"I've never met a GPS stupider than a man"

"I've never met a GPS stupider than a man," said Lori after being told of our adventure.

After a week in southern Utah for the wedding of Cherilyn's cousin, funeral for Cherilyn's grandmother and Thanksgiving with Cherilyn's family, we headed back home.  We were to head home through northern New Mexico in order to see my dad. (he lives in Los Alamos) We charted our course to include a stop at Four Corners where we were able to not only see where four states come together but some friends of ours were able to meet us for a short visit as well. Our journey through New Mexico was to take us through the Jemez Mountains and  and past Hummingbird Music Camp where I made some great childhood memories. I was excited to go this way even  though it would be dark by the time we drove through the area.

Our Route

Our Drive took us past the Glen Canyon Dam and through the famed Monument Valley. What great wonder and awe we were able to take in between the beauty of Monument Valley, and the amazement of human innovation that is the Glen Canyon Dam. 

As we drove down from Farmington, NM, the dark of the day set in. (I hate the early nightfall of the winter months)  I had wanted to NM route 550 through Cuba, NM down to NM route 4, which would take us through the Jemez and right into Los Alamos.  The problem began when we were just outside of Cuba and the GPS wanted us to take NM route 96 to route 84 through Espanola.  I decided not to follow the suggested route and headed into Cuba.  After filling up in Cuba, I checked the "actual" map we had in the van and decided to take state highway 126, forgetting that I needed to go all the way down 550 to catch route 4. (to get a good visual, and I recommend you do as it will really help you understand the rest of the story, click on "Our Route" above the picture of the state of NM.  Be sure to zoom in on the NM part of the route until you find NM 126)

Well, since it was dark, and it had been MANY years since I had actually been in the area, I was a little discombobulated in my directions and thinking. The GPS had not found the route I wanted to take, it just kept wanting me to make a U turn and go back up 550 to 96. I instead followed the road sign to state highway 126. With the GPS still wanting me to turn around or take another road back to route 96, I still thought I knew better.  How wrong that thought would turn out to be.  I remember passing a sign that said something about improvements to the highway. (2 lane state highway) but did not catch all of the wording so I proceeded, after all, the sign never said the road was closed or anything that drastic. As we proceeded through the woods and up the mountain, it seemed to get darker and darker and there were not only less signs of civilization but there were NO other vehicles on the road, in either direction. Somewhere around the ten mile mark, the pavement ended. (remember that scene in RV where the highway was at a standstill so he went off road to go over the mountain?) With the GPS still telling us to turn around, it also let us know that by doing so we would now be an hour later than planned. It seemed like pressing forward was a better idea since we had come so far anyway. Eight miles later we were not only still on dirt road, we were encountering snow as we were approaching 8,000 feet above sea level and we had NO cell service. NONE! NADA! Absolutely nothing, the only things that could hear us now were the critters in the woods! Which, I might add, include bears! It was at this point that it began to feel like one of those movies where things go horribly wrong. Fortunately things did not go horribly wrong for us.  At one point we came around a corner (still on dirt road) and we saw one of those blue adopt a highway signs.  Really, 8,000 feet up a mountain in the middle of the forest on a dirt road, the state of New Mexico is requesting that someone adopt the road to clear it of trash.  I guess you had to be there to hear Cherilyn's gasp of expression at seeing the sign but it led to a good laugh that broke the tension a bit and that was good.

Well, somewhere around the thirty mile mark on the road, we returned to pavement.  The highway is about 40 miles long and it seems most of it was getting those improvements the signs at the other end of the road were mentioning.  As we approached highway 4, the GPS finally found where we were and knew the route we were wanting, as it turned out, the trip through the woods only cost us 5 minutes.  Thank goodness for that because if it had taken any longer I'm not sure I would be here to write this story for all to enjoy at my expense. The issue I will now have the rest of my life is always having to trust the GPS and follow its route selection no matter what I think.

"Get A Room"

The, We Look Happy Picture!

Lately I have been told that Cherilyn and I look very happy, this picture in particular has received many comments to that regard.  It is nice to be told one looks happy, it validates that you actually are.

