This morning the campground looked nicer than I thought. The lake seemed nice. There were people that arrived early so they could go boating.
John is taking pictures at a lookout after we climbed out of the valley from the campground.
Gasoline at the Indian Village at the continental divide.
– Victoria
12:26pm
Left Gallup. We bought lots and lots of groceries there – probably enough to last 2 or 3 days. When we were at the continental divide we went souvenir shopping at the Indian Village.
– Kristina
Drove by a place called Valley. There were what seemed like hundreds of cars on a hill for salvage. A sea of cars. It was an interesting sight.
– William
Entered Colorado at 3:30pm. We went on the wrong road. (figured it out after driving 30 minutes – lost an hour because we had to backtrack – John).
– Douglas
Highway 491 from Shiprock, New Mexico to Cortez, Colorado is very bumpy. It feels like the shocks in your vehicle are shot. We decided to turn off on highway 160 to go see the Four Corners Monument but it was 18 miles off 491, not 9 miles like we thought and it was closed. Luckily, we found a turn out on the road so we could continue to travel in the right direction. Now we are back on highway 491 and we continue to lose our stomachs.
In Dove Creek, Colorado we noticed they farm sunflowers for sunflower seeds.
4:51pm We arrived in Utah: Life Elevated.
– Victoria
5:07pm
Seen Zion’s Bank and a Honda/LDS Books Store in Monticello, Utah, first town we’ve been in Utah. There is a temple and church building close to the Texaco gas station we stopped at. Dad took pictures of the temple and flowers and my YW medallion.
– Kristina
6:30pm
We stopped at a rest stop shortly before Moab, Utah. It was a really beautiful place. So we made our dinner here, which was a rice pilaf (rice, green peppers, carrots, and onion) and a side of corn. We also had chocolate milk and pudding.
8:20 – Stopped in Moab for gasoline. Moab seems to be a real tourist town. There are lots of colourful flashing lights. We rented a motel room in Wellington. So now we can go swimming in the morning and have showers. We arrived about 10:30pm. We were all very tired. The kids were excited about staying in a motel. We drove through a rain storm between Moab and Wellington. It was nerve-wracking because it was also dark and there was road construction and a lot of rain.
We stayed at the motel in Wellington because the Arches National Park was full.
– Victoria
We got up earlier to shower and get ready for church. Packed up the tent and sleeping bags. The family tenting next to us had two small children (about the ages of 1 and 3). They were dressed in church clothes this morning, too. They arrived at church just after us. We learned that this family is taking a road trip from Arizona to Nauvoo, Illinois to see church history sites. The young mother’s name was Cory. At church we met a lady named Maggie Gonzalez-Uehara. She was very friendly and showed us where our classes were. Her teenage son, Juan, wants to go to Canada. He asked us if we had a pet moose. Maggie gave us her address and said if we came again, we could look them up and stay with them. She told us her husband was in Hawaii attending his uncle’s funeral. Her husband is a Japanese Hawaiian. I believe we attended Amarillo 2nd Ward.
Last night we actually slept with a blanket. It was slightly cool.
The family that camped next to us last night were the ones that caught a frog and shared it with William and Douglas. Cory said, “We’re the ones that caused the trouble.” No, they did not eat it.
The landscape around Amarillo is flat like Saskatchewan. After, the land became desert-like with shrubs.
The missionaries’ names were Elder Decker and Elder Webber/Wesley(?) (They know Chris – a missionary serving in Texas from our ward in Calgary).
1:45pm Entered New Mexico: Land of the Enchantment.
12:45pm
MST becomes local time. 36 degrees C.
We stopped at the first rest stop. It was very windy. John took a few pictures.
We stopped to eat our lunch at the last rest stop before Albuquerque. Today is fast Sunday. We had a shorter fast than usual and broke it right after church with a lunch of bananas and nectarines. We planned to have a more substantial lunch later but at one stop there wasn’t any shade and/or picnic tables. The other problem we had was the wind. Anyway, we ate macaroni and cheese with beans; Kristina had lentil soup with rice.
Lots of windmills. We even saw an egg beater style windmill. I wonder if Brent knows about that type…
We entered Albuquerque, New Mexico at 6:30pm. As we left Albuquerque, there was a sign which read, “Do not pick up hitchhikers, prison facilities.”
