Cashman Crusade

What a Long Strange Trip its BEEN

2008-11-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

Moving on from TX where we spent about a week we drove pretty quickly through Louisiana. We had intentions of touring New Orleans but instead decided to drive and drive and drive to get to Florida as the kids were wanting to see their cousins and family more than site see.

What we did witness in New Orleans was the damage that still exists three years later from hurricane Katrina. We got lost in a badly damaged area and it's something both John and I will never forget. There were entire neighborhoods that were abandoned. John pointed out the spray paint on the front of the houses to indicate when a house was searched for survivors. It was a very overwheming feeling to be there but I believe God allowed us to experience this for a reason. If nothing else that we should never forget the people that lost their lives, their families and their homes in this tragedy.

We drove quickly through Mississippi and Alabama. Not that there weren't wonderful things to see and do in each state just that we were feeling the need to get settled in Florida before having this bouncing baby boy.

Last Saturday we pulled into the Melbourne FL, area around 4 pm. A bitter sweet feeling for John and I as this meant the end of one chapter in our lives and the beginning of another. All three of the kids said they were ready to stop traveling for now and have not said contrary to that since we have been here.

We are currently staying at an RV park across the street from the Ocean at Indian Harbor Beach. We surprised our family by showing up a week before they expected. It was really wonderful for the kids to see their cousins again and to be with my sisters after so long was a beautiful moment. My parents suspected we were coming early but none the less were excited to see us as well.

It is odd not driving the RV but living in it knowing that we won't be doing much traveling in the near future. But we have so much to think about with a new baby and John looking for work that we know we are where God wants us right now. A new season in our lives.

I am not sure how much I will blog on here now that we are parked and I do apologize for not writing on here for two weeks. It has been very busy with a flurry of new activities that more closely resemble normal life.

We want to thank everyone for the prayers and interest in our journey. You have all been in our heart and traveled with us. We appreciate and love you all so much.

Onward and Upward

The 5 soon to be 6 Cashmans

Texas

2008-10-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Pictures of everyone waiting to board the Grand Canyon Railway, the lovely Grand Canyon, Another view of the Canyon and the train robber on the way back from the Grand Canyon.

We had a fantastic time with mam and pap. The week really did just fly by. When we got to the Grand Canyon area it was so cold that at night the temperature was a balmy 13 degrees. We were in shock when our hoses froze for the water supply. My parents were in total disbelief and dad had a hard time getting warm. The day we left for the Grand Canyon was chilly but not too bad. The train ride there was fun with cowboys singing to us and entertaining both there and home. We had a few hours to tour the canyon, not enough really but at least the kids and mam and pap got to experience the overwhelming beauty of it. It is truly surreal to the naked eye.

Once we left the Grand Canyon we drove south and returned to Phoenix. The weather there was spectacular to say the least. Again lots of swimming and skatepark riding. Mom and Dad left us on Tuesday evening late as they caught the red eye home. It was sad to see them go I know the kids really liked having them here as did John and I. They are so supportive and loving in all their ways. Thank you for everything mom and dad we love you. Look forward to seeing you real soon.

Now we are in western Texas and man there isn't much here but driving through this part is necessary to get to our destination of Florida. We are at a really nice state park in a city I don't even know how to pronounce. We arrived late last evening after spending the previous night in El Paso, TX.

Still loving AZ

2008-10-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Bowen and Dad, Dad and kids and slide rock. Sedona skatepark.

We picked up my parents on Tuesday at the PHX airport and my were we all excited to see them. The kids were about to bust they were so happy. Their flight arrived on time and from the airport we drove back to our RV. This campground in Phoenix was by far one of the nicest we have been to. We were happy to share this current location of our home with mom and dad. For most of the day we hung out and talked in addition to swim in the cool pool waters.
The next day was John's 37 birthday. We ate cake again for breakfast and gave him his presents. We swam again and went to the skatepark. One of the best we have visited. It was a moderated park so the kids had to get passes to skate but it was worth it as it was well maintained. We then took John out for his birthday dinner where he was so happy to be sung to by the waiters and waitresses-NOT.
We left Phoenix on Thursday and behind it the gorgeous hot weather. We are now in Sedona, AZ where the views are stunning but with 50 mile per hour winds this morning and temps in the 40's my parents are having a hard time adjusting being the Floridians they are. My dad is asking if we can skip the grand canyon and head to the south of AZ. I am assuring them it will be worth one day of frigid weather to see what God has made for their enjoyment. I hope this works or we will be heading south again. HA HA.
Yesterday I had a midwife appointment the last one until we hit Florida. Everything is fine and our little boy seems to be growing just fine. The midwife herself was pregnant with her fourth and was very accommodating to our travel situation. I really liked her and would use her to deliver this next baby if we would be hanging out in Sedona.
We took the kids to Slide Rock State Park yesterday. This is an 80 foot natural waterslide through the redrocks in Sedona. Needless to say I don't have to tell you how cold the water was. It was a beautiful area and Gabe really liked sliding down the rock. Bowie not so much and Jadon did it one time. Then we had to hit up the local skatepark. It was a really nice one and gets the vote for best backdrop. The landscape was to die for here.
Today we are headed to Williams AZ where tomorrow we will take the train to the Grand Canyon. We'll let you know how that turns out.

Arizona

2008-10-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

Pictures are Gabe riding in the desert, Kids at the skatepark in Moab, Monument Valley, the dog for the day and Bowen on his 5th birthday.

From Moab Utah we drove south through Monument Valley and spent the night at a campground on the Navajo reservation. It was stunning with all the red rocks around and the huge rocks that formed the landscape. We inherited a stray dog for the night and oddly enough looked just like the stray John and I took home from our trip years ago. The kids loved playing with him, feeding him and taking him for walks. He even spent the night outside of our RV. They were sad to say to goodbye to him the next day but we prayed over him and hoped he would be protected in his nomadic life.
We made it to Flagsgtaff Arizona the day before Bowen's fifth birthday. It was a shock to have such cool weather in AZ. I had no idea it would only be in the 50's here. Bowen enjoyed his day with a cake, presents and a movie. Hard to believe how fast five years goes by.
Now we are home is in Phoenix. I was able to go see a friend of mine from graduate school last night. The first familiar person other than the family that I have seen since we left PA. But tomorrow my parents will arrive from Florida to spend the week hanging out with us. The kids are so excited I am not sure how they will get through this next day. We will be sightseeing in Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

Yesterday was our 100th day on the road. How exciting that DREAMS DO COME TRUE. We are at our 50th campground and we have driven over 8100 miles.

Utah is Rocking

2008-09-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the four Cashmans in the Colorado, Bryce Canyon Hoodoos, Window Arch at Arches NP, and John and Bowen near Balancing Rock.

