Well folks, the list of Ellen's ailments got worse yesterday evening. Don't worry, her head didn't explode or anything. But her cell phone disappeared and (gasp!) her computer went to crap. So, we no longer have a computer and calling her would be a waste of time. We're posting this from the lodge's free computers in Grand Tetons, but I wouldn't count on too many more updates on the blog or the photos. We'll do what we can, but this broken computer issue reallllllly stinks.
We're praying about it all and I hope you will, too.
On to Yellowstone this morning!
And hey, we know about 4 people read this thing, but I'm wondering who else is paying attention. If you've read the blog or looked at the photos, comment on this post and tell us so! It'd be cool to see who's following us. You don't have to have an account or anything - so its easy!
Thanks!!
Ellen and Hollz
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
mooses and otters and coyotes - oh my!
Well, after a little weeping over the remains of my computer, I resolved to think of it no more and try to enjoy the rest of my evening at Grand Tetons. Holly and I had planned to meet and drive to a spot we'd picked out to watch the sunset. See, the previous night we had been driving at dusk and glimpsed distant, snow-capped mountains. Believe me, such a thing has become so normal that it wouldn't have elicited a response except that at sunset the snow on the mountains glows pink. Pretty amazing. So we scouted all today to find the best, unobstructed view of the mountain possible: Oxbow Bend (a crazily bendy spot in the river). We were headed there when we came upon probably 15 cars pulled over on either side of the road. We've learned that clusters of cars means wildlife spotting and that the more cars, the cooler the wildlife. Well, for this early in the season, 15 cars means something big! "Moooose!" we cried hopefully, and hopped out of the car. Sure enough, it was a moose and may I just say that they are funny, ugly-faced things. It was a female, so we didn't score antlers, but we did get a photo of Holly in front of the moose that you can see on the photo site. As the moose's grazing took it out of sight, we moved on to Oxbow Bend to watch sunset. It was doubly stunning. Looking West there were glacier-carved peaks silhouetted by the yellow-orange sky of the setting sun. East was the pink snow-capped mountain, pink clouds, and the full moon. All of that is compounded by the fact that we saw it all reflected off the glassy-smooth river. Nice, huh? And as we stood down on the bank with no other humans around, a river otter popped out of the water not 5 feet from us and started friskily swimming and playing. We stood on the bank a distance from each other and watched the otters swim, sending ripples and wake trails through the reflection of the dusky sky. We were well satisfied with our evening and ready to go back to camp when one of the last visitors in the little parking area nearby exclaimed to a man "behind you!" It was a coyote - which we'd seen twice already today - but this one was just a few feet behind the guy. We walked quietly over and as the coyote moved around the perimeter of the lot, it passed just a few feet from Ellen, making eye contact the whole time. Very cool. We laughed at all the great timing, thanked God for another good day and went back to the tent.
I'm not sure why all these ailments, physical and now material, are happening to me (Ellen), but we made a point to pray over it together tonight. And the most pressing need in my heart was to confirm out loud that my joy is not in my computer or in my legs, but in my God. That might sound silly, but its something I struggle with. I have such a need to communicate what we're seeing and doing to people back home and to save the experience on film for later. But that leads me away from living in the moment and savoring some of these experiences with God alone without thinking of everyone I'll share the story with and show the photos to. Similarly, I can get so stuck on achieving - hiking further, faster, running, jumping - all in pursuit of having an adventure, seeing stuff no one else sees. Its not a bad thing, but when I start believing that my own abilities is what makes the magic of the trip happen, then I'm leaving out my most important companion and the source of it all. So its a good thing that I'm struggling to walk and can't share anything with my friends back home. It definitely smarts when He does things like this, but I'd rather lose everything else than to lose sight of God.
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
I'm not sure why all these ailments, physical and now material, are happening to me (Ellen), but we made a point to pray over it together tonight. And the most pressing need in my heart was to confirm out loud that my joy is not in my computer or in my legs, but in my God. That might sound silly, but its something I struggle with. I have such a need to communicate what we're seeing and doing to people back home and to save the experience on film for later. But that leads me away from living in the moment and savoring some of these experiences with God alone without thinking of everyone I'll share the story with and show the photos to. Similarly, I can get so stuck on achieving - hiking further, faster, running, jumping - all in pursuit of having an adventure, seeing stuff no one else sees. Its not a bad thing, but when I start believing that my own abilities is what makes the magic of the trip happen, then I'm leaving out my most important companion and the source of it all. So its a good thing that I'm struggling to walk and can't share anything with my friends back home. It definitely smarts when He does things like this, but I'd rather lose everything else than to lose sight of God.
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
what's a teton, anyway?
Well I must applaud the National Park system for its technological advances in the more popular parks. Not only do we have cell phone reception here at Grand Teton NP, but free internet in this fancy-shmancy lodge (the lodge also boasts a lobby with a killer view of the Tetons from 3-story windows).
Holly's out enjoying the sunshine while I get some quality time with my computer and continue to nurse my body back to feeling good. If the bloodied toe incident on the 2nd day of the trip had been an indicator of our injury pattern, I would expect Holly to be in the hospital by now. Instead, I've been hobbling around on a bum left leg (something's wrong with the tendons along the outside of my knee), cracks in both heels, cut-up ankles, burned fingers, and (a new addition to the list) an unexplained but acute pain in my shoulder. What the crap. Anyways, I'm trying to make sure I can enjoy the hiking in our last two parks by letting my leg rest for the afternoon.
It might be sunny now, but yesterday we drove through fairly thick snow to enter the park. We pulled off to ooh and ahh at the Teton Range jutting out of otherwise-flat Wyoming and laughed as the snow flakes swirled around us. I love snow, but I suppose you know that if you've been reading the last few posts =] We got settled in our campsite and spent an hour wandering around the nearby gift shop and grocery. Something about shopping makes me feel like I'm at home, you know? I mean, we haven't seen a TV 2 weeks- no news, no church, nothing of our normal lives and schedules. So browsing the post cards and cheese selection made me feel pretty nice. We're here before their busy season starts which means its still pretty cold (25 last night) and that the park has been so laid back. We laugh when we see signs warning about congested areas. And when you spot some wildlife or a good photo while driving, there's no one around to mind you stopping. There's not much else to tell that the photos won't. I mean, the Tetons are daggum impressive, the wildlife is abundant, and rushing water is best enjoyed from a fallen tree.
As for tonight, we have big plans to attempt making pizza on our campfire and then finding just the right spot to enjoy sunset.
It is Wednesday again which means stats.
State lines crossed : 19
States we've been in : 12
National Parks visited: 8
Miles driven: 5401
Driving Time: over 85 hours
Gas stops: 23
Gas $$: $537.65
Pounds of Strawberries eaten by Ellen: 4
Able-to-kill-you Animal sightings: 6
Books of the Bible listened to: 19 (we're in Proverbs)
Number of showers taken: 7 (between the two of us =D )
That's all for now. We leave bright and early tomorrow to drive the 20-something miles North into Yellowstone NP. It looks like we're going to spend 2 full days there, 1 day driving to Montana, and then 3 full days at Glacier NP. OH! And we're planning on catching a rodeo on Friday night in Cody, Wyoming! Yeeeee-haw!
Holly's out enjoying the sunshine while I get some quality time with my computer and continue to nurse my body back to feeling good. If the bloodied toe incident on the 2nd day of the trip had been an indicator of our injury pattern, I would expect Holly to be in the hospital by now. Instead, I've been hobbling around on a bum left leg (something's wrong with the tendons along the outside of my knee), cracks in both heels, cut-up ankles, burned fingers, and (a new addition to the list) an unexplained but acute pain in my shoulder. What the crap. Anyways, I'm trying to make sure I can enjoy the hiking in our last two parks by letting my leg rest for the afternoon.
It might be sunny now, but yesterday we drove through fairly thick snow to enter the park. We pulled off to ooh and ahh at the Teton Range jutting out of otherwise-flat Wyoming and laughed as the snow flakes swirled around us. I love snow, but I suppose you know that if you've been reading the last few posts =] We got settled in our campsite and spent an hour wandering around the nearby gift shop and grocery. Something about shopping makes me feel like I'm at home, you know? I mean, we haven't seen a TV 2 weeks- no news, no church, nothing of our normal lives and schedules. So browsing the post cards and cheese selection made me feel pretty nice. We're here before their busy season starts which means its still pretty cold (25 last night) and that the park has been so laid back. We laugh when we see signs warning about congested areas. And when you spot some wildlife or a good photo while driving, there's no one around to mind you stopping. There's not much else to tell that the photos won't. I mean, the Tetons are daggum impressive, the wildlife is abundant, and rushing water is best enjoyed from a fallen tree.
As for tonight, we have big plans to attempt making pizza on our campfire and then finding just the right spot to enjoy sunset.
It is Wednesday again which means stats.
State lines crossed : 19
States we've been in : 12
National Parks visited: 8
Miles driven: 5401
Driving Time: over 85 hours
Gas stops: 23
Gas $$: $537.65
Pounds of Strawberries eaten by Ellen: 4
Able-to-kill-you Animal sightings: 6
Books of the Bible listened to: 19 (we're in Proverbs)
Number of showers taken: 7 (between the two of us =D )
That's all for now. We leave bright and early tomorrow to drive the 20-something miles North into Yellowstone NP. It looks like we're going to spend 2 full days there, 1 day driving to Montana, and then 3 full days at Glacier NP. OH! And we're planning on catching a rodeo on Friday night in Cody, Wyoming! Yeeeee-haw!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
and then there were 3
We've left Rocky Mountain NP and Colorado and are now en route to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier. We're pumped about these last three. After that we head Eastward, take a break in Chicago, and then crash Holly's cousin's wedding in DC. Its still a while until we get home, but our to-do list is waning. We'll continue updating the blog and the photos as best we can but, as usual, we don't know when we'll get internet access.
