June 28, 2007

June 28, 2007

Victory has a Salty Taste

It was a ringing phone that woke me up in the morning. It was my sister Julie, wondering when she could pick us up. Looking around at five other half naked, sleeping guys; I told her to give us a minute to wake up and clean up a little before we left. I didn’t know that she was looking for us in the Wal-Mart parking lot down the road, where we got kicked out the night before, to surprise us with Krispy-Kremes and milk. She was the one who was surprised when we weren’t there.
I told Julie where we finally ended up for the night and she came right on over. The donuts disappeared the moment they came through our side door and the milk, soon after. We talked for a minute or two before following Julie back to the apartment. Usually before we drive we let Helen idle for a few minutes to warm up. We didn’t tell Julie that we needed to idle for a second, before she took off out of the parking lot. Afraid of losing the lead vehicle of our head-turning convoy we pulled into a busy intersection before Helen was ready for it. She died, blocking two lanes of traffic. The impatient LA drivers let us know that they were behind us by all laying on their horn. Luke started Helen up again, and barely straightened her out into one lane before she died again. Now people are buzzing past us on our right side, letting us know with their hands how much they appreciated us stopping where we were. Starting it once again Luke pulls into the right lane, cutting off another LA driver. Julie, meanwhile, witnesses this all go down and pulls over to the side of the road. We made it to the next light, died, and started again. Helen stalled about five times. After a few close call red lights, we made it home.
Ryan was waiting for us at the apartment to follow us back to the church, where the Winnebago would be staying for the next few days. The Bago made it to the church with fewer problems than before, but our rear wheel-wells were smoking from all of the stop and go traffic of the city. Our brakes had been burning up, from driving on flat ground. We did run four red lights and had a few more horns honked at us, but we made it. After grabbing our bags and putting them in Ryan’s truck, we started back.
Arriving at our new temporary home, we began to unpack and plan the evening ahead of us. A trip to In-N-Out Burger and going to the beach was on the list of things we needed to do while in Cali.
In-N-Out was better than we could have anticipated. The giant burgers sat well in our hungry stomachs and the fact that they were free made them taste all the better (Ryan and Julie’s treat, Thanks!) We learned how to order things like the locals; things that aren’t on the menu like animal style fries, delicious. A new favorite restaurant to us all.
The beach was just down the road from the In-N-Out. As we pulled in to the parking lot, it began to dawn on us that we had finally made it. We piled out of the jeep and truck with campfire and smores supplies in hand. The guys quick changed into bathing suits and headed towards the water. A ton of pictures were taken of the dramatic moment (check the new albums) as we ran the entire length of the beach and dove into the giant, ocean waves. That’s when we knew we had made it. With a giant gulp of salt water I realized victory had a new taste.
From here on out, wherever we get to is just bonus. Our trip was made complete with swim in the Pacific. We are so thankful that we made it this far. There were a lot of people who doubted, including us at times, that we would make it, but we did. We all feel a bit relieved to finally be here and are enjoying every minute of it. Thanks again to Ryan and Julie for an awesome first day in Rancho Cucamonga, a possible highlight for the entire trip.

Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Rancho Cucamonga, California

June 27, 2007

June 27, 2007

Californ-I-A

The first night back on the road was hot. Accustomed to the air-conditioned bedrooms of the guest house, we all had a little trouble getting to sleep in the extreme heat. The heat woke most of us up around 8:00am when it was already climbing to 100+ degrees outside. A good hour or two was spent inside a nearby, air-conditioned, gas station. We fueled up and started towards the border. We were only twenty miles away from the border when we parked last night.

Nearing the border, we unpacked the cameras and got ready for the big moment. Phone calls were made, and pictures were taken the second we passed the “Welcome to California” sign. It got pretty loud in the cabin, as we approached the border inspection stop. We parked a little ways down the road and walked the footbridge over the Colorado River to the sign. We snapped a few pics before deciding we needed to get out of the heat. Michigan weather is sounding better and better all the time. Closer to the city limits we found a McDonalds and used the gift card that Scott gave us (thanks Scott) to buy some milk shakes.

We were in no hurry to leave the cool, air-conditioned cafeteria of McDonalds. More phone calls were made, including one from my sister Julie, to figure out the plan for the next few days. Ryan and Julie are giving us a place to stay for a while, and the inside scoop of LA. We’re looking forward to actually making it their place, but right now we are facing a small delay.