This past weekend, Cherilyn and I enjoyed a wonderful time together, an extra long date.  After delivering a puppy and dropping off the girls at their dad's, (dad lives in Oklahoma City) we were off on our date.  We checked into our hotel and then went to do our service in the temple.  (for those of you who may not be aware, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we are a temple going people. For more information on LDS Temples, see my POST from earlier this year)  After our time in the temple we got a bite to eat and went back to the hotel.  Saturday morning was nice and lazy - no kids, no dogs to tend to, just each other to enjoy.  Early afternoon had us doing some shopping which took us to a large mall. - for those of you who know me well, you know I LOVE a good mall - While in Macy's, Cherilyn found some good sale racks to look through.  After picking out some things to try on, we headed to the dressing rooms.  As we were approaching the dressing room entrance, an employee approached us and asked, " Do you two need a room?"  to which Cherilyn replied, "You rent those for an hourly rate here?"  We all got a good chuckle.

This story got me to thinking about the comments that have been made of late about how we look happy.  I am glad that we look happy.  I feel happy and so does Cherilyn so it is nice that people notice. We have been told we look happy by many but we have never been told to get a room.  Were we giving off a different vibe that the Macy's employee was able to pick up on?  Things that make you go hmmmm! :-)

Cookies and Conference

Ingredients prepared and ready to be baked into cookies

Baked and ready to eat

As many of you know, I am a member of the Mormon faith and twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, we have what is known as General Conference.  This is the time of year when we have the opportunity to hear gospel messages from the leaders of the church. Just like every batch of cookies is different from the last in that the shape might be unique or the flavor might be a little different from the last time you made them, the conference messages are unique to the time they are given and just a little different from the previous conference messages.  The underlying principles are still the same with each, however, the cookies are still cookies, a recipe was followed in order to give you the end result, conference is still the same, an outline and format was followed and the messages all revolve around Jesus Christ. 

LDS Conference Center, Salt Lake City

As we add ingredients to our bowels to create the cookie dough, we may not be as exact in doing so each time we do this. We still get a cookie in the end that is good to the taste, unless of course we use a cup of salt instead of a cup of sugar. (that lesson is for another day)  As we listen to the speakers, many of whom are different from the speakers in the previous conference, we still end up with a gospel message that is good for the soul. 

What we obtain from each conference is personal and depends on our preparation. Just as in preparing the cookie dough, when seeking knowledge from on high through those our Heavenly Father has set apart to deliver that knowledge, we must be prepared. With the cookies, we prepare the kitchen by cleaning the counters where we will make the cookies.  We bring out all the ingredients we will be using and gather the bowels and utensils and preheat the oven.  When we want to be taught by God, we must prepare ourselves by doing whatever we need to set our minds at ease and put our spirits at peace.  We perhaps prepare by having enough rest, having ourselves fed so the hunger pangs do not interrupt us in our concentration. We may ponder the issues we are seeking guidance for.

When prepared, the dough is ready for the the oven.  During this time the dough bakes into cookie deliciousness. The loose ball of dough becomes a solid, thinner entity, the cookie.  When watching and listening to conference, we are baking. Once conference is over, we can go back and read the talks or watch it again, we get to eat the cookies.

Just my simple thoughts for the day as the family and I enjoyed the messages of General Conference and warm, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

*to learn more about General Conference click the link to General Conference above
**to learn some interesting information on the design and construction of the conference center, click the link under the picture

Edjumacashonall Thoughts

My wonderful daughter Krystene is close to completing her college career, she graduates in December, where she has studied elementary education. I am very proud of her for her efforts in college and in her choice of an honorable profession. She is, upon approaching the time to step out and obtain a job in the profession she desired, becoming concerned with the political environment.  I applaud her for taking the time to look into what is happening around her.  If you know Krystene, you know that gaining knowledge of politics and national and world events has not been one of her priorities growing up.  I guess that side of me just did not rub off on her as it did from my mom to me.

I agree that she has valid concerns and should take an active role in carving out the future of the environment she will be working in.  As a result of Krystene's concerns, I have begun to reflect on mine and her educational experiences; as well as look into, on a small scale, some things impeding  the progress of the educational system. Unfortunately, the bottom line turns out to be lack of personal responsibility and the allowing of politics to get in the way.