See you guys soon enough!
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen/
See you guys soon enough!
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen/
Monday, May 28, 2007
I've said it before, and I'll say it again...
I almost died today.
by Ellen
Holly and I split up today to explore Rocky Mountain NP. Holly hiked to Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, read, napped, and wondered how to go about reporting a missing Ellen.
I decided to take full advantage of the 5-6 hours before sunset by tackling an 8.5 mile route along Fern Lake Trail. Stupid idea to start a long hike so late? Kinda. But away I went with a map, the GPS unit, and a plastic bag to protect my camera in case of rain. I was making great time at first and got some nice shots of the waterfalls along the way. My intended route would take me along two mountain-framed lakes and 3 waterfalls. Well I was 3 waterfalls in when I got high enough to have snow all around the path. I love snow, so I gladly went on despite being a bit chilly. The snow around the trail increased as my altitude increased until the trail was completely obscured by 4+ feet of the stuff just before Fern Lake. I couldn't help but laugh at all the snow because I had completely neglected to realize that gaining over 1,700 feet of altitude was bound to create a climate change. It was really cold and it should be noted that I was wearing tennis shoes, a t-shirt, and capris. No jacket, no nuthin'. And then it started to rain. My words from earlier came back to me "I just need a plastic bag in case it rains. I'm not worried about me, just my camera." Well, I put the camera in the plastic bag, tied a bandana around my head to lieu of a ski cap, and kept hiking. At this point, there are very few human tracks and the trail is nowhere to be seen. I'm following a combination of human and animal tracks and hoping that they follow the trail. The snow is so deep. I'm actually walking above the trees and every once in a while the trees below me poke through, providing something to grab onto. You'd think that I would have turned back the first time I fell hip-deep into the snow. Or the second. Or the third... But I was enjoying it so much. My fingers burned for a while before they went numb. My ankles were bright pink and I later found out they had been bleeding for a while. My feet were soaked and my shoes filled with snow. I tried my best to walk gingerly along the top of the snow, but I fell through and struggled out every 10 steps or so. At this point you might be wondering why in the world I kept hiking. I was aware of the dangers in continuing. I was pumping my arms and scarfing raisins to try to keep my body temperature up. I was aware that my progress was much slower than usual because of the difficulty of the snow which meant exiting the trail before dark was less likely. I knew that each time I fell through, my legs plummeted past branches, rocks, streams, etc. hidden beneath the snow and that since I didn't see another hiker for a couple of hours, an injury could mean getting stranded in the cold. Plus the slope of the snow was so great in places that even slipping on top of the snow could send me tumbing down 10's of feet into trees and rocks. But, I'll repeat, I was having SO much fun.
Let me try to explain. I've been thinking that this trip had less adventure and nearly-dying moments than I'd prefer and hoping to have a few things go wrong to correct that. Also, I know that I put too much of my security into how fat my checking account is instead of in God. He's been working on that of late and during the trip and just yesterday while we were listening to Job I was reminded of that struggle. A third factor to consider: I was praying so much on the drive to Colorado. I was asking for something over and over again but I didn't know what. I just kept thinking "Please, God, please..." and I knew I wanted something from deep within me and I had hopes of it happening at Rocky Mountian. I know that sounds fishy, but it was fishy to me too until this hike. So if you take God out of the equation, I would have never continued hiking. It was far too dangerous, I was far too underdressed, and I was all alone with no hope of another hiker to help me were something to go wrong. But as soon as things got dangerous, I realized how all of these factors were coming together. The thing with no name that I'd begged for, the way to get me to rely on God and put hope in nothing else, and my desire for adventure were all being answered. I could feel God with me and I wasn't so alone after all. I prayed for wisdom and sensitivity to His leading to know when to turn back or where to put my next step, and I continued feeling as safe as if I were laying in my hammock at home. At one point I was rather exposed and booming thunder rolled directly overhead. In my surprise I got scared, but then remembered how much bigger God is than the thunder He controls and marched happily on. There must have been 4 or 5 times when I stopped, peered down the increasingly difficult trail, and nearly turned back. But I felt such a drive to get to Odessa Lake, to "finish the race" just like at Cassidy Arch just 2 days ago. I would hate to turn back when my goal was just a bit further. I finally reach the sign "Odessa Lake ->" and think I have made it until I realize the side trail to get to the lake is quite long and runs along and across a partially-frozen stream. Were it February, the stream wouldn't faze me. But in late May the ice is caving and any step could send me into fast-moving, freezing water and underneath the ice downstream. I felt the danger for sure. Thought how I didn't want to inconvenience the rangers by forcing a search party out into the cold. But I knew the stream meant that the lake was close and teetered along the super-sloped snow as far from the center of the stream as I could with hopes of not walking over the rushing water unknowingly. I made it across the semi-exposed log-for-a-bridge and felt I was moments from seeing the lake when I encountered a giant felled tree along my only possible path to continue. With the branches still intact, traveling along the trunk would be nearly impossible, but the only other options were walking on the river or turning back. I actually chose to turn back at this point. But found myself walking towards the tree, then snaking and scraping my way through the branches until I emerged, rounded a corner and saw the smooth water of Odessa Lake stretching out before me. Framed by the craggy summits of Tourmaline Gorge, the lake made for a beautiful sight and I sighed in relief and joy at having made it. And then, believe it or not, the rain stopped. The sun came out. And I was basking in warmth from the light and the love of God. Beautiful. Perfect. He orchestrates the universe and He orchestrates these moments. Its a personal moment and a scary story to write online for all to see, but I want to be honest with you guys about my experience. I stood there for a while and, knowing that my destination had been reached (the only other sight I hoped for on this trail was Bear Lake which you can drive right up to), I decided to turn back down the path I'd traveled once before instead of heading higher into the mountains. Now completely assured that this hike was fully planned even though I hadn't anticipated any of it, I ran, leapt, and skied back down the mountain. I got in all the snow fun I'd missed this winter in Atlanta and even made up a new sport - tennis shoe sledding. I was worn out, cold, and numb for sure. But God was with me and it was great.
Holly was expecting me to join her in the parking lot at Bear Lake, and there would normally be no way to get there from my trailhead except that it was Memorial Day and so the shuttle bus was running. I ran Ninja Billy Goat style down the rocky trail ( I was making 10 minute miles at one point) in hopes of catching the bus and in enjoyment of the freedom of flying downhill, picking foot placement too rapidly to think. Long story short (I know, its soooo long already) I made it to the bottom, the last bus of the day came literally moments later, and I ended up catching a ride with a nice lady from the transfer station to Bear Lake where Holly was fretting about me. I was daggum cold for a long while, but I took a vitamin, got warm, and basked in memories of the day and all my other close encounters from trips past. I love feeling this alive.
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen/
by Ellen
Holly and I split up today to explore Rocky Mountain NP. Holly hiked to Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, read, napped, and wondered how to go about reporting a missing Ellen.
I decided to take full advantage of the 5-6 hours before sunset by tackling an 8.5 mile route along Fern Lake Trail. Stupid idea to start a long hike so late? Kinda. But away I went with a map, the GPS unit, and a plastic bag to protect my camera in case of rain. I was making great time at first and got some nice shots of the waterfalls along the way. My intended route would take me along two mountain-framed lakes and 3 waterfalls. Well I was 3 waterfalls in when I got high enough to have snow all around the path. I love snow, so I gladly went on despite being a bit chilly. The snow around the trail increased as my altitude increased until the trail was completely obscured by 4+ feet of the stuff just before Fern Lake. I couldn't help but laugh at all the snow because I had completely neglected to realize that gaining over 1,700 feet of altitude was bound to create a climate change. It was really cold and it should be noted that I was wearing tennis shoes, a t-shirt, and capris. No jacket, no nuthin'. And then it started to rain. My words from earlier came back to me "I just need a plastic bag in case it rains. I'm not worried about me, just my camera." Well, I put the camera in the plastic bag, tied a bandana around my head to lieu of a ski cap, and kept hiking. At this point, there are very few human tracks and the trail is nowhere to be seen. I'm following a combination of human and animal tracks and hoping that they follow the trail. The snow is so deep. I'm actually walking above the trees and every once in a while the trees below me poke through, providing something to grab onto. You'd think that I would have turned back the first time I fell hip-deep into the snow. Or the second. Or the third... But I was enjoying it so much. My fingers burned for a while before they went numb. My ankles were bright pink and I later found out they had been bleeding for a while. My feet were soaked and my shoes filled with snow. I tried my best to walk gingerly along the top of the snow, but I fell through and struggled out every 10 steps or so. At this point you might be wondering why in the world I kept hiking. I was aware of the dangers in continuing. I was pumping my arms and scarfing raisins to try to keep my body temperature up. I was aware that my progress was much slower than usual because of the difficulty of the snow which meant exiting the trail before dark was less likely. I knew that each time I fell through, my legs plummeted past branches, rocks, streams, etc. hidden beneath the snow and that since I didn't see another hiker for a couple of hours, an injury could mean getting stranded in the cold. Plus the slope of the snow was so great in places that even slipping on top of the snow could send me tumbing down 10's of feet into trees and rocks. But, I'll repeat, I was having SO much fun.
