bussie-blog

Six months home and, we're getting itchy

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:44:37 +0100

Six months have passed since that hot day in Joplin, MO when we abruptly decided that we had reached the end of ourBigtrip. I remember the heat like it was yesterday. You couldn't get way from it- unlike our current weather that is escapable using multiple layers of clothes- it's been under 32 degrees most days for several weeks in the Colorado mountains.

There hasn't been a single day that goes by that our family doesn't use the words 'bus' or 'trip' in the context of the greatest adventure of our lives when we left normal life and traveled around the United States for nearly 12 months with our 7 children. That trip came to an end in July of 2011 when we returned to our home of 22 years in Estes Park.

Although our 15 year old daughter and 16 year old son are content with 'normal' life in a small town, every other member of this family yearns for the road over and over. That longing has become a powerful life lesson with remnant feelings from the trip that are kept alive in videos and pictures that are our favorites to fawn over when there a few spare minutes in our daily life.

It is interesting/strange/sad to read blogs of friends that we met along the way, that are still moving along each week, investigating new surroundings and learning a little about each stop. Friends that have stayed on the road and don't have plans to return to a wood frame house anytime soon.

I'll be the first to admit that I like having more than 2 minutes of hot water to wash up each day. I admit that I don't always limit myself to 2 oz of water to brush my teeth (but I could do it).

Then I'll confess that I miss the hum of traffic passing by our street camping spot. I miss the decision making- "which cardinal direction should we try today"? I miss the sometimes difficult comfort of knowing that our whole family would be together tonight, and the next morning and the day after that. The thing I miss the most is the pace of not having something bearing down on every minute of every day- whether that was a work commitment, a school event, any of the other deadlines that exist in 'normal' life.

It's a choice we make, to live this normal life. Many others are still living their normal lives, but have the fortitude to stick with normal being to move against the grain of the majority of what most people would be comfortable with. Who is smarter? Most days, I'd say things were better on the road, until the shower has been running for 5 minutes with hot water, and I know it would run another 20 if I chose to stay under the steady hot stream.... but I can't, because there are people taking cold showers in RVs, somewhere in the world right now.

If you're on the road, and there's any sentiment of the kids wanting to go home, or you're running out of gas and enthusiasm, stick with it as long as you can... One day you'll look back and wonder if that adventure you were able to pull off really happened? Life will carry on without you, and it will be easy to fit back in, but you may never be able to get back on the road once you pull the plug.

Make sure you're done before you're done.

I'm not sure we were - done.

Home to Colorado

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:36:27 +0100

A welcome sight, rolling out of KS and in to CO. Ah, we LOVE CO!

“If you can’t find ‘em, GRIND ‘em!” Remember that saying when you learned to drive a stick shift? I heard it once or twice- and I experienced it again just recently, when we changed gears and settled back into real (?) life at home. The bus is parked outside our bedroom window, the cupboards are cleaned out, the water lines and tank sanitized, the sunshades propped in the windows for days at a time…

We left Joplin with the sun in our face as we pushed West, through the menacing storms of MO & KS. Listening to the weather radio and the CB, we knew the wind was acting up just ahead, and by the looks of the rear camera we were slicing through an ocean of water as the van took on thousands of gallons of fresh rain head on. The wind effects behind a large vehicle are real, as you know from following a semi trailer closely- there’s a point close in where it just gets calm, and if you drop back the wind jiggles your vehicle back and forth. Well, at that point the water also comes together from under, over and the sides of the big old bus. That water would take its toll tomorrow as it simulated the van transmission failure on the Colorado interstate…

No tornados, no accidents and finally a calm stretch let my nerves settle, but the pressure to get home before fireworks led to some pertinent math equations as we calculated how long I could sleep before getting back on the road again: “If a bus loaded with 9 people is traveling West, and a train is traveling East with 225 people, and both are moving 60 miles per hour”- kind of thing…. We figured out I had at least 6 hours of down time to sleep before stepping on the pedal again. We wrapped the night up with 180 degrees of fireworks along the Kansas horizon ahead of us as the farmers, municipalities and rednecks fired off their finest mortars for our pleasure. As if we were entering a stadium of celebration we ended the long day pulling into an interstate rest stop for a few hours sleep.

Without hesitation after my first sliver of consciousness, I was back on the highway before everyone was up, and made good time all day. Kansas makes for a long daytime drive, but it’s safer than the night time fear of wildlife popping out at the last minute- although the response would be the same (driving through and not swerving), there’s less anxiety with sunlight at our backs. Listened to a lot of iPod, audio book and kids speculating about what their first official acts as returning permanent residents would be. Most of the kids if not all were going to pursue friends, though someone said they just wanted to lay in their own bed. I was most interested in the cool (50 degree) nights with the windows open.

Fireworks are usually at 930, so we had plenty of time to mosey back to our own driveway, which time we needed. The outside temperature climbed pretty quickly, soaring to the high 90’s before lunch. The Westbound interstate rolls along over what appear to be gentle lumps in a standard passenger car as you approach Denver- but the bus motor was cycling back to HOT so quickly that I pulled off to unhook the van and let the bus rest (we still had about 3.5 hours to go- but Kelly was ready for a break from the chicken coop). The bus always acts giddy after taking the van off, gets rolling quickly, and seems a little more spry navigating (that van is 8,000 pounds), so I like taking the van off…

Kinda weird that this light (the ENGINE FIRE indicator) would illuminate on our first day, and on our last day of this journey. What does that mean? Factually, it means that the sensor is sensitive, because the coolant temp didn't exceed 195 degrees, according to the geniuses that we love at ABC bus tech support. (not a sarcastic statement)

The bus cooled nicely, but I got a call from Kelly and Trevor just a few minutes into the drive that the auto transmission wasn’t shifting out of 2^nd gear in the van, then the transmission indicator wasn’t lighting up on the dashboard, and the check engine light wasn’t going off like it usually does after starting. We pulled off under an overpass with another pair of cars that were having mechanical trouble and took a look at the van. Nothing obvious. Quick call to my mechanic man back home on the 4^th of July (if you ever give me your cell phone number I will make a note of it for future use), and we decided to hook the van back up and tow it home. Argh. We just moved a little slower, the bus stayed cool and everyone was together for the rest for the uneventful ride home… Up the canyon, around the curves, in front of the line of traffic- you know- big RV style of a mountain ascent.

