Home Again: It was a great ride

We arrived safely at home at 12:30AM on Monday morning after a 14 drive on the final day. We pulled into our driveway and Keith offered up a prayer of thanksgiving for safe travels. We experienced wonderful grace without even a flat tire over all the miles we traveled. Here is a little trip trivia:

• 21 states: 2 countries
• 12 setups/takedowns of the pop-up (each taking minimum of 1.5 hours)


• spent $1996 on gas (we had budgeted for $4/gallon never dreaming it would go so high). We were a couple hundred over our budget, but saved a little money when we came home a week earlier than anticipated.
• Linda wore 1 pair of earrings the whole time (a personal goal to simplify my life)
• NO Fast Food until the final day of the trip home when Linda caved in a caffeine deprived moment and bought coffee at McDonalds. [Keith was disappointed]. Is coffee really fast food???
• We didn't use ANY paper plates or cups. We also used cloth napkins to help save the earth.
• 6 years in planning (to get time off and save the $$$ while still paying tuition for our much-loved children)

We love you all and hope that you can take your own sabbatical some day soon.

A sweet teenager from our church asked me before we left, "I heard you were at Sabbatical? Where is Sabbatical?" I told her it was some place in Ohio.

Actually, it is a state of mind that God gives us when we are obedient to his commandment to rest and refresh. We have been so blessed. Thanks for sharing our trip.

We'll be home tonight (July 6)

We spent the night in Cheyenne, WY and then put in a long 11 hour journey across Nebraska. That is one long state!
It is 7AM and we stayed in Columbia, MO last evening. It seems very expensive to pay for a hotel and stay only 7 hours.

We are up and ready to get on the road to home today. We plan on a 14 hour trip. We'll try to catch a sermon in the car. Hopefully we can remember where we put the key!

July 4th.....in Idaho

No pix today. Yesterday we packed in the downpour of rain (everything pretty soaked), and then drove for 12 hours to Twin Falls, Idaho. This morning we are taking a little time to pop up the camper to dry it out and then we'll be on the road again.
We stayed in a hotel last night with electricity, hot water, and WiFI connection. I'm back to civilization!
Gas prices are still quite high: $4.17 is the cheapest in this area.

Puget Sound Kayaking and Friday Harbor

If you look closely, you can see one of the eagles in the middle of the picture. The eagle was flying in front of Keith in this photo.
This is Cocoa (Mike and Denise's Saint Bernard). He stole my heart!

A view of Friday's Harbor Ferry.

Sunset on the Puget Sound.
Mike and Denise had Keith's dream vehicle.... a real 1973 Land Rover.
Mike and Denise in the kayaks.

July 1 and 2nd
On Tuesday, July 1, Mike and Denise Jones met us at Bowman’s Bay at 9am to do some kayaking. It was a bit foggy, but the tide was low so we went along the coast and saw some caves and kelp paddies. We also viewed 3 majestic eagles perched up in the trees and a few harbor seals. We stayed out in the kayaks for almost 3 hours.
In the afternoon, we took boarded a ferry in Anacortes and visited an island called Friday’s Harbor. Mike and Denise’s youngest son, Ramsey, came along. He can sniff out some great bookstores and we really enjoyed all their great hospitality and company. We had dinner on the island and arrived safely back at the campsite in time for the sunset. We loved their house and their kids and pets. It is amazing that after 20 years, we are still on the same faith journey and really enjoying such great fellowship. THANKS MIKE AND DENISE!!
Today (Wednesday, July 2nd) we got up early to a drizzle of rain. We packed lunches and took a ferry to Port Townsend and then we will drive to Olympic National Park for the day. The weather should be a perfect 72 degrees.
We’ve talked about leaving for home tomorrow early. Camping is getting a little tiring and I am anxious to get back to civilization (with hot water that doesn’t require special tokens or waiting in line to brush my teeth. Also, I can’t wait to use my curling iron again).

Sleeping (not Sleepless) in Seattle

Beautiful flowers and very cheap!

A view from our lunch table at the Fish Market.

Today (Monday, June 30th), we are in downtown Seattle touring the Fish Market. What a cool place.

Yesterday we found a church plant service in an elementary school. We ended up arriving 15 minutes late since we almost ran out of gas and got a little lost.

But, it was a great sermon on "The Sabbath" which fit the theme of this trip. Yesterday we hiked throughout the park and then watched a beautiful sunset. Our friends, Mike and Denise Jones, stopped by for visit. We haven't seen then in over 20 years as we were together in Michigan raising kids before they left to be missionaries in Egypt. We plan to spend tomorrow with them touring the island.

Final Memories of Banff: On to Seattle

We left Banff on Saturday so we could get out of Canada before their holiday. We loved Banff and it makes me want to become Canadian.

We had a long travel day to Seattle. British Columbia was lush and beautiful, but Keith had to keep his eye on the road through many mountains. It was a beautiful day to travel. Again, around every corner was a new image of God's creation.

We arrive safely in Anacortes, Washington and happy to be back in the USA so we don't have to do so much math with the metric system. We had no trouble getting across the border, but had some shock at the gas prices: $4.45/gal. But, we figured out that we were paying over $5/gallon in Canada.

We are staying in Deception Pass State Park with Seattle being about 1 hour drive. It is a great campsite, but the bathrooms are pretty crude. I told Keith that I felt like I was at Apollo Campgrounds. [Mom and Marcia will understand what I mean].

Below is a video of Keith's kayaking a few days ago while Linda was in town (doing work at the library). He had a great time without me!

