Friday, July 22, 2016

July 15-21; Hello Canada!

Friday, July 15th-
Destination: backpacking at Winchester Lookout
Today, the guys were still in Bellingham with Michael and would be there for another 2 days. Another backpacking adventure would fill this day! The three traveled out to Winchester Mountain. They embarked on this hiking and camping trip and would continue embarking these next two days. On their hike up to Winchester Lookout, there was so much fog that it totally cut off the view from the lookout! They reached the top but didn't get the reward of an amazing 360 view. But they still had a lot of fun and found this little shelter building up at the top and even raised the American flag on the flagpole by the shelter! They had a good time goofing off and hanging out on their hike today!


Saturday, July 16th-
Destination: back from backpacking
After their cold night last night in the shelter on top of Winchester Mountain, the guys began their descent back to the foot. Clouds still engulfed the shelter so that they never got to see the view at its full potential, but it was still beautiful in its own way! They made it back down and climbed back in Michael's jeep to get back to his house. Once home, the guys prepared for tomorrow's departure. They packed up and got a good night's rest.




Sunday, July 17th-
Destination: across the border
This morning, Jonathan and Leo packed up all their things and were reunited with the bus that they had only temporarily abandoned while they spent the week at Mike's house. Once they got that settled, they joined Michael at his church in Bellingham. The guys really enjoyed the service. After being on the road all summer, they have missed out on worshiping with a whole bunch of fellow believers. At church this morning, they got to sing praise to our God and hear His Word preached! What a blessing that I tend to take for granted. They were really thankful and moved by the church service. After the sermon, the guys said their goodbyes to Mike. Jonathan and Leo had a great time in Bellingham, Washington with him and were so thankful to him for letting them stay for a week! From there, the two had a 45 minute drive to get into Canada! A new country! They had no problem getting across which was an answer to prayer from the Prayer Needs tab!! So praise the Lord for that blessing. They drove into Squamish, BC for some mountain biking. In the midst of their biking it began to absolutely POUR down. Like, monsoon. They were quite soaked but made the best of it! Afterwards they met a guy named Nick and offered to drive him to Whistler, BC- where the guys were headed! It was really neat that they met him, that he needed a ride, and that they were all headed to the same place! God knows and plans everything- even this encounter that may seem like a coincidence. They were able to share with him, so pray for Nick's heart. They dropped him off in Whistler and the guys continued to drive a little ways to find a spot to park the bus for the night.

Monday, July 18th-
Destination: Whistler, BC
 WHISTLER!! So two years ago, Leo came here for some mountain biking. This place is "totally sick" (surfer-dude voice). In all seriousness, it's awesome. Whistler is another well known mountain biking capital of the world. Jonathan and Leo had a fantastic time here today! They spent the majority of the day biking and finding new trails and perfecting their technical skills. Last time Leo was here, he broke his shoulder after a nasty fall when his bike caught a hidden stump at the top of a jump on the side of the trail. Thankfully this time there were zero injuries! They did go back and find the place Leo had fallen a couple of years ago and took some pictures with it. After a full day of biking, the guys drove northwest to get closer to tomorrow's destination and parked on the side of the road to sleep.




Tuesday, July 19th-
Destination: road
Today was chock full with driving. Lots of road. They were pointed toward Revelstoke, BC. They literally spent the entire day driving. Once they finally got to Revelstoke, it was late at night so they parked and slept; ready for tomorrow.







Wednesday, July 20th-
Destination: Revelstoke, British Columbia
Today Jonathan and Leo were doing different things. All morning, Leo struggled to get his dirt bike working. Not sure what's wrong with it, but after a few hours of trying to get it running right, it just wasn't getting anywhere, so he made his way back to the bus where Jonathan was. Today Jonathan had an interview actually, which is sort of funny with him being in a completely different country and time zone while interviewing! Thankfully they found WiFi for him to use, which came to be a benefit to me because that meant Leo and I could talk! A little while later, the guys drove through Glacier National Park into Banff, Alberta. Once there, they stopped at Lake Moraine. This is an absolutely gorgeous lake. The water is a beautiful blue, mountains surround the lake, and it is truly a lovely sight. They took about 20 minutes to just take it all in and look at its beauty. I think that is a really important part of the trip. If you just go, go, go all the time, busying yourself with activities, you miss out. Simply looking with our eyes on God's fascinating creation feeds the soul.

