Since about the time I turned 40, I’ve had 2 health things to deal with…acid reflux and frequent urination. Both problems joined forces and made for an interesting night on Ramrock Mountain.
The Beef Ramen noodle, Chicken Ramen noodle, and tobasco sauce trifecta began working their magic both north and south of my stomach. I popped some Tums at 2 a.m. which quelled the reflux. The real issue that night, though, involved urination.
Apparently as men get older, their prostates grow. I believe mine is probably about the size of a can of tuna. The doc told me it pushes on the urethra (which, quite frankly, sounds like something only women should have) and this irritates the bladder walls, which contract, making you have to pee. So for most nights over the past decade, I get up at 3 a.m., shuffle to the bathroom, relieve myself, then crawl back into bed. In an RV this is really easy because you just take one full stride, do a left face, and fire away.
That’s all well and good in a house or RV, but not so fun in the wilderness at 3 a.m. in all sorts of weather. So I brought a Mountain Dew pee bottle. Before judging me, hear me out. It’s ultra-light. It fits neatly in the side pocket of my backpack. I’m in a Flycreek 2 tent, which implies pants fly and creek or stream. There’s a technique that can work…and did work at 3 a.m. on our first night on the trail. First you get up on your knees, placing the top of your head at the top of the tent. Ideally you’d have 3 hands…one to hold the bottle, one to aim with, and one to hold a small flashlight. (Headlamps are not recommended as they illuminate the tent and may cast an awkward silhouette.) With only 2 available hands, this must be done in the dark. You assume the position, aim, fire, put the lid on tightly, and go back to sleep. Then empty the bottle the next day. Why no one has written about this technique in all the AT guides and books I’ve read is beyond me. It’s called The Johnson Method and it worked beautifully on night 1 near Hightower Gap.
Night 2 at Ramrock…not so much. I made a critical mistake. As I rose up on my knees, they were on the air mattress rather than straddling it. I grabbed the bottle, aimed, and fired. About 6 ounces in, all was well. As the Mountain Dew bottle warms up, you know good things are happening. Then disaster struck. About mid-stream, my left knee slid off the side of the air mattress, sending me in to a topple. Your instincts are to reach out and catch yourself, but there were no available hands! In moments like this, mid-stream, job 1 is to keep the Mountain Dew bottle connected to the mother ship. So I held on for dear life and fell over sideways with my head and shoulder hitting the side of the tent. But I kept firing. At age 50, there’s no way to turn off the spigot until the tank is empty. I laid there for a moment…relieved that I wasn’t injured…and just relieved in general. As I lay there on my side, my next issue was that the bottle cap was on the other side of the tent. So with all the energy I could muster I swung my legs around while maintaining the link up with the mother ship. I grabbed the bottle cap with my toes like a ballerina and swung back around. I then leaned the bottle up, capped it, and rolled back onto the air mattress. Tragedy averted! It’s the unexpected things on the AT, the surprise moments, that will make or break you. Ya gotta rise to the occasion or urine big trouble.
Matt an I on Blood Mountain
Matt and I left Ramrock about 8:15. About 20 minutes into the hike, I got that rumbling in my stomach. The tobasco-laced Ramen noodles had worked their way through my digestive track. I knew Woody Gap was near and had an actual toilet. And so, in answer to the question, “Woody finally go on day 3?”…the answer is he would. In honor of the occasion, I renamed the location He Would Gap.
After a peanut butter, trail mix, and beef jerky lunch at Jarrard Gap, we made our way toward Blood Mountain. It is the 6th tallest mountain in Georgia and the tallest AT mountain in Georgia. Some say the mountain was named after a bloody battle between the Cherokee and Creek Indians. Others say it’s based on the reddish color of lichen and Catawba near the summit Others say the Bloods beat the Crips there in some gang warfare. (Just 1 person said that.) Sadly, what’s for certain is that it was the location where a hiker named Meredith was murdered in 2008. The killer is in prison for life.
We ascended blood mountain in the rain. On the way up, we saw a few birds…the first wildlife of any kind so far…besides one salamander. It was a long ascent but not too difficult other than my right heel was bleeding a bit. We hung out with some hikers at the Blood Mountain shelter for awhile and shot a video clip that wasn’t audible due to the wind. The descent was more challenging due to the wet rocks (lots of them to scramble over) and the wind. I’d hate to be a south-bounder going up that side. On the way down we passed 3 New Yorkers also planning to stay at the Walasi Yi hostel for the night. That would prove to be a key pass, as when we got there around 5, we got the final 2 remaining bunks.
Large Pizza Appetizer
First order of business, even before showering, was to eat. I drank a Diet Coke that was magical. Matt and I then split a large 3-meat pizza. I then ate a burrito and then an apple and then drank a Ginger Ale and a PowerAid. I was just starting to fill kinda full when 15 students from Armstrong State University in Savannah came rolling in with baked ziti, salad, and bread. So I ate it. These youngsters do this on Spring Break as part of a Christian ministry outreach and we really appreciated it.
Ziti and The Matrix with new friends
We got a shower, did laundry, and got to know a wide assortment of humanity. Among the cast of characters was Book in Boots, an Australian lady who bunked below me. There were two Indiana University ladies who we shared a bear bag line with on Ramrock…one is a competitive cyclist and one wants to be a brain surgeon. Next there was Emily, a very kind and interesting transgender photographer from Houston. A lady about my age named Driftwood was there with Wildwood, her 20 year old special needs son. They are attempting a thru and I really admire that. Several of us stayed up til 10:30 watching The Matrix and burping ziti.
Just a Flesh Wound
My final challenge of the night was climbing up to the top bunk with sore feet and a sore body. I finished off the day listening to an excellent sermon by my friend and former fellow teacher, Donald Ballard. (Thanks Ross and Crafton for putting these on the web.)
I was in a warm bed, with a bathroom nearby, and my Mountain Dew bottle was securely tucked away in my backpack.
The mountains are calling and I must go. – John Muir
I don’t know how this hike will end, but the beginning was fantastic! A fellow sojourner, Maureen, arranged for Lil Jan and me to spend 2 nights in a cabin not far from Springer Mountain. The cabin belongs to her friend, and our new friend, Arlin…thank you, sir! Turns out Arlin is the father of Terry Chapman, who we know from our FL Bible Camp days. Small world. The cabin was right on the Toccoa River and a perfect place to be.
On Friday, we headed to Amicalola Falls State Park with Maureen and Arlin, and met up with a bunch of family…my Dad, sister Ellen, her hubby Vin, her daughter Lizzie, Jan’s sister Carol, her hubby Scott, and Vin’s brother Tim. We hiked up the Falls (killer steps!), ate at the lodge, and checked out the visitors center. I also registered for my hike…I’m hiker #564 to start the trail this year. That night Janet carbo loaded me up with chili and pasta. I slept surprisingly well, even though I was a tad anxious.
One small step for Big Steve…one giant trip ahead
Saturday morning we all rendezvoused at the Springer Mountain parking lot. That was no small feat as the 6 mile Forest Road 42 leading to the parking lot was gravel and full of potholes. Thankfully we were in a Honda Fit. ? We then headed up the .9 miles to the Springer Mountain summit and southern terminus of the AT. We took some photos, I signed the logbook and then I took the first of what I hope will be about 5 million steps. Back down at the parking lot we circled up and Vin led us in prayer. I then hugged everyone, kissed my wife, and almost cried. So many emotions were going through my head. I can’t express how cool it was having all those folks there. Or the texts and Facebook posts from all over…even high school friends that I haven’t seen in 30+ years! I have truly felt the love and support and encouragement. I carry a piece of each of you with me. If you want that piece back, see my son Jason…he does prosthetics!
First Privy
About 100 yards down the trail I sensed a guy on my tail. I turned and asked him if he was going to Maine. He said yes so I gave him a fist pump and we’ve been hiking buddies ever since. His name is Matt and he recently graduated from UNC-Wilmington. Loves jazz music and reminds me a lot of Luke Larsen, for those who know him. He decided to take a year off before starting law school. He’s a competitive rifle and pistol shooter which I thought might come in handy hunting wolverines but he’s not packin. He has a slightly faster motor than me on the up hills…probably because hes’s not 50 and chunky.
Beef Stew.
Our first day of hiking was beautiful and unseasonably warm. I stopped at the Stover Creek Shelter privy to relieve myself because apparently the thousands of trees in every direction weren’t good enough for me. We met several other hikers there and later at the Hawks Mountain shelter. We learned that a woman had to medically evacuated from there because she spilled boiling water on her leg while cooking. Sorry to hear that. Matt and I ended up camping on the top of the first hill north of Hightower Gap. I had beef stew and peanut butter and crackers for supper. We hung our bear bags, built a fire, and set up camp. It had been a near perfect 8.9 mile day 1 and I dozed off to sleep about 9pm.
Bear Bag
The heavy rain and wind gusts started about midnight. I was kind of excited about it because I wanted to test everything out early on the hike. I stayed warm and dry in my UL Flycreek 2 tent. Matt didn’t fair so well in his hammock and tarp. In fact he got soaked. I felt bad for him but he bounced back pretty quickly.
I got up at 7:30, packed up in the rain, and ate the pop tart that had been sitting in the bottom of my food bag for the past 2 months of training hikes. It was basically brown sugar cinnamon sawdust. Sassafras Mountain, at 3347 feet, was my first butt kicker. It’s not as difficult as what lies ahead, but it’s difficult because your lungs and legs are still getting acclimated to these altitudes. The moderate rain didn’t help. My glasses were fogging up so I took them off…causing my vision to fog up.