Bryce Canyon in Utah was an awesome display of God's handiwork. We took the shuttle throughout the park, apparently more environmentally friendly, and hit a bunch of the overlooks that are most popular. We watched the movie first at the visitor center so that the kids and adults both could understand what caused this amazing park. If you don't know what a hoodoo is this is where you find one. They are found in these deep amphitheaters filled with these flame colored rock formations called HOODOOS. At this campground we had a little glitch in our water system, as some plug broke and caused a temporary water shut off. But my amazing husband found what he needed at the local car repair shop and had it up and running before I could finish the laundry. This was even on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere Utah. What a guy.
From Bryce we drove the three hours in order to get to Moab, Utah where Arches and Canyonlands National Park is located. Moab was one of our favorite spots when we traveled on our first trip so it was great to bring the kids to this beautiful small town. This whole area with its red rock canyons and towers of rock formations is just to difficult to explain. Another one of those you gotta see it to believe it places. And if you have been reading this blog for any length of time we have had quite a few of those. This being one of the many reasons we wanted to share this American countryside with our children. Pictures just don't do these places justice.
Last night we visited Arches National Park. This place has the highest concentration of natural sandstone arches in the world. This area is known to many people whether they know it or not by the over 500 movies and 1000+ commercials that have been filmed here. Think Thelma and Louise, City Slickers and John Wayne movies and many car commercials. We went went the sun was setting so it really provided dramatic light effects on the rocks.
Today we went white water rafting. We reserved our spot last night for a half day tour down the Colorado river. The kids thought this was the best and really liked riding the rapids and getting splashed over and over. They even got to get off of the raft and swim through a rapid called TRASH COMPACTER. I watched from the raft and did notice some looks of panic but overall they enjoyed it and John made it back in the boat after a short time spent UNDER the raft. This raft trip was a gift to Bowen for his fifth birthday coming up in a few days.
If you love to mountain bike, off road with a 4x4 or go rafting Moab is the place to be. There are even trails right from our campground to ride your dirtbike or ATV soooo, Gabe has been antsy to get that 65 out is these here dessert trails. Next we are headed south toward AZ in hopes of seeing some more of the beautiful southwest.

2008-09-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

These pictures are of the lions at MGM, we were under them looking up through glass, Gabe at Lake Elsinore mx track, J and Bowen in front of New York, New York in Las Vegas and the skateboard competition in CA.

Our last few days on the coast were lovely. We attended a skateboarding competition in San Clemente and more time on the beach. From the coast of CA we headed to Lake Elsinore where the MX mecca in the US is located. John and Gabe rode on the track and were able to see some pros riding as well. All of the factory tracks are located out here but we couldn't seem to find any. From there we headed to Las Vegas, NV. We past through the Mojave Desert on our way and man did it get hot. In Vegas we had to use our air conditioning, our first time in months. The temperature was well into the 90's. We did go into Vegas and saw the lions at the MGM and walked through the New York, New York Hotel/Casino. These facilities are enormous and unbelievable in their attention to detail and appeal. Vegas however is not a place for kids and we had to do a lot of explaining about inappropriate things that were thrown in your face, like it or not, so we didn't spend any more time in the downtown are. The kids loved swimming in the pool and Gabe skated at a local park. Vegas alone has 11 skateparks.
Now we are in Utah near Bryce Canyon. Our plan is to visit several of the National Parks in Utah before heading to AZ to meet up with my parents.
One word of advice, if you ride bikes in Utah, don't ride in the grass. Last night after bike riding we have a total of five flat tires on three bikes from thorns hidden in the grass.

California Dreamin

2008-09-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the Santa Cruz skatepark, Natural Bridges State Park, Johns tattoo (see the J's on the inside?) and the boogie boarders.

From San Francisco we stayed for three nights in Santa Cruz. This was the city in which surfing was brought to the US by the Polynesians. We got to watch the surfers in their wet suits taking in the big waves, as the seals and sea lions sat on the rocks and howled. It was still to cold really to hang on the beach although we did that for a few hours at the Natural Bridges State Park. John decided to get a tatoo in honor of his little girl since he read good things about the tattoo parlor in Santa Cruz. While he got hammered with needles for two hours me and the kids went to the local skatepark. It was a great park with a little bit of everything.
We settled on the idea that we would continue down the coast instead of going to Yosemite. I had read that many of the waterfalls there were dried up this time of year so the CA coast won out. Our next stop was at Pismo Beach. This was our first go at boondocking/dry camping. That means no electricity or water. It was not bad and the location of being only a few feet from the ocean made it worth it. Jadon gathered tons of sand dollars here and all three kids had a blast boogie boarding. I still couldn't get out of my sweatshirt as it was too chilly. Sometimes I think our children are part eskimos. This was a beautiful place to spend our 13th wedding anniversary. Our kids enjoyed the day playing in the sand and getting along wonderfully so it really was a date for us on our special day.
Our next location was south of Santa Barbara and just as lovely as the previous. Here the kids were able to explore the tidepools with sea anenomes, starfish and shore crabs. Again they boogie boarded for hours. Our camper was steps from the sand and we could watch the water from our front window.
Now we are living just about and hour north of San Diego. It is warm and sunny here and it is a surfers paradise. We are debating going into San Diego or heading east.
The kids are getting excited to see their mam and pap who will be flying out in Oct to visit us in Phoenix. They are staying for the week and we will be visiting Sedona and the Grand Canyon. It will be wonderful to spend time with people we know and love. We are hoping to get to Utah before hitting AZ.
Today is clean up the CA coast day so we are planning to hit the beach and pick up some trash.

Looking for Sun in San Francisco

2008-09-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Seals by the Bay, Hippie District, Jelly Belly Factory.

We just loved the rest of Oregon. It has the most amazing beauty. Unlike any other I have witnessed. Our next stop was in Northern California near the Redwood forests. Now those are some trees. The kids learned about how they grow and how they have sustained for hundreds sometimes thousands of year.s We felt like a bunch of ants in the forest. It was a truly magical place.
Our stay at an RV park called Sounds of the Sea near Trinidad CA, revealed its name when at night we could hear the sea lions yelling from the rocks on the Pacific.
The surf was dangerous and was scary to even allow the boys near it. Although they made every effort to get wet in the frigid waters.
Heading further south we stayed at Fort Bragg. This town proved to be interesting to say the least. Lots of people hitchhiking and backpacking. We stayed right on the water but the clouds and cool weather continued to follow us. We expected CA to be hot and sunny. Not the case.
Currently we are outside of San Francisco. We visited the city as tourists and enjoyed the sites we had only previously heard of. The Golden Gate bridge being the most notable. We also saw Alcatraz from our viewpoint. This led us to study about the prison and its history of being the toughest penitentiary in the US during its time of operation.
We were able to experience the crookedest street in the world along with many steep roads that I would never dare to park on. The kids were so thrilled by this. Our visit also included the Fisherman's Wharf, a pier that has tons of shops overlooking the San Fran Bay.
The last place we visited in the city was the hippie district of Haight-Ashbury. This was cool to see as there is a lot of history there from the 60's era. So many great bands started there it was hard to fathom being here. We didn't feel uncomfortable there but there were many things that we not kid friendly to say the least. We stayed a short while only and ended our day.
It has been so awesome to homeschool on this trip. There is a lesson around every corner. Whether it be history, science, math or just a life lesson, learning occurs everywhere, all day every day. I'd say that has been one the best things thus far. Having John around has really made the learning beyond anything I had hoped. He offers so much to the kids with the things he know.s It amazes me. The guy is a genius. We all know he is the "smart one."
Things I read about in school our kids are experiencing first hand.
Yesterday we toured the Jelly Belly factory to see how this delightful treat is made. This place was great for kids and kids at heart. I know this jelly bean lover was in heaven. Gabe had to try the nasty jelly beans, including: ear wax, vomit and skunk. Why anyone would willingly place anything with those names in his mouth is beyond me. Needless to say he didn't finish them all.
Next we are headed inland to visit Yosemite.