Thursday, July 21st-
Destination: back in the U-S-of-A
After sleeping just outside of Calgary, Alberta last night in Canada, the guys woke up to make an appearance back on American soil. The two drove back across the border, again with no problems, and on into Glacier National Park in Montana (completely different place from Glacier National Park in Canada.. weird I know). They hiked here in Glacier from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and said it was really beautiful! They drove a little ways to find a spot for the night.

Friday, July 15, 2016

July 6-14; Washington with Mike!

Wednesday, July 6th-
Destination: Forest Hill
After us girls left on Monday night, the guys spent time rejuvenating and preparing for this final leg of their trip. They will be gone for another 2 to 3 weeks!
Last night the guys drove a long way and stopped at a spot called Forest Hill OHV(Off Highway Vehicles) Park for some awesome dirt biking. This morning they got up and rode for a good part of the day at Forest Hill. The guys got about as far away from the bus as possible when Jonathan's dirt bike messed up again! That hurt their time a little bit, but they were able to drive it back to the bus! Once back to the bus, they drove on into Sacramento, CA and parked for the night at a WalMart.



Thursday, July 7th-
Destination: Six Rivers National Forest
This morning the guys began their drive to Redwood National Park. On the way there, they stopped at Six Rivers National Forest!
They hiked around here for a while until they reached a swimming hole! They swam around (and probably got a little cleaner) for a bit before heading back. 
Later on, they kept driving and found a roomy and scenic pull-off near the road that they stayed at for the night. Across the street there was a massive hill where they messed around on their bikes. They planned to hit up Redwood in the morning.


Friday, July 8th-
Destination: Redwood National Park, CA
The guys drove for 8-10 hours yesterday to reach this spot in the northeastern corner of California. Once they got there, they hiked around for a good while and saw MASSIVE redwood trees! Comparing the guys to the tree in this picture gives you an idea of the size of the redwoods! The two also saw some oversized snails and slugs.. (See Trip Photos tab for more info). They enjoyed "stopping to smell the roses" because  they are often zooming through forests on bikes, like tomorrow, but they got to hike through and take it all in. Afterwards, they drove a little ways and even saw a bunch of elk just hanging out by the roadside! The guys stopped at another WalMart parking lot for the night along with like 17 other RV-ers! They were among their kind!

Saturday, July 9th-
Destination: Epic and Eery Night-Biking
The two spent much of today chilling and driving north; headed toward Washington state. They stopped along the way to ride some incredible bike trails in Oakridge, Oregon. The two began the ride around 5:00 p.m. They didn't quite know what they were getting themselves into. It was beginning to get darker, and they were having a couple minor issues with the bikes. Basically, the ride took longer than expected. Soon enough, it was pitch black out. So with Jonathan wearing the one headlamp they had and Leo using only his phone flashlight (which didn't provide much) they crept down the side of the mountain.. Thankfully they were smart and took it slow, but that just added time to the trip. On top of all of this, it was honestly pretty creepy. They hadn't seen a soul, it was dark, huge trees were everywhere, they were in the middle of a forest WHILE riding on bikes along the edge of a cliff. Casual! They finally got to the bottom of the trail around 12:00a.m. They had driven the bus up to the top before they started, and left Leo's dirt bike down at the bottom of the trail so he could drive it back up to get the bus from the top. But of course, it being the middle of the night, it was so dark and Leo's head lights aren't the most powerful.. So he also had to drive slowly up the mountain and that took about an hour. He said it was super eery driving up to the bus because they still had not seen a single person the entire night so Leo was totally alone and had to trust that all of the equipment would work. If Leo's dirt bike messed up, he didn't have cell service, he had no light, and Jonathan was miles down the mountain. On top of all of that, Leo was a little unsure on directions because he had to make a few turns to get to the bus in the dead of night. Thankfully, he didn't make any wrong turns and found the bus! As soon as he pulled up to it, he turned on all it's lights, strapped on the dirt bike, and jumped in as fast as possible! He drove down to pick up Jonathan back at the bottom. Leo said it was, and I quote, "epic". It was truly a crazy and intense night for both of them!

Sunday, July 10th-
Destination: Michael's house!
After the slight scare last night, the two slept in late this morning!
This week the guys have been making their way up to Bellingham, Washington to see one of our best friends, Michael (also referred to as Mike)! They finally arrived there around 8 p.m. and were pumped to spend a week here with their bud. Tonight they went to Samish Bay with Michael, his brother Crawford, and a few other friends. They hung out here chilling and grilling out on the beach for a long while because it doesn't get dark there until like 10 p.m.! Mike opened up his house for them to shower (PRAISE), do some laundry, sleep in real beds, and have a house to be in for a week.