Justus Creek…cold but refreshing
Our luck improved around noon as the sun came out and we had lunch and got water at the beautiful Justus Creek. Later we paid a visit to Gooch Gap shelter and talked to several hikers. One guy was a 50 year old pastor from Belleville IL (where we used to live) who has a son who spent 2 years at Harding University where Kyle and Jason go/went. A short time later, at Gooch Gap, we got our first trail magic!!! A former thru hiker, Sticks, is spending his Spring break making hot dogs for hikers. He asked if I wanted one. That answer will always…ALWAYS, be yes! Pretty cool, selfless thing to do on your week off. I ate it in 2 bites.
Matt and I enjoying some trail magic
We finished our 10.1 mile day atop Ramrock Mountain. It’s the 2 of us and 2 young ladies from Indiana University. Don’t worry honey we’re only sharing a bear bag line as they didn’t have one. It’s been a good day…the only downside being Matt’s soaking hammock (which eventually dried out) and a couple blisters on my heels which I treated tonight. And I miss Lil Jan. Supper tonight was 2 packages of Ramen noodles (beef and chicken) with a packet of tobasco sauce. I haven’t pooped in 2 days so I’m hoping that will stir the pot. (If that’s TMI for you, you’re reading the wrong blog!)
Not a bad view
Very grateful to be here, and grateful for the folks cheering me on. Looking forward to tackling Blood Mountain tomorrow and possibly getting to Neels Gap, where we may stay the night to shower and re-supply.
“He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.” – 1 Samuel 17:40
We spent our last six weeks in Florida at the Sojourners workshop and then on a sojourn at Mount Dora Christian Academy. The workshop featured a combination of good speakers, singing, a banquet, games, future mission planning/sign-ups, and all-around fellowshipping with a tremendous group of people. Workshops are how Sojourners sharpen the saw, re-energize, and re-connect.
Lil Zip Liner
The first highlight of the workshop for me was a visit on my 50th birthday by our youngest son, Kyle, and his fiancé, Laci. The visit was made possible by Dr. Bruce McLarty, the President of Harding University. Bruce was a keynote speaker and banquet speaker at our workshop. His parents were there with us, and he knew that we were there and were Kyle’s parents. So he invited Kyle and Laci to fly in with him on the Harding jet and spend about 24 hours with us. Kyle mentioned to me that he and Laci would have to miss a day of classes. I told him that when you are flying around with the president of the university, that’s probably an excused absence! I really appreciated Dr. McLarty’s thoughtful gesture and can’t imagine a better birthday present. We took full advantage of Kyle and Laci’s visit to show them around the Central Florida Bible Camp campus, go zip-lining, eat German food in Mount Dora, and get updated on the various details of their upcoming wedding. I’m biased, but I think this young Christian couple is going to have a really powerful impact on the world. In many ways they already have.
MDCA Sojourners
The second highlight of the workshop involved my upcoming AT thru-hike attempt. As previously blogged about (AT Thru-Hike #3: Julio and “Amber Alert”), I’m using my thru-hike as a way to help our friends, Julio and Amber Colon, adopt a child. A dear sweet lady, who will remain unnamed, approached me at the workshop. She said, “Steve, I read the blog on your friends and I want to help them adopt.” She then handed me a $10 bill and wished me luck. I thanked her and she walked away. A short time later, I learned that she has had some difficult family challenges and is certainly not well-off financially. Suddenly her $10 donation took on increasing significance to me. Mark 12:41-44 came to mind…
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
I’m not suggesting our sojourner friend lives in poverty. I am suggesting her $10 was not an insignificant amount to her…she was not giving “out of abundance”. It got me to thinking…I wonder if I should make a personal appeal to these fine people. Asking for money is not something I enjoy doing. I would fail working in a Development office. When my sons were young, it even felt a little awkward watching them sell candles and cookies and things to raise funds for various causes. Still, I felt like these folks should hear about the Colon’s adoption plan in order to decide for themselves whether they were in a position to give. So I addressed the group and made a short appeal. When we went on break, several sojourners made their way over to Janet to donate. Long story short…within 10 minutes, they had pledged $1700 toward the cause! News of their generosity spread, additional donations and pledges have come in, and our total is now at $3673.94… 68% of their $5375 balance! I know of 3 additional pending pledges, and perhaps some others reading this will join in on this worthy cause (if so, contact Janet…703-403-8492). Never underestimate what God can do with a couple of “small copper coins”.
Fence Removal Crew
Our sojourn at Mount Dora Christian Academy was a lot of fun. The work included construction, demolition, repairs, painting, pressure washing and cleaning all over the campus and at the school’s thrift store. Lil Jan primarily painted and pressure washed all over campus. In fact, she may have found her sojourners calling with a pressure washer in her hand. I helped remove a fence, replaced damaged patio tiles, painted, and helped Lil Jan with the pressure washing. I may have also sprayed a lizard with a 2700 PSI pressure washer blast. The MDCA team was gracious enough to provide our team breakfast and lunch every day, and we enjoyed getting the chance to interact with the students. In fact, they were impressed with my tongue-twirling abilities and sought me out on campus so that I could show my trick to others who hadn’t seen it.
Lil Bridge Washer
A final story once again showed God at work. Tonya, one of the house parents at Mount Dora, made our team several delicious breakfasts while we were there. Tonya has a love for God and a love for children that you might expect to find in a house parent at a children’s home. On one occasion, we asked her what was on her wish list (because everyone has one of those). She paused for a moment, because the thing she had in mind was, to quote her, “really big”. I was thinking she might be thinking about a new car or perhaps a Hawaiian vacation. Instead, she said they could really use a picnic table. Yes, a picnic table was her big item. I laughed, because in my mind it’s not that big of an item, quite doable, and well within the capabilities of our team. But to her, it was a big deal, and she gets to decide that. She didn’t have one simply because she hadn’t asked for one…perhaps because she thought it was “too big” of a request. After initially planning to pool our resources and just buy her one, our team instead was made aware of one elsewhere on campus that wasn’t being used and just needed some TLC. So we dried it out, planed it, sanded it, and stained it. It looked as good as new. In fact, it looked better and more solid than the one that was available for purchase. So on our final day there, at our final breakfast with her, our team surprised her with the table and a new large coffee pot. She was thrilled and touched by the gesture. It wasn’t that big of a deal…really, it wasn’t…and yet to her it was.
After the sojourn ended and we were heading north toward South Carolina, Janet got a text from Tonya that I don’t think she’d mind me sharing: “When Daniel (who is 10) came home yesterday and discovered the picnic table, he got all excited and shouted that his teacher had told them to go outside on a picnic table to pray and write in their journals. He said, “Can I go sit at the picnic table and pray?” He went out and I watched him sit down at the picnic table, fold his hands, and start praying! He did it again today! Already put to good use!! Thank you all so much for blessing us!”
God works in mysterious ways. He can turn a few fish into a feast for thousands. He can use a small stone and a brave young man to slay a giant. He can multiply a seemingly modest donation by touching the hearts of those who hear about it. And he can use a simple picnic table to inspire a young man to journal and to pray. Never under-estimated what God can do with the little and simple things in your life. Give him a chance, and he can turn them into something big.
While Steve does most of the blogging about our adventures, I wanted to share my thoughts as I get ready for Steve to begin his AT thru-hike on Saturday. Thru-hiking the AT has been a bucket list and dream of his for so many years. Way back in 2004 when we lived in Virginia and would talk about it, I secretly never thought it would come to fruition. Well, I’m eating those thoughts now!
Steve plans to depart on March 12th from Springer Mountain, GA and, if all goes well, will be gone for about 6 months. Many of my friends and family have asked me how I feel about this whole thing, so I decided to jot down my thoughts. I typically joke about it and say I’m glad he’s finally getting to do it so I don’t have to listen to him talk about it anymore and so he can quit obsessing over it all the time. And to set the story straight, he has assured me that this is not his attempt to get some time away from me after literally living together for 10 months in 480 square feet in “a van down by the river.”
I also have been asked many times why I’m not going with him. My answer to that is… “It’s not my crazy bucket list item!” Although I do enjoy hiking and being out in nature, I just don’t feel the draw to go that far and spend that many nights in a row in a tent on the ground! Even though I’m sure I would enjoy much about the experience, for me, the cons far outweigh the positives. Having said that, I know Steve’s experience will be much better if he’s not having me around to slow him up and complain about how my feet hurt, or I’m too hot, or I really need a bath!
I’m actually excited for him to be able to begin this bucket list adventure because I know how much he wants to do it, but I’m also very anxious and worrisome about it. Dwelling on the “what ifs” and negatives of his hike is something that I struggle with every day. In all areas of my life I try not to be a “Negative Nelly” but it is something that I have to fight against. In reaction to his hike, I will have to remind myself everyday to think about the positives (the nature experience, the camaraderie with his fellow hikers, the majestic views he will enjoy, his sense of accomplishment, and of course, the protection of the Almighty watching over him). I will have to keep my mind away from the “what ifs”, like “what if he gets lost, what if he gets hurt, what if he gets mugged by some crazy hiker, what if he’s in the middle of a bad storm, what if he runs out of water, what if he gets bitten by a snake and of course, the obvious…WHAT IF HE GETS MAULED BY A BEAR like Leo DiCaprio in The Revenant!” Those kinds of thoughts will only make my next 6 months miserable. Therefore, I am going to try very hard not think about those things! He has told me that I cannot start worrying unless I haven’t had any contact or text from him within 7 days. I can’t promise not to worry, but I promise not to call the Forest Ranger to go find him before the 8th day of no contact!
