Stop at Biltmore Before Home

We slept in Tuesday morning and then decided to sit out on our balcony so that we could enjoy our room and view before we trekked north. We spent the entire day driving to our campsite in Asheville, North Carolina. To keep ourselves occupied, we listened to Harry Potter on audio book that Chrissy had on her Ipod. We reached our campsite around 1:30am and decided to sleep in the truck to save time from having to assemble/disassemble the tent.
On Wednesday, we got up around 8:30am and drove to the Biltmore Estate so that we could tour the chateau and the gardens. The architecture was amazing, and I thought it was cool that Frederick Law Olmstead (the man who designed Central Park in New York City) planned out the gardens for the estate. After the tour, we went to Antler Village, which is a few miles from the house but still on the estate since the estate is on 8000 acres, and did some complimentary wine tasting to finish off our visit. The Riesling and Merlot were my favorites.


After the Biltmore, Chrissy and I drove about 90 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway so that we could enjoy the scenery and see the Linville Viaduct. We also picked up a nice orange cone at the Green Knob Overlook just for kicks. Given that we had lots of energy, we decided that the best idea was to drive straight to my house from North Carolina. We stopped for Subway around 7pm, and then a Burger King/gas station around midnight. At the gas station, there happened to be some bargain Christian books for sale, so of course Chrissy and I broke down and got some. We both already have shelves of books that we need to read, but haven't been able to because school keeps us busy, but we figure one can never have too many books. We made it halfway through the 3rd Harry Potter book before we reached my house at 4:30am on Thursday. Thankfully Chrissy had her key to get into the garage, and then we just knocked on the door and my dad let us in. He knows me so well and figured that we would be arriving. My parents were really excited to see us and we shared stories until they went to work at 7am and then Chrissy and I slept until the middle of the afternoon. Went and bought a steak for dinner and then we shared presents and videos after dinner. Chrissy and I stayed up late trying to figure out what to do with our patches and pins and then my brother showed up around 12:30 am so we got to show him our videos and presents. He was very excited to hear about all of it. Went to sleep around 4am and I got up to watch the Germany v Serbia game. The referee was horrible to say the least, and I'm livid that Klose got kicked out for fouls that were not card worthy. The USA v Slovenia was a good game, but again, the referee was awful. I'm hoping that things are better with England v. Algeria.

Hollywood to New Orleans

Last I left you was in Santa Monica. On Tuesday, June 8th, Chrissy and I left the Clarity Condo around 11am to venture into Hollywood. We did the typical touristy things such as wandering the Walk of Fame, taking pictures of hand/footprints outside Grauman's Chinese Theater, and looking at the Kodak Theater that is across from the Hotel Roosevelt. We then drove around and stumbled upon Beachwood Drive and wound our way up into the Hollywood Hills so that we could get a good picture of the Hollywood sign. Ironically, we happened to be listening to Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus at the time and when she said, "When I looked to my right I could see the Hollywood sign," that was where we saw it (yes I know we are easily amused). Following that adventure, we drove through the Mojave Dessert to get to Las Vegas. I was really excited to see the Bellagio Fountains because they were in the end of Ocean's Eleven. After watching the fountains, we went to the Buffalo Bill Saloon and Casino for some gambling. Played the quarter slots followed by blackjack. Blackjack was a lot of fun and really easy to pick up on. The dealer was really nice, as were the people from Alaska playing with us. Even though I lost all of my money, I enjoyed myself in the process.

After being up the majority of the night, I drove us to Death Valley at 5am so that we wouldn't roast in the heat, and so the truck wouldn't either. We stopped at the Badwater Basin, which is the lowest point in the United States at 282 feet below sea level. It's mildly creepy that there is a sign in the cliff indicating to where sea level is. Following our Death Valley adventure, Chrissy and I drove to the Leeds' RV Park to check in before our hike. The woman was very nice and helpful and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We went to Zion National Park and, for some odd reason, I thought it would be an excellent idea to do the Angel's Landing hike. The beginning is a windy trail up to one point where you think that you are done until you realize that you have to cross a narrow ridge holding onto chains in order to reach the actual Angel's Landing, which is 1488 feet off of the ground (pretty high for someone who hates heights). My best analogy is imagine being on top of the Empire State building and having the surface be smooth sandstone with patches of sand and needing to cross a two foot wide ledge while holding onto chains. Doesn't that sound like oh so much fun? I figure that conquering some of my fears is all in the experience. Truthfully, I wouldn't have made it without the help of Chrissy and some other random folks encouraging me as I slowly inched along. Afterwards, lyrics from the Sidewalk Prophets "Words I Would Say" came to mind, which state, "Be strong in the Lord, and never give up hope. You're gonna do great things, I already know. God's got His hand on You, so don't live life in fear." If I lived my life in fear, I would have never made it to the pinnacle of Angel's Landing, though the last half mile did take about an hour.

June 10th brought us to the Kanarra Creek slot canyon in Kanarraville, UT. This hike was positively amazing! The trail zig-zagged along the Kanarra Creek and across it at points. We also had to climb ladders at waterfalls until we couldn't go any further. It was very refreshing given the hot, sunny day. We then went to Bryce Canyon National Park, which is by far my favorite park. We hiked the Peek-a-boo Trail down into the canyon and back up again. After the hike, drove to Shady Acres campground in Green River, UT.

June 11th we drove most of the day. Since Aspen Seals Sledging was closed for the season, we went to Mile High Stadium in Denver because Chrissy is a Broncos fan. The weather was extremely bizarre. There were torrential downpours, followed by hail that piled up to about 4 inches in spots. This unfortunately kept the water trapped on the road, turning it into a lake. After the stadium, we drove to our campsite in Pagosa Springs, CO.

