July 5, 2007
Progress
Most of the day was spent sleeping. After another late night driving we slept in to about 4:00pm. We cleaned up a few things and hit the road again. The weather was cool enough for us to drive in daylight hours, so we began our transition out of nocturnal life by driving during the day. It was new feeling, not having to use our headlights at first.
Our next goal is to meet up with the Providence youth group in Kansas. They have been in Colorado for the past week and are also starting their way back home. Our may intersect at Oakley, Kansas. If we do meet up, Mike will be riding home with them. Mike has a job interview and has to leave us again. With an actual destination and time frame ahead of us we made great time on the road.
Although we started in daylight hours we drove late into the night, about 12 hours. We covered almost 450miles and made it into Kansas. It was one of the longest single traveling days yet. The fact that we haven’t broken down facing east yet, progress is much faster.
Other than the great progress we made, not much else happened today. New stashes of fireworks are surfacing and being launched again. More burn marks on the furniture, our clothes and skin. So far the ride home is going much smoother than the one out here. We’ve worked the kinks out of Helen. She’s working better everyday.
Mike’s cousin Josh, you have left him a few voicemails, he wants to call you back but doesn’t have your number. Call back and leave a number, thanks.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Liberal, Kansas
4257 miles driven,
roughly 655 gallons of gas later, we’re in Kansas again
Saturday, July 7, 2007
July 4, 2007
July 4, 2007
Independence Day
Helen was on her way east through Phoenix at 12:01am the morning of July 4. There was a short dispute over what time zone we were in, but when it was decided that it was Independence Day in Arizona the fireworks started going off. We didn’t pull over to light them though; we shot them at each other, inside the Winnebago, on the highway. It was exciting throwing bottle rockets into the air, not knowing where they would shoot. There was no safe ground. Even after the initial wave of fireworks was gone, others would be going off sporadically throughout the night. A couple of bottle rockets to the chest, and a few packs of black cats in the lap, we all got hit. I have clothes with holes burnt in them to prove it. It was pretty intense, but it was the best way we knew how to celebrate America’s Birthday at 3:00am on the road.
Later that morning, after the fireworks had died down and the transmission was done giving us some problems, we found a small town to stop at and sleep. There was a Wal-Mart and an RV park there; a perfect place to stop. The forecast predicted temperatures to exceed 100 again today, but this time we would be in the Bago, not an air conditioned hotel room. We quickly bought a day pass for the RV lot, got plugged in, and enjoyed some AC and cable TV. With gaps, spaces, and broken windows we didn’t hold our cold air very well. It was still very hot inside Helen, but tolerable.
Waking up to the mid-afternoon heat, a few of us (Ian, Luke, Mike, and Aaron) went into the Wal-Mart to burn some time. We brought quarters for the vending machines. Sam’s Choice pop is only 25 cents a can, and they were cold too. We stocked up on pop and began browsing the rest of the store. We found a few other items that we would later come back to after grabbing our wallets. Eight hot dogs and buns divided by four guys turned out to be like 41 cents per guy; a deal we couldn’t turn down. We bought the hot dogs and made them in the microwave at the break room/ dining area.
After almost three hours inside Wal-Mart, making our 4th or 5th lap around the store, Mike called his parents. It was through this phone call that we heard the best news we had heard all day. In the spirit of Independence Day the Nyhofs were donating one large steak dinner to the Winnebago Crew. Abandoning our dinner plans for Ramen Noodles, we sprinted to the meat section to select our prize dinner.
In the end we grabbed way too much food for our road-trip shrunken stomachs. We ate until it hurt, and then a little more. We ate outside, because it was getting a little cooler. The sun was setting, and the wind was picking up. We packed up the grill and were getting ready to go inside and take some real showers, when the big fireworks put on by the city started. We had no idea that the small town we were in would have such a gigantic firework show, but it was pretty big. The launch site couldn’t have been too far away because we could hear the patriotic music that was being played with the show. We all stood in the middle of the RV park, caught between chores, watching the fireworks. After the grand finale we all took showers, cleaned up and got ready for the road again.
We left just after 10:00pm, earlier than normal because of the sudden drop in temperature. It was a good holiday spent in the Winnebago. Our stomachs were full of good food, we still have some more fireworks, and we’re making our way closer and closer to home. Happy Fourth of July everyone. God Bless America, and Helen, and the Nyhofs for their delicious steak donation.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Benson, Arizona
We’re on our way back.
Independence Day
Helen was on her way east through Phoenix at 12:01am the morning of July 4. There was a short dispute over what time zone we were in, but when it was decided that it was Independence Day in Arizona the fireworks started going off. We didn’t pull over to light them though; we shot them at each other, inside the Winnebago, on the highway. It was exciting throwing bottle rockets into the air, not knowing where they would shoot. There was no safe ground. Even after the initial wave of fireworks was gone, others would be going off sporadically throughout the night. A couple of bottle rockets to the chest, and a few packs of black cats in the lap, we all got hit. I have clothes with holes burnt in them to prove it. It was pretty intense, but it was the best way we knew how to celebrate America’s Birthday at 3:00am on the road.
Later that morning, after the fireworks had died down and the transmission was done giving us some problems, we found a small town to stop at and sleep. There was a Wal-Mart and an RV park there; a perfect place to stop. The forecast predicted temperatures to exceed 100 again today, but this time we would be in the Bago, not an air conditioned hotel room. We quickly bought a day pass for the RV lot, got plugged in, and enjoyed some AC and cable TV. With gaps, spaces, and broken windows we didn’t hold our cold air very well. It was still very hot inside Helen, but tolerable.
