Are we in Iceland Again?

The comparisons with our trip to Iceland are not many, but I think they are funny.  The getting lost part I guess is not, but it fascinates me to see we have had some of the same experienes.

For example, last year in Iceland we were hiking around a waterfall.  I was wearing my new hikers, and when I stepped into one particularly wet spot, I sunk down, down, turning my new shoes red.  Eventually the red came off the shoes, and I have worn them for a year.

Yesterday, we went to the Hubbell Trading Post.  It had snowed and rained much of the day before so things were very wet.  The red clay of the reservation tends to make the clay very mushy, and when I stepped out of the car, guess what?

The red clay (which was much stickier than what was in Iceland) mushed up around my nice clean hikers . . . . and it did not clean nearly as easily!

The other thing I noticed that is the same is that last year we took a lot of pictures of rock formations.  They were mostly black volcanic formations, but formations nonetheless.  On this trip we have taken pictures of many volcanic and sandstone formations.  Both have been stunning.

I didn't think there would be that many similarities in trips . . . I hope the next comparison is not the broken-down car . . . 

Lost in Iceland . . . and Other Places

Last year in April, Don and I were in Iceland, and while there, Don purchased a Lost in Iceland hat.  It was rather appropriate, since we did not speak nor read the language.

This April we decided to take a trip with Bart and Jerri through a variety of National Parks and areas, beginning with Mesa Verde.  A monster snow storm caused us to change our plans, and we drove to Gallup to take in Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley.

Our trip from Gallup was uneventful, but as we neared Chinle, we began to look for Hubbell Trading Post.  According to the map it was south on a road out of Chinle, so we took it.  It didn't take very long for us to figure out we had gone the wrong way.  Unfortunately, turning two large RVs around on the Navajo reservation and a narrow two-lane road turned out to be more difficult than we had anticipated.  About 17 miles down the road we came to Klagetoh.  The road was plenty wide, but Don didn't want to turn around in it when there was a service station ahead.  It wasn't until after we pulled into the service station that he realized what we thought was an exit really wasn't.  So we had to unhook the Jeep to make the turn.

I drove the Jeep behind Don, and once we were back on the correct road we saw the sign to the trading post - not 100 yards from where we had turned!  Would have saved us a lot of time if we had seen the sign sooner!

My Brother, the Trucker

Today was the first day of my brother's grand adventure - learning to really drive my sister's fifth wheel. Nevermind that the day before he could not figure out how to open the door to get out.  Good thing Don was there to help out.

Once Bart got the RV packed and put together, we headed out.  Of course, our luck, Don could not get the Brake Buddy working, so he stopped on the road to fix it.  Bart stopped behind us, which blocked both the exit and entrance to the RV park.  Oops.  Don didn't realize it, but Jerri was certainly aware of the five RVs that were trying to leave or enter the park.

We managed to get through Bernalillo and onto I-40 so that we could stop at a truck stop for Bart to fill the truck with gas.  We pulled into a Love's full-service truck stop.  To Bart's defense, the signage was a little confusing BUT he managed to pull into the truck area rather than the passenger car area.

After waiting for a minute, he pulled into the lane to fill up.  It should have been obvious to him that his fifth-wheel was a little small in comparison to the other rigs, but by that time, he could not back up, so he just went for it.

He tried to pay, and that was when he realized he had a problem.   He couldn't pay because he didn't have a fuel card.  So he traipsed across several lanes of truckers to go inside and pay.  A trucker stopped him sometime during this process, apologizing for cutting Bart off, and then mentioning that he was in the wrong place to fill.  He was reminded again when he went in to pay.  But eventually he was able to fill the truck, and off we went again!

The rain and snow made driving a little interesting, but luckily, the snow was melting as quickly as it was falling.

We made arrangements to go to the visitor center at El Malpais where we would eat and then go through the center.  Several RVs were parked there, and Don, wanting to leave Bart plenty of room to park, pulled into one spot, leaving the entire end of the parking lot open for Bart.  So what did he do?  He squeezed between us and another RV, then stressed about getting out.  Luckily, the RV to his left pulled away, and he was home free.  But he certainly could have made it easier on himself by parking at the end of the parking lot.

The remainder of the day was rather uneventful, and by evening, he was much more comfortable driving.  I am sure we will have plenty of other interesting occurrences, but I am hoping not many, or Jerri may not survive the trip!

The Trip's Logistical Beginning

When we discovered the NFH convention would be in California at the end of April, we decided to take the RV again and visit some of the National Parks we have missed.  In addition, brother Bart wanted to drive a fifth-wheel, and we decided to try to work it out on this trip.