Monday, July 11th-
Destination: Snowed jeep
Today the guys woke up and chilled at the house for a bit. This afternoon they took Mike's jeep out to Mt. Baker in Washington (near Bellingham). It being Washington state, there is still snow there! So the guys went for a nice cool hike, and then decided to drive the jeep up into the snow, naturally. Unfortunately in the midst of fun, they got the jeep STUCK in the snow! Their efforts to get it moving again were all in vain, so they had to call someone to pull them out after a little while. After several hours spent here having fun in the snow, they drove back close to home, grabbed a bite to eat at Denny's and hit the sack!

Tuesday, July 12th-
Destination: Galbraith Mountain
This morning the guys slept in at Mike's and took it easy to recover from the past few days! This afternoon, Leo, Jonathan, Michael, and Crawford went mountain biking at Galbraith Mountain. The guys had fun messing around and hitting some sweet jumps here. They really enjoyed their time biking in such a beautiful mountain! Washington is truly a lovely state and the guys have gotten a good taste of that so far this week!


Wednesday, July 13th-
Destination: parks and rest
After a nice late sleep again (catching up can take a while), the guys got up and took the morning slowly. Jonathan and Leo are enjoying some down time to catch up with Mike, play video games, read a little more, and eat real food. I think they have needed this time but didn't quite realize how bad. Tonight they went to a dirt jump park and messed around a little bit to burn off some steam. Then they all came back to cook a nice dinner and watch a guy movie! (probably beat Baby Mama in their opinion).

Thursday, July 14th-
Destination: more mtn. biking
Again this morning the guys took it pretty easy at Michael's house. Cooking real meals has been a major blessing this week! This afternoon they hit the trails again on their mountain bikes. Galbraith Mountain is nearby and has been perfect for their biking-frenzy! They got home and ordered some yummy deep dish Little Ceasar's pizza! Maybe wouldn't call that a real meal, but they'll eat anything!
The beginning of this week was filled with lots of driving to get to the next destinations, but the guys are thankful for a home to come back to this week! From here, they hope to enter a new country.. CANADA!

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Girls' Trip! June 30-July 5

This past weekend, Molly and I got to take a trip to visit the guys in Nevada and California! We were able to pack in so many incredible adventures in just 5 days; from Thursday night to Monday afternoon. We had so much fun experiencing what they have been doing all summer long first-hand, and getting to spend good quality time with our guys who we've missed so much!

Thursday, June 30th-
Destination: VEGAS
This morning Molly and I began the trip to see the guys!! During the day of waiting, Jonathan and Leo tried to waste a little time by going to Zion National Park! Not that Zion is boring by any means, but they had to fill in the day with something! They enjoyed that, but still had a long time to wait afterwards. After a delay, our plane finally arrived in Las Vegas around midnight. We saw the giant school bus pull up in the midst of taxis and airport vans, and we ran across the street as fast as we could with our luggage in tow and DOVE into the bus! We were a little bit embarrassed but realized, hey, we're never gonna see any of these people again and we're about to see our guys!

The trip had begun!! The guys were both decked out in dashing tuxes for a little extra Vegas-flare. We all changed into more comfortable clothing and hit the town. We went out looking at beautiful buildings like the Venetian and the Bellagio, wasted about $15 total at the casinos, and strolled along the streets. The city is different that I thought. Instead of being dirty, overcrowded, and scary, it was quite nice! We stayed out and about until 4:00 a.m. Molly and I had been awake for nearly 24 hours! So back to the bus we walked as the sun was beginning to rise but I actually slept like a rock. Those beds the guys built are pretty dang comfortable! So we got about 3 hours of sleep in a WalMart parking lot.



