Arizona

We drove and drove and made it into Arizona and all the way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon! What a spectacular site! The wind was blowing and it was very cold so we did not stay to do any hikes. We had to hit the road and see more of Arizona anyways. We traveled through the state of Arizona seeing cactus all over the countryside. I am talking about cactus like you see in the movies or cartoons = ) Unfortunately, we did not get any pictures of them. As we drove we saw an Arizona sunset, so many colors! Sandy was exhausted so she went to sleep. I put in a good CD, loaded up on coffee, and drove us into New Mexico. It was dark by then and all I could see of New Mexico was what felt like the biggest sky I have ever seen! The stars stretched from above to the horizon in every direction! I drove us to a Walmart where we slept = ) Yes folks back to sleeping in Walmart parking lots = ) We are driving right now to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Will write more later! So much love!!!!

Utah

Hello everyone! We found out that we have to be at Sandy’s mom’s sooner than we expected so Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico are all getting fit into one week! We have been doing some serious driving = ) We made it to Bryce Canyon at dark. We got a campsite and when we woke up we went to check out Bryce Canyon and then drove all the way to the Arches National Park. Utah is amazing! T he rock formations take your breath away. The only way I can describe Utah is “the area where God builds His sandcastles! There are these red stone formations just randomly placed all throughout the state, cut into different shapes, and some look like God just picked some red clay up in His enormous hands and threw it down to the earth! After we finished visiting these places we hit the road towards the Grand Canyon. On our way we drove through the Navajo Nation and stopped at an exit and slept in a parking lot. When we woke up it was below 30 degrees and the van would not start and we had no phone service = ) I asked a man to give me jump to see if it would help get the van started. As we hooked up the cables the wind began to blow and all of a sudden the wind was filled with snow and for a few minutes it felt as if we were in the middle of a blizzard! = ) The wind and snow stopped and the van started = ) Keep those prayers coming = ) Love and miss you all so very much! Namaste!

Long Time No Blog....

Hello everyone,
We have taken a bit of a break from the blog. Samantha and I were both sick as you read and we decided to take a break. We have been in California for a little while. We went to San Francisco and I finally got to see Sarah McLachlan in concert:)It was the 22nd Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert and it was amazing. Along with Sarah we saw Jack Johnson, Neil Young, Norah Jones, Death Cab for Cutie, Cat Power and Band of Horses. We then drove down Highway 1 again but due to wild fires most of the state parks for camping were closed so we did not stay in Big Sur. It is always so beautiful there though...breathtaking.
We decided to go into LA and stay for a few days!!!Venice Beach is always a blast and you will always see something new and exciting there!!Hollywood seemed pretty tame for this time of year; not as many street performers compared to past visits. I was excited to get a hotel for a couple of days and have the priveledge of stretching out in a bed and having 24 hour access to a hot shower:)It is weird the simple things we take for granted.
We then found camping in a state park on the beach for a few days. We pitched a tent but the weather was so nice that we took advantage of the opportunity and pulled the mattress out of the van and slept right on the ground under the stars to the sound of waves crushing on the beach.
We sat down yesterday and decided that we have resided in California for long enough and need to move on. The downside of all the beautiful scenery, glitz and glamour of California is always the cost and you can't just pull over in a parking lot and sleep!!!So we are off to the Grand Canyon and we will post more soon. We send all our love and now we have started our descent back East so I guess you could say that we are on our way home!!!Namaste.

Yosemite Part 2 - Sandy Goes to the Doctor

When we woke up Sandy was still feeling poorly and was still not able to eat very much, so we decided to go to the clinic there in Yosemite Valley. As we made a little breakfast at our campsite we saw several large deer with at least 6 points, and a large bird fly in and out of our camp. As it swooped by you could hear the sound of its wings in the wind! Never heard anything like it! At the clinic Sandy was seen by a very nice Nurse Practioner who prescribed some antibiotics that are already helping her to feel a little better. We then got into the van and headed towards Glacier Point. Sandy had read about a short hike that led to a beautiful view of half-dome and more. When we arrived there Sandy was feeling very weak, but she was determined and made it the entire way!!! It was an easy hike, but we take for granted how much our bodies do for us! Sandy was so glad she made the hike, because the view was spectacular! We then drove down towards Yosemite Village. Back near El Capitan we stopped to watch a large Coyote try and catch a couple of squirrels! We then took off on Hwy 140 towards Merced River and out of the park. This was a beautiful drive as well! All of the leaves changing, the river winding right next to the road…just so blessed to witness this beauty! We send our love to everyone back home and hope all is well!!! XOXO XOXO XOXO!!!! Namate!!!

Emily’s Baby Arrives, Yosemite, and the Bears!