June 12th we found ourselves driving to Four Corners Monument. Unfortunately, it was closed due to construction, so we ventured to Goosenecks State Park to take some pictures. After that, we drove through Albuquerque, NM, before taking a quick nap. The next day we went to the Cadillac Ranch and each spray painted Bible verses onto the cars. Chrissy chose Proverbs 3:5-6, which states "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will keep your paths straight." I chose Matthew 6:25 which says, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Attempts to find a place to watch the Germany vs. Australia game were futile, so we made our way to Shrevport, LA, for the night. (Germany won 4-0 for those who are interested).

June 14th we slept in a bit and then drove, with much excitement, down to New Orleans for the night. As a surprise, I got us a room at the Inn on Bourbon Street with a Bourbon Street balcony. Chrissy of course thought that I was crazy, but extremely happy. I figured I was just channeling Randy Pausch by helping make someone's dream come true, which does have an amazing feeling to it. It worked in my favor as well because I absolutely love jazz and New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz. After checking in, we wandered Toulouse Street to Jackson Square to take pictures of St Louis Cathedral at my brother's suggestion, and then found the statue of Joan of Arc. The downpours started, so we found our way into the French Market restaurant for dinner. I had some epic grilled chicken while listening to thunder claps that

sounded more like cannons going off than anything else. It was raining so hard that the floor of the back room started flooding because the patio drain was clogged. The wait staff was entertaining and kept asking us if we wanted to go for a swim. Once the rain stopped, we wandered along the Mississippi River to the Jackson Brewery for a sampler before making our way back to Bourbon Street for some shopping. That wore us out so we topped off the night by drinking Sangria on our balcony and watching the world go by.

Whirlwind on the West Coast

Jeepers it's been a busy week. We left off in Gold Beach, Oregon I believe. Well on Thursday, June 3rd, we drove south along Route 101 so that we could travel through Redwood National Forest. It was stunning to see such gigantic trees lining the roadways. When stopping at a visitors center, we happened to come across a herd of elk, which was pretty awesome. We decided to then travel along the Avenue of the Giants and paid a few dollars to literally drive through a tree because not everybody can say that they took the time to drive through a redwood. After the park, we located a Starbucks to do some reading, but I was too intrigued by the women's Bible study to actually do any. Once we relaxed for a bit, we continued on down the coast and detoured at Point Arenas Lighthouse just because it was there. The facility was closed, but it was beautiful seeing a lighthouse at night. Finally reached our campsite in Gualala State Park around 10pm. I was greatly amused by the security guard who spoke to me in German and actually knew how to pronounce my last name as "moot" which hardly ever happens.

Friday morning Chrissy and I got up bright and early at 6am (well not so much bright as it was still pouring rain). After showering and disassembling a wet tent, we ventured towards Calistoga, CA to go wine tasting at Chateau Montelena. The venue was gorgeous and the wine was decent. I drove afterwards since I only had tiny sips, whereas Chrissy finished off the wine and it was pre-breakfast at 9am. I continued south through Napa Valley to get us onto 120 east towards Yosemite National Park. Yosemite was absolutely breathtaking! We saw Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls, Brideveil Falls, El Capitan, and Half Dome. What made everything even better was the fact that the sun finally came out after almost a week straight of rain that was really wearing on my psyche. After Yosemite, it was off to our campsite on Half Moon Bay. We were truly blessed with the location of site 16 because it just so happened to be literally 50 feet from the beach so we got the luxury of falling asleep and waking up to waves crashing along the shore.

Saturday was a fun-filled day. We started the day by visiting the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA. This mansion was designed by the late Mrs. Winchester, who was married to the son of the man who invented the Winchester rifle. The mansion is quite intriguing with its low-rise staircases, the door to nowhere, and windows with views of elevator shafts. Some say that the reason the house is so unique is because Mrs. Winchester was trying to confuse the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle. Chrissy and I opted for the Grand Estate tour, which included both the mansion tour and the behind-the-scenes tour. It was very entertaining to learn all of the inside stories about the house and Mrs. Winchester's bizarre behavior. Following the tour, we trekked up to San Francisco so that we could take the ferry out to Alcatraz. If you remember, I happen to have a great fascination with 1920s gangsters, and Al Capone happened to do time on the Rock. Also, I really enjoyed Clint Eastwood in Escape From Alcatraz, so to be able to see the actual cells that those men chiseled their way out of was pretty epic. The audio tour was quite intriguing and made you feel like you were really experiencing certain events such as the riot that occurred and stabbings in the dining area. Once back on shore, Chrissy and I wandered Fisherman's Wharf and found some nice bargain shops before stopping for a loaf of sourdough bread at Boudin's Sourdough Bakery. We then took pictures of Ghiradelli Square and the trolley turnaround on Hyde Street before hiking up Hyde Street to get a view of the bay area. Next was walking down Lombard Street, which happens to be the crookedest street ever. As a surprise, I found Aladdin Street for Chrissy because that is her favorite movie. After our own personal walking tour, we decided to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge before finding our campsite at Sunset Beach State Park along Monterey Bay.

Sunday we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway along Monterey Bay and through the Big Sur area. The blues of the water were absolutely stunning, and the cliff views were nerve-racking and spectacular all at the same time. Around 4 in the afternoon we reached our destination in Santa Monica. Former members of our church (Nathan and Jess Kollar, Josh and Allison Kollar, Ryan and Katrina Connell, and Dan Crismon to name a few) planted a church called Clarity about 6 months ago, so we decided to crash their place for two nights. There was an event Sunday night with a nice pasta dinner and some worship music led by Nathan and Jessica Kollar, along with a short message by Nathan on the Power of One, which focused on the story of Stephen being the first Christian martyr and how his sacrifice fulfilled God's Word of spreading the gospels across the globe. After the event, we all went back to the condo to socialize and eat leftovers.

