Day 9

The next morning we lounged around. Since we only had to go an hour to our house, we felt no need to get going quickly.

Grandma made pancakes for us and we talked with her over breakfast, not wanting to say goodbye. We just enjoyed the morning while it lasted.

Eventually, though, we had to leave. We said our goodbyes and, though we didn't want to, went home.

It was kind of hard to end the trip, but once we were home I was kind of glad to be back--I think we all were. And so ended another trip, another chapter, another adventure, of my life as a missionary kid.

Day 8

We got up a little after five in the morning. Dad wanted to get an early start so we could be home by the end of the day.

We checked out of the Hotel Nevada and left by six. Progress was good, and we soon passed the state border and entered Utah. Once again I saw things I was familiar with--rolling mountains and sand-filled valleys.

As we drove along Dad noticed someone stuck on the side of the road. So we pulled over. Dad, Josh and Mom went out to see what was wrong and found that the stranded lady had blown a tire. They helped her to put the spare on and without much delay were moving on.

The day slowly continued. We saw the Painted Desert landscape again, and though I had already done so twice, I found myself taking pictures of some of the same rocks.

Again we had snacks and skipped lunch. We were making good time and, sooner than I thought we would, we crossed into Colorado! Mountains rose up and we knew we were getting close to home. We went up on swerving road and crossed Monarch Pass, the highest we got that day. We came around canyons and I really started recognising things. Finally, we actually got into our town! We did not continue home, though, because we were staying at Grandma's house that night. We got all settled in, took a few showers and went to bed for the last evening of the trip.

Day 7

Despite being so tired, we had gotten everything in suitcases the night before. I was glad for that now because I was still pretty tired. We got breakfast and loaded everything into the car for the trip home. Then, after checking out of our rooms, we left.

The whole day we drove along almost the same route we had taken before. I saw the roads that I was now getting kind of familiar with and some of the hills, gas stations and trees that I knew I had definitely seen before.

After many stops and breaks we got out of California. Nevada was filled with mountains and valleys. I saw the "shoe tree" for the third time--and, for the third time as well, failed to get a good picture of it.

As we entered the town of Ely I wondered how cool it would be if stopped into the same hotel we had stayed on that first night. But as Dad said he was not ready to stop for the day, I lost hope for that.

Yet as we drove near the hotel, we slowed down, turned and went into the parking lot! Dad had been joking! We were staying again at the hotel that I was really starting to like.

Of course, we got out our bags, checked into the room, ordered pizza and enjoyed what I figured would probably be our last night of the trip.

Day 6

We got up rather early to get ready for the Sunday morning service, in which Dad would be preaching briefly. Once again we went to the mega church called Bethel. We arrived early, but the service started soon.

The Teen Challenge Choir was there again also. When they quit singing, many former Teen Challenge students shared their testimony, including Dad. It was a nice service and afterwards the Rowes took us out to lunch.

We ate at a strange chicken frying place. It was very crowded and in all the chaos, I ended up getting way more than I had first ordered! As a result, I ended up really full by the time we drove back to the hotel.

Since the pool was open and no one was there any more, Josh, Emily and I all swam the afternoon away.

When dinner time came around we went to the Rowes' house. I was still kind of full from lunch, but I had enjoyed it anyway. We talked a lot during the whole visit, being that this was the last time we would be seeing them. I had a great evening, but we talked very late into the night and I soon got very tired. I was both sad and relieved to get back to the hotel that night.

Day 5

I expected to have to get up early, but I soon found out that we could sleep in until almost noon! Of course, we got out of bed and did a few things. Mom took Emily, Josh and I to get some breakfast. We brought it back to the hotel and watched TV for a while.


We left a little after noon for the Bethel church, which I found was a lot bigger than I had first thought. We walked in and put stickers with our names on. After that we got lunch. There was no shortage of food, even with all the people that had come. We ate in a gym and to my surprise the whole room was full!

The celebration was being held for the Rowes, who had just finished with thirty years of ministry in the Teen Challenge program. The Teen Challenge Choir came up and sang many songs. Several people came and spoke of how the Rowes had helped them with their lives. Dad, too, got a three minute window. He talked about his experience with Teen Challenge and how he was grateful for the program.