Waking up to the mid-afternoon heat, a few of us (Ian, Luke, Mike, and Aaron) went into the Wal-Mart to burn some time. We brought quarters for the vending machines. Sam’s Choice pop is only 25 cents a can, and they were cold too. We stocked up on pop and began browsing the rest of the store. We found a few other items that we would later come back to after grabbing our wallets. Eight hot dogs and buns divided by four guys turned out to be like 41 cents per guy; a deal we couldn’t turn down. We bought the hot dogs and made them in the microwave at the break room/ dining area.
After almost three hours inside Wal-Mart, making our 4th or 5th lap around the store, Mike called his parents. It was through this phone call that we heard the best news we had heard all day. In the spirit of Independence Day the Nyhofs were donating one large steak dinner to the Winnebago Crew. Abandoning our dinner plans for Ramen Noodles, we sprinted to the meat section to select our prize dinner.
In the end we grabbed way too much food for our road-trip shrunken stomachs. We ate until it hurt, and then a little more. We ate outside, because it was getting a little cooler. The sun was setting, and the wind was picking up. We packed up the grill and were getting ready to go inside and take some real showers, when the big fireworks put on by the city started. We had no idea that the small town we were in would have such a gigantic firework show, but it was pretty big. The launch site couldn’t have been too far away because we could hear the patriotic music that was being played with the show. We all stood in the middle of the RV park, caught between chores, watching the fireworks. After the grand finale we all took showers, cleaned up and got ready for the road again.
We left just after 10:00pm, earlier than normal because of the sudden drop in temperature. It was a good holiday spent in the Winnebago. Our stomachs were full of good food, we still have some more fireworks, and we’re making our way closer and closer to home. Happy Fourth of July everyone. God Bless America, and Helen, and the Nyhofs for their delicious steak donation.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Benson, Arizona
We’re on our way back.
July 3,2007
July 3, 2007
Motel 8
Earlier in the trip, Ian’s parents offered a night in a hotel as a gift for us to use when we needed to get off the road. There have already been a few nights where we thought we needed to get off the road, but we knew to save our hotel night for the desert, round two.
Helen was still overheating under the bright desert sun, so we were again limited to nighttime driving only. Leaving LA at about 10:30pm last night, we drove all night, into Arizona. It was amazing the difference a few hundred miles made in the temperature. We left LA wearing sweatshirts and drove into what would become a 112 degree desert afternoon. We needed to get out of the heat.
We all expected to use our Hotel night somewhere in the southwest but it became apparent that we needed it now. The black tar roof of the Bago absorbs heat, raising the inside temperature past the outside air temp. After a long night of driving we pulled over at a Motel 8 and checked into two rooms.
Immediately the AC was cranked to high and we moved our stuff in. Most of the day was spent in bed, catching up on the sleep that we missed out on the night before. After waking up, we took advantage of the electricity, ice, AC, and hot water. We made dinner out of the coffee pot, and used the ice bucket as a cooler for drinks. We watched movies on the hotel cable and played video games too. Looking out the window we were reminded how hot it was outside (112 degrees) and enjoyed our air conditioned room even more. After an old Bruce Willis cop movie, a raid on Ian’s room, and a knock on the door by hotel security, we packed up the Bago and got back on the road.
We’re driving all night again, trying to get through the desert as fast as we can. Tonight we’ve had few problems; a few transmission issues towards the end here, but otherwise a smooth ride. The goal is New Mexico for the 4th of July. New Mexico is a big firework state, like Indiana. Arizona and California are very strict with fireworks so we’re trying to make it someplace exciting for Independence Day.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Quartzsite, Arizona
Motel 8
Earlier in the trip, Ian’s parents offered a night in a hotel as a gift for us to use when we needed to get off the road. There have already been a few nights where we thought we needed to get off the road, but we knew to save our hotel night for the desert, round two.
Helen was still overheating under the bright desert sun, so we were again limited to nighttime driving only. Leaving LA at about 10:30pm last night, we drove all night, into Arizona. It was amazing the difference a few hundred miles made in the temperature. We left LA wearing sweatshirts and drove into what would become a 112 degree desert afternoon. We needed to get out of the heat.
We all expected to use our Hotel night somewhere in the southwest but it became apparent that we needed it now. The black tar roof of the Bago absorbs heat, raising the inside temperature past the outside air temp. After a long night of driving we pulled over at a Motel 8 and checked into two rooms.
Immediately the AC was cranked to high and we moved our stuff in. Most of the day was spent in bed, catching up on the sleep that we missed out on the night before. After waking up, we took advantage of the electricity, ice, AC, and hot water. We made dinner out of the coffee pot, and used the ice bucket as a cooler for drinks. We watched movies on the hotel cable and played video games too. Looking out the window we were reminded how hot it was outside (112 degrees) and enjoyed our air conditioned room even more. After an old Bruce Willis cop movie, a raid on Ian’s room, and a knock on the door by hotel security, we packed up the Bago and got back on the road.
We’re driving all night again, trying to get through the desert as fast as we can. Tonight we’ve had few problems; a few transmission issues towards the end here, but otherwise a smooth ride. The goal is New Mexico for the 4th of July. New Mexico is a big firework state, like Indiana. Arizona and California are very strict with fireworks so we’re trying to make it someplace exciting for Independence Day.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Quartzsite, Arizona
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