Hello, We are The Chinchen's

Happy Birthday Kaleb 12!

2010-08-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

August 23, 2010

Kaleb Joshua Chinchen turns 12!

Has to go to school for the first time ever on his birthday.

Mom and Dad feel old.

Kids choice.....Brat BBQ at Mill Pond. Rope swing. Swimming.

Wish list....Anything that has to do with baseball.

Received:
-Frisbee
-2 all leather baseballs
-The Sandlot (movie about baseball)
-bag to carry all baseball gear in
-pitching practice net (from grandma and grandpa)
-all leather baseball glove (from nans and grumpy)
-all wood baseball bat (from uncle brian and lauren)

I'd say....SUCCESS!
Happy Birthday Kaleb! We Love You!

Grass Lake

2010-08-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday. That means No work and No School. What will the Chinchen family do?
Sit at home and relax? For a bit. Get outside and play? Definitely!
It's hot here in Bishop. We knew it would be. But seriously, 103? That's hot. It's been right around 100 since they day we moved here. We've gotten use to it for the most part. I now think a 92 degree day is pleasant. We learned that 6 pm is ideal for rock climbing. We also know that if you want to play in the middle of the day, you have to get above 7000 feet.

We decided to go on a hike that we fulfill every one's desires. Geo-cache, climb, hike and swim in a mountain lake.
I'm not positive how many total miles the hike was. Somewhere around the 4 mile mark. With a bit of elevation gain. And I'm stoked on my kids. No whining. No complaining. Just fun! The older two are great hikers. Avery, it depends on her mood that day. It's amazing to watch her love for the outdoors grow. She admires the mountains daily and tells me how beautiful they are. She's so innocent and so pure. You know the words coming out of her mouth are true. And to see such amazement at nature makes my heart melt.

We followed a creek up a mountain side. It then levels off. Jason did a bit of climbing while the kids played hide and seek among the boulders. We then continued on to the lake. A small river crossing and BAM, there you are. Lake, mountains, wildflowers. I swear I live in a Bob Ross painting. It seems like you can just reach out and touch the mountains. We were in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I am in love!

As I starred in awe, I heard talking. There was "a man and his dog" out in the back country camping. He had a map (what a smart man!). We took a peek and found a trail that looped back down to where we had parked. YAY, a circle. I like loops. I don't mind the whole turn around hike, but loops are way more fun. We hopped, skipped and jumped through the mucky lake grass and found the trail. Down the switchbacks. Through rock fields. It was a blast! I didn't want to find the car. I was wishing we all had packs strapped to our backs and were out to explore for days. Until the blisters started forming. Ouch!

We never got our swim on. The clouds were rolling in and looked black. We avoided the rain, but the temperature dropped quite a bit.
Everyone was fulfilled. Even the dog. I made it out without being attacked by a bear or cougar. (which i swear that's how's it's going down for me). The kids were dirty and happy. Jay tackled and won on a few boulders. It was time to head back home .
Look for us in the next Bob Ross painting you see!

ditchin mom for school

2010-08-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

Yep, you looked at that picture correctly. That's ALL 3 of my kiddos wearing backpacks!
All of them left me. Ditched the nest. Grew their own wings. For a few hours a day at least. They all come running back in the afternoon to tell me how much they love me. Or ask for food.
They've been home schooled or "road-schooled" for the past few years. Kaleb went back for part of the year last year up in WA, but my girls stayed home with me and hit the books.
This year, with the move to a small town, they all felt they wanted to go back to "real school" mainly to meet new friends. It was hard for me, but I get it. They left all their friends 2 years ago and miss those friendship bonds. They've met great friends on the road, but it's just not the same as having them right down the road.
I'll be honest, I had anxiety. Seriously sleep issues as the first day of school approached. But I was the only one. The kids all slept with ease. Not an ounce of fear about being the new kid. Not one speck of hesitation. In fact, Kaleb refused to let us walk him to school. I did follow him with the girls. We have to walk pass his school to get to theirs (really, I swear I wasn't stalking). I had my camera ready as I yelled out his name to snap a picture. It's the only way at his age. :) He is, after all, a big middle schooler. (7th grade) How embarrassing to have your mommy help you find your way. He reassured me he'd be fine. And guess what....he was!
Now came the hard part. Letting go of my baby girls!! I made Daddy go to work late so he could come along, mainly to be MY support system.
Ani is entering 4th grade. She was smiling ear to ear! She reminded me that she hasn't been in "real" school since the 1st grade. There's a big difference between 1st and 4th. She's so big now and so independent. Where'd my baby go? She's the girl in class that makes every teacher smile. She's everyone's friend! She was a little concerned at first cause *gasp* she has a MALE teacher. No problem though, he's already wrapped himself around her finger. She thinks he's hilarious! She's a book of information already because of him. I'm pretty confident that she's going to have a great year!
Little Miss Avery.......My treasure. Who makes me go crazy every day! And then makes me laugh til I pee. What will I ever do without her. She's my buddy. She goes everywhere with me. She calls me out when I'm being "bad" and compliments me when I need to smile. She can read me like an open book. And she's been waiting for this 1st day of school for a few years now.
I was that mom that cried on orientation night. How was I ever going to get through the drop-off? She had her "pack-back" packed and ready 2 days ahead of schedule. She leaped out of bed before the alarm clock went off. She was ready and the bell couldn't ring soon enough. I, on the other hand, seriously contemplated grabbing her and running away to Never Never Land.
She shed no tears. Didn't even hesitate at the door. This was her moment! She hugged and kissed mommy and daddy goodbye. Then she kissed her momma again. And again. And again. But only because I made her. It was time for me to let her go. How dramatic right!!! :)
I was fine. Really I was. Until I walked outside and my hubby said "Alright Babe, I've got to go to work".
WAIT A MINUTE!! STOP RIGHT THERE!!!! HE WAS LEAVING ME TOO!! DAMN!
I was really going to be alone. Seriously ALONE! Now the tears starting falling. Alligator tears. Runny nose. Yep, it happened. I was that mom. Who stood on the sidewalk outside of the school balling! Now what? For the first time in 12 years I was going to be alone. Jason looked at me and told me that now it was time to take care of me. Hmmmm, that sounds great. But I'm clueless how to do that. I walked home. Poured a cup of coffee and stared at the walls. I watched the clock. Could I go pick them up yet???? I paced. I cleaned. I paced some more.
Finally it was time to go get Avery. I was so excited to see her, take her out for ice cream and hear about her day. She greeted me with a huge hug. As we walked home I asked her if she missed me as much as I missed her. Her response..."I forgot all about you Mom"
HUMPH.......A note to all Kindy teachers. First lesson...How to lie to your mom and make her feel good!!!!

Willy Wonka? No, the pencil gnome!

2010-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

What happens when your daddy works at a toy/pencil factory?
ENDLESS amounts of pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers. Daddy brought home the kiddos a years supply of writing utensils today. Good thing....school starts Thursday. Let the sharpening begin!

A place to call HOME

2010-08-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

WELCOME HOME!
HOME SWEET HOME!
The search is over. 2 years ago today we left Bend, Oregon. We left in search of our new home. Of what Bend use to be 12 years ago. We made some U-Turns along the way. And went down a few wrong paths. All for a reason. To eventually lead us to Bishop, CA, a small town nestled up to the Eastern Sierra Mountains. A town we had never heard of before.

We found Bishop by mistake while traveling down the open road. We spent about 3 weeks here, 1 1/2 of those because we were fortunate enough to have our transmission blow in the beautiful area. Made good out of the bad. We instantly fell in love and the town made it to the top of our list as a place we would like to settle. That dream came true last month when Jason got accepted for a job here in town.
We've been here now 1 month and keep waiting to wake from the dream. I pinch myself numerous times during the day. Especially when I look out any of our windows to a view of 14,000 foot peaks.

We have world famous climbing out our backyard, endless trails into the wilderness, rivers, desert, lowest and highest points of the US, the local organic U-Pick garden, petroglyphs, snowboarding, SUN, new friends and big huge smiles!

Life is finally settling down a bit after the move. Family and friends have visited, Jason is happy at his job, the kids are all involved in the community, school starts next week and I'm venturing down the path of childbirth educator. This move is good for all of us. We're excited to share it with you all.

Hello out there

2010-04-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

November??
That was the last time I wrote on our blog? Dang....! I'm embarrassed. I have every intention of keeping this current. I wish that I had a good excuse. Does moving back into a stick built house count? How about homeschooling? Starting our own business? Having 3 kids and a dog? Really? Come on. Like I can't find a few minutes every week to sit down and update. You know there's always something exciting to share.
I admire those of you that write everyday. Even if it's a few short sentences and a pic. They usually put a smile on my face. I should try. Put this on my to-do list. A "have you visited your blog yet today?" reminder on my phone.
As the kids rush up to bed, I'll take a few quick moments to give you the run down before I go tuck them all tightly in.
We're still up in Anacortes, WA. We decided to stay after starting our own yacht care business that just "kinda happened" after a few projects we did. It's going well.
We moved into a rental house. When the gray wet winter skies appeared, we decided that the RV was feeling small now that we were stuck inside and it was time to spread out. We've been in our house 6 months now and have loved the comfort. Hot running water!! A dishwasher! Longer than necessary showers! (need to control that!) A fireplace! Laundry at home!
Ahhhhh......
Ani is still being homeschooled. Kaleb started at home and then decided he'd like to go back to school. He's in 6th grade and doing well. He's acing Social Studies. After all the cliff dwellings and history sites he visited the last year, we're not surprised one bit. Avery is...still Avery! Causing trouble all day long and making us laugh every minute!
Life is different after living the free life that we did. We're trying hard to adjust. Funny how I thought it would be tough to go from a house to a RV, but honestly the transition back into a home and "real life" is way harder!!!! We've got the itch! Gypsy's at heart. Colorado has been calling lately.......we'll keep you up to date!

Recycle this!

2009-11-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Starbucks,
Thank you for reminding me why I chose to boycott you over the last few years. I truly try to practice the "Support your local coffee shop" idea. It was hard not to notice you in every little town and grocery store I visited during the last 15 months on the road. I could've taken the quick route and jumped out at any corner for my Chai and coffee fix. Instead, I ventured on down the lonely road to find the local coffee hut. When buying my coffee for home, I chose to pay just a bit extra for the local grind. And I always look for and if found, purchase fair trade coffee.
Now that I'm back to paying rent and bills I opted to purchase a bag of Organic Starbucks coffee because, well, it was on sale that day. My guilt lifted a bit when I got home and noticed the little writing inside the bag that said to return my empty coffee bag to any local Starbucks for recycling and a free cup of joe. I thought way to step it up Starbucks. I've heard stories about the support you give to the communities. How you support our troops and so on. I even went as far as to google you and read about your "green efforts" and how much you recycle.
Well then, one question. Tell me why then, after I gave the girl behind the counter my "recycled bag" she turned around and tossed it into the garbage?
Lesson Learned!
Thanks for the reminder.

BOO!

2009-11-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

Halloween has come and gone again?
WOW! Oh, the places we roam. Last year we trick or treated in Flagstaff, AZ.
This year, Anacortes.
We had a fun weekend. It started on Friday night with a small party consisting of lots of candy, donut eating contests, pumpkin bowling, mummy rolling and pinatas.

We had a Coraline Jones, Army man and of course, a Beautiful Princess.
All 3 children have a bag FULL of sweets. Too no surprise, Avery's is 1/2 gone. The other two are "saving". And doing a good job of it. I suggest they hide them from mom and dad.

Head wounds and fairy magic

2009-10-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

(this is Avery after the stitches. she sure thought she was cool!)

So my kids have this secret. I'm positive of it. There's a notebook hidden somewhere in this RV with tally marks. I just haven't found it yet!
Who can give mommy more gray hair?
Who can get more stitches?
Avery and Kaleb are now tied on trips to the hospital for some repair. Now we're going to start counting actual stitches. Ani informed me that she's not playing. I'm fine with that!

(this is avery after getting her numbing gel. we told her it was magic fairy potion. even went as far as to do the magic blow on it. the clear bandage holding it in place became the magic fairy window. she loved and believed every word. made for a somewhat cheery hospital visit)

When Jay called and said, avers fell and we need to take her to the hospital, i wasn't surprised one bit. have you met this little dare devil? if so, then you know. we don't walk...we hop, skip and JUMP everywhere. it's just who she is. her personality is huge. we love that about her. she puts a smile on everyones face that she meets. she'll talk your head off all day and all night.
the hospital staff got a kick out of her. she had lots to say. lots to ask and as soon as the last stitch was tied, there she was, jumping on the hospital bed. we were sure we'd have more before we left.

I have one more picture. It's "the wound". It wasn't long, but DEEP! I'm talking so deep we could see her skull. Even Avery wanted to see. I mean really, how cool to look in through your own head. She sure thought so.
I've decided to spare you. I won't post the picture. But if you call, Avery will tell you all about it. Just make sure you have enough minutes on your phone plan!

Overschedule

2009-09-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Have you hugged your kids today?

Looked them in the eye and gave them your undivided attention as they told you a story?

Got down and dirty and explored the earth? Grew a bean sprout? Smelled the flowers.

