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

June 29 – July 1, 2007

June 29 – July 1, 2007

Touring LA

The second day at Ryan and Julie’s involved a lot of sleeping in and being lazy; exactly what we needed. For most of the day the house was empty except for us guys which allowed for some intense N64 James Bond tournaments. Later that night, most of us guys went to Ryan and Julie’s church with the “Serve” team. The serve team is a group of kids our age going around the country doing mission projects. LA was one of their stops. After the worship service we returned home, watched some video of our trip so far, and went to bed.
Saturday began with some more intense N64 battles, before taking off for Hollywood. Not intent on tracking down the stars, we toured the city for a short while, finding the next weirdest city behind Roswell. There was someone standing on every corner wanting to take their picture with you. These people were dressed up as Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton, Borat, Tarzan, Jack Sparrow, etc. We avoided these crazy locals as we walked down the streets. A few pictures with the Hollywood sign in the background, and we were ready to leave. For dinner we headed back to Rancho and up Mount Baldy. There was a restaurant/ lodge midway up the mountain where we spent the rest of the night. It was a really fun day that we won’t soon forget.
Sunday morning we got to go to a real church service for the first time since we left. After church we made it back to In-N-Out for lunch. There are a lot of things we will miss about California, but it will be hard to say goodbye to the In-N-Out burger. After lunch we returned to the apartment to play some poker. Everyone made a little money except for Dan who lost a lot. After we collected our winnings, we jumped in the pool. We launched each other across the pool for hours (see the pictures) as Ryan and Julie sat outside and watched.
The plan was to leave Sunday night for the beach. Us guys had already swam in the Pacific but Helen was still parked inland. It was like we hadn’t all made it to the coast. We would pack up that night, say our last good byes to Julie and Ryan and drive to the beach. Rancho Cucamonga had been so much fun; definitely my favorite part of the trip. There are so many new stories from California, too many to write about. Make sure to talk to one of men from Helen’s crew when we get back, there is a lot to tell.
We left late that night for the beach. We arrived early Monday morning, before the beach was open, so we parked at a Wal-Mart to catch up on some sleep. The beach parking lot opened at seven, and we were one of the first groups in. We had a full day of sleeping on the beach, surfing, swimming, and making smores ahead of us. We didn’t leave until about 10:30 after a very long, fun, and relaxing day
California has been everything we expected it to be. We’ve been having the time of our lives out here. It doesn’t seem like it’s been three weeks since we left. Time is just flying by. Soon we will be on our way home; getting on East interstates instead of West ones, and north instead of south. Things may feel a bit backwards for the next few days, but we still have a couple thousand miles between us and home. We’ll continue to have our adventures, just in a different direction than the weeks before.

Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
LA, California

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