As for my plans for the next few months, I plan to spend quite a bit of time with my family in SC and visiting with friends around the country. One of the added blessings will be spending several weeks with my aging parents, which I know will be something that I will cherish for a long time. I plan to meet Steve 3 or 4 times at various trail towns along the hike and will mail him a few care packages along the way. We also have a wedding coming up in May that gives me something to be excited about! As a military wife, I was lucky to only have Steve gone on one long deployment for about 5 ½ months in his 23-year career. When he was in Afghanistan I had many things to worry about regarding his safety, but I had a house to keep and the kids at home to keep my mind and life busy. This time around, it’s just me and I don’t even have a typical “home” to hang out in. I will have to depend on my friends and family to house me and keep me busy! I like to think of myself as a pretty independent woman, but I’m sure doing things on my own for the next few months will get old after awhile. I will certainly miss my best friend that I’ve been living life with for the past 28 years!
I am happy that so many of our family and friends, new and old, are following Steve’s journey and supporting him while he’s living out this crazy dream. He will certainly look forward to reading all your posts and supportive comments on our blog or through Facebook, as will I. We solicit your prayers for both of us as we embark on this journey.
I guess I will finish up my thoughts here with a note to my dear, sweet husband…I am so proud of you for having the determination and drive to follow your dreams! I’m glad that we are at a point in our life that this dream is becoming a reality for you. I can promise you that I will pray for you daily (most likely multiple times each day), that I will miss you terribly (the good and the bad), that I will try not to worry TOO much (can’t promise that I won’t worry at all), but most importantly I promise you that I will LOVE YOU FOREVER!
Be safe, my love, and come back to me in one piece as soon as you can!!
God created everything. The evidence is overwhelming. Magnificent designs require a Magnificent Designer.
The Bible is God’s word…inspired and authoritative. Basic-Instructions-Before-Leaving-Earth. It should be read, studied, and lived. I can’t pick and choose the parts I want to follow. There’s a huge difference in just believing in God and actually doing what He says.
God loved us enough to send His only Son to this earth to die for our sins. Let that sink in a little more every day.
Christ rose again and reigns in heaven. He’s coming back one day to take Christians home. Instructions on becoming a Christian…joining his team…are clearly laid out in the Bible.
The more you realize how much God loves you, the more you’ll want to follow the Bible. You won’t do that perfectly (not even close), but you’ll want to try to do your best…because God gave his best.
If you miss out on the above 5 things, you’ve missed out on everything. Nothing is more important in life. Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Figure that out while you’re still alive, and preferably while you’re young.
Choose the right spouse. Someone who has already figured out #1-5. You’ll be spending a lot of time with this person. Make sure she is someone who will help you get to heaven, and do the same for her. If she is cute, funny, and a good cook…that’s icing on the cake.
Stay married. Be in it for the long haul. As much as it depends on you…one life, one wife.
Get/Be good at something. Whether its plumbing, PowerPoint, or playing the violin, be the expert people go to for something. Then keep getting better at it and find new ways to apply that knowledge.
Learn how to drive a stick shift, administer CPR, use TurboTax, and cook a good omelette.
If you wait until age 50 to grow out your beard, don’t be surprised when it comes out looking like Spanish moss.
Have at least one person in your life who will give you honest criticism and tell it like it is.
Try to make a living doing something where the following 3 “circles” intersect: what you’re good at, what you’re passionate about, and where there’s a societal need.
Make people feel important. That starts by realizing that all people are loved and important. All lives matter.
Be a person of unquestionable integrity. If there’s a rumor that you lied or cheated, the people who know you best should be certain it’s not true.
If called to lead, don’t be timid. Lead like a lion. The pride will be comforted, encouraged, and inspired by that.
Have a vision for the future—for yourself, your family, your business, your church, etc. Sell your vision every day.
Be cheerful, upbeat, and optimistic. It’s okay to be joyful. In fact, we’re supposed to be.
Take initiative. Don’t stand around waiting for others to act. Be the change agent.
Invest in your kids…family time, youth group activities, etc. You won’t get those years back. Teach your kids to know and love God. Make sure they (and you) are in Sunday school every week. That’s more important than their grades, travel sports teams, scouts, etc.
Appreciate the little things–the Moe’s workers who welcome you when you come in, the parking spot that opens up near the mall, midgets, etc.
It’s okay to support a certain political party/candidate (especially pro-life ones!). But as Christians, keep in mind that our citizenship is in heaven and our leader is Christ. What goes on in your house is far more important than what goes on in the White House.
Concentrate on fixing things. Enough people are already focused on pointing out problems.
People who don’t smoke, drink, or gamble are generally going to end up better off than those who do. Rarely on a deathbed will someone say, “I wish I had smoked/drank/gambled more.”
Give blood regularly. When they ask where in Honduras you visited, it’s best just to say, “near Tegucigalpa”.
Figure out what pleases your spouse. A rigorous foot massage and doing the laundry may be appreciated more than flowers.
Take chances, recognizing you won’t always succeed. The most successful people have failed a bunch. You’re more likely to regret the things you didn’t try than the things you tried and failed at.
All things being equal, choose a dog over a cat.
Read Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Then re-read it.
Find a way to take your kids on a mission trip to a third-world country before they graduate. It will change their lives and yours. I’ve heard many young people say that it was on a mission trip where their faith started to become real to them…not just something they inherited from their parents.
Don’t get too cocky about your winning pro/college sports team. You had little to do with it. Fantasy teams that you selected? Well, that’s a different story.
Dream big dreams. You might just hit on a few of them.
You can learn a lot about life from your children. If you’ve done your job, you might even start looking at them as role models.
Tell your family you love them. Then tell them that over and over again. You never know when it will be the last time you speak to them. Go ahead and do that now…then come back to the blog.
Double-check your hose before opening the valve on your RV black tank. Trust me on this.
Stick with low-cost term life insurance and diversified no load mutual funds. Don’t mix insurance and investments.
Never give up. Never, ever give up. Others will give up. You stick it out.
Thank the custodial staff at your school/place of business.
Get a will (or trust), Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Living Will, and Declaration of Guardian (if you have kids). Make sure your parents have done the same, and that you know where these documents are located.
Work hard…but also take time to re-charge, take vacations, etc. Sharpen the saw.
Choose your friends carefully and cultivate those friendships. You tend to become like the people you hang with.
Think carefully before getting tattoos. The large skull and crossbones on your forearm may not be quite as cool down the road when applying for a job, holding your grandchild, etc.
Apologize when you mess up. And sometimes even when you don’t.
Open a Roth IRA by age 22 and begin contributing the max amount to it by automatic payroll deduction (about $15/day, or as much as you can). When you hit 72, thank me.
Champion a cause larger than yourself. Open an orphanage. Plant a church. Adopt a child or donate to help someone else trying to adopt. Teach/mentor someone. Don’t have too much of your life be just about you.
Be patriotic. Pick up a meal for a young service member and his/her family. Stand up straight and put your hand over your heart during the playing of the National Anthem. For all of our country’s problems, it’s still our country…and millions of people around the world would give anything to live here.
Don’t be dull and boring at what you do. Be creative. Break out from the herd. Have a compelling story.
Don’t leave visiting the sick, helping the elderly, etc., to the elders/deacons/paid church staff. We should all be involved in those ministries.
The two most important skills, at least in the military: 1) the ability to get along with and relate to other people; and 2) the ability to communicate (talking, writing, briefing) to sell your ideas. Master these two skills.
Keep dental floss in your car’s driver’s side storage compartment. You’re more likely to use it at red lights than at home.
Focus on your circle of influence (feeding a homeless person) rather than your circle of concern (hunger).
Nowhere does the Bible tell us to be “tolerant” of sin. We should avoid doing things that are wrong and, in a loving way, teach/encourage others who are caught up in sinful lifestyles. Hate (be intolerant of) the sin…but always love and be kind to the sinner. Pretty sure that’s what God does.
Don’t worry when you go over 50 items on a 50-item list. It’s your list. It’s your blog. It’s your birthday. Say what’s on your mind.
Worrying accomplishes nothing. In fact, it’s counter-productive. Spend that energy working the problem, if there’s something about the problem you can work on.
Back up your home movies to DVD before they get brittle.
“Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14). But what about _________________? It says “everything”. No one wants to hear your griping or mine.
Go on a vacation to the Holy Lands…it’ll change the way you understand the Bible. Also, visit Rothenburg, Germany in winter and do the Night watchman Tour while it’s snowing. Walk the ruins of Pompeii and tell your young sons this is what can happen “if you are bad”. Ride camels in Petra, Jordan and pink jeeps in Sedona, Arizona. Just get out and see and do stuff outside of your home state/country.
Don’t over-spend on clothes. Do over-spend on high quality running/hiking shoes. You’ll be putting a lot of miles on those feet.
Make “Random Acts of Kindness” part of your DNA. Just do stuff for people and don’t tell anyone.
A lot of what happens to you in life won’t make sense at the time. However, you’ll be amazed at how many times you can look back on things that happened and see how God was connecting dots and bringing about good from the situation.
If you make it to 50 years old, drop to your knees and thank God. Not everyone makes it that far. Then get off your knees and go on a really long hike.