We sometimes forget the simple things in life. Letting our kids be kids. Letting them explore on their own. Figuring out who they are, not who we or society wants them to be.

I've spent the last year of my life on the road. Living in a motorhome with my family. To the surprise of many, with NO TV. Haven't had one in 1 1/2 years. And we're perfectly happy without. I cherish every moment I've had with my children. Watching their eyes smile every morning as they peeked out the window to see what their backyard was that day. Allowing them to make their own schedules, to take time to breath, to learn about others and the world around them. Letting them be in charge of themselves. (somewhat. i do still remind them to brush their teeth. :) ) And guess what? My kids pulled out books and read on their own. Colored, crafted, built forts, laughed and learned.

School has started again. I see the stress in the neighboorhood as parents stress to find the time to go to work, make dinner, do homework, go to football pracitce and finish the laundry. All in a day's time. I wonder if they've even asked their kids what they learned today. I wonder if the kids even care.

A friend passed this on to me and it's a simple reminder to slow down. Say no. Stay in. Let kids be kids.

Doing Nothing Is Something – The Overscheduled Children Of 21St-Century
America, Deprived Of The Gift Of Boredom
By Anna Quindlen

Summer is coming soon. I can feel it in the softening of the air, but I can
see it, too, in the textbooks on my children’s desks. The number of uncut
pages at the back grows smaller and smaller. The loose-leaf is ragged at the
edges, the binder plastic ripped at the corners. An old remembered glee
rises inside me. Summer is coming. Uniform skirts in mothballs. Pencils with
their points left broken. Open windows. Day trips to the beach. Pickup
games. Hanging out.

How boring it was.

Of course, it was the making of me, as a human being and a writer. Downtime
is where we become ourselves, looking into the middle distance, kicking at
the curb, lying on the grass or sitting on the stoop and staring at the
tedious blue of the summer sky. I don’t believe you can write poetry, or
compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and plenty of it, a
hiatus that passes for boredom but is really the quiet moving of the wheels
inside that fuel creativity.

And that, to me, is one of the saddest things about the lives of American
children today. Soccer leagues, acting classes, tutors–the calendar of the
average middle-class kid is so over the top that soon Palm handhelds will be
sold in Toys “R” Us. Our children are as overscheduled as we are, and that
is saying something.

This has become so bad that parents have arranged to schedule times for
unscheduled time. Earlier this year the privileged suburb of Ridgewood,
N.J., announced a Family Night, when there would be no homework, no athletic
practices and no after-school events. This was terribly exciting until I
realized that this was not one night a week, but one single night. There is
even a free-time movement, and Web site: familylife1st.org. Among the
frequently asked questions provided online: “What would families do with
family time if they took it back?”

Let me make a suggestion for the kids involved: how about nothing? It is not
simply that it is pathetic to consider the lives of children who don’t have
a moment between piano and dance and homework to talk about their day or
just search for split ends, an enormously satisfying leisure-time activity
of my youth. There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what
we might call “doing nothing” is when human beings actually do their best
thinking, and when creativity comes to call. Perhaps we are creating an
entire generation of people whose ability to think outside the box, as the
current parlance of business has it, is being systematically stunted by
scheduling.

A study by the University of Michigan quantified the downtime deficit; in
the last 20 years American kids have lost about four unstructured hours a
week. There has even arisen a global Right to Play movement: in the
developing world it is often about child labor, but in the United States it
is about the sheer labor of being a perpetually busy child. In Omaha, Neb.,
a group of parents recently lobbied for additional recess. Hooray, and
yikes.

How did this happen? Adults did it. There is a culture of adult distrust
that suggests that a kid who is not playing softball or attending
science-enrichment programs–or both–is huffing or boosting cars: if kids
are left alone, they will not stare into the middle distance and consider
the meaning of life and how come your nose in pictures never looks the way
you think it should, but instead will get into trouble. There is also the
culture of cutthroat and unquestioning competition that leads even the
parents of preschoolers to gab about prestigious colleges without a trace of
irony: this suggests that any class in which you do not enroll your first
grader will put him at a disadvantage in, say, law school.

Finally, there is a culture of workplace presence (as opposed to
productivity). Try as we might to suggest that all these enrichment
activities are for the good of the kid, there is ample evidence that they
are really for the convenience of parents with way too little leisure time
of their own. Stories about the resignation of presidential aide Karen
Hughes unfailingly reported her dedication to family time by noting that she
arranged to get home at 5:30 one night a week to have dinner with her son.
If one weekday dinner out of five is considered laudable, what does that say
about what’s become commonplace?

Summer is coming. It used to be a time apart for kids, a respite from the
clock and the copybook, the organized day. Every once in a while, either
guilty or overwhelmed or tired of listening to me keen about my monumental
boredom, my mother would send me to some rinky-dink park program that
consisted almost entirely of three-legged races and making things out of
Popsicle sticks. Now, instead, there are music camps, sports camps, fat
camps, probably thin camps. I mourn hanging out in the backyard. I mourn
playing Wiffle ball in the street without a sponsor and matching shirts. I
mourn drawing in the dirt with a stick.

Maybe that kind of summer is gone for good. Maybe this is the leading edge
of a new way of living that not only has no room for contemplation but is
contemptuous of it. But if downtime cannot be squeezed during the school
year into the life of frantic and often joyless activity with which our
children are saddled while their parents pursue frantic and often joyless
activity of their own, what about summer? Do most adults really want to
stand in line for Space Mountain or sit in traffic to get to a shore house
that doesn’t have enough saucepans? Might it be even more enriching for
their children to stay at home and do nothing? For those who say they will
only watch TV or play on the computer, a piece of technical advice: the
cable box can be unhooked, the modem removed. Perhaps it is not too late for
American kids to be given the gift of enforced boredom for at least a week
or two, staring into space, bored out of their gourds, exploring the inside
of their own heads. “To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do,” said
Victor Hugo. “Go outside and play,” said Prudence Quindlen. Both of them
were right.

Suubi necklace. Help support the women of Uganda.

2009-09-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

How it began...
The Suubi (hope) project was launched in 2007 while the Hansow family was living in Jinja, Uganda for the adoption of their daughter. At the orphanage, they met Anaso Grace and Adong Santa selling paper-beaded necklaces. And after they visited the original 60+ women who met each Sunday to bead together under a jackfruit tree in the village of Walukuba, Suubi was birthed - merely a response to a talent and a need. Who is Suubi...

Suubi (the Lugandan word for HOPE) is a project run by the non-profit organization Light Gives Heat. Suubi is the name of the self-governing community-based organization of beautiful women that make the jewelry, as well as the product name here in the West. HOPE is the essence of the Suubi (hope) project and our vision is two-fold: 1) The Suubi (hope) project is about creating consistent weekly incomes in otherwise unemployable areas in Uganda through the purchasing and reselling of these hand-made necklaces. Thus, allowing for women to provide food and pay school fees for their children. 2) In Uganda, we have been shown a HOPE that doesn't make sense and has changed everything. Therefore, we simply want to spread HOPE - sharing the stories of these amazing women and getting people across the world to look outside of themselves and respond creatively.

What we do...

In addition to buying each week (and tripling their usual profit), the Light Gives Heat volunteers also run weekly Literacy and English classes for the women of Suubi and simply spend time with the women. The majority of the 120+ women are Acholi widows who have been displaced from Northern Uganda because of an over 20-year-long war that has directly affected their tribe and homeland.

Inspiration...

Despite the tragedies they have seen, the hardships they face, and the unpredictability of life in Africa, these beautiful women of Suubi have joy on their faces and hope in their hearts.

My story.....

I discovered this organization while touring through Colorado earlier this spring. I bought a multi colored long necklace at a rock climbing gym we were visiting and it soon became my favorite accessory. Not only for the spunk it brought to any outfit but also for what it stood for. By simply buying one of these necklaces you are helping women support themselves and their families work, eat and educate.

Prices.....

Long multi-colored strands $20.00
Long newsy strands (simple black/white) $20.00
Short multi-colored chokers $15.00

Of course, you are supporting a non-profit organization by purchasing one of these so if you want to throw in a few extra bucks, that'd be cool.
Shipping and handling will cost ya $4.00.

I promise you these will make you smile every time you put it on. Be prepared to be harassed wherever you go about how rad your necklace is and wonder as to where they can get one. (ME) :)

Spoil yourself!!
These also make rad birthday/christmas/get well/i love you or whatever gifts.

Contact me by email if you'd like to know more or would like to purchase one.
kjchinchen@yahoo.com

I'll toss them in the mail the next day and before you know it, you'll be wearing one to.

Hurry!!!

ATTENTION: Parents of 11 year old boys

2009-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

My son is somewhat MIA.
I haven't seen him in 2 days.
His face that is.
His nose has been buried in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan.

He did rise enough to run out to the library today to get book 3. He read book 2, The Sea of Monsters all the way there. Finished it shortly after we got home and is already 1/2 way through the 3rd. I'm afraid I have to reserve book4. Hope it's turned in tomorrow or....who knows what we're in store for.
He only hit the baseball for 2 minutes today.???? Only to throw the bat down and run back to his book.
I'm proud of him!! But seriously, are his eyes crossed yet?

10 thumbs up from this boy. Highly recommended. I might have to read them myself.

Ani's in love

2009-08-30T09:05:00.001-07:00

with her new mini sewing machine that is.

Project Runway, here she comes.

Fresh goodness a plenty

2009-08-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love the desert.
But I've fallen in LOVE WITH THE NORTHWEST all over again and all the FRESH LOCAL FRUIT that i can find on any walk, bike ride or drive around town. The backyard that we're "squatting" in at the moment has a purple plum, yellow plum, pear and apple tree!! More blackberries than you can imagine are taking over town. It's not uncommon to see folks walking around town with a bowl of fresh pick berries. Or kids with purple stained fingers and smiles. I love it! I'm missing my big freezer right now. Not to worry, we are getting our fair share. I thought you could tire of it, I'm mistaken. I still stop to pick a berry or two whenever I go.

We went raspberry picking a few weeks ago. Brought home 17 pounds of the bright red yums. We froze a lot and there's nothing better than throwing them in fresh whole wheat pancakes in mornin'.
Jason made a bomb blackberry biscuit cobbler the other night.
We would love to hear your favorite recipes for all these plums, apples, pears and blackberries.
Wish you were all near to share in the goodness!

Current Events...

2009-08-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Enough is Enough!!
I'm embarrassed that I'm still 2 months behind on blogs. Exciting events happen daily in our lives and I want to share them quickly with you all but I refuse to write about today's happenings when you don't even know where we are or how we got here.
So....I'm giving you the fast version. Jason will not be happy with my cheatin' ways but I'll deal with him later. :)
My last blog left off in Colorado. After the Teva Games it was time to head back to one of our favorite towns, Durango, where we "thought" we could "find" jobs. HA! Nada!
We tried to enjoy our time there. We met some great folks who took us out to bouldering spots RIGHT IN TOWN!! We played frisbee in the park. We spent lots of time at the library.
I also STRESSED!!! I'll be honest. Life isn't always peaches and cream. We all know that. We have our moments and we struggle through them. Hopefully we learn and become better people. Hopefully next time we are able to handle the situation with a more positive attitude. I try hard to see the light. To remember that this is only a moment and soon it will pass. Remind myself that everything happens for a reason, even if at the time you dig deep and can't find what that reason may be. Yet, I'm human and sometimes fail. I can easily get swallowed up by my funk. Tends to be one of my downfalls. I need to remember how to breathe and relax in times of stress. I often wonder how I can meditate and relax during the craziest contraction of childbirth yet during one of life's' roller coasters forget everything I know, get caught up in the not so happy moment and hold on tight before I might fall. Luckily, I am surrounded by a loving family and I am able to pull myself out. We all have those moments in life. Having them while on the road just makes them that much funkier. Not too mention affects your family and everyone around you. Here is where you learn how close of quarters your really living in and that indeed, you have no where to hide. This is when you say:Here I am, Love me or Leave me. No wait....please don't leave me. ;)

So plan B.....Flagstaff, AZ. It's a bigger town. Close to a even bigger city. Surely there's work there right???? Nope. Strike out Numero Duo. Humph.....
My spirits rose while here. I love Flagstaff. It felt more like home. The high desert. The juniper trees. Farmers Markets and Folk Festivals. Great people and music. A lively downtown that never gets old. But when it came to jobs, same ole' same ol. No one called us back and nothing manifested. It was okay though. This time I knew there was something else out there. At the time I didn't know what, but I knew it would all be okay.
Plan C....There wasn't one. What do you do? Make one!
Anacortes, WA. Far, far away on an island in northern WA lies a small town where family is close and apparently work rains down. At first we didn't want to go. We loved being near the red sandstone and deep canyons of the Southwest. Sometimes, you just don't have a choice and you need to trust and step on the gas. Prepare yourselves for a long, long journey back to where it all began. Deja Vu!!!
When we left Bend ONE YEAR AGO our first stop was....Anacortes, WA. Nans and Grumps live here and they had a grand old boat that needed painting. Jay being the handyman he is....tackled and conquered the job. This then gave him the experience to return back to Anacortes to paint yet another boat and another boat and flood us, literally, with more work than we know what to do with at the current time. Don't' get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Okay, since this has turned into a "spill all" blog, I *may* be whining from time to time about how tired i am or how i won't see my husband for the next 7 weeks. But the end result is all worth it.
On our way here we were able to spend a few days with good friends in Boise, ID who we've been promising for years we'd visit. We also to spent a few nights back in Bend with our dear friends catching up. Many welcomed new additions to their families and we finally got a chance to meet those little squishy ones. I tried to sneak out a few times with them tucked under my arms. Momma's beware!
So here we are. It's almost like we never left. I'm wondering if this past year as been a dream. I pinch myself periodically and know how fortunate we are to have had this opportunity. We're working hard now, enjoying time with Nan-Nan and Grumpy and wondering after this, where our next path will lead.