John stopped at Mesita, New Mexico to take a picture of a mesa. He wanted to take pictures of old adobe houses but there were signs that said, “No cameras, no trespassing.”
We camped at Bluewater Lake State Park. It had minimal facilities. It was not as nice as other state parks we’ve been to. It was 7 miles off highway 40 in New Mexico. It cost $8.00 for the night. It was wet and a little dark when we arrived. So it didn’t look that inviting, but John thought it looked great.
– Victoria
Today, Dennis made us breakfast (hashbrowns, sausage, eggs, and biscuits). Then we were on the road to Salt Lake City.
We entered Paris, Texas at 10:36 AM (local). The vegetation around Paris thins out. There are open fields that are farmed, grain and cattle. We stopped at an Exxon station for treats, drinks and a bathroom break.
– Victoria
11:21
I think the south of the U.S. is really hot. So hot you could catch on FIRE. The people here have very strong accents.
– Douglas
I saw a camel eating leaves off a tree on someone’s farm! A camel! I was the only one who saw.
– Kristina
12:12 pm Temperature 38 deg. C (100 F) – Air conditioning still working.
– Victoria
1:00 pm Stopped for lunch across the street from an Exxon gas station at some picnic benches. Ate peanut butter and jam sandwiches, grapes, and stawberries. William ate his apple.
– Kristina
1:54 pm Temperature is 40 C (104 F) just after Saint Jo, Texas.
Animals that we came across in Arkansas are raccoons, possums and armadillows. In Texas, we’ve seen armadillos and longhorn cattle. Yesterday, we saw deer (smaller than the ones in Alberta) at Atlanta State Park.
2:00 pm 41C (106F) at Nacona, Texas
2:27 pm 42C (108F) at Henrietta, Texas
2:33 pm 43C (110F)
We got gasoline at Love”s gas station and we saw Roadrunners.
Stopped in Vernon, Texas to cool off our tires at an abandoned gas station.
Next, we stopped at a rest stop in Herdeman County. There were warning signs for rattle snakes. A semi-trailer truck pulled up next to us, carrying military equipment. As we left, the compass and temperature thing in the van wasn’t calibrated anymore. It indicated we need to drive the vehicle in a circle to recalibrate. It looked very silly to see us driving in circles in the parking lot. It recalibrated, but the temperature appears to be incorrect (it later worked too).
There are a lot of blown out tires on the Texan highways.
We ate at Sonic Amerias Drive-in in Childress, Texas.
We camped at KOA in Amarillo, Texas. We arrived at 9:15 pm.
– Victoria
We went to Walmart to shop more. We shopped there yesterday. We managed to find a second pair of jeans for William. While we stopped today John quickly got his haircut touched up [it was cut there yesterday]. Then he went to get our trailer tire patched and to have the hubs repacked and new hubcaps with grease nipples for the trailer.
Then we drove to Louisiana (arrived at 3:15PM local) and then stood on the corner of three states (Lousiana, Texas, and Arkansas) and had our picture taken. After we drove to Noah Tyson park so we could see Black Bayou (cypress trees growing in water).
We all went to dinner with the Gunn’s at Amigo Juan mexican restaurant. It was very good. So was the strawberry drink.
Dennis drove with us to Atlanta State Park so he could show off the park and to possibly find arrow heads. The area of the state park used to be inhabited by the Caddo Indians many years ago. There is a big lake at the park.
We stopped at Crhis Gunn’s and Meagan/Mellissa/Amanda house. Chris showed us some of the arrow heads hea had colledcted, as well as a tooth from a wooly mammoth.
We slept the night at the Gunn’s again. Sister Gunn came home with a puppy.
– Victoria
The tire fixing was quick, but they didn’t do hubs. So they recommended someone. It took a while because I had to wait for him to finish on another car. I chatted with him and the lady who’s car he was fixing. We talked about church. She said that she doesn’t ask why bad things happen and trusts the Lord to take care of her. I told her that I will ask why, but I won’t complain. That way, I can learn something.
He re-packed the bearings on the trailer and we moved the tongue so that the trailer is closer to the van. Something blew dust in his face and he whacked his head when he reacted. I had a first aid kit, so I patched him up. I took his picture before I left and he asked me to send a post card from Canada.
