. We followed the Columbia River, which separates Washington from Oregon. The day before we had stopped at Cabella’s and spoke with a guy named “Lee” who actually grew up at the mouth of the Columbia river. It was also warm again, temperatures were actually in the 70’s! Lela was enjoying it wearing her red tank-top in the van. I was manning the iPod/radio. Orange napped almost the whole way.
Once we arrived at the park, we paid for our site and made camp for the night. This state park was the most equiped of any park we had stayed at during our entire trip. Every site had electricity and water. We made sure to use the recently purchased heater from Walmart. We walked along the beach feeling that we had actually accomplished something. It was a great feeling to know that God had given us such a great opportunity and agreed to let us do. We were so thankful. Thankful that the van had made it, thankful that we were healthy, thankful that Orange was healthy, thankful that someone had been looking out for us the whole time. We picked up rocks along the beach, marveled at the nearby cliffs, and stepped over the huge pieces of driftwood. We were in our element. This was where we wanted to be.
I slept a long time that night, longer than I had wanted, but this what I had needed. After breakfast we took a 2 mile bike ride along the park. We found the park’s airstrip, met up with a deer along the trail, went to the site where people can bring their horses, and took some pictures near the water. We came back and took a long nap in the tent. For some reason a tent is so comfortable during the daytime. Please try it soon if you get a chance. After we woke we went to the local store and picked up some fish, corn, zucchini, and dessert for dinner. I am writing this with a full stomach while listening to some tunes, seated next to the campfire. The hair on my shins feels like it’s burning.
Tomorrow we will arrive at our destination of Seattle. It will be bittersweet. We have come so far, had so much fun, but I wish it could go on longer. But it is now time to get back down to business with graduate school applications and work. Trips cannot last forever.
I will blog one more time once we get to Seattle. After that I have to decide whether to keep up the blog during our stay, start a new one, or just discontinue. Talk to you next time!
(pix will be above)
In the morning we had some cheesey scrambled eggs and then set out to make it to Nehlam State Park in Oregon. We chose this park because of it’s location and in case it was full there were some more camping sites further north up the coastal highway. We were so excited to be able to see the ocean again. We started out our trip on the Atlantic and finally we were going to make it to the Pacific. We were psyched. We followed the Columbia River, which separates Washington from Oregon. The day before we had stopped at Cabella’s and spoke with a guy named “Lee” who actually grew up at the mouth of the Columbia river. It was also warm again, temperatures were actually in the 70’s! Lela was enjoying it wearing her red tank-top in the van. I was manning the iPod/radio. Orange napped almost the whole way.
Once we arrived at the park, we paid for our site and made camp for the night. This state park was the most equiped of any park we had stayed at during our entire trip. Every site had electricity and water. We made sure to use the recently purchased heater from Walmart. We walked along the beach feeling that we had actually accomplished something. It was a great feeling to know that God had given us such a great opportunity and agreed to let us do. We were so thankful. Thankful that the van had made it, thankful that we were healthy, thankful that Orange was healthy, thankful that someone had been looking out for us the whole time. We picked up rocks along the beach, marveled at the nearby cliffs, and stepped over the huge pieces of driftwood. We were in our element. This was where we wanted to be.
I slept a long time that night, longer than I had wanted, but this what I had needed. After breakfast we took a 2 mile bike ride along the park. We found the park’s airstrip, met up with a deer along the trail, went to the site where people can bring their horses, and took some pictures near the water. We came back and took a long nap in the tent. For some reason a tent is so comfortable during the daytime. Please try it soon if you get a chance. After we woke we went to the local store and picked up some fish, corn, zucchini, and dessert for dinner. I am writing this with a full stomach while listening to some tunes, seated next to the campfire. The hair on my shins feels like it’s burning.
Tomorrow we will arrive at our destination of Seattle. It will be bittersweet. We have come so far, had so much fun, but I wish it could go on longer. But it is now time to get back down to business with graduate school applications and work. Trips cannot last forever.
I will blog one more time once we get to Seattle. After that I have to decide whether to keep up the blog during our stay, start a new one, or just discontinue. Talk to you next time!
(pix will be above)
6.11.2008
addendum....
Since the weather is so bad now (rain, snow, sleet, freezing) Lela convinced me to stay in a motel last night. I agreed only because of the cheap price, free internet and cable t.v.. I have to say that I do long to be "in touch" with the world again. It pains me not to be up on all the latest and greatest news, especially political news. We are going to leave the "Ponderosa Lodge" today, however I am not sure where we are going. Glacier NP would have been next on our list but since the weather is so bad I am not sure if we could enjoy it. Maybe we will start heading west to get out of this funky weather. Tune in next time to see where we went!