If you’ve ever been to Estes Park, you know that final descent into town, after climbing for 25 minutes through the foothills. It is the apex of the highway at Pole Hill when you catch a glimpse of the Continental Divide surrounding a quaint little town situated at the side of a clear mountain reservoir that you get that feeling of ‘being there’. For our family fortunate enough to call this place home, it’s also the transition to a safe community that our kids can take off for a few hours to play outside, or walk to their friends house, or just take advantage of Mother Nature by being there. In the 18,000+ miles we’ve put on since we lived here last (Aug 2010), we never found a place that was more attractive than what lay before us, in the Estes Valley. We couldn’t see our friends faces yet, but we could feel the warmth and welcome within the first few minutes of arriving. In the few miles between this point and our home, we’d wave to a half dozen familiar faces amid the chaos of holiday traffic in this tourist mecca. Within another hour we’d be taking up another family on their offer to stop by and watch the fireworks show. We were shifting gears before the wheels on the bus even stopped, and it felt pretty good to be home…. kind of.

They were out the door before the rubber stopped rolling... Unhook the bus and back her in the driveway and then- unload. Yuck. But glad to see the house standing, and the yard for the most part intact. (thank you elk and deer for your hard work on our yard while we were gone)

Joplin, Missouri: Part 3

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:20:33 +0100

Settled in at the Shoal Creek Campground in Joplin among all those white campers! Driving by on the interstate, Bussie stands out in the center as the only non-white RV. Think about it- most RV are white, weird. Most of our neighbors were there on business relating to the tornado clean up. Big trucks and trailers, insurance signs, food service rigs etc. Everyone up and out early then back to bed at a reasonable hour.

Our final day in Joplin was determined abruptly. Leaving the JFWC after another full day of work on Saturday, we expected to return Tuesday. The church staff would take off their normal day of rest on Sunday, and a well deserved down day for the Fourth of July. Saturday had been a good work day, with a steady stream of shoppers pulling from the stockpiles to outfit their new lives, and a constant flow of goods coming in from the parking lot. I was so sure that we’d be back on Tuesday, I left a note to myself with a list of things that were priorities to keep my section organized.

The toiletries department being sorted by 3 of our own, and a Lundy. It was good to be working with brothers and sisters, and friends that kept things fresh and kept us motivated.

The JFWC was separated into several areas that seemed typical of most distribution centers: receiving was outside: incoming trucks would arrive, many times escorted by their churches pastor or staff that had organized the supply collection effort. Those trucks would be emptied by the redirected swarm of volunteers sometimes 20 strong to slide the boxes across the trailer floor to waiting hands, then be stacked outside in some order that made sense to the group leaders. Once unloaded, the visiting donors would usually tour the work areas and grab a cold drink out of the iced horse trough then load back up, home bound. Their work had started days or weeks before as they rallied their communities for donations- and climaxed with this delivery.

Being on the receiving end of the donations was – interesting. Amid pallets of brand new medical supplies, food stocks, used clothing & everything else were piles of junk. After setting the unsorted donations in families of like goods, volunteers would inspect the household items individually because so much of it was unusable and had to be moved to the discard trailer- which would be hauled off for further salvage and would result in a small price paid per pound, but seemed to me to be a waste of volunteers time. Picture this: volunteers traveling from all points of the country to stand in 96 degree heat (usually not shaded) sorting discarded clothing that was not suitable for use (missing buttons, tears, stains etc etc). That could have been avoided at the point of donation when you and I consider a little more carefully what we give next time there’s a disaster and need by our United States neighbors.

My eyes were opened by the amount of times donations were handled- and junk just slowed down the whole process. Once in the yard, good items were sorted into tents or under tarp cover for use inside as they could be rotated in according to their arrival date and expiration date if perishable. Once inside donations had to be individually counted and added to inventory (for tax accounting, they said). Once counted in, multi packs were broken down into single items to ease the goal of distributing enough goods for a week’s use. Ready for distribution, food items were organized into departments much like a grocery store and set out for picking by a set of volunteers that would handle supply requests by filling orders from a sheet that the ‘customer’ had completed outlining their family size and specific needs. Early in the process, the church staff learned the hard way that allowing people to come and take what they need was chaotic at best. In addition to not being familiar with where things were at, customers would browse for extended periods of time finding the name brands and leaving the store brands- and when they did find a good item, they would take all of them. So, the pickers were created, and very effectively minimized the time that customers had to wait, while filling their requests with abundant supplies of food. Even the smallest families left with 6-8 bags of groceries, and larger families filled two Sam’s Club sized shopping carts. The younger kids stepped in at this stage and loaded vehicles with groceries.

While their grocery order was being picked, customers could come to the other side of the sanctuary and browse clothing (that had been sorted 3-4 times before being set out), and toiletries, and baby supplies. I’ll admit it, for a few days I was put in charge of keeping that side running. Make your jokes now- maybe about a man being in charge of ‘feminine hygiene products’, or managing the lotion bin, or folding underwear- I’ve heard ‘em all! IN FACT, keeping the deodorant in full supply, and creating some organization in the clothing section, and protecting valuable infant supplies against hoarding was Work. It was also a rewarding challenge for my pervasive underlying desire to work, it was an opportunity to work alongside every child in our family- as long as they could stand it, and it was inside. We gave our time outside for work efforts anytime there was a call for more hands, and our first day and a half were in blistering conditions- but the outside work for an extended period was asking for trouble. Remember our objective coming into this was to work in a place that our whole family could serve alongside each other, and we found it inside this church sanctuary.

The whole week we’d been up early and working hard, so the morning started slowly and the talk turned to going home, since it was fairly well known among the ranks that our next stop was in our own driveway. It was getting harder for the kids to hide their enthusiasm about being home. In our minds (we, the parents) we were going to take two days off and hit the ground running at the JFWC on Tuesday, and depart next weekend for home. Sunday held the promise of a birthday party, swimming in the creek with our RV friends and Monday promised some great local fireworks and music.

It's not always hard work for Simon and Carson- seeing how far they could roll in a basket between tough job assignments.

Anya found a spot she liked helping- in the kitchen! Meals were served for volunteers and staff, as well as any community members that were hungry.

Family meeting convened, departure discussed, informal vote results in a majority to head for home. Facts we considered: I had just paid for 2 more nights, our work here was beneficial, hard work = personal satisfaction, we already had a birthday gift for Carson, and I had a list on the table in the soap section at JFWC of things to do on Tuesday. Kelly and I talked about it, and decided that it would be in our family’s best interest to stay. We kept talking, and in one of our better parenting moves, decided to hand the final decision over to the kids. They had all of the information, they had a clear understanding of our wishes to stay- but they also had on their side that they had been going along with our decisions for months. They had been (pretty) good sports about where and when and why we did things on this trip. They had some, but generally little control over final decisions that affected the whole group.