Logistics.  That is all it takes is good logistics.  So, the way it worked is that Katie, since she was going to a golf tournament at the same time, brought her fifth-wheel and truck to Bart.  She left it at an RV park, took Bart's truck to Arizona, and Bart and Jerri got along with one car for a few days.  We left Wichita Wednesday, stopped in Dodge over night to see Don's dad, and came into Albuquerque on Thursday.

We came to Bart's door on Thursday night, and he was befuddled as to why we were there.  "We are staying here," I said.  

"No," he said, "we are staying at the RV Campground." 

"I thought that was Friday night," i answered.  But I was wrong.  Having totally misunderstood that Bart and Jerri had wanted to test the RV and make sure we had everything - but on Thursday, not Friday -we turned around and went back to the Bernalillo RV park.

As I was driving the Jeep back, I noticed the air conditioner fan was not working.  Great.  I was not going to go to California without a working air conditioner - and heater.  So first thing Friday morning, we called the Jeep dealer, and gratefully they could get us in at 11:00.  Of course, that was after Bart could not get the door open in the morning, we found out we had to move our RV to a new place, take Jerri to get her car from Bart, take the dogs to Bart's and Jerri's house, drive back out to Winrock to pick up Betsy, and take both of us to the Frontier for lunch with our high school friends.  Believe it or not, Don made it to the dealership with minutes to spare.

Of course, then the dealership had to keep the car longer than expected, so Jerri had to come all the way out east to pick up Don, come to the Frontier to get me, go way north to pick up Bart, and get back home by 2:00.  Again, we made it with minutes to spare!

I am hoping the rest of the trip is not this chaotic . . . .

An Easter Story - sort of

I have a friend who shall remain unnamed.  He is a good person, kind and loving, caring and gentle.  A number of years ago his wife divorced him, and somehow in the process, she convinced his two children that they wanted nothing to do with him.  I cannot imagine what she said, but it worked, and for the past twelve years or so he has had no contact with his kids.

He remarried and made a good life for himself and his new wife.  But the specter of his kids was always there, and we wondered if he would ever see them, meet their spouses, and meet his grandchildren.

About a month ago, he received some difficult medical news that would require a very serious operation.  It was not something to be trifled with, and he and his wife aggressively pursued options, finally settling on surgery mid-March.  It was a stressful few weeks, but once it was settled, it was settled and he made peace with it.

One day, not long after the decision was made, he received a phone call.  I cannot imagine his reaction when he heard his child's voice on the end of the line.  A grandfather had passed away, and suddenly the kids realized they didn't want to remain estranged from their father.  Timing, of course, is everything, but my friend was able to tell them about his surgery.

Long story short, the kids brought their families to meet my friend, and then after the families left, the two kids remained to make sure their dad pulled through.  He did, the results of the surgery were very positive, and he is now recuperating.

The best part of the story is that he and his kids have reconnected, they have accepted his wife very well, and their family will have numerous opportunities to celebrate together.  We prayed long and hard for this to happen, but never in my wildest dreams did  I think it would, especially with the kind of timing they had.  God works in mysterious ways.  And one thing I know for sure - His hands were all over this one.  So very happy for my friends!

The Hungry Little Caleb-pillar

Hard to believe little Caleb has turned one.  The year has been a blur, but when we were invited to come to his birthday party, we were there.

One of the favorite stories Kenneth and Melinda read to Caleb is the Hungry Little Caterpillar, but they have changed it to Caleb-pillar."   So it was appropriate for the birthday to center on the Calebpillar theme.  Melinda did a delightful job of having fun Calebpillar accents around the house.  The kitchen window had a Calebpillar on it, complete with a picture (or more) for every month of his life.

The bannister for the stairs was the backdrop for balloons that looked like the Calebpillar.

She had signs around the house of various pages from the book and she had a darling synopsis of Caleb's accomplishments his first year of life.  He wore a Hungry Calebpillar shirt,

we ate a Calebpillar cake,

and our two salads even sported the motif.

Birthday hats,

a tunnel that looks like a caterpillar,

and lots of time with the family made for a fun, fun time with our little guy.

Caleb's Cabinet

One of Melinda's great ideas was to debut Caleb's Cabinet.  She cleaned out one cabinet in their family room, and every morning something different is in the cabinet.  One time it was a whisk; once it was a penguin given to Caleb by Diana.  It isn't a present, but it is something new for him to explore.  He has the idea now, and every morning, once he gets downstairs, he can't wait to see what awaits him.

Don had a fun idea last week, and this morning, this is what Caleb found in Caleb's Cabinet!

Fun for all!