We did it! We traveled for 6 months and made it across the whole Southern United States from Florida to California. I’m getting excited to sit back and reflect on the trip as a whole, but before that…One More Stop. The beautiful, yet often overlooked state of South Dakota.
We stayed in Rapid City for two nights at the Fairmount Inn (thanks to John and Julie Goos for sharing their hotel points 😊). The girls loved the water park attached to the hotel. We also enjoyed a couple visits with Mark’s aunt and uncle, Kent and Deb. They took us out to their favorite pizza place and also to their house for some lefse and more visiting.
We visited Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park. We saw deer, buffalo, donkeys, and prairie dogs on our drive through the wildlife loop. We would have driven more of the scenic drives if it had been the beginning of the trip, but we were just too tired of driving.
When it got dark, we drove out on a gravel road away from the city lights to look at stars. The Northern Lights were spectacular. A lot of other cars were parked along the same road looking at the lights. The beautiful night came to a sudden end when Ivy had to pee on the side of the road and we simultaneously somehow set off our car alarm. Worried that we were “making a scene” we headed back to the hotel.
Our last stop in South Dakota was in Sioux Falls. We stayed at another hotel and met up at the Olive Garden with Ben and Ona Duebner and their son. We were incredibly honored that they would drive 2 HOURS to see us!! It made our whole week
After leaving Boulder, we backtracked to Colorado Springs. On our first trip through the springs, Mark posted something on Instagram about where we were, and a Jr. High classmate from Dassel-Cokato messaged and said:
“You are in my town. Let’s get together!” This classmate offered their house as a place to stay when we came back through the Springs the next weekend. We were able to cancel our airbnb reservation and stay with Chad and Heather instead. This trip has been a series of surprises and blessings. This stay was one of them. The Behnkens were great hosts. We were able to relax for 4 nights in their beautiful home. They win the award for best view from the kitchen window and the best backyard, with a trampoline and zip-line.
While in the Springs, Malia went to a tennis class, we visited our friends the Housari’s again, and we attended New Life Church where 150 people got baptized on a Sunday!
At this point in the trip, we are all counting down the number of times we have left to pack and unpack our suitcases. Our next and last stop in Colorado was Greeley, home of Mark’s Bible School classmates, Scott and Rochelle. The Mundfroms were amazing hosts. They rolled out the red carpet for us, taking us out to dinner several times in four nights we were there. Their two oldest daughters are also in college like ours, so we took their empty bedrooms in the basement. Rochelle is a music teacher and has a piano, so it was fun to sit and play a bit. Boy, is my playing rusty after 6 months with no piano! The giant dog, Bogey, kept us company while Scott and Rochelle were at work. The girls took turns filling his bowl with his snack of choice – ice cubes.
Greeley is really close to Loveland, CO where my first childhood piano teacher lives. Her daughter, Becki,met us for an afternoon. She took us to see her mom and dad at the retirement home, and then out to dinner. It was great to see them and reminisce about our childhood days growing up in Marshall, MN.
Our “Friday field trip” this week was to Estes Park. Mark took the girls and I back to the YMCA camp where he spent lots of summers going to AFLBS youth conventions in the 90’s. We walked downtown Estes Park and did all the touristy things like buying taffy and ice cream and touring the Stanley Hotel.
I love visiting old, historic buildings. Walking into the Stanley felt like stepping back in time. There were old postcards displayed, written by guests at the hotel, dating back to the early 1900’s. Reading these postcards reminded me that traveling the country is not a new idea. We have it easy now with modern roads, a great new vehicle, and cell phones to tell us where to go, when to stop, and what to eat. Back when this postcard was written, they couldn’t text their mother in-law the address of where they were staying each night. It was a postcard, a stamp, and a little faith in the US Postal Service.