“We should not be asking who this child belongs to, but who belongs to this child.” – Jim Gritter
“Adopting one child won’t change the world, but for that child, the world will change.” – Unknown
Amber and Julio Colon are two very special people that we’ve known for about 7 years who want to adopt a child. They have huge hearts for God, each other, and kids. They are one day going to be AWESOME parents. Only one significant hurdle remains…raising the remaining funds. $6645 to be exact. That’s where you and I come in. Among my 10 previously blogged about reasons for thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, I want to try to help Amber and Julio close the financial gap so they can bring this adoption to fruition.
Before you consider investing in the future of this child, I’d like for you to get to know Amber and Julio a little better…
Q: So tell us about yourselves?
Julio:
My childhood was a blessed one. I was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and moved to Cranston, Rhode Island when I was 6 years old. I have one older brother (Ricky) and two younger sisters (Rosa and Gretchen). My father and mother, who met in New York City, provided the best they could for their four children. My dad was the sole provider for the family as my mom was a homemaker. My parents always provided a safe, loving, and God-fearing home. Growing up in my home, we knew that every Sunday and Wednesday we would be going to church. As a young teen, I remember some really great weekends at church youth rallies held throughout the state (and sometimes in other nearby states). My mother made the most amazing food! (recipes and methods that I am happy that she shared with Amber). As I entered my high school years my parents were also very supportive of any extracurricular activities. Friday nights meant that they would come see me play football, or they would try to catch a track meet whenever possible. Deciding to go to a Christian University really impacted my future as it was where I met my wife, Amber. Harding University was truly a blessing for me in many ways. While at Harding, I traveled to Australia and Venezuela on mission trips supporting local churches. Those experiences really opened my eyes to the happenings of this world at a relatively young age (19-21 years old). While at Harding, I also had the priviledge to meet Christians from all parts of the U.S. and even the world. To this day, my time spent at Harding allows me to have connections with brothers and sisters in Christ all over the country. I am now into my fourth year as a teacher at Foundation Christian Academy and just this year also became the Dean of Students. The school has truly been a blessing and has allowed me to grow as a person, a leader, a manager, a role model, a mentor, and a Christian.
Amber:
My childhood was a happy one. I was blessed beyond measure with a second chance at family via adoption by my mom at age two and my dad at age ten. My Dad and Mom both worked really hard to support us. My dad is a full-time Hospital Pharmacist and unofficial part-time hospital comedian (one of the funniest men I know). He was a huge encourager at my track meets and Show Choir performances. He also encouraged me to join the youth group and introduced me to Church Camp (Highlight of my childhood). My mom is a Respiratory Therapist who spent her time making sure that my 3 other siblings and I had everything we needed. She hosted sleepovers, planned birthday parties, cleaned up after us and made sure we learned tidiness and manners. She would quite literally do anything for any of her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
I am the oldest in my family of four children that I grew up with, (three girls and one very lucky well mothered little brother.) I also have four sisters from my biological parents that I have enjoyed reconnecting with over the past few years. I grew up in Northwest Ohio in a pretty small town. My graduating class only had 62 people in it. We lived out in the country for most of my childhood. I have fond memories of running around in our woods with my siblings and cousins, building teepees, hunting for crawfish, and celebrating every holiday with both sides of our families. I graduated from Van Buren High School in 2001 and went to college at Harding University where I met the love of my life, Julio Colon, and graduated with my MRS. Degree. In all seriousness I left college about a semester short of my Bachelors in Business to pursue a career with The Buckle. Which as it turns out, worked out really well for us. (Sorry parent readers, kids stay in school as it might not work out as well for you!)
Getting Ready
Q: When did you become a Christian? Who was the most influential person in you becoming a Christian?
Julio: I was raised in the church and do not remember a time when we did not go to church growing up. When I was sixteen years old I decided to be baptized. The most influential people in my walk with Christ have been my parents. My father and my mother have both set an amazing example of what daily Christian living looks like.
Amber:
I was also raised in the church and have quite a few people who were instrumental to my faith in so many ways. Dauri Shank ,who taught me the basics of the Old and New Testament and showed me unconditional love during a tough transition when my biological dad left. Kathryn Kelly, who humbly demonstrated to me how women and their redeeming stories can be used to lead in the church. Ed and Claudia Beeson, who demonstrated transparency and boldness and showed me what God’s grace looks like in the way they were transparent while living their lives as a “Real” family in full display of the church as Minister and Minister’s Wife. Also, my Grandma Evelyn who embodied what it meant to be a Proverbs 31 wife and who helped me fall in love with singing and acapella music. Last but not least my father, Steve, who showed up, stepped up, and stayed. Without his influence and time and attention he gave me, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I also wouldn’t have known what to look for in a spouse. He baptized me on Sunday, August 18th, 1996.
Q: How did you meet? Was it love at first sight? When did you get married?
We met at Harding University during Julio’s Freshman year and my Sophomore year. With a group of mutual friends, we spent our spring break in Daytona Florida. It was there that Julio and I first began to see each other as more than just friends. We spent the next several weeks speaking to each other for hours on the phone. One Wednesday night at a church service we held hands for a prayer (we still hold hands for every prayer). We spent time going to Social Club events, visiting our friend’s family homes and hometown congregations, and hanging out at Heber Lake. After about a year and a half, it became clear to both of us that we were better together than on our own and we were ready to get married. Actually, I came from our first date gushing to my roommate that Julio would be who I would marry! 🙂 In the summer of 2004, Julio hiked me all the way to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain and proposed under a beautiful pink sunset.
Q: Where do you work?
Julio: I am a Middle/High School teacher and the Dean of Students at Foundation Christian Academy in Valrico, Florida.
Amber:
I am a Customer Service loss Reporter at Progressive Insurance in Riverview, Florida.
Q: What do you do for fun? Any hobbies?
Julio: I enjoy exercising and being out in nature. I enjoy working on vehicles and, in fact, do many of the repairs on our vehicles myself. Along with vehicles, I truly enjoy fixing almost anything. I will try to fix things that break in our home before replacing them. Recently, I have also taken to woodworking and have built three different types of tables for Amber as gifts. I also have a deep interest in stocks, investing and financial topics in general.
Amber: I also enjoy nature and being outside, exploring parks and hunting for shark teeth on the beach with Julio. I like to metal detect when I get a chance. I love to hike, canoe, and adventure out with my sister. We recently swam with manatees and it was insanely fun and intimidating. I have also recently began to learn how to fish. I’ve only caught a sunburn so far, but I still have fun. I have a little homemade sign/craft business called “The Polished Anchor”. Last year I did four local craft shows to help raise funds for our adoption. I love to cook and love to try new recipes.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to adopt a child? Was there a particular moment or was it a gradual process?
Amber and I have always wanted children, but deciding to adopt was a gradual process for us. Early in our marriage, Amber wanted to adopt before having any biological children because of the impact adoption had on her own life. After a couple of years of attempting to start a family, we began to pray and seek advice on the matter. In December of 2014, we announced to our parents that we were hoping to adopt and began making plans to make it possible. Amber stepped down as a store manager with her company and found a position that would make the transition into motherhood possible. We knew that if adoption was within God’s plan that He would make a way for us financially. In August of 2015, with the support of our family, friends, and colleagues we began to raise funds for an adoption.
Q: Take us through the adoption process. What agency are you using? What hurdles have you cleared? What steps remain?
The adoption process can be described as a long journey. The process has its emotional ups and downs but in the end it will all be worth it. We are blessed and overjoyed to be using Christian Family Services as our agency. They are truly a Godsend and are a strong Christian support for both the birth mother and the adopting family. We have cleared several hurdles so far including: having our application accepted, having so many kind people write in reference letters, filling out all kinds of forms, meeting for the first half of our home study, and being on track to raise enough money to make this adoption possible. We still have several steps to go including: filling out many more forms, continuing to raise money, completing the second part of our home study, creating a book that birth mothers will view to get to know us, having a birth mom choose us, and filing legal paperwork for the adoption. There are also many little things that need to get done by the time we complete the adoption. Throughout this adoption journey, Amber and I continue to pray and hope in a God that has this adoption and all things under His control.
Q: What are the costs involved in adopting a child? How much have you raised so far and how much remains? Is there a deadline involved to raise the money?
Infant adoptions can range anywhere from 30k – 45k.
Thankfully, some friends from church led us to Christian Family Services where we were so excited to find out that our adoption will be around 20K.
We set a goal back in September to raise $12,000. As of Feb 1st we have raised $5,355.
We still need to raise an additional $6,645.
As for a deadline, once we publish our family profile book it will be shown to potential birth mothers. We need to have the rest of the funds to match and then finalize. We are fully trusting God and His timing.
Q: You’ve done some crazy things to try and raise the money. Tell us about some of them. What’s the weirdest or craziest suggestion you’ve gotten so far?
Oh my Goodness… did ya’ll know Mr. Colón can do the Stanky leg? Video link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vXV4I6K7Ffg
Also, he can sculpt a flawless #cheekline
Video link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=psVjD4sjeKM
We have been asked to make more dancing videos!! Including songs like “Hit the Quan”.
Q: Why do you want to be parents? Do you see yourselves adopting a second child further down the road?
We have been married going on 12 years and we have had so many adventures with college life, careers, reaching goals and enjoying every moment together. Now we are excited to become a loving family for a child and share life with them.