Helen is overheating again, right before we enter about 80miles of desert. We decided to pull over at the last gas station before the desert, to cool down and wait. When the sun goes down, the temperature will drop and we can keep chugging down I-10 towards LA. For now, we’re writing, watching videos of the trip thus far, copying pictures to the computers, and playing poker. The truck stop restaurant we are in is near empty; I’m sure we were more than half of their customers all day.

We waited until about 11:00pm before we took off through the desert. It was a long stay at the truck stop and we were ready get out of there. Because of our long delay, we wouldn’t be making it to Ryan and Julie’s until about 3:00am, so we decided we would park somewhere nearby and meet up in the morning.

On the highway, Helen gave us a big scare. The transmission wasn’t shifting into third gear, causing us to stay at a 35mph top speed. As we limped down the highway, hazard lights flashing, we talked about possible solutions. There was serious talk about scrapping the whole thing and buying bus tickets back. We thought for sure that Helen had given up. But then, a second wind, Helen was shifting again! Not asking any questions as to why it worked again, we proceeded to find a Wal-Mart just a few minutes from Ryan and Julie. It was 3:00am.

Once at Wal-Mart, we all went inside and cleaned up. It was walking back to the Bago that we discovered we had parked right next to a “No overnight RV parking” sign. Not really wanting to be towed, this close to our destination, we moved into the next empty lot. A half hour after we parked there, a security vehicle came by and made us move again. Desperately searching for a place to stay we cruised on down the road. A block away there was an abandoned gas station with its windows boarded up. It didn’t look very inviting but it worked. We slept good, knowing we had made it.

Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen

Rancho Cucamonga, California

June 26, 2007

June 26, 2007

Motor Home-Sick

The order and structure that goes into a normal day at the house was getting to be too much for us. We were ready to pick up Mike and return to the unplanned excitement of the West. Helen has been parked for a few days now, longer than any other stop we’ve made since we left.

We woke up around noon and got ready to go to the airport. It was at the airport that we found out that we were in the newspaper. Our good friend Leo made sure that we got as much publicity as the other group of guys in the bus. There was a good picture of us at the send-off in there, along with a neat article that I’m sure is hanging on my fridge back home. Thanks Leo.

We updated the site, checked our e-mails, and headed for the terminals. Mike’s flight was delayed nine minutes, throwing our schedule way out of whack (but not really). We met up and the five became six once again. Everyone talking at once, we filled Mike in on all the great stuff that he missed out on, and a lot of the crap that we had to deal with while he was gone. Everyone back up to speed, we drove back to our temporary desert home.

We arrived back home and after a few introductions, we started to make dinner. Mrs. Kapenga’s famous Stromboli is one dish that Dan and Micah are beginning to perfect. It was delicious, and everyone was impressed with the cooking skills of Helen’s crew. Just because we only eat food that comes in wrappers while on the road, doesn’t mean that we don’t know how to cook while in a kitchen.

After dinner and a small waterslide building project, we began to pack and clean up. The accumulated trash from all of our food took a while to pick up. Luke broke a window in the Winnebago by throwing his army helmet. He was aiming for an open window and shattered the sliding pane next to it. It made a bit of a mess, and there is a gaping hole where the driver’s window should be, but for now we don’t need one.

Mike got his head shaved today; I did last night, so now everyone is buzzed clean. It’s the high speed, low drag, and low maintenance aspects that make it the hair cut of choice among the crew members.

When the guest house was clean we made our way back into the Bago to continue our push to California. We said our goodbyes, hopped in and drove off, aiming to cross the border.

It feels good to be on the road again, like this is actually back to our normal. There was little adjustment time, as Helen was as eager as we were to drive west although we did make a wrong turn down a one way street. Luckily there was no oncoming traffic and we turned around easily.

California is getting close, and we’re proving a lot of people wrong. If we were to break down right here, we would walk the remaining 139 miles to the border. Well, Mike, Luke, Ian and I would bike, Dan and Micah would walk, but we would all get there somehow. No problems since we left Tucson, things are looking good for the Winnebago Boys. Next post should be from California, …should be.

Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen

Phoenix, Arizona -ish

2,456 miles from home

June 22-25, 2007

June 22-25, 2007

More Like Home

Never had we doubted old Helen more than we did in the mountains Friday night. The steep cliffs on our right, provided little room for us to pull off when we overheated, which we did often. The transmission’s temp would skyrocket with every steep climb. Cars and trucks passed us with speed, as we eased up the mountains. The stop and go pace of the Winnebago was a tedious necessity to keep it cool, but the all night drive got us all the way to Tucson, Arizona where Micah’s aunt Robyn and uncle Brad live.

