MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2012

OMAHA, NEBRASKA

 

I forgot to mention that last night when we arrived at the KOA it was really dark.  Bill had called ahead and the lady said she would leave the site information in a box on the side of the building.  We were really having trouble seeing (they keep it dark in these campgrounds you know) so we weren’t sure where the pull thru campsite was.  Bill finally just stops the vehicle and says I think this is it.  I really feel like he just stopped in the middle of the road but he got out and looked around and assured me he was pretty sure we were ok.  I should know better than to second-guess him on this stuff because he is like an expert but I kept thinking all night that someone was going to rap on the door and tell us to “Get OUT of the road”.  Well, as I said I should know better and I apologize to my husband for doubting him for even a minute.  We did have a quiet night, no rain, no one at the door and good sleep.  Thank you God!

As soon as I was up and functioning we got ready to leave for the zoo.  We were both looking forward to the day, the weather was turning out perfect.  So even before the crack of noon (our normal “start the day” time) we arrived at the Henry Doorly Zoo.  Since I talked about “Ruby” the little red scooter that Bill bought off Craig’s list, got repaired and spruced up, thought I would have him take a picture of it and post it.  I mean the guy went to a lot of work and invested a lot of time in it so I want to show it off.  Seriously without this blessing we would not be on this trip and not going to the zoo today!

Zoos have always been a big thing in my family.  It is one of the few places I remember my parents taking us to when we were children.  The Toledo Zoo is a really nice zoo and that is the one we became members of year after year.  When my children were young the zoos started doing this “Reciprocal” thing and you could get in free (or half price) at other zoos that participated when you were a member of one.  So every year we went to the Toledo Zoo and at least one other one.  Every vacation we took included a zoo.  I mean really they were inexpensive and they have them everywhere.  And who doesn’t love the zoo?  God has such an incredible imagination and sense of humor.  And the variety!!  I love to see the animals and watch their antics and know that God did this for us.  Awesome isn’t it??   

Jason got so tired of zoos when he was in his teens we practically had to drag him there (it was a family outing and he was going).  Now, it is so entertaining to see him take his girls to the zoo every other week or so.  It takes on a new feeling when you watch it through the eyes of little children.  Bill and I take the opportunities we can to tag along with our kids and our grandkids whether it is in Detroit, Toledo, or Nashville.  It’s always fun.

I think Bill has been to the zoo more since he met me than in all of his life before, maybe not.  So when Suzanne, who we met at the Winterset Festival of Covered Bridges, told us about the Henry Doorly Zoo, we immediately thought we’d have to do that.  We need to send her an e-mail and tell her how much we appreciate the advice.  It is a great zoo, one of the top ten in the country.  We really missed having our grandchildren there but enjoyed watching the little ones that were there.  (We are making plans to kidnap a few of our grandkids in the near future for an RV trip – it’s ok Moms and Dads, we will only keep them a couple weeks and we WILL return them!)

This gorilla was right up by the glass where we were!

This zoo has a wonderful Gorilla exhibit!  We must have spent about an hour just watching the gorillas.  They certainly have an attitude.  There was one that was 9 yrs old and really playful.  He kept running up to the window and rolling around and then he would hit his palm on the window.  There was a little girl about 4 who was laughing hysterically, enjoying his playing with her.  He even would repeat taps on the glass (which I know you are not supposed to do, it wasn’t me!).  They are very entertaining.  That was probably my favorite.

This one definitely had an attitude!

This one walked quite a distance away and sat down to enjoy some grass, later he jut layed down and put his hand over his face!  I think he was the grand daddy!

Bill thoroughly enjoyed the Lied Jungle 

The Macaws of the Lied Jungle

The Lied Jungle was really like walking through a jungle with the vegetation, vines, waterfalls, humidity, and animals.  They really did a great job on designing this attraction.

These were real vines that the kids could hang on or swing on!  Cool!

 

The Aquarium had live sharks and upside down jellyfish for the highlights.  This was another favorite of Bill's. The touch zone was closed (What do they think this is, fall?) which would have been disappointing for the little ones but there was a wide variety of exhibits and aquatic beings.  The neatest thing, there was an area that looked like it was a pond of fish and sea life but was really just a light show on the floor.  The neat thing was that if you walked or jumped on it the fish would swim away and the water would ripple.  Something like the “Fluid” app for iPhone.  It was pretty cool.

