8/15/2001 - Wednesday

    Today is the first day of our vacation! Mr. J. came to our house at about 1:30pm and we headed out towards Abilene. Since we left later in the day, Abilene was the perfect place to drive to in a decent amount of time, plus Mr. J. had some relatives there that he needed to see. We ate an early dinner at Humphrey Pete’s, right on the Pecan Bayou between Early and Brownwood. We all had some kind of sandwich. It was quite tasty!

    We arrived in Abilene about 5:30pm or so, I can’t remember for sure. First we went over to the Motel 6 and got a room, then we went over to the relatives’ house and visited with the wife for about 30 minutes. After that, we went over to the hospital and visited the husband in there for about 15 minutes. It rained most of the time! There was a huge dark cloud to the west and northwest all evening, but it eventually moved northeast and just missed us. We went back to the Motel 6 and spent the evening flipping through TV channels, talking and reading until it was time to go to bed.

8/16/2001 - Thursday

    We woke up early today, so we could be sure to get as far as possible into Colorado before the day was out! None of us were hungry for awhile, so we didn’t stop for breakfast until we got to Sweetwater, which is about 20 miles to the west of Abilene. We stopped at McDonald’s and had "hockey pucks." I had an Egg McMuffin J The three drivers switched off every 2 hours as we drove up through the Texas panhandle. We did stop at the H.'s house in Plainview to see if we could say hi, but they weren’t home, so we left a note. Everyone got hungry for lunch by the time we got to Dumas, so we stopped in the place that had the most customers J That turned out to be K-Bob’s restaurant. On the outside it didn’t look like much, but on the inside it was really nice! There were two huge dining rooms connected by a big fireplace, and everything was decorated very tastefully (pun intended J ). The food was really good too!

    After we ate, we headed out through various tiny towns that are scattered about the area. Finally we crossed into New Mexico. We changed our watches and car clocks to Mountain Time (one hour earlier) and sped on through the countryside. We passed through the town of Clayton shortly after crossing the border. I was especially excited about seeing mountains again! There was, as there had been several times before, a thunderstorm as we got close to Mount Capulin in NM. It’s a huge dormant volcano. After what seemed like an eternity, we got to Raton, NM. That was our first mountain pass! We stopped at a visitor center just inside the Colorado border to walk around and stretch. The center was being remodeled, so the only thing they had available was soda machines and bathrooms.

    We consulted maps and decided we could make it to Colorado Springs before nightfall. Everyone enjoyed the mountain scenery as we passed through Trinidad, Walsenburg, and Pueblo. Finally, at about 7pm, we made it to Colorado Springs! We got a hotel room at Super 8, and called some friends of ours, the A.'s, who live in the Springs nearby. They invited us to drop by for a bit later on, so we went to eat dinner first. We ate at The Hungry Farmer, my favorite place! As always, the soup, salad and food were excellent, though the portions were slightly oversized! They had the cinnamon rolls and oatmeal muffins as usual, for the dinner rolls.

    About 9pm, we started for the A.'s, but had a bit of trouble finding their house. Finally, after calling them on the cell phone and getting more detailed directions, we found them! We had a very nice visit and got to see D. and C. too. D. will be getting married next summer! At about 10:30pm, we decided we’d better leave, so we made our way back to the motel.

8/17/2001 - Friday

    Finally, today is the last day we’ll be traveling for awhile! We got up early and didn’t get any breakfast except what we had in the food box in the car. We had no trouble getting to Denver, but then the traffic got awful! We had decided we wanted to take a "shortcut" through the mountains over and up to Wyoming, so we turned off to the west when we got into Denver. It was a nice drive, although with excessively curved and winding roads. We were carefully making our way up the mountains to Berthoud Pass, when, after coming around a rather sharp curve, we had to stop, because there was about a half-mile long line of cars in front of us just stopped on the road! No one was coming from the opposite direction. We guessed that some road work was going on, but then all of a sudden here comes an ambulance and a few police cars! Our next thought was that there was an accident up ahead, but we couldn’t tell. After sitting in one spot for about 20 minutes, cars started being allowed through on the opposite side of the road. After they stopped coming, we were allowed to go. They were indeed doing extensive road work, but also it seemed someone either got hurt or sick at one of the work sites. The altitude was about 11,000 feet right there, so someone might have gotten "altitude sickness" while working.