Parking the Bago next to the guest house, we quickly moved all of our stuff inside and took our first real showers of the trip. It was a good feeling being clean again, at least for a little while. It was easier to put up with each other too, now that we didn’t smell. Right after showers and a little laundry we took naps. For Luke and Dan it was the first sleep since before Roswell. When we woke up we would drive our way to Mexico; the first planned activity of the trip.

Mexico was a lot of fun. Our house was right on the California Gulf. The waves were huge and we swam in the ocean a lot. We also got out and explored the nearby tourist community. Things are a lot different in Mexico than they are in the States. We slept a couple of nights under the stars, out on our porch to avoid the cockroaches inside. All in all, a good time before taking off back to Tucson.

Once back at the house, we finished moving in and once again taking advantage of real showers. The backyard pool made the 100 degree days bearable in the afternoons. At night we played video games and drank pop just like we were down in my basement back in Holland. It was a good break from the road. Throw a few chores in the mix and we felt right at home.

Not much else happened in these few days. Away from the road and out of the Winnebago, we haven’t really had anything out of the ordinary happen to us. I’m sure that when we get Helen back on the highway the posts will get a little longer.

Mike is supposed to fly into town tomorrow afternoon at about four o’clock. The plan is to leave after dinner and make a push to California. We’re not that far out, and hope to make it to my sister Julie’s place in a few days. That is after we call and tell her we’re getting close.

One more late night with Playstation 2 and Mountain Dew before we get Mike and leave. We’re all a little ready to get back on the road again; it should be a good feeling.

Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen

Tucson, Arizona

2,338 miles from home

Luke's List

This was written a while back but never got posted, here it is

Luke: So far team Winnebago has high spirits, but I expect that to change as we approach the Rocky Mountains. But with the right amount of quarreling and fireworks we should be all right.

Here is a list of things we still hope to accomplish.

#1. Make a citizen’s arrest

#2. Jump off a bridge into a river from the roof of the Winnebago

#3. Break 55 mph

#4. Run a heard of buffalo off a cliff

#5. Perform a pit/e-brake maneuver

#6. Make a bonfire that can be seen from space

#7. Sneak into Mexico

#8. Freeload off hotel pools and complimentary breakfasts

#9. Collect insurance

#10. Shave every ones head

June 21, 2007

June 21, 2007

Alien Hunting

As soon as we hit the New Mexico border last night, talk of aliens and UFOs filled the Winnebago. Every light and every noise was a UFO, every person an alien. We joked about the whole idea and completely underestimated what we would actually find in Roswell, New Mexico.
The extreme heat of the desert sidelined dear Helen during the afternoon hours of the 21st. The bago needed several breaks even in the cooler, mid-west states to prevent overheating. The desert here has proven to be much worse. The decision was made to avoid the heat of the day. We would burn our time touring the town, hunting for aliens.
Every business in the city exploited the idea of Roswell being a UFO hotspot. The Wal-Mart we stayed at last night had aliens painted on the front of the building, welcoming us into the store. An Arby’s sign flashed “Aliens Welcome.” Main Street held a wide variety of alien museums and research centers. Most everything we saw was just a tourist trap. T-shirts, mugs, key chains, and posters were everywhere. Not satisfied with just scratching the surface, we did some investigative reporting with our video camera. Acting like huge alien enthusiasts we went around asking peoples opinions on what they thought was real. Not getting the reactions we hoped for, we dug deeper. We wanted the people you would find on the discovery channel late at night talking about their own abduction story. We went to the Roswell Alien Museum and Research Center for more answers. There was an admissions price of five dollars. Not having much spare cash we sent in Special reporters Luke and Ian to investigate (Ian because he passed as 15 and got the kids price.) They took the camera in with them and looked long and hard for evidence of life from space. None of it added up, so we gave up.
After a couple of hours in the town welcome center, using the internet to update the website and electric to charge all the batteries, we continued out west. The goal for tonight is Tucson, Arizona. It would be an all night trek but the prize, real showers. Micah’s aunt Robyn who lives in Tucson is willing to put us up for a few nights, in a real house, with running water and electricity. We may even get a few home cooked meals out of the deal. We have been looking forward to Tucson for a long time now. It may take all night, maybe into tomorrow morning, to get there, but the destination is just to appealing to wait any longer.
The heat proved to be too much even during our late evening departure. A few miles out of Roswell we had to take a break and let the engine cool. With no exits for miles ahead or behind us we pulled over next to a couple of semis on a small turn off. The small rest stop was just two picnic tables under a small triangle roof and a trash can. We quickly took out the stove and a few cans of beef stew. We cooked in the small piece of shade next to the trash can. To pass time we got the water balloon launcher out. We had little water, and no balloons, so we shot desert rocks instead. We shot for distance, for height, at cacti, and at jack rabbits. It was actually a lot of fun trying to hit stuff, miss, and watch the dust kick up where the rock skipped through the desert. Sometimes we would shoot one big rock, or a bunch of smaller ones. We didn’t catch any game on our water balloon launcher excursion, but that was probably a good thing. The sun was setting, the food was gone, and so we packed up and hit the road again.

