We left Cedar City Utah to visit the Zion National Park for the day. It was a lot of fun and it was very pretty. It is the only canyon where you actually go down inside the canyon and look up to the top at the rocks.
For me (Sarah) my favorite part of the Zion National Park was the HORSE RIDING!!! It was soooooooooo much fun. Dad, Josiah and Joel rode mules but mum and I rode horses. Dad’s mule was called Maynard, Mum’s horse was called Kiddy, Josiah’s mule was called Buckshot, Joel’s mule was called Cody and my horse was called Chief. The horse riding was soooooooooooooooooo much fun!!!
That night we drove a few hundred miles to Cameron, Arizona. On the way we crossed a big bridge that went over the Colorado river. We arrived at our hotel late that night. It was Indian themed and there was a store that we looked in called the Cameron Trading Post. After that we went to bed.
The next day we went to the Grand Canyon. It was absolutely amazing!!! It was so pretty and you really can’t put it into words how awesome God‘s creation is. We spent most of the day here.
That afternoon we drove to Las Vegas. On the way we crossed the Hoover Dam which is huge. When we arrived in Las Vegas late that night we then spent the next two days hibernating in our room. There were two exceptions. One morning we went shopping. The other time Dad took us out to watch the fountains at the Bellagio hotel. You may have seen the Fountains at the end of the movie “Ocean’s 11”. They were awesome. The water feature had lights and it played to the music of the Pink Panther.
On Monday we travelled from Las Vegas to our final motel in Anaheim, LA.
On Wednesday Mum, Josiah, Joel and I all went to DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!!!! (Dad had to stay behind to sort out shipping our truck and trailer to NZ). It was soooooooooooooo much fun and there was soooo many fun rides. We got to meet Mickey Mouse, Tigger and Pooh Bear!!!
On Friday we went to SEAWORLD!!! That was awesome as well. We went to a seal show, a solphin show and a killer whale show. I really liked the killer whale show. It was really cool with lots of jumping whales. The whales try to splash the audience. Josiah and Joel got completely SOAKED because they were close to the pool and the whale splashed right in front of them!!! We also went on two water rides and then I got soaked!!!
Yesterday we went to UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!!! It was sooooooooooooo cool!!! We saw how they make movies and how they do special effects. We saw movie sets and went on the movie rides. We had pictures taken with Scooby Doo, Shreck, a weird scary dude, Sponge Bob and Jaws!!! It was sooooooo awesome!!!
So now we are just sitting in our motel getting ready to fly back to New Zealand tomorrow evening. We can‘t wait!!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Midwest (Part II) and going West
After racing at Spring Creek in MN we drove to Davenport Iowa. The next day Dad and I (Sarah) took a tour of the John Deere factory in Moline IL and that was really cool. There were three stages to make the Combine harvesters.
The next day we were still waiting for our RV to be fixed (it required a new converter / batter charge) so mum and I went to look at the homes of the Deere family. We walked through John Deere’s son’s home (Charles Deere) built around 1870 which was very old and beautiful and had a lot of renovation done. There was also Charles daughter’s home (built in the 1890s) to walk through which was a lot more modern.
That night the RV was fixed so Dad, Mum, Joel and I travelled south for two hours back down to the Hempens (Josiah was already there). It was awesome seeing the Hempens again.
We mainly hung out for the next few days. Roger Hempen, Kenny’s dad, cooked dinner one night and BBQ’ed a massive dish of meat. On Saturday afternoon when we drove north to Cedar Rapids for a night race. Josiah, Joel, Kenny Jr., Josiah and Luke Hempen all raced and they all did a good job.
On Sunday we went to church and I enjoyed that even though every one was really tired from the night race (we got home after midnight). After church we all went out to lunch and stuffed ourselves silly. Then at dinner the Jim and Nancy Bash and their children came over for a BBQ and all the kids swam and played while the adults went on a 4-wheeler ride.
Over the weekend mum and dad sold our fifth wheeler (the Raptor). We sold it on eBay. We nearly sold the Raptor to two buyers. We had agreed to sell the fifth wheeler to an interested buyer who had the highest bid but in the seconds between seeing that this person was the highest bidder and going to the next screen to accept the highest bidder, another person put in a higher bid (and was now the highest bidder) so the Raptor was sold to them. Dad said it was a nice problem to have.
On Monday I went with Jennifer and Jamie to pick grapes. We picked grapes from 8am-3pm and we didn’t pick very many grapes because we had to pick the tiny green grapes out of the purple grapes. But it was worth it because we got paid. We did it again on Wednesday and we picked 28 buckets of grapes. Then we got paid again!!!
Also that day all the boys went riding in Illinois. Josiah got to test out his new Yamaha 85 he got the day before.
On Thursday Josiah, Joel and I travelled with the Hempens north to Mt Pleasant to a place that they go every year for a holiday. The place we went to was called Old Threshers and it was really fun. We rode trolleys & tractors, squished pennies on the rail tracks, shopped and tried heaps of new food. Mum and Dad arrived on Friday afternoon. The Bashs came up and we had dinner then went around and did all sorts of things together including a ride on a steam train.
We said goodbye that Friday night and it was really sad. We have made so many awesome friends on this trip and we are going to miss them all.
We left really early the next morning at 7 o‘clock. It was a super long day of traveling and we travelled till midnight from Mt Pleasant Iowa to Denver CO (800 miles). That day an old lady clipped the back left side of the RV but only hitting the ladder (and taking off her side mirror in the process). She then called 911 and tried to say dad side swiped her when the state trooper pulled us over (dad didn‘t know we had been hit). In the end she admitted that she had tried to pass us when her lane had finished (the state trooper said she changed her story six times!)
The next day (Sunday) we went to the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was amazing and very pretty. We got through it quite quickly and once we were done we went back to our RV park.
On Monday morning we dropped off the fifth wheeler to an RV storage depot mum and dad and the new buyer had agreed to drop off the Raptor at. We then loaded every thing into the truck and travelled for another 12 hours to Cedar City Utah driving over the Rocky Mountains.
We are now staying in a hotel in Cedar City. Dad just got a new trailer so he is rather pleased about that.
The next day we were still waiting for our RV to be fixed (it required a new converter / batter charge) so mum and I went to look at the homes of the Deere family. We walked through John Deere’s son’s home (Charles Deere) built around 1870 which was very old and beautiful and had a lot of renovation done. There was also Charles daughter’s home (built in the 1890s) to walk through which was a lot more modern.
That night the RV was fixed so Dad, Mum, Joel and I travelled south for two hours back down to the Hempens (Josiah was already there). It was awesome seeing the Hempens again.
We mainly hung out for the next few days. Roger Hempen, Kenny’s dad, cooked dinner one night and BBQ’ed a massive dish of meat. On Saturday afternoon when we drove north to Cedar Rapids for a night race. Josiah, Joel, Kenny Jr., Josiah and Luke Hempen all raced and they all did a good job.
On Sunday we went to church and I enjoyed that even though every one was really tired from the night race (we got home after midnight). After church we all went out to lunch and stuffed ourselves silly. Then at dinner the Jim and Nancy Bash and their children came over for a BBQ and all the kids swam and played while the adults went on a 4-wheeler ride.
Over the weekend mum and dad sold our fifth wheeler (the Raptor). We sold it on eBay. We nearly sold the Raptor to two buyers. We had agreed to sell the fifth wheeler to an interested buyer who had the highest bid but in the seconds between seeing that this person was the highest bidder and going to the next screen to accept the highest bidder, another person put in a higher bid (and was now the highest bidder) so the Raptor was sold to them. Dad said it was a nice problem to have.
On Monday I went with Jennifer and Jamie to pick grapes. We picked grapes from 8am-3pm and we didn’t pick very many grapes because we had to pick the tiny green grapes out of the purple grapes. But it was worth it because we got paid. We did it again on Wednesday and we picked 28 buckets of grapes. Then we got paid again!!!
Also that day all the boys went riding in Illinois. Josiah got to test out his new Yamaha 85 he got the day before.
On Thursday Josiah, Joel and I travelled with the Hempens north to Mt Pleasant to a place that they go every year for a holiday. The place we went to was called Old Threshers and it was really fun. We rode trolleys & tractors, squished pennies on the rail tracks, shopped and tried heaps of new food. Mum and Dad arrived on Friday afternoon. The Bashs came up and we had dinner then went around and did all sorts of things together including a ride on a steam train.
We said goodbye that Friday night and it was really sad. We have made so many awesome friends on this trip and we are going to miss them all.
We left really early the next morning at 7 o‘clock. It was a super long day of traveling and we travelled till midnight from Mt Pleasant Iowa to Denver CO (800 miles). That day an old lady clipped the back left side of the RV but only hitting the ladder (and taking off her side mirror in the process). She then called 911 and tried to say dad side swiped her when the state trooper pulled us over (dad didn‘t know we had been hit). In the end she admitted that she had tried to pass us when her lane had finished (the state trooper said she changed her story six times!)
The next day (Sunday) we went to the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was amazing and very pretty. We got through it quite quickly and once we were done we went back to our RV park.
On Monday morning we dropped off the fifth wheeler to an RV storage depot mum and dad and the new buyer had agreed to drop off the Raptor at. We then loaded every thing into the truck and travelled for another 12 hours to Cedar City Utah driving over the Rocky Mountains.
We are now staying in a hotel in Cedar City. Dad just got a new trailer so he is rather pleased about that.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Into the Midwest
The Saturday afternoon after Loretta Lynn’s finished we travelled two hours north to stay a few days at Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky (http://www.lbl.org/Home.html). We had booked to stay at the Energy Lake campground and to catch up with some fellow Kiwis (the MacLeans) who are touring around the US in a RV like us.
It was great to catch up with Don and Rose MacLean and their five kids. We got to talk about our RV experiences and New Zealand. We also got to hang out at the lake the next day, do some canoeing and go to the elk and bison prairie in the evening.
On Monday we travelled north again for three hours to St Louis, Missouri. In the evening we went and ate out beside the Mississippi river and then just before dark we travelled up the Arch to see the views. The Arch represents the gateway to the West. It stands 630 feet high and the five of us sat in a small tram to get to the top. It isn’t as tall as the Sky Tower in Auckland which is 1,076 feet but the views are just as good. Facts and figures about the Arch can be found at http://www.gatewayarch.com/Arch/info/arch.aspx or on wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_arch. When we got back down to the bottom of the Arch we toured the museum on the Westward expansion and then watched a movie on Lewis & Clark who first made the transcontinental crossing of North America in the early 1800s.
The next day Janine and the kids went to the zoo and city museum in St Louis (http://www.stlzoo.org/ & http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp). We then headed north to the Hempens in the south eastern corner of Iowa. We were happy to see them after talking about visiting them since Lake Whitney in March. Over the next few days the kids played together, rode and swam in the pool.
After staying with the Hempens for a week we all headed north to go to the pro national motocross race at Milville, Minnesota (http://www.springcreekmx.com/). Spring Creek MX Park is about a six hour drive north from the Hempens. There was not a lot to see on the way other than corn fields. Spring Creek MX Park is such an awesome track. We have not seen anything like it in NZ. It has huge elevation changes with step ups and step downs, ruts and a sand section with large whoops. The boys (amateurs) got to ride and race on Wednesday to Friday before the pros rode on the weekend. The boys thought it was the best track. Also, the girls (Janine and Sarah, Tracy and Jennifer) got to do have some time to themselves by going shopping at the Mall of America in St Paul, the biggest retail and entertainment complex in the USA.
On the way back to the Hempens from Milville MN, we stopped off at the John Deere factory in Moline Illinois for a tour.
It was great to catch up with Don and Rose MacLean and their five kids. We got to talk about our RV experiences and New Zealand. We also got to hang out at the lake the next day, do some canoeing and go to the elk and bison prairie in the evening.
On Monday we travelled north again for three hours to St Louis, Missouri. In the evening we went and ate out beside the Mississippi river and then just before dark we travelled up the Arch to see the views. The Arch represents the gateway to the West. It stands 630 feet high and the five of us sat in a small tram to get to the top. It isn’t as tall as the Sky Tower in Auckland which is 1,076 feet but the views are just as good. Facts and figures about the Arch can be found at http://www.gatewayarch.com/Arch/info/arch.aspx or on wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_arch. When we got back down to the bottom of the Arch we toured the museum on the Westward expansion and then watched a movie on Lewis & Clark who first made the transcontinental crossing of North America in the early 1800s.