(Sitting directly under the powerful AC duct) Brian, Polly and Carson Godwin then Meila and Matt Lundy are part of the crowd opening Carson birthday present in a makeshift get together.

On their own they checked to see if a refund was possible, they considered that we would see the Godwin family and be able to give Carson a birthday gift, they reluctantly gave up the opportunity to dip their hot bodies back into Shoal Creek and they opted to make the move home, NOW, in time for fireworks in our own community. “Could I make the drive?” they asked more than once (it was about 14 hours driving). Confidently I replied Yes, secured the drawer latches and reset the GPS by pressing ‘Home”. I had pressed this button before- just to see how far we were from home several times during the last year…

We said our goodbyes to the Lundys and Godwins and started for home. They headed for the creek…

Good bye to the Godwins, just minutes before starting the motor and hooking up the van for the big push home.

It always feels good to get behind the wheel with a lot of miles ahead, with the challenge to reduce the estimated time of arrival on the face of TomTom the GPS. In a matter of 90 minutes it wouldn’t be sweltering heat any more, and I’d be asking Kelly to bring the weather radio to the front of the bus so we could tune in for our trip through the heart of Tornado Alley, across Kansas as the evening settled in with a fiery sunset..

Heading Northwest through Kansas. Take note: full clouds, sheets rain moving toward our path, rain drops starting what will be a very wet drive tonight.

For the record, I didn’t really fold any underwear. We only handled brand new underwear in the package in my department.

Joplin, Missouri: Part 2

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 03:03:08 +0100

The water pile was BIG, and daunting when they said "Can you cover this with tarps?", in 90+ degree weather.

Day 2

There has been so much written about this catastrophe, I won’t even try to impress you with how destructive the tornado was. You won’t get it anyways, no matter what you read or which video you watch- unless you come and stand in front of the neighborhood.

Coordinating the incoming donations, then warehousing, and dissemination those donations after a natural disaster must be a chore. Add in that there are dozens of churches and organizations doing it, as well as some private businesses (one appliance store has shifted their warehouse over to collecting and distributing donations for victims). Sprinkle in a little (or a lot of) Government, and how do you get anything done here? Looking through the wreckage, it seems that the human spirit is hard at work overcoming daunting odds, with remarkable progress being made daily. Americorps has been tasked as the official coordinating agency that welcomes volunteers, completes paperwork (liability releases and skill inventories) and assigns volunteers according to daily need reports from churches, city organizations, and the like. They also shuttle workers into the field for specific assignments.

Our first day, we thought it best to check in with Americorps, who assigned our “family of 9 with small children” to the Salvation Army kitchen. There, we met Mark, the stand in Kitchen manager for the day. We ended up reorganizing the pantry (which is the size of our dining room at home); washing dishes in a washer none of us had seen before (and we might like at home), cooked goolash, made 25# rice, served lunch, bandaged Laurens cut shin, then served the food that we had prepared to the staff, volunteers and public in their cafeteria.

...all of the canned goods came out of the pantry, were rotated, and went back in- among other supplies that are now (or were) organized.

That's even more chicken than we prepare for our family- going into several 6" pans to serve 100.

After lunch, we cleaned up and were back onto the hot pavement outside by 3pm. We toured the wreckage more that afternoon, and stopped for a few minutes overlooking the hospital to take a slow look across the valley. While parked, and I was reading the hospitals plan for rebuilding at another location, a man approached to tell us an interesting story about his intent to open a museum, showcasing the ‘tornado art’ that he’s found: a piano that when played sounds like a rushing tornado, a deformed piece of wreckage that now represents the force of the storm etc etc. We were parked next to empty, idling network news satellite truck, in our white van with dark windows- so he was surprised at the end of telling his story that we weren’t going to be doing a news story- then ambled to the network truck. He lost everything when the tornado struck.

Day 3

Americorps assigned us to the Joplin Family Worship Center, who were handling a large amount of donations coming in and then handing them out to survivors. Today is to be the last cool day before the heat wave hits- it’s already 86 degrees ay 9am and forecast to hit the mid 90’s today and tomorrow. Kelly and a couple of girls were assigned an inside job, helping fill food orders, and the other kids were to help load vehicles once the orders were filled. Ethan Trevor and I were sent outside to ‘take a look’ at a water stockpile that needed to be (re)covered. It was a large pile of water- maybe 50’ across and 300 feet long (think football field), stacked about 6’ high. It was strewn with a collection of small tarps that had blown off or been worn down by several weeks of searing sun, or just not covered at all. As if God had set them out, we were directed to a pile of donated used tarps that were thicker, had reinforced grommets with a reflective silver side and seemed to be custom sized for this pile. We relocated several pallets of water so that they would fit under the tarps, then began removing the old, and securing the new tarps, silver side up to create a shelter. Although Trevor was pulled off of the tarp job for a couple of hours to help build donation boxes, we all worked together into the afternoon to get this huge project done before moving inside for some cool air. With only 5 monster tarps, we were able to entirely conceal the water supply for this part of the project.

We got it done! (That's Trevor and Ethan on top stretching the tarp across the water pallets at the other end).

Having seen the debris field, talking with folks that had been laboring in the devastated homes, and being informed by the agencies that children would not be allowed to go into the ‘field’ to work, we opted to try and stay together to serve this relief effort. That decision would keep us here, in the Joplin Family Worship Center through the end of the week, which helped us see what happens between the time that you make a donation, and a person in need takes that donation into their appreciative arms. TV news is very good at broadcasting the drama of the scene, but unfortunately overlooks the scores of people (about 50,000 so far when we were there) that have decide to give of their time at their own expense to try to make a dent in this recovery.

Kelly and Lauren worked together loading food into carts to fill food orders, while Ethan and the boys loaded the goods into vehicles outside. The food area had almost everything you'd find in a grocery store, and provided a base of supplies to re-establish households in the area.

PILES of goods stacked everywhere in the church sanctuary, with this yellow box coming from a group far away from the tornado's damage...

It was personalized with a simple note of encouragement- like so many of the other supplies had been laced with spiritual tracts, or handwritten thoughts, or handmade cards from children in Sunday School. The messages were encouraging to the volunteers that were on their feet for many hours a day doing backbreaking work- and the notes made it into the field where they could be read by those hardest hit by the tragedy.

Sometimes Simon and Henry were helpful by helping, and sometimes they were helpful by entertaining themselves. Good at both assignments!