Let me try to explain. I've been thinking that this trip had less adventure and nearly-dying moments than I'd prefer and hoping to have a few things go wrong to correct that. Also, I know that I put too much of my security into how fat my checking account is instead of in God. He's been working on that of late and during the trip and just yesterday while we were listening to Job I was reminded of that struggle. A third factor to consider: I was praying so much on the drive to Colorado. I was asking for something over and over again but I didn't know what. I just kept thinking "Please, God, please..." and I knew I wanted something from deep within me and I had hopes of it happening at Rocky Mountian. I know that sounds fishy, but it was fishy to me too until this hike. So if you take God out of the equation, I would have never continued hiking. It was far too dangerous, I was far too underdressed, and I was all alone with no hope of another hiker to help me were something to go wrong. But as soon as things got dangerous, I realized how all of these factors were coming together. The thing with no name that I'd begged for, the way to get me to rely on God and put hope in nothing else, and my desire for adventure were all being answered. I could feel God with me and I wasn't so alone after all. I prayed for wisdom and sensitivity to His leading to know when to turn back or where to put my next step, and I continued feeling as safe as if I were laying in my hammock at home. At one point I was rather exposed and booming thunder rolled directly overhead. In my surprise I got scared, but then remembered how much bigger God is than the thunder He controls and marched happily on. There must have been 4 or 5 times when I stopped, peered down the increasingly difficult trail, and nearly turned back. But I felt such a drive to get to Odessa Lake, to "finish the race" just like at Cassidy Arch just 2 days ago. I would hate to turn back when my goal was just a bit further. I finally reach the sign "Odessa Lake ->" and think I have made it until I realize the side trail to get to the lake is quite long and runs along and across a partially-frozen stream. Were it February, the stream wouldn't faze me. But in late May the ice is caving and any step could send me into fast-moving, freezing water and underneath the ice downstream. I felt the danger for sure. Thought how I didn't want to inconvenience the rangers by forcing a search party out into the cold. But I knew the stream meant that the lake was close and teetered along the super-sloped snow as far from the center of the stream as I could with hopes of not walking over the rushing water unknowingly. I made it across the semi-exposed log-for-a-bridge and felt I was moments from seeing the lake when I encountered a giant felled tree along my only possible path to continue. With the branches still intact, traveling along the trunk would be nearly impossible, but the only other options were walking on the river or turning back. I actually chose to turn back at this point. But found myself walking towards the tree, then snaking and scraping my way through the branches until I emerged, rounded a corner and saw the smooth water of Odessa Lake stretching out before me. Framed by the craggy summits of Tourmaline Gorge, the lake made for a beautiful sight and I sighed in relief and joy at having made it. And then, believe it or not, the rain stopped. The sun came out. And I was basking in warmth from the light and the love of God. Beautiful. Perfect. He orchestrates the universe and He orchestrates these moments. Its a personal moment and a scary story to write online for all to see, but I want to be honest with you guys about my experience. I stood there for a while and, knowing that my destination had been reached (the only other sight I hoped for on this trail was Bear Lake which you can drive right up to), I decided to turn back down the path I'd traveled once before instead of heading higher into the mountains. Now completely assured that this hike was fully planned even though I hadn't anticipated any of it, I ran, leapt, and skied back down the mountain. I got in all the snow fun I'd missed this winter in Atlanta and even made up a new sport - tennis shoe sledding. I was worn out, cold, and numb for sure. But God was with me and it was great.
Holly was expecting me to join her in the parking lot at Bear Lake, and there would normally be no way to get there from my trailhead except that it was Memorial Day and so the shuttle bus was running. I ran Ninja Billy Goat style down the rocky trail ( I was making 10 minute miles at one point) in hopes of catching the bus and in enjoyment of the freedom of flying downhill, picking foot placement too rapidly to think. Long story short (I know, its soooo long already) I made it to the bottom, the last bus of the day came literally moments later, and I ended up catching a ride with a nice lady from the transfer station to Bear Lake where Holly was fretting about me. I was daggum cold for a long while, but I took a vitamin, got warm, and basked in memories of the day and all my other close encounters from trips past. I love feeling this alive.
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen/
who's planning this thing, anyways?!?
Our day in Rocky Mountain NP began by traversing the Trail Ridge Road - its a particularly scenic mountain drive which crosses the Continetal Divide and is the world's highest continuous paved highway topping out at 12,183 feet. Now we get to the part of this story that is the reason for this post's title. I don't know how aware you readers are of this, but we've done very little planning for this trip. I mean, we picked some destinations, stuck them in the calendar, and managed to talk to Hillary (our first night's host) the day before we left. That was about it. We've managed to catch camping sites or backcountry passes ever since then and even more amazingly we've added two more National Parks than we intended to visit (Zion and Death Valley) despite having a gruelingly packed schedule. It became obvious a while ago that even though we're not planning the trip too thoroughly, Someone else is way ahead of us. Well, today we were driving to the park when we realized that 1: the Trail Ridge Road is the only way into the park from anywhere near where we were and 2: according to our travel book "Plowing the road for its Memorial Day weekend opening can be a two-month project. A particularly interesting time to drive the road is shortly after it opens - the snowbanks can easily reach 20 ft hight." Yeah, and what day was it? Memorial Day. So had we arrived just a few days earlier, the road would have been closed, blocking entry to the park. But not only did we just manage to make it in, but we caught the route at the most interesting time possible! Thanks, God - you're pretty good at this planning stuff.
The road itself was nice. We were above the treeline for a long while in Alpine Tundra (think Siberia) and got out to hike around some. (Ellen: I was in my chaco sandles and despite the pain in my toesies, this Georgia girl thoroughly enjoyed the snow!!!)
We contiued on to the East side of the park, secured one of the best campsites from a nice Virginia boy, and got established. I'll write another post about our afternoon excursions. Things got crazy and its bound to be a long post. ;)
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
The road itself was nice. We were above the treeline for a long while in Alpine Tundra (think Siberia) and got out to hike around some. (Ellen: I was in my chaco sandles and despite the pain in my toesies, this Georgia girl thoroughly enjoyed the snow!!!)
We contiued on to the East side of the park, secured one of the best campsites from a nice Virginia boy, and got established. I'll write another post about our afternoon excursions. Things got crazy and its bound to be a long post. ;)
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
a thousand words
OK, because we've had some confusion, let me explain how the photo website is working. Each National Park or group of destinations gets its own album. But we also spend a lot of time between destinations. Photos taken along the way are continually added to the album called "On the road again" - so it will have new photos each time we update. The other album which we keep adding to is called "We got gas" and is where we put our attempts to photograph each gas stop we make.
So keep checking those two albums! Hope that helps.
We're also going to start posting the link to the photos at the bottom of each post to make it easier on you kind folks who care enough to look =]
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
So keep checking those two albums! Hope that helps.
We're also going to start posting the link to the photos at the bottom of each post to make it easier on you kind folks who care enough to look =]
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
look mom, I'm eating!!
Cell phone reception has been sparce over the past week, but Holly and I both managed to talk to our moms from Moab, UT. And they both had a similar request: Eat more! Well, being the obedient children that we are, we hit the grocery store to stock up for hobo packets in the campfire. Apparently my body (Ellen) is lacking vitamin C because I bought lime marinade, key lime soda, a big thing of OJ to drink in the car, and 4lbs of strawberries (for $5 - what a deal!). We drove on to Colorado that afternoon after exploring quaint Moab and our first introduction to Rocky Mountain National Park were a group of elk grazing just feet from the road. I think I'm going to like this place.
We ate well last night - hobo packs is meat, veggies, water, and seasoning wrapped up in tin foil and thrown into the fire to cook. Ours were daggum tastey, but our cooking was not without incident. Ellen managed to try to pick up a rock that seemed too far from the fire to necessitate caution. Wrong. Her fingers are blistered and unhappy =[ We have been carrying marshmallows, peanut butter-filled chocolate, and graham crackers ever since day 1 of this trip and we finally had the campfire to make s'mores. Well, the desert was unkind to our marshmallows, so selecting one from the bag was more like pulling a slicky glob from the mass marshmallow (singular) of consilidated, melted-together mallow. Sticky but tastey.
We camped last night at the Winding River Resort - a collection of cabins, RV site, and lowly tent sites. Its by far the most expensive campsite we've had, but the showers were hot and the sign announcing "Cowboy Church" gave us a hint at why. The morning revealed why people pay so much to stay here. People can ride the trails of the park on horseback from this place (bring your own or borrow theirs). We were heading out when we decided to obey our parents once again and join a small group for pancake breakfast by the wagons and horse coral. Mmmmmm - plate-sized pancakes with any fixins you want and a whole lot of cowboys preparing the food. The kettles hung over a fire made the coffee more tempting. The mountains in the distance, petting the horses noses, and cowboy spiritual music sold me on the place and I'm keeping their address in case I'm ever in Colorado again.
We're heading into the park now to find a hopefully-vacant campsite and get some hiking done!
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
We ate well last night - hobo packs is meat, veggies, water, and seasoning wrapped up in tin foil and thrown into the fire to cook. Ours were daggum tastey, but our cooking was not without incident. Ellen managed to try to pick up a rock that seemed too far from the fire to necessitate caution. Wrong. Her fingers are blistered and unhappy =[ We have been carrying marshmallows, peanut butter-filled chocolate, and graham crackers ever since day 1 of this trip and we finally had the campfire to make s'mores. Well, the desert was unkind to our marshmallows, so selecting one from the bag was more like pulling a slicky glob from the mass marshmallow (singular) of consilidated, melted-together mallow. Sticky but tastey.
We camped last night at the Winding River Resort - a collection of cabins, RV site, and lowly tent sites. Its by far the most expensive campsite we've had, but the showers were hot and the sign announcing "Cowboy Church" gave us a hint at why. The morning revealed why people pay so much to stay here. People can ride the trails of the park on horseback from this place (bring your own or borrow theirs). We were heading out when we decided to obey our parents once again and join a small group for pancake breakfast by the wagons and horse coral. Mmmmmm - plate-sized pancakes with any fixins you want and a whole lot of cowboys preparing the food. The kettles hung over a fire made the coffee more tempting. The mountains in the distance, petting the horses noses, and cowboy spiritual music sold me on the place and I'm keeping their address in case I'm ever in Colorado again.