Teachers are part of the unsung hero class.  They work hard to balance their desire to help a child improve and work within the political correctness  of the educational environment as well as appease parents who demand much and never give back. How many other jobs are there where you need to purchase the supplies without reimbursement? If the carpenter had to pay for all the nails and wood to build the house, how many houses would he ever build? So, with these points alone, you have to think that the majority of teachers are there because of honest, honorable reasons, they want to make a difference.  I am certainly proud to say my daughter will be making a difference in the many lives she touches in her honorable career.

Now, I need to say that anyone in any party has no room  for pointing the other direction. Blame never solved an issue and there is plenty of blame to go around. The groundwork for many of the issues in education began with the federalizing of it.  The Constitution clearly lays out the responsibility of the federal government and NOWHERE in there does it say the federal government is responsible for education.  The tenth amendment, however, states that anything not clearly defined as a federal responsibility can and should be handled by the states. So, education is up to each individual state.  They define it and fund it.

Unfortunately, too many states have decided that money is the answer to education.  Unfortunately too much money goes into management and overhead instead of actual teaching. Example, the $587M price tag for a school in Los Angeles. As if that was not the only way to misuse funds, how many states claimed the need for an "educational" lottery to raise funds? What happens in most of those states is the budget created from tax revenue slated to go to education gets shifted to other items and the educational system is no better off than it was.  Look at my home state of North Carolina, they supposedly "needed" an educational lottery to "save" the educational system and continue to employ teachers.  If that is the case, why have they been laying off teachers if the lottery was the savior of education in North Carolina. The answer is, politicians fudge the numbers and move the monies from one account to another. Dr. Terry Stoops wrote a good article concerning the issue in North Carolina explaining how the federal government went from supporting 6% of the educational workforce to 12%.  Again, if the lottery was to be able to support education, why the need for the federal dollars?

The bottom line - local involvement!  Krystene had two parents who were involved with her education by becoming involved with the PTO, volunteering in the classroom, voting for those who would do the right thing on the local school board and assisting with the learning process through help with homework and providing other educational experiences. If more parents would be more involved, the education system would improve and future employers would have better prepared individuals to choose from.

Again, I express my deepest love for a wonderful young woman who I am proud to say is my daughter. I love you Krystene! May God bless you in your  honorable profession.

Krystene AKA Miss Lang, teacher extraordinaire

5th Wheel Adventure

As we finished our visit with Krystene, we prepared to hit the road with the RV.  The morning after Krystene flew home, we headed north.  Our first stop was just outside of St. Louis.  We arrived at 370 Lakeside Park and dropped the camper. As Cherilyn drove to the airport to pick up her parents and the girls (Brittney and Carissa had been in Utah visiting the grandparents and cousins for 14 days), I prepared the camper and got the nights meal going.

After dinner,  Brittney and Carissa and I took a bike ride around the lake.  It was a little longer than expected.  We had not planned on going all the way around but but Brittney got too far ahead and Carissa and I had to keep riding to catch up.  By the time we did catch up, we we over half way so it wasn't any different to continue going around or turn back, so we thought!

the girls ready for bed :-)

view of the lake to the left of our camp site

view of the lake to the right of our camp site

Ya, not much to say here. LOL

the not so glamorous side of having the RV

We woke to another beautiful day, just about perfect for travel.  Overall the RV park met our needs for the night.  The place was very new so the trees had not matured.  Give it another 5 years and it will look quite a bit different. If we were staying for a few days we would have rented the paddle boats and gone out on the lake. Maybe another time.

Off to Nauvoo!

Day 2 of the trip brought us to our destination of Nauvoo, Ill., where we stayed in the Nauvoo State Park. It was nice to camp in an area that was tree covered compared to our previous park stay. 

relaxing at the end of the day

campfire treats, YUM!

During our stay we enjoyed the sites of Historic Nauvoo as well as the festivities of the Nauvoo Pageant.

Family at the Nauvoo Temple

Joseph and Hyrum - last ride

Browning Guns

Carriage ride through town

ready for an old fashioned ox cart ride

Our days were filled with the site seeing and adventures in pioneer experiences in the restored town of Nauvoo. The visitors center had wonderful displays and great information concerning all the activities going on in town as well as explanations of what life was like as Nauvoo was being built and populated.  Our evenings were spent by the camp fire or enjoying the Pageant itself or one of the other shows.
Our Saturday evening treated us to a special evening with the BYU Dancers where we were treated to some very fun routines, including one of their light suit routines which was very cool. Here is a video on how the light suits came to be.

part of the opening act

opening act ensemble

BYU Dancers

 Sunday was a relaxing day which began with a church service and some time walking around the temple with the remainder of the day spent at the campsite enjoying the company of family!