Chrissy and I got the luxury of sleeping in until about 10am Monday morning, which was awesome! Josh Kollar was the first person to wander into the kitchen, so we celebrated by all eating chocolate cake for breakfast (we needed some sort of excuse to make that okay). After lounging for a bit, Chrissy and I ventured to the 3rd Street Promenade. I got sucked in by the World Cup hype and bought a soccer magazine that came with a World Cup Guide. I then came across the Adidas store and now have a new Germany soccer jersey and zip-up track jacket. It was totally worth it though. After the shopping spree, Chrissy and I decided to be brave and each dunked ourselves in the Pacific Ocean. It was definitely not as cold as I expected. Jumping in the Delaware River in January was definitely much worse (nor very smart haha). We went back to the condo and then went out to dinner at In N Out with Nathan, Jess, Novi, Josh, and Allison. Novi was quite entertained by my phone, so I let her play with it while we were stuck in traffic. Following dinner, we had a quick Mario Kart tournament before Allison, Chrissy, Jess, and I all went to Pink Berry for dessert. I got a mini chocolate topped with brownie bites, chocolate chips, and crushed oreos. It was delicious! Once back at home, we all watched some bloopers on Youtube before settling on watching G.I. Jane on Netflix. Chrissy and I then hashed out what we are planning on doing for the next couple of days. I am currently losing at finding any sort of campsite near Kannaraville, UT, for later in the week, so I should probably sleep considering how late it is. Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Hopefully the next won't be too far down the road.

Sogginess That is the Pacific Northwest

It was pouring rain last night when we went to bed and we woke up to more rain. The idea to hike to Tunnel Falls was therefore scrapped since it was probably not the greatest conditions to hike on a trail that was carved into the edge of a 120 foot cliff. So we got a chance to sleep in and I read some of my book and ate Kix once I woke up from a train going by in the gorge. My half of the tent happened to be sitting in a gigantic puddle, so that was a good time, as was disassembling the tent and packing it. To make up for the lack of a hike, Chrissy and I drove along the Columbia River Scenic Highway on Route 30 to see Horsetail Falls and Multonomah Falls. After getting soaked taking pictures, we went shopping at the Christian Outlet once we found out that our jetboat ride for tomorrow got cancelled due to the weather. A bit of a bummer, but not the end of the world since we can do that on the east coast. We drove through Tillamook Forest and got changed into dry clothes at the visitor's center. After another hour or so of driving, we finally reached the Pacific Coast Highway and got pictures of the ocean. Now that we have wasted time at Starbucks and I have chatted with my brother on the phone, it is time to drive down to our campsite in Gold Beach, Oregon. Oh and for those of you who do not know, Chrissy is also keeping a blog at travelingfervor.blogspot.com. She has some great old pics up of my brother and I that were on the wall at my grandma's, along with an old wedding picture of my parents that I saw for the first time. Enjoy!

Learning to Get Rid of Bitterness

I'll admit that I was quite anxious to see my grandma again after 12 long years. I do not really know why it was so long in between visits, but I believe that pent up bitterness might have existed for reasons unknown. Following the visit, I felt better about life and was happy that my grandma appeared to show interest. I guess part of me always wondered if she really cared about me, and I finally realized that she does, but prefers to not have a major part in my life. This made me turn to Ephesians 4:31-32 which says Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. In essence, I will now be content with writing my grandma letters and sending pictures and not necessarily seeing her because that is just the way things are. There is no reason to hold a grudge over her absence. Instead, I will be grateful for what I have.

Washington Adventures, Grandma, and Shady Past of Portland

On Sunday, Chrissy and I drove up to Glacier National Park in Montana and went along the 14 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road that were accessible at this early stage of the season. The weather was a bit dreary, but we still got some nice pictures of the mountains, river, and Lake McDonald. While taking pictures of the lake, a man came and told us that he had seen a bear off the road. I went towards where he pointed and low and behold there was a bear that looked to be about 2 years old. It happened to stop on the slope and turn and look in my direction so that I could snap a picture before it lumbered across the road and into the hills.

We left Glacier and headed west on I-2 towards Idaho, crossed Idaho, and entered Washington after driving through Priest River. Drove through Spokane in order to catch I-90 west towards Seattle. We stopped at a viewpoint along the Columbia River and took pictures of the sunset before continuing westward to our Motel 6 that was between Tacoma and Seattle.

Yesterday morning we woke up and drove to Tacoma to check out the Museum of Glass at Chrissy's request. It was pretty cool seeing all of the different flowers and creations made out of a variety of colors. Soon after, we trekked north to Seattle so that we could visit the original Starbucks that is across from Pike's Place Market. I ordered a Java Chip Frappucino for our walk through the market. We saw them tossing fish at the world famous fish market and then ventured to the Space Needle. Took the 41 second elevator ride to the observation deck and got to see some awesome views of Puget Sound and the Seattle metropolis. The last stop for the day was Camano Island to visit my grandma for the first time in 12 years. The visit was quite pleasant and I updated her on my life and answered most of her questions about my family. She gave Chrissy and me each spoons that belonged to her mother-in-law; one of mine was engraved with her name, Ella, and was made in 1894. She also gave me 2 books; one was from 1877 and the other was given to her in 1940 by her future prom date. The last gift was my great-grandmother's opal ring that she used to wear. For dinner, we had some hamburger pie and my grandmother told stories about how she had met my grandpa Pete. After dinner, we got to see more of the house and I came across my parent's wedding album, pictures of my brother and I when we were really young, along with pictures of my grandmother from when she was a baby and growing up. I believe I found a picture of my great great grandmother who happened to be a famous trapeze artist, along with her sister. They toured as either the Vaidis Sisters or the Vaidis Twin Sisters.

