Summer 2018

Summer 2018

Kris here: We have been on the road for 10 days so far so it's time to update this blog.

Last spring, we had big plans to drive to Alaska and then roam around the Pacific Northwest. Then, life (and illness) got in the way. Kris had completely recovered from last fall's brain surgery to remove a benign meningioma and Brian had successful procedures done on both corneas so we thought we were good to go. Just a week before our planned departure in May, a stage I cancer tumor was found on Brian's vocal cord. We found ourselves in Houston in July for the first time in 10 years . . . ugh!! 33 radiation treatments were completed by late July so we took off with three weeks of free time before the next doctor appointment. It has been a communication challenge since early July when his voice totally disappeared. He isn't supposed to whisper, but it is necessary at times, especially while driving and he can't use his whiteboard.

To summarize our experiences so far:

 

We started this adventure with three days visiting friends at their lakehouse on Lake LBJ near Marble Falls, Texas. We have not attended this annual gathering for the past few years because we were always traveling outside of Texas, sometimes in Canada. The 100+ degree heat was a bit daunting (we had a can of carbonated water depressurize and some gummy vitamins melt when it got above 130 degrees in the truck) but we slept in air-conditioned comfort and enjoyed good food and good company.  We even managed a full round of Mexican Train dominoes - tradition demanded it.

Charlotte and David: many thanks for your wonderful Hill Country hospitality.

 

 

seen shortly after leaving the lakehouse

We entered Arkansas during a rain shower and it cooled things off enough to camp near Greers Ferry Dam on the Little Red River near the town of Heber Springs. It was wonderful to hear the river flowing by our campsite.

 

Camping again - yay!!!

 

 

Kris standing on the boat ramp next to Little Red River - clear water!

 

 

Little Red River below Greers Ferry Lake in Arkansas

 

 



Our next destination was Ozark National Scenic Riverways in southeast Missouri. We spent three nights at the Round Spring campground (National Park Service) and woke up to 60 degree mornings – we got lucky. We explored beautiful large-volume springs that feed the Current River with crystal clear water, went on a cave tour by lantern light (the park service keeps this cave natural without electric lights so that was a treat), a sinkhole, a historic mill, and enjoyed an evening ranger talk in the amphitheater (always a pleasure).
 

Alley Mill

 Alley Spring pool behind the mill

 

 

Blue Spring - 310 feet deep

Water dripping over ferns into the sinkhole called "Devil's Well"

 



 Kris on the way down into "Devil's Well"

 

The park service keeps you safe and out of the subterranean lake but a motion sensor on the trail activates the light so you can see the water down below.

 

Entrance to Round Spring Cave - we took a tour by lantern light - no artificial lighting in the cave.

 

Rocky Falls - known locally as a 'shut-in' because it flows over resistant rhyolite instead of limestone.

 

Early morning on the Current River just a short walk from our campsite.  The water is spring fed and you can see the gravel bottom all the way across to the other side.

 

looking downstream

 

 

Big Spring - Ozark National Scenic Riverways

 

Closer look at Big Spring - the water really gushes with a daily average flow of 286 million gallons.

 

 



We spent one day driving around the Ozarks outside the national park and paid a visit to the high point of Missouri, Taum Sauk Mountain. Not one of the more impressive high points we have visited over the years, but worth the trip.
 

 High Point of Missouri - Taum Sauk Mountain, elevation 1772 feet - quite a hike!

Actually, we drove to the top and walked a paved path to the marker.

 

 We hiked to a nearby area dedicated to the founder of the Highpointers Club.

We've been to 5 or 6 Highpoints over the years, including Guadalupe Peak in Texas (8.5 mile hike that took all day in 2006).

 

The signposts are covered in wooden signs that point to every state high point with the distance carved into each sign.

Next up, St. Louis to visit Gateway Arch National Park (the newest NP in the system) to see the renovated and expanded museum. We did not ride a pod to the top this time like we did with our kids many moons ago. While in the city, we visited Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site and saw his home, White Haven. We consider ourselves to be life-long learners and we always come away from historic sites with a better understanding of the events and important people in our history.
 