Colorado Part 2

2009-08-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

The zig-zag continues.
From Basalt we took a day trip to Aspen. I've never seen Aspen in the winter, but I can only imagine how fun it would be. Kaleb had that brand new snowboard in the RV and was wishing the ski resorts were still open. What a great area. We played at the skatepark, made a tribute to John Denver, climbed at the gym with pro climber Emily Harrington and ate some of the best pizza ever. Unfortunately Independence Pass didn't open for 2 more days. BOO!

We still had a good 2 weeks before we needed to be back in Vail for Ani's competition. We thought it would be fun to sneak up on Uncle Brian in Colorado Springs. On the way we spent the night in Leadville at 10,000 feet. Of course, it rained the whole time. Lucky for us, we found a little RV park, plugged in and geeked out on almost a whole season of Survivor.
The next day gave us more rain and as we drove over passes we even hit some snow. Ugh!! This was our 2nd time this year in Colorado and even though it was May, we still got snowed on. We stopped at the visitor center to hit them up on free hot coffee and fresh baked cookies. Yummy goodness on a gray day!

We had fun surprising Uncle Brian with our visit. We spent a week with him in "the Springs". And yes, it rained every single day! (our Colorado theme) We still found moments of open sky to enjoy a weekend festival, climb, play in Manitou Springs, find a BMX track to ride around in, and waste dimes and nickles in the penny arcade.
It was almost time to start heading back to Vail. We took a few days getting there to climb some more and get Ani back on the rock and in shape. She was getting excited. We got to Vail early to ensure a good camp spot close to town. We heard there were bear sightings in camp but never got the opportunity to see one of these huge creatures out in the wild. We familiarized ourselves with town, took lots of walks, slack lined in camp and awaited grandma and granpa's arrival.

Colorado Zig-Zag Part 1

2009-07-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

We spent just over one month in Colorado this spring. The picture above shows what we were almost always driving towards and never away from. We could not hide from the rain. No matter what direction we went or how many miles we drove. It rained. It poured. It thundered. It got us wet. But it didn't get us down!!

Our first stop was Colorado National Monument just outside of Grand Junction, close to the Utah border.
After a quiet night at the campground, we woke up and the kids completed there Junior Ranger Program. We took a few short hikes and drove the 25 miles scenic drive. It was a beautiful place. I'm not sure it impressed us as much as it might others. We had just spent 2 months exploring the canyons of Southern Utah, which blew our minds. But the Monument is still a good place to explore for a day.
We planned on spending a few days exploring the lands around this area. We drove a bit out of town and found another camp spot. It was May and already hitting the 90 degree mark. After sitting outside in the heat for a bit and staring at the red canyon landscape, I decided I had enough. I was now in Colorado and ready for the cool breeze and the Rocky Mountains. We quickly packed up and drove over to Paonia.
We met a couple in Joshua Tree who told us about Paonia. They told us that we looked like the "type" of people that live there. I took this as a compliment, especially after spending a few days there. Paonia, which is a Spanish for "peony" the flower, was founded in 1882. It is known for producing wonderful peaches, apples, and other fruits. I absolutely fell in love with the little slice of heaven. The people couldn't be any friendlier or welcoming and the scenery and energy of the town will have you skipping down the road. If ever given the opportunity to live and work here, I'd move tomorrow. Work is the key word.

After Paonia we headed to Carbondale where we spent an entire day at the Rec Center swimming and rock climbing. For those of you thinking about hitting the road for any lenght of time, rec centers are a great place to shower up and usually get free wi-fi. Then it was on to Glenwood Springs and Basalt to hang with the Ward family. We met this rad family while in Bisbee, AZ last Nov. They had rented a motorhome and took a month traveling around the Southwest. We promised them we would come visit in the spring and we stuck to that. They welcomed us into their home like family. Co-dinners we made, wine was drunk, lemonade stands made money, walks took us through the great community and friendships were strengthened. We couldn't have asked for better hospitality. Thank you guys! We look forward to spending more time with you one day.

And the story pauses here friends.......I'm tired. I'm trying real hard to catch up onour blogs. I'm now only 2 months behind. Part 2 will come tomorrow. Right now, my head needs to find my pillow.
Goodnight Y'all!

Teva Mountain Games

2009-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

GO ANI GO!!!!

Teva Mountain Games....

A weekend filled with climbing competitions, white water rafting, mountain biking, dog jumps, music, sun, snow, lots of lots of free swag and family!
When we signed Ani up to compete in the climbing competitions during the games it took grandma and grandpa a full 2 days to call with flight reservations. We were excited! It had been way too long and a full dose of grandparent spoiling is what the kids needed.

We spent the first day of the games up in the mountains by the river watching the kayaks.
The rest of the events took place down in Vail Village. 2 days were spent in the front row watching the World Cup Bouldering Championships. Pros like Daniel Woods, Alex Joshnson and Ani's favorite Alex Puccio climbed their ways to the top. Anika was in awe watching these ladies take 1st and 2nd place. She saw what the future could hold. She was even able to talk with Alex Puccio one on one and learned what a lot of training, hard work, dedication and fun could bring.
Avery's favorite was watching DockDogs. Owners would throw their dogs favorite toy out into a pool and the dogs would fly through the air to retreive. Avery also spent a lot of special one on one time with grandma and grandpa. In fact, she slept over at their rented condo on Wed. night and didn't come back home to us until Sunday night when they flew back to WI. To this day she is still comparing the way we do things to the way grandma and grandpa did. I don't think she missed us one bit!
Kaleb couldn't get enough of the free items being handed out at the Teva Games. He loaded us down with lots of granola, dog food samples, videos, visors, stickers, energy bars and magazines. He also enjoyed the excitement of the climbing competitions. We told him if he wanted to compete he could, but the awesome big brother that he is, said that this was Ani's day. He wanted to cheer her on. He has his skateboarding.

How does this bouldering thing work? Well Ani has spent her whole "career" bouldering outside on natural rock. We did hit up a few climbing gyms while traveling towards Colorado to help her familarize herself with a man made wall. This was her first competiton.
See all the different colored tape? Those are routes. There will be a square of tape on the bottom of the wall. This is where you start. You are required to have both hands on the hold and feet on holds below of the same color. Then you slowly make your way up, following your chosen color. In order to score points, you must hold on to the taped square hold at the very top with both hands and be in control. Each route is worth a different amount of points. It's up to you to chose and complete as many as possible in the allowed time.

We had a lot of fun at the Teva Mountain Games. We would love to have the opportunity to make it out there every year. If near Colorado in early June, check it out. All events are free and fun.

Thank you grandma and grandpa and uncle Brian for coming and being such a support to Ani. We all had so much fun with you and lots of great memories.

"Fun in Good"
-Dr. Suess

We Heart Colorado

2009-05-20T12:45:00.001-07:00

Rocky Mountain High
John Denver
Words by John Denver; Music by John Denver and Mike Taylor

He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
On the road and hangin' by a song
But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care
It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long

But the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye
Rocky mountain high

He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as you can see
And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but kept his memory

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky mountain high

Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more
More people, more scars upon the land

And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly
Rocky mountain high

It's Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
Friends around the campfire and everybody's high
Rocky mountain high

Record Deal

2009-05-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

Beatles Revolver
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Paul Simon
Bob Dylan
Van Morrison
John Denver
The Band
Eagles
Cat Stevens

and more. over 100 more!!!!

Go take a walk. You might find some yourself. Tis the day of scoring other peoples "junk". Earlier today Jay found an old 10 speed bike sitting next to someones garbage can, one week after I told him I think I might like to have a road bike.
This afternoon he came home and said he found 2 file boxes full of old records. It only took 2 seconds for Bob and Elizabeth, (part of the raddest family EVER) to jump away from the dinner table to go for a walk to fetch these boxes.

We've been drooling and listening to music ever since. Flashbacks and new memories being made. Life is good!(She doesn't believe that music is in vinyl form!)

Veggi Oil 101

2009-05-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

Our friend Sean drives a bus that he converted. It runs on used veggi oil! Vegetable oil can be used as an alternative fuel in diesel engines.
Other than a bit of diesel to start the bus, he doesn't have to pay anything to drive.
He gets his oil from restaurants, filters it and pumps it into the tank.
He took some time and gave the kids a lesson.
STEP 1....learn to drive a veggi bus
STEP 2 find the used oil and pour into buckets to strain the gunk

STEP 3...I really have no idea. :) I did notice it's a bit MESSY . Pretty darn cool though.
The oil gets filtered a total of 3 times before hitting the tanks. His tank can hold up to 40 gallons of filtered oil and then he has 3 buckets of oil being filtered at all times. He said he has never had a problem finding the oil, most establishments are happy to get rid of it.

Step 4..Pump into yet another filter, then directly into the tank

Waste vegetable oil

As of 2000^[update], the United States was producing in excess of 11 billion liters (2.9 billion U.S. gallons) of waste vegetable oil annually, mainly from industrial deep fryers in potato processing plants, snack food factories and fast food restaurants. If all those 11 billion liters could be collected and used to replace the energetically equivalent amount of petroleum (an ideal case), almost 1% of US oil consumption could be offset.

Sean's music

(from wikipedia)

Swell of a time

2009-05-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

The Swell! We found it last fall and it's still a treasure in our memories. Last time we went through the canyons. This time we stayed on top in the desert and bouldered like mad men.
We took Sean and Emily (friends we met in Zion) with us this time. We found the perfect spot to camp for 10 days and called it home.
Last time we were here the dinosaur quarry was closed. We were lucky this time.

Everyone spent lots of time on the rock. Emily and Sean had never heard of the sport. 2 days into it and they were on the Internet looking for climbing shoes to buy! Which is better than what Sean was using before.....his bare feet!!! OUCH!We had a lot of fun and Ani had lots of "training" time.

(avery and her friend cora)
(reading break)
We did lots of other things out in the desert those weeks. We read, did yoga, drank plenty of margaritas, ate lots of meat, painted murals, learned how to play cats cradle, built cabinets for Sean's bus and enjoyed each others company, a lot! We left Sean and Emily here. We headed east towards Colorado while they ventured north to Alaska for the summer. It truly is lonely without them. Sean has even offered us a job as their traveling cooks. :0 Sounds great doesn't it! We'll just trust that we will see them again here in the lower 48.

We traveled SE a bit and stopped at some amazing petroglyphs. The Rochester Panel.
I was bummed when we missed it last fall. It was a must the 2nd time around.

Ani get your guns

2009-05-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

She's a natural!
She sticks with it.
She's a strong girl and never gives up.
She's found a passion.
Her strength and determination will shock you.
She's 8 and has bouldered on some of the most famous rocks in the US.

We've played on rocks our whole lives. Since our trip to Joshua Tree in Jan. Ani has found a new love. She has been climbing almost everyday since. She will be in her first bouldering competition next month. She's excited and counting down the days.
We'd love for you all to come out and visit and support her.
It's going to be a fun weekend.

The Teva Games 2009 will be held in Vail, Colorado June 4-7. It is the country's largest celebration of mountain sports. Along with climbing competitions there will be biking (road and trail), running, kayaking, rafting, mountain photographing, film festivals and live music. All spectating is FREE. Ani will compete Sunday morning. You can find out more here.....
http://www.tevamountaingames.com/
See you there!

Watch out Waldo, we're looking for you

2009-05-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to feel like I'm living in a Where's Waldo book. Open it up, see a map and try and find the Chinchens. Or perhaps I'm living in a PBS cartoon and every morning I wait for some silly, cheesy character to jump in the middle of the screen and announce my location. All I know is that where ever we are, we are happy.
We've seen so much. Driven over 9000 miles zig zaging through 9 states. I'm now forgetting where I am when I wake in the morning. It's hard to keep track. I was reminded this morning that I am in Colorado. The Rockies greeted me at first light.
Before we got here, we spent a few more weeks in Southern Utah, which if you haven't explored yet, start packing.
We hit Arches National Park last Oct. and this spring visited Zion, Bryce, Escalante and Capital Reef.Capital Reef is the least visited of Utah National Parks. I think folks are missing out. Mormons settled here in the late 1800's and established small farming communities. The Friuta Campground is smack in the middle of it all surrounded by orchards. We were there as the trees were all starting to blossom (apple, cherry, peach, pear, nectarine). If you go in Aug/Sept/Oct you will be lucky enough to pick as much as you want. We met one of the nicest guys ever here. JoJo. Soon after pulling in he came over to say hi and soon after that presented Kaleb with a brand new snowboard, bindings, case and pants. WHOA!!!! We shared meals, hiked, biked, went to music jams and played frisbee and bochie ball with JoJo the rest of our stay.