We met The Godwins, another fulltime RV family that had already worked at JFWS for a week, who had a great story. They had been on the road for a year after selling their house and all their stuff. Then they settled into a new smaller home until they couldn’t stand it anymore, and hit the road again. This time, patriarch Brian thought they might make it for another 5 months and head back to the second home in their original community but continue to home school and operate their internet business… What was so remarkable- was that nearly every word that came out of Brians mouth could have come from mine. His, and their view on what was important about doing this with family, about his knack for the gadgets, the enthusiasm for a life on the move was eerily familiar. We enjoyed getting to know them while passing in the supply aisle at the church, lunch breaks and after work when we got together several nights and played in the creek at our campground with our other RV friends, the Lundy’s. These relationships make us think that we could continue on and develop a network of friends that we would reconnect with as we crossed the country, discovered new things to see and ways to save money and enjoy this life. If you go on the road, make an effort to connect with other likeminded families! We waited until later our trip to do this and I regret that delay.

During a lunch break at JFWS, Brian demonstrated how he assisted Polly with steering their Class A when she ended up in a tight construction zone when she was a new RV driver... They were both great sports with this story.

With 2 meals at the church each day, debilitating heat outside, and a cool refreshing creek, we could do this for a while! However, something is coming that will change our plans for our family in Joplin.

Meila is ready to go back into the cool water of Shoal Creek with her siblings and friends at the campground.

Joplin, Missouri: Part 1

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:38:24 +0100

Now a permanent windsock, this slice of corrugated metal shows the way the tornado traveled from West to East across the school campus.

Arrived in the afternoon and headed for the MSSU campus parking lot to find out what our game plan would be for the next day. With paperwork in hand, they told us to come back at 8am tomorrow. They said ” OK” to park the bus in their lot and boondock overnight. Too hot! We called around and quickly checked into Shoal Creek CG about 8 miles away. Ah... electric and AC all night.

Toured tornado wreckage after setting up the bus. Found the heart of the wreckage by putting St John's hospital into the GPS, having seen the story and images of this place being near ground zero of the destruction.

Looking at these photos after visiting the site isn't fair. Like this image of St John's Hospital, you won't appreciate that every window was missing- jagged around the edges. That every corridor had the wiring dropped down, and the ducts hanging on, and the roof see-through and nature's display of strength upon what once was the top of the hill. IF you haven't read the story about this hospital, do it now. Here's a link to the story.

Home Depot re-established their presence quickly in a tent, at this time of increased demand for building supplies. Wal Mart on the other hand will miss out on the early materialistic demand of this catastrophe since their store was leveled, and their sign says they wont be back until the fall of 2011.

Back view of the First Community Church appears to reveal a minor brush with the tornado, uprooting a few trees and leaving their masonry building alone...

..until you drive around the side and glance into the sanctuary and see the keys on the organ, perched just a few feet from the cliff that was once an altar.

The hardest hit neighborhood appeared to be mostly older construction, with lathe and plaster walls amid modern building methods, as well as many years of shingle layers and concepts in a disheartening display. A tour about techniques of construction could showcase decades of different styles, sliced neatly through the middle showing the finished product next to the layers that created the look- in house after house after house, surrounded by a foundation wiped clean, then a home untouched. This small home had a hand written message on the curb side: "I LOST MY MOM AT 2446 DOOLEY, NOW SHES IN HEAVEN WITH JESUS AND JOHNNY CASH. I LOVE YOU MOMMA"

Sucked up by Mother Natures vacuum and shifted 10 feet in its entirety, this home crumbled onto itself during the move, with the basement opened up for viewing like a Tupperware lid had been peeled back.

Driving around, through the center of the wreckage without much other traffic, we asked again: "what is it?". We're guessing this is another church, showing it's baptismal pool at the front of the sanctuary, now in plain view for the entire neighborhood.

This tornado was very picky, taking an entire business to it's foundation, slicing off one half of their neighbor, and leaving the ice cream stand intact, and the only business in this mall open for business. Wal Mart was just behind this row of businesses, and did not survive, it's common blue signs and grey walls now represented by a lone truck trailer and a promise to be back in business in a few months.

After an unreal, sobering tour we returned to try and make it an early night- but excited to get started, it was difficult to go to sleep. Continued looking at all of the Joplin assistance websites to decide which direction to go tomorrow. We had seen lots of churches that have tents outside and then read about them coordinating donations from their denomination members across the nation, then disseminating those donations. The main message that I take away from all of the reading is that it’s better to become part of the established system and go into it as a cog in the wheel already in motion, than to try and insert yourself where you (we) think it’s best. So we’re going to check in with the main coordinating agency: Americorps. One of our objectives is to work together as a family. I've heard that the last 20 years I’ve been leaving the family to volunteer (with the fire department) and this is our chance to take on a challenge together- so we may not make it into the ‘field’. The field is the vague description for where the houses are destroyed, debris is laying evenly across several miles of flattened homes, and the risks are the greatest to volunteers. No one under 15 is permitted in those areas, so we’ll stick together ‘behind the scenes’.

Vandalia, IL

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:09:07 +0100

Purchase a token across the street at the liquor store, and get ready for the show! (FYI: The first token is 2 for $1 if they are for kids).

We parked right downtown for the evening and overnight. A newly married bride and groom stopped by for pictures at the adjacent capitol building, and I enjoyed being on the fringe of the action- downtown street in s small town overnight. Remember the stoplight in the movie Cars when it flashed overnight? Just like that!

Made it in time to pick up our tokens for the dragon and light up the fire!

Found this town to be cute, quiet and stormy! A thunderstorm rolled in during the evening, and lit up the sky with constant (no kidding it was constant) lightning. SO much that we read up on what it meant to be in a farady cage (vehicle makes a good faraday cage) and how to survive a lightning strike in the bus. Closed the windows, unplugged the electrical components that night be sensitive to an electrical surge.

Strangely, there isn't a bolt of electricity in the sky for this picture- it was wild loud and close and a bit spooky.

Strolled around town before the storm hit and enjoyed peeking in 110 yer old windows, seeing the locations of several fires in town, and playing on the lawn of the old capitol.

This town makes a neat stop, almost old times in real life. Surely they will renovate it all (and ruin the charm) soon. Our vote : leave as is.

Visited the site of one of several fires that occurred over about 5 years in this community. Strange. This one was the Depot Restaurant- situated about 5 feet from the tracks of a freight train that sounded like thunder coming down the tracks- and moved FAST! We weren't expecting it to come in so hot and heavy, scared us right back from the fence.

Abe Lincoln crated quite a stir here when he was a representative and shook up local politics before becoming President.