So we when we woke up this morning (October 22) we received a phone call from our good friend Sarah telling us that our good friend Emily had just HAD HER BABY GIRL!!!! It’s hard not to be there in person with you all as you celebrate the introduction of this Beautiful Being into the world, but we hope you can feel us there in Spirit. You tell her that her crazy aunts will be home soon!!! We love you Emily and Rusty! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Sarah and Bryan…your time is coming = )
So we hit the road towards Tioga Pass (Hwy 120) into Yosemite. The drive towards Yosemite was beautiful and we had a feeling that it was only a preview of what was to come, and we were right. Yosemite is gorgeous!!!! We took our time, stopping to take photographs and to take in this place. At one point we stopped to watch two small black bears cross a creek and then the road. We stopped at places such as Lake Ellery which is located at an elevation over 9,000 ft. We put our feet in the water at Tenaya Lake, saw El Capitan, Half Dome in the distance, meadows, rivers…We were lucky and stopped near Yosemite Valley to check for a campsite. Some people make reservations a year in advance. We were able to get a site at the Upper Pines campground in Curry Village. We drove just a short bit into Yosemite Village store to buy some firewood and a fishing license. Turns out everything in that store is expensive = ) We bought some wood, but the fishing license was twice the cost of a campsite. So no fishing here. We then went to our campsite and put all items with any type of scent into the bear bins. I then decided to go for a quick run before the sun went down. When I was almost finished I was going to run part of the bike path to where our campground was, but I heard someone banging on pots and pans. I decided to run away from the banging and cut just ever so slightly off the path onto the road. I then saw a teenager with a backpack running down the path, and then I looked right behind him and there it was…A BLACK BEAR = ) Not sure how close I was to it, 20 ft I would say. I did not stay to chat. When the bear looked the other way I took off sprinting across the road, through a shut down campground, to our campground. All kinds of adrenaline was running through me.
When I returned I told Sandy about it, we made dinner, cleaned up our mess, and then sat by the fire for a while. However our site is on the edge of the woods, so we would frequently shine the flashlight out into the darkness to check and see if we had any friends coming to visit = ). It’s time to rest now, and we will get up and explore the park some more tomorrow. To ALL of our loved ones back home, and to all the new friends we have made along the way. We pray that you are healthy and at peace. We send our love and may you have beautiful dreams this evening! NAMASTE!

Eastside of Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake, Mammoth Lake - A Rest

So we had slept in a Walmart parking lot in Crescent City, Nevada. I should say we TRIED to sleep. Sandy just started feeling worse and worse. She thinks she developed a sinus infection, and her throat was just raw. She has not been able to eat much for the last couple of days. We were not sleeping, so around 5:30am I went in to the store to get her some different medicine, then I ate some breakfast and we decided since we couldn’t sleep we might as well get on the road. We drove down the east side of Lake Tahoe, past Mono Lake, the Sierra mountain range, and to Mammoth Lake where we got a cheap room so Sandy could really get some rest. I cleaned out the van really well and reorganized our things. Sandy rested as much as she could, but still was having trouble sleeping. The rest was much needed for both of us, and we appreciated not having to get out of the van into the cold to use the bathroom = ) and a shower of our very own!!!! Oh the things we take for granted! We always miss our loved ones and being home, but it’s at times when we are not feeling well that it is hardest! But we continuously feel love from all of you and that helps so much! Goodnight and have beautiful dreams!

Reno and Virgina City

Well we woke up in a wonderful Wal-mart parking lot again this morning. Sam cooked oatmeal for breakfast and we checked the oil in Lenny. And then I received a phone call from an old friend!!!I was super excited because I had not seen her in probably over five years and she now resides in Reno, NV. I had emailed her a couple of days ago and told her that we would be in the area so we got together for lunch and she was gracious enough to let us take showers at her house. It was an amazing shower and thanks for lunch Kelly!!!We played catch up and had a lot of good conversation. It was nice to just hang out and talk!!!Thanks again!!!!You always have been an extraordiary being....keep on keeping on; it's working for you!! After we left Kelly's house we drove through downtown Reno to check it out and then we decided to drive to Virgina City which is an old Ghost Town that Kelly had told us about. It was a delightful surprise!!!So much history in this town.We visited the cemetery, saloons and shops. It was an old mining town which is now an historial monument. We stopped in a shop called Virgina City Gallery where we met the owners Jim and Shelia. They were so helpful and great. They told us about the history of the town and they are opening a museum in the town as well. I bought a brass belt buckle from the store with my name on it!!:)Thanks Jim and Shelia!!These people are truly doing great things by keeping history alive!!!They have fascinating stories with the artifacts to go with it. It has been a great day and as we were driving into Carson City we watched the most amazing sunset...the clouds were breathetakingly bizarre. I think they are called venticular clouds. We are learning so much on this trip...something new everyday. Well that is all for now...we send our love to everyone and know that we miss you dearly. Keep in touch and take care. Namaste.