I knew we would see amazing places on this journey but I had no idea we'd meet such awesome people on the road. The people we've met hold a special place in our hearts. We've shared lots of laughs around campfires and truly experienced in the wilderness with them.
We sometimes say it's a small world. This trip has proven that it really is. I've met people in playgrounds in the middle of nowhere who are friends of friends of mine back in Bend. We've run into people that we hung out with in Bend on the streets of tiny towns. We've met people in one state, only to run into them unexpectedly in 2 other states.
Familiar faces are always welcome. We love our family and friends who we knew before this year and are thankful for those that have joined our circle.

Friends and Canyons

2009-05-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

Way back then. A long time ago when a little family known as the Chinchens lost their jobs and decided to sell all their belongings and move into a motorhome and wander about the Southwest....we found a website called Families on the Road. I've mentioned it before and I have a link on the sidebar to the website. Through this website we have gotten hints on how to make life on the road easier and made friends to last a lifetime.
I've been creating a friendship with Bryce from the FOTR site since we left Bend last Aug. I've followed her blog and emailed her during our travels. We met face to face in Feb. at the FOTR rally and our families have laughed many times since. We found out while in Zion that they would be in Bryce for the summer working. We weren't far away and had hoped our paths would cross again so it was off to the canyons we went. The drive took us through tiny mountian towns that had Jason stopping at every curve to admire the hundreds of old classic cars sitting on the lands.
At first it looked like we might be able to score jobs near the park as well. That fell through but we still enjoyed our time with friends.

We went into Bryce Canyon National Park and did some of the Peek-A-Boo hike. Unlike Zion where you are in the canyon and all hikes lead up, Bryce is the opposite and down you go into the hoo-doos Bryce is famous for. Hoodoos are pillars of rock left by erosion. They look like they came out of a Dr. Seuss book. Snow was still left on the side of the trails which led to some fun snowball fights between the switchbacks of the trail.

The Sloan family is working at Ruby's Inn, just outside the entrance of the park. This meant that we had access to the laundromat, restaurants and most importantly... THE POOL!
After enjoying 90 degree weather just days before we were now at 7000 ft and bundled up in warm jackets and hats and watching the snow fly. Brrrr......
We explored more at Bryce the next day, completed our 11th Junior Ranger Program and headed out to Escalate/Grande Staircase area where we would meet up again with Sean and Emily.
Hiking the Escalate River

Who know there were so many high mountain passes in Utah!

A bit of alone time in the desert with my coffee

Oh Zion!!!

2009-05-07T11:22:00.001-07:00

Zion National Park. Can you even put it into words? Massive canyon walls, sandstone cliffs brown, pink, white and red. Rushing river, pools to swim in, waterfalls and frogs. Desert and meadows mixed in one. If i could be a bird perched atop a cliff in Zion I would be in heaven.

Zion has a bus system that runs on propane that will shuttle you for FREE throughout the canyon of the park with stops at all trail heads. You can also take it into the town of Springdale, just outside of Zion. I'm a huge fan and believe that all National Parks should find the funding for this transportation. The shuttle system eliminates traffic and parking problems, protect vegetation, and restore tranquility to Zion Canyon. For us it meant setting up camp and not having to move/drive anywhere for a week.
What do you do in Zion? Hike, bike, hike, read, hike, climb, hike, swim, hike, eat ice cream, hike, laugh with new friends and hike some more.

Our first night we took the shuttle to the top of the canyon and did The River Hike. We watched the walls change color with the setting sun, spyed on deer eating, played in small waterfalls and loved on where we we were.

Then came Angels Landing........

When you first start exploring options within the park you hear over and over again about the hike Angels Landing. Chains? Cliff drop offs? Sounds scary???!!! YES! Of course we had to do it! We decided it best to leave wild Avery at home. That meant that Jay and I would take turns with the kids. Jason and Ani went up one morning. We received a call from them that they were at Scouts Landing, almost at the top, but starring at the chains and cliffs and would have to chicken out on going to the "very top". That put the pressure on Kaleb and I. We would have to finish this.

Kaleb and I made it to the same spot as Jason and Ani and had to stop and stare for awhile. Goosebumps rose from our toes. It was indeed SCARY!! We decided to sit and watch others scramble up the cliff sides. After 10 minutes we put our brave faces on and slowly made our way. I won't lie, I was a nervous wreck. Kaleb remained calm and did Awesome. At the top we made our bragging phone calls, enjoyed the few and hid our snacks from the unashamed chipmunks. We then triumphantly made our way down!
A friend of ours we met in Joshua Tree, Leon, had written that he would be in Zion during the same week. Leon is a mountain guide at places like Mt. Rainer and Denali. He is also an avid sport climber. (rope). This would allow us to have the opportunity to go up some routes on famous walls known in the climbing world. Zion is just behind Yosemite when it comes to "big wall climbing". If you get the chance to go make sure and look UP while riding the shuttle. You will be sure to see climbers setting up camp high on these walls. Headlamps glow above at night.

We also celebrated Earth Day and Ani's 8th birthday in Zion. Springdale held a great little Earth Day festival with lots of booths, local produce and live music. Here we met Sean and Emily who are traveling in a vegi-oil fueled bus. We've learned lots from them and become good friends. We are still traveling with them today, 3 weeks later. Ani requested pizza for her birthday. We found a great little pizza parlor that served her favorite, Hawaiian. She was smile from ear to ear while opening her presents. Books, crafts and earrings. And all she wanted was dye to color eggs since we skipped that on Easter. Chocolate from Leon completed the celebration.
We also met Henk and Denise from Amsterdam. They camped next to us and sang and told stories with us around the fire every night. Henk has story after story after story and you laugh at sometime during everyone.
(Henk)

Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire

2009-04-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

We woke up early Easter morning and headed over to tour the Hoover Dam. Avery called us out when entering. We told the women she was 3. She is NOT 3, she is 4 and proud!!! Lucky for us she's so dang cute she still got in free.
Hoover Dam is amazing! I'm in awe and impressed with the men who built it. They worked 10 hours a day, every day, with only 1 day off a year. For not much money. A job is a job right? We're learning that first hand with our poor economy now.
We went on the generator tour and were able to go 500 feet into the belly of the damn dam to see for our selves these ginormous machines in action. We also learned that no one actually fell and died in the cement. Jason still doesn't believe this.
After the tour we went into the museum and exhibit hall. It has great interactive games for the kids to play with. They got to create their own generators and control the water intake for a city.

The large pipe behind Kaleb in the picture above is one of the 9 feeding the generators. Water flows through these pipes at 60 MPH at a rate of 80, 000 gallons per second! We could feel the whole room shaking and the noise from the water in our ears was LOUD!
Afterward we headed north along the banks of Lake Mead. On one side of the road is this huge man made lake and the other is nothing but barren desert. We stopped to smell the blooming cacti and kept our eyes open for bighorn sheep. The next day we entered Valley of Fire State Park. The rock here is amazing. I felt like I was back in Moab, UT area. Red rock surrounds the park and we found a wonderful campsite in the canyon. There is a lot of Native American history in the park. We hiked canyons full of petroglyphs. After 8 months of exploring pictographs and petroglyphs I'm still in awe at every one I see. I love sitting on a rock and looking at the land and the artwork and feeling the spirits of the people that once called these lands home.

Where's the meat? That's what Kaleb was wondering. He was bites away from finishing his meal when he realized that he forgot to put the actual burger in his bun. Guess he was hungry.

Viva Las Vegas

2009-04-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

How can you spend 3 days outside Las Vegas and not cruise the strip? We said we wouldn't, but curiosity got the best of us. Our first adventure was just trying to find the strip. We parked at The Rio and walked over. We entered from a parking garage belonging to Caesars Palace and had to ask how to even get out. When we finally did.......WHOA!!!
To make a not so long story shorter we walked up one side of the strip and down the other. Certain blocks required hands over Kaleb's eyes. Mouths wide open staring up. Free shows. Lions and M&M's. Water shows. Pirates. Volcano's. PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. We spent 3 hours total in the city before rushing out. Now we can check that off on the been there, done that. Although not even a penny spent in the slots. Hmmmm...

Til Death do us part

2009-04-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

Death Valley National Park::::
-largest National Park in the contiguous United States
-Badwater Basin salt pan= lowest point in Western Hemisphere at -282 feet
-record heat is 134 degrees Fahrenheit, only topped by the Sahara Desert by 2 degrees
-first humans settled here roughly 10,000 years ago (along the edge of a 30 foot deep lake)
-sparse yet thriving ecosystem
-surrounded by peaks 6,000-11,000 feet high
We werent' really sure what to expect before entering Death Valley. The name itself freaks you out. We entered from the west side and I had no idea the elevation gains and lows we'd hit. We would start at 5,000 ft only to drop to 1000 to raise again to 4500 before finally hitting sea level. Let's just say it was a good test on the new transmission.
The wildflowers were in full bloom. The sun wasn't shy either. It was rather "warm" for April, 85 degrees. I couldn't even imagine being here in mid-July.
First stop....the sand dunes!
Kaleb's eyes grew big as we approached. He begged Jason for a pit stop and I think we'd all agree that it was well worth the small walk out to the dunes. Ani couldn't believe how high some of them got. Who can walk on sand dunes with out trying "sand angels", rolling, jumping, flipping, hide and seeking and pure disbelief in the amazing natural landscape.
Avery loved looking for lizard and snake trails.
We camped at -200 feet below sea level on the full moon. The white clay and salt hills glowed in the moonlight. No flashlights necessary.
The next morning after the kids completed the Junior Ranger Program we continued on east into another great desert known as......Las Vegas. We are busy here exploring The Red Rock area. So far so good. One full day of climbing accomplished. Tomorrow is driving and hiking along "the loop".

We have takeoff...

2009-04-08T14:24:00.001-07:00

The transmission is fixed and we're on the road again. Faster and smoother than ever!
We've made it back to Lone Pine, the town we broke down in.
Tonight we'll camp in Death Valley and then move on east with a few days in the land surrounding Las Vegas.
We just wanted to thank everyone for the concerns and good vibes sent our way.
The Chinchens are back on the road again.
PEACE OUT!

Sooner or later

2009-04-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

SOB!!

Not a pretty sight is it.
It happened. We've been so fortunate on this journey, it was bound to happen sometime.
We were on our way to Death Valley National Park. I had been saying for weeks how the name just scared me. There was a reason......
For such a crappy thing to happen it couldn't have been at a better time really. We were just pulling into Lone Pine, the last town before venturing into "Death". We had stopped at a little corner produce stand to buy local veggies when WHAM....problems. Shifting problems= no good.
Jason tried everything that night, changing the oil, the transmission oil and filter but it was a no go. "The Grasshopper" needed a rest. We decided to take advantage of our free 100 mile towing from AAA (one of the best purchases before leaving home) and came back to Bishop, CA. We spent over a week here before and loved it and thought if we were going to be stuck, why not be in a cool town we could enjoy. No brainer right?
The transmission is blown. (SOB again.)
We are at a great mechanics, Jim Allen, and he is letting us "live" at his garage and even plug in. We are filling our time with *lots of walks around town, hanging in the coffee shop to have interent access, hitchhiking to the boulders to rock climb, playing at the park, watching movies and enjoying the sight of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
We hope to be out on the road again by the end of the week (cross your fingers) heading east to Colorado via Red Rocks (Las Vegas area) and Zion. There is a possibility of us working on an organic farm outside of Grand Junction for a bit. You all know the big smile that appears on my face at the thought of that.

--- "They crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun arises they flee away, and their place is not known where they are."

Bishop Bouldering

2009-04-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

2009-04-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

So Ridgecrest, Cali was somewhat of a bust. There were a few boulders there, but nothing I would say worth the drive. It wasn't all that bad....we did get to camp out in the desert one more night with our BC friends we met in Joshua Tree. And we found a desert tortoise!!! Now that was a score!
After a tearful goodbye to our friends, we headed north solo for the first time in 3 months!! First stop....Lone Pine, California. What an amazing place!!! The town lies at the base Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower US. We spent a week camped out by the river, fishing and watching for bears, which we never did see!
Just west of Lone Pine is an area known as The Alabama Hills. The hills are known as a backdrop to many film and commercials that are filmed here.
We know it as a place to play and boulder!
We heard a lot about Bishop, Cali while in Joshua Tree. It sounded a lot like what Bend, Oregon use to be. A small outdoorsy town with mountains on one side and desert on the other. Heaven to us. On the way we spend a few hours at Manzanar National Monument, a Japanese Relocation Center during the war. The history here is amazing and highly educational for the kids. The barracks are gone now but you can still see traces of them among the trees and weeds that have now grown. Remains of an old tea garden still remain as well as the cemetery. The kids completed the Junior Ranger Program here and received their 11th badge.
If you haven't driven Hwy 395 from Reno south through the Eastern Sierras's then your truley missing someting. It's a drive I highly recommend. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. The mountains tower above you at 14,000 feet. And even though it's April now we really haven't seen much snow. The spring weather is awesome!. (except for the wind that always seems to blow) Right before Bishop we pit stopped at some hot springs to relax and "freshen up".
We spent just over a week around the Bishop area. It is well known in the bouldering scene. I believe we've been on the rocks everyday since our arrival. We are now on our way through Death Valley and on to Red Rocks just outside of Las Vegas to meet and climb with some friends we met in Joshua Tree.