Friday, July 1st-
Destination: Death Valley and Inyo
Today was a day of rest for the 4 of us. Lots of driving, but great company! We woke up to some delightful French toast that Leo made in the WalMart lot! Then we began driving into California toward Death Valley. It was a really neat drive! I can see where the valley got it's name; it's huge, desertous, and very dusty. We had to close all the windows at one point after spotting an upcoming area that was so dusty you could hardly see through it! The guys take shifts in driving, and the good thing is, when Leo was driving, I could pull up this lawn chair right next to him up front so we could still talk and be hanging out! And vise-versa for Jonathan and Molly! So that was a nice thing or else I would have to say bye to Leo for a few hours and hang out in the back until his shift was up! After driving all day, and all through Death Valley, we arrived at Inyo National
Forest campgrounds. We pulled up around 3 or 4 and scoped out the campsite. We came across a nearby stream -might I add- this stream is all snow-melt and fast-moving from the mountains above. Which basically means it was FREEZING! The second you put a foot in, it gets tingly and numb! Leo brought his lovely 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/body wash down to this stream. So we each put on our swimsuits and took a quick full body dip into the stream, scrubbed this so called 3-in-1 in our hair, and did another as fast as possible dip into the stream to rinse! That whole experience was filled with chill bumps and lots of laughter and became a joke of the trip. Shamefully I admit, that was our first and last bath of the trip. My dry shampoo really came in handy!
That night we grilled hamburgers and had macaroni and cheese, caramelized onions, and watermelon on the side. The weather and the sky were absolutely perfect! The sun was setting just over the mountain top nearby, the breeze was blowing, and it was a comfortable temperature (and no humidity like here in the south). It was a highlight of the trip for me. We stayed up late talking and enjoying some ice cream cones! We got back in our separate beds and got some rest for tomorrow's hike.



Saturday, July 2nd-
Destination: Inyo National Forest
In whose national forest? In YO National Forest! This morning we woke up and had "egg-in-bread" and sausage for breakfast. We had to fuel up for the hike we were about to undergo. The four of us geared up and drove to the trailhead. We found a spot for the bus to fit and began our ascent into Inyo. All of the recent changes in altitude, including this mountain that started around 9,000ft, unfortunately affected Molly and I a little on this hike and we weren't feeling very well. So we had to take it pretty slow, and ended up only hiking a little less than 2 miles up. That's when we decided to stop at Gilbert Lake. Tall mountains, lovely trees, and huge rocks surrounded this massive lake. The temperature was incredible and we started to feel better after resting there for a couple of hours. It was amazing that God provided a spot like that without us having to hike up so far, for our bodies' sake. The four of us hung out at this lake fishing, reading the Word, and chatting. We descended back down to the bus and drove to Mammoth Lakes, California. All of us went on a double dinner date in that cute little town! That night we stayed at another nearby campsite we happened to find, and watched Baby Mama. The guys needed some girliness in their lives! They can watch action or scary movies all they want when we're not around! Then we called it a night to hit Mammoth Mountain in the morning.

Sunday, July 3rd-
Destination: Mammoth and Yosemite
Today was chock-full of adventure and I loved it!! This morning, the four of us went to a cute bakery in town for breakfast. Even though we went to the same place, we sat apart to have extra 1-on-1 time with our "significant other." It was sort of funny actually, but good quality time! We got a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant and a huge glazed doughnut to split. First stop: Mammoth Mountain. The guys had been planning to take us girls on a gondola ride up to the very top! They made a big sacrifice for us because Mammoth is like one of the biking capitals of the U.S. and I know they would have absolutely loved to ride here. But they decided to hold off and just spend time doing what Molly and I would want to do. They were so sweet and conscientious of us the whole trip. So we took the gondola up and it overlooked all the bikers and snowboarders going down the mountain. It was so beautiful! We got to walk around once at the top and saw all the mountains and lakes nearby. Absolutely breathtaking. The four of us got to observe and hang out there for a couple of hours, then back down the gondola we rode and hopped back on the bus.
And off we drove to our second stop: Yosemite National Park! I didn't know a whole lot about this park. I know people go there and say it's beautiful but that's about it! I was completely blown away by the size and beauty of everything. I think all four of us were that way. The trees, rocks, mountains, everything was so upscaled! We were fascinated by it all. We had an incredible time exploring this park. We got to see Half Dome, El Capitan, Tunnel View, and so much more. Today was my favorite day, but it's hard to say because everything was so great. Tonight we drove for a while to put us closer to tomorrow's destinations..