Johnson Canyon: Fabulous waterfall hikes

This is a view from Banff Hot Springs. Down in that valley in our campsite. The "Hoo Doos" are a 2 minute walk from our campsite.


The Bow River (1 minute view from our campsite).

This is a glacier above Lake Louise from my kayak.


The Fairmont at Lake Louise.

Thursday (June 26th) was my birthday (#52). I was a little tired of all the scenery (just kidding). So, I had Keith take me into the city of Canmore for lunch and shopping. We had a terrific meal and a local spot with organic salmon pitas and melted brie cheese in a spinach salad with blueberry vinaigrette dressing.
I stopped by a Canadian SoapWorks shop with wonderful smells. This is the type of shop where they weigh the soap before you purchase it. Keith was out of his “manly” smelling soap so I bought him a hunk of homemade soap called the “Great Outdoors”. It smells wonderful, but during lunch I looked at the ingredients (lemongrass, lavender, dried eucalyptus and CATNIP). Keith is very allergic to cats, so hopefully the catnip won’t attract any cats (including mountain lions and bobcats during our hikes). He said he would use it anyways.
In the afternoon, we purchased a bus pass that took us all through Banff and then to Sulfur Mountain and the Hot Springs. We decided not to pay $7.50 for a 20 minute bath in the Hot Springs, but it did sound inviting for our sore muscles.

In the evening, we walked across the road from our campsite and saw the most spectacular views of the entire trip. The “Hoo Doos” were amazing. Keith debuted his video prowess. Hopefully they will upload okayl
Friday (June 27th) finds me in the Banff Public Library and Keith is in a kayak in Lake Minnewanka. I received an email from an editor that I needed to proofread a publication and return edits with 48 hours. I am already late. Thankfully, I can print off the galley prints in the library and then find a place to fax it.
I walked into town this morning. It took about an hour. It was beautiful with crisp scents of pine and a wonderfully blue sky. I will probably take the bus back to the campsite or else call Keith for a rescue pickup.
Americans can learn a lot from the Canadians about transportation. The Canadian Transcontinental Railroad seems to have defined the history of Canada. We hear many trains during the day, both freight and passenger. Also, this town has wonderful bicycle lanes and pedestrian walks. They really invite exercise. They are also very conservation –wise. The toilets in the library have`different “flush” options for water usage. Also, buses and cars cannot idle in public places so toxins are not emitted.

I wanted to include this pix of the Banff Presbyterian Church. What an inviting place.

Today is Wednesday and we spent the afternoon on Lake Louise in the kayaks. There were many snow-capped mountains and a few glaciers in the view. We also walked through the Lake Louise Fairmont hotel. It was very crowded with visitors from around the world and a harpist playing in the lobby. [Very posh.]
We were exhausted when we finally got home from carrying the kayaks up a hill to launch at the Lake.
I made grilled pizza with artichokes, chicken and peppers for supper (making up my own recipe). It tasted great after the long day of kayaking. Then, I walked into a little village a few miles down the road while Keith did a separate hike in the opposite direction that was more wooded. I found a beautiful little chalet restaurant called “Cilantros”. They had fire-grilled pizza with chicken and artichokes on their menu for $26. Maybe I’ll try to get a job there if the gas goes any higher! Linda on the edge of a cliff during the hike (Keith's camera debut. Isn't he techy after all?)

I gave my heart to the mountains the minute I stood beside this river with its spray in my face and watched it thunder into foam…. From the Sound of Mountain Water by Wallace Stegner
The whisper of blown and scattered spray gathering itself and beginning to flow again, secret and irresistible , among the rocks…. From the Sound of Mountain Water by Wallace Stegner

On Monday after our morning kayaking trip, we decided to take a drive and hike a short loop around Lake Miniwanka (1 hour hike). We’ve discovered in these mountain hikes, distance means nothing. Rather, you decide on the hike according to how long it will take since the elevation is so high. Also, we can’t figure out the km vs. miles. We have finally remembered how to measure the temperature in degrees Celsius (doubling the number and then adding 30 degrees). The weather has been in the cool 60s during the day and still in the 40s at night.
We heard that there was a lot of wildlife in the Lake Minnewanka area. During the hike, we encountered a family whose mother had broken her ankle on the hike in. She had fallen on some rocks and the break was obvious. They were from Vermont and this was their first day of vacation. We tried to help as much as possible, but they had already splinted it and were waiting for the rescue squad to arrive. They took her out of the forest in a cart with a large gurney on wheels and four person carriers. This had already been a bad holiday for them. They tried to ship all their camping gear ahead of time to Calgary where they were flying in. Unfortunately, it was tied up in customs somewhere so they had to buy all new equipment for their trip. Hopefully she is doing okay. They are camping near to us, so we will try to check in on them. Today, we packed a first aid kit on the hike.

On Tuesday morning, it was cold and rainy. We got up and did laundry ($4/load in Canadian dollars !). Then it started to clear up, so we hiked the Johnson Canyon. There were 7 water falls on this hike.
In the evening, we left the campsite close to dusk in search of a bear. Instead, it started to rain, but we still saw some great scenery and a few beginnings of rainbows. Still no bears (and no fast foodJ)
There is a holiday weekend coming up (Canada Day or something like that?), so the campground will be crowded. We found out today that we need to move our campsite to accommodate some other reservations. Despite our best efforts, it still takes at least 3 hours to take down the campsite and set up again.. So, tomorrow morning will be busy. Hopefully, we won’t encounter rain as we make the switch.