NEW PHOTOS

2008-09-11T08:58:00.001-07:00

Pictures are of the kids on the huge dunes in Oregon, John riding by the ocean at the Dunes, Jadon on the beautiful Oregon coast, the kids dwarfed inside a huge redwood, trying to get their arms around a tree.

AHH Oregon

2008-09-04T18:19:00.001-07:00

We left the north coast of Oregon and headed east to Portland. When John and I traveled all those years ago our goal was to make it to Oregon to live and see Multnomah Falls. Well we realized that dream albeit much later in life than we expected. It was lovely and turned out to our surprise to be the second highest waterfall in the US behind Yosemite. As an added bonus there were many waterfalls in this area.
Our traveles also let us explore parts of downtown Portland and of course included trips to two skateparks. One of them being on Tony Hawks top five list. The other was at a park notable called Gabriel Park. Maybe we will wright up a review of the parks our kids skated across the US when we are all said and done. I must say it is a favorite pastime of everyone except the pregnant one. Also to our delight this area near the Columbia and Hood rivers is known worldwide for kite/wind surfing so we got to enjoy watching that from the very chilly riverbanks. If you can just imagine the much needed wind to make this area known for this sport. BRR BRR.
Leaving Portland we wanted to head back to the coast. The road there led us through a small town that is known to have the top skatepark anywhere. It was 29,000 sf. The place also had a dirt track to ride BMX. John and I are constantly amazed at how these rather small towns afford such amazing parks for kids to ride. It is needed everywhere in my opinion as it keeps kids active and out of trouble.
We stayed for two nights along the coast at Beverly Beach State Park. We love this state as it is the most beautiful with its rugged coast line and forests but man it just won't get warm. It has yet to get over 62 degrees. If it weren't for that we could definitely call this place home.
The town of Newport, OR was great with a big beach and a bayfront that was home to many sea lions. They were loud and smelly but really cool to watch in their natural environment. The Yaquina lighthouse was lovely and had really awesome tidepools to explore. The kids found starfish and sea urchins just hanging on rocks. In addition there were harbor seals and pelicans hanging out as the Pacific crashed against the rocks. Truly a one of a kind experience for those of us from the East. God sure has blessed this place. His beauty is written all over it.
Currently we are located in the Oregon Dunes National Rec Area. I have never in all my life seen such immense sand dunes. Some of them are 100's of feet high. It was like out of a Star Wars movie. Climbing to the top of these dunes is equivalent to running a marathon. While climbing them I really thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest it was beating so fast. On the other hand the kids were running up them for fun just to get to slide down the other side.
John and Gabe got the necessary permits to ride on the sand dunes and did so for several hours today. It was very difficult to ride in and Gabe got frustrated several times. He did like riding right by the ocean as the sand was more hard packed.
A big thank you goes out to all those who have offered us support on this journey your excitement and blessing has meant the world to us.
We are headed further south down the Oregon coast and then into California.

More Washington

2008-08-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Pictures:Lemurs at the Tacoma Zoo, Space Needle in Seattle, Our feet touching the Sand on the Pacific Coast, The sunset over the Pacific, Gabe's big drop in.

From Mt. Rainier to Seattle was a short rainy drive. We hoped that the weather would at least give us some relief from the rain even though the northwest is known for this type of weather.
Our first day here we decided to visit the Zoo/Aquarium in Tacoma. It was a full days worth of exploring. The Sea Otters and Walrus get the award for our favorite animals. The weather so far here has been cool and quite nice. We have had the heat on almost every night as it gets that cold.
After the Zoo we hit a local skatepark in a town called Seatac. Home to one of the many Boeing locations. We thought about touring the Boeing factory but it would have cost us almost $300 for our family of five. I guess they are trying to make up for their loss in gas prices.
Seattle was a really cool city. The first day there we hit the Space Needle and Seattle Center. This part of the city is really quite amazing with a lot to see and do. The views from the Space Needle were far and wide. We could even see Mt Rainier. Bowen says it looks like a painting. We explained how God is the ultimate artist. We visited another skatepark near Seattle. Gabe found out how brave he was by dropping in from a 12 foot wall (a concrete bowl). It was a little scary to watch but he got a bunch of board slaps from other skaters for this accomplishment (skater lingo).
We decided to stay another day in the area and visited the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Let me just say this place was insane. We could barely walk through the market it was so packed with people. They were selling everything from fish to flowers and everything in between. Walking through Seattle was similar to New York City in that it had a lot of the same upscale stores and eccentric people.
After the city we headed to Alki Beach. The kids and I enjoyed the Puget Sound while John attempted to find a place to park. After over an hour of driving around he never did find a parking place so we jetted out of there. Seattle has a lot to offer and would be a cool place to live were it not for the weather.
While here we went for an ultrasound to check if we were having twins as so many people have predicted. Indeed it is just one baby in there and to our delight and much surprise it is another BOY. God Bless Jadon with three brothers.
From Seattle we decided we wanted to see the ocean and skipped out on visiting Mt Olympia. We stayed two nights in Ocean City Washington which was located right on the Pacific Ocean. We were amazed at how long the beach is here and how much bigger the waves are than the Atlantic Ocean.
The cool thing about the beach here is that we get to drive right onto it. They actually allow cars to just cruise along where ever you like. We drove onto the beach at night to watch the sunset as it sets into the ocean here. The kids also discovered a dead sea lion-yuck. It was enormous and smelly. I hope while we are on the west coast to see at least one live sea lion. We also took some time to clean up trash while on the beach. Unfortunately there was a lot of trash. We assume the majority of which washes ashore.
Now we are currently in Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon. It was magical to finally get to this state. This was where we wanted to be when we traveled 15 years ago. Dreams do come true and for us it is more special to share this journey with our three kids.
This area of the Pacific Ocean is known as the Graveyard of the Pacific for the immense number of shipwrecks that have occurred here. Over 2000 since 1792. We went on to the beach yesterday and there is a shipwreck there that went ashore in 1906. Pretty cool to see. There is a lot to discover in this area and we will be here until Friday. After that we will be going to Multnomah Falls which is east of Portland. We forgot about it being Labor Day weekend so we are hoping someplace will have at least one campsite open.

Washington

2008-08-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the kids in the snow on Mt Rainier, the mountain stands alone and some elk roadside.

We stayed for several days in Spokane where the riverfront park provided some fun with it's huge water fountain and rides. It was hot here at 100 degrees. I had no idea the weather was so blistering in Washington. I found out however that the eastern part of the state gets very little rain and is almost desert like. Something about being in the rain shadow of the mountains.
John and Gabe went to a MX park and enjoyed riding in the heat. This park gets the "best so far" award by both of them. The skatepark in Spokane was really cool as well.
Our next stop was Mt Rainier which lies in the middle of the state. We finally got to see how Washington weather can be. It has been raining off and on for four days. The mountain afforded us a beautiful view and a chance to hike at a strenuous pace. It was very foggy on Mt Rainier and had we not hiked up past the lodge we would not have gotten to see the immense glaciers that cover this volcano. It was spectacular and the kids really seemed to enjoy the work it took to get there. Jadon said it made her feel strong. They got to play in snow and Bowen even slid on his belly like a penguin.
On our way home from the park we saw at least 100 elk at different places along the road. The were enormous and very at home here in Washington.
Yesterday we drove to our current location just south of Seattle. We are looking forward to checking out this trendy city.
Sending our love to our family who is riding out the storm in Florida

Montana

2008-08-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Pictures are Gabe at the skatepark in Great Falls, the kids dressing like Lewis and Clark, a glacier at glacier park, all of us at a snow bank in Glacier and John as our boat Captain.