I see us adopting another and, Lord willing, perhaps even a biological baby someday (after all Abraham and Sarah were around 100 years old!).
Q: What type of family environment do you hope to have? Is there a particular aspect of your own upbringing that you hope to incorporate into your family life with this child?
Amber and I are both in clear agreement that this child (and God willing future children) will be raised in the nurture and admonition of The Lord. As children of parents that raised us in the knowledge of the truth of God, we believe in giving our child a firm foundation in Christ. We hope to instill in our child a love for nature and the beautiful things that God created. We also want our child to pursue their dreams. We hope to nurture both by exposing them to many adventures such as exploring state parks, canoeing, camping, enrolling them in athletic teams, Bible Camps, youth group, and taking them on mission trips (local and international), etc.
Q: Are you wanting to adopt a baby or an older child? Why? Will you have a choice in which child you adopt?
Lord willing, we are adopting an infant. Yes, we do get a choice in age.
We have given much thought to this matter. To be honest, we thought about foster care and that might be something we do the second time around. Many kudos to Foster Mommas and Daddies. It takes an immensely strong faith, thick skin and strong heart to wear both of those hats.
As for me, I am not sure I could face giving a child back. We are so excited to become a family and we couldn’t enter down the foster care road until we are certain that we are doing it with the right hearts and motives.
Future Parents…Let’s Help Them Get There!
Q: Will you get to choose the name? If so, any ideas for a boy’s name or girl’s name?
We are deciding the name together, although Amber has a pretty long list of names that she adds to daily with both boy and girl names. What are your ideas, we would love to hear them!?!
Q: Will you know the birth mother? Will the child have an opportunity to know or visit its birth mother down the road? What are the pros and cons of that?
We hope to have an open adoption. This would mean that we will support and nurture a loving relationship with our birth mother. As an adoptee myself (Amber) I feel that each child is so different when it comes to how they process their family story. So ultimately our child will make those choices.
The PROs of open adoption are so many. For the child, a sense of knowing your complete story and not having any secrets or shame to your story. Often times secrets breed feelings of shame.
For the birth mother, she has a chance to learn to trust her decision and heal. For the adoptive parents, they get a chance to convey their gratitude and understanding of the gift that the birth mother entrusted them with. We also get a chance to shine our lights for Jesus and love her the way that He does. There is so much negative stigma about birth mothers. We are excited for a chance to love ours.
The only CONs in open adoption are the risks of hurts and disappointments but at the end of the day openness, transparency, and love always wins.
Q: If Big Steve breaks his leg or gets eaten by a bear on the Trail and thus the pledges don’t materialize, will you forgive him?
Amber: Of course, but Lil Jan might not, so you had better play it safe.
Julio: Amen to Amber’s response! Also, remember that extra hold hair gel mixed with leaves and large sticks makes a great splint for serious injuries. 🙂
Big Steve: Amber and Julio told me they are already “blessed beyond measure” to have your prayers and emotional support. For those who are in a position to help financially, here are some options for you…
1. Pledge a certain amount per mile that Big Steve hikes on the AT. One cent per mile (@2189.2 miles) would come to $21.89, if I complete the entire hike. A nickel per mile would come to $109.46. A dime per mile would come to $218.92. etc. You can pledge by commenting on this blog, commenting on the Facebook post, private message, email (janetandboys@yahoo.com), or text (703-403-8492). Lil Jan will keep track of all that, and once I’m finished , we’ll notify you of miles completed and amount pledged. Then, assuming you’re able to fulfill the pledge, you can go to the website below to donate.
2. Donate a certain amount now, regardless of how far I make it on the trail. Donations can be made at: www.gofundme.com/babycolontobe
Either option is greatly appreciated, but Option 1 will certainly give me added incentive to finish this massively long hike. Thank you for whatever help you are able to provide. Your prayers are especially appreciated. And a huge thanks to Amber and Julio for their willingness to adopt…and allowing us to help them reach that goal.
Big Steve
Questions for Miss Walsh/Mrs. Wilkinson’s and Mr. Reeve’s 5th & 6th Grade FCA Classes:
1. Assuming Big Steve hikes all 2189.2 miles (a big assumption), what total amount would have to be pledged per mile to raise all $6645?
2. Come up with 3 recommended girl names and 3 recommended boy names for Amber and Julio’s adopted baby. Compile them as a class and give them to Mr. Colon.
3. What dance would you most like to see Mr. Colon do to raise money? Would it mean more if he did it in front of the whole student body?
4. What are some reasons you think Amber and Julio will make good parents?
5. Do you know anyone who is adopted? If you are comfortable doing so, please share his/her/your story with your class.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ― Nelson Mandela
“Scared is what you’re feeling. Brave is what you’re doing.”
― Emma Donoghue, Room
Landing Hard – Vietnam, 1967
The mission was simple—and dangerous. Ten soldiers were holed up, under enemy fire, on a small base northwest of Saigon. Captain Carl Bradford Johnson, an Air Force pilot, and his C-123 crew were assigned to get them out.
“The best time to do it was at night,” he recalls, “so we had to do it with a blackout landing, no lights on the field. We flew what we thought was the downwind, and the airplane would shake every once in a while from the war going on under us.”
The men below had set up two jeeps, each at one end of the runway, and on a signal, they would flash the headlights very quickly so Johnson could get his bearings. “It was a dirt runway, and it was wet,” remembers Johnson. “It was terrible weather. It was not comfortable.”
C-123 Provider
That was an understatement. Johnson gave the signal and saw the lightning-fast flash of the headlights below. “We knew that as short as the runway was, and being wet, that we were going to have to go in reverse before we landed,” he says. “You know, in the air, we were going to have to put these propellers in reverse. And we were going to land standing on the brakes.”
And that’s pretty much how it happened. They came down low and fast, touched down, put the engines in reverse, and stood on the brakes. When the plane touched down, it hit a hole in the runway, knocking the [wheel] gear doors completely off the plane. “We skidded around, and finally, we saw a flashlight waving to us. We taxied down, turned in, and we lined back up again [on the runway] because we knew we just might get a second’s warning to get out of there.”
Johnson in Pilot Training
The plane’s engines remained on as the soldiers on the ground loaded valuable supplies and artillery (including a 105 Howitzer) onto the plane as quickly as they could. Johnson helped, then heard a voice demanding to know “who the blankety-blank” was flying the plane. Johnson looked around and saw an Army sergeant, covered with mud. “All you could see were his white eyeballs and white teeth,” Johnson recalls.
He grabbed Johnson and hugged him, saying, “I love you. I never thought I’d say that to an Air Force officer in my life, but I love you.” The sergeant had been in one of the jeeps, and when Johnson landed, he thought the plane was going to hit him. He dove out of the vehicle, into the mud, then he lay in the mud and laughed because he was alive— and help had arrived.
They finished loading up the plane. “Then we lined up and released the brake,” Johnson says. “And there wasn’t a soul on that base when we left. It was empty.”
Captain Johnson, who eventually would retire as a colonel, received a Distinguished Flying Cross for this mission, along with his co-pilot. After flying 1003 combat missions during his 1-year tour in Vietnam, he returned home to a very thankful family.
Big Steve & sisters get their dad back
Note: The above story was mostly written by the fine folks at Remember My Service Productions, based on an interview with my dad. It will appear in an upcoming book entitled, A Time to Honor: Stories of Service, Duty, and Sacrifice.
Today is our 8-month anniversary of being full-time RVers. We thought it might be a good time to reflect on our experiences so far, and answer some of the questions we’ve been asked.
What do you like best about being full-time RVers?
Lil Jan: All the different places we’ve seen and people we’ve met. I’ve learned so much about our country…its history and people. I’ve gotten to see places I have never been and re-connect with family and friends around the country.
Big Steve: After many years of having the Air Force tell me where to live, what to do, and what to wear, it’s been great being able to go where I want to go, do what I want to do, and wear what I want to wear. (Although Lil Jan still tries to tell me what to wear.) I’ve also enjoyed having time to write…and not having to weed around the yard.
What do you like least about being full-time RVers?
Lil Jan: The traffic is occasionally a pain. It’s sometimes hard for me to relax and enjoy the ride. I also miss taking baths on a regular basis. (I mean in a bathtub…I do still shower!)
Big Steve: Travelling through narrow construction zones…in cities…in traffic. I also miss teaching my Bible classes at FCA. Having to manage 18GB of monthly Internet data via a Jetpack (for 4 people) versus previously unlimited data at home has been tricky a few times.
Lil Jan: We’ve frequently taken advantage of the free Wi-Fi at McDonald’s, especially for heavy data items, like uploading pictures for the blog for Steve and watching movies and updating my Candy Crush game.
Big Steve: Suprisingly, I don’t miss cable. We had already weaned ourselves off of most TV. We have a Roku or get a Redbox to watch the occasional movie, and catch some sporting events on local channels or at a restaurant.
So are you retired?
Lil Jan: Yes, in a sense…at least temporarily. We may go back to work when the money runs out…or at least Steve will! We’ve read blogs of full-time RVers in their 70s and 80s. One of their biggest regrets is that they didn’t start sooner. Some of them can drive to the Grand Canyon and look at it, but their health doesn’t allow them to hike it. We want to do this while we can still hike it and really enjoy being there.
Big Steve: Yes, in that we’re not being paid to work and we don’t have a place of employment to report to every day. However, we’ll be doing a fair amount of unpaid, self-supporting mission/volunteer work in the next few years. That’s still working…or serving…just not getting paid. So I guess it depends on what you mean by retired. We’re certainly not sitting around twiddling our thumbs. The recent Habitat work was physically more challenging than any of the paid work we’ve done over the past 2+ decades.
