Ready... Set...

Everything was finally packed in the motor home and we were ready to go! The butterflies were out in full force - not flying around in the air, rather dancing in our stomachs because we had planned and waited for this day to come for a very long time! Six of us in a motor home traveling cross country for five weeks. Close quarters, for sure, but very doable.


We had the route carefully planned and the major points of interest that were a must to see- the kids had even given some of their input as well - and we were finally ready to pull out of the driveway. Dawn's parents, Mary and Mel, Dawn and I, and Adam and Jackie. That's right, all of us in a 31' Winnebago Adventurer motor home! We would share the expenses of the trip and make some awesome memories together - this is going to be a blast!


As we pull out of town on Rt. 6 and cross into Ohio, Mary decides that she needs to use the toilet - yes, while we were rolling down the road! Who knows what she's thinking - we just left the house, not even five minutes ago! A few minutes pass and Mel brings the big rig to a stop at an intersection, looks both ways, and seeing that all is clear, he guns it.

Kaa-lummp!!!

We are all startled by the loud sound and groans from the bathroom, and we quickly yell, "Mom, are you alright in there?" [More groaning...]

We rush back to see what had happened and ensure she is okay, only to find that when Dad stopped, Mom thought it was a good time to stand up, and just as he gunned it, she flopped into the bathtub! What a way to start the trip!



Jackie ended up with bubbles in her eyes at our first stop in Michigan and later in the Grand Canyon, accidentally dropped a can of pop from the refrigerator that got punctured on the way to the floor on a grate, creating a spinning little mini-geyser right there in the motor home which tripped one of the gas sensors and shut down the entire motor home electrical system!

Adam had to tolerate his sister's constant babbling and invasion of his space [he always was a really good big brother!]. He also got a lot of mileage out of the Asian family we heard practicing their English in Yellowstone National Park, "Bi-shawn! Buffalo. Buffalobuffalobuffalo!"

Of course, there was the snow that we woke up to in Yellowstone [in July!] and the fender-bender at the Grand Canyon, and tons and tons and tons of fun! Waking every day to spend all day as a family with no outside responsibilities or phone calls [no cell phone then!] or jobs to get done! Only new sights and experiences to enjoy; true wonders to behold! A bit overstated? NO WAY!

Some people think that you can stay home and look at pictures or watch documentaries and see a place, because after all, "you are just looking at a bunch of mountains and trees with water sprinkled around here and there." But you can never experience the same sense of awe that you get when standing at the base of the Rockies or at the base of a giant sequoia tree feeling rather insignificant and realizing that there are things in this world much bigger than we are! The thought that it all happened by chance is simply absurd.


That trip was many years ago and it still remains one of my best memories - perhaps my all-time favorite vacation. [And that is not overstated] It was fantastic!

Mary was a bit unsteady on her feet back then and we came to find out soon after that vacation that she not only had COPD [a degenerative lung disease] to deal with, but she was also diagnosed with PSP [a degenerative form of palsy]. She is not doing so well these days but she and Mel are encouraging us to go and make those memories that only time spent away from the craziness of daily life and time spent with each other can foster.

Now, perhaps I should be worried because as Dawn got onto the motorcycle today as we were leaving on an errand, she caught her toe on the saddle and stumbled a bit... hmmm... I hope there is no soda pop geyser or fender bender in store for us!

And so, today the magic number is 8; which happens to be spelled V-E-R-Y-S-O-O-N!



[This is Mary and Mel at their 50th Anniversary, still in love!]