This is the "Fluid" pond.  It really is cool!

T

The zoo had a geodesic dome called the Desert Dome that encased a, yes, desert! It was like walking through a desert, sand dunes, cacti, animals, birds, snakes, lizards, etc.  It was done very well but the smell and the heat had us going through it fairly quickly.

All in all I would say all of their exhibits were done very well, it is a nice size (we didn’t quite cover everything) and has many, many animals and things to see.  I believe the children’s area was one of the nicest I have ever seen but we just glanced through that at the end of the day.

The Butterfly Exhibit Entrance

Aren't these benches adorable, they are placed all around the Butterfly Exhibit.

We took a ride on the “Skyfari” which was really a lot of fun.  All in all it was a great day.  We recommend it to anyone who is passing this way or just wants a fun destination.  Vacations can be just about the zoo you know? You can see them on the right.  They covered quite a bit of the zoo from the air.  Good views!

Not sure if you can see this monkey was walking the rope with a baby on his back to a little island in the middle of the pond --- there were other monkeys hanging out there.

BEARS, BEARS & BEARS

Can you see this polar bear has his paws over his face??

This is a large globe floating on a cushion of water.  There was a continual line of kids that enjoyed moving it around.  It was really intriguing.  Different. 

Heading out tomorrow, still going west on I-80.  Not sure what we will find for our next adventure on the way, but I know something cool will come up.  There is always something unexpected around the next corner.  Blessings to all our family and friends.

Miss you but having fun!

WINTERSET, IOWA

MADISON COUNTY COVERED BRIDGES

SATURDAY 10/13/12 & SUNDAY 10/14/12

As we were driving to Winterset our plan was to set up and then maybe go out in the Terrain to check out some of the bridges.  We had seen a few signs along the way with arrows directing us to different ones.  However, after the fiasco of finding a place to camp and set up we were both too tired to do anything else exciting.  We hunkered down and watched of all things, an “Alfred Hitchcock” movie.  Bill has this DVD set that had never been opened so we brought that along for some light entertainment.  Too funny!! The first one was rather long and really dated but we enjoyed it none-the-less.

Our first night here it bucketed the rain (as Nina would say) along with lightning and thunder.  Some of it was a little too close for comfort and it was definitely extremely noisy.  It didn’t make for a very restful sleep but we were glad to wake up to the skies trying to clear.  We took our time over breakfast and getting ready for the day to let the weather continue to clear and then headed for the “Winterset Covered Bridges Festival”.

There was a luncheon at the Methodist Church fellowship hall, which was highly recommended.  The food was very good with every kind of homemade pie you could think of.  Bill took his dessert but fell in love with this coleslaw/peas/honey roasted peanuts/sesame seed dressing concoction.  He made sure to get the recipe from one of the ladies before we left.  Okay, small group, be prepared for the next time we host.  LOL

We met some nice people from around Omaha who advised us to take time out to go to the Henry Doorly Zoo, said it was maybe the best zoo around but was definitely rated in the top 10 of the country.  Well I love my zoos so it is on the list   Nice people.  Suzanne gave me her business card to e-mail her once we have seen it and let her know what we thought. 

John Deere Ice Cream Maker.  It was actually working throughout the whole day providing ice cream for sale.  Bill and I did resist the temptation but did stop to watch it a couple times.

Some of you know that the physical side of life has been hard for me for a long time but since starting my new treatment I am not allowed to get tired (not sure what to do about waking up tired….LOL) or do any physical exercise.  Not supposed to get my heart rate up (that can happen walking across the room some days) and it takes medicine and rest to overcome this pesky virus.  SO…..going to the zoo, Greenfield Village, shopping, or any activity that takes more than getting in and out of the car is not possible.  In lieu of this problem and our desire to go and do and see, Bill found an electric cart on Craig’s list for an amazing price, took it in for two new batteries and Voila!  I don’t particularly like using it, I like to walk, but it’s the only way I am going to get to go anywhere and have some fun even though it’s not on my terms.  The grandchildren love taking turns riding with me, beats the stroller or wagon I guess.  It is scarlet and gray (anyone thinking OH IO?), we have named it “Ruby”. 