This morning, we ate breakfast before packing up the food that my grandma provided for us. We then drove south towards Portland, Oregon. Ventured through the Columbia River Gorge along I-84 east and set up our tent at site 11 in Eagle Creek Campground. Our next destination was Hobo's Restaurant so that we could do a tour of Portland's Seedy Underground, known as the Shanghai Tunnels. I of course saw an episode of Cities of the Underground on the History Channel and became interested in the tunnels. The tunnels were used to get able-bodied men to work on merchant ships to China, or for the white slave trade where women would be sold into prostitution. The men were either drugged in saloons or dragged out of opium dens into the tunnels to be sold to ship captains. They were given knockout drops so that they wouldn't wake up for 13-16 hours when they were well into their voyage. If they were lucky, they would get back to Portland in 3-6 years. If they were unlucky, they never made it back. And if they were super unlucky, the ships ran out of food and they were served for dinner as "long pork". After our history lesson, we found a Starbucks to update the world about our recent escapades. More again soon, hopefully!

Missoula and Uncle Bob

Started out on our drive this morning at 6:30 am. Drove west on I-33 in Idaho to meet up with I-15 North towards Montana. Along the way Chrissy spotted a bald eagle flying next to the river and back to its nest. There also happened to be snow flurries as soon as we crossed into Montana this morning, which is making me look forward to California even more. Made our way to the Bayern Brewery in Missoula. There happened to be a white cat chilling on the bar as soon as I walked in and it followed me down the bar stools and sat on my lap. I was very amused because the cat's fur was cut like a lion giving it a mane and a skinny tail that was bushy at the end. Chrissy and I sampled Dragon's Breath, Dumptruck, and Maibach. I ended up getting a Maibach pint glass and a Faceplant beanie.

We then ventured off to find my uncle's place in the hills of Montana. It was great to see him again after five years, even though we were both a bit anxious about the meeting (it's what we do haha). I enjoyed listening to his stories of growing up watching Joe Namath play football, going to Broncos games, and a party he went to on Lake Tahoe. He also talked about college and how he struggled through biochemistry. Chrissy and I enjoyed petting his cats Darwin, Jake, and Keira. Jake apparently likes to use Bob's cactus for a brush every time he walks by. I showed him some pictures from the Tough Mudder and he said he was very proud of me and that he would have done the race if he was my age. Uncle Bob also told me about a 100 mile race that they are holding in his area, but might get postponed due to the grizzly bears. The three of us then wandered up to the house that is for sale on the ridge for $600,000. It has a five car garage and a beautiful deck view. Darwin happened to tag along on our walk, which was entertaining. Uncle Bob showed me his Boy Scout knife that he has kept for 45 years and he talked about his running days and how he medaled at the Penn Relays back in the day.

Chrissy and I left after 3 hours and drove back to Missoula to eat dinner at the Cracker Barrel. I was very excited to eat steak, mashed potatoes, and corn. Now we are chilling at Starbucks before venturing northward towards Kalispell.

Vacation Within Our Vacation

Yesterday was the first morning that I've slept in in days. It was fantastic! After lolly-gagging for a bit, I called Josh and he suggested that we eat at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village. So we trekked there and I had a slice of pizza and a glass of Moose Drool. I was really happy that a repeat of the Chelsea soccer game was on television at the time. The bartender, Gavin, happened to be an Arsenal fan, but we did chat about the World Cup for a bit. We then drove to Jackson Hole to wander around a bit. We shopped and got homemade icecream at Moo's. We also took each other's picture by the antler arches. Once we were tired, we drove back to Julie and Josh's through Teton Pass. We saw a coyote run across the road during our drive. We then enjoyed a lazy evening with Julie and Josh playing with their dogs, Dozer and Coralla. Ate chili for dinner and I had a bottle of Snake River Lager. Finished off the night with Love Actually before bed. Now it's time for our excursion north into Montana.