    We finally made it through that traffic jam and headed into Winter Park. It’s a ski resort town, so they had plenty of tourist attractions. After inquiring about restaurants at a gas station, we decided on "The Last Waltz." It was pretty good! When we came out, it was starting to rain. There were a lot of beautiful flowers around, including columbines, so I just had to take some pictures! After Winter Park, we had to decide whether to go up through Walden, CO, or go on to Steamboat Springs. We decided on Steamboat Springs and Craig. The drive up to Steamboat Springs was nice and scenic. We were quite surprised by the huge tourist industry operating up there, though! There were lots of ski lodges, restaurants, and the usual souvenir and "stuff" shops.

    After we got out of Steamboat Springs, it became more desert-like. The drive to Craig seemed to take forever, but then the drive from Craig to I-80 inside Wyoming seemed worse yet! It was simply miles and miles (and miles and miles) of gently rolling hills covered with sagebrush, occasionally populated with a few pronghorn antelope, and some gas wells. After resigning myself to the fact that we were never EVER getting to Wyoming, we saw the sign in the middle of nowhere that said "Welcome to Wyoming!" Finally! J We got on I-80 and sped west at 75mph, and at about 7pm, we got to Rock Springs! We stopped at a gas station to stretch and ask where the B.'s street was. We found it with no difficulty and were very glad to see some familiar faces out mowing the lawn! After everyone said hello, we went inside and they fed us pizza for dinner. We visited for awhile and then brought in our luggage. The boys kindly gave up their rooms down in the basement so that dad, mom, Mr. J., and I,  had our own rooms! We all went to bed about 9:30 or 10 that night.

8/18/2001 - Saturday

    Today we got up and had oatmeal and cold cereal for breakfast. Then we were taken on a tour of the town! It was very interesting, seeing all that they had, especially the huge rec. center! I thought the ice-skating rink looked like a lot of fun J After we went back to their house, we all had grilled-cheese sandwiches for lunch. The adults sat upstairs and talked, and the kids (including me) got to eat down in the basement and watch Mission Impossible J After that was over, Mrs. B., the boys, Mom, and I went over to Wal-Mart. A. had a stomach ache, so she had to stay home. After getting back to the house, everyone sat around and talked for awhile. At about 6pm, we had dinner. We had an elk roast (yes, I said ELK roast! J ) and carrots, potatoes, and biscuits with homemade strawberry jam. It was all delicious! After dinner we went over to a walking track and had a nice long walk. We caught a couple lizards, too. Later on, everyone took baths and got ready for church on Sunday.

8/19/2001 - Sunday

    Today we all got up early and had a "Dutch Baby" for breakfast. It’s a big egg pancake, similar to Yorkshire pudding J They call it a Dutch baby because it gets really fat in the oven. After breakfast, we all got dressed for church. At 10:30am, some of us went over to the church (maybe 4 feet from their house) and switched around hymnals and Bibles for our service, since the church is also used by a Lutheran congregation. Then other people started arriving for church. It started at 11am. The service was very nice; we all enjoyed it very much, except for when the one baby there screamed LOUD a few times. After church was over, we all went into the Sunday School area and had snacks and visited. Sunday School started at 12:30pm and went until 1:30pm. It was very good too! Afterwards, we went back to the B.'s house and had halibut (a type of fish), rice, something else that I can’t remember, and biscuits with that wonderful strawberry jam. We sat around the rest of the day visiting, and then had various leftovers for dinner. I don’t even remember what I ate! We went to bed about 10pm.