Monday, July 4th-
Destination: South Yuba River State Park and another airport /:
Happy 4th of July from Cali4nia! Today we went to swim in these natural pools near the border of Cali and Nevada. It was so cool and the perfect way to celebrate the 4th. We found a spot for the bus, walked down a hilariously treacherous trail, and lowered into the cold clear water! I had never seen anything like this. It was shallow enough to touch in most places, and there were these huge smooth rocks in the water to swim over. There were also some mini rapids and water falls all around. It looked like we were at some fancy resort in the islands! We swam, tried to steer the inflatable boat, sun-bathed, laughed, and jumped off tall rocks into the water for about 3 hours. Then we looked at the clock and realized it was time to go. Time to go to the airport. We sadly hiked our way across the rocks back to the bus. The moment we caught sight of the bus, we immediately knew something was wrong. One car had parked right IN FRONT OF the bus, and another car had parked right BEHIND the bus. We were trapped! We were afraid we would miss our flight (but would also be happy for another day together). Once we got closer, we realized the back car had left about 3 feet of room, while the front car had left almost no room. Despite the tight space, we were able to get out without much trouble, praise the Lord!
So on we drove to.. the Reno, Nevada airport. We didn't say a whole lot on the drive there. I wanted to stay the rest of the summer, and we were sad to part ways. We got to the airport and the guys were able to come in with us this time. They walked us all the way to security and after we prolonged our goodbyes as far as possible, the time came for Molly and I to be at the terminal. We said some painful goodbyes but are thankful that in a month, we will see our guys again! Molly and I had a lot of traveling to do over the next day. We boarded our plane and upon takeoff, I received a picture from Leo of him pointing to our plane up in the air above him!  It was pretty funny and perfectly timed, so that helped lighten the mood a little bit right before I had to turn off my phone. Our plane landed in LA an hour later, then off to Atlanta we flew.

Tuesday, July 5th-
Destination: home for the girls, Tahoe for the guys
Molly and I finally landed in Atlanta around 5:00 a.m. We were exhausted, but had to keep going. I got a large coffee and drove us to Auburn to drop off Molly. I stayed at her apartment while she had to go to CLASS (poor thing) and I napped for almost 3 hours. Then I got back in the car and pulled into my driveway at noon. The trip was officially over, and we were officially exhausted! Meanwhile, the guys made their way to Lake Tahoe! They spent several hours here and had a nice time catching up and hanging out. Since they had spent the past 5 days with us girls, they had hardly talked just them two.
Though the girls' trip has ended, the guys' trip has not! Within this coming month, the guys will be visiting one of our best friends, Michael, in Washington state for 1 week. They also hope to go into Canada to bike, hike, and see another country for a bit. After Canada, they plan to trickle down through those NW states, making their way back down to Birmingham, AL! Their plan is to be back home some time between July 27th and August 6th. We can hardly wait to see them again, but we are so excited for their incredible upcoming adventures on Adventure Bus 2016!

Thursday, June 30, 2016

June 24-30; Beautiful Utah

Friday, June 24th-
Destination: The Whole Enchilada (..literally)
Today the guys took on a huge bike trail called, you guessed it, the Whole Enchilada! This trail is found in the mountains of Moab, Utah. It is about 36 miles of trail that works through many types of terrain like forests, deserts, rocks, and mountaintops! The trail takes roughly 6-8 hours to complete. It begins up in the La Sal Mountains and ends on the outskirts of Moab's city. About 1/3 of the way down, and in the middle of the desert-portion of the ride, Leo's tire busted. Praise the Lord he had a spare and was able to replace it. Unfortunately though, it happened again and he ended up having to walk his bike for several miles. Someone's going a little too hard core over there..! They were able to finish but they were completely exhausted by the end of the trail. Even though they had some troubles in the midst, they enjoyed this day so much!

Saturday, June 25th-
Destination: Pack Creek Campground
Today the guys drove to this nice camp site near Moab. They had some down time here for the next couple of days. The two ended up meeting a couple and their little girl who are from France! They are touring America for 7 months! The husband's name is Julian. Leo and Jonathan had a really nice time talking with them about beliefs, culture, languages, and the Bible. The Lord blessed the guys with meeting this super friendly couple. They hung out for about 2 hours tonight. Leo and Jonathan grilled out some burgers and got some good rest in the cool of the night.



Sunday, June 26th-
Destination: Campground Continued
This morning, while the guys were having some worship time of singing and reading Scripture together, the French couple came back over! How cool that they came right in the midst of praising our King in Heaven! The group hung out and talked through some more things. Leo and Jonathan were able to clearly share the Gospel and go into great detail of the Bible and historical evidence for it. God is working in big ways. Later that day, Jonathan and Leo made them an American supper (burgers of course!) and invited them over to their camping area while they talked further still. This time was more light-hearted conversation about funny cultural differences and stories. The guys even practiced their French for their new friends! Please be praying for Julian and his wife and daughter that they will be blessed with safety on their journey, and that they will come to know our Father.

