Category: Fun Adventures

A Dark Sky night with the MIlky Way!

On our bucket list was to someday have the opportunity to see the Milky Way in a dark-sky area. We had only to look up right outside our camper while staying at Glorieta Adventure Camps! The night was beautifully dark and the Milky-Way was visible along with thousands of stars! The pictures from our camera phone certainly don’t pick up all that we saw, but we still wanted to record the amazing views we enjoyed. Reminds us of how BIG our God is and how little we are – BUT He cares about every detail of our lives (and yours!)

While we’re in New Mexico we decided to take a trip to Taos! We learned there was a loop that we could take with lots to see along the way. We decided to take the low-road first. It follows the Rio Grande River through the lowlands. So we started out at “river level” and then…

…ended up 650 feet above the river, but hardly any elevation gain! The Rio Grande river runs into and through a rift in the earth’s crust. In this area the rift is named a “gorge” (although the river didn’t make the gorge).

A massive steel bridge was built over it in 1965. This is in the top ten highest bridges in the USA.

It became a bit un-nerving to walk across, especially when those large semi’s rumbled across putting everything into motion. Yikes!~ we got the shakes and wobbly knees! (Those are Lorree’s toes hanging over the edge!)

In Taos we walked the Plaza and had a nice authentic New Mexican lunch at a local Cantina. Lots of flowers decorated the walkways and the Plaza.

We drove the high road back from Taos. Beautiful mountains full of color!. Much like “home” with winding roads and great views. Not long however, we were back down on the valley foor in the desert and rocky plains.

Before we left the high road we ventured over to Nambi Falls and Nambi Reservoir. We hiked up (it was definately UP! – thankful for the many “stairs” they built into the trail) to see multiple falls that are just below the dam of the resevoir.

There was another trail that went to the base of the falls but it required water shoes as some of the trail was in the river – we passed on that since we just had sandles and tennis shoes on.

On the final leg back we saw various rock formations and some very colorful overpasses that highlighted the Indian communities in the area.

We had a great day trip adventure! New Mexico has a lot of unique areas to explore and enjoy. We’re looking forward to seeing what Arizonia has for us next! But first – we’re headed back to the cabin for a week or so – more adventures coming!

So much joy in our hearts living this adventure!

Happy Birthday sweet Anya! She’s two this year, we had a great meal and cake & ice cream at Beth & Carl’s house. Not sure she really owned the idea she was being celebrated today until….

Presents! ….for Me? Oh yeah! So fun to watch her having fun & surprises!

And then…Happy Birthday Lorree! What a fun evening with our new Christian friends and neighbors. Dane & Annmarie Egli invited us out to eat at the local Guffey Freshwater Saloon. A great place to have conversation, amazing food, and a friendly atmosphere!

Still walking most everyday – feeling great inside and out! Selah Acres never dissapoints all of our senses as we adventure here! We heard someone say that it’s been years since they saw the grasses shoulder high. We had to take a picture showing this to be true! Amazing!

We enjoyed a great weekend with Gary & Wanda when they came to visit! It was their first time to the cabin, we had a great time sharing stories together. We were able to show them around, had a meal, played cards, and they spent the night at the cabin. It’s so fun having company! …and another beautiful sunset – wow!

Dennis was able to join several other men on Friday mornings for a Bible Study. It was held at Dave’s house (nicknamed the lighthouse) close to Eleven Mile Reservoir. What joy to find and meet like minded men with a heart for God to share life with. It just keeps getting better!

Lorree started attending the Wednesday Ladies Bible Study at the nearby 4-Mile Community Church. She has loved getting to know these godly women and participate in a very meaningful study. Living in the neighborhood and making new friends with these beautiful people is such a blessing!

…and lately on Sunday mornings we’ve been enjoying the church’s Sunday School followed by church services. We think we are being drawn here – small congregation, new Pastor Steve Randall (also a neighbor) who teaches the Word, and kind loving people. We’re still connected to Canon Community Baptist and love it there as well, but praying about the future.

****

It was suggested that we consider new tires the last time we had our truck serviced. But we thought they still looked pretty good … “we’ll get them changed next Spring when we return from our upcoming SOWER ministry travel months.”

…and then, Dennis was returning from a Friday morning Bible Study with the guys when he felt a tire blow out. No place to change it on the road but he was able to drive slowly home. After checking the tires, it now seemed to be a GREAT idea to get new ones before we travel again! (Thank you Lord for clearly showing us your protection and provision, always watching over us and giving us wise council!)

Kay came to visit for the weekend! She came up Friday and spent the night then left to explore other mountains before heading back to Fort Morgan. We’re so thankful for her for moving to Colorado to live with and care for Mom! It was good that she was comfortable getting away. We had a fun marshmallow roast – Dennis won the “best” toasted!

Howdy! Just passing by!