Day 14-16: Grand Teton, Yellow Stone and Moussula, MT
our drive to Grand Teton was a little shaky once we got to Wy (just after posting the last blog): our "trusty sidekick" van started chugging everytime it slowed, and at that point we were on an interstate hwy. it all turned out to be a fuel octane choice - 85 preferred around these parts. after confirming that with locals and consulting with dad, we continued on this gorgeous drive up to Grand Teton. we passed through the cutest town called Jackson Hole: it had cafes, art galleries, small boutiques... just so quaint. my favorite little town so far. 
we got
to grand teton after dark, so we
quickly set up camp, ate dinner and turned in for the night as we were forewarned about the weather (thanks mom!). it dropped to low 40s in the van, and orange was soo cold she slept under the covers between us!!
in the morning, we drove through park, saw a family of bison, and enjoyed the green scenery. unfor
tunately we could only see the bottom half of the cluster of mountains to which grand teton belongs to as it was sooo cloudy. but not to worry: we took a pic of the informational plaque!!!
After a short hour ride, we got to Yellowstone NP. we actually met people from Easton Shore, Md!! it truly is incredible. there was snow everywhere, and just driving through the park to our chosen campsite was worth the drive. there are so many turnouts on the road for taking pix of the animals, trees, and nature, waterfalls, geysers, hotsprings.... we saw soo many people fly-fishing. just beautif
ul. it was about a 45 mile drive from the entrance to our campsite. well, the only damper (for me) was the weather: it was freezing. people were wearing their winter gear (gloves, hats, puff jackets)...but that didn't deter us from going to see Old Faithful, or pull over to see some of the sites (the hotsprings and geysers a
re my fav).
our campsite was freezing and snow covered: JP
couldn't even build a fire as they didn't get to clear out the fire pit. so we went to the campsite's restaurant for dinner and to warm up, and went to sleep in the van. it was under 30 degrees in the van and we had ice rain throughout the night and into the morning. the locals call it the "june surprise," but they did say this weather was a bit extreme.
in the morning, while orangey stayed curled up under her blanket, we got a hot shower (for a small fee), had breakfast at a 50's diner just across the campsite, and off we went to our next destination: Glacier NP in Mt.
6.08.2008
Day 11 - 13: Co. Springs, Garden of the Gods, Dinosaur Nat. Park
We arrived safely to Colorado Springs and we stayed with our friends "The Plankeel's". They live right in the mountains! It was so nice spending time with them and their twin daughters (one of them is named Lela!). We feel blessed to have such great friends. Lela did our laundry for us, we stocked up at the grocery store, and relaxed. Jeff and I went on this awesome mountain bike ride for an hour our last night there. It was incredible biking up the mountains. We also went to "Garden of the God's" while we were there (thanks AKinKS). This place is awesome. The land was purchased for about $10,000.00 in the early 1900's by a business man. He and his family gifted the land to the city of Co. Springs and required that it must remain a free park.
We left the Plankeel's and started making our way to Dinosaur National Monument. This is a federally protected area in the north west corner of Colorado and also shared by Utah. The trip there was very interesting. We actually had to pull over a few times because the van struggled to make it up the very steep hills of the Rocky Mountains. We had to blast the heat and roll down the windows so that the van would not overheat. Lela did a great job driving during this very stressful terrain. Going down the hills was a problem too because you have to make sure that your brakes don't overheat as well. Even with all the minor problems, the drive was completely incredible. We went up and down, up and down, c
onstantly. Other cars were flying by us, but we are use to this now and don't pay it any mind.
We went through a few really cool places. We went throu
gh Routte National Forest and it felt and looked like we time warped back to Februa
ry. There was snow all over the ground and it was freezing. Using the heat now was actually needed to keep us warm, rather than using it to cool down the van. We stopped through this really nice town called Steamboat where the skiing is apparently "killer" (per the locals). We quickly fueled up at Sinclair and ate at Quizno's. Along the way to the park we saw countless mountain and road bikers along with some people white water rafting.
We had to take a dirt road to get to the National Park. It was really cool and fun (and bumpy). The road was a little wet. It was the first time I longed for my Jeep instead of the Vanagon. Upon arriving at the camp we went for a shor
t hike to the "Gates of Ladore" which is this big break in the mountains where Green River runs through. It was beautiful. We then made friends with some great guys from Steamboat, CO named Caleb and Greg. We talked about city life vs. rural life, desk jobs vs. field work, giving blood, and so much more. We found the Little and Big Dipper and remarked over the stars. I actually saw a shooting star as well. They were also nice enough to let me eat one of their cherished "Hebrew National" hotdogs (thanks guys, it was good). It dropped down to 43 degrees so we layered up to sleep. Long underwear was required.
This morning we had pancakes and set out around 11am (late start). We traveled on dirt roads for about 40 miles before making it to pavement again. Although it was bumpy, we wouldn't have had it any other way. We went through some of the most picturesque scenery that you could ever lay your eyes on. We drove through this huge canyon called "Irish Canyon". We are now stopped at the McDonald's in Wyoming and have a few more hours left before we make it to Grand Teton National Park.
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