We're heading into the park now to find a hopefully-vacant campsite and get some hiking done!
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
Sunday, May 27, 2007
(insert clever blog title here, cuz I'm out)
We woke up before dawn to start our hike out of the backcountry at Capitol Reef so that we could arrive early at Arches National Park which is just 2.5 hours away. After a trip to their restroom to brush our teeth and whatnot (more getting starred at) and washing my pan in the parking lot (even more stares) we made some lunch (mmm, peanut butter-jelly-marshmallow sandwich). This park is nice enough to publish which sights are best at what time of day (i.e. afternoon for west-facing stuff) so we drove and hiked to see Balanced Rock, Windows, and Delicate Arch as well as some less well-known spots. At this point, rock is rock. The novelty of sandstone has worn off some so thankfully Arches had some magic to throw into the mix: arches! Its amazing to see how big these things are - to stand underneath them and wonder about the day when Delicate Arch will break. We camped in the backcountry again and once again our GPS unit was useful. There's no way we could find our tent our civilization again with out it. Ok ok, so a compass would help, too. Anyways, it was warm and dry enough to leave the rain flap pulled back during the night. We awoke to sunrise through the tent's screen side, hiked out (we're getting pretty efficient at breaking camp) and saw Double Arch and Landscape Arch before getting cleaned up to head into Moab just South of the park to get some internet, groceries, and gas.
This afternoon we will drive to Rocky Mountain National Park. Well, we won't actually enter the park until tomorrow morning, but tonight we have big plans at the campgrounds. We're getting there around 6pm and so will have time to build our first campfire and use those s'more makings we've been toting this whole time. So we're off now to grab groceries for dinner (hobo packs) and hitting the showers tonight! I hate to sound like such a girl, but I'm pretty excited about getting cleaner.
Anyways, go check out the photos from the past few days and comment here, there, email, whatever! We miss you guys and want to hear from you!
This afternoon we will drive to Rocky Mountain National Park. Well, we won't actually enter the park until tomorrow morning, but tonight we have big plans at the campgrounds. We're getting there around 6pm and so will have time to build our first campfire and use those s'more makings we've been toting this whole time. So we're off now to grab groceries for dinner (hobo packs) and hitting the showers tonight! I hate to sound like such a girl, but I'm pretty excited about getting cleaner.
Anyways, go check out the photos from the past few days and comment here, there, email, whatever! We miss you guys and want to hear from you!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
chasing the sun by Ellen
Its official. I'm like Jello Jigglers with no mold. I'm out of shape.
4,056 miles into our adventure, we entered Capitol Reef National Park. Its a less-frequented park, but its along the way and the colors of the rocks are supposed to be amazing. Well, the reports were right. We had a grand day of exploring - hiking around the desert can get hot, but we found a nook and cranny or two to hide in and cool down. We met an awesome couple - the Flatts form Illinois and it was a much needed chance to talk to some Christians besides ourselves! You can look at the photos to get an idea of what we did; the only entertaining things not shown there was eating lunch on a sidewalk with everyone looking at us like we're crazy and the Dutch guys telling us that "Dutch guys are the best".
The last part of our day was a hike along Flying Pan Trail up on some plateau where we were supposed to be camping for the night. This is Holly's first time realllllly having to hike with everything on her back to camp which make the trip even sweeter. (The other sweet thing is, of course, that backcountry camping is free =] ). Well, we started a bit late and ended up hiking further than we needed. The plan was to hike in about 2 miles, pitch a tent, complete the trail to see Cassidy Arch, and then return by sundown to our site. Well, we packed everything at least 3 miles before we dumped the stuff to figure out where we were by finding the arch. Sundown was coming fast and we were a mile from our packs with no headlamps on really rocky terrain. Not the best plan, right? We hadn't even reached the arch yet when it became clear that the sun was going to win this race. But I couldn't handle not seeing this arch we'd been working so hard for... I mean, this was not an easy stroll. So I checked with Holly, grabbed my camera, and took off running Ninja Billy Goat style. It felt good to run. And then if felt hard to run. But run I did (at least until the straight-up rocks where I more limped and wheezed). I was worried about how late it was, trying not to fall and bust my ankles (can you imagine Holly trying to carry me out?) and trying to stay on the barely-marked trail while going full speed. I was praying. God, I'm trying to persevere through this race. And I'm hoping you're going to make the end of this run pretty awesome. And then I crest a hill in the rock face and the next marker is nowhere to be seen. "What the crap?! Where do I go?" And then I see it - the rock to my left just isn't there. There's this huge opening and as I edge nearer I can see that the drop is straight down several hundred feet. And in front of me is the arch, a bridge really, which the elements left intact over this huge expanse. Oh yeah, no wonder the trail markers stopped. This is the arch. Thanks God.
Well, you'll be glad to know that we did make it back to our packs before we lost the light and even managed to hike back as far as we could to set-up camp for the night. We made bacon for dinner (appropriate to use our frying pan on Frying Pan Trail, no?) and caught some nice views of sunset out in the quiet. I actually had a terrible time trying to sleep - my muscles were all tense from running and the cold. But this is what the trip is about, a bit of risky, getting alone in Creation, and marveling at the things around us. Very cool.
4,056 miles into our adventure, we entered Capitol Reef National Park. Its a less-frequented park, but its along the way and the colors of the rocks are supposed to be amazing. Well, the reports were right. We had a grand day of exploring - hiking around the desert can get hot, but we found a nook and cranny or two to hide in and cool down. We met an awesome couple - the Flatts form Illinois and it was a much needed chance to talk to some Christians besides ourselves! You can look at the photos to get an idea of what we did; the only entertaining things not shown there was eating lunch on a sidewalk with everyone looking at us like we're crazy and the Dutch guys telling us that "Dutch guys are the best".
The last part of our day was a hike along Flying Pan Trail up on some plateau where we were supposed to be camping for the night. This is Holly's first time realllllly having to hike with everything on her back to camp which make the trip even sweeter. (The other sweet thing is, of course, that backcountry camping is free =] ). Well, we started a bit late and ended up hiking further than we needed. The plan was to hike in about 2 miles, pitch a tent, complete the trail to see Cassidy Arch, and then return by sundown to our site. Well, we packed everything at least 3 miles before we dumped the stuff to figure out where we were by finding the arch. Sundown was coming fast and we were a mile from our packs with no headlamps on really rocky terrain. Not the best plan, right? We hadn't even reached the arch yet when it became clear that the sun was going to win this race. But I couldn't handle not seeing this arch we'd been working so hard for... I mean, this was not an easy stroll. So I checked with Holly, grabbed my camera, and took off running Ninja Billy Goat style. It felt good to run. And then if felt hard to run. But run I did (at least until the straight-up rocks where I more limped and wheezed). I was worried about how late it was, trying not to fall and bust my ankles (can you imagine Holly trying to carry me out?) and trying to stay on the barely-marked trail while going full speed. I was praying. God, I'm trying to persevere through this race. And I'm hoping you're going to make the end of this run pretty awesome. And then I crest a hill in the rock face and the next marker is nowhere to be seen. "What the crap?! Where do I go?" And then I see it - the rock to my left just isn't there. There's this huge opening and as I edge nearer I can see that the drop is straight down several hundred feet. And in front of me is the arch, a bridge really, which the elements left intact over this huge expanse. Oh yeah, no wonder the trail markers stopped. This is the arch. Thanks God.
Well, you'll be glad to know that we did make it back to our packs before we lost the light and even managed to hike back as far as we could to set-up camp for the night. We made bacon for dinner (appropriate to use our frying pan on Frying Pan Trail, no?) and caught some nice views of sunset out in the quiet. I actually had a terrible time trying to sleep - my muscles were all tense from running and the cold. But this is what the trip is about, a bit of risky, getting alone in Creation, and marveling at the things around us. Very cool.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
potty juice!
Antelope Canyon is the only non-National Park we wanted to visit. It was also a destination with the highest priority tier. Well, I think it was worth it. The canyons (Upper and Lower) are amazing and we just happened to show up in each at ideal times. The light beams were in full force through the snaking slit of sky above us in Upper and Lower was practically empty of people of rick in color and texture. Pretty amazing. We tried to get some decent photos - so I was packing 3 half-working tripods the whole way. Despite the malfunctions, we managed to get a few good shots. Go look at the photos!
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
After Antelope Canyon, we drove back into Utah to camp at an RV park near Capitol Reef National Park where we head tomorrow morning. RV Parks aren't my favorite - but they do have one big draw. Showers! The drive in Utah was pretty amazing, canyons, green mountains, really green fields with windy streams reflecting the blue sky. Horses grazing against lush green trees against lush green mountains and crazy blue sky. Valleys and hills patchily lit through the clouds with cows grazing and little farm houses dotting the countryside. It was land at peace at even whizzing by at 80mph made me feel pretty nice. Plus there were more longhorn cattle, which are always entertaining. We nearly hit a jackrabbit in the roadway and a cow just off the side of the road. We stopped to chat with the cow (there were NO other cars out there) but he didn't seem too entertained by us and seemed to be considering charging the shiny black cow in front of him. We snapped a photo and bolted.
I'll leave you for the night with a few quotes from today.
As we neared the dam at Lake Page:
Holly: "Oh, I wonder if they've dammed this lake."
Ellen: "Yeah, I saw the dam sign."
Holly needed to use the restroom at this cafe, so she bought a bottle of juice to legitimize using their facilities. Later on the road...
Holly: "OK, time to drink my potty juice!"