The next day Janine and the kids went to the zoo and city museum in St Louis (http://www.stlzoo.org/ & http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp). We then headed north to the Hempens in the south eastern corner of Iowa. We were happy to see them after talking about visiting them since Lake Whitney in March. Over the next few days the kids played together, rode and swam in the pool.
After staying with the Hempens for a week we all headed north to go to the pro national motocross race at Milville, Minnesota (http://www.springcreekmx.com/). Spring Creek MX Park is about a six hour drive north from the Hempens. There was not a lot to see on the way other than corn fields. Spring Creek MX Park is such an awesome track. We have not seen anything like it in NZ. It has huge elevation changes with step ups and step downs, ruts and a sand section with large whoops. The boys (amateurs) got to ride and race on Wednesday to Friday before the pros rode on the weekend. The boys thought it was the best track. Also, the girls (Janine and Sarah, Tracy and Jennifer) got to do have some time to themselves by going shopping at the Mall of America in St Paul, the biggest retail and entertainment complex in the USA.
On the way back to the Hempens from Milville MN, we stopped off at the John Deere factory in Moline Illinois for a tour.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch, Tennessee
This week was for the AMA National motorcross championship. The best riders in the nation are at this event, plus some aliens (foreigners) from five other countries including NZ.
On Sunday morning Josiah Hempen knocked on the door of our RV. We had met the Hempens at Lake Whitney Texas back in March and we have been in contact ever since. It was great to catch up with the Hempens and also to meet Kenny senior’s dad, Roger. They had travelled from Iowa and were a support to us. Kenny and Tracy also had their wedding anniversary during the week. A big congratulations.
Monday was practice day and Tuesday to Saturday was racing.
The track at Loretta Lynn’s is technical. It has lots of variation from jumps (doubles, triples, tabletops) to whoops and rollers, ruts (with bumps), sand and a long straight. There are also large braking bumps and acceleration bumps.
On Tuesday we watched the racing (Josiah’s first race was on Wednesday). When walking through vendor row we spotted Cody Cooper and got our photo with him and the kids. We briefly got to see Ben Townley at his autograph signing. Janine got to meet Chad Reed and James Stewart who were both very pleasant. On Tuesday night we caught up with an old friend of Janine’s (Aldon Baker) who she worked with in London around 16 years ago. He is the personal trainer for James Stewart and it was a real pleasure to reconnect with him.
Tuesday was an interesting day at Loretta Lynn’s. First, there was monumental rain and lightning in the afternoon. It was an absolute mud bath for those that got caught racing in it. Second, a rider in the vet class died in a race after crashing. He got up on his bike, rode a short distance before stopping, walking a few paces and then collapsing on the ground. We understand he died from chest trauma. Very sad news.
Also on Tuesday the Fullwoods (Kyle, Michelle, Meadow and Sydney) arrived from Myrtle Beach, SC. It was great to have them as support at Loretta Lynn’s and also for Sarah to spend some time with Meadow and Sydney away from the track back at a clean camping ground.
Josiah’s first race on Wednesday was in the afternoon. It was hot and humid. Sweat was pouring down Chris’ face whilst waiting on Josiah in the pits. In his first race Josiah got the holeshot (first rider around the first corner) before crashing about a third of the way around. He was in 13th position as he came past the scoring tower. On the second lap Josiah crashed again and was 31st as he came past the scoring tower. Josiah eventually clawed his way back to 16th. Josiah was exhausted at the end of the race. Each moto is 20 minutes whereas every other race he has done has been 10 minutes.
Josiah’s second race was on Thursday late afternoon. Josiah got second to the first corner. Josiah ended up finishing 16th and believes he didn’t ride to his full potential. However, Josiah was able to put this race behind him and learn from the experience.
Josiah’s last race was on Saturday afternoon. Josiah just missed out on the holeshot we think by the smallest of margins. He ended 7th which was fantastic. Josiah worked hard in this race and says he “found out where I belong”, if you know what that means as a rider. Mum and dad think Josiah learnt a lot from this race too. Overall Josiah finished 11th. Mum and dad think this is a great result considering the level of riding he does and what he has learnt at what is considered the world’s best amateur motocross racing event.
On the Saturday morning before the race Janine and Sarah went up to Loretta Lynn’s place. They toured the replica house she grew up in (Butcher Holler) which was a shack. They also toured the house she lived in with her husband (Doo) which was built in the 1800s and occupied during the civil war.
After the race we left Loretta Lynn’s and travelled north into Kentucky to stay at the Energy Lake campground which is in the Land Between the Lakes (www.lbl.org). We were going to catch up with some people from NZ who are traveling around parts of the USA in a RV like ours. We then plan to travel up to St Louis (Missouri), then go north to stay with the Hempens in Iowa and then next week go to a pro national motocross track (Spring Creek) at Milville, Minnesota.
On Sunday morning Josiah Hempen knocked on the door of our RV. We had met the Hempens at Lake Whitney Texas back in March and we have been in contact ever since. It was great to catch up with the Hempens and also to meet Kenny senior’s dad, Roger. They had travelled from Iowa and were a support to us. Kenny and Tracy also had their wedding anniversary during the week. A big congratulations.
Monday was practice day and Tuesday to Saturday was racing.
The track at Loretta Lynn’s is technical. It has lots of variation from jumps (doubles, triples, tabletops) to whoops and rollers, ruts (with bumps), sand and a long straight. There are also large braking bumps and acceleration bumps.
On Tuesday we watched the racing (Josiah’s first race was on Wednesday). When walking through vendor row we spotted Cody Cooper and got our photo with him and the kids. We briefly got to see Ben Townley at his autograph signing. Janine got to meet Chad Reed and James Stewart who were both very pleasant. On Tuesday night we caught up with an old friend of Janine’s (Aldon Baker) who she worked with in London around 16 years ago. He is the personal trainer for James Stewart and it was a real pleasure to reconnect with him.
Tuesday was an interesting day at Loretta Lynn’s. First, there was monumental rain and lightning in the afternoon. It was an absolute mud bath for those that got caught racing in it. Second, a rider in the vet class died in a race after crashing. He got up on his bike, rode a short distance before stopping, walking a few paces and then collapsing on the ground. We understand he died from chest trauma. Very sad news.
Also on Tuesday the Fullwoods (Kyle, Michelle, Meadow and Sydney) arrived from Myrtle Beach, SC. It was great to have them as support at Loretta Lynn’s and also for Sarah to spend some time with Meadow and Sydney away from the track back at a clean camping ground.
Josiah’s first race on Wednesday was in the afternoon. It was hot and humid. Sweat was pouring down Chris’ face whilst waiting on Josiah in the pits. In his first race Josiah got the holeshot (first rider around the first corner) before crashing about a third of the way around. He was in 13th position as he came past the scoring tower. On the second lap Josiah crashed again and was 31st as he came past the scoring tower. Josiah eventually clawed his way back to 16th. Josiah was exhausted at the end of the race. Each moto is 20 minutes whereas every other race he has done has been 10 minutes.
Josiah’s second race was on Thursday late afternoon. Josiah got second to the first corner. Josiah ended up finishing 16th and believes he didn’t ride to his full potential. However, Josiah was able to put this race behind him and learn from the experience.
Josiah’s last race was on Saturday afternoon. Josiah just missed out on the holeshot we think by the smallest of margins. He ended 7th which was fantastic. Josiah worked hard in this race and says he “found out where I belong”, if you know what that means as a rider. Mum and dad think Josiah learnt a lot from this race too. Overall Josiah finished 11th. Mum and dad think this is a great result considering the level of riding he does and what he has learnt at what is considered the world’s best amateur motocross racing event.
On the Saturday morning before the race Janine and Sarah went up to Loretta Lynn’s place. They toured the replica house she grew up in (Butcher Holler) which was a shack. They also toured the house she lived in with her husband (Doo) which was built in the 1800s and occupied during the civil war.
After the race we left Loretta Lynn’s and travelled north into Kentucky to stay at the Energy Lake campground which is in the Land Between the Lakes (www.lbl.org). We were going to catch up with some people from NZ who are traveling around parts of the USA in a RV like ours. We then plan to travel up to St Louis (Missouri), then go north to stay with the Hempens in Iowa and then next week go to a pro national motocross track (Spring Creek) at Milville, Minnesota.
Ponca City, Oklahoma
We arrived Saturday afternoon in Ponca City, OK for the NMA Grand National Championship. We parked in the pre parking area and were directed into the racetrack on Sunday afternoon. We parked right beside the track but with no hook up. We parked beside some friends from Mississippi and Pennsylvania, the Jenkins and Yoests. On Monday there was practice. On Tuesday we were awakened to the sound of motorbikes roaring around the track at 7am. Racing started every day at 7am and finished at 6pm.
On Monday evening we celebrated Janine’s birthday with the Jenkins and Yoests. We cannot publish Janine’s age but she was born in 1969.
On Tuesday Benjamin Jenkins broke his femur down the back straight in the last race of the day. Four other riders broke their femurs that day. Carnage. There were large braking bumps at the end of the straight where Benjamin crashed. We wish a speedy recovery for Ben.
Josiah raced in two classes at Ponca City, the 9-11 age 65cc stock and 9-11 age 65cc modified bike. Josiah rode Joel’s stock bike in both classes. Josiah did not make the 30 gate final in the modified class. It was difficult to compete with the modified 65cc bikes down the long start straight and back straight. In the stock class Josiah got 10th which was pleasing.
During the week Sarah got to spend quite a bit of time with her friend Erin Yoest. Joel made a friend at the track called Jackson. They did a lot of playing and swimming.
On Saturday morning after racing we left for Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. This was a 650 mile trip that took us 12 hours to travel. After consuming about 60-70 gallons of diesel, six cokes, McDonalds and pizza we finally arrived at Loretta Lynn’s 10 o’clock Saturday night. It was nice to have left Ponca City as it was extremely hot (over 100 F, 40 C) but Tennessee would prove to be just as bad.
On Monday evening we celebrated Janine’s birthday with the Jenkins and Yoests. We cannot publish Janine’s age but she was born in 1969.
On Tuesday Benjamin Jenkins broke his femur down the back straight in the last race of the day. Four other riders broke their femurs that day. Carnage. There were large braking bumps at the end of the straight where Benjamin crashed. We wish a speedy recovery for Ben.
Josiah raced in two classes at Ponca City, the 9-11 age 65cc stock and 9-11 age 65cc modified bike. Josiah rode Joel’s stock bike in both classes. Josiah did not make the 30 gate final in the modified class. It was difficult to compete with the modified 65cc bikes down the long start straight and back straight. In the stock class Josiah got 10th which was pleasing.
During the week Sarah got to spend quite a bit of time with her friend Erin Yoest. Joel made a friend at the track called Jackson. They did a lot of playing and swimming.
On Saturday morning after racing we left for Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. This was a 650 mile trip that took us 12 hours to travel. After consuming about 60-70 gallons of diesel, six cokes, McDonalds and pizza we finally arrived at Loretta Lynn’s 10 o’clock Saturday night. It was nice to have left Ponca City as it was extremely hot (over 100 F, 40 C) but Tennessee would prove to be just as bad.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Arkansas
It has been a great three weeks since we last updated the blog.
We got to Mike and Pam’s place three weeks ago. It was great to be back with Mike and Pam. They are such cool people. We arrived on Pam’s birthday so we got her placemats, chocolate and a huge jar of peanut butter to destroy the chocolate with. For the first week at Mike and Pam’s place we just hung out and got ready for DirtbikeMike’s motocross camp.
During our first week at Mike and Pam’s place Josiah said he caught a fish. Dad says he saw the fish, but sadly we have no evidence of any fish.
Josiah got to be part of DirtbikeMike’s motocross camp during the second week of our stay. Joel and I (Sarah) rode around at the end of the day after the riders finished their riding.
It was cool to be at the motocross camp because every day we got to go swimming at the lake or river.
The riders found our NZ accent and terminology quite funny with our reference to ‘togs’, ‘jandals’ and ‘tea’ (dinner)!!!!! J
There was another Dirtbike Mike motocross camp in the third week we were at Mike and Pam’s place. There were over 20 riders from around the USA (eg. Georgia, Ohio) and even Mexico. There was a girl rider on this camp and she had a bad crash on the first day. She broke her wrist, cracked the other and broke 3-4 bones in her pelvis. L
On Wednesday morning we were supposed to leave for Ponce City, Oklahoma, but Josiah had hurt his back so we didn’t leave until a few days later. We stayed for the rest of the camp (but not riding). Most nights I went with my friend Hannah to a bible school and that was fun. Joel also came two nights.