Chillin’
How many miles have you traveled so far?
Big Steve: Hmmm…close to 6000 in the RV, 2000 in the Fit, plus a few thousand on plane trips. We’ve also been on boats, trains, trolley cars, and dozens of hikes. So I really have no clue.
How do you make it work financially?
Lil Jan: We live frugally most of the time. We’ve had friends and family put us up occasionally, which helps…thank you Grandpa, Jas & Rach, Hamms, Butlers, DeBoefs, Madduxes, Wallaces, Fields, Diamonds and Stumnes! Staying at Wal-Mart parking lots occasionally and at less expensive state parks and military campgrounds also helps. We don’t really have expensive hobbies, like golfing. Of course, we do LOVE to eat out, especially to enjoy whatever the local cuisine may be. So that can get a little pricey, but we just try to be smart about it and don’t eat out every day.
Big Steve: A government pension certainly helps…the reward, I suppose, for serving our great nation and being uprooted about every 2-3 years for the first 45 years of my life. Without the pension, it would still be doable, but I would need to find a way to work and make money while RVing, which many people do.
Lil Jan: We also are empty nesters, and our two sons’ projected college costs came in way under budget. Without that, we wouldn’t be doing this…at least not yet.
Big Steve: Also, aside from gas and eating out a bit more, our living expenses are less than before…no lawn care, pest control, pool maintenance, cable bills, pet bills (Mandy’s dead), HOA fees, property taxes, etc. We store our few possessions at my dad’s condo and Janet’s sister graciously handles our mail…so no fees there. We have a loan payment for the RV, but it’s much less than our mortgage payment was. Our lone utility bill, propane gas, has run us about $11/month so far.
Lil Jan: We don’t spend much on “stuff”…because there’s no place to put it. The same goes for clothes, which for me is kind of a bummer.
Big Steve: If you look closely at our blog photos, you’ll notice I go through about the same 10 shirts. My plan is to give blood quarterly, get the free t-shirt, and thus upgrade 40% of my wardrobe annually!
H2O Time
How many nights have you spent in Wal-Mart parking lots, state parks, etc?
Big Steve: Our 238 nights as full-timers can be broken down as follows:
Nights with family members (including my parents while my mom was sick): 50
Nights in friends’ homes/guest houses: 46
Nights boon-docking (free, with no hookups), including Wal-Mart parking lots: 34
Nights at military RV campgrounds: 30
Nights at non-military RV campgrounds: 29
Nights at state parks: 27
Nights at dad’s condo: 14
Nights in a hotel/resort: 8
That means that we’ve only had to pay for lodging about 40% of the time. Even then, the lodging is reasonable…around $20-$25 for state parks, a little less than that for military campgrounds, and even less than that when camping at sojourns and Habitat projects.
You’re in a 32’ RV. Don’t you get sick of each other?
Lil Jan: All the time
Big Steve: What?!
Lil Jan: Just kidding! Actually, this hasn’t been a problem at all. It helps when your spouse is your best friend and you get along. If I need some alone time, I go lie in the bed and close the sliding door. If he tries to enter, I dial 911.
Big Steve: It also helps that we stay active. We are rarely in the RV all day. And it’s just big enough that we can have separate living areas if needed, or sit out under the awning…or go fishing.
Lil Jan: Or go hike in the woods for six months.
Big Steve: Yea, that too.
Our Next RV
Are you happy with your Thor Windsport 31S? Any problems with it?
Lil Jan: We’ve been really happy with it. There have been a few issues, but nothing too major. And it’s still under warranty so that helps. Any time you drive a house with thousands of parts and systems down an interstate at 65 mph, there will be some problems. They had to replace my side window because it whistled. And the wardrobe bar has broken twice…because the circle hook that holds it up is plastic…and Steve says I have too many clothes! We replaced it with a metal circle hook and that seems to be working so far.
Big Steve: I love the size and layout of the RV. It’s big enough to be comfortable, but small enough to be relatively nimble and fit into most campgrounds. We can sleep 7, even though I don’t think I’d want to do that often. I also like the tow package and towing the Fit. When we get somewhere, it’s easy to disconnect the Fit and get much better mileage in it around town and on side trips. The biggest problem occurred when we tried to plug the RV into a friend’s house’s electrical system…don’t do that unless it’s wired correctly. That fried some gadgets…fortunately under warranty…but that was on us. My biggest complaint is the locks on the side storage bins. I wish they were higher quality and more reliable. I may upgrade them. First world problem.
Funniest moment, so far?
Big Steve: When we left Florida, we spent our very first night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Perry, Georgia. This was the first time we had spent the night at a Wal-Mart and we were a little anxious about it. We pulled into the mostly vacant side of the parking lot, with just a couple of truckers nearby. I awoke the next morning and went outside and discovered that we were part of the outer perimeter of a flea market! That’s right, some non-profit group apparently has a monthly flea market on Saturday mornings, and decided to use us to finish off their rectangular alignment. I started laughing and went inside and asked Lil Jan if she wanted to go to a flea market. She said, “Sure.” So I had her step outside and there it was and we were part of it. Good times!
Lil Jan: That same night, at the Wal-Mart parking, we had an incident involving a frog. It was quite hilarious. One of Steve’s earliest blogs was about that. You just never know what’s going to happen when you’re out on the road.
Big Steve: Recently, I asked a friend of ours, Caroline Diamond, to sew a mannequin torso for me, then add a Frankenstein head. We place it in the driver’s seat of the Fit while we’re towing it, with its hands attached to the steering wheel. That gets some good laughs and thumbs up from people as they drive by.
Franky in TowTailgate Da Johnsons at your own risk
Worst moment, so far?
Lil Jan: We got lost while hiking at Maquoketah Caves State Park in Iowa. We were out of water, it was hot, there were no signs and I was about to enter my 5- mile complaint zone. That got a little dicey. The iPhone compass came in handy that day and my sweet husband became my hero as he led us out of the woods.
Big Steve: Obviously, the time we spent caring for my dying mother was very special, but very difficult. Had we not been full-time RVers, we wouldn’t have been able to help her and my dad for so long. God orchestrated all that.
Best moment, so far?
Lil Jan: A difficult question, as there have been many great moments. But I’d have to say our son Kyle’s engagement to Laci. That was an amazing day and an amazing moment. We were so pleased that he decided to include us in that special day!
Big Steve: Agree. It was special, and not just because of Lil Jan’s spandex pants.
Considering this Mod
That brings us to your blog. How’s that working out?
Lil Jan: It’s been a lot of fun. Steve writes most of them. He loves writing as much as I love reading. But I help him with suggestions and editing and write a few myself. He works really hard on them and I hope that people take the time to read and enjoy them. It’s interesting to read the comments on them and see how many “hits” they get.
Big Steve: It’s probably my favorite hobby, along with hiking. I love researching places, talking to people, and trying to capture our experiences in a funny or engaging way. I don’t measure success by number of “hits”. However, I’ll admit it was really cool, and unexpected, to see the blog on racial harmony get over 5000 views. Apparently, someone announced it at my father-in-law’s church, and it went mini-viral from there. I don’t even know that many people. And the one on Kyle and Laci’s engagement got 1000 hits in less than 24 hours. That one was the most fun to write. Others, like the campground reviews, are more for us…just to document and score campgrounds we’ve stayed at for future reference or use by others considering visiting those places. I wish so much that I had a “blog” or diaries of my great-grandparents or other ancestors. So maybe our future generations will find some of our experiences somewhat interesting.
So will you turn the blogs into a book?
Lil Jan: He should. Several people have told him that. Most recently Damon Daniels, a friend of ours from Brandon, looked him in the eye after church and said, “You need to write a book.” He’s talked about writing a book for a long time even before he started blogging. The thought intrigues him…who knows maybe one day you’ll see his picture on a book at the bookstore!
Big Steve: Actually…I probably won’t. First off, I’m not sure the material is strong enough, and my grammar ain’t the best. English was my least favorite subject in school. While I love writing stories, I would hate the process of trying to get a book published. The editing, marketing, copyrighting processes…ugh! No thanks. I blog because I love writing, and hopefully can inform or encourage someone, or at least make them laugh. I’m not in it to make money, which is why you won’t see ads on our web page. So, while I won’t rule it out, I doubt seriously I’ll attempt to write a book.
You recently traveled the entire length of the Mississippi River along the Great River Road. What’s next?
Lil Jan: Our first two months in the RV were mostly about caring for Steve’s mom and dad. The next phase was mostly about us…enjoying the sights and sounds along the Mississippi River. On December 6th, we entered a third phase, and our focus shifted more toward helping other people. We did some disaster relief with Habitat for Humanity in Tuscaloosa.
Big Steve: We are members of 3 groups: (1) the Sojourners, a mission of the churches of Christ. This is a group of mostly retired Christian RVers who travel the country and do mission work for small churches, Christian schools, children’s homes and church camps. I wrote a blog about that mission. (2) The RV Care-a-Vanners…a group of RVers who do Habitat for Humanity projects around the country. I’ve also written a blog about that. And (3) The church of Christ Disaster Assistance mission…a group of Christians who respond to natural disasters by compiling, boxing, shipping, and delivering relief supplies to disaster areas.