Check out the sky….we’ve had a few “weeks” of pretty bad air quality from all the fires in Western states as well as some in Western Colorado. (Nothing near to us). There was a report that Colordao was the third lowest air quality state in the nation during this time. Ugh! Praying for all those fighting fires and for a great rain to come through!

There has been a tiny bit of Fall in the air with cooler evenings and mornings. Dennis started packing things up that don’t need to be up during the winter. The days are slipping by and we need to start making plans to leave for our next SOWER ministry adventure.

But wait what? …another project first?

I think there will ALWAYS be projects to do. We needed to close in the North end of the shed to house our tractor and some tools. So one last project was completed! Now to make these last days productive in getting our RV ready and repacked. Feelings of excitment and sadness – it seems pretty hard to leave this early in the year, but … what does God have planned for us next month?

BUT STOP! …there are MORE family adventures to come before we leave – who would have thought….?

Just have to remark how beautiful this land is! God has watered it well lately and the fields are full of lush green grasses and wildflowers!

…and the sunsets are beautiful! In this picture the smoke from Oregon wildfires has settled into our atmosphere giving an erie look to the sun.

We bought the wood a year ago, we have the time, lets get our tongue & groove ceiling installed! We’ve never done this before! (Thanks to You-Tube University we’re always learning!)

Lorree was busy sanding and putting a clear coat finish on all of the boards, while Dennis figured how to start putting the boards up. It went really well – only two days to complete the bedroom! Lorree’s hand made quilt came out of storage and added the perfect touch to our “new” bedroom.

Now for the main cabin ceiling – how are we gonna get our boards up, around and through all of those beams and trusses?

Our motto quickly became “one board at a time”! We had a great time working together on this project. Through all of our married life, it has always been rewarding to work on something that is ours together!

Somedays God just says, “rest”! Selah!

The rain came down in buckets several days in a row – we enjoyed the fresh rain smells mixed with the pines. We just took it easy for a few days while God watered Selah Acres!

With all the rain we were able to identify a few leaks in our skylight windows. Dennis was able to caulk up and seal the windows real good. Lorree made sure we stayed healthy with our Juice Plus shakes and then she went back to work putting the finish on the boards.

In just a few more days the north side of the cabin ceiling was done. It has really come togther nicely – and wasn’t as hard as we imagined. We love it!

Look at that green! It’s amazing what rain can add to the landscape!

“For the beauty of the earth,    For the beauty of the skies, For the Love which from our birth    Over and around us lies: Christ, our God, to Thee we raise This our Sacrifice of Praise.”

We started walking at least 1/2 hour every morning – we were overwhelmed at the beauty all around us! The hymn above is based on Ephesians 5:20, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!” SELAH!

On the South side of our cabin ceiling we had to box in the skylights before adding the ceiling boards. So a little more complicated, but we stuck to our “one board at a time” motto.

Yea! Company came and gave us a break from work!

Dennis & Diane Simmons came to visit! We were excited to meet up with them again – we worked together with SOWER ministries at Glorieta, NM and Tejas in Texas last year! They had just finished serving at YWAM in Cimmeron, CO and were traveling by. Their dogs loved to run and play in the open fields. We had a great reunion – it was great to reminisce and get caught up with each other! Looking forward to serving together again down the road!

The final boards…..and DONE! This project turned out great, it gives our cabin a much more clean and finished feel but still has the homey-rustic-log-cabin appeal. Whew! We think all of our big projects are done for this year …where’s the hot tub?!!

What’s coming up next? Some really fun adventures ahead with our family, church, neighbors, and the local community – check out the next blogs!

Our goal was to pass through Iowa on our way to Colorado. Since Megan was currantly at Faith Bible College in Ankeny, we reached out to see if there was an opportinty to meet up with her- Yes there was! (…another adventure in the making!) On our way we spent a night at one of Huck Finn’s hangouts on the the Mississippi river.

This was a beautiful stopover on the mighty Mississippi River. It was quite windy, even saw a few white caps on the water! There is a lot of river traffic going on! It was amazing to watch the barges navigate up and down the river being pushed with tugs.

These barges are like a railroad train – each barge was hooked end to end and the complete “train” was was very long. Several barges were passing each other – very busy! Speaking of trains – we “enjoyed” the trains passing right by our campsite. (we were in between the river and the train tracks).

God delighted us with this amazing full and bright moon over the water. Such a peaceful and serene setting! All we could do was try to take it all in, thanks God for the beauty all around that you bless us with!

• 

• 

Always thankful for technology while we travel – we get to face time with our kiddos wherever we are. Saying hi to Bently, Emily, Jessica, and Kimberly!

• 

• 

We met up with Megan at Faith Bible Collage. She gave us a great tour around the campus. We invited her and some of her friends out to the lake for a hamburger cookout – we learned a lot about college social life as we just sat and listened. This was a great group of friends – so happy for Megan to be able to experience life away from home in such a great place, with great people!