The newest national park, formerly known as Jefferson Westward Expansion Memorial

Cool terrazzo map of the U.S. with various overland trails delineated.  Brian is standing on St. Louis (orange circle)

Looking up from the base of the south leg of the Arch

Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site in St. Louis

 

One of our geocaching goals is to find caches in as many counties as we can, so we have spent a good bit of the past few days roaming around central Missouri. As we approached Jefferson City from the north, we could see the dome of the Capitol Building rising taller than anything else in the city. It is situated right on the Missouri River but is currently undergoing renovation and most of the building was obscured with scaffolding. We were able to gain access to the Lewis and Clark Monument on the capitol grounds.

We are sorry that you really can't see the bronze statues very well - Lewis and Clark monument with the Missouri Capitol behind.



This cropped version of the photo shows the detail better.

 



It has been too hot to camp so we find ourselves in a motel for the third straight night . . . not our usual motel to camping ratio (4:4 since we left Texas). Our longest running camping streak is 50 days in 2015! We drove through a thunderstorm this evening so we have high hopes that the weather forecast is right and we can camp tomorrow night.

I will close for now with some quotes I have come across in my reading over the past few months:

“Our fantastic civilization has fallen out of touch with many aspects of nature, and

none more completely than with night. Are modern folk afraid of night? Do they
fear that vast serenity, the mystery of infinite space, the austeristy of stars?” “Today's
civilization is full of people who have not the slightest notion of the character or the
poetry of night, who have never even seen night.” “(Night) is the true other half of the
day's tremendous wheel.” – excerpted from The Outermost House: A Year of Life
on the Great Beach of Cape Cod by Henry Beston, published in 1928

These statements resonated with me because I am always thankful to find myself in a campground without electical service. I dislike the way artificial lights spoil my night vision – strings of patio lights festooning RVs, street lights on poles, overly bright restrooms. I love walking around on full moon nights with my moon shadow following me around! No flashlight needed.  I almost always wake up naturally about 15 minutes before sunrise when I look out the camper window and see the sky beginning to brighten.

And another, this one by John Muir:

“Keep close to Nature's heart . . . and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a

mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”

Seen while geocaching:

I don't really like the cliché about everything being bigger in Texas, but . . .

 

A "gadget" cache in Arkansas - using a combination to unlock a drawer to get a 'tool'



 Using the 'tool' to force air into a hole (several to choose from) but that didn't work . . .

 

putting the uninflated end of the balloon in the hole first, then blowing air into it . . .

 

Success!  The drawer with the actual geocache opened.  Cleverly designed geocaches

like this keep the game interesting.

 

 

  

 Missouri Firefighters Memorial in Kingdom City

 

Thinking of our son, Mark, a Houston firefighter and paramedic. 

 

 

 

 

 Old Carter County Courthouse, Missouri covered in geodes and similar rocks.

This building reminded us of  'Geode Grotto' we saw in Jasper, Indiana last September.

 

 

1.5 miles down a gravel road, we came to Mt. Sterling School used from 1896 to 1963

 

 Statues on the grounds around the school house

 

Kris wanted to know what they were reading - alphabet book

 



 

 Brian's caption for this one "I forgot my helmet."

 

 



Kris took the advice from the sign above the shelter.

 

Public Art in St. Louis - the geocache was nearby

 

 

Not Alaska - part 2

Week one is done!

Brian again, first person this time. I am putting updates here on the blog so it will be there when I am finished with the treatment, and so it isn't 'out there' on Facebook for everyone else to see. I think this extra step is a way to avoid a pity party.

Thank you, everyone, for your comments, support, and prayers after last week's post. I hope you continue reading the blog when I'm well, and we are back on the road.

I want to tell you all that my spirits are high. I am very much aware that many of you, and your loved ones have gone through much worse than I am going through now. It is a very good feeling to know that so many people have my back.

It is hard to put into words, though, how I feel about my condition. Cancer is just a scary word. When you hear it, you think the worst. From what I've heard and read, this one is very curable, and I am not really concerned about the outcome. Last time I said that I was probably more bummed that we are stuck in Houston during the hot months, and that feeling is stronger each day the temperature nears or exceeds 100. It is what it is.