We left on Saturday morning for Ponca City. On the way there our tire on the RV shredded so we had to wait three hours at a truck stop in the heat for someone to come and change it. Once it was fixed we were on the road again.
One of the cool things my brothers got to do in Arkansas with DirtBikeMike was to go night racing. The boys really liked the tracks and experience of racing motocross under lights. Joel won one of his races (along with Josiah) and has a neat plaque to prove it. He also got to flip his bike on a braking bump but got up real fast to carry on racing. No broken bones like last time he was riding.
We are now at Ponca City for the NMA grand national championships. It is hot here.
We got to Mike and Pam’s place three weeks ago. It was great to be back with Mike and Pam. They are such cool people. We arrived on Pam’s birthday so we got her placemats, chocolate and a huge jar of peanut butter to destroy the chocolate with. For the first week at Mike and Pam’s place we just hung out and got ready for DirtbikeMike’s motocross camp.
During our first week at Mike and Pam’s place Josiah said he caught a fish. Dad says he saw the fish, but sadly we have no evidence of any fish.
Josiah got to be part of DirtbikeMike’s motocross camp during the second week of our stay. Joel and I (Sarah) rode around at the end of the day after the riders finished their riding.
It was cool to be at the motocross camp because every day we got to go swimming at the lake or river.
The riders found our NZ accent and terminology quite funny with our reference to ‘togs’, ‘jandals’ and ‘tea’ (dinner)!!!!! J
There was another Dirtbike Mike motocross camp in the third week we were at Mike and Pam’s place. There were over 20 riders from around the USA (eg. Georgia, Ohio) and even Mexico. There was a girl rider on this camp and she had a bad crash on the first day. She broke her wrist, cracked the other and broke 3-4 bones in her pelvis. L
On Wednesday morning we were supposed to leave for Ponce City, Oklahoma, but Josiah had hurt his back so we didn’t leave until a few days later. We stayed for the rest of the camp (but not riding). Most nights I went with my friend Hannah to a bible school and that was fun. Joel also came two nights.
We left on Saturday morning for Ponca City. On the way there our tire on the RV shredded so we had to wait three hours at a truck stop in the heat for someone to come and change it. Once it was fixed we were on the road again.
One of the cool things my brothers got to do in Arkansas with DirtBikeMike was to go night racing. The boys really liked the tracks and experience of racing motocross under lights. Joel won one of his races (along with Josiah) and has a neat plaque to prove it. He also got to flip his bike on a braking bump but got up real fast to carry on racing. No broken bones like last time he was riding.
We are now at Ponca City for the NMA grand national championships. It is hot here.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tennessee
We arrived in a RV park just west of Nashville Tennessee Monday lunchtime and hung out swimming in the pool in the afternoon.
On Tuesday we spent the day in Nashville. We went to the state capitol and had a tour which outlined the building of it along with the history of Tennessee. After that we toured the Tennessee state museum (http://www.tnmuseum.org/). One of the highlights in the museum was seeing an Egyptian mummy.
We then went downtown to the heart of country and western. We went into some of the clubs and listened to some musicians play and then had Pulled Pork for lunch which is delicious. We then headed off to the Country Music Hall of Fame (http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com). We got to listen and read about Hank Williams and his legacy, Elvis Presley, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and lots more.
On Wednesday we left and moved the RV to the Montgomery Bell state park west of Nashville (http://state.tn.us/environment/parks/MontgomeryBell/index.shtml). In the afternoon we caught up with Jeff and Kelly Haley, and their two kids Bethany and Chase. We had met the Haleys at a motocross race in Mississippi (Golden Pine MX park) in early April. We got to ride at their MX track and have dinner with them which was fantastic. That night Josiah and Joel stayed the night and played with Chase. They were all tired the next day.
On Thursday Jeff took Chris and the boys to Loretta Lynn’s ranch about 30 miles away (http://www.lorettalynn.com/home/index.html). This is where the American motocross amateur nationals are held each year and is also where Loretta Lynn lives. When you look at the ranch it is hard to believe they will have a national championship there in a month’s time. We then went to the town that Loretta Lynn owns and toured some of the shops plus see a replica of the house she grew up in (Butcher Holler - it is basically a shack - Loretta is the true story of a girl that went from rags to riches). We hope to have more photos of the ranch next month when we plan to be back here. It is going to be completely different when we come back. The lady in the store said last year at the American motorcross nationals there were 35,000 visitors. I understand there are only around 1,200 riders that make it to the nationals (out of 25,000 that try to qualify) so I assume the difference is for the rider families, officials, vendors and spectators.
We really appreciated the friendship and hospitality of the Haleys and look forward to catching up with them again next month.
On Friday we left for Memphis, Tennessee arriving late afternoon. We stayed at the T O Fuller state park which is very close to the city of Memphis (http//state.tn.us/environment/parks/TOFuller/index.shtml). If Nashville is the country music capital then Memphis is the blues and soul capital of the USA. On Saturday morning we went to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley (http://www.elvis.com/). This was amazing and writing a blog about Elvis does not do it justice. Some things that stood out to us was that he could sing any type of music such as gospel, country, blues & rock. He was an incredible performer and had awesome clothes to go with it. He was a giver and loved his parents dearly. He served his country in the army after WWII. He was his own producer. It is a shame that his life ended at an early age when he had so much talent.
In the afternoon we went into the city of Memphis. We visited Beale Street, the blues entertainment district. Some of the stores we went into included BB King’s Blues and Jazz Club & A Schwab’s Dry Good Store. This store opened in 1876 and it has an array of paraphernalia familiar from old blues songs, plus jumbo sized underpants to tambourines. After that we toured the Rock n Soul Museum (www.memphisrocknsoul.org). This museum presents a musical tour of Memphis and provides stories of Memphis musical heritage. Some songs you might have heard included Soul Man, Green Onions, Shaft, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, Le Freak. There were artifacts from Elvis’ stage gear, B B King’s “Lucille” guitar and Al Green’s bible.
On Sunday morning we went to Reverend Al Green’s church, The Full Gospel Tabernacle. What an experience. You have to go to a place like this to see and feel it. The singing and musical instruments were incredible.
Tennessee would have to be our favourite state so far. It has natural beauty, history and music. It is a shame we only spent a week here. On Sunday afternoon we left Memphis and headed for Mike and Pam Lambert's place in Arkansas.
On Tuesday we spent the day in Nashville. We went to the state capitol and had a tour which outlined the building of it along with the history of Tennessee. After that we toured the Tennessee state museum (http://www.tnmuseum.org/). One of the highlights in the museum was seeing an Egyptian mummy.
We then went downtown to the heart of country and western. We went into some of the clubs and listened to some musicians play and then had Pulled Pork for lunch which is delicious. We then headed off to the Country Music Hall of Fame (http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com). We got to listen and read about Hank Williams and his legacy, Elvis Presley, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and lots more.
On Wednesday we left and moved the RV to the Montgomery Bell state park west of Nashville (http://state.tn.us/environment/parks/MontgomeryBell/index.shtml). In the afternoon we caught up with Jeff and Kelly Haley, and their two kids Bethany and Chase. We had met the Haleys at a motocross race in Mississippi (Golden Pine MX park) in early April. We got to ride at their MX track and have dinner with them which was fantastic. That night Josiah and Joel stayed the night and played with Chase. They were all tired the next day.
On Thursday Jeff took Chris and the boys to Loretta Lynn’s ranch about 30 miles away (http://www.lorettalynn.com/home/index.html). This is where the American motocross amateur nationals are held each year and is also where Loretta Lynn lives. When you look at the ranch it is hard to believe they will have a national championship there in a month’s time. We then went to the town that Loretta Lynn owns and toured some of the shops plus see a replica of the house she grew up in (Butcher Holler - it is basically a shack - Loretta is the true story of a girl that went from rags to riches). We hope to have more photos of the ranch next month when we plan to be back here. It is going to be completely different when we come back. The lady in the store said last year at the American motorcross nationals there were 35,000 visitors. I understand there are only around 1,200 riders that make it to the nationals (out of 25,000 that try to qualify) so I assume the difference is for the rider families, officials, vendors and spectators.
We really appreciated the friendship and hospitality of the Haleys and look forward to catching up with them again next month.
On Friday we left for Memphis, Tennessee arriving late afternoon. We stayed at the T O Fuller state park which is very close to the city of Memphis (http//state.tn.us/environment/parks/TOFuller/index.shtml). If Nashville is the country music capital then Memphis is the blues and soul capital of the USA. On Saturday morning we went to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley (http://www.elvis.com/). This was amazing and writing a blog about Elvis does not do it justice. Some things that stood out to us was that he could sing any type of music such as gospel, country, blues & rock. He was an incredible performer and had awesome clothes to go with it. He was a giver and loved his parents dearly. He served his country in the army after WWII. He was his own producer. It is a shame that his life ended at an early age when he had so much talent.
In the afternoon we went into the city of Memphis. We visited Beale Street, the blues entertainment district. Some of the stores we went into included BB King’s Blues and Jazz Club & A Schwab’s Dry Good Store. This store opened in 1876 and it has an array of paraphernalia familiar from old blues songs, plus jumbo sized underpants to tambourines. After that we toured the Rock n Soul Museum (www.memphisrocknsoul.org). This museum presents a musical tour of Memphis and provides stories of Memphis musical heritage. Some songs you might have heard included Soul Man, Green Onions, Shaft, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, Le Freak. There were artifacts from Elvis’ stage gear, B B King’s “Lucille” guitar and Al Green’s bible.
On Sunday morning we went to Reverend Al Green’s church, The Full Gospel Tabernacle. What an experience. You have to go to a place like this to see and feel it. The singing and musical instruments were incredible.
Tennessee would have to be our favourite state so far. It has natural beauty, history and music. It is a shame we only spent a week here. On Sunday afternoon we left Memphis and headed for Mike and Pam Lambert's place in Arkansas.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Myrtle Beach
It has been two weeks since we last updated the blog but we have pretty much been relaxing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We have spent this time staying at the homes of Josh and Jessica Tew and Kyle and Michelle Fullwood.
We spent a lot of our time with the Tews relaxing, doing schoolwork, and eating ice cream at our new favorite ice cream store, Coldstones!
The weekend after we arrived it was Alex Tew’s 8th birthday party. It was heaps of fun. We went to the movies to see Kung-Fu Panda. It was really good. Alex even got the grand birthday introduction and got to start the movie!!! That night we also went out for dinner to East of Chicago for pizza and that was cool.
The night before we left the Tews we went out again for dinner and went to Coldstones for the last time.
The next day it was a sad good bye to the Tews and time for us to leave for Kyle and Michelle’s place.
We had a fun time hanging out with the Fullwood’s. One of the nights we went out to Miyabi’s Japanese restaurant for dinner and as usual that was really cool!
One night I (Sarah) went fishing and that was cool. I caught three fish and I used one of those plastic fish as bait not the food bait. It was sooooooooooo fun!!!
During our time in Myrtle Beach Chris and Josiah got to spend some time with the Hancock’s. River Hancock is Josiah’s age and they race in the same motocross classes. River’s dad, Ronnie, invited them to his place where they have a choice motocross track and swimming pool. Josiah was sad to leave their place.
We left the Fullwood’s for Greensboro, North Carolina. Mum and Dad had a surprise for us kids and took us to Wet n Wild (http://www.emeraldpointe.com/).
From Sarah.
We then headed up to Birch Creek MX, Virginia, to another regional for Josiah to try and qualify for the 7-11 yrs 65 modified class. On a stock bike it became too hard for Josiah to qualify, particularly as the modified bikes were able to get to the first corner faster.
We headed off on Sunday afternoon and stayed the night in a truck stop for the first time. It wasn't too noisy with earplugs on but Chris didn't get much sleep as trucks came and went all night! We then continued on Monday morning and arrived at Nashville Tennessee.
We spent a lot of our time with the Tews relaxing, doing schoolwork, and eating ice cream at our new favorite ice cream store, Coldstones!
The weekend after we arrived it was Alex Tew’s 8th birthday party. It was heaps of fun. We went to the movies to see Kung-Fu Panda. It was really good. Alex even got the grand birthday introduction and got to start the movie!!! That night we also went out for dinner to East of Chicago for pizza and that was cool.