One of the groups that provided continual live musical entertainment throughout the day.

Because of “Ruby” we were able to be out and about the town of Winterset to enjoy the festival.  The weather was very obliging.  I always thought it would be nice if God decided to have it rain between the hours of midnight and 6AM (kind of like the dew-thing, you know) and that is pretty much what happened during our stay in Winterset.  The sun wasn’t exactly shining the whole day, more in and out, but the rain held out, the temperature was 70 degrees and we had a great time.  There were many booths selling food (yummy junk food mostly), crafts, jewelry, woodworking, weaving and the like.  There was live music playing throughout the area the whole day.  We sat and enjoyed some good gospel music and later a little Johnny Cash.  Beautiful fun day.

Hogback Covered Bridge --- It was really windy ... the little girl in the picture was on our bus tour.  She was a cutie!

Roseman Covered Bridge, 1st stop on our tour.

Well this is the county and the festival for the “covered bridges” so we had to take advantage of the bus tour.  A school bus that was very bumpy and jerky.  The lady was probably in her 70’s (I thought she looked a lot older than me anyway, LOL), and was originally from the area.  She had so many stories to tell. I kid you not, she did not take a breath (or a drink of water either that I remember) the whole 2 hours.  She was delightful and very proud of her heritage and hometown.  At first I was disappointed that we were only going to see 4 bridges (I had heard that there were 20) but after all the jostling and the distance between each one and the similarity of them, I was happy that was it.  Only one of the 4 we saw actually allowed traffic through and there was a weight limit on that one.  2 of the ones we saw had been moved off main routes and placed elsewhere.  Madison County was one of the few that made their bridges with a flat roof.   I find I prefer the peaked roofs but we thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

Cedar Bridge -- the only one we saw that could be driven through although there was a weight limit!

This was an old one room schoolhouse for all ages.  We got there too late to go in but we could see pretty well through the windows.  The thing that surprised us was that it was open from the mid 1800's through the 1950's.  Hard to believe people born just a little before us attended school this way.  (Are we getting old or what?)

Saturday night was another night of heavy rainfall but the thunder and lightning were held at bay…..it was another rather noisy night but we woke up to some sunshine.  Blessings!  Sunday morning we attended the Winterset Community Church.  Nice service, good lesson …. But boy did we miss our Bristol Road Family!! 

They already have over $2million worth of memorabilia from John Wayne's movies donated by just one person.  They plan to have the museum open next spring and are very optimistic of the success and variety of items that will be on display.

After church we stopped by to take a picture of the “John Wayne” statue.  Winterset is the birthplace of John Wayne and they have a tour of his home there.  We opted out of that but took a drive to Clark’s Tower.  Beautiful, beautiful drive through the trees with all the fall colors and the sun peaking through. The tour bus lady had told us that last week the colors were so brilliant but the reds had pretty much disappeared this week.  That must have been breath-taking because I found this little side trip a highlight of our stop over.  

The Clark Tower!

The home of the Delicious Apple!

Should I come up there????  It was worth the steps, the view was gorgeous!

Cutler Dunahoe Bridge - the only one we saw with a peaked roof.  I think I like this one best!

Sightseeing over, headed back to the motorhome to pack up, hook up and head down the road.  Still heading west, Rt 80 towards the Grand Canyon. 

Late start so we didn’t make it too far and guess what we came upon?  Yes, Omaha, Nebraska, home of the Doorly Zoo.  We are going tomorrow --- weather forecast high of 73 and no chance of rain.  Should be a quiet night here at the KOA Campground and a perfect day for the Zoo tomorrow.  Bill has “Ruby” all charged up and ready to roll.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

TRAVELING THROUGH IOWA!

I thought this was a cool sign we saw at the rest area/welcome center

Bill of course was up before me doing his Bible Study, checking the internet and facebook for news in the world and family/friends.  I had encouraged him the night before to have his time, get some coffee down him, pull in the slide and head down the road leaving me in bed.  Although it is not a smooth ride I was able to rest a little longer and have some good quiet prayer time myself before he was ready to stop about 100 miles down the road.  Not waiting on me to function for the day is a great help to making progress in the miles we need to travel.