Natural Wonders and a Moose

After updating the blog in Minneapolis, Chrissy and I drove straight through the night so that we could make it to the Badlands National Park near Cactus Flat, SD (Don't worry we alternated sleeping and driving and would switch when necessary).
On Wednesday, we drove through the Badlands after purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass, which will get us into every national park that we visit. We did a one mile hike on the Notch Trail in the Badlands. We only saw chipmunks, but there were signs warning us about rattlesnakes. The hike has a ladder that leads up to a ridge along the rim of a cliff, but the trail is wide enough that there was no chance of falling. At the end of the trail, there was a beautiful overlook that showed more of the rock formations and flat plains of South Dakota. We continued driving the scenic byway through the Badlands and stopped at a handful of other viewpoints before exiting the park into Wall, SD, so that we could get gas and coffee.
After refueling, we found our way to Mt. Rushmore and took pictures from along the road. We then drove back down the mountain into Keystone and shopped for souvenirs. We enjoyed chatting with this one guy who worked in the store about our trip. Another worker commented on my colorful shoes (imagine that haha). We drove back to I-90 west and ate some lunch and drank Starbucks while I made reservations for camping and horseback riding before driving to Sundance, WY, in search of the statue of the Sundance Kid. I am a big fan of the classic movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, so I was really excited to be able to go to the town where the Kid took his name from. Our next stop was Devil's Tower, but we did not enter the park to explore considering there was a nice thunderstorm brewing. We did stop at the store on the outskirts of Devil's Tower and chatted with a woman who was hanging out on the porch and watching the approaching storm. She asked if we were spending the night in the local campground, but I told her we were driving to Cody, WY. That eased her mind because she didn't want us to be in the bad weather.
Chrissy and I trekked to Cody, WY, through Bighorn National Forest and slept at the Ponderosa Campground. We were too tired to put up the tent, so we curled up in the front of the truck and slept. The next morning (Thursday), we showered and I chatted up the manager of the campground. He gave me a free map of Wyoming and a booklet on Yellowstone National Park. We set off and drove about an hour to Crossed Sabres Ranch, where we had reservations for a 2 hour horseback riding adventure. Our guide's name was Jacob, and a woman named Bayley came with us too because she had never gone horseback riding before. Jacob is originally from Arkansas while Bayley flew in from Georgia to work in Wyoming for the summer. I rode on a gray horse named Smokey, while Chrissy rode on Rowdy. Our ride took us up into some mountains with a great view of the Rockies and the ranch down in the valley. Smokey enjoyed looking at the scenery more than keeping up with the rest of the group, which I was perfectly content with. We bonded over enjoying being loners every once in a while. We saw some bear tracks on our ride, but no bears. Jacob was really nice and stopped to take some pictures of us.
After our ride, we drove the 8 miles to Yellowstone National Park. We stopped at a viewpoint to take pictures of Yellowstone Lake, but when Chrissy turned around, she noticed there happened to be a bison eating grass on the hillside right across the road from us. A little farther down the road there were 6 more bison that were really close to the road so we got some really good pictures. The first sight that we stopped to view was the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. We then went and took pictures of Upper Falls before driving over the Continental Divide to see Old Faithful. Our timing was great there because we arrived a half hour before the geyser was to go off again.

Following Old Faithful, we began our trek south towards Jackson Hole, WY, where we were planning on meeting up with my friend, Julie. I was amused by the construction signs in Grand Tetons National Park because they are completely serious when they say "pavement ends". One second you are on a nice road then BAM dirt road. I bet the Porsche that was following us was none too thrilled. As we continued through the Tetons, we saw bunch of cars pulled to the side of the road. I took the advice of the woman at the ranch who said whenever cars are stopped, pull over because there is an animal there. Chrissy and I wandered over to the other people and found out that there was a mama moose who had just given birth about 10 minutes before we showed up. We saw the newborn on its wobbly legs and got some great pictures and video of the mama. After the pitstop, I continued driving towards Jackson Hole and followed Julie's directions to the gas station in the town of Wilson so I could find her. I then followed her up Teton Pass into Idaho to her house in Victor. While driving up the pass, a moose ran across the road in front of Julie, which amused me.
Once we stretched our legs at Julie and Josh's house, Julie brought us to the Wildlife Brewery in Victor for dinner. Chrissy and I were both really excited for an actual meal finally. We chowed down on some pizza and I drank a Porcupine Porter because I thought the name of it was fun. The conversation was entertaining over dinner and Josh made some suggestions of what to do today. Once we got back to the house, Chrissy and I unpacked and then pretty much crashed because we were exhausted and were really excited for a bed to sleep in.
Well I guess I should go shower and call my Uncle Bob to inform him of our impending arrival tomorrow. More again soon!

Adventures Through the Midwest

Woke up at 4:15 am to get ready and got a text from my friend, Oliver, wishing us luck on our travels. We left my house in Galilee, PA, yesterday morning at 5:40am. Did the necessary stop and get gas and ice for the coolers at Turkey Hill in Honesdale, and then ventured over Farview Mountain and through Wilkes Barre to get onto I-80 West. Stopped at a Dunkin Donuts and my co-worker, Elsa, called to check up on us and to pray for me over the phone, which I found very touching. We entered Ohio around noon and stopped at the first rest area to lay in the grass and eat peanut butter sandwiches. We had forgotten a knife for the peanut butter, but Chrissy was able to find a worker at the rest area who had an extra plastic fork so we improvised and used that. I drove all the way across Ohio and into Indiana. I noticed that the truck drivers in the Midwest are all either overachievers or crazy and have 3 trailers hooked to their trucks. Quite an interesting feat if you ask me.

We successfully found Indiana Dunes State Park and pitched our tent at site 24. Since we realized that we changed time zones and gained an hour, we decided to drive the hour into Chicago so that we could play tourist there. We parked in a lot off Ohio Street by the ESPN Zone and walked to Navy Pier, Millenium Park, Chicago Theatre, and up the Magnificent Mile back to the truck. One of my goals was to see the sign to the Chicago Theatre lit up at night because I am a big fan of the movie Chicago and of the Roaring 20s in general. I also achieved another goal and went to where the garage at 2122 North Clark Street used to exist because that is where the St. Valentine's Day Massacre occurred back in 1929. With my fascination with the Roaring 20s comes a keen interest of the gangsters of the day. Actually, while driving through Indiana I felt like I was in Road to Perdition, which is a movie that stars Tom Hanks. We finally went to bed around midnight after our fun-filled driving and excitement.

Today we woke up at 7am and took advantage of the shower facilities at the campground. Packed up the tent, caught a glimpse of the beach along Lake Michigan, and then set out to fight through Chicago traffic on our way up to Minneapolis, MN. Wisconsin is apparently very big on the indoor waterpark resort because we saw about 7 of them along the way. We stopped at one to get a picture of a statue of a gigantic orange moose, deer hurdling a log, and mouse sitting on a piece of cheese (go figure).