Me and my very own mask!

I started treatments on Tuesday, and the first one didn't start out well. There was a scheduling mix up because of a power outage, so I had to wait an extra hour to start. I almost lost my temper when they told me they tried to call me to tell me. I didn't recognize the phone numbers, so I thought they were solicitations, so I ignored them. When they first tried to explain to me the situation, I thought that I wasn't going to start that day, so I just walked away and fumed. When I got it together, I went back and they said I could do it then. I still don't know why they didn't tell me it would be an hour wait when I got there at the appointment time. The treatment took longer than I expected it to because they had to get the doctor to make sure it was aligned properly (a good thing!), but they didn't tell me that when they started. With that stupid mask on for only the second time, it seemed a lot longer than it really was, I'm sure.

The next three treatments took a lot less time. I set my stopwatch when I took my glasses off and checked the time when I put them back on after the treatment, and it was only 4 ½ minutes. I sure am glad I'm not having to drive into Houston to get it done. That is another thing that I am grateful for.

Like someone said on Facebook, Alaska will still be there. I will still be here, too, so we can just make plans for the trip in two years. It will be too late to go that far this year, and next year I have a family reunion in Pennsylvania, so we have a lot of time to dream and make plans.

Thank you again for your support and prayers.

College Station (not Alaska) Edition

June 3, 2018

     Brian here.

     Well, this isn't the blog posting we expected to be making at this time! Since we returned from our last trip, we have been planning an Alaska journey that was supposed to last from mid-May until October. Life gets in the way, though.

     Back in January, Brian started having a hoarse throat. We thought it was just allergies, because there was nothing else unusual, but it didn't go away. Come April, he decided to have it checked out by an ENT, and nasal antihistamines helped a great deal. The doctor wanted to check his throat with a scope, so that procedure was done. She saw a small nodule on one of his vocal cords, but said that it looked small and clear, but a biopsy would be a good thing. We figured that it would be a good thing to do, so early last month, the outpatient biopsy was performed.

      As many of you know, when you get a call from the doctor asking if you can come in early to discuss results, they are not often good. He had talked to the doctor about our plans, and she wanted to tell us that we needed to change them. The nodule is cancer, but luckily, it has a 90% cure rate with either surgery or radiation. The next thing we needed to do was discuss those options with doctors and decide which one would be best. Since the biopsy did not go as smoothly as planned, and since the ENT doctor was less than enthusiastic about the surgery, we chose radiation.

      Last Tuesday, he went in to have his 'mask' made in preparation for the radiation. They form a mesh material over your head that they attach to the radiation table so you can't move during the treatment – they want to aim at the same place every day. If you want Google "larynx cancer mask" to see a mask, and learn more about the procedure.  This Tuesday he starts treatments every weekday for 6 ½ weeks. A good thing is that he doesn't have to go downtown to do them, he can do it locally.

So, what does that have to do with our travels? We haven't gone anywhere special together since last Fall, and were anxious to go SOMEWHERE. Big Bend had been a nice trip with Mark's family, but it just fueled the travel fire.

     We decided to take a short trip close by. It is already approaching 100 degrees, so camping was out of the question. Since we have been talking about visiting the Bush Presidential Libraries, we chose to go the College Station to experience the G. H. W. Bush Library. We are glad we did. It is very well done, and we learned a lot.

Of course, we did some geocaching along the way, and got to explore some more back roads of Texas. We stopped for a quick visit with Kris's college roommate in Conroe, and are now home for a while.

On a back road near Bryan - only missing one 'L'

Neat tribute at Veteran's park in Bryan/College Station

One of my favorite observations at the Bush Library

In the Barbara Bush section of the Museum.  We could have spent a lot of time here.

A tiny cemetery near North Zulch - one grave!

      At this point in time, we are altering our plans, and hope to be able to go the the Pacific Northwest for about 6 weeks, after treatment, and before follow-up visits. We are lucky that we hadn't made any reservations for the planned Alaska adventure, so we avoided that hassle.