Monday, June 27th-
Destination: a new destination
French-toast for breakfast at the campsite! The guys said good-bye to their French friends, so maybe Jonathan and Leo's breakfast was in their honor!
This afternoon they moved on from the nice campsite and to begin working on Jonathan's dirt bike that has had some trouble lately. After hours of working, they had figured out the problem and got it back in good shape! Then of course, they went for an hour long dirt bike ride in celebration. That pretty much took up the whole day for them, but they are thankful that it was not in vain because the dirt bike is back and better than ever!


Tuesday, June 28th-
Destination: The Darwin Brothers!
Today the guys explored a petrified forest in Escalante, UT. It was pretty amazing, not gonna lie!
After that, they went for a quick cool-off swim nearby. Next, the 2 met up with some of our friends from back home who are also on a summer adventure out west- the Darwin brothers! It was a breath of fresh air for Jonathan and Leo to spend time with a group of 4 other guys and get a break from each other. Not that they're having problems, but it's just nice to talk to and adventure with other people!
All 6 of them journeyed to what is called Zebra Canyon. Maybe it got it's name from the striped appearance of the "walls" of the canyon. Whatever the case, this place is COOL. They hiked around in there for a good while. It was a really neat change of scenery for all 6 of them. They planned to meet up again tomorrow!




Wednesday, June 29th-
Destination: Canyoneering
Today Jonathan and Leo again met up with the Darwin brothers for another day of full activity. They all hiked for several miles to get to yet another canyon called Neon Canyon. Here, they prepared to repel. Thankfully the Darwin brothers have repelling experience and had plenty of gear for all of them to utilize. Apparently, repelling in Utah in canyons like this one, is referred to as "canyoneering", a term that's new to me, but I guess we should add that to our vocabularies! So all afternoon they repelled in these huge caves/canyons. Jonathan and Leo enjoyed having a new activity. They mainly hike, mountain bike, dirt bike, swim, drive, and climb. So this was something new to them for this summer and they had so much fun. They also found some kind of swimming hole and it looks like they THOROUGHLY enjoyed it! Tonight they said good-bye to the Darwins and were really thankful for their time with those brothers. Tomorrow night would present another round of visitors..


Thursday, June 30th-
Destination: Zion + an AIRPORT
Today the guys are planning to take a trip to Zion National Park to pass some time before picking Molly and me up from the airport later!! She and I will be with the guys from tonight until next Monday night! We are all so excited to see each other and pumped for this amazing trip ahead of us! We can't wait to see our guys! Please pray for safe travels for all 4 of us!! See the "Prayer Requests" tab for further prayer needs. Stay tuned to hear all about our adventures out there, JOINING THE AdventureBus2016!!

(<-- Disclaimer: this picture is not from today)

Thursday, June 23, 2016

June 16-23; Colorado Continues & Utah Arches

Thursday, June 16th-
Destination: doctor visit and more of Steamboat, CO
The guys stayed with Austin for several more nights, so they had another chance to ride bikes together after Leo's accident. They biked down a ski resort that is right down the road from Austin's that has a ski lift running and everything! Leo took it easy today and was very careful with his head. The guys still had an absolute blast today, after going to the doctor for Leo's check-up. From last week's post, Leo got a concussion on Tuesday night from face-planting at a bike park. Thankfully the doctor said that he was all clear. The doctor also told Leo to take it easy the next couple of days, and slowly work back up to his normal activity level, as long as no symptoms emerged. So that was great news! Leo's face is healing quite well, the confusion is no more, and headaches have been minimal. His symptoms have been getting lesser and lesser and he is pretty much back to normal with the exception of the scrapes on his face. Praise the Lord!

Friday, June 17th-
Destination: Dirt Bikes in Steamboat
The guys have had so much fun visiting with Austin and his friend Noah. Today they had the opportunity to dirt bike in Sandwash Basin, CO! The guys took Austin's car and trailer to get out there so they didn't have to take the whole bus. They haven't been able to do quite as much of dirt biking as mountain biking so it was a nice change. Unfortunately, Jonathan's bike has been having some trouble running, but they are looking into getting it fixed soon. Of course, the guys don't always stop the fun to take pictures, so to my knowledge, there are none from dirt biking, but enjoy this lovely photo of Austin and Jonathan! That night, all the guys hung around a while at Austin's.

Saturday, June 18th-
Destination: Mountain Bikes in Steamboat
This morning, the guy slept in some then went to ride at the bike park nearby. Later on in the day, they went on a cross-country bike ride on some new trails. When I heard this I told Leo to cross the country back over to Birmingham, but apparently that's not quite what that means. Tonight was their last night staying at Austin's place. He has been so inviting and hospitable to have Jonathan and Leo stay for a total of 5 nights! They are very thankful to him for giving them a real house to sleep in!