Also the end of the Cumberland Road (National Road) that started in Cumberland MA, and ends here at the West end in Vandalia. Project ran out of money (at $7m) in the mid 1800's and stopped here.

On the road again- through St Louis and all her construction- whew!

Dayton, Ohio

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:52:25 +0100

Henry has ended up in some funny places sleeping. Tonight, he was under the dinner table. Had to circle him around that pole to get him to bed.

Dayton provided an entry point for the final leg of our 12 month journey. Kelly sister and her family live in Dayton, and it was 3.5 hours from her parents, so it made sense to us to stop there after our late afternoon departure.

I like pulling into a Wal Mart at midnight. Choice of spots, no cars to maneuver around and we can get into the lot with the van still hooked up without hitting anything. That allows me to arrive, separate the van, park both vehicles and hit the hay while everyone remains sleeping. Possibly add in a quick email check and bowl of ice cream- you get the idea. It’s also been interesting to see how I do predicting traffic for the next day- will there be cars buzzing our window at 6am? Employees blocking us in at 7? In the path of the street sweeper that comes to every parking lot we’ve been in around 3am (here, YES). Turns out this was a good spot, and we’ll stay here another night.

But first, our visit to Dayton. Amber (that’s Kellys sister) and her family agreed to have us over at 9am, and we made it nearly on time. Jason (Kellys sister Ambers husband) laughed that Amber gave him a hard time that they couldn’t get 4 people up and ready (they have 2 kids) before we made it there with 9. Then I laughed, because we haven’t been on time for much for our entire relationship- this was just a fluke.

We headed out to our favorite attraction: a free one- which turned out to be the biggest air museum anywhere- the United States Air Force Museum. I read somewhere “If it flew- we have it”, and no kidding! We added in an IMAX movie (best priced IMAX I’ve ever seen) to make this stop a great day.

This sweet little helicopter was produced to be portable, and weighed just 300 pounds- and could be reassembled in about 2-3 hours. It didn't make it out of experimental because it was so noisy (air jets at the rotor tips)

BOB HOPE was well recognized for his bountiful support of the troops during times of war. This ID card reveals his actual name - and you thought we wouldn't be teaching anything valuable on this blog.

Yet another slice of history, standing so close to the actual aircraft that ended WWII when it dropped the FAT MAN (atomic bomb) on Nagasaki, Japan.

The Air Force One that carried JFK during his presidency, and in his casket under the watchful eye of his wife. The same aircraft that Lyndon B Johnson was sworn into the Presidency. The same aircraft that held the eyes of the world was for a few minutes- all ours. If you go to the museum, be sure to sign up for the Presidential hangar tour: free, reservations required, and space limited.

Stopped back at their house for a couple of hours to chat and play, and departed again- having seen them for the past 3 weekends in some way (parents house visit, Kelly & girls went there for Sophia’s recital, and now this). We headed back to the bus to hang out and prepare for our trip to Joplin MO the next morning. It feels like there’s a lot to figure out before we go there, so this will be a good time to research before moving that way.

Speculating about UFO's may come to an end. I would suggest that if you watched this US fabricated craft over your house, you would 'call it in'. Our government creates and flies things like this one (the flat black unmanned craft over Ethans head)

Just like always, I had the chance to meet some nice local folks and chat in the parking lot for about 2 hours total this evening: James was a manager at the Staples store (in front of our parking spot) and shared his plans for his near future and we talked about what a trip like this might look like for him! He’s engaged, and it won’t be his decision alone soon. He was a nice guy. Ed, a 25+ year retired Dayton firefighter also stopped- and ended up sharing some travel exploits of his own that cracked me up about riding horses and traveling the country in hotels for several weeks on the cheap. He flashed me forward to the day when I’ll be telling these stories about ‘the year my family took a trip’, and how awesome it was. Hopefully with the same twinkle in my eye as Ed.

We moved on the next morning, after Jason and Amber dropped by the bus with the kids- like having company at OUR house!

Lauren's creativity creeps into our lives all the time. Here's a quick look for you, our surprise one morning- like the banana fairies stopped by.

Our objective driving today was a liquor store at the other side of Illinois- about 300 miles away. That is, a liquor store with a FIRE BREATHING DRAGON across the street.

Medina County, Ohio

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:43:01 +0100

If you look really close, you can spot the bus, tucked under the trees along the driveway at Grandpa and Grandmas house. The bus became a bunkhouse and was conveniently steps from the lake, kitchen and powerful hot showers.

The allure of a green grassy knoll framing in a lake teeming with life. Frogs belching out calls at all hours of the day and night from deep in their throats as the fish tease children- gliding back and forth under the glassy surface. The photo of our parking spot says it all in true color. The bus tucked into the trees along the gravel driveway tracks, mere feet from the shore of that lake, and steps from the Grandparents house. As we learned in Oregon when visiting my parents, having our home on wheels just outside of Kellys parents house in Ohio is a pretty sweet deal.

Imagine visiting relatives with the ability to retreat into your own home, with locking doors, TV service and fridge? Not to mention beds and an engine for a fast getaway if needed. Ha ha, we haven’t made any getaways yet, but if they decide to run us out, it will be easier than packing up a couple of weeks worth of suitcases for a plane ride home.

Ethan talked the little boys into swimming across the lake, and they flutter along, kicking and chatting the whole way. Not in a hurry and not afraid of the big fish just below their feet.

We finally had the opportunity to visit an unnamed relative that had some sweet treasures of their own stashed away and out of sight. This Avanti caught our eye. Pickers, we won't even give a hint as to where this plot of land lies- but it was fun to visit and poke around.

This picture doesn't do Meila justice. She is the hardest working girl of all time- telling me what to do and mad if she can't be in charge of the project at hand. We changed a car battery and...

..mowed a few acres of grass. Meila's at the controls of the super powerful Ferris 64" deck mower suitable for golf course work and booking in at $10k+. Grass is serious business in Ohio, and Grandpa is serious about his grass - so they have the nicest curb appeal on the block- and they mow a lot. Meila was tuned into a country western station on those protective ear muffs, and in full glory as she sliced through the green stuff.

Ethan finally wore Gramps down and they went to shoot the .22 rifle, revolver, and 9mm. Yup, that's a holster hangin' across that boys hip after a good session of shooting practice & gun safety.

As with any family trip, our stop here smacks of every other ‘vacation’ visit we have made. Rather than feeling like part of a year-long-roadtrip-educational-stop, it feels like vacation always has. Slow pace, family very close to (Kelly’s Mom, Dad, Grandmas, sister, brother, uncles, aunts, cousins and the house she grew up in are all within just 10 minutes of her parents house) where we’re staying.