What a long strange Wonderful trip it's been

2009-03-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

HELLO to all our friends and family! It's been way to long. We've been out of cell/internet range for some while now. It's a good thing, it means we've been out playing in the wilderness!
We've been lots of places since I last wrote. It's been over a month, WOW! When will I ever find the time to catch up.
We entered California in January. Our first stop was Joshua Tree National Park. We spent 10 days up there and had the time of our lives. We met great people to enjoy the land with us. Pot luck dinners, big fires, singing and rock climbing filled our days. Wildlife passed us by daily. We saw bobcats, coyotes, road runners, lizards, foxes and rattlesnakes.
We also visited family. We spent 2 weeks with Jason's brothers family outside of Riverside, CA and then a week with his sister in Carlsbad on the beach. Then it was time for The Families on the Road Rally in Newport Beach. We've been on the FOTR forum since we left our home in August. There were a total of 14 families gathering. That made it 40 kids!!!!! We had such a great time laughing and creating friendships that will certainly last a life line. After 4 fun filled days we decided to hit the road with 4 other families. We spent more time in Carlsbad and then headed over to Slab City just east of the Salton Sea. If you haven't heard of this place it's a must google search. If you've seen the movie Into the Wild, Salvation Mountain is in it and Leonard himself gave us a tour. Since we were becoming sloths out in the 94 degree desert heat it was time to head back up to.....Joshua Tree. We hadn't had our fill yet and our climbing hands were starting to soften so it was no question to us that we needed back up on the rock. Our friends from our first visit were still up there and we fell right back into step. 2 weeks went by too quickly. We said goodbye yesterday and are now 3 hours north in Ridgecrest. We were invited up here to climb some unknown boulders. A book is being written about this new climbing area and hopefully some pictures of us will make it into the book. We'll let you know.
After a week here it looks like we might head up to Bishop, CA just east of Yosemite and near Mammoth Lakes. We keep hearing of this town and feel like we'd be missing out if we don't check it out ourselves. Then down to the Las Vegas area to climb with some friends in Red Rocks. After that it looks like we'll be heading east towards Colorado with a pitstop in Zion.
I hope to have some decent internet and TIME to post pictures soon of our month.
We hope everyone is well and getting a small taste of spring. The wildflowers here are just starting to pop open. I'm sure I'll have plenty of picture of those too.
XOXO

Phoenix Art Museum Donation Tuesday

2009-02-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

While in Phoenix we took a "field trip" to the Phoenix Art Museum.

Popular exhibitions feature artists such as Rembrandt, Norman Rockwell, Annie Leibowitz and Monet. More than 18,000 stunning works of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern and contemporary art are shown here.

The museum is a maze 3 stories tall. We wandered for 4 hours and could have spent many more. We learned lots while there.

We spent some time quizzing a museum security agent about art theft and learned that it's almost always an inside job. We walked through rooms holding pieces over 400o years old.

We spent a lot of time talking about art and its meaning. We learned that art can be fun and interactive as in the piece "fireflies" where you enter a dark room filled with mirrors that has tiny lights suspended like stars throughout the space.

The lights slowly changed colors and faded. We eventually found our way out of the other end of the room.

"Mass" was the charred remains of a church that burned down after being struck by lightning. The pieces were hung in a perfect square in space.

We would like to visit other art museums in the future and compare what we saw. This was the biggest collection of work we've seen yet. Phoenix was pretty impressive.

2009-02-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

The hardest part of leaving Bend, Oregon 6 months ago was saying goodbye to all our wonderful friends. We had a great group of friends there and still do. Lucky for us, most of them love adventure. And they are all looking for ways to meet us on the road and experience a little bit of Chinchen roadtripping.
Chris and Amy have been friends of ours since Kaleb was a baby. They've watched our family grow and now we're excited for their little one that will be here in a few more months. Chris, Amy and "Obie" flew down to Phoenix to go on a little camping trip with us. They have a friend, Amy, who lives in Phoenix. We kidnapped her and took her on a 3 day trip into the Arizona wilderness. She became our navigator and GPS unit, we've nicknamed her Amy3K.

After an exciting reunion and hot breakfast it was time to hit the road. Jason and Chris are old skateboarding buddies. Our first stop was at the Tempe skatepark where the guys "played" while the ladies made the weekend menu and filled up the cupboards. After that we headed east and found an old ghost town to explore. Camp wasn't much further down the road near Apache Lake.

Sunday we wanted to find our way to Tonto National Monument. This would require a 15 mile trip down a crazy one lane dirt road with hairpin turns and cliffs on one side. Jason worked through the pressure of getting his family and friends down safely. Perhaps we should have researched our route a little better before heading out, but then again then we would've missed out a lots of laughs and funny memories.
After making it safely down the mountain we stopped for a lake front lunch and some rock throwin. A quick stop at Theodore Roosevelt Dam and we were on our way to Tonto National Monument and more cliff dwellings. These shallow caves are nearly 700 years old and lived in by the Salado people. Unlike the other ruins we've visited, we were able to explore the inside of the dwellings. Rock tools still littered the land and the kids had fun pretending to hunt and gather food.

When out in the wilderness with 5 adults, 3 kids and a dog, some fun memories are sure to be made. Our favorite....deciding to pull off onto a dirt road and find some camping deep in the Arizona desert wilderness. Enter the Cholla Cactus, otherwise known as The Teddy Bear Cactus. BEWARE....DO NOT TOUCH, DO NOT GO NEAR, in fact DON'T EVEN LOOK AT THE PLANT.
Cholla have tubercles, small wart like projections on the stem. These spines WILL jump at you and attach themselves into your skin requiring long BBQ tongs to pull out. Just ask Ani or the dog. They will also pop every single one of your bike tires if you happen to back into one trying to get the perfect spot. They will stick to your flip flops and poke your feet. You will be afraid. I don't think I need to say more.

We cooked a mexican feast in the cholla forest, had a girls spa night in the RV, sang and danced around the fire, and rested for our big hike the next day. Amy3K led us on a beautiful hike within the Superstition Wilderness. We hiked through canyons and Saguaro Cacti. It was a warm sunny blue sky day. We didn't make it to the top, but got far enough in to witness the amazing scenery that hides behind the city. After our hike and 3 days out camping, Chris's cousins welcomed all of us stinky folks into their home in Mesa, Arizona for a BBQ dinner. I was introduced to the game Rock Band where my alter-ego jumped out and jammed it on the guitar and microphone. Who'd a thunk I had that in me. It was a blast.
As Obama was being sworn in as our next president it was time to say goodbye to our dear friends. It was sad to see them leave. The next time we see them they will be momma and papa. We can't wait to kiss, hug and hold the baby. Amy3K welcomed us into her home for a few more days. We again took advantage of hot showers and clean clothes. Phoenix now reminds us good friends and fun. We're glad to have a place to call home if we ever go back.

Home is where you park it

2009-02-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

Quartzsite, Arizona. How do I explain it to you.
Sleepy Saguaro desert one day, busy urban city the next.
It's absolutely crazy. RVer's from all over the country and even oversees come here every year to live on the BLM land that surrounds this tiny desert town. Flea markets are set up left and right and stretch on for miles. New folks pull in every day and stake out their plot for the winter season.
We were told what to expect, but I don't think we truly understood what really took place out here in the winter oasis.

Normally by Jan 1st the hundreds and hundreds or acres of BLM land that surround this sleepy community is practically full. With the economy in a rut we we're told it was slow, but it sure got busy for us!. There are no hook-ups or water. Just empty land waiting for you to find. After a few tries we found the spot we would call "Home" for the month. Out a bit away from the madness, the way we like it, yet close enough to town that we were able to ride our bikes to the flea markets, library and grocery stores. That's about it for the town of Quartzsite.
One word of advice...fill your cupboards before arriving!!! You may find great deals at the flea markets, but it all catches up to you when it's time to stock the fridge. Food at the local Markets is very expensive and not that great of quality...Green meat anyone? We ended up taking 2 trips to Blythe, California, just over the border. There is an Albertsons there and its worth the drive if you need more than a few items.
What did we do with our month out in the desert? We did lots and lots of reading, learned how to knit, wrote and played songs, perfected the Smore, hit golf balls into the desert, made new friends, jump roped, built forts and whittled away at some of winter.

During our time in Quartzsite we were lucky enough to have family visit not once, but TWICE. My brother drove down from Colorado to spend Christmas with us and Jason's brother and his family picked up his mom who happened to be down in Palm Springs and drove over for a fun-filled day. Familiar faces bring lots of happiness when you've been "lost on the road" for 5 months. We ate every minute up while with them all.

TheWhoFarm

2009-02-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

I sat down tonight with the intentions of writing another blog.
I was catching up on blogs I read by others when I came across this....

TheWhoFarm

Did you sign the petition?????

Petrified Forest National Park

2009-02-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

So here I sit in Southern California in the snow. Yes, that's right, I "wrote" snow. We just can't seem to hid from winter. We've had our share of warm sunny days over the last month so I shouldn't complain but really, enough is enough. I giggle when we turn on the news and hear nothing but talk of "the big storm". That means it's been raining for 4 days straight now. I know places are flooding from this but I come from Oregon. It rains/snows/sleets/hails/slushes and shines the sun daily. And I mean all of that in one day. I joke that it's sometimes exhausting watching the weather.
The point of all this babble is that because I can't go outside I've found time and ran out of excuses not to update our blog. I love blogging but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed when I look back and realize the last time I truly did was when we were stuck in "the big storm" of Durango, Colorado back in early December.
So we've made it to California. It's been a fun journey along the way.
We escaped Colorado and spent a day in northern Arizona in Petrified Forest National Park. The place is littered with petrified logs. Not tiny bits of pieces here and there, actual LOGS. It's amazing!
To my surprise we've stumbles upon many archeological sites in the southwest. I wasn't aware on the amount of Native American history here. We've seen cliff dwelling after cliff dwelling. Found pottery on the ground and irrigation ditches built to water the crops. Petrified Forest was another happy history lesson. Over 650 sites have been found within the park. Old Route 66 also passes through. It was fun to cross paths again with the old road as we spent some time on it while in Flagstaff.
After a hike filled day we continued to head south. Again, we hit snow. Are you surprised by this yet? Feet and feet of white powder sat along the side of the road. Snowmen built by Phoenix city folk waved at us as we drove by. I am still shocked at how far south the snow really flies. I had no idea Arizona even got snow. I've learned now and I'll never doubt Old Man Winter again.
Our plan was to spend the night in Payson, AZ, and hour north of Phoenix. We arrived late in the afternoon and played in the sun for a bit. As soon as the sun set, I was reminded that yes, it was December. It was so cold out that we decided we had enough and drove late into the night south to Phoenix. From here we would drive east to Quartzsite, AZ. We spent an entire month there. I will continue on tomorrow with stories from our winer in the sun, finally.
Right now it's time for dinner. And being at families house, I get to cook it on a real stove, eat it on real dinnerware with the heater on while the snow flies outside.

Prepare yourselves!!!

2009-02-08T22:44:00.000-08:00

Beware......I've decided that enough is enough and I've told myself that tomorrow I am sitting down and catching up on blog writing.
If I slack I need you all to harass me. Give me til the evening please, then...game on.

Til then.........

a hint of comfort in the air

2009-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

you all know that smell. the smell of homemade bread.
it's a comfort to us all. makes our guards drop and our mouths water as we await the first bite.

i've been a loyal fan to the publication Mother Earth News. I've been buying it on the road, even though it will be sometime before i build my passive solar home with my organic garden out on my acreage of wilderness i will one day own.
but that doesn't stop me. the latest issue as an article about easy homemade bread. now if i can accomplish this in an RV, surely you'll all have no problem.

you'll need:::
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp yeast (1 1/2 packages)
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt or sea salt
6 1/2 cups white flour

in a big bowl, mix water and yeast. add remaining ingrediants. stir with wooden spoon until moist (not long). let rise 2 hours. but in fridge.
now this will last for up to 2 weeks. the longer it sits, the more sourdough-y.

when you want some fresh bread, sprinkle the top of your dough w/ flour, grab out a handful (grapefruit size)and place on cookie sheet. preheat oven to 450. let sit for 30 min and then bake. put a small bowl of water on bottem of oven. that's it! with this recipe you should get 4 balls of bread. like i said, you can use it 4 days in a row or use it over a 2 week time. when it's all gone, don't wash the bowl, just make the dough over again. this will speed up the sourdough flavor.

ENJOY!