• 

• 

From Iowa we traveled through Nebraska – we met up with Franklin and Sarah Krause and had a wonderful reunion. It was great to catch up on their life and share our journeys with them. We finally entered “Colorful Colorado”. It’s always good to see this sign – it’s like “we’ll be home soon”!

• 

• 

• 

…and here is our Fort Morgan exit! We’re planning to spend a few weeks with Mom Johnson getting things ready for Kay to move in this spring! We found a great RV park to stay at just a few miles west of town called Emerald RV Park. We’re looking forward to getting to work on remodeling Mom’s storage room into a new office for Kay!

Check the next blog story for all the details!

Kimberly suggested that we stop by and see the falls at Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden, AL our way out of the Anniston area. With all the recent rain it was very beautiful and scenic, a 90ft drop of water! We caught a fisherman down below fishing under a rainbow!

So, to get from Alabama to Kentucky you have to drive through Georgia and Tennessee. We’re sure seeing lots of states and highways. Its fun to find so many crosses along our nations highways!

• 

• 

Just follow that crowd to Dollywood! It was an early Wednesday morning during Spring Break – Dollywood had limited capacity (COVID regs) but we were able to enjoy a day with Buddy and Cindy Ward (Tate’s parents). They work here part time and were able to bring in guests!

We walked, visited, and saw many of the shows at Dollywood. It was interesting to learn that quite a few of the eateries and attractions were closed because they cannot find help. It seems that the COVID unemployment benefits out weigh the desire to work? It was a great day – Thanks Buddy & Cindy!

All you can eat catfish and chicken! We’re lov’in all this “fine” dining! (although we’re starting to look a bit plump LOL!)

We parked at the Welcome Center and rode the trolley into Gatlinburg. So thankful to not have to fight the traffic and try to find a place to park – it was crazy! We decided to go on adventure to Anakesta (“place of high ground”). It’s beautiful – we would recommend this to anyone! Such a different atmosphere away from the noise and crowds down below.

We took a stroll along the 16-bridge Treetop Skywalk. Wow – what a view (and a bit of sway!) from at least 60 feet or more! It’s claim is the longest tree-based skywalk in North America – around 880′ long! Little kids were running across as their parents hung on for dear life. We had fun taking our time across the bridges.

We took the gondola ride down the mountain back to street level in Gatlinburg. I think we are trying to face our fear of heights on this trip! It was a beautiful and gentle ride (except for a few start and stop moments). We’re “all smiles” but hanging on with white knuckles! LOL!

We walked the downtown Gatlinburg amongst all the people, whew, wonder what a summertime weekend crowd looks like!? Had to have some ice cream from Chocolate Monkey to top off the day – YUM!

SO.MUCH.FUN! To top off our Gatlinburg getaway, we really had fun on this mountain coaster! We even stayed for a second time up and down the mountain. Wheee! Highly recommended! (and yes more thrills out of our ‘fear of heights”!)

We had a great time in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. We’ll cherish these memories until we come back again!

We decided that a trip to San Antonio between our November and December projects would be a great way to relax and see some sights so we made arrangements at a beautiful resort hotel, the Eilan Hotel And Spa just outside of San Antonio.

The first thing we did was contemplate our situation. The hotel had very few guests (at least we rarely ran into anyone in the halls or lobby). The pool was beautiful, quiet, and had plenty of space to spread out. Our room was very comfortable AND we had packed plenty of food for lite lunches and snacks. We didn’t need to “see the sights” as we could always do that another time. So we decided to stay put and enjoy the days ahead – it was nice!

So our experience in quarantine was not like so many others. We just enjoyed each other and the rest that God provided.

As you can see we had some great sunshiny days – and the pool all to ourselves! We took advantage of the ultraviolet light that kills viruses – even got a bit tan! We felt great the whole time we were there!

When we were not at the pool or walking around the campus, we worked in the room. We both read books and watched a few movies. I caught up on some blogging and organizing pictures. Lorree worked (in bed!) – what a week, life was really tough!

Everyday I could look across the highway and see the Bass Pro Store – just sitting there. Finally I suggested we go on a shopping trip, and guess what? Lorree bought me a Christmas present – she’s so sweet, what a surprise! Now I can get them varmints at our Selah Acres / Colorado cabin!

Time to head “home” back to Brownwood, TX. We need to get to our next project. Our quarantine lasted 7 days (just right according to CDC having no symptoms).

We stopped at “The Coming King” Scripture Prayer Garden in Kerrville, TX. What a beautiful and serene place to find – and no fees. There are a variety of sculptures depicting various scriptures of Jesus ministry and His soon return. The cross was amazing!

….and one more stop at Fredericksburg, TX.