The night before we left the Tews we went out again for dinner and went to Coldstones for the last time.
The next day it was a sad good bye to the Tews and time for us to leave for Kyle and Michelle’s place.
We had a fun time hanging out with the Fullwood’s. One of the nights we went out to Miyabi’s Japanese restaurant for dinner and as usual that was really cool!
One night I (Sarah) went fishing and that was cool. I caught three fish and I used one of those plastic fish as bait not the food bait. It was sooooooooooo fun!!!
During our time in Myrtle Beach Chris and Josiah got to spend some time with the Hancock’s. River Hancock is Josiah’s age and they race in the same motocross classes. River’s dad, Ronnie, invited them to his place where they have a choice motocross track and swimming pool. Josiah was sad to leave their place.
We left the Fullwood’s for Greensboro, North Carolina. Mum and Dad had a surprise for us kids and took us to Wet n Wild (http://www.emeraldpointe.com/).
From Sarah.
We then headed up to Birch Creek MX, Virginia, to another regional for Josiah to try and qualify for the 7-11 yrs 65 modified class. On a stock bike it became too hard for Josiah to qualify, particularly as the modified bikes were able to get to the first corner faster.
We headed off on Sunday afternoon and stayed the night in a truck stop for the first time. It wasn't too noisy with earplugs on but Chris didn't get much sleep as trucks came and went all night! We then continued on Monday morning and arrived at Nashville Tennessee.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Niagara Falls
We arrived at a motocross track in Uhrichsville, Ohio (south east Ohio, Crown Canyon MX) which was an area qualifier to go to the mid east regional qualifier sometime in June. We got there Thursday afternoon and stayed until Monday. There was a practice on Friday and racing on Saturday and Sunday. It rained all day on Friday and in the evenings on the weekend. Josiah got a first, second and third in three classes (65cc 7-9 stock, 65cc 7-11 modified and 65cc 7-11 support class). On the Saturday night we went out to dinner at Applebee’s with Larry and Liz Jenkins (and their son Ben) and then went to the movies to see Prince Caspian. We were homesick from watching the movie because it was made in NZ. It was nice to get away from the track that evening and have a good time with the Jenkins. We all fit into their big rig on our way to dinner and the movies (see blog photo of the three Raptors at “Raptorville”).
On Sunday night we decided to stay the night at the track and then go to Holmes county on Monday. Holmes county is the hub of the Amish and Mennonite communities. The Amish are conservative compared to Mennonites. We got to Berlin and looked around some of the stores before going to the Amish and Mennonite Information Center for an understanding of the background of these “religions”. From there we went to Yoder’s where we saw how a typical Amish family live out their daily lives. There were houses, barns and horse and cart rides. The house of the stricter Amish reminded me a little of my grandparents home in Wairoa, NZ. It only had the bare essentials. The toilet was outside. There was no electricity (although other Amish sects have generators to generate electricity). The Amish are very communal. They can build a large barn in a day. We got to see the Amish making bread and other goodies which we purchased. It tasted great.
On Monday afternoon we travelled back to Pennsylvania (near the town of Washington) to stay with Chris and Maria. Chris and Maria (and their three children Ryan, Erin and Evan) are friends of Larry and Liz who we caught up with at Crown Canyon MX and also at Rolling Hills. We had received an invitation to stay at their place which was great. We got to do washing, have great showers and meals provided. Chris and Maria have a fantastic block of land out in the country with a motocross track. They also have a friend who is an orthopedic doctor who helps out with their kids when there have broken bones. Maria called and made an appointment for Joel to have his arm looked at and the doctor recommended that the sling be removed from Joel’s arm. Joel was very excited. We were very appreciative of Chris and Maria’s hospitality and connections. It was sad to leave!
On Thursday we travelled to Pleasure Valley Raceway in Pennsylvania(http://www.cernicsracing.com/pvr.htm) for the first regional qualifier to get to Loretta Lynn’s where the American national motocross championships are held each year in Tennessee. The regional qualifier was for the north east of the USA and you have to first of all qualify at an area to get to a region (we had qualified for this regional two weeks beforehand in Virginia at Actiontown MX). To give you an idea of the standard of motocross racing at a regional, an area qualifier would be a similar standard to a New Zealand national. The top eight riders from each class at an area qualifier are eligible to race at a regional. If you finish in say the top six or seven at a regional you then qualify for Loretta Lynn’s. So at a regional you are racing against some top riders from the region and some of them are top at the national level. There are some very fast kids on bikes.
It had rained for 12 straight days before we got to Pleasure Valley Raceway (PVR). We got there early enough to get a good dry spot. Others who turned up later on had to be dragged into a spot by a bulldozer (they were subsequently waiting to be pulled out three days later). Friday’s practice was muddy but the sunshine began to dry out the track. Lots of water blasting the bike. Chris had hoped it would stay muddy for the weekend as it suited Josiah but as the day dried out the track suited everyone and there was a freight train of fast kids zooming around the track.
The track was cut up on Saturday morning and it looked really good. As the day wore on ruts began to develop and it even became dusty so it was a completely different track in the afternoon. The progression of the track on Sunday was similar to Saturday. Over his three races in the 7-9 year old 65cc stock class, Josiah got two hole shots and ended up third overall. This is a fantastic result. Josiah didn’t qualify for the 7-11 65cc modified class but we used it as good practice to make it to Loretta Lynn’s for the 7-9 65cc stock class. If you want to see a video of the racing at PVR, go to http://www.motoxposure.com/tv/ and click on the right hand side (Pleasure Valley day one and day two LL NE youth qualifier). Josiah is about a third of the way through day one (and very briefly at the end of day two). Look for # 413 in the 65cc 7-9 stock class getting the holeshot.
On Sunday afternoon after the races we packed up at PVR and headed to Cleveland Ohio. We decided to go and spend a few days with Cara and Tiana from our church at CBC in New Zealand. We were looking forward to seeing them. That night we arrived in Cleveland and parked the night in Walmart.
We caught up with Cara and Tiana on Monday morning and parked the RV at their church. We stayed at their mum’s place the next two nights and really appreciated their hospitality. On Tuesday we went with Cara and Tiana to the Cedarpoint amusement park which is rated as the world’s best rollercoaster park (http://www.cedarpoint.com/). We spent the whole day and night at the park. It was awesome. One rollercoaster is called the Dragstar. It propels you to 120mph in four second before climbing up vertically about 400 feet and then back down again. Other awesome rides were the Millenium Force, Magnum, Raptor and Maverick (go to http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/index.cfm for details on the rollercoasters). We all had a real fun time.
On Wednesday we travelled north east from Cleveland to Madison and caught up with a friend of Janine’s called Leslie. Janine met Leslie over 15 years ago when she toured around Europe. We also met Leslie’s husband, Tim. They kindly put us up for two nights. On Thursday we travelled north east again on Interstate 90 for 200 miles to Niagara Falls. We got there late afternoon and went on the boat the ventures up to the bottom of the waterfalls. We then went over to the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls and stayed there until night time when the lights shine onto the falls. We then crossed the border back into the USA and drove back to Tim and Leslie’s place.
On Friday morning we left Tim and Leslie’s place to head back to Myrtle Beach SC. We drove nearly 12 hours on Friday before finally pulling over at Statesville in Ohio and parking up for the night in Walmart. We then hit the road early the next day. After 750 miles and close to 100 gallons of diesel (plus lots of cans of coke) we safely arrived at Myrtle Beach just after lunch on Saturday. We arrived in early 90s F temperature (just over 30 degrees celsius) having come from around 50 F (around 10 degrees celsius) four days earlier at the Cedarpoint amusement park. It felt good to be back in Myrtle Beach. Alot has happened in the last month since we left this place.
On Sunday night we decided to stay the night at the track and then go to Holmes county on Monday. Holmes county is the hub of the Amish and Mennonite communities. The Amish are conservative compared to Mennonites. We got to Berlin and looked around some of the stores before going to the Amish and Mennonite Information Center for an understanding of the background of these “religions”. From there we went to Yoder’s where we saw how a typical Amish family live out their daily lives. There were houses, barns and horse and cart rides. The house of the stricter Amish reminded me a little of my grandparents home in Wairoa, NZ. It only had the bare essentials. The toilet was outside. There was no electricity (although other Amish sects have generators to generate electricity). The Amish are very communal. They can build a large barn in a day. We got to see the Amish making bread and other goodies which we purchased. It tasted great.
On Monday afternoon we travelled back to Pennsylvania (near the town of Washington) to stay with Chris and Maria. Chris and Maria (and their three children Ryan, Erin and Evan) are friends of Larry and Liz who we caught up with at Crown Canyon MX and also at Rolling Hills. We had received an invitation to stay at their place which was great. We got to do washing, have great showers and meals provided. Chris and Maria have a fantastic block of land out in the country with a motocross track. They also have a friend who is an orthopedic doctor who helps out with their kids when there have broken bones. Maria called and made an appointment for Joel to have his arm looked at and the doctor recommended that the sling be removed from Joel’s arm. Joel was very excited. We were very appreciative of Chris and Maria’s hospitality and connections. It was sad to leave!
On Thursday we travelled to Pleasure Valley Raceway in Pennsylvania(http://www.cernicsracing.com/pvr.htm) for the first regional qualifier to get to Loretta Lynn’s where the American national motocross championships are held each year in Tennessee. The regional qualifier was for the north east of the USA and you have to first of all qualify at an area to get to a region (we had qualified for this regional two weeks beforehand in Virginia at Actiontown MX). To give you an idea of the standard of motocross racing at a regional, an area qualifier would be a similar standard to a New Zealand national. The top eight riders from each class at an area qualifier are eligible to race at a regional. If you finish in say the top six or seven at a regional you then qualify for Loretta Lynn’s. So at a regional you are racing against some top riders from the region and some of them are top at the national level. There are some very fast kids on bikes.
It had rained for 12 straight days before we got to Pleasure Valley Raceway (PVR). We got there early enough to get a good dry spot. Others who turned up later on had to be dragged into a spot by a bulldozer (they were subsequently waiting to be pulled out three days later). Friday’s practice was muddy but the sunshine began to dry out the track. Lots of water blasting the bike. Chris had hoped it would stay muddy for the weekend as it suited Josiah but as the day dried out the track suited everyone and there was a freight train of fast kids zooming around the track.
The track was cut up on Saturday morning and it looked really good. As the day wore on ruts began to develop and it even became dusty so it was a completely different track in the afternoon. The progression of the track on Sunday was similar to Saturday. Over his three races in the 7-9 year old 65cc stock class, Josiah got two hole shots and ended up third overall. This is a fantastic result. Josiah didn’t qualify for the 7-11 65cc modified class but we used it as good practice to make it to Loretta Lynn’s for the 7-9 65cc stock class. If you want to see a video of the racing at PVR, go to http://www.motoxposure.com/tv/ and click on the right hand side (Pleasure Valley day one and day two LL NE youth qualifier). Josiah is about a third of the way through day one (and very briefly at the end of day two). Look for # 413 in the 65cc 7-9 stock class getting the holeshot.
On Sunday afternoon after the races we packed up at PVR and headed to Cleveland Ohio. We decided to go and spend a few days with Cara and Tiana from our church at CBC in New Zealand. We were looking forward to seeing them. That night we arrived in Cleveland and parked the night in Walmart.
We caught up with Cara and Tiana on Monday morning and parked the RV at their church. We stayed at their mum’s place the next two nights and really appreciated their hospitality. On Tuesday we went with Cara and Tiana to the Cedarpoint amusement park which is rated as the world’s best rollercoaster park (http://www.cedarpoint.com/). We spent the whole day and night at the park. It was awesome. One rollercoaster is called the Dragstar. It propels you to 120mph in four second before climbing up vertically about 400 feet and then back down again. Other awesome rides were the Millenium Force, Magnum, Raptor and Maverick (go to http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/index.cfm for details on the rollercoasters). We all had a real fun time.
On Wednesday we travelled north east from Cleveland to Madison and caught up with a friend of Janine’s called Leslie. Janine met Leslie over 15 years ago when she toured around Europe. We also met Leslie’s husband, Tim. They kindly put us up for two nights. On Thursday we travelled north east again on Interstate 90 for 200 miles to Niagara Falls. We got there late afternoon and went on the boat the ventures up to the bottom of the waterfalls. We then went over to the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls and stayed there until night time when the lights shine onto the falls. We then crossed the border back into the USA and drove back to Tim and Leslie’s place.