After I was up we stopped at the next rest area for breakfast and time to evaluate the map, our route and things to do along the way that would be fun.  I found that the Madison County Covered Bridges Festival begins tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday only and we are just about 50 minutes from there.  Sound fun??  I thought so and after discussion and internet searching for a camp ground in that area I chose “Pammel Park”.  I called them and left a message but set the GPS for the park.  The Parks Division called me back and advised that just ½ hour ago there was 1 spot left at the “Pammel Park” but they don’t take reservations this late so “first come, first serve”.  So we continue on hoping we get there first.  LOL. 

First problem:  we come upon an accident (saying a prayer as it did not look good) and the road was closed.  The officer sent us down a side street to go around the block but that just took us right to the accident.  We turned around and drove several miles trying to find a go around – “Naggy” (our GPS), kept “recalculating” and asking us to make u-turns, not an easy thing to do with a motorhome and tow car! 

Second problem: We finally find our way back on the road and the next road we are to turn on has a sign “DO NOT ENTER” but the road looks clear.  Trying to obey signs we continue on looking for another road to get us on track.  No luck --- we traveled another ½ hour trying to get back and finally decided we are just going to take that road even if that sign is there, after all it looks clear.  So, decision made, we head down this beautiful scenic road towards the park. 

Me, waiting to see what Bill finds around the corner.  Will it be clear??

Third problem:  We see a sign that says 12’6” clearance ahead but it does not say how far down the road.  Okay, seriously we are 12’7”!!  What should we do?  We only have to go 1.7 miles to our destination, maybe this clearance issue is farther down the road than that.  After all what campground that takes RVs would have a route with that low of a clearance???  So we continue on, laughing hysterically.  We approach an area with a sign showing the park entrance with a curve up ahead.  Bill gets out and walks down a little way to see what is ahead and it looks clear, so back in the RV and we take off again.  We laughingly declare we are going to persevere until we have to turn back!!  We will not be stopped!

We still thought we might be there before the tunnel came into play!

Next sign:  Tunnel ahead, 12’6” clearance.  Still does not tell us how far.  I’m asking Bill, “Isn’t there something we can take off the roof to give us an inch or more?” He replies, “Well we could let all the air out of the tires that would give us a good inch but I don’t think it’s a good idea!” Once again, he gets out and takes a little walk to assess the situation.  As he is heading back to the RV, a truck stops and the guy says, “I wouldn’t try it if I were you.  I have seen too many people get stuck in that tunnel!”

(This is the tunnel, doesn't look too promising, we took the guy's word for it)

Fourth Problem:  Okay, we may be a little stubborn and persistent but that finally convinced us we would turn back.  Well you cannot back up, especially on a narrow uphill road with a 33’ RV and a tow car attached.  So Poor Bill, still smiling, laughing, saying, “Are we having fun yet?” had to unhook the car from the RV and back both of them up the hill into a very small turn around just to reattach the tow car.  After an hour or more we were ready to begin a new journey looking for another camp ground that maybe we could get into????  Maybe we are not supposed to stop at Madison County?  I’m still not convinced of that so we will persevere!!

Picture of the Pammel Park entrance -- I think it would have been a pretty campground?!

Took this picture of purple berries & red leaves while Bill was working on getting us turned around!

Over an hour later we found (with a lot of confusion I won’t bore you with) another campground, Criss Cove.  Nothing to write home about but it does have a nice pond view, the colors are beautiful (although not as vibrant as in Michigan) and we have electricity for the night.  I think my poor overworked husband deserves a nap and a gold star.

Weather forecast for tomorrow, high of 72.  Sounds great doesn’t it?  Well, that was before I saw the 80% chance of rain.  I will let you know whether all of the shenanigans of getting here was worth the stop at the Madison County Covered Bridges Festival.

P.S. from Bill:  The LOLs above do not stand for Lots Of Love as several (older) people guessed two years ago when reading Sheila’s writings.  It means Laugh Out Loud.  Sorry for the confusion. LOL.

