Meeting "Emily"

At 10AM "Emily" her Mom and brother came to our hotel.   She was very excited and immediately was giving her sisters and "Mom" big hugs.   We loaded all of her things in the back of our pickup and then I received some last minute instructions on her daily injections.  It was very well packed in ice and it stayed cold all day.

We were on the road toward Kansas by 10:15AM.   Destination is Jean, NV for the evening.   It was 110 degrees in Nevada today.   We had an I-pad all ready for "Emily".   She was disappointed that she could not get on the internet but she was playing alot of games and snapping photos like crazy.  The I-pad would run down quite quickly and then we found that she has very little patience when it comes to waiting for the electronic to recharge.

We stopped at a fruit stand and had some wonderfully fresh fruits.  We also decided to have sandwiches there which were delightful.   We wanted to fill up the back of the truck with fruits but we were worried that it would get too hot.

We arrived at the Gold Strike in Jean, Nevada and after a few failed attempts to check in.  We finally was able to get a key to open our door and managed to get a roll-a-way bed for "Emily" to sleep on. The girls wanted to go swimming but all the miles we have driven the last few days have Mom beat so off to bed early so we can get up and head to the next destination tomorrow.  Grand Junction, Colorado here we come!!

Wyoming, Utah and Nevada

We took a quick photo in the lobby of the hotel this morning before going to breakfast.

So this morning found us freezing in our shorts and T-shirts.  The wind was blowing 35 miles an hour and the temperature was 53 degrees this morning.  Big change from the 95 degree plus weather from yesterday.  The girls had each packed a jacket.  I tried to go to WalMart to find a sweatshirt but of course, they have all their summer clothes out for sale.  Oh well, that is what they make us strong farm girls of...grit and determination.  

This is the first time I have gone this far north to drive.  Years ago I was in Cheyenne for Frontier Days.  But I do mean YEARS ago.   So heading west out of Cheyenne was all new territory for me to see.   First we started seeing lots of well needed road construction.  Not the most pleasant way to drive, but it's doable.

On a side note here.  Mark I found our house for sale.   Here are the photos!

I had completely forgot that we would actually be going through Utah and most specifically, Salt Lake City, Utah for part of todays journey.   I have been in the airport in SLC once....but that was the extent of my time in their fair city.   We hit it at 5PM rush hour :)   The girls tried to snap some photos for me as we either zoomed along or was crawling along with traffic :)   This reminds me why we don't live in the big city anymore.

About 30 miles west of Salt Lake City 99% of the traffic we were flowing with pulled off.   That is when we got a good look at the Great Salt Basin Lake.   And for the next 2 hours we saw salt, salt and more salt :)   I think that was about the time Zora asked me if I was alive when dinosaurs walked the earth?   Uh?   Seriously Zora?  I am old, but not quite that ancient!!  That was good for one of the laughs of the day :)

We finally arrived in Elko, Nevada about just in time to see the last 15 minutes and see who Jo Jo sent home on the Bachelorette.   Then we grabbed something to eat and off to bed.  Tomorrow Nevada and California!

Kansas to Wyoming

No photos for the day will try to add some later.  

We tried to get out of town before 10AM.  Okay it was more like 11:30AM....but we were on the road again!   Zora is my chief navigator and a very good one I might add.   She put all the info for our day in her phone and gave me directions every step of the way!

We stopped in Hays, KS to fill up with gas and fill our tummies up with food.  Kendalan was complaining of the sun coming in her window too much.   So I helped her take her pillowslip and hang it in the window.   (Note to self:  don't have Kendalan help with this process next time as I just about lost the tip of one finger when she put the window up and caught my finger in it!!!)  I will still be able to use my left hand :)   And the sun was no longer bothering her.

The wind was blowing like crazy and I-70 in Colorado needs some road repair....seriously!  It was also 100 degrees in Limon, CO when we stopped.  

We were driving north toward Cheyenne, Wyoming on a two way high-way when all of a sudden we were on a gravel road!   Zora thought it was hilarious that Mom said looks like we are going off-roading.   She is still laughing about that.  I do not recommend 85 North out of Denver but we did get a nice view of Denver International Airport.

We arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming about 8PM their time.  We were so ready to get out and stretch our legs and get something to eat.   We checked in to the hotel and Kendalan was SO disappointed that their pool was closed for maintenance.  Bummer!   It was a good thing because we ate at the hotel restaurant, which was delicious, and then to our room and we were out before 10:30PM.

Tomorrow we plan on making Elko, Nevada.    Hope to add photos soon!  Been using our phones instead of my camera.

Happy 12th Birthday Tessa!!

     Where do I begin?   I have been away far too long.   There has been so much going on at our house there is no way I can update it all.   At the same time I am sad that I lost a year of our lives.  Maybe I will find the time to go back and try to add the pieces we are missing.   I do like to print this out for the girls to have.   But on with the post of the day.....

     Happy Happy 12th Birthday Tessa Louise JiXing!!   You were only 6 years old when we first met you.  I always tease you that you didn't like your Mama in China :)    I know, I was this old, white woman who was taking you away from everything you had known.   Good thing I had two of your big sisters along or I don't know if you would have left China with me.  I really think you thought I might eat you?  I am not sure.

     That was then.........

     This is now......you are a crack up.  You are usually a pretty good girl...there are times when you are pretty sassy.   Sometimes you sass at the wrong time and it irritates your Mom somewhat.  I know you are trying to work on that.   I am so proud of you in band, you are such a good flute player.   I know you will do great playing volley ball this fall.  