From Livingston MO we drove to Great Falls. This was a neat place with a river and an awesome skatepark and waterpark. The KOA campground we stayed at was the very first KOA in America. At night we got to listen to the sounds of a man and his wife playing all sorts of western songs while we all sang along. Between Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire and You are My Sunshine it was a highlight of our trip. The guy was a great story teller and hilarious.

We visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on our way out of town. We all learned a lot about these amazing American explorers. We have a new appreciation for how we get to see American vs. how they did.

At 21 weeks pregnant I was able to see a midwife in Great Falls. She informed us that all is well and that she thinks we should only expect one baby. A relief to John. From here we headed to Missoula, MO. This is one of the larger cities in Montana. We again visited a skatepark. This one was just as fantastic as the one in Great Falls. Bowen is really learning to move on his board. Watching his brother keeps him on his toes.

We left Missoula after two days for Glacier National Park. This is located in the Northwest corner of the state. The campground here proved to be one of the nicest we have stayed at. We also met a really great family that are also fulltiming. They have been living this life for almost three years with their two children. Gabe made instant friends with their son, as they both were skaters. Jadon and their daughter didn't get together until our last night there unfortunately.

Glacier park was gorgeous with it's glacial lakes, mountains and wildlife. The Going-to-the-Sun road is one for the books. It is an engineering marvel. Again we got to see a bear, this time a black bear.

In Glacier we took a motorboat out on Lake McDonald with John at the helm. The kids loved this as their daddy flew like the wind. All the kids earned their Jr. Ranger Badges at the park and got sworn in by a really nice ranger. The park named for it's abundance of glaciers once had 150 and now only has 26. They say this is due to global warming.

Each night the campground had fires so we got to burn some marshmallows and talk with some interesting people. The kids loved the huge paved hills in the campground which proved great for riding bikes and skateboards at 100 MPH. All of them have skinned knees as trophies.

Yesterday we left Montana, which John said was his favorite state so far, for Idaho. This too is a beautiful and rugged state. We are not staying to explore however and will be in Spokane WA later today.

We have been on the road for 50 days and driven over 4600 miles. It feels like we left just yesterday.

Pictures

2008-08-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Bowen getting saddled up. Gabe and Jadon on the trail. Some Buffalo in Yellowstone. All of the kiddies. At a petting zoo in Montana.

Yellowstone

2008-08-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

Pictures are of Bowen on his horse, Mickey. Bowen with his new lasso. The lower and upper falls at Yellowstone. Gabe and his creation on Yellowstone Lake. Old Faithful erupting, a lovely hot spring and Tower falls in Yellowstone.

Before we left Cody, WY we got the chance to see a reenacted gun fight with Buffalo Bill Cody, Wyatt Earp and a few other historic cowboys . The kids really enjoyed seeing that with all the loud guns and fighting. We also visited a skatepark in Cody, this was even better than the last. It was huge and all of the kids and John loved riding it. Our final adventure for Cody was horseback riding. Yes this 5 month pregnant chic got her butt on a horse proudly named preacher. I must admit it was a bit nerve racking as even Bowen had his own horse. None of our kids have ever been on horses outside of a pony ride at the fair. The trail was steep and rugged. The baby was bouncing around inside me like a washing machine. All in all it was fun and we got to see some wildlife and made a really cool memory. Jadon seems to think she wants a horse now though.
We headed west from there to Yellowstone. Once again a really amazing drive into the National Park. We stayed there for four nights. We had no cell or computer service so that is why so late on getting things posted here. We saw huge wildfires on the way into the park. Fires were a part of our stay there all week. It was a little eerie seeing fire so close to us but we later understood the importance fire plays in maintaining the habitats of the park.
We saw so many buffalo we lost count. They would just hang out on the road causing people to lose their minds and act all crazy with desire to get one more picture. It was almost like buffalo anarchy John said. People would drive all over the road like they were the only ones there. It was a neat experience to be where the "buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play",that also became the theme song for the week.
We had to do a ton of driving in the park as it just enormous. You can fit both Delaware and Rhode Island in Yellowstone. So in order to see everything involves hours of truck time. We saw geysers and hot springs and mud pots. The diversity of this park is unprecedented in what it offers one to see and do. Yellowstone lake became a favorite of ours as it was beachy and even had small waves. The kids swam in this lake that was frozen until mid-June, to give you an idea how cold it was. Gabe said once you were in for three minutes you went numb. No thanks.
We witnessed Old Faithful erupt several times and showed the kids the same waterfalls that we had taken a picture of 15 years before. They had a hard time believing that one.
Mammoth hot springs was a bit disappointing this time as it was so dry there was no spring to be seen but on the long drive there Gabe saw a Grizzly bear so that was worth it. The kids were also able to earn their Jr. Ranger badges so they learned a lot here in addition to having fun.
I know I have said this before but Yellowstone is remarkable. It is worth the trip at least once in your life. Wyoming in general has to be one of the most stunning places to see. We talked about how nice it would be to live here would it not be for the 15 feet of snow they get in the Winter-yuck.
We left Yellowstone yesterday and are now currently in Livingston, Montana. Last night we went into town and visited the Park County Fair. Talk about small town fun. We even got to listen to a cowboy play the steel guitar along with another small rodeo. I love these unexpected treasures God blesses us with along the way. We have the huge snow covered mountains out our front window and the Yellowstone river to the south of us.
Headed north to Great Falls to see a midwife then on the Glacier.

Cody Wyoming

2008-07-30T16:10:00.001-07:00

Pictures are Jadon and Bowen carving the bowl at the skatepark, us as a shadow family at the skatepark, and a bull rider at the rodeo.

We were able to attend the rodeo in Buffalo which was a delight for the kids to see. I got quite choked up during the national anthem, thinking about being in WY and living out this dream. It all seems surreal at times. I am always thanking God for giving us this amazing opportunity.
Yesterday we visited the skatepark in Buffalo before heading west. It was all concrete with a huge bowl. Let me tell you John found his grove there and now is thinking about getting his own board.
We traveled over some enormous mountains to Cody WY our current location. The Big Horn Mountains top out at over 13,000 feet. There were areas that were snowed covered and we were even past the tree line on parts of the road. It was breathtaking. We had to take the truck off of the tow dolly as the our dear RV was throwing a fit going up those hills. She was topping out at 30 mph. So after a long six hour drive we are now in the rodeo capital of the world. We are an hour from Yellowstone as well.

Cowboy Country

2008-07-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

We left South Dakota after four nights and headed for Wyoming. We stayed in little town called Sundance. It's claim to fame of course the "Sundance Kid." We went to Devil's Tower where the kids earned their Jr Ranger Badges and Certificates. The tower is a gigantic rock that once was the core of a volcano. It was actually declared the first national monument back in the early 1900's by Roosevelt.

Now we are in Buffalo, WY where the backdrop is the Big Horn mountains. The tops of which are still covered in snow. It is cowboy country out here and we are actually planning on attending a local rodeo.