FINALLY ON OUR WAY!!

Right on schedule, 9AM, Monday morning (mornings are not my good times), 10/8/12, we pulled out of the driveway in the RV with the Terrain in tow.  I was impressed with us, we were headed to the doctor’s office in Beverly Hills, MI (yes, Beverly Hills) for a 10:30 appt.  We were all packed and prepared to head west as soon as we knew when he would need to see me again.  We had been praying for 1 month.  When he said, “I will see you again in 6 weeks, things are going great!” Bill and I both looked at each other and mouthed, “YES”!  It would have been a real bummer if after all that work we had to turn around head back home and unpack the RV.  But, have I mentioned that when you pray to our Father that He gives more than you ask for???!!!  It always amazes me. 

Nina, Steve, Sheila & Bill 

We all went to the Edwards Apple Orchard in Illinois with the Doyle clan.  Lots of fun and good eats.  Great donuts and cider

Brother Steve's office --- he collects things!

Sheila & Steve Doyle

As things would have it, our road to Yellowstone went right through Rockford, IL (well almost anyway, close enough) so of course we had the opportunity to stop for a visit with my brother, Steve, his wife, Nina, and their daughter’s family, Mandy, Levi, Wyatt & Abbey.  We had not been to see them together since our way home from Alaska 2 yrs ago.  I did make a quick trip with Nina’s parents in March 2011 but Bill was in Germany with his son, David, at the time for David’s back surgery.  Our plan was to get in Monday night, visit on Tuesday and leave Wednesday AM for Yellowstone.  Once again, the best laid plans of mice and men!!  Tuesday afternoon/evening ended up being a real crash time for me and Bill was hesitant to start out Wednesday until I was rested. (and no Jennifer, Nina and I did not stay up all night talking – I went to be early). 

Abbey, Mandy (Doyle), Wyatt & Levi Spurlock

In the mean time we started checking out the weather in Yellowstone.  That news was not encouraging with highs in the 40’s and lows in the teens!  So after rethinking and rethinking how we were going to stay warm and keep the pipes from freezing in the motorhome we once again revamped our plans.  NO Yellowstone this year.  We had left too late in the season to do that part of the trip and enjoy it.  So we decided to leave Rockford, Ill Thursday morning and head straight to the Grand Canyon.  Almost ready to pull out of the Church parking lot at Calvary Christian, Rockford, IL and we get a phone call from my doctor.  The blood work they did on Monday showed a little elevation in the liver numbers.  So . . . we had to wait around for them to fax an order for blood work, find the local hospital and go there for another blood draw.  The hospital in Rockford would fax the results to the doctor and he would contact me with any changes necessary, etc.

But…with all that, we did get on the road before 3PM in the afternoon.  Drove into Iowa and stopped for the night at WalMart in Grinnell, Iowa. 

In spite of our huge disappointment of missing Yellowstone we decided we would not let that stop us!!  We would change our route going south/west to warmer temperatures, we would find something fun to do each day on the way, we will enjoy this time no matter what.  And we are thankful for each blessing along the way.

Two years+ since the Alaskan Blog Travel Postings

10/08/12

Grandpa w/ Brynn

Grandma w/ Reed

Blair, Jackson & Grayden

A last minute picture, the two on laps had not had a nap, the other 3 were raring to go!

Grandpa w/Lincoln & Jackson, amazed by his new little brother!

Grandma Sheila w/Lincoln James, born 10/2/12

Okay, looking back on the title that Bill came up with for our blog, “The Life Journey of Bill and Sheila.  Tales from the road of life.” Things haven’t quite gone the way we had planned.  However, God has a way of showing us we can make all the plans we want but the “Journey of Life” is not always smooth and we are not in control.  LOL.  However, though we planned to travel extensively enjoying His creation and His work through Sojourners, He showed us that our “mission” for the past couple years was completely different.  In lieu of all of that, the title of the blog still has rung true for us these past two years since our fantastic trip to Alaska and back.  It is a “Life Journey” and we do have “Tales from the road of life”. 