8/20/01 - Monday

    Today we got up early and everyone but the boys set out for Flaming Gorge recreational area. It took us a little over an hour to get there. The main attraction was the dam which holds the Green River back, forming Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Dad, A. and I walked partway out onto the dam, but everyone else stayed at the side…..I couldn’t even get halfway across before getting all shaky, so A. and I went back in the building. We were starving, anyway! While we were in the building, Mrs. H. called us on my cell phone, and we made plans to stop at their house in Plainview on the way back home on Saturday. Everyone came off the dam and we drove down into the park a little more and found a rest stop with a tourist shop. We ate our turkey-ham-and-cheese sandwiches and then admired the view of the canyon. It was starting to rain a a little, and thunder, so we soon got back in the car.

    We started our long (90 mile) drive back to Rock Springs, and came upon a road which was actually a loop of sorts, called the Sheep Creek Geological Loop. We thought, oh, why not? At first it didn’t look very spectacular, but as we got down in it, it was incredible. The rocks and canyons were spectacular! We did see some young bighorn sheep, and a beautiful waterfall. We were so glad to have thought to take this road! Soon, the road exited onto the road home, and we headed up the west side of Flaming Gorge. A. and I slept some, as did a couple other people in the car! Finally, about 5:30pm, we got back to Rock Springs. We stopped by the house to pick up the boys and then went out to eat at the Outlaw Inn. It’s a hotel restaurant, which had very good food! After eating we went back to the house, and the kids and I watched "Mission Impossible" again…I think…I can’t remember for sure! J We went to bed about 10pm or so.

8/21/01 - Tuesday

    Today we got up early and had another "Dutch Baby" for breakfast. Since the boys were going this time, we had to take two cars. We all started out north. The landscape was pretty, but flat and mostly covered with sagebrush. In about an hour, we reached Farson, where they have a great ice cream store, and it’s also where a church friend of the B.'s lives and works. We went into her sewing/quilting shop and visited for awhile. We then moved on towards the Wind River Mountains. We arrived about noon, and were starving! After stopping at a trailhead (on which a big notice about grizzly bears was posted) and using the (nasty) bathrooms, we drove through the park to find a place to eat our lunch. Half-Moon Lake seemed like a nice place to stop, so we wound our way over there and parked. Mr. J. inquired about renting one of the nice pontoon boats which was tied to the dock, and was told "it doesn’t work, you are welcome to sit on it as long as you want!" So we got to have lunch on a boat! J Mr. B. and the boys rented a paddleboat which turned out to be a miniature replica of the "Titanic", except this "ship" didn’t need an iceberg to start it sinking! They had fun on that until it began sinking in the back, nearly giving poor A. a bath! A hazy cloud was moving in from the west and the wind began blowing harder, so we decided to pack up and move out for home. We did stop at the town’s "mountain man" museum, but then headed on south. The cloud came closer, and began displaying a lot of lightning and some loud thunder.

    We stopped in Farson again for a bathroom break. On the last stretch, the storm finally broke, sending down huge sheets of rain, and spectacular cloud-to-ground lightning! The wind was also pretty gusty. After the rain stopped, we saw an Oregon Trail historical marker and stopped to check it out for a bit. A. and J. rode with us and slept most of that last stretch back, and I just dozed. Finally we made it back to Rock Springs. After stopping at the house to stretch and plan dinner, we decided on going out for Mexican. The Santa Fe (am I remembering right??) restaurant was chosen and we all packed into our one car to go over. The food was delicious and we had a good time talking over it! The restaurant also had some interesting things you could buy such as arrowheads, spears (what?) and pictures.

    Since this was our last night to spend with the B.'s, the kids and I had to watch "Mission Impossible" one last time J We had too much fun laughing over it! We all went to bed about 10pm or so.