We crossed over the Mississippi River and arrived at the Mall of America with not much of an issue after I got a warning for speeding. The mall was a good time. One of Chrissy's favorite authors was holding a book signing there, so we stood in line so she could get a signed copy of the newest book. The people in line were really entertaining and one helped Chrissy get a free shirt because she yelled that we had driven 21 hours from Pennsylvania to the signing. (I have now heard Chrissy tell me amazing for the hundredth time. One day she'll realize that this is her trip too and that I am happy when others are happy.)

Before the book signing, we got asked by this woman if we were planning on going on any rides. We told her that we were and she gave us some free extra tickets that she didn't have time to use. We both felt blessed by all of the kind people that we came across this evening. After buying souvenirs, we drove to Starbucks to sit in the parking lot and get some internet so that we could both update our blogs. The goal is to drive all the way to Cactus Flat, SD, tonight so that we are outside the Badlands National Park to do a hike early in the morning on the Big Notch Trail. I'm excited to show Chrissy where I almost accidentally ran off a cliff 5 year ago when I visited the park. Well, time to get back to driving. More again soon.

And We're Off!

Well it's nice and early on a Monday morning and instead of sleeping, I'm wide awake and ready to put all of my belongings in Connor (Chrissy's truck). My cat is not a real big fan of my leaving, though neither is anybody else I know. I have my phone on me, so feel free to call or text if you miss me!

We plan on doing a long haul today out to Indiana Dunes State Park. It is about an hour away from Chicago right on Lake Michigan. Should be an interesting drive and we are both really excited. So I guess it's time to head out!

Galilee Farewells

So my cat is laying at my feet as I type this because she has finally caught onto the fact that I am leaving. I spent most of today packing and getting everything situated for the trip tomorrow morning. I have plenty of clothes, books, and music to stay occupied for a while. I also went over a few last minute details about the route to keep my mind occupied.

My family and I all enjoyed a tasty steak dinner with baked potatoes. The typical Muth humor resonated through the air. My brother, Nick, started things off by saying, "If Matt was a doorman, he could be a doormat." Then my dad chimed in with "You could take a gamble and run the Vegas marathon." After my mother made some comment to packing heat, I finished things off by saying I would carry around my George Foreman grill. Oh how I will miss the awful humor for a month.

Nick and I then went over to Matt's house for the evening to discuss the trip and how I will be visiting his sister, Julie, in Jackson Hole. We enjoyed some Blue Moon, Bob White's dessert, and the Yankee game on radio before I had to head back home to greet Chrissy. Soon we will be getting some sleep so we can wake up bright and early to begin our epic adventure.

Why Wonder Why

An unfortunate part of human nature is that we all feel lost and wonder why about numerous occurrences in our lives. We have all been betrayed, experienced some form of loss, dealt with unfair circumstances, or regretted certain decisions or actions that we have taken. Human nature causes one to dwell forever on wondering why these things occurred or why you did what you did. Questioning is normal, but it can have negative effects. A line from a song by The Classic Crime goes like this: "Sick with regret, you sputter out. Your flame swallowed in doubt...Life's thrown before your eyes and leaves its toll." This demonstrates the negative side of wondering why.

The hardest part about life is the fact that many questions are left unanswered and that is how it is supposed to be. You can search long and hard for a solution or a reason, but more likely than not, you will hit a dead end. One of the greatest triumphs in life that one can achieve is accepting not always knowing. That is in fact how God intended it to be. Humans are not blessed with all of the answers. 1 Corinthians 1:19 says, "For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." We must all come to terms with the fact that we can not solve all problems or help those who need help. We are not in control, and wondering will only harm us and diminish our capacity to fully experience life.

There are those in life who lack faith because they feel that nothing good ever seems to happen to them, so thus, God must be against them. In fact, the opposite is true. God is always fighting for you and wanting you to seek Him. Hardships are meant to be tests of character. Author of Heaven is Real, Don Piper, put it this way: "It's the sinful ones, the people who have failed and need help, that God seeks for heavenly occupancy." James 1:2-4 puts it like this: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." We are never meant to throw in the towel when life gets tough. That is when you should look heavenward and seek the Lord, putting your faith in Him. In the words of the band, Kutless, "Everybody falls sometimes. Gotta find the strength to rise from the ashes and make a new beginning. Anyone can feel the ache. You think it's more than you can take, but you're stronger, stronger than you know...Broken hearts become brand new. That's what faith can do."

Many struggle with the concept of faith. This world is built too strongly on reason, which leaves many grasping for air when reason can't be found. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." For me personally, it is easier to find examples in song lyrics. A line from Addison Road goes as follows: "Everything rides on hope now. Everything rides on faith somehow. When the world has broken me down, Your love sets me free." Pretty much, one should always seek God for the unanswered questions in life. Only He can provide the appropriate comfort in difficult situations.

For the academic, this still lacks proper evidence. But again, it is fruitless to continually search for proof of something in the world when the answer lies within the soul. Nobody ever searches for proof of love before a wedding, yet most always question God's existence. One cannot physically see love, yet we don't doubt it's existence. Unfortunately, many still question the existence of God. My hope is that one day people will realize that He is the answer and will also provide some answers to those nagging "Why" questions that come up in life.

Crossing T's and Dotting I's

The end of this week has been spent finishing up some last minute errands in preparation for the trip. Using the tentative directions that I printed out, I flipped through my brother's Next Exit book and wrote down where numerous 24 hour gas stations are located along our route. I also copied some music from my friend, Lulu, in order to add songs to the playlists that I am creating (even though Chrissy claims that is her job). Other than finishing the playlists, I just have to research a little more about campgrounds and the national parks and whether there are certain hours particular parks are open.