After getting the flat tire on our van fixed in Colorado Springs, we headed to Boulder. We were all very tired by the time we got there. My aunt Nina and her husband, Cathan have a duplex they let us stay in from Monday-Friday. Nina’s adult children (my cousins) Siera and Dwight live next door, and we enjoyed seeing them while we were there. Dwight showed us a bunch of art projects he is working on and let us pick a few treasure to bring home. Siera gave the girls each a new pair of crocs (pictured below)
On the first full day in Boulder, it was 85 degrees. We walked the Chitagua Trail to see the Flat Irons (a nickname for the 5 large, flat rock slabs on the side of Green Mountain). We got about half way up and decided to turn around because of the heat. That night we drove to Denver for a Colorado Rockies baseball game against the St Louis Cardinals. Mark is always his happiest self in a sports stadium. We came along for the fun.
Boulder is a college town, the largest being the University of Colorado Boulder. It has the feel of a charming small town, but with big city perks such as great public transportation, award winning breweries, and a thriving downtown. We had some really good gelato at Gelato Boy on Pearl Street (a walkable street lined with cute shops, cafes, and art galleries).
We visited the Red Rocks Amphitheater, a world renown concert venue located about 40 minutes from Boulder. We didn’t see a concert, but did go to check out the place. It was gorgeous. The closest town to Red Rocks is called Morrison. We met an old college friend, Tony, and his son at The Cow Eatery for dinner. It was a great time of reconnecting after not seeing each other for many years.
Another cool place we found through my favorite google search “Free Family Activities in ___________ (wherever we happen to be)” was Hammonds Candies in Denver, CO. We took a tour of the factory and got to see ribbon candy, candy canes, and taffy being made. Every piece of candy is handmade and hand packaged in this one facility before being sent all over the U.S. Here is a video I made to remember a fun afternoon at this unique place.
We still have some time left in Colorado. We are back in Colorado Springs for a few days and then on to Greeley for a few days before we move on to South Dakota. Stay tuned!
We spent 3 weeks in Colorado. Here’s a little recap of Colorado Springs and Woodland Park where we spent the first week. In my next post, I’ll talk about Denver, Boulder, and Greeley. We stayed at an Airbnb in Colorado Springs. It was advertised for two people, but I asked if we could bring our own air mattress for the kids and the host seemed agreeable to the idea. It was a great place to stay. After several days of fast food before that, we got to make our own meals using a hot plate and toaster oven. There were cozy white robes and a towel warmer in the bathroom. Have you heard of a towel warmer for bath towels? I might just have to ask for one of those for Christmas. It was a real treat. We left the Airbnb after 6 days, thought everything was fine, and were shocked when the host reviewed our family with a *one star negative review. Apparently there were a lot of things she was upset with us for that were never mentioned until we left. We would have had no way of knowing she was upset or given an opportunity to make things right. It was very frustrating. I guess we were due for at least one unsatisfied host to break our streak of good stays for the last 5 months.
While in Colorado Springs, we got to visit a few people we hadn’t seen for many years.
I met up with a childhood friend, Melissa Stynski, at Starbucks. We chatted about our siblings, memories of growing up in Marshall, MN and attending the same Camp Grace in Chandler, MN. We also spent an afternoon with John and Alysha Housari and their 5 kids. John came to the Czech Republic with us many years ago and also flew in for a Leap Day event we did in Minneapolis. John is known affectionately as DJ Barnabas. In the Bible, Barnabas was known as “the son of encouragement”. John and Alysha live up to that name. Their company was very uplifting. They asked us deep questions about our marriage, mental health, family. We really soaked up the hours we had with them.
While homeschooling, we are always looking for field trips and educational experiences on the road. One field trip in Colorado Springs was to an aquaponic lettuce greenhouse. Their mission is to help organizations launch local food systems that reduce poverty with dignity. They believe in long-term solutions that prosper local economies. On Tuesday and Friday mornings, between 20-100 volunteers come to harvest the lettuce. The couple who gave us the tour also run the Youth With a Mission Training School that shares the same property. They were very knowledgable and passionate about their work. We learned a lot about what goes into aquaponic farming.