That's the top of Henry's head, just before he sails across the water and lands with a brave ker-plop. Henry and Simon spent three times as much time in the water than anyone else, and laughed the whole time. It was the epitome of spending a summer at the lake.

You may recall our stop at the Cake Boss bakery in Hoboken NJ just before we departed for OH. This is what the inside of a Cake Boss cake looks like. It tasted even better than it looked. Happy birthday Simon and Sophia.

Corn hole is FUN! Ohio style yard games... I think we might add a Corn Hole game fabrication department to our sign shop when I get back to work in Colorado so we can have our own version, and share the fun with our friends and neighbors.

No visit to Ohio is complete without a trip to the fireworks store.

Henry is very happy this year watching, since discovering grandmas radio station earmuffs! The fireworks show was a thundering success.

Proof of a successul show, the wheelbarrow and the trash bag and.. don't forget the airbag detonation that started off the afternoons activities. Johnny Rebel added that bonus show to the lineup. What a day!

A symbol of the auction fun in this great state: $17 bicycle worth $80 in 2 days. Also for sale: 1940's desk telephone, 1920 adding machine, vintage postcards, pocket knives and ephemera. Colorado should be embarrassed by its auctions, Ohio is awesome for exciting sales every week.

Looking back at the last few days- ‘what’s that dear, it will be three weeks in a day?’- ahem, three weeks; it’s gone by quickly perhaps because we were so ready to downshift gears and this worked out very well. Now, having made the transition to family time and recollect the days of old when the end of the vacation marked the return to home life, I’ve been pushed pretty hard by seven budding politicians to head home and ‘get a summer in’ before the fall. The allure of friends that have been on hold, a summer job for Trevor (now that he has his eyes on cars) and the open space of a bedroom is alluring, and considering the good sports they have been, I can’t completely dismiss their case. After all, we are starting to see the summer crowd and weekenders invade our turf as we travel. You know, those families with kids that make the lines longer at attractions, that clog the weekend destinations and in general add to the congestion on the highways where we have enjoyed our freedom for the last 11 months?

Uncle Eli showed off a sanding project in a little machine.... then led us to the other warehouse that housed the 80 ton press (yes kids, that's like 3 Bussies stacked on top of each other). He owns a fabrication shop that can make about anything. We saw the birth of exhaust pipe repair clamps, battery hold downs, railroad tie splicing spikes, and hide cleaning knives to name a just a few. Seeing the work going on here made selling popcorn and sweeping up a movie theater lobby look like a pretty comfy job...

This HUGE snapping turtle didn't stay at the house long- Gramps was worried that he would consume all of the fish in the lake- so we returned him to the watery ditch that he came from, far away from this piece of Ohio. We just had him long enough to take a good look, but didn't give into suggestions that we donate him to some local friends for turtle soup. (He is safe and sound back in his original home). No children were injured in the making of this photograph.

Even though we've got at least a dozen safety fairs under our belts, we spent a little while poking around the Westfield Company Safety Fair, and saw the Medina County Sheriff's new SWAT vehicle. Those bars on the side are the second story ram that hooks onto the front. As tough and rugged as this penetrating bombproof armored car was, the deputy declined our offer to have the kids climb in and test the troop seats out (they had been climbing in and out of the other rescue vehicles on site). We think they were trying to keep the carpet clean, but said it was so 'no one got hurt'. A neat feature was the intercom from the driver to right outside the drivers bulletproof glass, probably so they could order a cold soda at Wendy's and have it passed through the gun port that you can see in the rear of the vehicle. Probably, that's how it works.

Planting flowers at Great Grandmas house with military precision. ..

.. then mulching in around our work. We all enjoyed a day of cleaning up, trimming, planting and visiting with Gr Grandma.

We set out with a goal of getting involved in communities as we rolled along, seeking out service opportunities and have not been very successful. Maybe in part because we always seem to be planning for what’s next, and have tunneled into making those plans, we haven’t reached far enough out to find service opportunities. Perhaps that’s why we have decided to tuck one more experience in before the wheels on Bussie stop rolling with 9 souls aboard. We’re headed for Joplin, MO to see what piece of the puzzle we can help fit back in. We’re hoping to find an assignment as a family, and are working some leads on just that, which will surely develop as we get closer. (if you have suggestions, email or call)

Simon landed this blue gill from the lake- just one of the many fish that we'd meet during our stay.

We timed it right, and were able to go to the Blue Tip Parade in Wadsworth with Kellys HS friend Wendy & her family (remember that we met up with them in Florida on spring break). We're driving into town in this pic, and passing the chairs and blankets and caution tape that has been staked out since Saturday (and today is Tuesday!). Parades are serious business in Ohio.

After Ken (Wendys husband) called my attention to my Roswell shirt, and the alien marching down the parade route, I had no choice but to call the alien over and take this opportunity. I would say that this picture sure makes me look fat, and that my shirt is untucked and billowing in the wind, but I'm secure in my fit-ness and won't call any more attention to it.

Who has ever heard of a parade that throws out ICE CREAM BARS to the audience? Right-o, only in Ohio at the Blue Tip Parade. 4 ice cream vans handing out- rather- THROWING ice cream bars into the sweaty appreciative crowd. I did get hit in the head with one, but took my revenge on a rapidly softening chocolate crumble bar.

Mini sharks? Windmills? No, vertebrae! Take note Drs Spencer, this would make a sweet entry in the rodeo parade...

At our first auction, we went for the pedal boats and came home with a phone, bike, and misc doo-dads. Ahhh the thrill of the auctioneer asking for YOUR number when you win the bid! I'm tempted to make a return trip with a trailer just to bring back some garage sale class for our Colorado neighbors.

Thanks, Ohio! For your auction treasures, warm family reception, Amish buggies in the roadway, fun & reliable friends, and for a time to let the momentum wind down a bit before engaging the next gear of our trip.

Many days end just like this... problem was that this time- it was the middle of the day after a busy morning, and the woke back up and played way past parents bedtime.

New York, New York

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 19:41:33 +0100

From the Hudson River shore in Hoboken, Manhattan was very nice looking. Just to the right of Lauren's head, Empire State building. She just sat and watched.

This is the stop that defined the East Coast for us, before we got there. I say ‘before we got there’, because if you asked us ‘where we were going next’ about the time we were in Florida, NYC was the first destination we named, followed by all the other stops. It was: the piece de resistance, the crown jewel, or (according to a certain 14 year old girl) the only reason we were on this trip at all.