Monday saw us breaking camp and heading home on the 7 hour drive. We survived the first RV trip and the memories will last a lifetime! :-)

Krystene Was Here

Krystene came for a summer visit this year and it was very enjoyable.  She had said before she came that she just wanted to play with the puppies, and that is exactly what she did. :-)

We also went over to Hot Water Farm to do some horseback riding.  It was fun, although, it had been a very long time since I had been on a horse.

On her last day, we visited the worlds largest fork!

It was great to have her here for a visit, I always enjoy the time I spend with Krystene.  We were able to have some fun and she was able to relax a little.  I enjoyed revisiting our time together hanging out and watching GG.  I have to admit that I like the show, although, watching it without Krystene just isn't the same. Krystene, we will always have GG! :-)

Thanks for coming to see me Krystene! You are awesome! I love you and I love being your dad! :)

Kansas City or Bust

In the month of April, the family had the opportunity for a service experience that does not happen every day, we assisted in the open house of the Kansas City Temple. 

As many of you know, we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and we are a temple building people.  A temple has now been built in Kansas City, MO.

 (For those who would like to know more about why we build temples, click HERE) 

The newest temple has now opened in Kansas City, MO.

KC Temple

Prior to the opening of a new temple, an open house is held for the public to attend. Guided tours and information sessions are given and afterward the attendees gather for a reception with refreshments and the opportunity for one on one discussion about the the experience and the LDS belief system.  In order to accommodate the public, volunteers are asked to help with the many parts of the open house event and Cherilyn and I were able to help one weekend.  We obtained our ticket to go to the open house and drove to KC on a Friday afternoon before our Saturday service.

open house ticket (tickets were free)

open house invitation

The girls in line before the tour

KC Temple

the girls after having enjoyed the tour

We enjoyed our tour of the temple and then headed back to the hotel.  After a nights rest, we were up at the crack of dawn for our service.  Cherilyn and I, along with Jeff and Lori, headed to the temple while the girls got to stay at the hotel, being watch by the sister of Cherilyn's good friend Lori.  Jeff and I were assigned to assist with the parking duties while Lori and Cherilyn helped out with the refreshments inside the Stake Center.  We had the perfect day, the sun was shining and the temperature was not too hot.  I guess we were lucky to have had the early shift.  After nearly 5 hours, we were able to head back home.  We had an enjoyable experience and I do not think it will soon be forgotten.

By the last weekend in April, the tours had ended and the temple was being prepared for its dedication.  The dedication took place the first weekend in May.

Truck Update

The white truck was sold in 24 hours!  (Cherilyn is just that good! LOL) What we got for it was more than half of what we paid for the new truck! :-)

We had the 5th wheel hitch changed out along with the bumper hitch. The bumper hitch had a lock on it that had to be cut off since we either had the wrong key or it had been on there so long the key we had just wouldn't work. Then, it was found that the hitch had rusted and fused itself in, they almost couldn't get it out!

Out with the old, in with the "NEW"er, or, How one thing leads to another.

The journey to a new truck - buckle up, it's a bumpy ride! ............. This might be one of those stories that takes you around your elbow in order to get to your backside as they say.  Please bare with me. :)

The quest began as the result of many hours of contemplation over completely fixing up the old truck or finding a new one. All of that contemplating came about as a result of purchasing the 5th wheel camper.

The "need" for a camper started because of the tent collapse fiasco (see Earlier Post) and the high temps last summer that made tent camping not much of an option. (Cherilyn had sold her horses last year, along with some horse equipment and wanted to put the money toward something fun.) Cherilyn had originally thought of getting a pop up camper with an AC unit and I have to admit I was not very sold on the idea.  She had done some looking around on the net and found that there were some deals to be had and decided to look more seriously. The day we brought Krystene to the airport after her Christmas visit, we stopped at a dealer to look at some used pop ups.  While there, we looked at some trailers and I began to see the possibilities. :)  I was more sold on a trailer than a pop up.  The interesting thing we discovered was there was not a huge price jump to a trailer from a pop up. So, we decided to look for a great deal on a 5th wheel but first, we needed a hitch in the truck in order to pull the camper.  We searched for and found a great deal on a hitch.