We are headed west from here to the Grand Tetons and then Yellowstone.

Sending our love to our dear friend Polly.

America the Beautiful

2008-07-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

Our next location has been just south of Rapid City South Dakota. The first night here we went into town for dinner and got to experience a taste of a real western town. Rapid City was bustling with activity as they were having a street fair. To our delight we got to enjoy Art Alley right next to the fair. It had the most amazing spray painted pictures on buildings that I have seen. From paintings of Martin Luther King to Looney toons. It was a real treasure. There was even a band playing for tips. We never knew what one could do with a can of spray paint.
We ate dinner at the famous Firehouse restaurant. Apparently it was too hot for John as it made him sick to his stomach. I guess he is getting to old for gourmet dishes like beer/cheese soup.
Yesterday we went to Custer State Park and toured the wildlife loop. We saw herds of buffalo, goats, prairie dogs, burros and deer all within their own habitat. We didn't see mountain lions or mountain goats but they did exist inside the park. After the wildlife loop we hit needles highway. This was amazing countryside. Some of the coolest rock structures we've anywhere. The black hills were more like huge mountains. Again the kids were loving it and we enjoyed sharing it with them.
We then drove to Mount Rushmore. The patriotic feeling that I got there is hard to explain but once you know the story behind the man who created this icon you understand. Amazingly not one person died while carving out this huge granite structure. We listened to a talk about the making of Rushmore and headed out.
We drove to Crazy Horse Memorial, also a larger structure carved out of the side of a mountain. We did not pay to get up close but we saw it none the less. It was a long day and a lot of driving but we got to see many wonderful American treasures.
Today John and Gabe are going riding, how ironic there is a track only a mile up the road. John couldn't have planned that if he tried. Jadon and Bowie and I will be going into town to visit some other kid friendly sites.

Badlands

2008-07-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

My apologies to those of you who were just dying to see pictures of the corn palace somehow they got deleted from our camera along with pictures of the kids and John on the waterslide. I must admit we've had some camera dilemmas while on the road between losing my camera and not having pictures from Lake Michigan and now the Corn Palace. I am trying to just get over it but we will never be able to get those pictures back we hold only the memories and when your a little kid the importance of pictures is invaluable.

Onward and upward.

We drove about three hours yesterday to get near the Badlands in South Dakota. We are currently stationed just two miles from the national park entrance. John was awestruck as to the vastness of the open land on our travels here. Literally you drive for miles and miles and never see a building a road or house, just prairie land. Who owns all that land anyway???

Our tour of the badlands was amazing. Even though John and I have seen it before this time we got to share it with our children. It was a wonderful and surreal experience. All of the kids were blown away by the beauty of the landscape. It's one of those things you just have to see to believe but makes one appreciate how awesome God is.

We also got to see a real paleontology digging site. I found that to be truly fascinating albeit a painstaking process. We drove for about an hour on the interior loop after a long hike down into the badlands. We underestimated the length of the hike into the dessert like conditions and were pretty wore out upon its completion.

Upon exiting the badlands we found ourselves in Wall, SD. You can't go through wall without visiting Wall Drug. It is Americana at its finest. The testimony of the people who started the Drug store back during the depression era made me cry in the middle of my lunch. Again another hooray for God and his faithfulness. There are a million things to see inside of this place and again you gotta experience it to believe it.

Tomorrow we will be headed closer to Rapid City where Mount Rushmore and other sites are located. We will post more then.

South Dakota

2008-07-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

We hit South Dakota yesterday afternoon and passed through Sioux Falls. We are staying in Mitchell the home of the famous world's only corn palace. We plan to tour that today along with the homestead of Laura Ingalls Wilder. That takes me back to years of watching Little House on the Prairie.
We stayed in Jackson MS for an overnight prior to SD. This was the first time rain stuck with us during camp set up. We usually have rain when we drive. It has been rare that it hasn't rained a least a little while driving. But it was a soggy set up this time. Fortunately the rain passed and the kids were able to get out and blow off steam. They went for a hay ride and later swam in the heated pool.
We pulled out the next morning after a round of mini golf. This current campground has an indoor waterslide so my plea to go to the corn palace has fallen on deaf ears. I kindly explained that we did not travel to SD to hit a waterslide. Still no takers. I'll post some photos later and let you know which venture won out.

Red Wing

2008-07-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

From nowhere WI we traveled near Green Bay and hit the New Zoo. A smaller zoo but just enough for us to get through before a huge thunderstorm hit. The penguins and lion won out for best animal to our family. We drove for several hours to get to Wassau, WI. Not for anything specific but to just spend the night. We were beside the Wisconsin river. It was the worst campground so far with terrible roads to navigate an RV. From there we traveled for 5 hours into Minnesota where we are currently in the city of Red Wing. This is the famous shoe maker ironically that John patronized for all his years in construction. We crossed the Mississippi to get here. This far north the river is not very wide.

This is the cheapest we saw gas at $3.84 a gallon. The most expensive we have seen was in Michigan at Mackinaw City where it was a whopping $4.50. This has been interesting to see change from town to town and we will keep you posted on our finding.

John and I discussed how we always have a picture of what a campground will look like in our mind before we get to it. The name surely affects this image. Now we are at one named Treasure Island. I don't know what this conjures up for you all but it is a big parking lot. That's it. It does have hook ups but not much else. It sits next to a huge casino so I'm guessing these campers aren't here to enjoy the great outdoors. We were able to use the pool in the casino though so that is one bonus.

John found a MX track that him and Gabe will hit today. We will see what else we can get into here in the parking lot.

Sorry about the above photo I can't figure out how to turn it. It's the kids at the pool and the zoo.

Somewhere in Wisconsin

2008-07-16T07:12:00.001-07:00

We spent our last night in Michigan on the UP in a very little campground near a railroad. Any ideas how we woke up the next morning. The kids met a boy who they played with for hours. That was a blessing. The next day we drove separate again into Wisconsin. I really thought that we were lost in America on our way here. But to our surprise we ended up at a great campground with a playground across the road a lake with huge floating toys that the kids love. They have been able to fish and ride bikes all day.
God is so cool in that the family staying next to us is from Arizona. They homeschool and homebirth as well. They too have a dream to travel across the country so we were able to share our story with them and how God has been faithful with our dream. They have two boys and a little girl like we do. Right now they are all at the park waxing the slide with wax coated cups making it possible the fastest slide in the world.
We got a new tow dolly that looks like it could tow a bus so it should work for us the rest of this trip. Leaving this morning for somewhere else in WI.

