Thoughts from Day 2

I learned a valuable piece of information today. Our gas-efficient truck works best on 87 octane gas. Here I was thinking 93 octane would get us better gas mileage - but then I was confronted with the fact that Suzi had read this section of the Ford manual. That will save us about $700 in gas over the course of the trip. For those who are interested, we are getting about 8.5 MPG. I have decided to set up a non-profit organization so our friend and family can donate money towards our gas fund and get a write-off. More details to follow!

Seeing the base jumpers flip off the bridge was certainly a highlight. I guess what amazed me most was the fact that these guys were headed off to jump just as we arrived. We were told we could see such a feat if we were "lucky", but somehow I think this was more than just luck. We have a tendency to chalk things up to coincidence or luck, but I think otherwise.

We had a wonderful time having church in our truck - otherwise known as mobile church. Suzi reminded us all that we can worship God anywhere/anytime. We sang songs, discussed God's word, and just had a blast. We learned that sometimes we like to act as though God does not know that we have messed up. We cover it up and pretend that all is OK. We are all going to biff, but we need to know that He is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-forgiving. I am reminded of 1 John 1:9 - one of the first verses I was encouraged to memorize.

Lastly, I made an observation that could be helpful to all of my friends from my leadership class. As we pulled into the trailer park in Snake River, the guy in front of me pulled to the left closest to the main office. There were two lanes headed into the park, so he took the left one. What did I do? I followed his path, thinking he knew what he was doing. I figured it was like ordering food at a drive-through. As the guy approached me, he kindly asked me to move to the left. He said, "We drive on the right here in Idaho." I was quick to blame the guy in front of me. As I moved over, some car passed by and the lady in the passenger seat looked at me, shook her head in disgust (as if to say, "Stupid rookie camper"), and went on by. Isn't it funny how we can jump to the conclusion that if the person in front does something, it is correct?

Snake River

In Winnemucca, we met up the Ellis family, friends I've had my whole life. It was great to spend some time with John, Phyllis, John, Robyn and Sydney, catching up and reminiscing. They recommended we stop at the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls and check out the Snake River. This is one of the few places in the U.S. it is legal to base-jump and maybe we would get to see someone jump.

This led to our next adventure. When we arrived, there were three base-jumpers just getting ready to jump. What a thrill it was to watch and live vicariously through them! We also got to see the remains of the ramp Evel Knievel used in his ill-fated attempt to jump the Snake River.

Winn-a-who?

Suzi said, "This is just how I dreamed our trip would be". That is so cool to hear and I couldn't agree more. Seeing the Corvette's come up from behind and I yell, "Check it out". The kids immediately bust out their journals. Then when we get to the rest stop, I pull into the big rig area. As we head to the restroom, the Corvettes appear like a mirage. The group was great, letting us sit in their cars and showing us the engines.

Then came the Nevada desert. I was reminded of that scene in Cars, where the truck goes on the nod. I almost got stuck/hit a gas island and then we nearly got stuck on a dead-end-road when we "trusted" our GPS (rather than the directions that were given to us). Want to see me get frustrated? Just place me in a tight spot with a 29 foot trailer and an F350! I need to trust in God more and me less.

We visited the Ellis family while we were here, went swimming, and then big Daddy crashed.

Praying for more of God in our lives and less of us!

First Adventure

The boys were very excited when we were passed by seven corvettes of various vintages. Later, when we pulled into a rest stop, who did we run into but the corvette club. They were very nice to us, letting us sit in their cars for photo ops and even posing for us. We will also be on their website "justforcorvettes.org".

We made it to Winnemucca!

We praise God for our safe arrival at our first stop with no problems!

Lift Off

We checked with NASA and all systems are go for our departure. Nancy, Lee, and Saquoia came over to see us off and more importantly - make a road trip to Jamba. We are taking a poll to see if anyone can guess what kind of mileage our F-350 is going to get. Good bye Woodland - Hello Winnamuka!

T-Minus 35 Hours

Hard to believe we leave so soon. The truck has been tuned up, the trailer has been checked, and we just got our eyes checked! Yes, Dad comes through with the best vision (20/15). As I think about what we are going to experience on this trip, I am reminded of Paul's words from Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

I am hopeful that we all come away experiencing God and that we have bunch of lifetime memories. I can still remember to this day driving across the US with my mom (twice). I learned a valuable lesson on one of those trips: Don't roll down the window and attempt to empty out the dog's water container while driving 65 MPH. It comes right back in the car!