     We can not imagine our lives without you here with us.   I am sorry I had to work on your birthday.  I hope you enjoyed the cake and the cell phone.   One more year and you are a teen!  Yikes!!

     We love you to the moon and back Tessa!!

October 7, 2007

I will come back to this date and post another day.   It is a very good post :)

I'm BACK!

I thought I better continue with the vacation posts so when I print this off in book form they will be in here.   Since no one leaves me comments, I am obviously talking to myself :(   

Okay we arrived in Hot Springs, South Dakota the third night.  Of course the girls were excited to see the swimming pool and I was excited to see the laundry room.  It was too late to do anything so the girls went swimming while I washed a load of clothes and then we all headed to bed.

We were up pretty early the next day.  The breakfast at this hotel wasn't anything special but we found enough to fill our stomachs for the morning.   Then we hit the road to see Mount Rushmore!

It was amazing how the landscape changed as we got closer and closer to Mount Rushmore.   We kept our eyes open to see any animals in the forest.   No bears anywhere!   When we finally arrived at Mount Rushmore we were more than ready to get out and stretch our legs.   It has changed a lot since I was there when I was 5 years old!   It was a great day to be there.  The sky was so pretty and there was a nice breeze.  Mark decided he would stay down at the beginning and take photos from there while the girls and I trekked up to the closest we could get.   Us plus probably 100's of other people!  We did manage to take a couple of photos with the President's behind us.  One lady offered to take our photo so I could be in the photo, but I declined the offer.   We did take photos for others who wanted to be in the picture and didn't have enough hands!

Then we took the elevator down and watched the movie about the man who came up with the idea to do the president's and carried through with the plan.   Of course, I can't think of his name right now so I will have to add it in here later.   Pretty amazing to watch them blast part of the mountain off in areas so they could finish carving it out.   And OSHA would have had a hay day with the way they were hanging off the cliff in the rope swings!!  Wow!   They were brave men!

After we watched the movie we went back up and the girls could see some people had went down in the stadium and was over on the mountain under the monument walking around.  They really wanted to do that but I talked them out of it.   We headed back down to the front, walking through the towers of flags.   Then Jordis, RaeAnne, Kendalan and I decided to stop for ice cream!  That will teach all the others to slow down!  Zora couldn't wait to get down and tell her Dad that we could get him a wheelchair if he wanted to go to the top.  He was done taking photos and was more than ready to leave.   Unfortunately they had to wait for us to eat our ice cream!  It was yummy!

Then we took off to see Crazy Horse.   On the way you can stop and see a side view of George Washington.  Mark and I got out but the girls were chilling by that time.

We have decided that there will be another trip up this way in our future as we just did not have enough time to see and do everything we wanted too.   Crazy Horse is going to be huge!   You kind of have to use your imagination of how it is going to look.   They actually have put some markings on it so you can see where the horses head will be.   It is sad that the Crazy Horse monument is all being paid for by donations and there is not any Parks and Recreation funds being used.  Somehow that doesn't seem right.  I mean, weren't the Indians here before us?!

They have a very large gift shop and lots of items that have been donated by different tribes and families to show the different items they made from leather, metal, etc.   We really didn't spend much time looking at all of that.  When we got there they told us to hurry out as there was going to be authentic Indian dancing going on.   I went out along with a few of the girls.  It was very hot and muggy, but I enjoyed watching him and listening to him tell about the dances.  

We then decided it was time to eat!  They had a great restaurant right there that we all found something good to eat.   Just about the time we were getting ready to leave it started pouring rain!  We ran over to the gift shop and spent about an hour looking through everything.   Spent a little money in there too!

On the way back to the hotel we finally found a buffalo!  There was a pickup that was pulled over and a girl was sitting on the window sill taking photos.   We slowed down and pulled over to get some photos.   He was not a happy bull.  He took off and charged the pickup and us as we passed the truck!   I can see why they have signs all over to not get out around the buffalo!

Of course, the girls went swimming again when we arrived at the hotel and I did another load of laundry!

Travel day three

It is late, we have been up and on the road since 9 AM today.   I may fall asleep doing this but will try to get it down before I crash.

We left Mitchell, S. D. for destination Wall, S.D.  It was a nice drive and along the way we stopped at a rest area to take photos and eat watermelon.   This was a very informative stop with photos of a bridge that Lewis and Clark helped with.  

Wall was aptly named as it was kind of a hole in the Wall!   The town is very small and only had a grocery store and a DQ handy to get something to eat.    We decided to go through the Badlands first before it got too hot and then we would wander through Wall Drug in the afternoon.

On the way to the Badlands we found a very interesting, well restored dugout house that the family had built a extra room on after a few years so they could have a portion of the house that did not leak.  They had homesteaded this property in the 1930's when the man was 55 years old.   Very interesting history here that I love to read....the girls....not so much.   But I did convince two of them to dress up in clothes of the time era and they looked really cute!

The prairie dogs here have been bred for so many years that the brown prairie dog has been bred out and all they have left is the white haired prairie dog with black skin.

We toured the house, barn, chicken coup and met some animals.  The photos will tell the tale for you.

Then we drove on into the Badlands.   Very beautiful and at the same time sad because no one can use this land for very much.  

We took the Badlands loop and ended up right back in Wall where we started so it was time to see what all the hype about Wall Drug is about.   We ate at the restaurant and it was pretty good.  The girls and I then walked around and checked out the sites at Wall Drug.   Almost too much selling and not so much anything else.

But we spent over an hour looking around and then we decided it was time to go to our next destination, Hot Springs!   We had an extra person with us on the trip who wishes to remain anonymous, so I will cover the face with a smile :)