Beauty Abound

2008-07-13T13:11:00.001-07:00

We took the Mackinaw City ferry over to Mackinaw Island for my 38th birthday. Thank you to everyone who called to wish me a happy birthday. It means a lot to hear from those that I love. The ferry ride was only 20 minutes and very pleasant. As we approached the island there was a feel of the Victorian era. The buildings were lovely and the homes stunning. We ate lunch at Millies on Main St and then rented bikes. The island has had a ban on automobiles since 1898 so the only way to get around is either bikes or horse and buggy. We took the 8 mile ride (yes I said 8 miles) around the entire island on our bikes. John and Bowen rode a tandem as did Jadon and I. Gabe rode own his own. We climbed to the top of a mountain to see Arch Rock, a natural wonder for everyone to enjoy. We also stopped periodically to rest and to take in the island beauty. Lake Huron is crystal clear and you can see for many feet down to the bottom. I was in awe of it really.
Upon completing our bike ride we ate fudge (can't be too healthy) and ice cream and headed back on the ferry. There is a lot of history on the island with forts to explore and mansions to tour. We opted out of that but someday it would be nice to do that. Perhaps when John and I are older. It was a picture perfect day. Cool (68) and breezy and really fun. This is just what I pictured when I dreamed of our family on this trip.
Congratulations to the Laughmans for making it Florida. We are proud of you for stepping out and making it happen. We pray for you and the Hannas, that you all maintain your sanity. LOL.
Now we are settled in for the night at Rapid River Michigan. We drove for three hours across the Upper Peninsula to get here. The drive was beautiful. The coast of Lake Michigan rivals any coast I have seen. The only drawback is the temperature, only in the 60's. I have been pleasantly surprised by the loveliness of Michigan. I feel blessed to be able explore it in this way.

Motocross Heaven

2008-07-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

From Niles Michigan we had a long days drive to West Branch near Rose City. We crossed the whole state to end up on the east side driving north past Lake Huron. We have now seen three of the Great Lakes. The reason for the long(over five hours) drive was to get to Ogemaw Sport and Trail Center. Don't let the name fool you, it was a nice MX track with three total tracks and lots of trails but the camping facilities were primitive. We did have water and electric but man this place was way out in the boonies. The road leading there was over two miles of dirt.
John described the place as Eden however as combining MX with camping is just up his alley. Gabe and John rode for two days. John said on the evening of day two that his body was worn out apparently not as young as he used to be. Gabe however rode until almost nine that night. Gabe discovered he likes to trail ride even though he was very intimidated by it before trying it.
The other two kids and I went into town on Thursday to run errands and see a movie, here's a heads up don't go see the movie Wall E. I just didn't get this one. Probable the worst kids movie I have ever seen.
We left Ogemaw with intentions of heading north to Mackinaw City for the weekend. We had some tow dolly issues again. Of course we should have dealt with this already but we do tend to procrastinate. After the long drive out of the dirt road from the sport center John checked the tow dolly and it was so twisted and trashed that he knew we couldn't go any further. We had only gone 11 miles. We called around to different places hoping to either rent a dolly or buy one. Fat chance in the middle of no where. So we drove separate, me in the truck and everyone else in the RV. We later decided to bless someone else with the tow dolly. We knew that somehow we would get it worked out but it was dangerous to be towing that thing behind the RV.
We got to Mackinaw City and headed for the Upper Peninsula where I "thought" our campground was. The bridge to cross over to the UP is spectacular. The water is as blue as any tropical water you will see. I just couldn't believe it when I saw it. The bridge itself it a modern day marvel as it is over five miles long. And the cool thing is that Lake Michigan is on one side and Lake Huron on the other. Because we loved this bridge so much we crossed it twice and payed the toll as well due to me directing us to the wrong campground. Duh. Must be the fact that I am getting older.
Last evening after setting up camp finally we went to look at the Lake and check out the town of Mackinaw City. We ate a the Dixie Saloon, a very rustic and woodsy restaurant that overlooked the water. We then cruised through and open air mall and called it a night. BTW it is very cool here highs in the 60's.

Loving Michigan

2008-07-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

Currently we are close to Grand Rapids (about 25 miles south), MI. We found out this am that our RV fridge has been recalled so we have to have it repaired ASAP in order that it doesn't start a fire. We will get that taken care of tomorrow on our way north.

I am so amazed how late the sun stays up here. It stays light at least until 10pm. Try telling the kids it is bedtime when darkness is no where to be found.

Today was a short drive. I love those. I think only 90 miles. We are at the Dutch Treat Campground in Holland, MI. The kids swam in the heated (a necessity) pool for hours. We went into Holland for dinner. What our luck to find a skatepark in this gorgeous town. The streets are lined with lovely historic shops. We are planning to take the children in town to skate at the park tomorrow for a little fun.

The playground near the park is littered with trash so we will be cleaning up the earth before any skating will commence. I was wondering and praying that God would give us an opportunity to serve now that we got our feet about us in the camping realm and low and behold it presents itself. And of course God knew that Gabe would need a motivation to pick up trash so He placed the area to serve next to a skatepark.

Red Bud

2008-07-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

To everyone who has sent us comments on here, Thank you. We really look forward to your thoughts and contact. We have had to change our email address as our Verizon account was cancelled once our home phone was shut off. It was discouraging at first as we had that account for years. So if we don't contact anyone it is because we have no email addresses as they were lost with the old email as well. Just another lesson learned.
I can't say enough good things about this Michigan weather in the summer. It is just delightful here. Not at all hot during the days maybe 75-80 during the day and cool enough at night for blankets and no air conditioning. Very little humidity.
The kids have been busy fishing and swimming in a somewhat stinky pond. Bikes have been wonderful, I am so glad we brought them. There are also some nature trails and a stream for splashing.
John and the boys are at Red Bud Track and Trail for the national MX race today. They were up at 5 am and out the door before 6. We are only 20 minutes from the track so I am thinking they were the first ones there today. This is Bowen's first race so I am sure he will have a lot to talk about when they get home. He is rooting for James Stuart by the way.
We are heading north tomorrow to see what the rest of Michigan has to offer. We will keep you posted. If you have any ideas or suggestions let us know.
We hope you all had a wonderful July 4th. We did.

Five Days In

2008-07-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Niles, Michigan a place I had never heard of before this trip. We are staying in a nice campground inhabited mainly by the older RV crowd. The kids like it because we are beside a playground -1970's style. Right down to the merry go round. Remember those??? This place was built, according to the nice lady at the desk, 42 years ago. I don't think there have been many updates but it is well kept.

We traveled through three states today to get here, Ohio, Indiana and now Michigan. Our two night stay in Sandusky OH was pleasant and quiet. We visited the Cedar Point Amusement Park yesterday. The place was amazing with its 17 roller coasters. You could ride for days. We were all beat by the time we got back to camp.

Setting up and tearing down is getting easier each time. John likes to keep busy with this stuff since this is his new "job".

I must say our kids have really adapted well to this new way of life, now granted it has only been 5 days but they seem to really dig it. We still find ourselves busy with all the normal life stuff like dishes, laundry, discipline and the like but now we find ourselves outside more, riding bikes taking walks and sitting around the fire. I think it suits us well. We will be here until Monday a nice extended stay for the fourth of July. I will check in here after the weekend when the Red Bud MX Race is in town and another one of John's life long dreams comes true

This pregnant momma is tired I need to go round up the troops for bedtime.

WE'RE OFF

2008-06-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

We hit the road Friday around 1pm with my dear sister and her girls waving us off. It was a bittersweet moment with three out of five Cashman's in tears. We drove for awhile, maybe two hours before Gabe started to get sick. He continued feeling that way until 8 that night after throwing up one last time. Poor little man. Not the way we thought our first day would be. But we dealt with it, prayed for him and by that evening he was out riding bikes.
Our first night we stayed in Rockwood, PA near Somerset. Our campground was nice with baby goats and a donkey that the kids just loved to feed. We walked, talked and rode bikes. It is a real joy to be on this journey together even with life's ups and downs.
A few minor glitches with the trailer. It blew out some thing on the tire that spewed oil everywhere and now there is a bend in the hitch part. John can only see one side of the trailer while driving it is that crooked. SOOO we might have to purchase a new one or get that one welded. However in hindsight, which never serves us well it probable wasn't the best trailer for this adventure. I think we need one a little bigger and more sturdy. We shall see how this turns out. To be continued
Now we find ourselves in Ohio on Lake Erie. In a wonderful town called Geneva- on- the- Lake. My kids refuse to believe that it is a lake because it is ssoooo big. We hope to explore the town which is similar to a boardwalk at the beach minus the boards but with all the shops and eateries.
I hope to get some pictures on here within the day or so. And a virtual map so you can follow our path. Until then...