Our search for the camper continued on the net and during our travels to deliver puppies and pick up the kids after their visit with their dad. A couple of weeks past and we found what we were looking for.

'98 Coachmen Catalina

full pop out

living space

4 piece bath

kitchen came with an upgraded fridge, gas range and oven, and a microwave

the 5th wheel is 25' long

Now, we thought we might want to do some body work to the truck since it did have some rust and the paint was peeling in many places.  We found out that some paint shops did not want to mess with anything with rust, others said they wanted $7500 to restore the paint and body (OUTRAGEOUS) and so we thought we would see if we could find used parts in good shape. In the course of our search for parts we ran across someone who actually gave us a more reasonable quote for all the work. ($4500) We thought we would consider that but we had to bring the truck in to our mechanic to have a steering stabilizer bar installed and have him look around one more time for any mechanical issues. The bar was installed and the mechanic noticed a couple of minor issues.  He said it was not a huge deal as long as our trips were only 300 miles or so.  Any long trips would have to wait while we figured out the issues and had the appropriate repairs completed. This information would lead to a search for a newer vehicle.  We could fix the truck we had or spend about the same amount of money and get a newer vehicle, one with less miles and what would be a very important convenience, the extra doors on the quad cab.

Here is what we began with:

The old truck:

• 1997 Dodge Ram 2500 Club Cab, long bed. 5 speed manual transmission V6 Cummins Turbo Diesel 
• Miles - 299099
• only 2 doors which makes it hard to get anyone in and out of the back

We began our search.

Did you know that there are not very many used trucks in an "affordable" price range out there? One day we ran across what looked to be a really good deal.  I called the dealer and was assured that the truck, for what it was, was in good shape. The pictures showed some body issues but at the listed price, it was not a problem.  I was assured the truck ran well and the AC was in working condition. We decided to make the two hour drive that afternoon. Fortunately it was a Friday and getting back late would not be a big deal for the kids. (Note that I mentioned that there were not many trucks available, thus the two hour drive.)  The truck turned out to be a dud. First thing, check engine light on, next, E brake does not work, power window on the drivers side does not work which means I cannot adjust the mirror since it is not power.  All this and we have only turned the truck on. We drove it anyway, after all, we did drive two hours to see it.  Upon driving we discovered the AC does NOT work and the manual transmission does not like 3rd gear.  I would not have given two grand for that thing.  We went home! UGH! What a colossal waste of time, energy and gas.  Once again proving, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true!

Thinking that we might not be able to get a new truck, we were nearly consigned to living with the one we had and doing a little at a time to fix it up and hoping that perhaps next year we might find what we were looking for.  Then, last week while I was driving to deliver a puppy in Arkansas, I passed a little lot with vehicles for sale and spotted what I thought was a good deal.  I could only make out part of the price in the window and I thought it was a long bed.  It was dark when I came back through so I could not see the truck to confirm anything that night.  The lot was only about 40 minutes from the house and on the same route to our vet. The next day I asked Cherilyn to check with Lori to see if she was headed to the vet and if she was, could she stop and look at the truck I saw.  She was headed there and she was able to stop.  It was a good price, she said it was a long bed and it had the Cummins diesel.  She gave me the phone number and I made a call.  This really was sounding too good to be true again but since it was relatively close, we jumped in the van and headed out to see it. Turned out to be a worth while trip. We negotiated a little and got a better price, put a deposit down on the truck and picked it up today.

The "New" Truck:

• 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, long bed, V6 Cummins Turbo Diesel automatic transmission
• Miles - 199,133
• Quad Cab = 4 doors :)

no major paint issues

4 doors! :)

clean interior

We give up stick shift and a spray in bed liner but gain 2 doors, 100,000 miles and 4 years.

Next on the to do list -  get the 5th wheel hitch taken out of the old truck and put into the new one and clean up and sell the old truck.  Cherilyn has already listed the old truck on Craigslist and had two inquiries.

Anyone want to go camping with us?  :)