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
After Antelope Canyon, we drove back into Utah to camp at an RV park near Capitol Reef National Park where we head tomorrow morning. RV Parks aren't my favorite - but they do have one big draw. Showers! The drive in Utah was pretty amazing, canyons, green mountains, really green fields with windy streams reflecting the blue sky. Horses grazing against lush green trees against lush green mountains and crazy blue sky. Valleys and hills patchily lit through the clouds with cows grazing and little farm houses dotting the countryside. It was land at peace at even whizzing by at 80mph made me feel pretty nice. Plus there were more longhorn cattle, which are always entertaining. We nearly hit a jackrabbit in the roadway and a cow just off the side of the road. We stopped to chat with the cow (there were NO other cars out there) but he didn't seem too entertained by us and seemed to be considering charging the shiny black cow in front of him. We snapped a photo and bolted.
I'll leave you for the night with a few quotes from today.
As we neared the dam at Lake Page:
Holly: "Oh, I wonder if they've dammed this lake."
Ellen: "Yeah, I saw the dam sign."
Holly needed to use the restroom at this cafe, so she bought a bottle of juice to legitimize using their facilities. Later on the road...
Holly: "OK, time to drink my potty juice!"
Wait, what time is it???
We regretfully left Yosemite yesterday morning. Driving through the Sierra Nevada range was SOOOO amazing. Yay. And we spotted a big wolf!
We missed our turn somewhere south of that and so decided to stick on the 'wrong' route because it took us through Death Valley National Park. My car, being the champ that it is, didn't even think about overheating. And it should be noted that we have been in 95+ heat with no AC. In fact, we've only run it for a few hours this whole trip.
We've been trying to be real cheap about food, which means eating cheapo-stuff from our car and (at least in Ellen's case) not eating much at all. (I just get too focused on what we're seeing and doing! Who needs to eat! ~Ellen) Well, its been over a week now, and the whole starving thing is getting old. So yesterday at gas stop number 16, we spotted a Golden Corral and went for it. Oh my. We sat at opposite corners of a 4-person table to make room for our food. I mean, we share a small car and a small tent - space is good.
We ended up entering and exiting Utah and Arizona a few times more and finally camped last on the beach of Lake Powell in Utah (about 1/2 a mile from AZ). We arrived late and so pitched our tent in the dark, but awoke to a beautiful scene. Check out the photos (linked in 2nd post).
We have been so confused for the past week about what time zone Arizona is in. All our sources seem to conflict. We finally had to call a business and ask them =] We have 4 degrees between the two of us and it took us a week to figure it out. Oh well.
We're about to head into Antelope Canyon. Then we're off to Capitol Reef National Park where we are camping tonight.
Because last night was Wednesday (and we left on Wednesday a week previous) I have some trip statistics for you:
State lines crossed : 16
States we've been in : 10
National Parks visited: 4
Miles driven: 3371
Max Speed: 94.9 mph
Avg Speed: 57.2 mph
Driving Time: over 61 hours
Gas stops: 17
Gas $$: $393.84
Most expensive gas seen: $4.39 / gal (in Death Valley)
Able-to-kill-you Animal sightings: 4
Books of the Bible listened to: 14
Chapters listened to: 403
Number of showers taken: 3 (between the two of us =D )
OK, we're off! Not sure of the next internet opportunity, but we'll update soon =]
Ellen
We missed our turn somewhere south of that and so decided to stick on the 'wrong' route because it took us through Death Valley National Park. My car, being the champ that it is, didn't even think about overheating. And it should be noted that we have been in 95+ heat with no AC. In fact, we've only run it for a few hours this whole trip.
We've been trying to be real cheap about food, which means eating cheapo-stuff from our car and (at least in Ellen's case) not eating much at all. (I just get too focused on what we're seeing and doing! Who needs to eat! ~Ellen) Well, its been over a week now, and the whole starving thing is getting old. So yesterday at gas stop number 16, we spotted a Golden Corral and went for it. Oh my. We sat at opposite corners of a 4-person table to make room for our food. I mean, we share a small car and a small tent - space is good.
We ended up entering and exiting Utah and Arizona a few times more and finally camped last on the beach of Lake Powell in Utah (about 1/2 a mile from AZ). We arrived late and so pitched our tent in the dark, but awoke to a beautiful scene. Check out the photos (linked in 2nd post).
We have been so confused for the past week about what time zone Arizona is in. All our sources seem to conflict. We finally had to call a business and ask them =] We have 4 degrees between the two of us and it took us a week to figure it out. Oh well.
We're about to head into Antelope Canyon. Then we're off to Capitol Reef National Park where we are camping tonight.
Because last night was Wednesday (and we left on Wednesday a week previous) I have some trip statistics for you:
State lines crossed : 16
States we've been in : 10
National Parks visited: 4
Miles driven: 3371
Max Speed: 94.9 mph
Avg Speed: 57.2 mph
Driving Time: over 61 hours
Gas stops: 17
Gas $$: $393.84
Most expensive gas seen: $4.39 / gal (in Death Valley)
Able-to-kill-you Animal sightings: 4
Books of the Bible listened to: 14
Chapters listened to: 403
Number of showers taken: 3 (between the two of us =D )
OK, we're off! Not sure of the next internet opportunity, but we'll update soon =]
Ellen
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Ask and you shall receive!
Well, I said I wanted to encounter a bear and what do you know. We didn't high five... or even touch for that matter. To be honest I think I was a lot more jazzed about our meeting than the bear was, but its always that way with those celebrity types. Anyways, check the photos on Picassa (linked from the second post on this blog) to see our bear buddy. So cute.
Today was another loaner day for the most part. Ellen spent the morning hiking along the Upper Yoemite Falls trail to Columbia Rock for the view. (Deandra won't like this, but I totally was hanging by a hand and a foot off some cliff to take pictures of these awesome orange flowers growing out of the rock - Ellen). We both took trips to Yosemite Falls before heading on a little car trip up to Glacier Point which boasts sweeping views of most of the valley. Ellen got the urge to boulder and so climbed this big 'ole rock. She nearly busted getting down, but her face is thankful that things turned out OK. We visited Bridalveil Falls on the way back. These aren't as tall as Yosemite, but they are certainly accurately named because the wind fans the water out to make the falls rather white, transparent, and soft.
This afternoon we traded activities from yesterday so that we could get more time alone with nature and with God. Ellen walked all over the valley, from the meadows to Mirror Lake, and then along the most inefficient way possible to Yosemite Village. Holly took the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls. Both of us had really good days. This place is magical.
For dinner, Ellen scored us some eggs and sharp cheddar - yummy cheese eggs!
We pack up tomorrow and head to Page, Arizona. The hilarious thing is that its the exact same route we took on the way here - even going through Las Vegas. So we pass into Nevada, into Arizona, into Utah, through Zion National Park (yes, the highway actually goes through ), and back into Arizona. It makes me tired just to write about it, but it should only be about 10.5 hours. Ha, "only". That phrasing should give you an idea of how much driving we've been doing. Anyways, we're camping in Page so that we can see Antelope Canyon (google image search that to see why we're bothering with a state park) before heading to Capital Reef National Park. I'm not sure when we'll next have internet (we've been getting it for free at Yosemite Lodge! Thanks, guys!), but we'll update as soon as we can.
Oh my. I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you about last night. So all this talk about bears isn't without reason. The bears are EXTREMELY active in the park right now. We overheard employees talking about all the bear sightings that happened even just yesterday. We have to keep everything that could potentially smell yummy in bear boxes at the camp site. The bears have broken into cars just to get at plastic bags or perfume ads, so this is serious. Well last night around 1am we both get woken up by some really loud rummaging around a bear box. I'm (Ellen) laying still listening when I hear Holly "ELLEN!!!" "I hear it". It really did sound like a potential bear, but honestly, even if it was, we were already in our best defense - laying down and being quiet. Well, Holly apparently doesn't know that dead people (or even people pretending to be dead) don't talk. After a few moments of waiting pensively, I hear some other campers talking and laughing and human footsteps outside our tent. "Fwew," I think to myself. "Its just people." But Holly pops up beside me all loud and whatnot "Are they leaving because of the bear!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" "Hollz. No. Its just people". Good gracious, but she was freaked out. And she didn't even believe me. Yeah. We call her Hollzipanzi for a reason.
That's all for now. Pray that Holly doesn't botch it if a real bear appears in our camp tonight. Our trial run didn't go so well.
Until we type again. =]
Today was another loaner day for the most part. Ellen spent the morning hiking along the Upper Yoemite Falls trail to Columbia Rock for the view. (Deandra won't like this, but I totally was hanging by a hand and a foot off some cliff to take pictures of these awesome orange flowers growing out of the rock - Ellen). We both took trips to Yosemite Falls before heading on a little car trip up to Glacier Point which boasts sweeping views of most of the valley. Ellen got the urge to boulder and so climbed this big 'ole rock. She nearly busted getting down, but her face is thankful that things turned out OK. We visited Bridalveil Falls on the way back. These aren't as tall as Yosemite, but they are certainly accurately named because the wind fans the water out to make the falls rather white, transparent, and soft.
This afternoon we traded activities from yesterday so that we could get more time alone with nature and with God. Ellen walked all over the valley, from the meadows to Mirror Lake, and then along the most inefficient way possible to Yosemite Village. Holly took the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls. Both of us had really good days. This place is magical.
For dinner, Ellen scored us some eggs and sharp cheddar - yummy cheese eggs!
We pack up tomorrow and head to Page, Arizona. The hilarious thing is that its the exact same route we took on the way here - even going through Las Vegas. So we pass into Nevada, into Arizona, into Utah, through Zion National Park (yes, the highway actually goes through ), and back into Arizona. It makes me tired just to write about it, but it should only be about 10.5 hours. Ha, "only". That phrasing should give you an idea of how much driving we've been doing. Anyways, we're camping in Page so that we can see Antelope Canyon (google image search that to see why we're bothering with a state park) before heading to Capital Reef National Park. I'm not sure when we'll next have internet (we've been getting it for free at Yosemite Lodge! Thanks, guys!), but we'll update as soon as we can.