Feeling the Love

2008-06-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

We had our bon voyage party here on Saturday. I feel blessed to have had so many wonderful people here to say goodbye to us. It makes me appreciate the way our lives touch those of others. Sometimes we get so caught up in all the busyness of life and forget how much other people make a difference in just knowing them, just loving them and having them near our hearts. So this is a big thank you to everyone who came here to spend those last precious moments with us. We love you and will hold you in a special place forever.
We drove the RV to church yesterday so that we could share with our church family the vision we have for our journey. It was an amazing experience to feel so much support and love from people that we had really just begun to get to know. Pastor Bonnie, that dear women shared our story from the pulpit and allowed us to come forward to share our vision for the crusade. She then asked people to come forward to lay hands on us and pray for our safety and blessing. It was overwhelming and very touching.
Many people were able then to come out to the parking lot and tour the RV in order to gain insight as to how we will live on the road. Again I can not say enough wonderful things about the people at Red Run thank you all for loving us in all this craziness. We will honor you and God with this journey.
By the way we are really getting down to the wire here with three days to go before we leave. We got a truck to pull behind the RV. Nice truck with a glitch or two in the towing department. It will work out though as John is on the job. I love that man. He has been so amazing these last few weeks. It's like he is reborn in his "retirement". I am so happy for him and the freedom he is having.
I really have so much to do that I can't even think straight but it will get done and soon enough we will be gone. We just feel so much love in all of this.

Our Maiden Voyage

2008-06-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

The settlement went without incident. We walked away very happy with how everything went. It was so freeing and truly amazing to know that this crazy dream is becoming reality. We have no regrets selling the house. I was not sad for a moment., It has felt like we have been a slave to this lifestyle for so long that getting out from under it is like a weight being lifted from your shoulders. The stuff, the big house all really great blessings but John has put so much of his energy into just keeping the roof over our head that to get out from under is such joy for both of us. I am so excited for him to not have to work for the next six months that I could do a dance about it.
We ended up picking up the RV on Tuesday June 3. My sister came along to drive our car home so that we could ride home in Gracie as a family. It was so cool handing the check over for our new home on wheels. We said goodbye to George and Linda and with John behind the wheel we were off. The kids were wild in there. Bouncing off the walls excited. I too felt like a little kid. We made it home through a major rainstorm without any problem.
I was just thrilled to have the RV sitting in our yard. A reminder that dreams become reality if you just believe. Not that there hasn't been some blood, sweat and tears involved but with anything worth having it has been a journey I wouldn't change.
So we have been busy cleaning Gracie and filling her up with our belongings. We like just hanging out in there together. We even spent the night in it when my mom was up this weekend. LOVE IT. LOVE IT.

We Found Her

2008-05-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

We prayed and believe that God lead us to the right RV. Both John and I agreed that we just know Gracie is the one to take us on our adventure. We worked out a price that both the seller (George and Linda) agreed on and we felt was fair.
They invited us to test drive the RV on Memorial Day so we took advantage of that.
The cool thing about George and Linda is that they shared with us that they too had prayed about the next owner of Gracie and belive God lead us to them.
They were so kind in taking the time to show us all the ins and outs of RV living. They spent several hours with us being the greenhorns that we are and not knowing a thing about self contained living.
I loved riding in the RV. All the windows were open as we were traveling and the air movement through there was amazing. It really hit me then that we can travel in our home. It moves with us. How cool is that? I laid on the bed while traveling 55. What a ride. I did feel like a little kid in a candy store. I think our kids are gonna really dig it.
Linda shared some really cool testimonies about her and George. I love hearing how God works in other peoples lives. But His work in our lives is nothing shy of amazing too. This whole journey so far has been the work of an awesome God.
We settle on the house tomorrow. TOMORROW. Get that. It really is fast approaching. We will be hitting the road in a month. So much to do so little time. But honestly I just want to live in this moment. It is a special moment in time for this family. Our lives are about to change drastically. Bring it on....

The Great Gracie Chase

2008-05-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

So we go last nite to check out the 30' Fleetwood Flair that it's owners refer to as Gracie. She is a 1996 RV with 32,000 miles. We looked "her"over for a long while opening all of the storage both inside and out. Other than the colors being a bit dated and the outside needing a good shine it was what we were hoping for. It has a tub, a place for everyone to sleep and even an outside shower.
The owner, George was a very nice man, a christian who informed us that Gracie got it's name from the Grace of God as He provided the RV for them when they weren't sure they could afford it.
John and I both agreed that this RV would suit our needs, that the price was right and it was tenderly taken care of. We slept on it and decided that we would not let Gracie get away at such a great price. We offered George via email what we thought was a good price for the RV . We haven't heard yet but are praying that if God's Grace be upon us that we will be the new proud owners of Gracie.

The Search is ON

2008-05-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

Oh the driving we will do. Went to Philadelphia yesterday as this was near two RV's that we were scheduled to look at.
Had a nice time in the city checking out the historic sites. I was amazed to be in locations where our forefathers stood. George Washington, Ben Franklin seriously it was really cool to know and learn how much history is in the state of PA. Rode the Ducks which took us around the city in an open bus, very entertaining and educational and then the thing turns into a boat and went into the DE river. It was a blast. The tour guide named get- this Betsy Ross (yes-her real name) was amazing and truly born to do that job.
We checked out the liberty bell too. Gabe thought it looked fake. Let freedom ring.
So it was off to Horsham (yeah your saying it right) to see the first RV. It was big with a nice slide but only had sleeping capacity for 4. Really needed a cleaning too.
Then we ventured to Boyertown to look at a 30' Four Winds Hurricane. This thing was nice and only used by one older women. No slide so a bit tight inside but we think this one could work. The inside was clean and had nice upholstery. The price is really descent too at 22,000 it might work for our budget.
We did a lot of car time yesterday. I hope NOT to be in the vehicle that long for awhile. At least not the cramped up minivan. The kids did great with only 300 "are we there yets?"
Time will tell and with God's help we will find the perfect RV for this loco family of 5.

We are getting close

2008-05-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

I sure hope I get better about keeping this site up to date. I haven't been on here since December. Shame on me.
We we have run the gamut on selling the house vs. auctioning. Just to spare you the details our house sold in April by a realtor that did an amazing job. It had only been on the market for just over two months. It felt like an eternity though knowing we wanted to begin traveling in May and not being able to control all of the details. John was of course much more relaxed that me his up tight wife.
So we settle on the house in two weeks. The buyer, a very nice man from Maryland is allowing us to rent the house back for one month. This will enable us to buy the RV from here after settlement and leave from East Berlin the end of June.
So much has happened that it feels like just writing it down here doesn't give it the emotion that it deserves. But truly God has been so faithful to us through all of this it truly is a testimony that glorifies Him and how He cares about us and the dreams that are inside waiting to take flight.

