Friday, July 28, 2017

Home again, home again

All parties must come to an end.  And when this party ended, we had to climb back into the car for hours more of driving.  (I may or may not have wished several times along the way that flying could be an option.)  But there were a couple great advantages about heading home: 1) We were now facing the sunset in the evenings!  Because our house is surrounded by mountains, we rarely get to see the magnificent colors and textures that each sunset casts across the sky.  Each time I see these one-of-a-kind thrills, I am again amazed at the incredible end to another day that is a gift. 2) It's home.  That's hard to beat.  It's always good to get back.  

On the following morning, these clouds gave the sky some personality across those flat plains.
On our way home, we decided to make time for a couple special stops.  These stops were places we'd been to before on previous family road trips, but it is always just as good the second time.
Mount Rushmore was a monument I really wanted to see again, but I didn't think we'd be able to fit it in on this trip because of time constraints.  Someone told me that the faces hadn't changed since I'd seen it the first time 4 years ago, but I couldn't forget that awe I felt the first time I saw Mount Rushmore for myself.  This is one monument (of many) that a postcard just can't satisfy.  As we drove toward Mount Rushmore and saw the faces with such detail and precision still at a distance away, I was again overcome with wonder at this accomplishment.  There's just no short-cut to seeing this in person, and it doesn't get old after the first time!  (Yes, I would even go back a 3rd time.)



Can you imagine carving a rocky cliff into faces that actually look like real people?!


The rays of sun coming down through the clouds couldn't quite be captured in full radiance through a windshield, but here's a valiant effort.
Our final sunset before reaching home was not a bit disappointing.  



On our final day of travel, we made one last spontaneous stop at Snoqualmie Falls.  I had never been there before (at least not to my memory), and it was well-worth the extra time.  The continuous mass of rushing water always reminds me again of the greatness of our God.
Oh, and did I mention in the previous blog that leaving Wisconsin was not complete goodbyes?  After spending time with Johannah again over the wedding weekend, we decided to abduct her back to Washington to spend a few weeks with us.  She makes me pretty good coffee.  What can I say?  :)

Monday, July 24, 2017

Let's get to Wisconsin

Sunsets, clouds, wild ideas, and friends that become family.  These are a few things of which I can never get enough...

It was a very Small thing to suggest driving to Wisconsin for an "extra sister's" wedding earlier this month.   So on a hot Tuesday evening, Tirzah and I loaded up everything we might possibly need in the next week and drove off for Wisconsin.  At that point I think neither the tiredness of the previous few days nor the excitement of the coming weekend had really quite set in.  There were still miles and hours of driving ahead before we could reach our anticipated destination, so maybe the feelings were better described as a subtle dread of all the car time that was ahead.  

As the passenger for once, I got to sit back and enjoy the landscape, sunrises, and sunsets without distraction.  As we drove through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and then finally Wisconsin, memories of old family road trips came rushing back.  Before the time of this blog, my dad took us on a few cross-country drives; I remember always thinking that those mid-west states were ugly and boring.  But this time I saw something different.  Certainly something different from the sights in my western Washington.  Yet still a beautiful part of God's creativity.
As we passed through different towns, landmarks, and "tourist traps," there were many instances when Tirzah and I would think "hey, remember when we drove through that one year and Dad decided to just stop here?"  And I became again grateful for our dad who never hesitated to take unexpected stops at a place that looked interesting.  
Unfortunately, we were attempting to get to Wisconsin as quickly as possible, so we had to use only our memories to re-live these old adventures.  But I did take many, many pictures out the dirty car windows as we plowed ahead. 

On our way east, I was pretty disappointed to have the sunset behind us each night.  I'm pretty sure that every time I see a sunset, I think it is more intensely amazing than the last.
Somehow these wind turbines are pretty photogenic.
Our first sunrise in the car came early but lovely.
I think this was the best sign I saw in the whole drive.
One of the best things about lengthy car trips is the snacks.  While we usually don't justify buying tasty treats, we do get caught in the trap when we're preparing for a road trip.  It had been ages since I'd gotten banana chips, and they are literally so amazing.  Why are these so rare in my life?!






Aside from the numerous truckers, we were often the only ones on those lonely, straight roads.



I think I'm going to go here instead....  XD




Another sunset sneaked in from behind, casting the most brilliant colors yet again.  
The next morning's sunrise was exciting.  It was our last sunrise spent in the car before we got to see our friends!
When it grew cloudy after the sunrise, I couldn't have sighed more contentedly.

These dark clouds only brought a few lousy drops of rain.


Finally we found the signs we had been watching for!  Crossing into Wisconsin and having only 7 hours more of driving was pretty exciting.


A couple days after we arrived, the long awaited wedding day came.  Even as I watched this dear friend walk down the aisle in her radiant amazingness, I could hardly believe we were actually there to celebrate with her.  I am so grateful that God made this "crazy" trip possible so that we could be there for someone so special to us!

Did I mention Johannah?!  Well, she didn't get married, but seeing her there was a special bonus to the package!!  Connecting with these friends after a year (or more) felt so good.

With the wedding behind us, there was only one thing left to do: say goodbye and get back home.  We got to see Ema one last time as a MRS. before we headed back west.  Saying all the goodbyes and piling back into the car for some more long driving days wasn't easy, which only shows how blessed I am with these friends.  But it wasn't quite time to say goodbye to everyone....