The 2008 New Years Eve ball is on display at the Times Square Visitor Center. It was commissioned for the 100th anniversary of the annual ball drop, and features Waterford crystals, and over 9,500 LED lights, putting on a light show inside the ball that was very cutting edge and exciting. The ball 'drops' at the visitors center 3 times an hour to coincide with a video program about the history of Times Square. You can touch this ball, and take a very close look at the party symbol known around the globe.

New York City bucked the trend of things seeming smaller in real life than what we had built things up to be in our minds… This city is pretty impressive. Everywhere you turn, recognizable sights, the entire horizon looks familiar. It is possible (without having ever been here before) to point and name landmarks as we discovered them. We opted to drive into the Big Apple against the advice of those that had gone here before- and after circuiting the city through the Holland Tunnel, through lower Manhattan, around Central Park and from shore to shore of the Manhattan Island, we ended up parking just one block from Times Square, on the street next to the garage that was $8.40 per half hour- for $3 an hour! Oh yeah, we lucked into another good deal. If we thought we had a crick in our neck from gawking UP as we drove along the congested streets, we were in for a surprise. You can’t help but look UP where much of this city is located. Notta lotta space next door, but there’s quite a bit of sky here- which explains the height of the intricate skyline. Somebody famous once said “It’s like packin’ 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound can’… and New York is just like that.

HA ! We beat the odds against us finding a good parking spot. The key is circling an area you want to park in, and go on the weekend, and watch for people getting in their cars, and don't be afraid to block a lane until your space opens, no matter how much they honk- you'll never see those honkers again.

Lauren was being a good sport, and posed with 'Johnny' for this shot inside the 4 story Toys R Us superstore. #1 of 2 encounters with JD.

Lauren has had us on our toes for several months- she’s ready to be home among friends and more personal space. ‘On our toes’ translates to the relationship between most teenage girls and their parents around now (more on relationships coming soon). NYC has been the carrot leading her along this far, and she wanted to SEE it, so we did.

You could say Lo is a fan of this man.

We have laid our eyes on the World Trade Center site, Battery Park, Wall Street, the Empire State Building, Carlo’s Bakery, Central Park, Plaza Hotel, NBC studios at Rockefeller Plaza, Today Show set, American Girl, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, Men in Black 3 filming, NY/NJ Subway (PATH), Holland Tunnel, Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island, Ghostbusters Headquarters (FDNY Hook & Ladder 8), Intrepid Carrier, Greenwich Village, even the Toys R Us indoor ferris wheel etc etc etc. Thanks Kym for the lead on Juniors Restaurant & Bakery (New York cheesecake anyone?)There’s a lot to take in, and we decided to focus on some big things and keep it manageable.

He looks happy, but we were suffering slightly as the girls got trapped inside the 4 story clothes store. I can't even remember the name, but it was 4 stories, underground I was advised. We might have watched every person in New York walk by that day as the girls navigated the sales for approximately 6 hours.

Lauren came out of her shell, speaking and smiling at the sights and sounds and feel of this place. She decided that Hoboken might be close enough to the action when she has the chance to step out on her own and pick a place to live. Trevor on the other hand, stayed at the bus a couple of days that we ventured into the city, not very excited about the crowds and noise and bustle.

These taxis are not part of the 13,000 that travel the city streets each day. 13,000 !

D.C. gave us the practice we needed to handle this city with ease- in traffic, horn honking and with the sense of keeping things moving forward. If you pause, you risk getting run over by the guy behind you, who is also trying to keep pace with the crowd… and those cab drivers! The KEY to driving is confidence. Hesitate once, and everyone around and behind you knows that you’re the weak link. Whether that’s when the 8 lanes at the Holland Tunnel condense into TWO after the toll booth, or the millisecond after the light turns green at Park and 33^rd Ave and you haven’t gotten on the gas yet- the others are watching you and looking for a way to shave a second off of their drive time and are happy to take your place in the pecking order of drivers - in that block of traffic at that second in time. If you mess it up, don’t sweat it- it will be all new traffic around you in less than 2 blocks, and you’ll get braver. For all of the near misses and close calls and honking horns I didn’t see any crashes or even fender benders in the city. New York Confidence.

One wrong turn for us and >BAM< there's another famous location. This city was like that, fame and recognition at every turn for it's famous landmarks. Speaking of recognition, a guy selling CD's on the street stopped me and asked if I was a movie star. I too would think this is a come on line, except that it has happened about a half dozen times this year in different places out of the blue. If Kelly can suppress her laugh, she just shakes her head when someone asks me if I'm somebody. The only reason I mention it here is so I can remember how funny it was- in 20 years when I look back at this journal. It's been good for a few laughs at my expense within the family.

We didn’t run into much big city attitude, and the variety in classes of people was tremendous. DC struck us as 3 classes: self important/preppy, tourists, or homeless. In NY, there seems to be a blend of all classes into one group of people. Whether they were affluent, poor, homeless, tourists, foreigners (by the sound of the languages on the street), local shoppers, elderly city dwellers, school kids (in uniforms) , they blended on the street. OF great interest were the folks that were exercising their freedom of self expression. There’s always someone with something to say, and a lot of them had come here. If you’re a people watcher, this is the place you’ve been looking for. Pick a unique trait about someone’s appearance and start scanning the crowd- they should be along soon: hair: (dark, light, red or blue), height (adults a short as Simon or 18” taller than Trevor), weight, choice of (what style or how much to wear) clothing, makeup (none or by the pound). Personality and character was also on display, but never offensive- at least in the mainstream places we visited.

Late night job, Men In Black 3 was filming, so we dropped in to take a look. Thanks to the link at onlocationvacations.com that lists daily filming activity by city.

The film car kept going back and forth along with the 50/60's era cars as they filmed a shot traveling down the street. We took a bunch of video that will be fun to compare to the film when it's released. LOTS of opportunity for background actors and crew in this city.

We saw 5 cops vs one man in Times Square that had been selling ‘something’ along with his ‘FREE HUGS’ sign, saw an attempted pickpocket go down, watched how quickly cars get towed (by the city tow trucks) when they violate the parking law and witnessed 2 blocks of 2 ½” hose stream off the back of a fire truck running to a call (nothing has ever fallen off the back of a fire truck I was driving (!), so we won’t say which side of the river that was on)… Although we didn’t see it all, we experienced New York, and enjoyed it very much. We stayed busy every day, and are looking forward to our next stop being at Kelly’s parents where we can slow it down a little bit and iron out the details of how this social experiment is going to end…

Oh! We had a chance to take this great shot with our friend Morgan Freeman, a great actor.