Oh my. I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you about last night. So all this talk about bears isn't without reason. The bears are EXTREMELY active in the park right now. We overheard employees talking about all the bear sightings that happened even just yesterday. We have to keep everything that could potentially smell yummy in bear boxes at the camp site. The bears have broken into cars just to get at plastic bags or perfume ads, so this is serious. Well last night around 1am we both get woken up by some really loud rummaging around a bear box. I'm (Ellen) laying still listening when I hear Holly "ELLEN!!!" "I hear it". It really did sound like a potential bear, but honestly, even if it was, we were already in our best defense - laying down and being quiet. Well, Holly apparently doesn't know that dead people (or even people pretending to be dead) don't talk. After a few moments of waiting pensively, I hear some other campers talking and laughing and human footsteps outside our tent. "Fwew," I think to myself. "Its just people." But Holly pops up beside me all loud and whatnot "Are they leaving because of the bear!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" "Hollz. No. Its just people". Good gracious, but she was freaked out. And she didn't even believe me. Yeah. We call her Hollzipanzi for a reason.
That's all for now. Pray that Holly doesn't botch it if a real bear appears in our camp tonight. Our trial run didn't go so well.
Until we type again. =]
Monday, May 21, 2007
throwin' bows by ellen
So, I've had to sit through so many warnings about how active the bears are here in Yosemite, that I think I'm going to pass the favor on to you good people. There have been 55 bear "incidents" in the park this year. 5 months, 55 "incidents"... thats like 11 a month! We're here for 3-ish days. So I'm thinking we have a (11/30)*3 percent chance of getting "incidented" by a bear!!! Man, to be one of the lucky few. As long as I'm also one of the lucky few for whom "incident" could be replaced by "friendly high five and round of kum-bah-yah" instead of "bloody mauling and devouring".
You already heard from Holly how our frustrating morning went (quit scratching your head and see the last post if that sentence confused you). I spent the afternoon hiking 3 miles (and 1000 feet of altitude) on Mist Trail. Let me tell you, whoever named the trail was a smart man indeed. When you get right up to the foot of the falls, the experience is about like getting super-soakered while watching a National Geographic special. I got really wet. My camera got really wet. I eventually broke out the scuba casing for my little camera, but my big one survived long enough to capture the huge rainbows (yes, thats plural) created by the spray. At the top of the falls was a nice view of the late-afternoon sun on the walls surrounding the valley. I hunkered down with my bag of raisins and stuck my feet in the cold water. It was a great day.
Tomorrow's plans are in the works - there's too much to do, as usual, so the longer hikes are kinda out of the question. I'm sure we'll write again tomorrow to tell you about the day. For now, its back to the campsite with us. Holly's sleeping with the bear spray under her pillow. Lets hope her trigger finger doesn't wake up before she does.
I'll leave you with this quote I came across today by John Muir (google him if you don't know who that is. shame, shame.)
"... rocky strength and permanence combined with beauty of plants frail and fine... water descending in thunder, and the same water gliding through meadows and groves in gentlest beauty"
He's talking about the park. And he's right. But it makes me think of God.
~Ellen
You already heard from Holly how our frustrating morning went (quit scratching your head and see the last post if that sentence confused you). I spent the afternoon hiking 3 miles (and 1000 feet of altitude) on Mist Trail. Let me tell you, whoever named the trail was a smart man indeed. When you get right up to the foot of the falls, the experience is about like getting super-soakered while watching a National Geographic special. I got really wet. My camera got really wet. I eventually broke out the scuba casing for my little camera, but my big one survived long enough to capture the huge rainbows (yes, thats plural) created by the spray. At the top of the falls was a nice view of the late-afternoon sun on the walls surrounding the valley. I hunkered down with my bag of raisins and stuck my feet in the cold water. It was a great day.
Tomorrow's plans are in the works - there's too much to do, as usual, so the longer hikes are kinda out of the question. I'm sure we'll write again tomorrow to tell you about the day. For now, its back to the campsite with us. Holly's sleeping with the bear spray under her pillow. Lets hope her trigger finger doesn't wake up before she does.
I'll leave you with this quote I came across today by John Muir (google him if you don't know who that is. shame, shame.)
"... rocky strength and permanence combined with beauty of plants frail and fine... water descending in thunder, and the same water gliding through meadows and groves in gentlest beauty"
He's talking about the park. And he's right. But it makes me think of God.
~Ellen
Abruptly Awoken by Holly
This morning I was awoken by Ellen screaming "ughguthgh!!! it's 7:16!!! get up!!!" i was so tired but absolutely terrified to not do what she said. it was that scary. we were going to get up at 6 to pack up our stuff and go reserve a site at a first-come, first-serve campsite in the valley. The valley is sooo the place to be, you know. So i followed ellen to the car, still in my pjs, super frizzy hair, and glasses. cute. we drove almost an hour to the new site (but saw a wolf running across the road!). we realized that the line was long and really slow-moving, and needed to get back to the old site to pack up and let the rangers know we weren't dead (we arrived after-hours and couldn't check in last night). so i stood in line while ellen drove back to the old site to pack up. Success! we got a site for 2 nights!
After setting up camp, Ellen and I did our own things. I took the trail to Mirror Lake. It was so pretty! I stopped to climb a few rocks and wade in some water and took some nice pictures. I spotted a snake right after getting on the trail, not sure what kind, but I sure didn't want to get any closer. I followed the trail along further, getting farther away from most of the people. I passed some people who warned me of a mama bear and a cub up ahead on the path. Slightly nervous, I decided to continue, although annoyed that I wasn't sure where that stupid bear bell was that I spent $4 on. Instead I clicked my lens cap around, which usually really annoys me. After awhile of still not seeing any people or getting closer to the end of the trail, I turned around and came back. So no bear encounter for me, but that's ok, I think I like it that way. From there I went to view Yosemite Falls before meeting back up with Ellen to watch sunset reflected on Half Dome. w00t.
After setting up camp, Ellen and I did our own things. I took the trail to Mirror Lake. It was so pretty! I stopped to climb a few rocks and wade in some water and took some nice pictures. I spotted a snake right after getting on the trail, not sure what kind, but I sure didn't want to get any closer. I followed the trail along further, getting farther away from most of the people. I passed some people who warned me of a mama bear and a cub up ahead on the path. Slightly nervous, I decided to continue, although annoyed that I wasn't sure where that stupid bear bell was that I spent $4 on. Instead I clicked my lens cap around, which usually really annoys me. After awhile of still not seeing any people or getting closer to the end of the trail, I turned around and came back. So no bear encounter for me, but that's ok, I think I like it that way. From there I went to view Yosemite Falls before meeting back up with Ellen to watch sunset reflected on Half Dome. w00t.
snow babes by ellen
Today we woke up in a desert, drove through the desert, and played in the snow at dusk. That makes for a good day.
I spend most Sundays at church but today I had a different sort of "worship experience". We rounded one coner in particular and the winding road revealed a huge mountain running right into the road, covered in patchy snow shining bright against the dusky purple sky. We had just switched from listening to 2 Kings to some David Crowder and the words "come and listen to what He's done for you" introduced the slice of Sierra Nevada that we drove through to get to the park. I can't type anything that will make you feel what I felt today. I can tell you that I nearly cried at it all. I don't really want to get sappy in this blog - but I want to be genuine with you guys who care enough to read. I told Holly today that I want to bring everyone I know out here. One of my goals for the trip was to experience God through his creation. Well we can check that one off the list. Even if you're reading this and you don't believe all that God mumbo-jumbo, you have to believe me when I say that the scenes we drove by today were so stunningly beautiful that I couldn't quite handle it - I wanted to take it in and store it up to ponder later, but there's no wrapping my head around what was laid before us. I mean what do you do with it all - its easier just to turn away. I think its something like looking at the terrible beauty of the Lord. Its way too much. These yellow-green meadows, shining blue lakes, and snow-spotted mountains are so impressive and gorgeous that it makes me hurt - so imagine the glory and beauty of their Creator. I think I understand "fear of the Lord" in a different way after today. And I can only imagine what awaits me tomorrow as we explore Yosemite in daylight. We just drove through the entire park to get to our campsite. Right now I'm sitting in our tent with all our food stored in the bear-proof box nearby, listening to the rushing river just a few feet away. I haven't seen the river yet - we didn't arrive until well after dark - but it sure sounds wonderful. Tonight was an erie and private introduction to Yosemite. Headlight beams aren't the best illumination for the sights around here. I'm just thankful that the deer that we saw on the way in was finishing crossing the road when we rounded the bend.
One good anecdote: Holly and I pulled over to put our feet in the snow. We bounded over to the side of the road in sleeveless shirts, skirts, and bare feet. Perfect outfits for driving in hot weather. Well, we both fully expected the snow on the side of the road to be hard. And we both shreaked when our first leaps onto it left us knee deep in powdery cold! Oh, it was hilarious. And don't worry, we stayed in it long enough to take pictures.