     Our spirits are high, though. We caught the cancer early, and it is very treatable. Brian is more upset about missing the trip at this time (and being stuck in Houston's summer heat) than he is about the treatments. We will just have to go with the flow and put the Alaska trip back on our “to do” list again. Some people say that planning and looking forward to trips is the most fun part of vacations. If that is the case, it will be an exceptional journey.

March 24 – 31, 2018          Special Edition:  Our Big Bend Adventure

Saturday:

The truck is loaded and we are eagerly anticipating our departure for West Texas in the morning. Brian and I have been home since our last big trip that ended in early October. Brian had minor eye surgical procedures spread over a few months and I had brain surgery to remove a benign meningioma that was discovered two years ago during an ER visit in Homestead, Florida. All is well now for us to travel and reconnect with the wide open spaces of Big Bend National Park. We are especially excited about this trip because our son, Mark, and his family are going with us. It will be the first national park visit for our grandchildren: Logan (age 5), Caleb (almost 4), and Araceli (just turned 2 years old last week).

Sunday:

The drive to Big Bend National Park from our home southeast of Houston is almost 700 miles so we decided to drive halfway and take frequent playground stops with the kids and stay in a motel in Junction, TX. It was about 10:00 a.m. when our little caravan of two pick-up trucks headed out from our driveway. We spotted bluebonnets and other wildflowers along the interstate west of Houston in the usual locations. We drove up state highway 71 from Columbus to Austin and found a safe place to pull over and take pictures of the kids in a patch of bluebonnets. As usual, it was hard to get all three to smile at the camera at the same time.

After checking in at the motel in Junction, we made the short drive to South Llano River State Park for a pleasant hour on the trails. We found a bird blind and did some bird watching (hummingbirds, titmouse, cardinals, and others).

Monday:

Three hours from Junction to Fort Stockton without stopping as the kids napped in their carseats. Picnic and playground time at a nice park in FS before heading south to BBNP. If you are unfamiliar with that stretch of highway, there is only one small town, Marathon, between FS and the north entrance to BBNP. We did not stop at the BBNP entrance sign for pictures because the kids were sleeping and we still had another 50 miles to go before arriving at our Rio Grande Village campground.

The picture below was taken four days later on our way out of the park:

We set up camp while the temperature was still in the 90s and cooked dinner. Krystal and I walked around the campground with the kids and spotted a group of 12 javelinas. The bear box at the campsite had a caution message about bears and javelinas. Cloudy skies prevented any star-gazing and the heat made it difficult to fall asleep.

The boys help Mark and me pitch the tent

Celi seems to enjoy her first camping trip.

The campsite had a great tree for little boys to climb.

Tuesday:

Camping breakfasts taste soooo good so we fueled our bodies before setting out to explore the park. First stop of the day was the visitor center at Panther Junction to pick up Junior Ranger booklets, postcards, and a copy of a children's book, The Three Little Javelinas. The park film was very good, as usual.

       Our first hike in the park was on the Grapevine Hills Trail. The kids loved bouncing along the 7.5 miles of bumpy gravel road to the trailhead. Kitted out with binoculars, we set out for Balanced Rock just over a mile away. Cloudy skies meant comfortable hiking weather. The kids did well and had a great time climbing on the rocks (their daddy did, too). This grandma came prepared with snacks in her hip pack so we ate them while sitting under the balanced rock. On the hike back to the truck, I heard a rock fall and looked up to the ridge and saw some big horn sheep silhouetted against the sky. The animals below the ridge were hard to spot they were so well camouflaged.

 

setting out on the Grapevine Hills Trail



Grapevine Hills Trail



Caleb and Mark

 

Mark and his daddy ham it up for the camera.

Mark and his boys

Grandma doles out snacks

 Below Balanced Rock at the end of Grapevine Hills Trail

looking south from Balanced Rock

Bumpy gravel road back to the main paved park road and then the lovely drive up into the Chisos Mountain Basin. Brian and I camped up there in 2009 and it is cooler and forested up there.