Lil Jan: So we’ll be working on at least 3 missions with the Sojourners next year…2 in Florida in January and February, and 1 in Arkansas in September. Not sure when we’ll do our next Habitat project or if we’ll get in on helping the 3rd group with disaster relief next year…it kind of depends on when and where the disaster happens, and whether we’re available. Stay tuned.
Big Steve: So between these three groups, occasionally checking in on our aging parents, and some overseas mission trips, we should stay pretty busy. If that’s being “retired”, so be it. But we’re going to be working pretty hard. We’re more like unpaid, working gypsies.
Anything else?
Big Steve: Oh yea! I’m going to attempt to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail next year, starting in mid-March. It’s been a major life-long dream and bucket list item. I’m excited and a bit anxious. Please pray for Janet and me as I take this on. More on that in a future blog.
Lil Jan: Yes, and while he’s out rummaging through the forest and trying to not get attacked by bears, I’ll be visiting family and friends around the country. Steve will come off the trail for a week in May for Kyle and Laci’s wedding and I plan to meet up with him a couple of times during his hike when he enters a trail town.
Big Steve: Just for conversation…purely platonic in nature.
Lil Jan: Right.
Will you shave when you come off the trail for the wedding?
Lil Jan: He better. He’ll be in wedding photos. Those photos will be forever!
Big Steve: There’s some debate over that. Kyle has suggested the photos would be more memorable if I have bushy hair; my sad, white, prickly mangy beard; and maybe even my backpack on. Lil Jan would like me to shave and clean up. I’ll probably ask Jason to cast the deciding vote.
Final question: how long will you live like gypsies?
Lil Jan: Good question. It’s difficult to say. Probably when it stops being fun. That could be a few years or several years.
Big Steve: I’ve given up trying to predict what path God will direct us to next. I suspect at some point we’ll re-establish ourselves in a community somewhere and go back to living like normal people…or as normal as Johnsons can get. That may take the form of a cabin on a pond or with a view of the Smoky Mountains. I also like the idea of having 4 seasons, but with winters that are not too long or brutal. It also might be interesting to live among the Amish and churn butter and learn how to grow a beard.
Lil Jan: It will also depend on where our sons end up living, and when the grandbabies come along. It will be tough going back to a normal 9 to 5 job.
Big Steve: And tough having the same view out the same back window every day, regardless of how nice the view is. But we’ll make it work.
Lil Jan: We never thought we’d be called to do this. So who knows what God might call us to do next? That is what makes life interesting.
It has been an exciting, sad, crazy, and adventurous year! But what else would you expect from the Johnsons? In lieu of mailing our regular Christmas letter, we decided to just write an “End of Year” blog with a few highlights from the year.
Spring Breakers
The first big highlight was in March when Kyle rolled into town on his final college Spring Break with 10 friends…a conglomeration of roommates, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, and people who sunburn easily. It reminded me of a shortened season of Big Brother, minus the in-house cameras and weekly evictions. They packed a lot into the week, including deep-sea fishing and a day at Universal Studios. They are a super group of youngsters…the kind you’d want your child to bring home from college.
Catching SupperLiving Near the Butlers
In April we sold our house, unloaded most of our belongings, and took possession of our new RV. Yes, it was time to move full-speed ahead on our dream to travel the country as full-timers. We are nomadic by nature, a by-product of being a tad adventurous and a second-generation military family. So, after 7 quite wonderful years in Florida, it was time to continue exploring that great big world out there. Ken and Syndi Butler, our friends, were kind enough to let us park the RV on their property for the remainder of the school year. They also let us stay with them for several nights as we had some work done on the RV. We learned that Ken is quite the prankster, as we were regularly met with golf balls in the bed, monsters outside windows and around corners, and other shenanigans. Just when we thought we had successfully navigated the house without being pranked, there was a bleeding, severed foot in the shower. Syndi would then comfort us and calm our nerves with a tub of buttered popcorn and a cheesy Hallmark movie (spoiler alert: they always kiss at the end). After finishing up the school year, saying goodbye to our friends and enjoying a wonderful final send-off party, we set off on our journey.
Peggy “MeMe” Johnson, 1937-2015
Sadly, our first mission was to head to Tennessee to help my dad, sisters, and others care for my dying mom, who had been diagnosed with advanced bile duct cancer in January. We are thankful we were in a position to help and encourage them after all that they have done for us. It was also a blessing to be able to say all those things you want to say to a loved one who is nearing the end of their journey. Her love for her family, and many years of taking in people with physical and mental disabilities, has left a legacy that will long be remembered. After my mom’s funeral, we headed north for Minnesota, in order to begin an incredible journey down the Great River Road. To read more about our experiences with my mom, along the Great River Road, and since then, be sure to check out our blog at bigsteveandliljan.com. We have appreciated the 24K+ views and positive comments the blog has gotten, and based on that feedback…I guess we’ll keep telling our story.
Our New Home
As for Jason and Rachel, they are enjoying life in Dallas, Texas, where Jason is pursuing a graduate degree in Prosthetics-Orthotics at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s School of Health Professions. Kyle and I regularly encourage Jason in his studies with really bad and inappropriate puns about artificial limbs. Seriously, though, we’ve got to hand it to him for getting a foot in the door in his new profession. Meanwhile, Rachel is a Speech Pathologist Assistant and has several students that she works with. For more on their marriage, experiences in Dallas, and raising cats, check out the blog we did on them…A Leg Up in Big D.
Jas & Rach
Kyle is in his senior year at Harding University, where he has kept busy finishing up his Bible degree and serving as the Student Association President. The highlight of his year was taking young MissLaci Genry of Helena, Alabama, to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain and asking her to be his wife. To learn about her response and other partially accurate details of their courtship and engagement, be sure to check out our blog, The Great River Road, Part 17, Kyle-Laci Engagement, An Oral History. (Spoiler alert: their wedding is May 14th!) Needless to say, we are so excited to be adding another awesome daughter to our family!
She Said Yes!
Without a doubt, the best part about being full-time RVers is being able to re-connect with family and friends around the country, and we’ve done a lot of that this year. This Thanksgiving was especially nice spending time with our sons, their wife/fiancé, their in-laws/future in-laws, and the amazing Brad and Jenny Diamond family. The Diamonds are one of those joyous, loving, giving families that really epitomize the Christmas spirit, even when it’s not Christmas. Spend a week with them and you’ll not only hear the sound of world-class singing and the hum of the blender (at almost every meal), you’ll be reminded of the good in the world…despite all the negativity on the news.
Thanksgiving at the Diamonds
As for our upcoming plans, we’ll spend next week in South Carolina with Janet’s family…and then spend the week after Christmas in Destin, Florida with Steve’s family. We’ll spend most of January and February in central Florida on sojourns. What’s a sojourn? Check out our blog…Mission Possible: The Sojourners. Then, on March 12, at about 9 o’clock in the morning, Steve plans to depart Springer Mountain, Georgia on a 2190-mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. As you might expect, there will be blogs related to that…at least until he’s eaten by a bear. Stay tuned.
Hiking with the Genrys, Oak Mountain State ParkHiking with the Diamond ladies
This year, we’ve experienced some heartache, as we’ve said goodbye to Steve’s mom, learned of terrorist attacks, and seen a divided nation and world become seemingly less dependent on God and farther away from Him. At the same time, we’ve also been reminded of the good out there…friends and family who have shown hospitality to us and strangers we’ve gotten to know at campsites, on hikes, at Habitat builds, and elsewhere. Despite the tough times, heartaches, and endless cycles of bad news, we’re reminded that this world is not our home and is temporary. A much, much better place awaits us and draws closer every day. That hope of something bigger and better, a place of happiness and peace, is a result of the saving work of a loving God, and the selfless sacrifice of his son, Jesus. He’s not just the reason for this season, but for every season. Our prayer for 2016 is that we will draw closer to Him, and in doing so encourage others to do the same.
So, from a van down by the river, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
“Mark well what ye saw here today, mateys, and always remember this as the day you sail with Captain Jack Sparrow.” – Talking Skull
October 29 – November 7, 2015
Sometimes an unexpected surprise can drop right into your lap. After my mom passed away, my dad decided that he no longer wanted to pay for the Bahamas time-share that the two of them had enjoyed for many years. While calling to cancel his membership, I learned that they were already paid-in-full for 2015 and so he had one more trip coming. He decided he would make the trip so we helped him book a flight and make all the arrangements. A few weeks later he said he’d only go if we went with him, so we agreed to join him. A few weeks after booking our own flight, he decided he really didn’t feel up to going at all without my mom. Thus, we were left holding tickets for a week at a Bahamian resort. Darn the luck!
Ranchhand
But first, we had some business to take care of back at our old Florida stomping grounds. Our friends, Clare and Kelley DeBoef, were kind enough to let us stay at their guesthouse, where I got to haul some wood, feed horses, and help build a porch. The guesthouse came with nice furnishings, a hot shower, free Wi-Fi, bagels and coffee, and a wild boar’s head above the commode. First item on the itinerary was to return to Foundation Christian Academy and visit our friends and my former students. We received a couple hundred hugs and toured the campus, which is undergoing major renovations and improvements. They were also kind enough to let me speak in chapel. Love that place! Next up, we resumed our 4-year long weekly hand-n-foot card night with John and Laurie Walsh…one of the traditions we miss most from our time in Florida.