After fixing the trailer, we drove past my old apartment as a missionary. It’s abandoned now and in terrible condition. We also drove by the church. It has been renovated since and looks quite nice.
– John
John changed the passenger side tire on the trailer. Our original tire has a puncture in it.
Yesterday we ate cereal for breakfast, lunch was sandwiches and strawberries, and for dinner we had hot dogs, salad, and cookies.
I went to the grocery store with Grandma yesterday and met a man that was Grandpa’s friend. He was with Grandpa when he saw Grandma for the first time. Grandpa said then, “I’m going to get her before someone else does.”
We left Grandma’s today at 9:15am (local). She says she is sure going to miss us.
Our air conditioning has run out again.
We saw a “Falling Rock” sign but we didn’t see anywhere that rocks could possibly fall from. Just south of Cove, Arkansas.
We entered Texas at 12:46pm (local).
In Texarkana John refilled our air conditioning. We ate lunch in a car parts parking lot. We ate wraps and cookies. We also previously snacked on apples and grapes.
Arrived in Atlanta, Texas at 2:20pm (local). Kristina is impressed with the flashing stop signs. Red lights border the stop sign.
We spent the night at Dennis and Jean Gunn’s residence. They have a nice home. We had a barbeque with them and a student with her spouse. Dennis is the owner of The Hearing Aid Academy. The student came for a week from California to participate in a course. The Gunn’s are very hospitable. William and Douglas slept on the “magic carpet” in the living room. Kristina and April slept in the spare bedroom and felt like princesses. John and I slept in the master bedroom. It was very nice.
– Victoria
I took the van in to get fixed. It turned out to be the alternator. $262.02 to fix it. When I dropped it off I found a bench by the courthouse and updated the blog.
During the afternoon we took a stroll through the neighborhood. It’s pretty hot, so it was a short stroll. Overall, it was a pretty slow day. Mostly just stayed in waiting for the van to be fixed.
– John
This morning we had Cheerios and watermelon for breakfast. After, John, William, Kristina and April went to town to find free WIFI so John can update the blog. While they were out, they had problems with the van. The engine wouldn’t start again. During this time, I did our laundray and I cleaned the bathroom. Yesterday, Kristina vacuumed.
We all had lunch together. Left-over spaghetti. After lunch, we went to Midway so Grandma could show us where she grew up. You take Highway 22 East to Midway and trun right (South) on to St. Louis Valley Road and then right onto Turner Road. These were all dirt roads. We were out in the middle of nowhere. So we saw the property that Vollie and Sallie Mullings lived. The house has since been torn down. Another has been rebuilt (previous to tearing the old one down). The house that is there used to be lived in by Daisy and Loyal Turner. Now Chris Turner (son of Joe Brad, who is the son of Daisy) lives there. Wood from the old house has been stacked in the barn.
Farther up the road is an old house (~100 years old) lived in by Joe Horn (?).
After, we tried to find where Grandpa Dooley used to live in Subiaco when he was young.
Back in Paris, Grandma showed us the street she and Grandpa first met on. He was in town just hanging out. Grandmas was in town with 2 girls whom she was going to spend the night at. After a week, Grandpa was going to Califonia to do ???? and said he wanted to write to her. She didn’t think he would, but he did. They corresponed for a while. They were married 3 weeks ( after meeting or corresponding ). during that 3 weeks, Grandma broke up with Grandpa because there was another boy she was fond of. That didn’t work, and so Grandma and Grandpa were back together. she didn’t know if he would still be interested and was surprised he was. If she were him, she wouldn’t have come back (to conitnue the relationship).
We filled up with gasoline and then the van wouldn’t start. Just before pulling into the station it was making strange sounds and the dashboard lights were being weird. We got a boost and were recommened to go to Neuman’s Garage. It’s the same place John took a picture of the day before. We take the an in to be fixed tomorrow at 8:30 am.
For dinner, we went to a restaurant called “The Grape Vine.” We went with Dennis and Luthina (Siblings and children of Florence who is Grandma’s sister). Tammy (Luthina’s daugher), Joe Brad (Son of Aunt Daisy), Mary (Wife of Joe Brad), and Amy (Daughter of Joe Brad and Mary). It was fun visiting. We continued visiting at Grandma’s. There was a lot of laughter and I learned a lot about my relatives. John showed pictures he took of the homestead and others. They commented on all the pictures. We also had a group picture and I got addresses.