Tomorrow we're getting up early to try to get another campsite in the valley and then we're spending the day exploring this place. I'll let you know how all that goes =]
~Ellen
I spend most Sundays at church but today I had a different sort of "worship experience". We rounded one coner in particular and the winding road revealed a huge mountain running right into the road, covered in patchy snow shining bright against the dusky purple sky. We had just switched from listening to 2 Kings to some David Crowder and the words "come and listen to what He's done for you" introduced the slice of Sierra Nevada that we drove through to get to the park. I can't type anything that will make you feel what I felt today. I can tell you that I nearly cried at it all. I don't really want to get sappy in this blog - but I want to be genuine with you guys who care enough to read. I told Holly today that I want to bring everyone I know out here. One of my goals for the trip was to experience God through his creation. Well we can check that one off the list. Even if you're reading this and you don't believe all that God mumbo-jumbo, you have to believe me when I say that the scenes we drove by today were so stunningly beautiful that I couldn't quite handle it - I wanted to take it in and store it up to ponder later, but there's no wrapping my head around what was laid before us. I mean what do you do with it all - its easier just to turn away. I think its something like looking at the terrible beauty of the Lord. Its way too much. These yellow-green meadows, shining blue lakes, and snow-spotted mountains are so impressive and gorgeous that it makes me hurt - so imagine the glory and beauty of their Creator. I think I understand "fear of the Lord" in a different way after today. And I can only imagine what awaits me tomorrow as we explore Yosemite in daylight. We just drove through the entire park to get to our campsite. Right now I'm sitting in our tent with all our food stored in the bear-proof box nearby, listening to the rushing river just a few feet away. I haven't seen the river yet - we didn't arrive until well after dark - but it sure sounds wonderful. Tonight was an erie and private introduction to Yosemite. Headlight beams aren't the best illumination for the sights around here. I'm just thankful that the deer that we saw on the way in was finishing crossing the road when we rounded the bend.
One good anecdote: Holly and I pulled over to put our feet in the snow. We bounded over to the side of the road in sleeveless shirts, skirts, and bare feet. Perfect outfits for driving in hot weather. Well, we both fully expected the snow on the side of the road to be hard. And we both shreaked when our first leaps onto it left us knee deep in powdery cold! Oh, it was hilarious. And don't worry, we stayed in it long enough to take pictures.
Tomorrow we're getting up early to try to get another campsite in the valley and then we're spending the day exploring this place. I'll let you know how all that goes =]
~Ellen
Sunday, May 20, 2007
You see who??
...You see me (te)
That's right, folks - its Sunday morning and we're getting kicked out of our hotel at noon. Today, Holly the Great turns 24 years old (geezer.) and we're celebrating (well, in addition to the celebrating last night) by driving to Yosemite National Park. We should be there a few days - to tell you the truth we have very few concrete plans past that. But we have a campsite for tonight and a lot of things to see over the next couple of days.
I'm not sure if we can get our hands on internet for a while. I would love to post every day or so - but its going to get difficult from here on out because we're going to be hopping from park to park. Similarly, cell phone reception is pretty hard to come by on the roads and especially in the parks. But never fear, you'll get to hear the stories eventually. We shouldn't be dying or going missing any time soon. We're packing bear spray. Seriously =] So don't worry about us - but pray for us and the people we meet and the adventures we have. I'm so excited. And I just can't hide it.
Talk to you guys soon. And hey, write, comment, call! 'Cause we miss you!
That's right, folks - its Sunday morning and we're getting kicked out of our hotel at noon. Today, Holly the Great turns 24 years old (geezer.) and we're celebrating (well, in addition to the celebrating last night) by driving to Yosemite National Park. We should be there a few days - to tell you the truth we have very few concrete plans past that. But we have a campsite for tonight and a lot of things to see over the next couple of days.
I'm not sure if we can get our hands on internet for a while. I would love to post every day or so - but its going to get difficult from here on out because we're going to be hopping from park to park. Similarly, cell phone reception is pretty hard to come by on the roads and especially in the parks. But never fear, you'll get to hear the stories eventually. We shouldn't be dying or going missing any time soon. We're packing bear spray. Seriously =] So don't worry about us - but pray for us and the people we meet and the adventures we have. I'm so excited. And I just can't hide it.
Talk to you guys soon. And hey, write, comment, call! 'Cause we miss you!
grand. you know, like the buscuits.
Its official. As of 10:06 am on Friday, May 18th, Holly and I entered the first National Park of the trip. We even have a donkey-shaped stamp to prove it. The day started a bit before dawn, but the early drive was scenic and cool. The Grand Canyon rocks. And I'm not trying to be funny. Just the drive through the canyons and meadows to get there is wonderful. We spotted snow on the ground, a fox crossing the road, and a doe hoping for handouts. And then after getting into the park and hiking just a bit you can peer over the edge and gasp as you first glimpse the *insert poetic language often used to describe the grand canyon*. Its pretty daggum amazing. Holly loves to climb up the rocks. I love to climb out on them until I'm at some narrow point with shear rock face straight down on either side. I think at least 12 or 15 perfect strangers will include photos of me teetering on the edge of some cliff included in their "Our Holiday" slideshows. Check out the photos , because the canyon is certainly photo-worthy. We even went the extra mile and caught both sunrise and sunset and watched as the rock glowed orange. We managed to get a permit for backcountry camping (aka camping in the woods, not at a campsite) despite the fact that the ranger thought our plan to catch sunrise and sunset would make finding our tent dangerous due to the dark. Well, we showed her by not only surviving, but having a good time camping in the quiet of the woods. We got to use my new stove for the first time to make some cheese grits and Ritter veggies. Mmm-mmm good.
After sunrise and packing camp, we stopped by Point Imperial along the North Rim which is the highest vista point at either rim (8,803 ft). Heading out of the park, we took the scenic route to loop towards Vegas which happened to take us through Zion National Park. The driving is so surrounded by huge rock formations - cliffs, mountains, plateaus, canyons - that it seems the entire stretch of highway should be deemed a national park. And then entering Zion park is even crazier. Maybe I've just never been around this kind of terrain before, but I just look around and find it hard to believe that my surroundings are real. On our way into the park we saw a car of four Columbian drug lords - 4 guys, shaved heads and jewelry in a BMW... Of course, closer inspection of their tag revealed that they were from British Columbia. Eh, close enough.
We had such good results with taking that scenic route to I-15 that after leaving Zion we decided to take another 'scenic route' along the Lake Meade Recreation Area. Little did we know we were choosing our own demise. You would think that a gas station would have a sign reading "last gas for 60 miles" if that were indeed the case. Well, apparently we think more than others because we flew right by that last gas station (I remember it so clearly *tear*) with less than a quarter tank. Now, its one thing to run out of gas in shady Georgia. But we were in the stinkin' desert. It was HOT. SCORCHING. OWW! We hadn't been running AC along the way to save gas, but after a while it became apparent that we might actually run out. The light came on and still no gas. Miles pass and Holly starts feeling sick thanks to the heat. Still no gas. Well, God is good to us. We were eaten quickly and mercifully by the buzzards. No, not really. We turned off at one point, thinking there was a town that way only to find that we had taken the wrong turn and had to backtrack on our waning tank. We finally reached civilization of some sort miles later and pulled into a station only to find plastic bags on each pump. Blast! (doors). Praying even more now, we headed down the road and finally found another station. We refused to celebrate this find too quickly and after a scary moment of trying to pump and getting nothing, the gas came. Ohhhh yeah.
We got some Gatorade into Holly and our butts back on the road toward the Hoover Dam. We came, we paid $7 to park... it was impressive. The most exhilarating moment was looking up to see a giant clock over the lake. Finally, at long last, we knew what time it was. We'd been confused on that point for 2 solid days. Seriously. We took a picture. We also took a picture with one foot in Arizona and one in Nevada.
Finally, we headed to Vegas. We stopped upon first entering Nevada and Holly (being a big dweeb, you know) grabbed every brochure and map in the place. Free maps seem like a good deal, but we all know that free maps are free for a reason. We were tired and hot - but it didn't make it any less funny when Holly started yelling in frustration "These maps aren't worth the paper they're printed on! What the crap road this is?!?!" And no, "this is" is not a typo. She claims dehydration.
Check out the next post to hear about our stop over in Vegas!
After sunrise and packing camp, we stopped by Point Imperial along the North Rim which is the highest vista point at either rim (8,803 ft). Heading out of the park, we took the scenic route to loop towards Vegas which happened to take us through Zion National Park. The driving is so surrounded by huge rock formations - cliffs, mountains, plateaus, canyons - that it seems the entire stretch of highway should be deemed a national park. And then entering Zion park is even crazier. Maybe I've just never been around this kind of terrain before, but I just look around and find it hard to believe that my surroundings are real. On our way into the park we saw a car of four Columbian drug lords - 4 guys, shaved heads and jewelry in a BMW... Of course, closer inspection of their tag revealed that they were from British Columbia. Eh, close enough.
We had such good results with taking that scenic route to I-15 that after leaving Zion we decided to take another 'scenic route' along the Lake Meade Recreation Area. Little did we know we were choosing our own demise. You would think that a gas station would have a sign reading "last gas for 60 miles" if that were indeed the case. Well, apparently we think more than others because we flew right by that last gas station (I remember it so clearly *tear*) with less than a quarter tank. Now, its one thing to run out of gas in shady Georgia. But we were in the stinkin' desert. It was HOT. SCORCHING. OWW! We hadn't been running AC along the way to save gas, but after a while it became apparent that we might actually run out. The light came on and still no gas. Miles pass and Holly starts feeling sick thanks to the heat. Still no gas. Well, God is good to us. We were eaten quickly and mercifully by the buzzards. No, not really. We turned off at one point, thinking there was a town that way only to find that we had taken the wrong turn and had to backtrack on our waning tank. We finally reached civilization of some sort miles later and pulled into a station only to find plastic bags on each pump. Blast! (doors). Praying even more now, we headed down the road and finally found another station. We refused to celebrate this find too quickly and after a scary moment of trying to pump and getting nothing, the gas came. Ohhhh yeah.
We got some Gatorade into Holly and our butts back on the road toward the Hoover Dam. We came, we paid $7 to park... it was impressive. The most exhilarating moment was looking up to see a giant clock over the lake. Finally, at long last, we knew what time it was. We'd been confused on that point for 2 solid days. Seriously. We took a picture. We also took a picture with one foot in Arizona and one in Nevada.