2009-01-08T13:05:00.001-08:00

HELLO friends and family! It's been awhile since we've updated. Thought I'd sneak into the local library and give you all a quick update. Sorry, no pictures this time, but believe me, we've got lots to share.
We escaped winter once again. We loved Durango but in the dead of winter in a motor home, it wasn't a long stay. The sky opened up and the sun showed her face...it was time to make a run for it.
We drove over to Petrified Forest National Park in northern Arizona. What an amazing place. Logs, and I mean BIG logs of petrified wood laid scattered about. Kaleb was in absolute heaven, drooling with all the rocks surrounding him. The warning of picking up rocks and possible time spent in jail hung over him like a black cloud. Hard to forget when you see cameras all over the place. (A weird sight in a National Park.)
Winter was still a threat so we quickly made our way over to Quartsite, Az. We've been here about 3 weeks now. It's been nice to "stay put". The kids got their groove on with schoolwork and have been busy building forts out in the desert and knitting hats galore. My brother drove down to spend the holiday with us and Nan-Nan and Uncle Justin and his family drove over for a day visit Jan 1st.
We will be here another week before we make the trek back to Phoenix to spend some time with some friends of ours from Bend, OR that are flying in to see us. We can't wait to kick it by a campfire with them for a few nights. Then over to Cali and Joshua Tree and the Salton Sea. After that we will visit Aunty Leah and park it a bit in Uncle Justin's driveway near Riverside, CA. Then it looks like a roadtrip back north with possible settlement in the Portland, OR area. We've had fun exploring the SW but realize we are true NorthWesters.
In Feb. will be camping for a weekend near L.A with other "Families on the Road". I have a link to the website over to the left. We joined this website when we first left Bend and have become friends with a few other families, following and learning from them on their journey. This will be a great get together and we are looking forward to finally meeting and playing with them.
I must get going now, the librarian is shooting me funny faces, guess my time is up.
We hope you all had a enjoyable holiday and a safe and happy New Year. Hopefully we'll be crossing paths with many of you soon!
Love to all!!!

Durango December

2008-12-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

What were we thinking????
It started out like this.......
And currently, we're at this..

Bisbee Blue

2008-12-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

Sun shiny blue-bird kinda day. If still in Bend, we'd be rushing to the mountain to snowboard and smile. Here we wake up and pinch ourselves and think... Is it really December? I will admit, it's a little hard to get into the holiday spirit when it's 70 degrees and the sun is bright. In my mind it's still Sept. I mean really, how can I be wearing a t-shirt and shorts when Santa is about to visit?

Bisbee, AZ has been our home for 3 weeks now. The town lies in a valley surrounded by brown mountains covered in arizona walnut trees. On top of one of the local mountains is a white cross. We've been staring at that cross since day 1. We were told there was a trail to the top. Now that we're thinking of venturing on sometime this week, we thought it was time to conquer that hill.
The journey began in town. We were fortunate to meet some extremely friendly guys our first night here who invited us up to park in front of their house during our stay. Lucky for us, they lived on one of the only flat roads in Bisbee.
We figured from their house to the top of the mountain is about 2 miles. That would make it 4 miles round trip. And would you believe, Little Miss Avery made it ALL the way up and ALL the way back All by herself. YAY!!!!

The top of the hill is a memorial built by a couple in the 1980's. People trek up here to remember loved ones, reflect, sit and think, enjoy the view and be on top of the world for a bit. Which is exactly what we did...til my cell phone rang. :) (It's okay Leah)
With the hike out of the way there are only a few more "must-do's" to check off our list in Bisbee. One of those would be The Queen Mine tour. We've promised the kids we won't leave without and trust me, they'll hold us to that.
You all know by now that our route changes everyday, if not twice a day. Snow and cold lie not that far north. It's been tough on me lately as I "think" I know that when the time comes to settle it won't be this far down. We really want to explore Colorado but not in a motorhome in the dead of winter. April and snow melt seem so far off. So what do you do when in Arizona in Jan? QUARTZSITE, AZ baby! Quarzsite is a small town north of Yuma. Every winter 100,000's of Rv'ers and travelers join up to live on the BLM land that surrounds the town and have a flea market. From what we here so many people come that you can walk around the desert for a month and not see everything. We figure it's a good place to live rent free and meet lots of interesting folks. We'll take the next 3 weeks to explore a bit of Southern New Mexico and zig-zag back through Phoenix and over.
Looks like this is where we'll be spending Christmas. We're excited cause Uncle Brian is coming out to the desert to spend the holiday with us. Hopefully Santa can find us to. Does he slip in through the stove vent?

It's a Tombstone Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T17:26:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!
It's turkey day. It's a Tombstone Thanksgiving. We took a vacation from our "vacation" and drove over to The Wild West. Tombstone, Arizona.

We arrived on Wed. afternoon and hopped out to hear gunshots in the OK Corral which is located right across the street from where we are staying. We couldn't wait to take a walk down the dirt roads and see for ourselves the place many outlaws robbed banks, drank in the saloons and fought for their lives.
(See the "marshals" hanging out on the benches in the background)
It's great here. Folks dressed in 1800 costumes roam the street and stay in character. In fact, it wasn't until late last night while safe in our RV that Kaleb realized that the guns were FAKE. During our walk yesterday he was under the impression that this was all real and at any moment a real gunfight was going to take place and hopefully he wouldn't caught in the middle.
If we're not out roaming the deserted streets or cooking up a storm in the "kitchen" we've spent the remainder of our time in Tombstone having a movie marathon. We started with Kung Fu Panda and wore 3-D glasses during Journey to the Center of the Earth. Legend of Butch and Sundance was thrown into the mix today.
We hope you enjoyed your day today. We miss you and are forever thankful for all our family and friends that have supported us along the way.
xoxoxo

(he's either doing CPR or trying to get it to fit in the motorhome oven??)

A moment to catch up

2008-11-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

Miles behind us and many pictures to share. Let's catch up.
While in Flagstaff a month ago, we took a day trip through Oak Creek Canyon and down into Sedona, Arizona. Beauty surrounds the town that is built amongst cliffs and mesas, but one day was enough for us. The drive from Flagstaff to Sedona is well worth the trip.
Oak Creek Canyon::::
In Oak Creek Canyon is Slide Rock State Park. During the summer the canyon is packed with people sliding down the natural water slide. The day we were there was a little chilly. Kaleb was the only brave soul willing to give it a try. His outlook on it was, he might never get this chance again. Gotta love the kids attitude!!!!

As we drove into Sedona we were greeted with a thunderstorm. As we watched to clouds approach the locals assured us that it wouldn't rain. They were wrong. It poured cats and dogs. We took the opportunity to get shelter inside The Red Planet Diner. Some folks we met in Moab recommended the place. It is filled with alien and spacecraft decor. We filled up on a huge banana split and by the time we left I had Anika convinced that our server was really an alien. She watched her back as we walked out the door.

After Flagstaff we headed south to see some more cliff dwellings. First stop, Montezuma's Well. Montezuma's Well is a sinkhome, a collapsed underground limestone cavern filled with water. More than a million gallons of water a day flow continuously from the sinkhole. It is constant 70 degrees. The Sinagua's built dwellings above the sinkhole and below is an irrigation canal built by them to water the surronding lands and crops. Amazing!

Montezuma's Castle is a 5 story, 20 room castle from the Sinagua's more than 600 years ago. Early settlers to the area assumed that the "castle" was connected to the Aztec emperor Montezuma, but we now know it was actually abandoned almost a centry before Montezuma was even born.

Tuzigoot, another Sinagua ruin.
Ever been to Jerome? Located up on Cleopatra Hill between Flagsaff and Prescott its an old mining/ghost town. It is now filled with artist galleries and old saloons. We ate at a great burger joint called The Haunted Hamburger. Supposedly the ghosts still roam the building. We didn't see any but again had Ani convinced they were there. All in good fun I swear. Even knowing we were in a ghost town the older two chicklins were okay with me going into the saloon to watch Jay play the open mic there. I think I was more nervous about leaving them then they were.

After Jermoe we spent a few days in Prescott, AZ. We really liked it there but for those of you that have been following our blog know that we woke up to snow one morning and didn't think twice about splitting town. We did make it to Heritage Park Zoo, an animal sactuary before we left.
We then headed down the mountains and towards Phoenix and as the traffic got heavier we decided to keep on driving..... right on through. All I know of Phoenix is the Goodwill store and the great book selection they have. From what I hear, we're not missing much.
Our next stop...Casa Grande Ruins.
Casa Grande, meaning "the great house" was built by the Hohokam. The land surronding it was litterally littering with pottery. The kids being the great Junior Rangers that they are left them there, as hard as it was.

From here we spent a night in Picachu Peak State Park, north of Tucson. We pulled in early and spent the day exploring the desert, surronded by Saguara Cacti. This has been one of Kaleb's favorite spots. It was nice to have a day to chill in the sun, read, catch up on schoolwork, explore, watch the sunset and roast some marshallows.

I think we could've spent a few days at Picachu but it was time to catch up on laundry and find some hot showers. The next day we left for Tucson and found a RV park with a swimming pool. YIPPEE!!
During this quick stop we learned that we don't fair well in the city. The big life is just too much for us. :) We decided that we had enough. Our clothes were clean, the fridge stocked. We'd head to Bisbee, AZ. Bisbee is a town we heard about before leaving Bend. It's been somewhat of our final destination, as we haven't really looked at a map beyond this point. It's time to start researching New Mexico.
Before leaving Tucson we found a local who showed us an canal ditch to skate and spent the rest of the day having fun at the zoo.

We've been enjoying our time in Bisbee, Az for over a week. We still like it here, although one thing I'm learning on this journey is that I really like water. I haven't seen any since we left Moab. They say they have a river here, The San Jose..but i would call it a muddy creek. I think I may need to settle somewhere where there is a river or lake and some green trees would be nice. One thing I've never seen before is a pomegrante tree. I had to look twice when I walked past one. The trees grow all over town. I lost track of the number of pomegrante we've eaten weeks ago. They've been a constant in the fridge, so to be able to pick them from a tree on a walk is heaven in the kids eyes.
Now don't get me wrong, I love it here. I'm just not sure it could be forever. We'll enjoy the rest of our time here and when the time comes to hit the road again we'll be thankful for the time we've spent and the friends made.

Recycle-aholics Anonymous

2008-11-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

Question on the day???
How the heck you recycle when you live on the road?
I'm a recycler. My husband would take it further, Im a recyclaholic! I recycle EVERYTHING! I can not throw a piece of paper in the garbage. Wasn't a problem in Bend. We had one huge container outside our door that took everything. Glass, cardboard, paper, plastic, you name it. You just chucked it all in there, put it out on your curb and every Wed. a big blue truck came and took all the goodies away.

I've been trying real hard while on the road. I've saved everything. Burned the paper goods when we stopped to camp. Pulled up to a town with buckets full of empty water bottles and cans from cooking. But what do you do if the town isn't recycle friendly? This is killing me!!!! I've actually had to throw it all in a dumpster, just to get rid of it. Yes, it was a restless night for me.

We now buy big containers of spring water and put in our own water bottles, that saves some space. But there is still a lot of recycle waste that I''m having to throw away. it's killing me!!
I wish i could compost on the road too. I bet there's a way. I need to research that.
HELP!!

nomads on the road

2008-11-16T15:27:00.001-08:00

Let me start real quick by reminding you all that I ended my last blog with the word Snowflake. I was bragging how we always skip town just before Old Man Winter falls down. After I finished my blog we drove up to a campsite near Granite Peak in Prescott, Arizona. As we were eating dinner the dog was whining outside. She was persistent about being let in. I finally caved in only to open the door too.....SNOW! Yep, the joke was on me. We cranked up the heater, slept well and drove out of town further south the next morning.
We are now in Bisbee, Arizona. Just 6 miles from the Mexico border. Bisbee is an old, old, old mining town. It is wonderful!!!! Old houses lie on stacked up the hill. Old stairways are everywhere leading down to town. The history is great, the energy is great and the people couldn't be more welcoming. We've been here 3 days and have already been offered a driveway to live in, been invited to a birthday party, played open mics, laughed with numerous families in the park and i think tomorrow i'll go see if i can find myself a little part-time temporary job. I have a feeling we may be calling this home for awhile. At least through the holiday.

Those who know us well know how fascinated we are by the Native Americans. Those who are just meeting us, they will figure this out soon. We've spent countless hours roaming the ancient dried up lake beds of Oregon. We found proof on the ground that they were there. We felt the energy in the woods or desert. We thought we had it good. And we did.....but nothing like what we're finding here in Arizona.

Ever since we crossed the state line we've been exploring cliff dwellings and pueblos. Yes, we would be the ones drooling as we walk the trails. The ones shaking as we walk across pottery shards.

We've been learning a lot about the Sinagua. The Sinagua were a pre-Columbian cultural group occupying an area in central Arizona between approximately 500 AD and 1425 AD. Sinagua is derived from the Spanish words sin meaning "without" and agua meaning "water".
Early Sinagua sites consisted of pit-houses. At our latest outing at the Casa Grande Ruines a little south of Phoenix, Kaleb was busy completing his Junior Ranger assignments. One of the questions asked him to compare the Sinagua pit house living and the lifestyle to his own.
Well, pit houses were one room. He smirked as he realized his "current house" is in fact, ONE ROOM! Sinagua's were nomads, a community of people who move from one place to another. Now, we may not be following a herd of buffalo, but we do roam. The Sinagua's vanished. To this day we are not sure what exactly made them leave. Over the last month we have gained a habit of meeting new people and then telling them we'll see themagain in a few days and then, POOF...we're gone,vanished, on the road again. Not intentional, we're just NOMADS.