We didn’t quite take Brian “kicking and screaming” out of Ohio and to Michigan to live, but it was an adjustment for all.  I still claim that Bill has taken the girl out of Ohio but he will never take the Ohio out of the girl.  Recently when he passed through Ohio without me I told him to stop and hug Ohio for me.  He did more than that, he bought me a nightshirt that says “Ohio Girl”.  How sweet!! 

Anyway, I digress.  It took sometime to acclimate Brian to Michigan.  He now has a job, his own apartment, friends and family close by and has found a wonderful church family at Bristol Road.  So many blessings have unfolded for Brian but as much as Ohio is in me, I think Brian is Ohio.  LOL.  It has certainly been a long process but we are all so thankful that God has him in His care and he is in a better place emotionally, spiritually and financially.  Praise God.

During all the adjustments in life my CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) flared up and became more debilitating.  My sweet daughter, Jennifer, was bound to find some answer and through the internet she found a doctor in Beverly Hills, MI that specializes in CFS and infectious diseases.  So between her and Bill’s influence and support I started seeing him in April.  Good news / Bad news.  He found an active virus that is causing the symptoms of CFS and placed me on a strict 6 months to 1 year sabbatical and anti-viral regimen. (Not fun).  No traveling, getting tired or having fun.  LOL.  All of you that know me, know that “patience” and “sitting still” are not my strong suits, so it has been a long 6 months.  Bill has tirelessly and selflessly served and cared for me, doing everything in his power “to keep me down”.  It has not been an easy job for either of us.  But the prayer is that at the end of this “season” in our lives we will overcome this illness that has plagued me and limited me for 25 yrs now.  God is teaching me to be at peace, to be still and know that HE is GOD!  Sometimes I am a slow learner. 

Blessings have continued through these past two years of “waiting” to get back out on the road.  We have spent much time enjoying our grandchildren.  Jason &Mandy’s 2 girls, Blair (age 4) and Brynn (age 2-1/2) plus Kyle & Megan’s son, Jackson (age 4) live close and we see them as often as possible.  Unfortunately we don’t get to see Jennifer & Rob’s 2 boys, Grayden (age 4) and Reed (age 1-1/2) as often as we would like but still grab every opportunity available.  And now we are very excited to have just welcomed Kyle & Megan’s second son, Lincoln James, into the world on Oct 2^nd.  He is a beautiful baby boy and a blessed addition to our family.  Another blessing on it’s way, Jason’s third child, everyone expects to be another girl (we will have an answer to that on October 24^th), is due in early March.  We are creeping up to 7 grandchildren, how cool is that??!! We enjoyed a good visit with David when he flew in from Denver for Jackson’s birthday party.

Jackson's 4th birthday party w/Blair & Brynn

Spending time with all the family, working with the ministries at the Church, driving for the Cancer Society, remodeling/refurnishing the condo and getting Brian settled have all been good things that we have enjoyed and been able to accomplish during our “down time” these past two years. I have had the opportunity to strengthen some amazing new friendships with some wonderful Christian women and couples at Bristol Road and I thank God for them daily.  God always gives immeasurably more to us than we ask for or ever deserve.  We have an amazing God. 

 Reed & Grayden at the Pumpkin Farm in Tennessee

Although I am still under physical restrictions and medical treatment I am on the upswing and therefore we have decided to spruce up the RV and head WEST.  I don’t have to be back to the doctor for 6 weeks!!!  Yea!  Poor Bill will need a vacation when we get back.  LOL.

So HERE WE GO!!

Where are Bill and Sheila now? - Day 1

Our trip to Yellowstone NP (if the bears don’t get us, the ice and snow will) 

We’re in Rockford, Ill after a great visit with Sheila’s doctor who gave her 6 weeks ‘till he wants to see her back.  Doc said she could do the trip provided I do all the cooking, all the driving, and all the setup with the camper.  Sheila’s job is to enjoy the ride.  Okay!  Sounds better than sitting around at home!

Bristol Road people: you remember Steve and Nina Doyle?  A sweet couple BR sent to Scotland (remember Jack Vinton?) many years ago.  Well Steve is Sheila’s brother and they’re baaaack!  Steve preaches in Rockford so we’ve stopped in for a little pit stop on our way out west.

No pictures yet.  You didn’t really want to see pics of Gary Indiana did you?