Finally, we headed to Vegas. We stopped upon first entering Nevada and Holly (being a big dweeb, you know) grabbed every brochure and map in the place. Free maps seem like a good deal, but we all know that free maps are free for a reason. We were tired and hot - but it didn't make it any less funny when Holly started yelling in frustration "These maps aren't worth the paper they're printed on! What the crap road this is?!?!" And no, "this is" is not a typo. She claims dehydration.
Check out the next post to hear about our stop over in Vegas!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
darn good candy
we took a picture next to a sign advertising "darn good candy" while driving through Texas today. Ahh, Texas - as if its not flat and tree-less enough to make it a boring drive, we were listening to Numbers for a large portion of it.
It's been another long day of driving. Up and on the road at 7am and we pitched the first tent of the trip over 12 hours later. Its been an eventful day, we stopped at a few not-that-scenic overlooks, Holly busted her toe open and bled all over her new chacos, I bullied a giant buzzard around some rocks... oh yeah and we drove through some beauuuutiful landscapes while going through New Mexico. So far, NM gets my vote for best effort at making 12 hours of driving seem like fun. We're in Arizona now, camping right next to Meteor Crater National Monument. We won't get to see the crater itself because we're up tomorrow at 5am to finish the 6 hours of driving to get to the North edge of the Grand Canyon. We're going to spend the day exploring, hopefully 'backcountry' camp in the actual park, and then move on towards Las Vegas in the morning. We're hoping to catch both sunset and sunrise on the Canyon. I doubt a post will happen tomorrow night - unless the Canyon has some impressive WiFi. I'm just so impressed that this entire campsite/RV park thing we're at now has WiFi.
I had better be getting to sleep soon - tomorrow's a big day! I've never had a huge urge to see the Grand Canyon, but its our first National Park of the trip and I'm pretty pumped that we decided to go to the north edge since its visited less often and has some beautiful things to see. Driving through NM got me pumped about rocks.
Goodnight!
It's been another long day of driving. Up and on the road at 7am and we pitched the first tent of the trip over 12 hours later. Its been an eventful day, we stopped at a few not-that-scenic overlooks, Holly busted her toe open and bled all over her new chacos, I bullied a giant buzzard around some rocks... oh yeah and we drove through some beauuuutiful landscapes while going through New Mexico. So far, NM gets my vote for best effort at making 12 hours of driving seem like fun. We're in Arizona now, camping right next to Meteor Crater National Monument. We won't get to see the crater itself because we're up tomorrow at 5am to finish the 6 hours of driving to get to the North edge of the Grand Canyon. We're going to spend the day exploring, hopefully 'backcountry' camp in the actual park, and then move on towards Las Vegas in the morning. We're hoping to catch both sunset and sunrise on the Canyon. I doubt a post will happen tomorrow night - unless the Canyon has some impressive WiFi. I'm just so impressed that this entire campsite/RV park thing we're at now has WiFi.
I had better be getting to sleep soon - tomorrow's a big day! I've never had a huge urge to see the Grand Canyon, but its our first National Park of the trip and I'm pretty pumped that we decided to go to the north edge since its visited less often and has some beautiful things to see. Driving through NM got me pumped about rocks.
Goodnight!
Driving and driving and driving
Its about 6 am on day 2 of the trip and we're about to leave for our second 13-hour drive. Holly and I successfully dropped Eric, Holly's brother who was in Atlanta for her graduation, just outside of Dallas. We spent the night at Hillary and Jeremy's apartment in North Dallas and are about to get on the road again. Getting to visit with HIll and Jer last night was great fun - those kids are pretty awesome. I think its so amazing to see Hillary considering we met on the other side of the world and I'm particularly thankful to get to see them before they head out of the country again.
So as far as trip statistics go, we've gotten gas three times so far, have driven nearly 900 miles, and have gotten lost trying to find REI once. How ironic that we were going to REI to buy maps for the GPS unit. We've had one road hazard - a piece of cardboard that made Holly duck as it flew over our car. As for our listening mission - we completed Genesis and Exodus and are currently in the middle of the chapters concerning discharge and defilement in Leviticus. I've spent $2.60 so far on food and am excited about keeping that cost down. We only have a few photos so far, but keep an eye on the photo site mentioned in the second post on this blog.
As for the calendar - I'll try to update the online version as much as possible. We're only planning a day or two in advance at this point since our only other definite plans are Chicago much later in the trip. Today we're driving to Petrified Forrest National Park to camp and hopefully get a really good amount of sleep. Then its up to peek at the frozen trees (we're getting there too late to see it today) and on to the Grand Canyon where we'll spend the day. We'll camp somewhere near the Canyon after watching sunset and hopefully catch sunrise as well before heading to Las Vegas on Saturday. We plan to make a stop or two at Lake Meade and the Hoover Dam before arriving in Las Vegas to celebrate Holly's birthday at the stroke of midnight.
I'm excited. And tired. But coffee and cereal will do the trick. I'll update again when we get internet again =]
Love you guys!
So as far as trip statistics go, we've gotten gas three times so far, have driven nearly 900 miles, and have gotten lost trying to find REI once. How ironic that we were going to REI to buy maps for the GPS unit. We've had one road hazard - a piece of cardboard that made Holly duck as it flew over our car. As for our listening mission - we completed Genesis and Exodus and are currently in the middle of the chapters concerning discharge and defilement in Leviticus. I've spent $2.60 so far on food and am excited about keeping that cost down. We only have a few photos so far, but keep an eye on the photo site mentioned in the second post on this blog.
As for the calendar - I'll try to update the online version as much as possible. We're only planning a day or two in advance at this point since our only other definite plans are Chicago much later in the trip. Today we're driving to Petrified Forrest National Park to camp and hopefully get a really good amount of sleep. Then its up to peek at the frozen trees (we're getting there too late to see it today) and on to the Grand Canyon where we'll spend the day. We'll camp somewhere near the Canyon after watching sunset and hopefully catch sunrise as well before heading to Las Vegas on Saturday. We plan to make a stop or two at Lake Meade and the Hoover Dam before arriving in Las Vegas to celebrate Holly's birthday at the stroke of midnight.
I'm excited. And tired. But coffee and cereal will do the trick. I'll update again when we get internet again =]
Love you guys!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Stayin' in the Know
We're taking 4 digital cameras with us. And Ellen's laptop. So we'll be putting photos on the web as we go. Check them out at
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
You can also keep up with our schedule by looking at our shared google calendar at
Oh, we'll be checking our separate emails, but you can also email us at hollyandellen@gmail.com
And if you need some extra assurance that we're still alive, just call one of us!
http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyandellen
You can also keep up with our schedule by looking at our shared google calendar at
Oh, we'll be checking our separate emails, but you can also email us at hollyandellen@gmail.com
And if you need some extra assurance that we're still alive, just call one of us!
These Days Were Made for Preppin'...
...and that's just what they'll do.
Its official - we leave a week from yesterday and we don't have a single solid plan. We know we have to get to DC for Holly's cousin's wedding on June 10th. Between next Wednesday (May 16th) and then we will be driving around the country with several purposes in mind. 1. Have an adventure 2. Experience God's beautiful creation 3. Enjoy the last month before becoming real adults and entering the workforce. There are several National and State parks that we are committed to seeing, and our route will be dictated by those points. We bought a big map a while ago that is now littered with colored arrows pointing out both the places we desire to visit and the people we might stay with along the way. Our goal is to stay in only one hotel room - our night in Vegas to celebrate Holly's birthday. Besides that we will be camping and couch surfing. We pray for the Lord's hand to be on this trip - not only for the sake of coming back in one piece, but in hopes of having a wild experience full of unexpected encounters with our Father and His creation. May the planning be His task and not mine.
We plan on updating this blog regularly along the way so that our friends can keep up with the trip and so that we can remember the trip for years to come. We welcome your prayers for the trip. We are planning to listen to the entire Bible on mp3 while we drive, to use the trip as a Prayer Journey of sorts in seeking the Lord for ourselves and praying for God's will and presence to come in this nation, and to be real with people we encouter along the way about our lives and our God. We welcome your prayers toward the trip - for revelation through God's Word, unity and loving sisterhood between the two of us, and for the Lord to use us during this time.
Thanks for reading and for caring. And now back to prepping.
Its official - we leave a week from yesterday and we don't have a single solid plan. We know we have to get to DC for Holly's cousin's wedding on June 10th. Between next Wednesday (May 16th) and then we will be driving around the country with several purposes in mind. 1. Have an adventure 2. Experience God's beautiful creation 3. Enjoy the last month before becoming real adults and entering the workforce. There are several National and State parks that we are committed to seeing, and our route will be dictated by those points. We bought a big map a while ago that is now littered with colored arrows pointing out both the places we desire to visit and the people we might stay with along the way. Our goal is to stay in only one hotel room - our night in Vegas to celebrate Holly's birthday. Besides that we will be camping and couch surfing. We pray for the Lord's hand to be on this trip - not only for the sake of coming back in one piece, but in hopes of having a wild experience full of unexpected encounters with our Father and His creation. May the planning be His task and not mine.
We plan on updating this blog regularly along the way so that our friends can keep up with the trip and so that we can remember the trip for years to come. We welcome your prayers for the trip. We are planning to listen to the entire Bible on mp3 while we drive, to use the trip as a Prayer Journey of sorts in seeking the Lord for ourselves and praying for God's will and presence to come in this nation, and to be real with people we encouter along the way about our lives and our God. We welcome your prayers toward the trip - for revelation through God's Word, unity and loving sisterhood between the two of us, and for the Lord to use us during this time.
Thanks for reading and for caring. And now back to prepping.
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