The Rowes got a cruise near the end, and we all prayed for them. When it was all over, Dad took us to look at some old pictures of him when he was in the program. We had a great time and went back to the hotel. The whole thing had lasted for five hours, so it was getting late already. As always, Josh took Emily and I swimming before we went in for the night. Being that it was Independence Day we stayed up late to see if any fireworks went off. We did not see any, but the next morning Dad said he had seen fireworks later into the night.

Day 4

In the morning we got up, took a few showers and drove to the church. We skipped breakfast again, eating only a few snacks on the way.

Dad preached a message that morning to the Teen Challenge group that had had come to the church that morning. After that the Rowe's took us on a tour of the various houses and dorms. It was really fun and on the way we stopped and got coffee and smoothies. We also checked out the Teen Challenge thrift store before going back to the hotel to rest for the evening.

Hours went by. We went swimming, I got another shower and we relaxed. We left once again when it was time for a pre-Independence Day show that was held by the Bethel Church at a huge amphitheatre. Hundreds and hundreds--maybe even thousands--of people crowded into the bleachers while we waited for one hour until the show would started. In the meantime, Mrs. Dana gave us ten dollars to buy snacks with, so we quickly bought some popcorn.

Finally, it started. An orchestra played several songs, some of which I was familiar with. At one point, they played Old McDonald. But we had a part in it, too! Certain groups of seats were assigned with animals to help with by yelling out the lines. We were assigned with pigs. I noticed that no one really got loud until we started. I'm pretty sure all of us were yelling as loud as we could and I think we were all the loudest.

When it got dark, they turned on fire flares and lasers as people danced on the stage and music played. The show as a whole was pretty good, and I had a hard time believing it was done by a church.

It went on late into the night. When it ended it was very dark and we all went back to the hotel, still amazed by the great show.

Day 3

We did not get up quickly because we did not have to leave until ten AM. So, after getting some of the free hotel breakfast, we got on the road again.

We only had to drive two hours before quitting! After a beautiful drive we entered San Jose, where traffic really picked up. Luckily we were on the fast side of it and soon we arrived at a church. We had been invited to lunch there, so we spent a while with the Mr. Randy Rowe and his wife Mrs. Dana Rowe, who were both leading the Teen Challenge* center.

The lunch was over sized and we had a great time. But next we drove to a big hotel, got checked in and managed to bring all of our bags up to our room. We relaxed a while before we went back to the church, where we had dinner. After that Dad was able to preach for an hour or two inside.

When it was over, we talked some and went back to the hotel. There we went to the pool, got showers and finally climbed into bed.

*Teen Challenge is a Christ-centered drug rehabilitation center.

Day 2

We did not get up very early and we felt no need to pack up quickly. We even got a couple of showers before we packed everything into the car and took off.

We had granola bars for breakfast again and snacked for lunch. The day and the scenery slowly passed by.

Suddenly, Dad announced that we had entered California! We had to go to an inspection station before we got far, though. What with Dad's rugged biker look and beard, we had a little bit of trouble. Plus, we got a little confused and moved into the wrong place. The inspector thought we had tried to get away! But with a little explaining (and some searching of the car on the part of the inspector) we were once again on our way.

It was then that the ride got really interesting. First, the road started rolling up and down very steeply. It felt like a roller coaster ride! We all got butterflies in our stomachs and had a fun time, guessing how steep the next dip would be and finding we had under estimated it.

But all too soon the dips ended. We saw mountains up ahead and I finally learned we were going to drive through Yosemite National Park! In one distinct moment we went from endless grassy flat lands to pine-tree forest, with huge mountains and lakes placed beautifully beside the road. Emily, Grandma and I all had fun trying to take pictures of the amazing landscapes with each of our cameras. The ride as a whole was amazing and I don't want to forget it.

After about an hour (or at least that's how long it seemed to me) we exited the national park. But that didn't end the breathtaking ride. We drove on squiggling and unpredictable roads that scaled the sides of mountains. We went from almost ten thousand feet in altitude to almost sea level in one day. It was hard to get bored.

The land flattened out and turned grassy, like we had never gone through Yosemite in the first place. It was getting late in the day, so we stopped for the night at a rather expensive hotel. There I enjoyed an evening of swimming, watching TV and resting.