Today, Chrissy got her truck, Connor, inspected. Everything is in tip-top shape and functioning properly. Two new tires were also put on, so we are set to go in that area. We have plenty of food and beverages to keep us nourished for our trip, so that will all get packed up Sunday night before Chrissy treks north to my mountain in Galilee, PA. Following the truck inspection, I went and had Teresa make me nice and blonde for the summer trip. We enjoyed the bonding time whilst watching the Season Five finale of Bones, trying to ignore the fact that we won't see each other for the next month.

This past week I have realized how truly blessed I am with friends and family in my life. I have said my goodbyes to the majority of them already, and they are all very concerned for my safety, along with Chrissy's. I understand where this is coming from. It's a long time for two girls to be traveling on their own and navigating across the country. We have taken into account the possible issues that could potentially arise, but are confident in our abilities and have great faith in God. Chrissy and I have discussed this on numerous occasions and we feel that on the off chance something bad does occur, it is God's will. There is no sense living in fear or else we won't ever experience anything. There is a quote from Bones that outlines my feelings in this situation. It's from when Angela was trying to convince Bones to have a meaningful relationship with Booth and she said, "If you keep living trying to protect yourself, nothing is ever going to touch you." In my mind, if I live within the confines of Northeast Pennsylvania, I may never get the full experience of life. There is also a Bible verse that explains having faith and trusting in the Lord. Proverbs 29:25 states "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." I am not going to rest on my laurels and let everybody else do the exploring in this world. This trip is a once in a lifetime experience, and I am going to take it because I believe that the risk is worth taking and that God will keep both Chrissy and me safe. So, I appreciate everybody's concern and advice in any and all situations, and am truly blessed to know how many people truly care about me, but the best thing for us during the trip is prayer.

Germany Dealt a Blow

It is very unfortunate that I learned today that Germany's team captain, Michael Ballack, will be unable to play in this year's World Cup due to an ankle injury. Playing in his last club match for Chelsea, Ballack was tackled by a Portsmouth player, which caused ligament damage in his right ankle. Ballack is expected to be out for at least 2 months. The worst part was that this was going to be Ballack's final World Cup; so much for the fairytale ending. Another sad exit for a great player, much like Oliver Kahn and Zinedine Zidane. Click on the link for the complete news story on Ballack's injury.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/05/17/football.germany.ballack.injured/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Watch on youtube Ballack get tackled from behind after he already passed the ball to a teammate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D03GuERTMYc&feature=related

The next big question is who will replace Ballack as Germany's captain. Names tossed around include Torsten Frings, Arne Friedrich, and Bastian Schweinsteiger. My vote would be for Schweinsteiger (or Schweini as my Aunt Edith likes to call him) because he has leadership qualities and can lift a team to victory with his goal scoring. Schweinsteiger had a hat-trick against Portugal in the 3rd place game during the 2006 World Cup. He will just need to quell his hot temper that has gotten him ejected from games in the past in order to hold the German squad together as they vie for the Cup in South Africa starting in June. Hopefully the German's will once again be on top of the soccer world. Click on the link for more about the captaincy.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2010/05/17/1929741/world-cup-2010-exit-ballack-enter-schweinsteiger

T-Minus 9 Days

I have come to realize that our departure on May 24th is fast approaching. After over a year and a half of discussing and outlining the trip, there are now only 9 days until we actually leave. I spent most of today analyzing our itinerary and trying to calculate how long we will actually be gone, instead of the vague answer of about 5 weeks. My rough estimate is now narrowed down to 30-32 days, but it is good to have a few days extra if necessary. That will definitely reduce feeling rushed in certain areas, which will help us both thoroughly enjoy every moment.

I've checked three things off my list of things I need to do before leaving. I have informed my uncle Bob of our impending arrival (whenever that may be), I have informed my grandmother that we will be stopping for a night (again the date is unknown), and I had my hair chopped off so that it will be easier to manage along the way. I think I'll have my friend, Teresa, make me nice and blonde on Tuesday to complete the pre-summer makeover.

I still need to call the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI, to try and set an appointment to do research in their library. My great great grandmother and her sister were famous trapeze artists back in the day: Louise Adele and Lizzie Vaidis. My hope is to find some more information about them or maybe some playbills and posters. I'm also hoping to reach Jackson Hole, WY, by Memorial Day weekend so that we can stay with Julie and Josh during the busy holiday. So much to do in such little time!

Abandoning Autopilot

I just trekked back to my mountain after a brief visit to Binghamton to watch the newest episode of Bones. As I was driving home, my Ipod died because I have been a bum and haven't charged it. Now the normal response to this situation would be to put in a CD or listen to the radio, but I chose to think and just enjoy listening to the wind through my open window. It was a beautiful night for a drive with the temperature hovering around 60. After a while I started contemplating my actions and why I was even driving. Most people would consider me to be crazy knowing I drove an hour just to watch a show for an hour and then drive home. Under normal circumstances, I would have to agree. But for me, it was the first solid decision I feel like I made for myself in a while.

Graduating can affect people in different ways. It's an ending to a chapter of life for most people, and deep contemplation tends to follow. My drive from Binghamton provided ample thinking time, and I believe I have discovered that I have been going through life on autopilot and I need to abandon that fast. My main motivations in life thus far have been geared towards helping others, which isn't a bad thing, but I feel like I have lost myself along the way. I have focused so much on doing for others and ensuring their happiness that I have lost sight of my own. Now don't get me wrong, I love helping people and purposefully chose a profession geared towards helping others, but I think that I am in desperate need of finding myself before I completely lose sight of who I am and what I am doing.