8/22/01 - Wednesday

    We got up really early today….about 6am! Everyone got up to tell us goodbye. It was pretty chilly outside, too; about 50 degrees! It felt cold compared to the 100+ we were used to in TX! We all hugged the B.'s and said our goodbyes. It was hard, because after staying with people for 5 days, you kind of get attached, especially when they’re as wonderful as the B.'s J About 7am we drove off from their house. We stopped to get gas, and then got on I-80. Driving 75mph, we made it the 180 miles to Cheyenne in less than 3 hours! We then turned south on I-25 and drove into Longmont, CO. After stopping at Chili’s for lunch, we called the B.'s, who live in Longmont. After lunch we drove to their house and got to visit for an hour or so. That was great, getting to see more church friends! After visiting with them, we headed down the interstate to Colorado Springs. We arrived late in the afternoon. I slept most of the way down there. There was a very spectacular thunderstorm which turned all sorts of colors and shapes after moving off to the east of Colorado Springs.

    We got a motel room at another Super 8. Since we didn’t want much for dinner, we decided to stop by our old favorite, The Mason Jar, which is in Manitou Springs. I had a hamburger, with clam chowder (on the side). It was all very tasty! Then we went back to our hotel.

8/23/01 - Thursday

    This morning we got up and decided to drive through Garden Of The Gods, since Mr. J. hadn’t seen the rocks up close before. We were scheduled for a cog railway ride up Pikes Peak at 10:10am, so we had to be there half an hour early to get tickets and everything. After arriving at 9:40am, we got our tickets and jackets, and water, and waited along with everyone else. The trip up the mountain was really nice, except that we had a seat back by the engines, so it was REALLY loud! K After an hour and a half, we got to the top. It had been cloudy and spitting snow pellets when we got to the top, but by the time we’d been in the guest building for a few minutes, it cleared off! We could see Colorado Springs and Garden Of The Gods very clearly. After about 30 minutes, we were on our way back down. Mr. J. said he didn't feel good up there. (Little did we know, he was developing periocarditis and pneumonia! His doctor said it was a miracle he survived being at such a high altitude :/ !!!!!!!)

    It took an hour and a half to get back down the mountain, too. We ate lunch at McDonald’s. Then we drove south to Canon City where Royal Gorge is. It was about 4pm when we arrived…rather late, but it was still nice. We took a ride down into the canyon on the world’s steepest inclined railroad and looked at the railroad and river down there. Very spectacular!

    After we got back up to the top, we decided to walk out on the suspension bridge. Unfortunately, many cars were passing over it while we walked, and made the bridge jump and shudder! Before heading back to solid ground, I took some pictures through the boards of the bridge! Some of the cracks were an inch wide! By then it was getting late, so we continued our drive south. We finally made it to Raton, NM, at about 8pm. We stayed at their Motel 6.

8/24/01 - Friday

    We got up at about 8am today and went over to Denny’s for a Grand Slam breakfast. It was quite tasty! After finishing our meal, we got in the car and started driving south and east towards Texas. It was a pretty uneventful trip back to Plainview. We arrived at the H.'s house about 3pm or so. The girls and I went to the grocery store, then they took me over to Wayland Baptist U. for a little tour. There is a big pipe organ in the auditorium!! It sounded really impressive J .

    Dinner was chicken fried steak with gravy, cornbread, tabouli (middle eastern salad) and S. made the most MARVELOUS apricot cobbler (with ice cream) for dessert. I ate waaaayy too much! J

    We visited with the H.'s until late that night, and of course the girls and I had to watch "Mission Impossible"! J

    We all went to bed about midnight!

8/25/01-Saturday

    We got up pretty early this morning and packed all our stuff up. We said goodbye to M. (the girls weren’t up yet) and headed home! The trip home was good….we were anxiously anticipating being home with our families, beds, and food! We arrived home about 5pm, all tired out, but really glad to be home. That’s the end of our nice long vacation! J