Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Shawna's Thoughts-Traversing the Lower 48

Sunday, July 20
After weighing our trailer yet again, discovering that we were overweight (the story of my life), and dumping items back into the storage unit, we finally hit the road Sunday morning. Traveling north was not a problem, but when we turned at Salina smooth travels changed. The relentless Kansas wind buffeted us and we began the slow dance down the highway that I dubbed "The Sway". I can usually read for hours while traveling without issues, but not this time. Thankfully, we stocked up on some audio books so I was able to look straight ahead, plunging my thoughts into the fictitious world of the novel's characters while keeping my cookies intact. 

We had hoped to make it into Wyoming, but due to the high winds we drove slowly. After 11 hours we pulled into Ft. Collins, Colorado for some food and much needed rest. We settled in quickly, had a great night's rest and prepared for another day of adventure.

The Winds, by Shawna Goodwin

The winds, they blow us all around
Making progress slow
And though we weave back and forth
Onward we must go.

I surely hope as we traverse
The winds begin to still
For if they don’t I’m quite afraid
That I shall become ill.



Monday, July 21
God continues to watch over us as we travel toward Alaska. We climbed a lot of "hills" through Wyoming and encountered road construction, some of which required us to pass over narrow one-lane bridges. I think we both were holding our breath each time we had to navigate between cones and guardrails. We met up with my mom in Billings, MT who was visiting relatives and chatted for a few minutes before journeying on toward Bozeman. 

It is customary for David to be the driver while I ride shotgun, navigating our way by consulting with the Rand McNally atlas. I prefer a map over our Tom Tom most of the time so that I can see the entire state at a glance, however it’s nice to have the GPS when we are searching for specific addresses such as our hotel.

We spent the night at the Lewis and Clark hotel in downtown Bozeman. It was 10:00pm and the town was abuzz with activity. Pedestrians were strolling up and down the streets or were seated in outdoor cafes. It would have been fun to join in, but we were both exhausted and ready to be out of the truck and into a comfy bed.


“On the Road Again” sung to the tune of, well “On the Road Again.”

On the road again,
I can’t wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is sitting on my sore rear end
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.

On the road again,
Going places that I’ve never been,
Not slowing down to find the history therein
We must continue on the road again.

On the road again
Like a herd of turtles we go down the highway.
The Atlas is our friend
Who needs the GPS to show us the way?
And our way

Is on the road again,
I can’t wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is sitting on my sore rear end
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.

Tuesday, July 22
Our first destination of the day was Great Falls, MT. The drive from Helena to Great Falls took us through a beautiful canyon where numerous fly fishermen dotted the waters of the Missouri River. We realized we were traveling through the setting of A River Runs Through It, one of David’s favorite movies. 

We continued on toward Great Falls where we had plans to meet my older brother, Alan, who is a track coach at the University of Great Falls. We joined him on the campus, did a little maintenance on our rig and then visited his office. Afterward we went to lunch. It would have been nice to spend more time with him, but onward we must go.

We reached the border at Coutts, Alberta and after answering a few standard questions, we were sent on our way with a smile. That was a big answer to prayer and we still have all of the steaks in the cooler. No BBQ on the Border.


We decided to spend the night in Lethbridge. We had planned on using the truck tent once we entered Canada, but the price of the campground was not that much different than a hotel, so we decided not to break out the tent just yet. We were blessed to find a hotel that comes with an incredible view from the back parking lot. There is a footpath that winds among rolling hills, which are nestled in-between two bluffs, and there is a long railroad bridge connecting the two sides. At sunset, the view was simply amazing.

We look forward to many more remarkable sites on this life changing adventure.

Psalm 98:8
Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy.



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