If I look back, I believe part of the problem is that I grew up way too fast. I have always been trying to keep up with my brother ever since I was a baby because I love and admire him. But I have also dealt with certain situations at a far younger age than most individuals. At 18, most high school girls are focused on getting ready to go to college and who to go to prom with. I, on the other hand, spent my spare time taking care of my neighbor's orchard and visiting him in Brooklyn as he slowly succumbed to lung cancer. For two years David fought bravely, and for most of it, you wouldn't have even noticed he was sick. I always felt that the tumors were much like the tent caterpillars that ate away at the trees in David's orchard. There only appeared to be surface damage on the leaves, much like chemo stealing David's hair. But it was long term exposure to caterpillars that eventually disintegrated the tree on the inside, much like the tumors inside David's body. Now that four years have passed, I can now use this analogy on myself. By not taking the time to focus on my own needs and aspirations, I am slowly disintegrating and losing touch with myself.

Society has become so focused on the final outcome that nobody seems to enjoy the process anymore. Distractions galore is what life has turned into and now nobody seems to know where they are going or how they got anywhere. They might have a vague recollection of what their purpose was, but usually they drift along aimlessly on autopilot. I unfortunately have to admit that I have become much like the rest of society. I have lost touch with my purpose in life and where I am going, or even why I do what I do. I just graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science and anybody in the field can tell you that it is a very vague major. There are so many possible directions that one can go in within the field of exercise science that it's not even funny. Maybe it was my ironic way of avoiding making yet another decision in life to choose such a path.

I stumbled into the field because of my love of running, which always seems to bring up the question "Why do you run.?" Anybody who knows me well knows that I am a big fan of the answer "Why not?" in my attempt to avoid much thought process. But I am starting to realize that I really don't have a logical answer. I used to run for the enjoyment, then for the competitive aspect, but now I feel I run just because other people I know are running, which is not a good sign. I have a feeling that it has a lot to do with me having my life on autopilot. While on autopilot, I just perform actions, but don't always get enjoyment out of them because I don't take the time to focus on the process; only the result. A very good example of this would be the St. Luke's Half Marathon that I ran on April 25th. I enjoyed maybe the first 5K, but then I spent the majority of the race hoping that I would be in the last 5K so that I could finish strong and be done with the process. I didn't really look at much scenery, or even notice my brother at mile 10 taking pictures of me and cheering my name. I was too focused on finishing to bother enjoying the journey.

In contrast, on May 2nd, I did the Tough Mudder, a 7 mile obstacle course set up by the British Special Forces. I had no expectations of time going into the race. Heck, I didn't even consider it a race; more of an adventure that I hoped to survive with Chrissy and enjoy the challenges along the way. For the first time in a while, I participated in an event and absorbed every minute of my surroundings, instead of functioning on autopilot. I remember the hell of climbing the ski mountain, the joy of cooling off in the mud pit, the careful traverse of the woods, crawling through the grainy mud, blocking out my fear of heights and falling as Chrissy and I walked the plank, the kind people that helped me over the walls, the bumpy and painful slide down greased lightening, along with the searing heat and choking smoke of the fire walk at the finish. The fact that I can remember the event so vividly gives me hope that I am no longer coasting through life.

My point in this long ramble is that the hope for our trip is that I absorb each day to its fullest and don't focus on events down the road. I want to enjoy each day for itself and embrace the experience with childlike wonder. I want to be excited over little things such as the pigments in the sky, unique animals, and different accents that people might have. I hope to ditch my need to focus on the future and just enjoy the moment. I need to use this endeavor as a means of rediscovering myself and my passions in life by fully experiencing everything instead of just absorbing events and moving on to the next item on my agenda while on autopilot. It is time to officially abandon that way of life and recapture my lost youth, or I am bound to miss out on the true importance of living.

Welcoming the Role of the Outcast

While I have been preparing for this trip, I have considered all of the possible people that we may meet along the way. They will come from all walks of life and I'm sure I will not get the chance to know many of them. It made me wonder about how I may come across to people and how I am perceived by my peers on a day to day basis. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I am wasting my time. I should not be concerned with what the world and the people around me think of me. I should only be concerned about God's perception of me and make sure that I am serving Him completely with all of my actions. If I disgrace myself, I disgrace God. This concept is outlined in the following verse: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." -John 15:18-19. This verse teaches me to not let the judgmental world keep me from being myself. Whether I succeed or fail, laugh or cry, wear bright colors or blend in, or if I travel or stay home, there will always be somebody who thinks the worst of me. Therefore, I must ignore any misconceptions that the world holds. I shall continue living my life to the best of my abilities in search of fulfillment and a higher purpose, instead of living life as a people-pleaser. A song that best describes this is "All That Matters" by Addison Road. Click the link to have a listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ6PfAP62Q0

Proverbial Words

One of the speakers at graduation said that it is your best friends that bring out the best in you. This comment amused me because my friends and I tend to beat up on each other and toss sarcastic comments around like it's our day job. Thankfully, I am blessed with friends who truly care about me and are proud of my accomplishments. The verse that comes to mind is Proverbs 18:24 which goes as follows: "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Basically, it's the quality, not the quantity of friends that counts.

Preparations

Now that I have officially graduated from ESU, I can focus more on trip planning. The majority of the itinerary is set with the departure date set for May 24th. I used my uber amounts of flex to stock up on chips, beverages, poptarts, and non-meltable candy so that Chrissy and I don't completely starve. Now I just have to print out a copy of the World Cup schedule so that I can follow the German domination beginning June 11th. We are both really excited for our future endeavor, but we can't discuss any plans until Chrissy finishes her last paper of the semester.