What God Has Joined Together
Our primary reason for coming to Florida, though, was to officiate the wedding for Kristen Walsh, a family friend and former youth group member, and her fiancée, Louis. I’ve done one other wedding and three funerals…just infrequently enough to not really know what I’m doing. Fortunately, it all came together, people cried, and it was a beautiful ceremony. The following weekend, just prior to departing for the Bahamas, we had the added bonus of being invited to the surprise engagement of Brittni Walsh (Kristen’s sister) to her boyfriend, Bobby Wilkinson. He proposed in a hot air balloon over Orlando, at the same time Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs fame) was filming an episode of his show Somebody’s Got to Do It. So apparently Rowe may somehow incorporate them into an episode. It was a really special day and we were glad to be there to celebrate with them at the landing zone. I can only hope the video shows that when Bobby asked Brittni to be his wife, she shrugged and answered, “Somebody’s got to do it!”
Somebody’s Got To Do It
November 8-15, 2015
Our Bahamas trip got off to a rough start. We boarded a small plane in Fort Lauderdale and sat on the very last row. Just in front of us sat a tall man of European origin with unbelievably bad body odor. I think it was the worse thing I’ve ever smelled. Worse than Boys Cabin 9 at Florida Bible Camp on day 6 after two days of rain. Worse than the bucket of spittoon juice and Limburger cheese I had to bob apples from during pledge week in college. It was so bad that I took out Janet’s scented Chap Stick and applied it to both inner-nostrils, and then we both buried our heads in her jacket for the thankfully short flight. At one point she observed, “I think he might have a problem.” I replied, “His problem is that he smells like raw sewage full of dead, rotting fish.”
Island Seas Resort
After safely landing, my next big challenge was driving the Bahamian rental car. It seems everyone in the country drives on the wrong side of the road…an unfortunate practice established by their former colonial master, Great Britain. Apparently the islanders never got word that the right-side-of-the-road driving United States won the Revolutionary War. For me, that meant thirty-two years of driving reflexes were suddenly rendered useless. It was a terrifying 20-minute drive in the dark to the resort, with cars zooming towards us at high speeds in the “wrong” lane. I grabbed the wheel at 10 and 2, applied more Chap Stick to both nostrils, and kept reminding myself, “Stay left…stay left…stay left.”
Pool, Hot Tub, & Swim-Up Bar
Fortunately, we pulled into Island Seas Resort without incident and began a fun and interesting week on Grand Bahama Island. The island is one of 700 that comprise The Bahamas. The Siboney Indians originally settled it some 7000 years ago, and the Lucayan Indians superseded them between 5 and 7,000 years ago. There were about 4,000 Lucayans on the island when Christopher Columbus arrived, at which point they were enslaved and transported to work the gold and silver mines of Hispaniola and Cuba. After claiming the island, the Spanish largely ignored it, perhaps due to the treacherous shallow reefs that made landfall dangerous. The British claimed the Islands of the Bahamas in 1670 and eventually took control of it from Blackbeard and other pirates who used the reefs to run vessels aground. The pace began to pick up on the sleepy island when the American Civil War broke out. With a Union blockade and embargo in place, The Confederacy received smuggled goods from the West End of Grand Bahama. The next smuggling boon, during the Prohibition era, involved West Enders smuggling alcohol 56 miles to the coast of Florida. In the mid-1950s, a concerted effort was made to turn the island into a tropical Caribbean playground…no easy feat considering the country is technically not in the Caribbean.
Now after that history lesson, here are our Top 10 share-able memories from our time in this tropical Caribbean playground…
Once again feeling the need to take a road all the way to the end, we decided to head east until the road and the island ran out. Our first stop was beautiful Lucayan National Park, home to one of the largest underwater cave systems in the world. We hiked the park and looked in the mouth of the caves, but decided not to underwater spelunk them because we didn’t want to die.
Gold Rock Beach
One scenic Lucayan National Park trail took us to Gold Rock Beach, considered the best beach on Grand Bahama. It was stunning, incredibly scenic, and mostly deserted. We learned that it was one of the filming locations used in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. As we walked along the beach, I began channeling my inner-Johnny Depp. I soon realized it’s nearly impossible to have deep, meaningful, borderline romantic conversation while talking like a pirate… “I love ya, matey! I’ve sailed the seven seas, and you’re the sleekest schooner I’ve ever sighted! Aaaaargh!”
Gypsies on Gold Rock
At the East End, we ate at Bishop’s Beach Bar, which came highly recommended by the locals. They were correct! The grouper fingers were delicious and turned out to be the single best meal of the week. After lunch, I saw the nearby beach hammock and yelled, “Blimey! Let’s dance the hempen jig!”
Is It Still a Hammock if Your Butts Touch the Ground?
We travelled to the Port Lucaya Marketplace, which is full of souvenir stands and restaurants, and home to UNEXSO (Underwater Explorer Society). After walking around in the sun for several hours, we stopped for some ice cream. Unfortunately, Lil Jan over-heated, turned pale, and vomited the ice cream in the Port Lucaya Marketplace ladies restroom. I wasn’t in there, but could hear a very piratey “Aaaaaargh!” I yelled back, “Aye! You’ve got chum in ye timbers, matey!”
Among many possible touristy excursions, we decided to spend one day doing a Glass Bottom Boat Tour. While we looked down through the glass bottom, the captain positioned us over several reefs, thousands of tropical fish, and two shipwrecks. Apparently, the ships’ poor lads were hornswaggled and ended up in Davy Jones’ Locker.
Coral & Fish, Through the Boat’s Bottom
Wednesday nights on Grand Bahama feature the popular Fish Fry at Smith Point. This beach eatery has the perfect combination of music, fun, and fish that stare at you while you eat them. For an appetizer, we had conch fritters and they were amazingly delicious! It’s hard to imagine how something that looks like an embryo from the Alien movie inside a shell can end up tasting so good.
Fish Fry, Bahamian-Style
We took several long beach hikes throughout the week. One of the neatest things about Grand Bahama is that there are miles and miles of beautiful, deserted beaches. Take Siesta Key beach in Florida, add clear turquoise-blue water, remove all the people, and you have a typical beach on Grand Bahama. One of the locals told us most locals don’t go to the beach unless they’re fishing, and most tourists stay near the resort beaches. While hiking, we searched for and found several conch shells, watched some horseback riders in the ocean, and used seaweed to make chest hair. Good times.
Once again, it was time to explore the outer reaches of the island, so we headed to West End. Along the way we stopped by the Xanadu Beach Resort and Marina. Millionaire Howard Hughes purchased the resort in 1972 and lived in its penthouse floors for a few years prior to his death. It was also known as a gathering place for celebrities such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, and Lucille Ball. Next stop was the Pier One Restaurant where, for $10, you can feed sharks off their dock at 7, 8, and 9 p.m. A little later, as the road began to narrow with water on both sides, we began to see massive piles of conch shells. Apparently the fishermen pull the conch out to sell and then toss the shells away into piles. I rolled down the window to get a picture and immediately breathed in a brutally awful smell. As I reached for the scented Chap Stick to line my nostrils, I couldn’t tell if the smell originated from the conch shells baking in the sun or the European gentleman who was on our plane.
Howard Hughes’ Xanadu ResortGiant Conch Shell Pile
Our last 24 hours in the Bahamas was a combination of sad and bizarre. The sad part was learning, on our last night in town, that terrorists had killed several people in Paris. The bizarre part occurred during our final long beach hike on our final morning. While heading west about a mile from our resort on yet another stretch of deserted beach, we spotted what appeared to be a large seal in the distance along the water’s edge. As we got closer, we realized it was a local Bahamian man lying on his stomach in about a foot of water, with the tide going out. As we walked along the beach near him, he hollered, “Hey, mon, can you help me?” Apparently, he had no idea we were pirates. Sadly, my first thought was that he might be up to something. Perhaps he was concealing a knife or had some buddies in the nearby bushes waiting to jump us. We cautiously approached him and asked what was going on. It turns out the man, probably in his early 60s, had a stroke a year earlier, and likes to occasionally swim in the water for therapy. On this particular day, he went too long, got weak, collapsed, and couldn’t get up. Had the tide been coming in, he would have been in a world of hurt. We got on either side of him and turned him over, got him to sit up, and eventually helped him to stand. When Lil Jan realized he was in his boxer shorts, she muttered, “Arrrrgh! I’ve sailed the seven seas, and you’re the sleekest schooner I’ve ever sighted!” Not really. Well, he was in his boxers but she didn’t say that. Anyway, we slowly walked him over to his clothes and offered to call someone on his behalf. He declined and said he’d be fine after sitting there awhile. A half hour later, as we approached that stretch of beach on our return, he and his truck were gone.
Island Seas Resort barely visible through trees
The final memory of our trip happened after landing back in Fort Lauderdale. As we descended an escalator with our luggage, an elderly couple was in front of us. As the man got to the bottom of the escalator, he tripped over his large suitcase and fell. Blimey! Two seconds later, as we scrambled towards them, his wife fell on top of him at the bottom of the escalator. Arrrgh! With the help of several people, we managed to get them and their luggage un-scrambled and upright again. They were embarrassed and she suffered a leg scrape, but nothing too serious.
Hiking with My Best Friend
We regretted that Grandpa was not up to joining us on this vacation because he is such fun to hang with. Still, it was a great week of interesting food, sights, water rescues, and other experiences. We had a delightful smelling return flight to Dallas and were happy to be back in our home on wheels. Thanksgiving was fast approaching, and that meant time to go searching for some Diamonds. Aye, matey!