Sunday, June 19th-
Destination: Steamboat for the last day
As their last day spent with Austin in Steamboat, Colorado, the guys went on their last mountain bike trip at the incredible ski resort. They spent practically the entire day biking on that mountain and loved every minute of it. Late in the night, the guys prepared to move on from Austin's house in Steamboat. They thanked him for the stay and said their good-byes to Austin and Noah, and will see Austin back in Auburn! They drove for a couple hours, finally pulling over in the wee hours of the morning out of pure exhaustion. They had planned to hike another 14,000 foot mountain starting in those wee hours, but realized they honestly needed to rest their bodies after such intense activity the past week.

Monday, June 20th-
Destination: fishing and new friends in Eagle, CO
All day, Jonathan and Leo fly-fished in a fast-moving stream close to the bus's stop. Sadly, they turned up empty handed after 7 hours. This stream had recently become much higher, which hindered their fishing success. The Lord teaches patience in many ways, and I think fishing is one of them! Sometimes you can't stop reeling them in, and other times you get no more than a bite or two. They were diligent to try. Tonight they met two high school guys named Oscar and Bryce. Jonathan and Leo took them back to their parents' house where they made dinner and talked for a while.



Tuesday, June 21st-
Destination: rest up!
The guys got a good rest-day in. They enjoyed hanging around the campsite that was located at the foot of a huge and gorgeous mountain. Those pictures are fantastic! Leo and I finally got to catch up over Face-Time for a while today which was a blessing! Later tonight, they began preparing for that 14,000ft mountain. They had rested up and were ready to take it on super early tomorrow morning. Again, hikers have to hit tall mountains like this well before sunrise to avoid dangerous afternoon storms on the top of the mountain. So they took quick naps tonight and drove to the foot of Mt. Elbert in Colorado to begin the hike.


Wednesday, June 22nd-
Destination: Mt. Elbert, CO
Beginning at 2:20 a.m., Jonathan and Leo headed out to face the mountain. The two prayed at the very start that God would strengthen them by His grace and power to climb this mountain to the peak. (Just to calm any nerves here, they didn't go from 0-14,000 feet. They started at about 9,500 feet.) Overall, they gained 1 mile in altitude, over the course of a 6 mile hike. I got another Face-Time call that woke me up at 8 a.m. (7 a.m. their time). But let me tell you, it was no rude awakening! Leo showed me his 360 degree view from the top of this mountain, the 2nd highest peak in the Lower 48 following Mt. Whitney in California. It was breathtaking and quite the scene to open my eyes to! I'm sure it was hundreds of times more gorgeous in person if it was that striking through my phone screen. The Lord has created magnificent things here on Earth. The mountains, rivers, fields, flowers, animals, and trees all bring Him glory.
Their prayers were answered. God gave them the strength and power to summit the mountain. Leo even felt completely fine throughout the entire hike and had lots of energy once at the top. Though Leo is fit, there is almost no way that someone could hike like that and be feeling 100%. (or maybe that's just me). Seriously though, that strength and endurance was from our Heavenly Father; all glory to Him! The two safely made it back to the bus around 11:30 a.m. After hardly sleeping yesterday, and having just hiked for miles and miles today, they spent much of this afternoon resting and enjoying some down time.
Psalm 65:4-8 says, "Blessed is the one You choose and bring near; to dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple! By awesome deeds You answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the One who by His strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at Your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening shout for joy."

Thursday, June 23rd
Destination: Arches National Park, Utah
The guys slept in this morning to catch up on much needed sleep. They are a bit sore from yesterday's hike! Then they began driving OUT of Colorado! The two had been in the beautiful state since June 10th, so about 2 weeks of Colorado! They must not have liked it. This afternoon they pulled over to explore the famous Arches National Park in Utah. It is so amazing there; unlike anything that they have seen so far! Grassy fields and glorious mountains have been exchanged for rocky deserts and red dirt! Check in to see what's on the agenda for the guys next week!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

June 8-15; Colorado


Wednesday, June 8th

Destination: Prep to go
The guys left for the second leg of adventures tonight/early Thursday morning (like 2:00am). It was hard to see them go, BUT we are so excited for what this part of the trip holds! They are headed out to the west this time around. 
On July 1st, Molly and I will have the opportunity to join Leo and Jonathan for a few days- so you’ll definitely want to hear some updates about that. I’m sure we’ll have some highly entertaining stories! Please continue praying for their protection and their ministry this summer. Thanks to all who are following along!



