Heading East...

During July & August of 2002, we decided that a trans-America and trans-Canada trip was in order.  Stef called mom and made arrangements to drive to Connecticut with her and Yantar "Yani" the dog.  I prayerfully headed out on a crystal clear day in high spirits and looking forward to an adventure.
After a fender bender at the WalMart in Jerome and a brief stop in American Falls, Idaho to visit Kathi & Jerry, Stef picked mom up at the bus depot in SLC.  We encountered the first of many downpours in Wyoming, but soon the sun chased away the clouds and we were playing frisbee with Yani during road construction stops.  Before the sun had set, we arrived in Eden Valley (Colorado). 
What a wonderful time we shared with then 92-year old grammy, who played frisbee with Yani and walked down the grassy slope to feed her goslings for what turned out to be the last time (they flew away).  It was a special time of fellowship and growth, but also of WORK! I was blessed as I helped in the laundry, the village, and in the kitchen where I gleaned some recipes from the cooks.
All too soon we departed for Muncie (Indiana).  That afternoon, we stopped in Kansas and noticed an accumulation of severe clouds.  At the gas station, we asked a woman where she was from.  She replied "Wichita." Since she had just come from the direction of the storm driving a rig with a trailer, we inquired about the road conditions.  She replied that they were "normal" so we determined to continue east towards the ominous looking clouds and heading to our destination for the night.  Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder rolled around the plain.  Rain and hail pelted the car and there was 4-6 inches of water on the road, but we were compelled not to stop for fear of flooding.  Traffic had slowed considerably, and mom & I prayed and sang through the storm.  Finally the rain slowed and came to a stop.  Glancing back in the rear view mirror, I gasped to see the setting sun illuminating the storm we had just driven through. 
That night Yani decided she didn't like thunder.  She cowered and shivered each time the crack of lightning signaled another volley.  She woke me up during the night for a potty break and we went out into the hot and humid night air.  Yani spied a toad, and never seeing one before, she went over to sniff it.  CRACK!  BOOM!  Yani yelped and jumped back, eying the toad and determining that it was the source of all the noise.  I wonder how long it will take for her to disassociate the two.
The next morning dawned brilliantly sunny.  As we admired the rolling Kansas plains, mom spotted the most unusual herd of...could it be?  Camels?  Sure enough, we backed up for a second look, and out across the fields were Kansas Camels.
The miles sped behind us, and we stopped frequently for frisbee breaks and scenic tours.  We didn't arrived at my dear brother Mike's home until around 11:00 p.m.  We were weary from our travels, but found ourselves excited to see him and his family.  We spent three days with Mike, Renee, Kenneth and Nevada.  Mike took us around to show us where he worked, and Nevada entertained us with stories of her life.  Again time pushed us on, and reluctantly we said our good-byes to one of our favorite families.
The next leg of our journey (through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and on to Connecticut) was both interesting and grueling.  I never imagined traffic back east would demand so much concentration.  The big trucks disregard passenger vehicles, rain again threatened our safety, and road construction waylaid us several times.  Again the Lord intervened and kept us safe from harm. 
Finally we arrived in Connecticut and our friends met us at a corner service station (again very late at night).  The trip was more than we bargained for--and highly satisfying. 
The next day, mom's friend J'Ling came to get her, and Stef & Gary went into Hartford to pick Curt up at the airport for a happy reunion.
We spent a few days with Gary & Larisa, enjoying a river cruise and visiting the Audobon Conservatory at Cape Cod with Curt, Mom and J'Ling.  But my favorite time was the evening we spent feasting on traditional Armenian food and listening to the piano-fest and sharing the warmth of friendship with one of my dearest friend's family.  What fun we had that evening! It was so good to see them whom we love dearly.

Heading West...

We (Curt & Stef) headed back towards Idaho via Canada's Royal Highway with plans to camp on Lake Ontario, visit Niagara Falls, and head up around the Great Lakes.  We traveled on toll highways, which offer limited choices of food and fuel services, but we made do.  Our first camp stop was at Four-Mile Creek State Park on Lake Ontario.  It was a pretty, flat area, but Curt found that he had to use a great deal of OFF mosquito repellent.  We rose early the next morning to view Niagara Falls and the American Falls.  What a massive amount of water dropping from a great height!  For a scale reference, look at the tiny little people in raincoats on the lower viewing deck, or the great crowds of tiny little people above on the right cliff of Niagara Falls.  The views are spectacular and the falls themselves are awesome in power that is both heard and felt.  It was a foggy morning, but as the sun burned off the fog, it began to really warm up.  As we continued north, we began hearing reports of tornado activity where we were supposed to travel.  Traffic began getting congested as we approached Toronto, so we looked as much as we dared, but did not get off the Highway. Once past the metropolis, it was not long before we were in moose country--demonstrated by all the warnings that we passed.  I was excited that maybe, just maybe, I would see a Bullwinkle (alas, it was not to be until after the trip that I would finally see my moose...near Grangeville!) We stopped for breaks at every picturesque spot around Lake Huron until we reached Sudbury, where we spent a cold and damp night in the tent.  The next day was stormy most of the morning and into the afternoon.  As we neared the end of Lake Huron, the clouds disappeared, and we were able to get out and enjoy watching the evening sun cast long golden shadows over the Sault Ste. Marie locks.  We arrived at our White River camp near dusk, ate a cold supper and went to bed.  The next morning we woke up to the sound of rain pitter-patting on our tent.  Not to be outdone, we continued around Lake Superior and embarked into the expansive grain fields of the Saskatchewan/Manitoba provinces.  The winds were fierce, and the temperature was unseasonably cold.  As we continued west, we heard reports of snow and severe weather. 
One of our favorite memories lies in the town of Moose Jaw, Manitoba.  We had not traveled as far as we had hoped when we got to Moose Jaw, but the advertisements for the "pet friendly" Prairie Oasis and the thought of a warm, dry bed, laundry facilities, and a home cooked meal from the stocked kitchenettes were too much to pass by.  We gave thanks for the respite from the elements and took an afternoon off from driving.  Even Yani thought it was a great idea.
The next day we pushed hard to make it to our rendezvous with Robert, Missy and the kids at Kananaski park.  We did meet up with them, but camping in the snow and rain was more than many of us were prepared for.  Despite the discomfort, we had fun together.  We traveled back into Calgary where we visited the Olympic arena, and went to an IMAX theater.  We saw bighorn sheep up close, and enjoyed interpretive skits about the ecosystem.  After three days of wet wood and damp bedding, we decided to get home to Riggins.  We packed up our bags and went out through Banff.  Of course we saw the first blue sky we had seen for days on our last day there!  Oh well, that's the way things are.  We did get to see Castle Rock, and the aqua colored river was a beautiful reminder of God's creation. When we came home to Riggins, we continued our vacation in much warmer temperatures.  Robert & his family joined me for a 1/2 day float down the river before they, too decided that home was beckoning.
So, that, my friends is my account of all the blessings that we enjoyed on our trans-continental trip.

This vacation is highly recommended to anyone with a number of weeks to travel and take in the sights.

Things we'll always remember...the storms that we drove through with prayers in our heart and songs of thanksgiving on our lips, precious time spent visiting loved ones, Kansas--where the most unusual events and things are just "normal" for Kansonians, the cruise of Hartford, piano-fests--as well as feasts, Cape Cod's National Audobon Society Preserve, Niagara Falls, Canada's highways, Prairie Oasis motel with a kitchenette suite, SNOW in Calgary on July 31st,  big horned sheep in Kananaski Country, evening interpretive skits put on by Canada's Forest Rangers,  and heading home a few days early to trade the cold air for cold white-water rafting.