Souvenirs

Souvenirs from Glacier National Park If I could magically give you a gift today via the internet it would be this, To sit you down on this bench in the Trail of the Cedars, And to fill all your senses with Glacier National Park. You would feel the mountain sun touch your face as it trickles through the trees. The rushing rapids would drown out any other sounds, in the air or in your heart. You would see with your own eyes trees, mountains, rivers, lakes, snow and spring in the same hour. And most importantly, you would fill your … Continue reading

glacier national park

Thursday, May 29, 2008 Apgar Village, Montana Glacier National Park I have tears in my eyes because they can hardly behold the beauty of this place! How could it possibly be that I have drunk in so much wonder today. Should you ever decide to come here, it is a long road up here to Glacier National Park, but the rewards are rich and plentiful for the trouble you take to get here. After our wonderful lunch yesterday, we drove through Yellowstone National Park, making stops at various visitor centers and famous sites, but the kids were so tired from … Continue reading

aren’t they grand?

posting from kalispell today. here’s what i wrote yesterday. Wednesday, May 28, 2008 Driving from Grand Teton National Park Ok, let’s just say I could definitely live here. What I mean is that I really hope to come back. Many times. If you don’t have your vacation planned for this summer, I am telling you this is it. If you come here and camp, call and reserve site #13 at Signal Mountain Campground in Grand Teton National Park. On your way here, stop in Jackson and get an almond raspberry scone and a perfect cup of coffee at the Jackson … Continue reading

on the road again

posting quickly..tai’s patience is almost gone after driving around this po-dunk town cruising for wifi… Tuesday afternoon, May 27, 2008 Grand Teton National Park at Signal Mountain Campground writing in the pop up, aka the Chino Summer Home For a long time, Taido has wanted to visit the Grand Tetons. When you look at a road map, Yellowstone is the large green square in Wyoming and then south of it is a smaller little national park that is the Grand Tetons, so I wasn’t sure why we wouldn’t just drive on up to the bigger, more famous national park. But … Continue reading

first travel ramblings

ok…internet access and cell phone service has been scarce, as in not at all, so i am posting quickly everything i have written in parking lots and in the shotgun seat of the BMV while we are at a nasty taco place in rawlins, wyoming, which happens to have free wi-fi. hopefully i will become better at this (as in more coherent and succinct) as we go, but for the sake of time, here’s my first update of the chino house on the road. Saturday May 24, 2008 REI Parking Lot Denver, CO Our last week at home was crazy … Continue reading

before i leave

in exactly 48 hours, we’ll be out on the open road. at least i think so, even if it does not seem possible that by that time i will have finished all those things i am meaning to do before i leave. i will have packed up all the semi-organized piles that are currently scattered about the house. i will have chosen which books are going and which books are staying behind, as well as which kitchen treasures are truly necessary in life and are making the cut. i will have attended one of my favorite events of the year … Continue reading

countdown to canada

we leave in exactly 10 days on our summer adventure. the newest development in our road trip is that a couple in our church is being crazy generous to us by letting us borrow their very nice pop up camper for the summer. we set it up for a test run in our kids’ school parking lot last night and friends, it is NICE. we are getting super excited as the days narrow between our normal life and our alternative one. a friend sent me this great link today that made me smile about the stories our kids will tell … Continue reading

cobb salad

This is a reminder to go to your local farmers’ market tomorrow.  We now have markets north and south of the river, which makes for a full and glorious Saturday morning of marketing.  I brought home four different kinds of lettuce and greens last saturday, giving simple salads at our house new complexity and depth all week long.  One day I would love to grow my own lettuces, but for now, thank goodness for sorrell, arugula, spinach and watercress at the farmers’ market! Cobb Salad 3/4 pound thick-sliced bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder 1 teaspoon … Continue reading

God digs camping.

this quote near the end of the book may be the greatest encouragement i receive from reading irresistible revolution, since it speaks to where i am right now. we leave in 23 days for our summer adventure and there are a whole lot of details that we are continuing to just leave to God. at the moment, we will be pulling out in a big mongo van loaded with our camping gear, which means tents instead of an RV, which has the children whining and taido and i shaking our heads and saying (as much to ourselves as to our … Continue reading