It was a nice day to stop for a bite to eat and enjoyed walking the streets of Fredericksburg. This is a touristy German town that is all geared up for Christmas.

We had a great week in spite of the idea of being quarantined. We’re thankful for our health and continue to pray for God’s protection. Psalm 91 is a great passage of scripture that shares God’s protection and love for us – it would be a great read for your next quiet time!

Looking forward to relocating to Camp Tejas in Giddings TX – what adventures will we have?

It was a bright and clear day to start our next traveling adventure. We left Glorieta and headed to Roswell, NM The highway was a silver ribbon clear to the horizon! We soon learned that “northern and eastern New Mexico exhibit a colder, alpine climate” as stated in Wikipedia.

We were warmly greeted by the resident aliens at our RV Trailer Park in Roswell. They had a sign that said, “Come Crash With Us!” We were pleased to observe that they were immune to to COVID so no need for masks and social distancing!

Driving in downtown Roswell we found a lot of businesses capitalizing on the theme of aliens. To visit he UFO Museum we had to be temperature-scanned (we hope that’s all they did!) Those short & skinny aliens aren’t very friendly – never could get them to smile, they actually looked a bit upset that we were getting too close!

Through the weekend, we kept watch on the weather and when we saw this Winter Storm Warning…we decided to change our plans. We did not want to get stuck in Roswell so we left camp early Monday and headed a little more south to Midland, TX. Brrrr – Let’s GO!

This was our first adventure traveling in the cold since we started full time RVing over a year ago! We were thankful that we avoided the snow and colder temps that Roswell had. We found a noisy RV Park in Midland right next to three busy interstates. It was SO cold and icy; we stayed in and read books all-day-long! The on-site supplied water froze overnight, but our on-board water was still working – Yea! We kept warm with our furnace and electric fireplace – we’re thankful for a very comfortable home to travel and hang out in!

By Wednesday morning the weather cleared up and we left for Brownwood, TX – home of our next SOWER Project. It was a beautiful sunshine and blue sky day! We rested well that night – much warmer and quieter – Ahhhh!

This week in between SOWER projects went fast. Our adventure of new experiences surprised us with aliens and a cold spell (didn’t see that coming!) We’re looking forward to landing at the Heart of Texas Camp and Conference Center tomorrow! What will that adventure be like? (Hint – more surprises!!!)

Just a fun picture -note there is no driver! (Actually car was on a trailer) We’re headed back to Colorado to our cabin for some rest and relaxing. No agenda to do work on the cabin or property (although knowing us work will happen!). We decided to just spend some time at Selah Acres and enjoy a quiet adventure before our next SOWER project.

Before leaving Glorieta, we shopped at their “yard sale” and picked up a few items for the cabin. Dennis spent a couple of says sanding and refinishing a great old wood floor lamp – looks great in our rustic cabin setting!

Lorree picked out some thermal lined curtains…..and just hung them up! No alterations, they fit perfectly. thank you God for always supplying our needs. perfectly!

While “home” we had the Pellet Stove serviced – replaced the auger motor, and we also had the well serviced. We installed a well head freeze drain for winterization. I think we are done will all the necessities for now!

Thankful for the beauty (and quiet) of this new place. The colors in the Aspen tree leaves are starting to turn gold – fall is on the way. Thankful we were able to capture some of these moments this year!

We made a day trip to Fortr Morgan to see Mom – she’s doing so well! COVID masks are still something we have to work with – but thankfully we can take off our masks when we eat!

Lorree is busy working on her newest quilt for the cabin. It was fun to be able to work on it while there. Just enough room to lay it out and get it all pinned and ready for the sewing machine! It will look great on our bed!

Dennis spent some time cleaning our guns and we even did some target practice. Its fun having our own land away from everyone where we can do these things!

Oh yes…we had to have our ribs! They were great!

Duane and Ruth, Louis and Christine came for an afternoon to see us (and the cabin!) It was a fun time of visiting and sharing some great bacon burgers with all the fix’ins – YUM!

We had so many days of just relaxing – doing some things we haven’t done for quite a while. Dennis dug out his paints and worked on a new painting – trying to capture the cabin in the trees. Still a WIP (work-in-progress).

We hiked the Guffey Gorge, only about 6 miles from the cabin. It was a beautiful hike through a gorge and up and down lots of rocks. There was a swimming hole that many people come to during the busy summer months. We only met a couple of people during the entire hike. It was very picturesque and quiet. So fun to know we have these adventures in our backyard!

The creek was soooo clear (and cold!) we were able to watch the small rainbow trout darting in and out under the rocks. Look who is at the end of my rainbow, love you Lorree!

Our cabin adventure came to an end. We cleaned the cabin, the truck, and winterized the cabin. We’ll be back in December (Lord willing!) to celebrate our 48th anniversary and enjoy a white Christmas adventure this year!