On Friday morning we left Tim and Leslie’s place to head back to Myrtle Beach SC. We drove nearly 12 hours on Friday before finally pulling over at Statesville in Ohio and parking up for the night in Walmart. We then hit the road early the next day. After 750 miles and close to 100 gallons of diesel (plus lots of cans of coke) we safely arrived at Myrtle Beach just after lunch on Saturday. We arrived in early 90s F temperature (just over 30 degrees celsius) having come from around 50 F (around 10 degrees celsius) four days earlier at the Cedarpoint amusement park. It felt good to be back in Myrtle Beach. Alot has happened in the last month since we left this place.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
North Carolina to Pennsylvania
We travelled from South Carolina to Reidsville in North Carolina to attend a motocross race. We were one of the first to arrive at the track and get parked up under some trees. Within a short period of time two other fifth wheelers (that were Raptor models like ours) parked either side of us. Our truck was small compared to the rigs towing the other Raptors (refer photo). However, we were in “Raptorville”. We got lots of questions from people about our Raptor and truck for towing.
North Carolina is still considered part of the South. Chris thought it would be less South and more of the North but you could tell within a short period of time we were still in the South, eg. the spitting, the accent. Also, they played two types of music from 7am to 10pm on the loud speakers (which were inconveniently placed right outside our Raptor in the trees) which were country and western. Also, Jessica, Alex, Caroline and Jessica’s parents (Bob and Angela) came to the track to watch. It was good to see the Tews again and meet Jess’ parents.
We left the track at Reidsville late on Sunday afternoon and travelled to Pocahontas State Park in Virginia (http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/poc.shtml). It is located 20 miles south west of Richmond, the state capital. It is a nice clean park with good facilities and has a lake and walking/biking trails which we all did on Monday afternoon.
There is a lot of history in Virginia, eg. the early colonies, revolutionary war and civil war. So on Tuesday we went into Richmond and visited the state capital and then onto Petersburg to visit the Pamplin Historical Park (http://www.pamplinpark.org). This is a 422 acre park that relives the life and times of soldiers during America's "War Between the States." There is a National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, Tudor Hall and a recreated Military Encampment. It was fantastic.
On Wednesday we went to (Colonial) Williamsburg which has a living history museum (http://www.history.org/). Colonial Williamsburg was the 18th-century capital of Britain’s largest, and wealthiest settlement in the New World. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has attempted to interpret the origins of American life through re-enactment of the daily life of colonials in a 301-acre area populated with restored, reconstructed, and historically furnished buildings. Fully costumed Colonial Williamsburg Foundation re-enactors, not allowed to break character, tell the stories of men and women of the 18th-century city, from all races and backgrounds. It really was like being there 300 years ago. When you first arrive, you freak out at the sight of men wearing the tight pants they used to wear at that time.
On Thursday afternoon we packed up and drove an hour to Dillwyn VA for another race on the weekend. Josiah got first in both motos to take the overall win in the 7-9 stock class but mishaps in the 7-11 open class meant he didn’t qualify. We were glad to leave the motocross track as it had rained a lot and Chris overused the water blaster to clean the bike so we ran out of water on Saturday afternoon.
We travelled north from Dillwyn VA on Sunday afternoon. We had planned to be in Pennsylvania that night but it didn’t work out that way. First, the weather was torrential rain so it made the driving slow. Second, the GPS unit took us along a track in the boondocks that ran parallel to the interstate. The roads were small, winding and hilly. By the time we got onto the interstate to Harrisburg PA we had crossed the state line into West Virginia and decided to stay the night in a parking lot at Walmart. The store was right beside the interstate. Some of us didn’t get much sleep due to the continuous thread of large rigs traveling by during the night. Sarah also hurt herself falling out of the fifth wheeler.
In the morning we went into the Walmart to get supplies (it was also warmer in the store than in the RV - the temperature was around 8 degrees celsius). We then left to stay in a RV park in Gettysburg (near Harrisburg PA). It was timely (well overdue) to get cleaned up at the RV park.
Gettysburg is such an interesting place to visit. It was a major battle in the five year American civil war between the Confederacy (South) and the Union (North). It took place in the Union's territory as General Lee pushed up from the south after some victories over the Union. The battle took place on 1st to 3rd July 1863. The South was under the command of Robert Lee (General Lee) and the North was under the command of Major General Meade (Army of the Potomac). There is an auto tour in Gettysburg so you can drive along the roads, stop off at a location and learn what happened there. There were around 50,000 casualties from both sides during those three days. When you look out over the rolling fields you can almost picture men being ploughed down from both sides. This is particularly so when you look out from Seminary Ridge over the low lying fields as General Pickett from the South advanced 12,000 Confederates (referred to as Pickett's Charge) to try to take a strategic point on the battleground. The North had the superior position (eg. high ground, walls for protection) led by Chamberlain (this is referred to as the High Water Mark, ie. a defining moment in the Gettysburg battle).
We also stopped off at the National Park Service’s Museum and Visitor Centre (http://www.nps.gov/gett/ & www.gettysburgfoundation.org) which provides history and artifacts from the battle. You really need to experience a place like this and see it for yourself. Writing about it in a blog does not do it justice at all.
The following day we went into Harrisburg to the State Capitol and the State Museum of Pennsylvania. The building was most impressive. It was inspired by Michelangelo’s design for St Peter’s in Rome. When you walk in the main entrance it is just over 80 metres to the top of the rotunda (52 million pound dome). In the Senate and House of Representatives chambers the chandeliers weigh between two and four tons each. The Senate chamber is Italian designed and the House chamber is French inspired. The stained glass windows in these two chambers weigh over 200 pounds each. There is a mountain of gold (23 carat) in this place as well.
The State Museum (http://www.statemuseumpa.org/) covers the history of Pennsylvania along with archaeology, paleontology, industry, science, animals and the planetarium. The kids really enjoyed the museum.
On Thursday we travelled from Harrisburg PA to Uhrichsville in Ohio. This was a big trip. We travelled along the I 76 turnpike. The bridges along this interstate were low at the sides so we had to move over to the left hand side so that we felt comfortable we were not going to hit the top of the fifth wheeler. The trip through Pittsburg was a bit more demanding. We passed a sign saying the tunnel ahead was 13 and a half feet high (which we understood to be the height of our fifth wheeler). We took a detour before the tunnel but the streets through the town were extremely narrow. We turned around and measured the height of the fifth wheeler at 13 feet and 3 inches so we decided to give it a go through the tunnel. We didn’t drive fast through the tunnel as any undulations could mean we would hit the top of the fifth wheeler. The tunnel felt like it was the longest tunnel we had been in. We got through fine but with less than 10 cms of space. We are now in Ohio.
North Carolina is still considered part of the South. Chris thought it would be less South and more of the North but you could tell within a short period of time we were still in the South, eg. the spitting, the accent. Also, they played two types of music from 7am to 10pm on the loud speakers (which were inconveniently placed right outside our Raptor in the trees) which were country and western. Also, Jessica, Alex, Caroline and Jessica’s parents (Bob and Angela) came to the track to watch. It was good to see the Tews again and meet Jess’ parents.
We left the track at Reidsville late on Sunday afternoon and travelled to Pocahontas State Park in Virginia (http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/poc.shtml). It is located 20 miles south west of Richmond, the state capital. It is a nice clean park with good facilities and has a lake and walking/biking trails which we all did on Monday afternoon.
There is a lot of history in Virginia, eg. the early colonies, revolutionary war and civil war. So on Tuesday we went into Richmond and visited the state capital and then onto Petersburg to visit the Pamplin Historical Park (http://www.pamplinpark.org). This is a 422 acre park that relives the life and times of soldiers during America's "War Between the States." There is a National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, Tudor Hall and a recreated Military Encampment. It was fantastic.
On Wednesday we went to (Colonial) Williamsburg which has a living history museum (http://www.history.org/). Colonial Williamsburg was the 18th-century capital of Britain’s largest, and wealthiest settlement in the New World. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has attempted to interpret the origins of American life through re-enactment of the daily life of colonials in a 301-acre area populated with restored, reconstructed, and historically furnished buildings. Fully costumed Colonial Williamsburg Foundation re-enactors, not allowed to break character, tell the stories of men and women of the 18th-century city, from all races and backgrounds. It really was like being there 300 years ago. When you first arrive, you freak out at the sight of men wearing the tight pants they used to wear at that time.
On Thursday afternoon we packed up and drove an hour to Dillwyn VA for another race on the weekend. Josiah got first in both motos to take the overall win in the 7-9 stock class but mishaps in the 7-11 open class meant he didn’t qualify. We were glad to leave the motocross track as it had rained a lot and Chris overused the water blaster to clean the bike so we ran out of water on Saturday afternoon.
We travelled north from Dillwyn VA on Sunday afternoon. We had planned to be in Pennsylvania that night but it didn’t work out that way. First, the weather was torrential rain so it made the driving slow. Second, the GPS unit took us along a track in the boondocks that ran parallel to the interstate. The roads were small, winding and hilly. By the time we got onto the interstate to Harrisburg PA we had crossed the state line into West Virginia and decided to stay the night in a parking lot at Walmart. The store was right beside the interstate. Some of us didn’t get much sleep due to the continuous thread of large rigs traveling by during the night. Sarah also hurt herself falling out of the fifth wheeler.
In the morning we went into the Walmart to get supplies (it was also warmer in the store than in the RV - the temperature was around 8 degrees celsius). We then left to stay in a RV park in Gettysburg (near Harrisburg PA). It was timely (well overdue) to get cleaned up at the RV park.
Gettysburg is such an interesting place to visit. It was a major battle in the five year American civil war between the Confederacy (South) and the Union (North). It took place in the Union's territory as General Lee pushed up from the south after some victories over the Union. The battle took place on 1st to 3rd July 1863. The South was under the command of Robert Lee (General Lee) and the North was under the command of Major General Meade (Army of the Potomac). There is an auto tour in Gettysburg so you can drive along the roads, stop off at a location and learn what happened there. There were around 50,000 casualties from both sides during those three days. When you look out over the rolling fields you can almost picture men being ploughed down from both sides. This is particularly so when you look out from Seminary Ridge over the low lying fields as General Pickett from the South advanced 12,000 Confederates (referred to as Pickett's Charge) to try to take a strategic point on the battleground. The North had the superior position (eg. high ground, walls for protection) led by Chamberlain (this is referred to as the High Water Mark, ie. a defining moment in the Gettysburg battle).
We also stopped off at the National Park Service’s Museum and Visitor Centre (http://www.nps.gov/gett/ & www.gettysburgfoundation.org) which provides history and artifacts from the battle. You really need to experience a place like this and see it for yourself. Writing about it in a blog does not do it justice at all.
The following day we went into Harrisburg to the State Capitol and the State Museum of Pennsylvania. The building was most impressive. It was inspired by Michelangelo’s design for St Peter’s in Rome. When you walk in the main entrance it is just over 80 metres to the top of the rotunda (52 million pound dome). In the Senate and House of Representatives chambers the chandeliers weigh between two and four tons each. The Senate chamber is Italian designed and the House chamber is French inspired. The stained glass windows in these two chambers weigh over 200 pounds each. There is a mountain of gold (23 carat) in this place as well.
The State Museum (http://www.statemuseumpa.org/) covers the history of Pennsylvania along with archaeology, paleontology, industry, science, animals and the planetarium. The kids really enjoyed the museum.
On Thursday we travelled from Harrisburg PA to Uhrichsville in Ohio. This was a big trip. We travelled along the I 76 turnpike. The bridges along this interstate were low at the sides so we had to move over to the left hand side so that we felt comfortable we were not going to hit the top of the fifth wheeler. The trip through Pittsburg was a bit more demanding. We passed a sign saying the tunnel ahead was 13 and a half feet high (which we understood to be the height of our fifth wheeler). We took a detour before the tunnel but the streets through the town were extremely narrow. We turned around and measured the height of the fifth wheeler at 13 feet and 3 inches so we decided to give it a go through the tunnel. We didn’t drive fast through the tunnel as any undulations could mean we would hit the top of the fifth wheeler. The tunnel felt like it was the longest tunnel we had been in. We got through fine but with less than 10 cms of space. We are now in Ohio.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (and getting there)
From Prentiss Mississippi our plans were to head back to Myrtle Beach in SC before commencing another journey in two and half weeks time to the north east of the USA.