Certainly not on the lighter side but this could be a whole post in and of itself. We are expecting baby # 4. WOWOWOWOW. We found out about the baby the same week we got the offer on our house. So now we add a whole new dimension to this upcoming journey. Actually I will just continue to grow in size the entire time we are on the road. God your timing is hilarious. I love when you do things like that.
So now we are in search of the perfect house on wheels. Still undecided 100% about the type more than likely though we will get a Class A. Perhaps 30' with a car to tow. Oh and those motorcycles. They must go too.
I will attempt to keep this up to date as we count down our departure in a few weeks. Adding some pictures of our house and our new RV.

My how time flies

2007-12-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

It has been some time since I have been on here putting down the thoughts about our trip. Not that I haven't thought about it for countless hours. Oh no I have done that just didn't take time to put it in writing. And now here it is the end of another year. We are about to enter 2008. My how time flies.
Christmas has come and gone already and New Years is just a few days away. I am overjoyed at what this new year will bring our way. Much change lies ahead. My sister and best friend is moving to Florida to be with my baby sister. It's a little unsettling to know I won't be with them. Nikki moved into a lovely house with a pool and only minutes to the beach. I want to be near them but really want to discover what America has to offer our family.

In terms of our trip. We have talked about ways to give back and one thought was to feed the homeless in each and every state. We helped out at the local Rescue Mission over Christmas and it was rewarding for our whole family. I just feel it is so important for us as a family to reach out to those in need that it has to be a part of our trip. To share the love that God blesses us with daily and let others know they are loved too. Seems so simple to me and yet so life changing. So I will check into this avenue and get back to you on that.

I think we are going to auction the house in April as opposed to listing it in January with a realtor. I need to call the auctioneer to set up a time for him to check out our house and see what his thoughts are. The house is listed on Craig's List for sale and maybe it will go that way. We'll see.

If we are counting down to our departure we only have about 16 weeks left. WOW that really puts it in perspective. So we shall see what evolves from now until then and hopefully I will get to writing on here between it all.

Anything is possible

2007-10-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday John-36 B a b y...
Was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of what needs to be done with our house in order to be ready to put it on the market in January. It seems that with every project another one is overturned. Still the goal remains and will be achieved.
Been thinking about how to further downsize and get rid of more stuff. I must admit that is difficult to do as we seems to use everything still in this house. I know I need to start thinking on a smaller scale.
Would like to hit the used RV show this week to get a more realistic picture of what we can/cannot afford. I was hoping John and I could do that together but with him working out of town that is not going to happen. So it just might be me and the kids. Besides it is going to be their home too. I believe it is important for them to know what we are getting into. They always get excited when we get to go in and out of the different RV models.
So my sister now has her house on the market and will be moving to Florida once the house sells. WOW I am blown away by that. Since Nikki moved there a month ago it has been an adjustment without her family here. And now another one off. My two little sisters so far away from me. Not something that I want to think about. Makes me wonder if that will be the deciding factor in where we end up after our cross country tour. Only God knows at this point. Anything is possible....

Enjoy the Challenge

2007-09-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

So it has been over a week since my last post. Not unusual for me. I wanted to get this down here so that it was in black and white. John and I agreed that we will put the house up for sale on January 1, 2008. That is not that far off. Next week being October really leaves us with three full months. I have been painting to get it ready. Had a guy come and give us an estimate for the kitchen floor but it was more than we had hoped so that will be another do it yourselfer. The list of things to do before we list the house seems to be growing instead of shrinking. Maybe just maybe I need to overlook some things and do only what is necessary.
We have been looking at some really nice used RV's online and have found some that are in our price range. They are a bit older than I had wanted but with low mileage it shouldn't be a concern if we do choose to go that way.
The planning stages of this trip are long and daunting. Little things like health insurance, copies of health records, figuring out what state to live and the home school regs there. The list is really endless and at times mind boggling. But I am sure next year a this time where ever we will be it just won't matter how long it took to plan only that we did and that we followed this blessed dream. Anything worth doing takes effort so I look forward to the challenges and I enjoy the journey where ever it may lead.

Lessons Learned

2007-09-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about what we can do while we travel that would add meaning to others' lives and to teach our children about giving back to this world God blessed us with. It is important for us to leave a legacy to these kids, that they know there is more to life than the me syndrome so common in our world and even our house on occasion .
We have considered volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, rebuilding the South, working at soup kitchens and even picking up trash. There is also the idea of raising money for some worthy cause. We are not sure yet and need to discuss this further as a family but I just feel a real desire to give back and not just indulge while on this trip. We really are blessed beyond measure with our health, and friends & families that love us, a God who cherishes us but it just feels better to give than receive and so I pray that we get divine direction to make this trip one that changes not only our lives but everyone we meet in some way. This life is not our own and we are to lay it down for His purpose and calling. I know that this journey was something God placed within the destiny of this family.
It is funny the lessons we learn along the way. Next month the mortgage interest on our house will jump 3%. Increasing our payments by over $2oo a month. It really just confirms for us it is time to leave this behind and simplify our lives. I saw on the news tonight that over half of the millions of people who also choose the adjustable rate mortgage (we did b/c it was cheaper for us monthly, not looking into the future of course) a few years back will have to foreclose on their homes due to the increase in monthly mortgage payment. I am glad ours is only $200, many were upwards of $800-1000. Totally insane. We bought this house when the market was hot. I hope and pray now that it is really in a slump that we can sell in January as planned.
We originally wanted to be on the road by May 16, 2008. The 15 year anniversary from our first cross country trip (how cool is that) but since this whole mortgage thing we would like to sell sooner than that. January normally isn't the best time of year to sell but God's hand is upon us and we give Him all the glory so let the praise begin.

A New Adventure

2007-09-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

I have been wondering how to create a place where we could keep track of our travel journeys once they begin. I can't believe how easy this was to do and find and imagine it is free.

I guess I should start by giving a reason for even wanting to blog. I never before thought we would need a reason to put down in writing the daily ins and outs of our lives.

However this dream of ours has been awhile coming. Actually it starting almost 15 years ago when John and I traveled around the country in a little pop up for three months. It was amazing and beautiful.

Fast forward to 12 years of marriage and three dear children later. John works very hard at his current job. He is an amazing man, husband and father. He works long hours at a very physically strenuous job and NEVER complains. He truely is a one of a kind. But there has to be more to life than that. Just keeping this roof over our heads is not God's best for his children

Well we have been wanting to move south for a number of years now and even went to South Carolina to check it out. We loved it near Charleston and the beach. John even had a job lined up to pump concrete. God had other plans though when I became pregnant with baby number three. He is now almost 4. Time does fly.

So in talking and dreaming about moving it occured to me that we could again travel around the country. Not a problem since our kids are homeschooled(unschooled much of the time). We could share with our kids this awesome country and really spend time together as a family. Besides isn't that what it's all about. For us it really it. I believe this crazy dream of ours will come true. I have been reading and researching for months now. I am a fanatic when it comes to doing my reserch and finding out all I can about something. It has been an information influx of RV models, campgrounds to visit, places to see, stories of other people doing the same thing (Families on the Road). I love learning about those who go before us and pave the way. The life of living on the road in an RV is not that uncommon as it once was. I am excited at the possibilites it presents for this family of five dreamers. We shall see.....