One major obstacle still in our way, the mountains. The mountains have worried us since the moment we started planning the trip. We are aiming for the very southernmost point of the Rockies, where it isn’t so mountainous. We’ve been banking on Helen making it through this difficult stretch since we left, because if not, we don’t make it to Cali.
As we approach the mountains we watch a rain storm pass miles ahead of us. Straight above us, a mild blue-orange sky, far ahead we see the sheets of rain drop out of the sky and over the silhouetted hills beyond. Afraid that the bad weather ahead is a sign, we continue down the road. It is late Thursday night and there is no traffic on the roads. The first wave of hills behind us, the larger mountains begin to appear. There is a little bit of stress and worry in the front cabin right now. We’ll see where we end up in the morning, Tucson … or maybe somewhere short of there.

Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
The mountains of New Mexico
1,870 miles from

June 20, 2007

June 20/2007

Hellen, You Spoil Us

Battling a thunderstorm and near death will wear out even the strongest man. Hellen handled the storm beautifully but us guys are only human we needed a break. We woke at 11:00 and for the first time no one was in a pool of sweat. A cool 65 degree morning greeted us following the stormy night, and we were ready to continue our journey.
Ian started the day driving and we did not need to go far before making our first stop of the day. We were driving into a small town called Hollis when we saw a billboard that could have stopped a stampeding herd of wildebeests (see Lion King, Mufassa’s death) It wasn’t cheap gas, a national park or another Winnebago that would be a perfect match for Hellen. It was an advertisement for, are you ready for this, all you can eat Kentucky Fried Chicken! (Okay, maybe not better than a counterpart for Hellen but still it was amazing) After an hour stop to get wireless internet and another hour to experience the Colonel in his true beauty we were ready to make up for lost time.
After a little while Ian was sick of driving, he had driven roughly half of the entire trip so far we decided to throw a new driver into the rotation. Dan drove us through Texas as a new adventure in a new state began to unfold. The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery. The hills of Texas seemed to roll on forever and a clear sky set us up for a picture perfect night.
We do not know if it was leaving Oklahoma (the state no bachelor should call home), entering Texas or if the Winnebago decided to start treating us a little better, but things were looking good for Texas. At about 10:30 we decided to throw myself (Micah) behind the wheel and try to make it the nearly 300 miles to Roswell, New Mexico (I have never seen Luke so enthusiastic about any one place for a long time)
After fighting to stay awake while driving down the barren highway sometimes going nearly 15 minutes without seeing another car we stopped at the Texas/New Mexico border to take a picture by the “Welcome to New Mexico” sign. After Aaron and Luke stirred out of bed we ran out to get the picture and make a quick rest-stop.
New Mexico is known for paranormal experiences and alien sightings. We had our first adventure in New Mexico as we were crossing the border. Dan and I climbed into the pilots and co-pilots seats respectively. Dan, being the navigator had to be wary of the road ahead and pointed out what appeared to be a silhouette staggering closer to us and the guys still using the restroom. As he walked closer we realized that there was no building around for miles and had no idea why he would be wandering down a unpopulated road at 2 in the morning. As soon as everybody piled in I stepped on the gas and went to the far left lane to avoid the stranger whom I believe can be accurately described as a serial murderer. As I swerved away from him he began o stagger across the road as if he wanted to climb in the cab and say hello to us. When I say hello in this case however I am trying to find the words that a serial murderer would say to his victim’s right before he ate their faces. As the headlights passed by him we could vaguely make out his unshaven face and the pits he had where his eyes should have been. A green baseball hat, white baggy shirt and dirty jeans completed what can be best described as a killers ensamble. The most damning evidence against him was the fact that he never once removed his hand from under his shirt. Even after he turned after us as we sped away.
With a new energy boost from our first ever paranormal experience and the jokes of him running us down as we went 55 miles/hour we were able to stay awake until we entered Roswell. As we drove through downtown at 4 in the morning our eyes lit up like a kids on Christmas morning when he sees the bounty of presents he accumulated. We got our first look of the shops in downtown Roswell as we readied ourselves for a new adventure in a new city.

From Hellens’ Boys, written by Micah “Cue” Kool