After leaving Prentiss in Mississippi we travelled west on Sunday afternoon to Meridian, Mississippi. We stayed the night in a RV park, had long showers and cleaned the truck and fifth wheeler. The next day we continued our trip on the I-20 back to Myrtle Beach, SC. We passed through Birmingham, Alabama again and nearly ran out of diesel waiting too long for nice place to stop. After passing through Atlanta Georgia we got to Aiken near the Georgia & SC border. We decided to stay the night rather than drive another four hours to Myrtle Beach.
The next morning we packed up to drive to Myrtle Beach. When we pulled away with the fifth wheeler the truck had no power. It was blowing a lot of smoke. We called the RV helpline again and they arranged for a tow truck driver to tow the F250 to the local Ford dealership. After doing their initial review they said the EGR valve needed replacing (again as it had been done in Plano Texas) and that it would take a day or so to fix. Later that afternoon we got a call to say the EGR cooler needed replacing as well.
The next day (Wednesday) we got a call in the afternoon to say the F250 also needed a new turbo. So, on Thursday afternoon the F250 was ready. The truck was much quieter and smoother in its power delivery. So, after picking up the truck we hooked up the fifth wheeler and drove to Myrtle Beach. We were so keen to leave Aiken as our food and drink supplies had completely run out, along with our patience! We weren’t stopping for anything to get to Myrtle Beach. Thanks to the team at Satcher Ford for fixing the truck.
We arrived at Kyle and Michelle’s place Thursday evening. They kindly allowed us to park the fifth wheeler there as we were going to stay with Jessica and Joshua Tew (we stayed with them when we first arrived in the USA). We had not seen Kyle since September last year and missed him when we arrived two months ago. It was great to finally see Kyle and meet Michelle. Kyle has been a tremendous help to us and “hooking us up” with different things. We were keen to see Jess and Josh as well. Both are doctors and Josh is a specialist radiologist so they were a good match to help us out with Joel’s broken arm. All of the Natzkes were real glad to be back in Myrtle Beach.
The two weeks we spent in Myrtle Beach were fantastic. We had the opportunity to relax and have some fun. Some of the things we have done have included going to the main beach and a private pool club, going out to Mayabi’s Japanese restaurant (the chefs cook in front of you and do all sorts of entertaining tricks), trying Krispy Kreme donuts (they make delicious donuts), shopping, motocross riding at some local tracks, mini putt and going to Riley‘s Aquarium. One paragraph does not really do justice to the excellent time we have had with Josh and Jess and also with Kyle and Michelle. But, it is late at night and we need to write something of what we have been up to over the last few weeks before it is forgotten.
Our journey is now to travel up the north east of the USA.
After leaving Prentiss in Mississippi we travelled west on Sunday afternoon to Meridian, Mississippi. We stayed the night in a RV park, had long showers and cleaned the truck and fifth wheeler. The next day we continued our trip on the I-20 back to Myrtle Beach, SC. We passed through Birmingham, Alabama again and nearly ran out of diesel waiting too long for nice place to stop. After passing through Atlanta Georgia we got to Aiken near the Georgia & SC border. We decided to stay the night rather than drive another four hours to Myrtle Beach.
The next morning we packed up to drive to Myrtle Beach. When we pulled away with the fifth wheeler the truck had no power. It was blowing a lot of smoke. We called the RV helpline again and they arranged for a tow truck driver to tow the F250 to the local Ford dealership. After doing their initial review they said the EGR valve needed replacing (again as it had been done in Plano Texas) and that it would take a day or so to fix. Later that afternoon we got a call to say the EGR cooler needed replacing as well.
The next day (Wednesday) we got a call in the afternoon to say the F250 also needed a new turbo. So, on Thursday afternoon the F250 was ready. The truck was much quieter and smoother in its power delivery. So, after picking up the truck we hooked up the fifth wheeler and drove to Myrtle Beach. We were so keen to leave Aiken as our food and drink supplies had completely run out, along with our patience! We weren’t stopping for anything to get to Myrtle Beach. Thanks to the team at Satcher Ford for fixing the truck.
We arrived at Kyle and Michelle’s place Thursday evening. They kindly allowed us to park the fifth wheeler there as we were going to stay with Jessica and Joshua Tew (we stayed with them when we first arrived in the USA). We had not seen Kyle since September last year and missed him when we arrived two months ago. It was great to finally see Kyle and meet Michelle. Kyle has been a tremendous help to us and “hooking us up” with different things. We were keen to see Jess and Josh as well. Both are doctors and Josh is a specialist radiologist so they were a good match to help us out with Joel’s broken arm. All of the Natzkes were real glad to be back in Myrtle Beach.
The two weeks we spent in Myrtle Beach were fantastic. We had the opportunity to relax and have some fun. Some of the things we have done have included going to the main beach and a private pool club, going out to Mayabi’s Japanese restaurant (the chefs cook in front of you and do all sorts of entertaining tricks), trying Krispy Kreme donuts (they make delicious donuts), shopping, motocross riding at some local tracks, mini putt and going to Riley‘s Aquarium. One paragraph does not really do justice to the excellent time we have had with Josh and Jess and also with Kyle and Michelle. But, it is late at night and we need to write something of what we have been up to over the last few weeks before it is forgotten.
Our journey is now to travel up the north east of the USA.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Arkansas and Mississippi
We arrived at Mike and Pam’s place mid Sunday afternoon. They are near Amily, south west of Little Rock, Arkansas. Mike and Pam were at the horse races when we arrived so our kids played with their grandkids Hannah and Jacob or Bob as Mike calls him. We also caught up with Tara’s husband Cameron (Tara is Pam’s daughter). Josiah had his first ride on Mike’s track. He thought it was pretty cool as it has an arenacross section.
Their place is out in the sticks as we would say in New Zealand. But it is beautiful. The house with a verander, the tall trees, the clean fresh air, the pond and the flowers in the green grass. We could get use to living there. Joel got to fish in the small lake and caught two fish (check out the photo below...objects in the picture appear much smaller in real life).
Monday was school in the morning then riding for the afternoon. Joel rode Jacob’s bikes, first the peewee, then the cobra. They were a bit small but Joel was just excited about being on a bike.
On Tuesday we went to Little Rock to Tom’s Kawasaki shop and bought Joel a Kawasaki KX65. It is a bit big for him and he is learning to use the gears. Mike and Pam then talked us into going to a race in Mississippi with them which was a great idea considering it was on our way through the South and for Josiah to ride. That night we had dinner with Mike and Pam and their family. One of the things Joel and Chris tried was some hot sauce. Chris bought some hot sauce in Louisiana and has a small amount on some meat dishes. The hot sauce Mike pulled out has a warning on it…do not give to small children. This sauce is powerful with a capital P. When Chris tasted it and it brushed the top of his lip it burnt like mad. Joel said it was pretty weak (what the?).
On Wednesday we left for Prentiss, Mississippi, with Mike and Pam to race at Golden Pine Raceway (http://goldenpineraceway.com/). This is a fine track. It is a big track and fast. There are big jumps, rollers, elevations and fast sections. We got to the track around midnight having travelled convoy with Mike and Pam, and also one of their riders, Brock.
On the way we stopped off at Vicksburg at the casino for a meal. The casino is on the Mississippi river on a boat and you walk through the casino to the buffett. It is unlawful to have casinos in Mississippi so they build them on the river (which is between Mississippi and Louisiana) although it is permanently fixed to the shoreline. After dinner we had a look at the battle monuments of the civil war beside the casino and watched the barges travel up the river. There had been a lot of rain in the last few days and the current down the river was massive. Often the barges looked like they weren’t going forward at all. After dinner at the casino we then travelled to Jackson. We gassed up and filled up with water and purchased food for the days ahead.
On Thursday Mike and Pam worked to get the race and track ready. The kids did schoolwork. On Friday Chris helped out with practice and Janine helped out with sign on for the riders. Sarah helped out with selling t-shirts over the weekend (she sold quite a few, especially to young boy riders about her age). We also got to meet another racer who rides for Mike, a guy called Chris Tracy. Chris Tracy has a pro licence and looked great on his Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250F. Chris got to ride it around the paddock and was amazed at the power of the engine.
On Saturday and Sunday Josiah raced. He raced well on Sunday and got third in the 7-11 modified class which means he can race this class at a regional qualifier in order to get to the USA MX nationals (called Loretta Lynns) . This was a great result considering he was racing against modified bikes and some older kids.
There was some bad news on Saturday for Joel. Chris took Joel out to a paddock to ride his new bike. At the end of the riding, Chris was going to double Joel back to the RV. Chris took off too fast and Joel fell off the back of the bike. Joel’s arm got caught in the back wheel and broke just below the shoulder. We raced Joel to the local medical centre. The x-ray showed the break and the doctor sent Joel on his way to the University Medical Center in Jackson in an ambulance (about an hour away). It was a long night. We were initially advised they may need to operate on Joel and put a plate on the broken bone. In the end it was recommended that his arm be placed in a sling and strapped to his body as the break was too high to his shoulder to cast. The sling would allow the bone to realign and then fuse together. He will need to be taken back to the hospital in a week or so to see if the bone is healing well.
That night, Mike and Pam took Sarah, Josiah and Chris to the local buffet for dinner. One of the things on the menu was fried frog legs (most things are fried in the South). They said it tasted like chicken. Sarah and Chris disagree and won’t be trying it again.
We had planned to go to Disneyworld in Orlando after Mississippi but Joel’s situation now meant we had to head back to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. We will get some rest.
Like the week before when we left the Bellingans in Plano, it was sad to say goodbye to Mike and Pam, and the rest of the crew. A big thanks to them for helping out when Joel was hurt. Also, it was Sarah’s birthday on Sunday. She gave up her “birthday rights” and allowed Josiah to race on the weekend. Mike, Pam and Tara bought her a really nice Thor sweat shirt.
Their place is out in the sticks as we would say in New Zealand. But it is beautiful. The house with a verander, the tall trees, the clean fresh air, the pond and the flowers in the green grass. We could get use to living there. Joel got to fish in the small lake and caught two fish (check out the photo below...objects in the picture appear much smaller in real life).
Monday was school in the morning then riding for the afternoon. Joel rode Jacob’s bikes, first the peewee, then the cobra. They were a bit small but Joel was just excited about being on a bike.
On Tuesday we went to Little Rock to Tom’s Kawasaki shop and bought Joel a Kawasaki KX65. It is a bit big for him and he is learning to use the gears. Mike and Pam then talked us into going to a race in Mississippi with them which was a great idea considering it was on our way through the South and for Josiah to ride. That night we had dinner with Mike and Pam and their family. One of the things Joel and Chris tried was some hot sauce. Chris bought some hot sauce in Louisiana and has a small amount on some meat dishes. The hot sauce Mike pulled out has a warning on it…do not give to small children. This sauce is powerful with a capital P. When Chris tasted it and it brushed the top of his lip it burnt like mad. Joel said it was pretty weak (what the?).
On Wednesday we left for Prentiss, Mississippi, with Mike and Pam to race at Golden Pine Raceway (http://goldenpineraceway.com/). This is a fine track. It is a big track and fast. There are big jumps, rollers, elevations and fast sections. We got to the track around midnight having travelled convoy with Mike and Pam, and also one of their riders, Brock.
On the way we stopped off at Vicksburg at the casino for a meal. The casino is on the Mississippi river on a boat and you walk through the casino to the buffett. It is unlawful to have casinos in Mississippi so they build them on the river (which is between Mississippi and Louisiana) although it is permanently fixed to the shoreline. After dinner we had a look at the battle monuments of the civil war beside the casino and watched the barges travel up the river. There had been a lot of rain in the last few days and the current down the river was massive. Often the barges looked like they weren’t going forward at all. After dinner at the casino we then travelled to Jackson. We gassed up and filled up with water and purchased food for the days ahead.
On Thursday Mike and Pam worked to get the race and track ready. The kids did schoolwork. On Friday Chris helped out with practice and Janine helped out with sign on for the riders. Sarah helped out with selling t-shirts over the weekend (she sold quite a few, especially to young boy riders about her age). We also got to meet another racer who rides for Mike, a guy called Chris Tracy. Chris Tracy has a pro licence and looked great on his Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250F. Chris got to ride it around the paddock and was amazed at the power of the engine.
On Saturday and Sunday Josiah raced. He raced well on Sunday and got third in the 7-11 modified class which means he can race this class at a regional qualifier in order to get to the USA MX nationals (called Loretta Lynns) . This was a great result considering he was racing against modified bikes and some older kids.