Sweet Times

2008-11-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

Life is good. All is well.
We are just ahead of old man winter. It seems to snow within 48 hours of us leaving a town. Not bad for not following the weather reports. We've had to turn on the heater a few times at night, but so far so good.

It's crispy today. A fall chill is in the air. We're in Prescott, Arizona right now. We are falling in love. Tack another town on the list for "potential settlement". It too is a lot like Bend, OR. But milder I hear. Flagstaff and winter lie 95 miles to the north while Phoenix and it's blazing sun is 95 miles to the south. So I guess if your sick of the weather here, change is a short drive away. I'm thinking the town itself is a bit bi-polar in the weather department. Yesterday was 80. Warm for us. I got up this morning ready to put on shorts and a tank, only to find clouds and a high of 50. Brrrrr.........
We've done lots of exploring between Flagstaff and here. Native American cliff dwellings and spooky ghost towns. Cacti stingings and tarantula hunts have also filled our days.
Before we left Flagstaff, we celebrated Halloween.

I tried hard to find a pumpkin patch in Northern Arizona. You know, the kind on a farm, with spitting llamas, hay mazes and carmel corn. I failed in that department, so we settled for some pumpkins being sold in an old gravel parking lot. Not quite the same, but we still got our pumpkins. That's what matters, right.The kids couldn't wait for school to be done the next day. Carving was on their minds. ART CLASS! KK and Ani had a blast. Avery would have nothing to do with the pumpkin guts. GROSS!

(no we didn't pick up another kid, this is our friend Michael. The kids spent all week helping him build a tree house behind the RV park we stayed in)
We heard stories from the locals all week long. To put it mildly, Flag LOVES Halloween. The kids were "decorated" but Jay and I weren't. We were the ones feeling odd and left out. EVERYONE dresses up and roams the streets. We took the kids to a carnival first and then zig-zaged our way through neighborhoods to historic downtown. Every store was open with workers dressed up handing out candy. On every corner awaited huge containers stocked with sweets waiting for little hands to grab as much as they could hold. Charlie Browns Great Pumpkin was shown on a big screen in the town square. People everywhere, in every costume imaginable, in character, not skipping a beat.

We're all stocked up on candy. We've made smores with peanut butter cups, kit kats, hershey crunch and butterfingers. The kids insist the stash will last a year, i give it 3 more weeks.

We had fun in Flagstaff and will consider it "home" when the time comes. For now we journey on. Surprises await around each corner. We'll spend a few more days in Prescott before heading south a bit more. That is unless i see a snowflake.

Just another day

2008-10-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

I've written about the fun and exciting adventures we've been on. I've shown you pictures of the awesome places we've seen. But what about days like this? Not every day is filled with new and exciting travels. We have days when Jason is working. School days. Weekends that we do nothing but relax. Days when we make check marks on the list of chores that need to be done. Those days are everyday when living in a house. We don't think twice about them. We may moan and groan a little but carry on the same. A few months ago I would vacuum every single day (extreme? some people thought so). I'd DRIVE 5 blocks to the grocery store to get milk or bread. There was always a load of laundry going. Who would dare to skip a day with a family of 5?
Things are a bit different now. I have learned to let the dirty clothes go. (or forget that they are hidden behind the shower curtain.) I really have no choice. I spend about 2 hours a week in a random town, in a dingy laundromat, usually talking to others about their travels as our clothes spin out the dirt. We no longer have a vehicle, other than our "home on wheels". And trust me, with the cost of gas, you don't want to drive it down the block for butter. We all have bikes and they are our means of transportation. We ride our bikes almost everywhere with backpacks on to carry our "souvenirs" home. I'm actually falling in love with bike transportation. (so are my hips and backside). I cant' believe the rusty bikes were stacked up against the house unused for so many years. I feel so lazy when I look back and thought it was a haul to the library only 2 miles away.

Now that we've made it to the Southwest we are staying still in towns for a week or more. Living in RV parks to explore the area around us or to work for a bit. It's nice to not empty our wallets into the gas tank everyday. The kids like the breaks. It helps focus more on school because we have more of a "routine" in the morning. They are able to meet other kids in the campgrounds and run, laugh and play. They spent the whole day yesterday with their new friend Michael building a tree house out in the woods behind the park.
I had planned on showing you pictures here of everyday life in a RV while on the road. Pictures of the kids doing school work, us washing the motorhome, haircuts and meal time. But i seemed to have misplaced my camera cord. The kids insisted a walk to the mini mart for slush puppies would help clear my head and I'd come back to find it, but nope. All I've found is a sugar rush. Perhaps I should use that energy to haul my dirty clothes to the washing machine. Giddy Up!

I'll end with a little introduction to Shawn Mullins. He is one of our favorite musicians and we're lucky enough to have scored tickets and a babysitter to our 3rd show this past weekend. He's been in our CD player since we left the northwest and is great road trip music to play. I insist on every one of you rushing out to your local music store and purchasing a cd. I won't tell you which one, they are all great.

Flagstaff VS Bend....Round 1

2008-10-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

If I were brave enough to go out into the morning chill and take a picture right now, you would wonder if we were back in Bend, OR.
Ponderosa pine and Juniper trees, cinder pits, wildfires, obsidian chips, dust, hiking trails galore, all 4 seasons, and ski mountains surround us...ahhhhh, the high desert.
Instead of the Deschutes River meandering through downtown like Bend, here we have the ever present sound of the Santa Fe Railroad. The tracks lie right in the middle of historic downtown and all day and night the train horns blow as they trek on down the track. Dinner last night at the Flagstaff Brewery was interrupted by a train and the kids grabbing on to their water glasses with the shake of freight passing by.
Flagstaff is smaller than Bend, although with 2 Interstates running through, it feels a bit busier at first. The downtown areas of both towns have somewhat of the same feel although Flagstaff is a bit rougher around the edge. We kind of like that. The breweries here are filled with ping pong tables and live music instead of football games on TV and wealthy tourists. There seems to be a good music scene here although it may be too small for Coldplay to pass through. But let's jump for joy for one moment because Jason and I have tickets to the Shawn Mullins concert tonight and a babysitter for the kids!!!
We all rode our bikes to the Flagstaff AquaPlex a few nights ago for family swim. Water slides, lazy rivers, whirlpools and hot tubs filled up our night followed by some good needed sleep. Fun times like that help us feel a bit at home in unfamiliar towns. I'm slowing getting a sense of direction and almost feel confident enough to explore on my own with the kids while Jason is at work. There is a lot to explore here. So much so that it's a town that's now at the top of our list when the time comes to settle down.

Moab......land of climbing,hiking, biking, smiles and fun

2008-10-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

We left Bend, Oregon last August to explore our country, learn more about ourselves and each other and maybe find a "new home". Moab, UT was the first town we stayed in that we could maybe picture ourselves living in. Of course we've really just started this search and have lots more to explore. Adventure wise it had lots to entertain us. Rock climbing, National Parks, hiking, biking, rivers, etc. But it's also a very small town (no Target here) and it gets HOT in the summer. We're talking 98 degrees hot 3 months in a row. Being there in Oct. in 80 degree weather while Bend was getting it's first blanket of snow was heaven to us. We couldn't help but call our friends to brag that we were going swimming in an outdoor pool! Yee-Haw

The kids loved rock climbing at The Feathers in WA and are somewhat addicted now. Moab is famous for rock climbing. So the first stop....finding a kids harness and rock climbing shoes for Ani. She's in love with the sport, now searching climbing videos on the web and asking when the next outing is. When she grows up she's going to be an Olympic champ. By then it will be probably be an event.

We liked the feel of Moab so much and there was so much for us to explore that we decided to hold base camp here. We stayed at an RV park with caretakers that were so nice to our kids and us. They came by every day to take the kids feed the fish in the pond and complimented us more than once on how wonderful our kids are. (pat on the back).
We spent our first full day out at some rocks along the Colorado River. They even had rock art nearby. Ani scales up the rock like a natural. Kaleb is a pretty amazing climber himself. He scaled a 5.9 like a champ. Jay was able to climb some more complicated rocks with a couple from Colorado. Even Avery tried it out. Now I climbed a bit when I lived in Seattle but I'll just say it right here...... I'm a mother of 3 and a weak wimp now. I'm scared to death of falling and your likely to find me clinging to the rock with tears in my eyes begging Jay to lower me. It's only when I raise my voice and my frustration echos throughout the canyon that he listens. :)

We took the next 2 days to really do....nothing. We'd been going, going, going since leaving Anacortes, WA that it felt good to just relax. We swam, we read, we napped, we drank margaritas. We met lots of nice people around camp. The kids were able to socialize and play late into the night. Cheap glow sticks are hours of fun! Saturday was the farmers market in Moab and we're trying hard to buy fresh, local produce. Being late in the season there wasn't much to chose from, but we still had fun. Moab has a great bike trail system and we biked from one side of town to the other without having to cross a street. We stumbled across a rad musical playground. I am going to petition for every town across America to build one of these!

After a stop at the local thrift store we rode our bikes to the BMX track. To our surprise they had a local competition going on. We tried hard to get Kaleb to compete but it was a solid NO! We stuck around and cheered for the little kids and clapped when they got their awards. Then it was the Chinchen's turn to race. Who knew we'd be some competitive against each other. Ani had no mercy when it came to racing her mom and flew right on by giggling the whole way. I was no competition for Kaleb as he aired over the big dirt mounds.

What's left? We saved the best for last. Arches National Park!!!! Located just 5 miles outside of Moab. Could you even imagine?

I don't even know if i should try to describe the beauty within. Words will do no justice. I think I'll just say that make it a priority to find time in your life to visit. I'll just leave you with pictures and your own thoughts.

We're in Flagstaff now. At 7000 ft. the altitude shocked us the first 24 hours. We looked like some pathetic tourists crawling through town holding our chests. We've recovered now and will be here til Nov. 1st. Jay found a temporary job at a local cabinet shop. It's nice to make some money, be able to check out the town and see if it's a place we want to come back to. Flagstaff is a lot like Bend. It's amazing. I could take a picture outside right now and you wouldn't be sure what town we were actually in. They do get more snow here which Kaleb is fine with, he wants to make sure he doesn't forget how to snowboard. This is one requirement from him...find a home that also has snow.
Lot's of adventures to be had here. They have cliff dwellings nearby, volcanoes to explore, lots of hiking and Shawn Mullins is playing here Sat. and we think we found a babysitter.

Lost in the Swell

2008-10-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

SAN RAFAEL SWELL....
Ever heard of it? Yeah, us neither. We headed into Utah without really a plan or even a clue as to what magical landscape this part of the country held. We've seen pictures and heard stories but one can't even imagine til standing deep within a red walled canyon. Layer upon layer of the earth's different sediments above you.
The Swell is desolate desert badlands with Native American rock art panels thousands of years old and dinosaur fossils over 100 million years old, hidouts and evidence of shoot outs from Butch Cassidy, canyon gorges rising 1000 feet below you or mesas towering 1000's of feet above you. No paved roads to be seen and 2000 miles of roads on BLM to explore. Now how could you pass a place like this up.
We picked up a nifty brochure at a small local museum with self guided driving tours inside. The route we picked would eventually drop us out to I-70 in southern Utah leading to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. It is labeled as a day drive. HA!
We drove down the Swell as it was getting to be dinner time. We didn't make it far in and found a nice pull out with a fire ring already made. We explored a small canyon at camp, had dinner and a nice big fire. As we slept that night the wind started to pick up. Seems to be the theme for us while camping in canyons. The next morning we decided to brave the winds, put on some sunglasses to block the flying sand and head around the bend to hike up a canyon known as Furniture Draw. It winded through canyon walls and while I enjoyed to view, I couldn't help but become paranoid as the clouds north of us showed rain and I swore a flash flood was going to round the bend at any moment sweeping my family away. We've all heard the stories.
We braved the wind and sand storms back to the motorhome to venture on. We read that just beyond our camp was a dinosaur footprint on top of a sandstone ledge. Avery just couldn't get over this. I think it's been her favorite spot on the trip thus far.
We camped just down the road from here and the local sheriff that patrols this land got a kicked out of us only accomplishing a mile a day. We were really cruising if we got past 2.
The highlight of this road is a panal of petrogyphs over 2000 years old. The "artwork" was done by Barrier Canyon people. Little is know of these people and they are still a mystery to us today.
We took the opportunity to have "art class" here and the kids pulled out their journals and spent time sketching the wall.

We drove as far as the dirty San Rafael River that night. We pulled into a camp early and hiked up a cayon along the river. We were having a blast til we were somewhat deep in and found some cougar skat. We paused, thought about it for a minute and carried on. On our way back we walked along the riverbed. 1/2 a mile from camp we found what looked like drag marks in the sand, from a BIG animal. Lets say perhaps an antelope or bighorn sheep was at the river drinking earlier that day and the cougar whos' scat we found was hungry, snuck up behind it, grabbed it and drug it into the bushes. That's exactly what it looked like to us. And it seemed to be pretty recent. For a moment Jay thought he was The Crocodile Hunter as he followed the drag into the bushes. Then the lightbulb in his head clicked and he quickly turned around and let's just say we made lots of noise, walked much faster back to camp as I told the family we would be going INTO the RV as soon as the sun went down. :) (Bawk, Bawk).