We had our picnic lunch there and then made the short walk on the paved Window View Trail. The hike to “The Window” pouroff is quite steep so we will save that for a future trip. Back at Rio Grande Village, we loaded up with quarters and headed for the showers. It's been many years since I helped small children to take showers in a campground, but Krystal and I managed to get the two youngest kids cleaned up. Again, no star-gazing because of cloudy skies, but more comfortable sleeping temperature.

 view of "The Window" in the Chisos Mountains

Celi and the bear box at the campsite



Wednesday:

The sky cleared off during the night and I woke up before dawn in time to see stars fading from the sky. The morning was cool and sunny as we enjoyed a pancake and bacon breakfast. Our plan for the day was to make the 60-mile drive to the other side of the park to get our first view of the Rio Grande and hike into Santa Elena Canyon. We made a quick stop at Panther Junction to mail postcards and use toilets. We saw the west side of the Chisos from the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. We could see the V-shaped “Window” in the mountains very well. 

 

 Our first clear day and a good view of the Chisos

We found a picnic table at the parking area for Santa Elena Canyon Trail and ate lunch. A roadrunner casually strolled by our table. Although the close proximity of animals in a picnic area is due to their scavenging for human food and not desirable, it does give small children a close-up look at them. We set off down the trail and were soon on the bank of the Rio Grande. The hike involves a series of switchbacks and steps that take you up about 80 feet above the river before entering into the canyon itself. It was a sunny day and any little shade was appreciated. At the end of the trail where further hiking into the canyon is impossible, Mark, Krystal, and the kids took off their shoes and waded into the shallow water. They walked across to touch the canyon wall on the Mexico side. The water was only thigh-deep on Logan so they were able to negotiate the slow current safely and splash around.

next to the Rio Grande, Santa Elena Canyon behind us

 looking down river from the Santa Elena Canyon Trail

Logan examines a rock for fossils

Mark's family wading in the shallow river

 on the Mexico side of the river

 coming back

Santa Elena Canyon - the canyon walls are 1500 feet high

At last, we had a clear night sky to look at the almost full moon and constellations (a Junior Ranger activity).

Thursday:

Clear skies overnight made for a cold morning – about 40 degrees! Hot chocolate and warm blankets for the kids until the morning sun came up and warmed the air. A morning hike into Boquillas Canyon not far from the campground until we came to a shaded portion of the river and a rock for climbing, of course. We saw people riding horses on the Mexico side of the river.

Boquillas Canyon - standing on rocks is a must!

Another visit to Panther Junction where Caleb and Logan showed their Junior Ranger booklets to Ranger Daphne and received their badges. Ice cream treats from the camp store followed to celebrate. Our last hike in the park was a short one to Hot Springs and a soak in the 105-degree water right at the edge of the big river. We saw some petroglyphs along the trail.

Making the Junior Ranger promise with Ranger Daphne

proudly wearing Junior Ranger badges

soaking in the Hot Springs

Full moon flooded the campground with light so no flashlights were needed to walk around. The campground hosts were gracious and let us view the moon through the telescope they had set up next to their RV. A perfect ending to a great day.

Friday:

Our last morning in BBNP. After the tent was taken down and all gear stowed away in the trucks, we were on our way. Before leaving the park, we stopped at the new Fossil Discovery Center and enjoy the still-cool morning air in the desert. Just before leaving the park boundary, we stopped at the Big Bend National Park sign for pictures. Quite a few other people waited their turn for pictures. The park will be quite busy now that the 3-day Easter weekend has begun. Our Big Bend Adventure has come to an end, but we were already thinking about a return visit someday when the kids are older. Some day I want to hike the South Rim Trail up in the Chisos Basin and make the Mule Ears Trail hike.

 Fossil Discovery Exhibit

 T rex had some mighty big teeth!

 special play structures in "The Boneyard"

BBNP is so vast and varied that I can understand how some people feel drawn to visit it every year despite the remoteness, or because of it.    We have come to love the deserts of the U.S.   If you are prepared and know how to deal with its challenges, the desert is a beautiful part of God's Creation.

Saturday:

After a return stay at the motel in Junction last night, we decided to separate from Mark's family for the return drive to Houston. They planned to visit one of Krystal's relatives in San Antonio and we wanted to make geocaching stops. We made our way home on back roads between San Antonio and Houston. Total distance traveled this trip: 1700 miles.

Our next adventure: We plan to leave in late May and head to Alaska for most of the summer.