There was some bad news on Saturday for Joel. Chris took Joel out to a paddock to ride his new bike. At the end of the riding, Chris was going to double Joel back to the RV. Chris took off too fast and Joel fell off the back of the bike. Joel’s arm got caught in the back wheel and broke just below the shoulder. We raced Joel to the local medical centre. The x-ray showed the break and the doctor sent Joel on his way to the University Medical Center in Jackson in an ambulance (about an hour away). It was a long night. We were initially advised they may need to operate on Joel and put a plate on the broken bone. In the end it was recommended that his arm be placed in a sling and strapped to his body as the break was too high to his shoulder to cast. The sling would allow the bone to realign and then fuse together. He will need to be taken back to the hospital in a week or so to see if the bone is healing well.
That night, Mike and Pam took Sarah, Josiah and Chris to the local buffet for dinner. One of the things on the menu was fried frog legs (most things are fried in the South). They said it tasted like chicken. Sarah and Chris disagree and won’t be trying it again.
We had planned to go to Disneyworld in Orlando after Mississippi but Joel’s situation now meant we had to head back to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. We will get some rest.
Like the week before when we left the Bellingans in Plano, it was sad to say goodbye to Mike and Pam, and the rest of the crew. A big thanks to them for helping out when Joel was hurt. Also, it was Sarah’s birthday on Sunday. She gave up her “birthday rights” and allowed Josiah to race on the weekend. Mike, Pam and Tara bought her a really nice Thor sweat shirt.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Dallas (Plano & Fort Worth)
It has been some time since an update so here we go. We finished at Oak Hill on a Saturday afternoon, packed up and headed to Plano in Dallas. We arrived at Phillip and Pauline Bellingan’s place just before tea or should I say dinner so as not to confuse anyone.
Phillip and Pauline are friends of Steve and Beth Crow who are from Dallas and have moved to New Zealand to co pastor at our church in Hamilton (City Bible Church). That night we met their children Dylan 21yrs and Megan 18yrs. Megan kindly gave up her room for Chris and Janine and the kids slept in the family room. As we ended up staying two weeks the sleeping arrangement did change a little.
On Sunday we went to church at Chase Oaks with Phillip and Pauline. What a difference from our small church. It was Easter Sunday so it was a great service and we met lots of Steve and Beth’s friends. We went home after church and Pauline cooked us lamb for late lunch. It was almost as good as having it at home!!!
Our first week with the Bellingan’s was quiet. Chris was unwell for about one and a half weeks. Stomach pains, feeling tired and not feeling good at all. The kids did lots of school work. We went ice skating at a rink in a shopping mall and went to some $1 movie theatres.
On the weekend Pauline took Janine to a women’s conference, Spaghetti for the soul. The speakers were Kathy Torvelle and Ellie Lof. They were great. Funny too, Janine hadn’t laughed so hard in so long.
On the Thursday night we went out for tea with Phillip and Pauline. We went to a place called BJ’s. Chris ordered a rack of pork rib as that is one of the dishes he was told he must try. Think of the big fish story, the one that got away. The ribs were so big they hung off both side of the plate. The potato that went with it was the size of a football and stuffed with bacon cheese and butter. That went down well on a sick stomach...not. He took half the ribs home and barely touched the football!! It was a nice meal but the Americans like to do it big.
During our time we had meals with Bernie and John, Frank and Sue and their family and morning tea with Jim and Lisa. So we had a real good time getting to know folks in Dallas. We spent a bit of time with Steve, Dylan’s friend. He is a very keen rugby player so Chris and him had a great time talking.
Once Chris was feeling better we went to the stock yards in Fort Worth. We watched the bulls being herded down the street. Josiah and Joel ride the mechanical bull, Josiah was off it so fast it made me wonder how he rides a bike so well, and Joel lasted a lot longer screaming ,”Stop let me off” the whole time.
All the kids sat on Big Jake (see pics) and we did some shopping. Sarah got herself some black cowgirl boots. And when we were looking Janine saw Bill Paxton, the actor in the movie Twister.
We continued our day at the Cowgirl museum, where the kids dressed up and rode a bucking horse in the Rodeo, we will try get the video coverage on the blog. Friday just gone we went to the first Rodeo for the season. The best part was watching Joel ride in the mutton competition! Riding bare back ram. What a laugh. He managed a second with score of 77, the winner 79. It was heaps of fun watching the competiton and the fiesty animals bucking their riders off. Sarah got a hat to go with her boots so with jeans on she fits right in.
On the Saturday we were off to the Supercross with complementary tickets form Pam and Dirt Bike Mike. We even got pit passes. Thank you guys!! We got there early so had a day of it then real enjoyed the fireworks through out the night. The boys enjoyed the Super-x best but I think Sarah and I really liked the Rodeo. We had a great time at both.
Sunday we got up and hit the road. Thought it was about time to move the RV from the front of Phillip and Pauline’s as one visit from the local authority was enough. It was sad saying our good bye as we had such a great time with the Bellingans. Thank you guys again for taking us in and making your home a home for us.
The next part of our trip is at Mike and Pam's and then down through the south of the USA.
Phillip and Pauline are friends of Steve and Beth Crow who are from Dallas and have moved to New Zealand to co pastor at our church in Hamilton (City Bible Church). That night we met their children Dylan 21yrs and Megan 18yrs. Megan kindly gave up her room for Chris and Janine and the kids slept in the family room. As we ended up staying two weeks the sleeping arrangement did change a little.
On Sunday we went to church at Chase Oaks with Phillip and Pauline. What a difference from our small church. It was Easter Sunday so it was a great service and we met lots of Steve and Beth’s friends. We went home after church and Pauline cooked us lamb for late lunch. It was almost as good as having it at home!!!
Our first week with the Bellingan’s was quiet. Chris was unwell for about one and a half weeks. Stomach pains, feeling tired and not feeling good at all. The kids did lots of school work. We went ice skating at a rink in a shopping mall and went to some $1 movie theatres.
On the weekend Pauline took Janine to a women’s conference, Spaghetti for the soul. The speakers were Kathy Torvelle and Ellie Lof. They were great. Funny too, Janine hadn’t laughed so hard in so long.
On the Thursday night we went out for tea with Phillip and Pauline. We went to a place called BJ’s. Chris ordered a rack of pork rib as that is one of the dishes he was told he must try. Think of the big fish story, the one that got away. The ribs were so big they hung off both side of the plate. The potato that went with it was the size of a football and stuffed with bacon cheese and butter. That went down well on a sick stomach...not. He took half the ribs home and barely touched the football!! It was a nice meal but the Americans like to do it big.
During our time we had meals with Bernie and John, Frank and Sue and their family and morning tea with Jim and Lisa. So we had a real good time getting to know folks in Dallas. We spent a bit of time with Steve, Dylan’s friend. He is a very keen rugby player so Chris and him had a great time talking.
Once Chris was feeling better we went to the stock yards in Fort Worth. We watched the bulls being herded down the street. Josiah and Joel ride the mechanical bull, Josiah was off it so fast it made me wonder how he rides a bike so well, and Joel lasted a lot longer screaming ,”Stop let me off” the whole time.
All the kids sat on Big Jake (see pics) and we did some shopping. Sarah got herself some black cowgirl boots. And when we were looking Janine saw Bill Paxton, the actor in the movie Twister.
We continued our day at the Cowgirl museum, where the kids dressed up and rode a bucking horse in the Rodeo, we will try get the video coverage on the blog. Friday just gone we went to the first Rodeo for the season. The best part was watching Joel ride in the mutton competition! Riding bare back ram. What a laugh. He managed a second with score of 77, the winner 79. It was heaps of fun watching the competiton and the fiesty animals bucking their riders off. Sarah got a hat to go with her boots so with jeans on she fits right in.
On the Saturday we were off to the Supercross with complementary tickets form Pam and Dirt Bike Mike. We even got pit passes. Thank you guys!! We got there early so had a day of it then real enjoyed the fireworks through out the night. The boys enjoyed the Super-x best but I think Sarah and I really liked the Rodeo. We had a great time at both.
Sunday we got up and hit the road. Thought it was about time to move the RV from the front of Phillip and Pauline’s as one visit from the local authority was enough. It was sad saying our good bye as we had such a great time with the Bellingans. Thank you guys again for taking us in and making your home a home for us.
The next part of our trip is at Mike and Pam's and then down through the south of the USA.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
OakHill, Texas
We arrived Monday afternoon at a motocross park called OakHill, just outside of Decatur, Texas. Like the race at Lake Whitney the week before, this race is also one of the big six amateur motocross races in the USA. The website for this motocross park is http://www.oakhillmx.com/.
The weather was fine and sunny when we arrived at OakHill. We got parked up although the ground was not level. So for the first couple of nights we were ending up down the end of the bed (or the side of the bed). Chris finally reset the level of the RV a few days later with some blocks of wood from a neighbour from Washington state.
The track at OakHill is, in my opinion, far better and safer than Lake Whitney. We heard there are 2,300 competitors. The whoops have sand in them I think. The track is quite loamy. There are some huge jumps. Some ruts. Josiah has rated it a 10 out of 10 (but not as good as his home track in NZ!) and I tend to agree with him. The officials do a great job of maintaining the track (including at night!). If you want to see what the track was like on Thursday, go to this link: http://www.racerxfilms.com/20080321_oakhillthurs/20080321_oakhillthurs.html.
Practice was to be on Tuesday. However, it was cancelled due to the amount of rain on Monday night and all day Tuesday. The kids did a full day of schoolwork.
Practice was deferred until Wednesday morning. The sun was out so things would begin to dry but the track was still muddy in the morning for Josiah’s practice. Josiah went out anyway and there were problems with his bike. He couldn't even finish one lap (like the last race at Lake Whitney).
We got back to the trailer, cleaned the bike, stripped the carb completely and cleaned it, but no dirt was found (Chris thought this was the problem with the bike). It just so happened that after cleaning the bike Pat (a mechanic who we had met the day before) was walking by the RV so Chris asked for a second opinion. Chris told him what had happened. He said "let me start it up to listen". He went to kick it over and said straight away there was no compression. So, he took the bike back to his rig, took out the piston (he had a brand new one to put in) and said the ring had no tension for compression. He then looked at the barrel and chrome was coming away from inside the barrel (meaning reduced compression). So, we went up to KTM and got a new piston set and barrel. Pat also got some new jets (pilot and main). Once we did the warm up, Josiah said it ran better than his old bike in NZ!
We really appreciated Pat’s help. We later found out he builds modified bikes for a high performance mini motocross bike in the USA that dominates everything, and is also a mechanic for some kids that have loads of USA amateur titles. In short, he knew his stuff. We also had Pat, Drew (his mechanic is Pat) and Drew's mum over for dinner (tea) on Thursday night which was great to get to know them outside of motocross.
Wednesday was a demanding day - Chris was busy like a one armed taxi driver trying to sort out Josiah's bike (although Pat did the work and Chris ran around).
Josiah got to race in a division (65cc stock class 7-9 years) just after lunch. He got a poor start (didn't even get out well), was about 15th around the first corner, but clawed up to 7th. He could have done better but for his start and yellow flags. Anyway, first time on the track, he did pretty well. He is safe and the bike goes! On Thursday Josiah raced in a division for 65cc modified 7-9 years. Not a great start but he got 6th (was running 4th at one stage).
First thing Saturday morning Josiah had his first final race for the 65cc 7-9 stock class. At OakHill there is only one moto (winner takes all), an not two like Lake Whitney, to decide the winner. He didn’t get out fast out of his gate but was say seventh around the first corner and that is the way it stayed until the end. That was a great result considering the top talent at this event and Josiah didn‘t appear to be that far behind. In the afternoon Josiah raced in the 65cc 7-9 modified class (on his stock bike). He was second around the first corner but faded to 17th. That was the end of motocross racing.