The next day we drove to the The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. The Quarry is a National Landmark and home to over 15,oo0 bones excavated from the Jurassic period. I'm still new to traveling and don't always complete my homework so it was a surprise to us that we are now in the "off-season" and museums we want to see aren't open every day in late fall. We were a bit disappointed, but being the adventurers that we are, took another dirt road, hopped out and hiked around the desert. We did our own digging and Kaleb found what we were latter told to be a fossilized dinosaur tooth. Jay found a turtle shell. So we may not have been able to go in, but we didn't leave empty handed. Shhhhh......

4 days had gone by and now we were ready for a little bit of civilization and hot showers. We opened out to I-70 and drove onto Moab, Utah.

Time flies when your having fun

2008-10-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that 2 weeks have passed since i last wrote.
We've seen lots since Missoula. So much so that i wish i could just invite you all to chill around the campfire with us, roast smores and share stories. We all have our favorite moments and version of what we're seeing.
I'll just start where we left off and play catch up over the next week.

It was getting chilly in Montana and we decided we would leave before the snow started to fly. The plan was to go to Yellowstone and Jackson but with a HIGH of 25 we skipped that part. Do you blame us? I couldn't wait to feel some heat from the sun so it was time to start heading south. We found some unexpected fun in a tiny town called Anaconda, MT. With a name like that you have to stop and check it out. We found this crazy slide down the side of a big hill.

Avery didn't want to have anything to do with this slide. But being the parents that we are, we thought she needed to experience this. You can tell by the last picture what she thought about the ride. Even the dog got in on the fun. But only because she isn't smart enough to figure out that she can go down the steps as well as up. And with feat that we were going to leave her stranded at the top, she came running/sliding down after us.

After a quick stop in Butte we drove late into the night. Through Montana and Idaho and into Salt Lake City. We spent the night in the ghetto of Ogden in a auto parts store parking lot so that Jay could fix the broken alternator belt the next morning. Good Times!

We drove into Provo, UT the next morning to go to The Earth Science Museum. Dinosaur fossils and awe galore. Kaleb can't get enough of this place. I think he's going to be a geologist when he grows up.

From here we headed east to the center of the state to a Price. We found the information center here and loaded up on brochures. We were told of a town called Huntington where we could camp. We spent the night camping near the reservoir.
Here we read about the San Raefael Swell. Most people who think of Utah think of Canyonlands, Zion and Arches.........The Swell isn't well known and those of you who know us know that we like to be off the beaten track. The land is full of history. The Spanish Trail cuts through it, Butch Cassidy hid in it, the dinosaurs roamed and the Native Americans call it home.
We spent 4 days wandering about The Swell. And this is where I have to leave you. The RV is packed and ready to hit the road. We're at a crossroads right now. One road leads to Mesa Verde and Durango. The other down to Flagstaff and Sedona. I guess we'll pull out and see which way we turn. I'll catch up soon.

The shake down

2008-10-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sunset in The San Juan Islands

Well, we did it. We've hit the open road. We said our tearful goodbyes once again to loved ones and began the journey. I wish I could say it was as easy as turning on the cruse control and enjoying the scenery, but that's not how the story goes. It's been test after test and amazingly we still have a sense of humor about it. Let's start from the beginning.

The boat is complete and in the water. She (and Jay) passed the big test and she's floating!!! It looks absolutely amazing. What a relief to be finished and have it turn out so good.

Then our adventure began. Or so we thought.......

We pulled out of Anacortes, Wa late in the afternoon. With a quick stop scheduled in Mt Vernon, we'd be on the road soon. HA!!!

We had battery charging issues while in Anacortes. We bought a brand new battery and thought the problem was fixed. 20 miles out we were losing charge and fast! We pulled into an auto parts store, tested the alternator and was told it was bad. We decided to purchase a new one and fix it ourselves in the parking lot. As the kids and I took a walk, Jason got to work. I couldn't believe he was almost finished by the time we got back. 2 hours later we were back on the road.
20 miles later.....we were losing charge yet again. Humph.....

Luckily, we knew some good friends of the family lived right down the road. We played it smart, made a call and asked for a place to "park and charge" for the night. Tom and Crete live on some amazing property and have been extremely generous to us. During our stay in WA they have treated us to an amazing dinner, delicious wine (they own a winery), helped on the boat and helped Jay figure out the problem. The culprit....the alternator belt. GO FIGURE. Jason now changed the belt and the spark plugs while he was at it and once again...hit the road.

You ready for this......yes, 20 miles down the road......the wind blew the lids of the containers that were on top of the roof right off. Pull over, take them down, shove them in the RV and hit the road again.
40 miles down the road, wind still blowing, crossing the floating bridge outside of Seattle with white caps on either side, through the tunnel and......

The hood flew open while driving down the Interstate. At that point it was nothing but laughter and curiosity as to what was next.

We were treated that night to a perfect camp spot along the Columbia River Gorge in Wa.

We pulled in with enough sunlight to take the kids "real" rock climbing for the first time.

Now if you don't live on the coast but are curious as to what hurricane strengh winds feel like, take a trip here. I was ready to pull out my wings.

We woke up the next morning and actually made it across 2 state lines, the panhandle of Idaho and into Montana. We spent the night in the mountains of western Montana and got up the next morning headed to Missoula. A quick stop to make breakfast had Kaleb asking "Dad, what is that green stuff pouring out of the engine?" Good question kid! So that's why the heater wasn't blowing air. We did what we could, stopped every 20 miles or so to add water and made it to Missoula. We spent yesterday on a wild goose chase looking for a auto store, finally found the part we needed, fixed it in the parking lot again and enjoyed a late afternoon play stop at a local park. Decided that a KOA was in order to do laundry and spent the night. Let it be known that KOA's have FREE, HOT showers. HOORAY!!! (I spent all my quarters on laundry though.)
So Jay went under the rig to check things out, found a lot of holes in the exhaust pipe and when I went out to see what was up he was down there welding them shut. Fun times let me tell you.
So it's been one test after another, but we're not giving up. We're learning along the way. We're going to stay in Missoula until at least Friday and check out the local and nearby scenes.
Then it's time to hit the road. Old man winter isn't far away. I can see the snow up on the mountain tops from here and the kids pulled out the hat and mittens this morning.
Lessons have been learned, patience have been tested, but we're all still smiles and enjoying our time.
XOXO

is that silence i hear

2008-09-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

here i sit, a moment in silence. except for the clinking of coffee cups in the background, i am alone. these moments don't happen often. in fact, we have to seek and search them out. we take these opportunities to get lost on the internet, taking care of necessary business, staying in touch with friends and family and researching the next destination.

i'm not always so sure what to do with this time. i'm so use to being surrounded by little minds always on the go. it gets a bit crazy here at times. overwhelming is the word. sometimes i'd even say i feel claustrophopic. stir crazy. i'm sure the kids feel it too. they just don't know how to express it yet. i try hard to look into my kiddos eyes and see what's really going on in there. are they coloring on the table, hiding sissy's favorite teddy bear or tearing up over something silly because they are naughty or simply because they are feeling couped up in the RV like me. are they getting enough one on one time? do they miss their life back "home"? i feel like i know my children well. i remind myself everyday that these little ones are going through this with me. that even though they are young, this is new for all of us, and like i said a transition time. we are sitting still right now. it feels a little stale at times. especially when those clouds hang low.
don't get me wrong...we are having fun here. we love being with family. we've never "lived" near grandparents. the kids can't get enough. it's nice to see the excitement to see nan nan and grumpy, even if it's only been 20 minutes . it's going to be hard to leave that. but we must journey on, explore and do what it was we originally set out to do.

jay slapped the last coat of paint on the boat yesterday. it's almost finished and ready to go back into the water. it's been fun to watch the boat transform and proudly wear it's shiny new happy paint. i'm going to have jay write a whole new blog about the old "gypsy soul". i'll do no justice. it's been a long tough rewarding job. and a whole new talent to add to the long resume.

that means that we'll be leaving this haven soon and out in the open alone. yippee!!!!! out across WA, through ID and MT and into Yellowstone we go. The bad momma that i can be at times has my kids convinced that the grizzlies will eat us, or at least the dog. so i must remember when they can't sleep those nights in the park that it was indeed me that planted that seed. all in fun though, i swear.

i'm going to go out and enjoy the sunshine now. i promise to get pictures up soon, when i have a decent internet connection.
we miss you all!
kara

New Life

2008-09-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that as soon as you get comfortable with life, somethings bound to happen to bring you back down. I try to put that belief aside and enjoy the moment. I'll admit right now that I'm a stresser. Come on, it's in my blood(right mom). I'm trying real hard to work on that. It just seems to be one struggle after another. So has soon as the paychecks start rolling in, the savings account starts growing and life just seems to be rolling happily along....lightening strikes.

Not long ago we were living in Bend, Oregon which is a beauty of it's own. We thought we'd never leave. I quickly learned this summer that Bend is somewhat of an "island", and oasis in the desert. So as the economy fails us, Bend is slowly becoming a ghost town. At least that's what it seemed like to me.

The story goes like this::::Jason got laid off in May. I tried real hard not to freak out and trust that these things happen for a reason. Something better always comes along. I allowed myself to enjoy a playful,stress-free summer camping in the mountains and swimming in the clear, cold lakes with my family. That was until my job shut their doors. Without warning both of us were unemployed. Again, I tried real hard not to lose it, keep calm and breath. But with 3 kids to feed and rent and bills to pay, that just wasn't happening. Is this how I wanted to spend my time. Having anxiety and stressing about what was next? Wasting away reading the classified ads in the paper, on the internet or any other place I might find a job. Reality was, there just weren't any jobs out there for us to be found.
The time had come. Time to leave Bend.

The decision itself wasn't hard. Traveling and exploring is something we love and hitting the open road with our kids was always a dream. There were always jobs to report to in the morning and spelling tests at school. Now with no alarm clock needed to be set it seemed like a no brainer. It was time for us to go out and find a new "Bend".
Without time to really let it process, we decided to hold a yard sale the next weekend and sell all unnecessary belongings and shop for an RV. You would never believe the amount of..should I say it....CRAP, that we sold. As people pulled away with our life in their backseats we scrambled to throw everything else into our new home.
In under 2 weeks we had found a house on wheels, sold or stored everything we owned, said tearful goodbyes to our friends and drove onto the open road.
Our first stop is Anacortes, WA.
We've been here for 5 weeks now, going through the transition of sharing space, when in fact we have no space. Laughing with new friends and crying over missed ones back home. Trying to figure out how the hell to homeschool (or roadschool, as those who travel full time call it). Becoming best friends with quarters, as one of those will get you a 1 3/4 minute shower or clean clothes...whichever is more important the day you collect enough. Taking anyone up on dinner offers or driveway hookups. Being shameless and proud.
Remembering that all of us our going to have our days. Days when we just feel down and lonely. Because those will be few. The days with smiles, laughter and new adventures far outweigh the cold.
This is just the beginning.

Yaks, babies and owies

2008-05-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

The daytime high as hit 55 for 5 straight days in a row now. I think it's time to say spring has arrived in Bend, finally. With the sun shining and the mountains hogging the landscape we jumped in the car and headed out east to a farmers market.
We saw fresh veggies, baby chicks, tasted homemade salsa, climbed a climbing wall, slid down from a princess castle, listened to bluegrass music and harassed yaks. kaleb thought it was funny teasing these big creatures till it kicked up dirt and charged towards him. i wasn't sure what was going on when ani came screaming like a banshee with her eyes all bugged out towards me. there sat her brother with a proud, yet somewhat freaked out smile on his face. we'd like to go back every sunday but i'm afraid of being 86'd from the market. ;)

HERE COME'S AVERY, down the princess castle slide..over and over and over again!

Of course he made it to the top. Faster than anyone else and on the hardest course. Would you expect anything less from this boy?

Bluegrass music. That's a mando Jay built!

Avery loved the petting zoo. The baby sheep and goats were great. She wasn't too sure about the big momma's that would come with the babies.

Jay seems to slowly be getting over pneumonia. On Sunday Avery took a crash in her brothers room knocking her head on his bed post. It was a sad, sick day.

welcome to our blog

2008-05-03T14:31:00.001-07:00

hola familia,

what do you think? we thought we'd check out this nifty site to keep you up to date on our lives. life has really gotten busy around here, between birthdays, author readings, skate trips, pottery painting and sing-a-longs, we've taken lots of photos and would like to share. we'll try to post often. we have some pretty photogenic kids so i don't think it will be too tough.

let's catch up shall we.

it won't stop snowing. april ranges from 85 degrees one day to 30 the next with 2 inches of freshly fallen snow.

Ani turned 7!!!

Ani had an Earth Day Performance at school

Kaleb went on a skateboarding trip

Ani read at Young Authors Night at her school

and finally today...i caught the kids pretending that they were pregnant or that they had bubble butts. notice the mickey hanging out of avery's undies. does it get any cuter than that?