For Easter weekend, we headed up to Woodland Park, which is located near the base of Pikes Peak. We were super excited to see our friends, Tim and Dana Kramer and their 5 kids. Since their house is small, they asked some of their friends with an open basement apartment if we could stay there for the weekend. They graciously hosted us even though we had never met. On Friday night, we went to a Seder Passover meal. The Seder Meal is a tradition celebrated by people of the Jewish faith during Passover. The meal consists of rituals, liturgy and food meant to represent parts of the Exodus story where the people of Israel were led from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. Even though I have attended church and read the Bible my whole life, I learned new things from the Seder. Christians have much to gain by hearing from our Jewish friends and neighbors.
On Saturday, we drove 45 minutes and 14,000 feet up to the top of Pikes Peak. The temperature dropped about 30 degrees. At the top of the mountain, I found it hard to breathe. We had been warned about this elevation sickness. It is something you really need to experience to understand. I’m glad we did it, but probably wouldn’t feel the need to drive up more than once. We can say “been there, done that.”
On Easter Sunday, we joined the Kramers and two other families they knew from church for a delicious potluck lunch of smoked brisket, roasted veggies on the grill, mac n cheese, fruit, and this amazing pavlova with candied lemon.
The kids had fun finding Easter eggs hidden in the backyard and jumping on the trampoline.
We ended up getting an extra day in Woodland Park because on the way out of town, we got a flat tire and it took most of Monday to get it towed and repaired. We are grateful for kind friends who flexed with the change of plans. Thank you, Tim and Dana!
I had heard that Sedona, Arizona is a great place for hiking. We were originally planning to spend a few days at the National Parks in Utah, including Arches and Canyonlands, but decided to head South to avoid a snowstorm.
I googled “best easy family hikes in Sedona” and got a list of about 10 choices. We chose “Devil’s Bridge” because we have loved taking family photos on bridges throughout the trip. The Internet said this hike was “Easy”.
We got the last open spot in the trailhead parking lot when we arrived. We set out feeling energized and ready for a leisurely walk to see the natural bridge. We walked for what felt like about 2 miles and I thought to myself, we should be getting close. We came to a sign that said Devils Bridge ➡️.
From that sign, the trail started a gradual climb for about a mile. My legs started to hurt, and I began thinking about how we would need to return the same distance back. At least the return trip would be downhill, I told myself, as the trail kept going up.
We asked people returning from the end of the trail how much further it would be and they kept saying, It’s a ways further. What is a ways? I wondered. Please tell me it’s coming up soon. We started seeing these gardens of stones piled along the trail. It gave us something to look at and put a little spring in our step. It was as if those who had stacked the stones were cheering us on to the finish line.
The last part of the hike was the hardest because it was climbing and scrambling up rocks. I was very impressed by the man with a baby carrier and the couples with their dogs on leashes scrambling up those rocks. It seemed like everyone thought this was no big deal and they didn’t seem the least bit tired. I was slipping and sliding, huffing and puffing, and whining the whole way.
We got almost to the top and there was a stopping point with an incredible view and people were taking photos. I heard a few people say, “let’s just stop here. This is far enough”. I heard that and said “sounds good to me. I’ll just plop down here and let the rest of you all finish the hike. I’ll be here waiting.”
This is typical of me. I don’t like discomfort and I would much rather quit than go all the way, if given a choice. Lately, I’ve been realizing this about myself. I knew that I had to go all the way to the top. We carried on scrambling up all those rocks until we reached this incredible natural bridge where a line of people were waiting to get their photos taken. I immediately knew that to not go all the way to the top would have been a loss. Those last 20-30 feet of climbing was SO WORTH IT! Now I would have no regrets. We will always remember this moment, but especially me because I know that I pushed myself. Ivy’s comment when we reached the top was just perfect. She said,
“You are turning your fear into fun!”
Here are some photos of our family on Devil’s Bridge in Sedona, Arizona.