Jersey City, NJ

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:56:37 +0100

Our first official stop- without even stepping into New York. Get to the Statue of Liberty from Jersey City, on Statue Cruises- it's $13 for the ferry and 2 stops on the islands. Less people than from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan- plus, you get to see the train depot.

You’ll know when you get to New Jersey, even if your eyes are closed. DANG! Do they spend any money on road maintenance? It was like reading Braille through the seat of my pants as we rolled, or shall I say- catapulted- from bump to bump along the NJ Turnpike. We had selected an RV park that had a reputation for the best location to access New York City: minutes by subway, or only 4.5 miles by car via the Holland Tunnel to the epicenter of the Big Apple. Right they were on reputation #1: Location. WRONG they were on reputation #2: Bad Service. We rolled into the Liberty Harbor RV Park after taking a little turnpike detour (that cost me an extra $1.10 x 3 times to cover missing an exit when we arrived) and stopped at the park office. BIG security guard guided us to park, then enter the office where we met Peter, the owners son. He was nice, real nice in fact. As busy as he looked, he offered us as much time as we needed- even walked us to the spot he wanted us in and made sure we would fit so as to avoid the extra $20/night charge for a car if it wouldn’t fit in the space. We appreciated his attention and that the reviewers on RV Park Reviews were not completely right this time.

Although we would be paying $64 a night here, and the hookups were only for electric and water at the site- with sewer dump across the park at a centralized dump station- we could see the Statue of Liberty from our spot (if we leaned way over and peeked out of the top of the rear lounge window on the drivers side). We were close! Across the Hudson River, Lower Manhattan spanned the horizon with familiar sights, even though we’d never personally seen this view with our own eyes, in person. It was, again, a sight that we’ve been looking at for years, and it was again, smaller in real life than I’d imagined.

This is the first approved photograph of Lauren in several months. She was very excited to be here- and she let me take many photos of her, in New York City.

We met a chatty, friendly couple next to us that were kind to offer tips on the city, getting around and at one point, ripped out the downtown section of their AAA guidebook for us to have when we set out to explore on our own. You meet the nicest people. We would end up chatting with Cliff and Talulah almost each evening as we or they returned from the city to share what we’d seen, or ask questions we had. You see, Cliff grew up here and had a good perspective on everything we wondered about.

Our first day, we decided to tackle one of our biggest objectives for this city: Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We knew that we couldn’t get onto the crown (booked out 3.5 months), and a pedestal pass would be hard (group of 9 couldn’t get in for over a week), but we did purchase passes for the grounds of the SoL, and Ellis Island. Our ferry left at 12 noon, and deposited us at the immigrants first stop, first. This island had been many things over the years, and is now a great symbol of the right way to come into America. A great train depot laid behind the island, that would distribute these new folks across the countryside as they made their way to find a piece of America to call home, or join their families. Standing in the center of the reception hall, where thousands of immigrants had passed, where hundreds of soldiers had slept, was humbling. Again, an opportunity to realize how small we are individually, but how grand the country is together. Although, personally, ‘the country’ seems to be diluted in recent years by the attitude of our leaders to accommodate new arrivals, no matter how they come inside. To meet their needs and fall over ourselves to make sure we don’t offend anyone, at the great expense of our own countrymen… I digress, but truthfully share concern.

The time of this island in it’s heyday, was also a time that the United States showed great leadership to the world in engineering, industry and goodwill. A time that the country was rightfully proud and foreigners felt privilege to become a citizen. Things feel different today, and seeing the foundation that we started with makes that even clearer. (end of soapbox) After Ellis Island, we landed at Lady Liberty's feet and spent 2 hours investigating the best angle, taking a ranger tour, and reflecting what it all meant!

At the end of a hot day of constant walking, we had earned a night out, and cold beer was on sale. You can see why Kelly looks happier.

Lauren has been eager throughout this trip to get to New York- a BIG city. City of lights, action, stores, people, hustle and bustle. She admitted however, that the view of Manhattan might be better from the Hoboken shore, than from inside of NYC herself. We spent some time along the Jersey shores investigating the Colgate Clock, and the location of the Cake Boss bake shop: Carlo's. We peeked inside (and talked our way into a private tour) of a majestic old movie theater- the Loews Jersey Theater, at subway rail yards, and built forts along the edge of the Hudson River until the sun dropped behind the city to our West facing backs- and let the NYC lights shine upon our faces, dripping with awe!

Walking along the street of Jersey City, we stumbled across this magnificent theater- and pulled on the door to find it OPEN! Once inside, we were treated to a personal tour of the theater, which was now run by a non profit that was preserving it from the wrecking ball. Seating almost 3,000- it boasted a live stage, monster movie screen, and juicy history. Check out the Loews Jersey Theater when you're in the area. They still do occasional theatrical events. If I lived inthe region, I'd be volunteering here, just to get a closer look inside.

At the front of the theater, adjacent to the orchestra pit, this pipe organ was on a pedestal that could raise and revolve so the audience could watch the musician in charge of this historic (and fully functioning) machine work their magic.

The Empire State Building in 3 shades of illumination, the Chrysler building shimmering with art deco style, the grand ships and aircraft carrier, the constant flow of boat traffic, the noise of the city rushing from across the water - the feeling of being somewhere important. Important I say, but you couldn’t see a single star. The grass was intentionally planted, the animal habitats among discarded cinderblock and scrap wood, the smells from something that people created and not Mother Earth. So it’s different than home, but it was exciting to be standing at the front door of the most spectacular view of a city ever seen by these eyes.

Buon Appetito served up a 28" monster pizza- that we finished in no time. Walking distance from the RV park.

At that shore, the little kids scurried around stacking wood against a center beam of wood supported by 2 large boulders, creating a fort. Occasionally they would pause, look across the water and soak it in, then get back to construction. Lauren on the other hand, sat in one spot and stared. I don’t think she ever dropped her jaw or drooled, but she didn’t take her eyes off of the view for long if at all.

Early in the day we poked around this classic old 50' tall wooden clock. It sits on the site of the former Colgate world headquarters. Now, it looks sadly across the Hudson at the bustling city of New York, having seen all it tragedy and rich stories from a rocky shoreline littered with bricks discarded from the old days of US industry.

This was from the recon trip of the Cake Boss's bakery- where we would order a custom birthday cake for a celebration the next week in Ohio. LINES on the sidewalk are the name of the game here. Kelly will be going inside, and tell you how to beat the line!

Over the next few days, we would venture inside the belly of this great city by van and subway. We would make several trips during the day, and in the middle of the night. The lights were always on, the locals were always out- and we experienced some first hand stories of near misses and triumphs that we’ll share next time.