Before we went to Midway, we spent an hour at the Paris museum. It used to be the old jail house. The lady that works there (Jeanette) is part of the Histoical Society of Paris and she looked up information on the Mullings and Dooleys. She photocopied a few pages for us and John took pictures of some of the information.
I have another source for genealogy. Tammy loves to do genealogy and she has a lot of information and pictures.
– Victoria
The battery has been dying. The solar charger has been helping to get us going again, but definitely something is wrong. We can’t use Air Conditioning and too many other electrical items at the same time. Grandma doesn’t have an Internet connection, so I found some open wireless spots near the town square.
– John
We all had showers this morning. We ate cereal and strawberries for breakfast. After breakfast we drove out to the Hickory Grove Cemetery. It’s East on Highway 22 to Midway, then south on St. Louis Road (or boulevard) at Midway, AR. It was a dirt road that we travelled a ways on. We saw the graves of many relatives, such as her grandparents (Griffith).
Earlier, Grandma took William and I to the Post Office so he could mail a postcard to the Orthodontis. They want all of their patients to send one from their holiday travels.
For lunch, we at leftover salad, stir-fry, and sandwiches and grapes.
After lunch, we went shopping at Walmart. Then we drove around town taking picutres of houses and the scenery. we took pictures of the Post Office, the museum, the courthouse, the newspaper office, and various houses (nice or run down).
For dinner, Grandma made us Okra. Douglas finally tried it. I’m not sure if he likes it. John also made us spaghetti, creamed corn, and I made salad. It was good and we have a lot left over for lunch tomorrow.
After dinner, Grandma showed us more old pictures and so John took pictures of them so we’ll have a copy.
We ate watermelon and then watched a movie. The weather was cooler today. It even rained a little. It was about 89 deg. F
– Victoria
We just got back from going to church with Grandma. She goes to a church called The first Assembly of God. It’s very different from LDS. Mom wanted us to got to grandma’s church to keep her company. Then grandma could show off her family. Mom’s and my legs, feet, and ankles were swollen yesterday. The swelling went down overnight, but now they’re kind of starting to swell again.
– April
For lunch, Grandma made us fried okra. I love it we also had left-over chili, beans and bacon, salad, bread, and a left-over fried onions, okra, squash, and peppers. After lunch, Joe Brad came over. He is the son of Daisy (Mullings), who is my grandmother’s sister. Anyways, Joe Brad and my Dad really look alike. It was a good visit. I get to meet relatives for the first time.
Later that day, when the temperature went down (it was 109 deg. F) to around 98 deg. F, Grandma went out and picked okra. We got to reap the benefits of the garden Grandpa Dooley planted before he passed away.
John made dinner. We had chicken stir-fry. It was good.
We spent the evening looking at the newspaper, magazines, catalogues. April likes to look at clothes. Grandma also like to look at clothes, so April comes by her fashion sens naturally. It’s in her jeans.
We also looked at the pictures and video that John and the kids took.
It also finally rained this evening.
– Victoria
We had a good visit and then made some lunch: Mac & Cheese with leftover turkey ham, mixed with a can of creamed corn and seasoned with Tony Chacherez.
Victoria and Dana went through some photo albums. I got some of it on video. I would have taken more, but I had the idea late and was low on battery.
We went shopping for dinner. We picked up what we needed for chili, stir-fry, and pasta dinners. Once back at the house, we made the chili. It was just beans, 1 lb of hamburger, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and 1 1/2 TBSP of chili powder. It turned out well. We had it with a tossed salad.
We followed Dana to the Horn Cemetery. It’s about 12 miles East on 22 at Midway. We turned South (right) on Horn Rd. It’s a winding dirt road that took us to a scenic view of a valley. It’s a beautiful cemetery. We visited Victoria’s grandfather’s grave (Dana’s husband). He died this May. William and I took photos and April videotaped Dana while she gave us a tour of the cemetery.
At sundown it was still 33 deg. C. Dana’s thermometer was reading 105 deg. F or about 40 deg. C this afternoon. Some huge thunderhead rolled by and bellowed at us pretty good, but not a drop of rain.
It’s our first night indoors with A/C. I’m looking forward to a good rest.
– John