Thursday, June 9th-
Destination: driving through the night
ALL day, the guys drove. Starting at 2:00am this morning, they drove and drove until nightfall when they finally pulled over to catch a few z’s. They were driving Andrew to Denver, CO where he will be for the rest of the summer. He is leading a group from our Auburn church in a church plant out there! Please join us in praying for the success in that ministry and for God’s glory to be made known. The guys did pass huge fields of wind turbines- so that was exciting!! The saying “we’re not in Kansas anymore” hardly applied today: Kansas is huge!


Friday, June 10th-
Destination: Denver, CO!
COLORADO! They made it! Jonathan and Leo got Andrew to his destination and met some of the church planters there. While Andrew got settled in to his home for the summer, the other two mountain biked around a nearby park for the afternoon. That night, Jonathan and Leo had dinner with the church planter named Skylar. Afterward, Skylar gave them a tour all around Denver, explaining different parts of the city, and telling them about his church plant out there. They were very impressed and encouraged by him.


Saturday, June 11th-
Destination: Boulder, CO
Today Jonathan and Leo set out to see some more of Colorado.  The two of them went mountain biking in Valmont Bike Park and met a fellow college guy there named Graham. He hung out with them and even camped out on the bus for the night to go biking again the next morning. They also met one of Jonathan’s cousins named Eric who lives in Boulder! He let them rest and use the oven to cook their dinners. They had a nice time visiting with him. I’m sure hanging out with some other people besides each other was a nice change!





Sunday, June 12th-
Destination: Boulder and Frisco
This morning the guys set out to hike at Boulder Mountain Park. They went on a long hike and then bouldered for most of the day. The pictures they took are absolutely lovely. It is so so beautiful there! That evening, they went to a bike park in a place called Frisco. That town is at the mouth of the mountains they had climbed all day, so the view was incredible! They got some sleep for a big hiking trip tomorrow morning.






Monday, June 13th-
Destination: 14,000ft mountain
This morning was crazzyyyy. Jonathan and Leo left camp around 5:00 this morning to face a 14,000 foot mountain in Colorado. They left so early because you have to be very careful with such tall mountains like this because thunderstorms are quite common in the afternoons. These aren’t just any thunderstorms though- they can be deadly because high altitude and lightning are not a good combination. They planned to leave early and be back down around noon; before storm-time. They did avoid thunder and lighting, but they found themselves in another kind of storm. Wind started blowing 30-40 mph. Not only that, but this harsh wind carried sheets of sleet. The sleet stung any skin that was not covered, so their faces, ears, and hands especially were getting pelted. So that did not feel too good. Leo videoed part of this storm- that video can be found in the link in the Photos tab. Thankfully, they weren’t hurt beyond the stinging, but they had to turn around and head back earlier than expected.
 They did see some PHENOMENAL landscape and
mountain goats on the way, so that made it worth it. They made it back and I was happy to receive a “safe” message from Leo. After this, Leo bought a warmer jacket at a nearby store; they ate lunch, and rested! The two parked by a river for the night and called it a day.


Tuesday, June 14th-
Destination: Steamboat and a trip to the ER
Today the guys spent a lot of time next to the gorgeous river they had parked beside. They fished for most of the afternoon and had a fantastic time! Afterward, they drove to Steamboat, Colorado and stopped in to see our friend Austin for a few days at his condo! All 3 took to a bike park for a little bit. About an hour or so into biking around, Leo had a wreck that sent him to the ER. He had on most of his protective gear-including a helmet- but he landed right on his face and that gave him a concussion. Needless to say, he forgot a lot of things and kept asking the same questions over and over. (He even forgot we were engaged for a minute..!) The hospital released him a couple hours later with a mild concussion, but his scans were clear, so there was no further damage, praise the Lord! So that was quite the night for all three of them!


Wednesday, June 15th-
Destination: Steamboat
Today they took it easy due to Leo’s injury. They worked on the bikes and ran a few errands. Leo was doing much better today and was remembering more details! He is no longer asking questions in a loop, so there’s lots of improvement already! They will go in for a check-up tomorrow to make sure that he’s healing properly and is good to go! We’re so thankful that nothing worse happened to Leo! The Lord really had His hand of protection and care over him. Jonathan and Leo are staying at Austin’s for a few days then will continue moving west!
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1