So, after two weeks of motocross here are a few observations. First, 50s and 65s are much faster in the USA than in NZ. The kids race on the same track as the juniors and seniors. Second, the tracks are more technical in the USA than NZ. There are ruts (leading to corners, around corners, out of corners and up to jumps), whoops and bigger jumps. Third, there is a lot of qualifying to get to the main event (you have to go through two sets of qualifying to get to the USA nationals at Loretta Lynns). Fourth, the top riders train. We were told by some parents that the top three riders in the USA for the 65cc 7-9 year classes (stock and modified) were at OakHill, although you don’t necessarily believe everything you hear (we think we are going to find out there are a lot of fast kids in the USA, no matter where you are). These same parents (their son is in the same class as Josiah) said their kid does four hour motocross sessions four times a week, plus cardio/fitness work with a personal trainer in between. We would be lucky to get Josiah and Joel to raise a finger to do any of this. They struggle to do their schoolwork and cleaning up. Fifth, they have modified classes for all bikes in the USA. There is some serious money spent on these bikes. For example, a modified 65 may be new triple clamps, hubs, spokes, motor, pipe & suspension. My guess is that it would be easy to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on this stuff (excluding the purchase of the bike). Finally, the motocross people in the USA have been extremely generous and helpful. Special thanks here go to Mike and Pam from Arkansas, Kenny and Tracey from Iowa and Pat, Liz and Drew from Oregon. We wouldn't have been able to have a bike, let only get the thing going, without the help and technical expertise of these people.
After the race we left OakHill and headed to Plano, Dallas (about an hour away) to stay with Phillip and Pauline Bellingan. Steve and Beth Crowe, from our church in New Zealand, used to go to this church and referred us to Phillip and Pauline for a place to stay after OakHill.
The weather was fine and sunny when we arrived at OakHill. We got parked up although the ground was not level. So for the first couple of nights we were ending up down the end of the bed (or the side of the bed). Chris finally reset the level of the RV a few days later with some blocks of wood from a neighbour from Washington state.
The track at OakHill is, in my opinion, far better and safer than Lake Whitney. We heard there are 2,300 competitors. The whoops have sand in them I think. The track is quite loamy. There are some huge jumps. Some ruts. Josiah has rated it a 10 out of 10 (but not as good as his home track in NZ!) and I tend to agree with him. The officials do a great job of maintaining the track (including at night!). If you want to see what the track was like on Thursday, go to this link: http://www.racerxfilms.com/20080321_oakhillthurs/20080321_oakhillthurs.html.
Practice was to be on Tuesday. However, it was cancelled due to the amount of rain on Monday night and all day Tuesday. The kids did a full day of schoolwork.
Practice was deferred until Wednesday morning. The sun was out so things would begin to dry but the track was still muddy in the morning for Josiah’s practice. Josiah went out anyway and there were problems with his bike. He couldn't even finish one lap (like the last race at Lake Whitney).
We got back to the trailer, cleaned the bike, stripped the carb completely and cleaned it, but no dirt was found (Chris thought this was the problem with the bike). It just so happened that after cleaning the bike Pat (a mechanic who we had met the day before) was walking by the RV so Chris asked for a second opinion. Chris told him what had happened. He said "let me start it up to listen". He went to kick it over and said straight away there was no compression. So, he took the bike back to his rig, took out the piston (he had a brand new one to put in) and said the ring had no tension for compression. He then looked at the barrel and chrome was coming away from inside the barrel (meaning reduced compression). So, we went up to KTM and got a new piston set and barrel. Pat also got some new jets (pilot and main). Once we did the warm up, Josiah said it ran better than his old bike in NZ!
We really appreciated Pat’s help. We later found out he builds modified bikes for a high performance mini motocross bike in the USA that dominates everything, and is also a mechanic for some kids that have loads of USA amateur titles. In short, he knew his stuff. We also had Pat, Drew (his mechanic is Pat) and Drew's mum over for dinner (tea) on Thursday night which was great to get to know them outside of motocross.
Wednesday was a demanding day - Chris was busy like a one armed taxi driver trying to sort out Josiah's bike (although Pat did the work and Chris ran around).
Josiah got to race in a division (65cc stock class 7-9 years) just after lunch. He got a poor start (didn't even get out well), was about 15th around the first corner, but clawed up to 7th. He could have done better but for his start and yellow flags. Anyway, first time on the track, he did pretty well. He is safe and the bike goes! On Thursday Josiah raced in a division for 65cc modified 7-9 years. Not a great start but he got 6th (was running 4th at one stage).
First thing Saturday morning Josiah had his first final race for the 65cc 7-9 stock class. At OakHill there is only one moto (winner takes all), an not two like Lake Whitney, to decide the winner. He didn’t get out fast out of his gate but was say seventh around the first corner and that is the way it stayed until the end. That was a great result considering the top talent at this event and Josiah didn‘t appear to be that far behind. In the afternoon Josiah raced in the 65cc 7-9 modified class (on his stock bike). He was second around the first corner but faded to 17th. That was the end of motocross racing.
So, after two weeks of motocross here are a few observations. First, 50s and 65s are much faster in the USA than in NZ. The kids race on the same track as the juniors and seniors. Second, the tracks are more technical in the USA than NZ. There are ruts (leading to corners, around corners, out of corners and up to jumps), whoops and bigger jumps. Third, there is a lot of qualifying to get to the main event (you have to go through two sets of qualifying to get to the USA nationals at Loretta Lynns). Fourth, the top riders train. We were told by some parents that the top three riders in the USA for the 65cc 7-9 year classes (stock and modified) were at OakHill, although you don’t necessarily believe everything you hear (we think we are going to find out there are a lot of fast kids in the USA, no matter where you are). These same parents (their son is in the same class as Josiah) said their kid does four hour motocross sessions four times a week, plus cardio/fitness work with a personal trainer in between. We would be lucky to get Josiah and Joel to raise a finger to do any of this. They struggle to do their schoolwork and cleaning up. Fifth, they have modified classes for all bikes in the USA. There is some serious money spent on these bikes. For example, a modified 65 may be new triple clamps, hubs, spokes, motor, pipe & suspension. My guess is that it would be easy to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on this stuff (excluding the purchase of the bike). Finally, the motocross people in the USA have been extremely generous and helpful. Special thanks here go to Mike and Pam from Arkansas, Kenny and Tracey from Iowa and Pat, Liz and Drew from Oregon. We wouldn't have been able to have a bike, let only get the thing going, without the help and technical expertise of these people.
After the race we left OakHill and headed to Plano, Dallas (about an hour away) to stay with Phillip and Pauline Bellingan. Steve and Beth Crowe, from our church in New Zealand, used to go to this church and referred us to Phillip and Pauline for a place to stay after OakHill.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Lake Whitney, Texas
We arrived Monday evening at Lake Whitney, Texas. This place holds one of the big six amateur motocross races in the USA. The top amateur riders from all over the USA come to this event.
We got here late because we wanted to see the Johnson Space Center in Houston on the way. When we got to the Lake Whitney park, it was wet and we had to wait for the officials to see if the RV hook up was available (that we had paid for). It had rained excessively that day that the officials had trouble getting RVs into the park to their hook ups. After two hours they escorted us to the hook up but then we had to drive around and through a paddock so that we could back in the most easy way. Chris nearly took out two port-a-loos trying to drive around a corner. Because it was dark it is difficult to gauge where that thing (ie. the fifth wheeler) is on the back of the pick up truck. So at around 10pm we were hooked up (electricity and fresh water - not wastewater). It was wet. A big thank you to Mark Sheffield (Manager for Cycle County in Texas) who was patient and took the time to guide us into our RV spot.
Tuesday morning was practice. We decided not to do the practice as it was a mud bath. The officials cancelled the rest of the day anyway. The kids did school work. Chris got to take a look around. There must be around 2,000 riders at this event. There are massive trucks, all the manufacturers and their rigs, sponsors, vendors etc. We needed to buy Josiah a new pair of MX boots and paid USD 100 for Alpinestar 4S. Also got Joel some new 2008 Thor Phase gear (shirt, pants and gloves) for USD 103. This is considerably cheaper than in NZ - it would be three times the amount for this gear in NZ (after converting into NZD). We got this gear from Baxley’s Motorcycle Parts vendor fifth wheeler (it is 48 feet long!).
On Wednesday Josiah rode his first race in the modified 65cc class. There is some serious money spent on these bikes. Josiah is riding a stock bike, but even without the modifications the kids still go fast. Josiah did not ride on Thursday but was first up on Friday morning in the 65cc stock class. We had to wait at least an hour though for the fog to lift! That's right, fog in Texas. Josiah did OK but did not get the best of starts.
It was hot on Thursday even though it was foggy in the morning. The temperature in Fort Worth was 87 F on Thursday (Lake Whitney is just over an hour from Ft Worth) and the next door neighbour reckoned it was about that temperature here at Lake Whitney (that's 30 degrees celsius). So we had both air conditioners on Thursday evening in the RV!
Josiah described the track has having big jumps & big ruts. There are three rhythm sections at the start, in the middle at just before the finish line. The biggest jump is going into the forest. It is a long tabletop. The dirt is slippery when wet but on a dry day it is dusty (it is like clay but a bit more loamy). The guy on the loud speaker here at the bike race is always yelling when there is a battle on in a race. Josiah liked the track as it was fast and open and would like to race there again. The thing Josiah didn’t like at Lake Whitney was having to do schoolwork.
Try this website for Thursday’s video coverage of racing at Lake Whitney: http://www.racerxfilms.com/20080314_whitthurs/20080314_whitthurs.html. It includes the MX Lites A class. You will see some of these kids graduate to the professional racing environment (that Ben Townley competes in) within the next year.
This is what Sarah said about the week: “It was not that exciting. I did do a lot of relaxing. I met a new friend called Jennifer who was parked next to our RV. We painted nails and brushed our hair. Jennifer’s brother, Kenny junior, drove us around in the buggy (golf cart) in the evenings after dark. We went on a tree swing and kind of broke it.”
One of the best things about the week at Lake Whitney would have to be our neighbours, the Hempens (Kenny senior, Tracey, Kenny junior, Jennifer, Josiah and Luke). They travelled from Iowa, about 800 miles north of Lake Whitney. They are a great christian family who were very hospitable. We got to try thick meat patties from Iowa and they tried our NZ marmite and vegemite on toast - Kenny junior liked it and said it tasted like burnt cheese. Tracey looked like she was going to hurl after tasting the marmite. We were glad to help them early in the week as their son Josiah had a bike accident and had to be taken to the hospital. Because they have a coach and trailer it was easier for us to take them in our pick up truck. Turns out Josiah fractured his collarbone. He was not well. Kenny and Tracey have invited us to come up in August as there is a big motorcross race on in Minnesota (Milville) so we will see if it can work out.
So, on Sunday afternoon we left Lake Whitney and drove to a RV park just out of Fort Worth. We got cleaned up (and cleaned out) which was great. On Monday we bought food supplies and gas and headed for Decatur, just north of Fort Worth.
We got here late because we wanted to see the Johnson Space Center in Houston on the way. When we got to the Lake Whitney park, it was wet and we had to wait for the officials to see if the RV hook up was available (that we had paid for). It had rained excessively that day that the officials had trouble getting RVs into the park to their hook ups. After two hours they escorted us to the hook up but then we had to drive around and through a paddock so that we could back in the most easy way. Chris nearly took out two port-a-loos trying to drive around a corner. Because it was dark it is difficult to gauge where that thing (ie. the fifth wheeler) is on the back of the pick up truck. So at around 10pm we were hooked up (electricity and fresh water - not wastewater). It was wet. A big thank you to Mark Sheffield (Manager for Cycle County in Texas) who was patient and took the time to guide us into our RV spot.
Tuesday morning was practice. We decided not to do the practice as it was a mud bath. The officials cancelled the rest of the day anyway. The kids did school work. Chris got to take a look around. There must be around 2,000 riders at this event. There are massive trucks, all the manufacturers and their rigs, sponsors, vendors etc. We needed to buy Josiah a new pair of MX boots and paid USD 100 for Alpinestar 4S. Also got Joel some new 2008 Thor Phase gear (shirt, pants and gloves) for USD 103. This is considerably cheaper than in NZ - it would be three times the amount for this gear in NZ (after converting into NZD). We got this gear from Baxley’s Motorcycle Parts vendor fifth wheeler (it is 48 feet long!).
On Wednesday Josiah rode his first race in the modified 65cc class. There is some serious money spent on these bikes. Josiah is riding a stock bike, but even without the modifications the kids still go fast. Josiah did not ride on Thursday but was first up on Friday morning in the 65cc stock class. We had to wait at least an hour though for the fog to lift! That's right, fog in Texas. Josiah did OK but did not get the best of starts.
It was hot on Thursday even though it was foggy in the morning. The temperature in Fort Worth was 87 F on Thursday (Lake Whitney is just over an hour from Ft Worth) and the next door neighbour reckoned it was about that temperature here at Lake Whitney (that's 30 degrees celsius). So we had both air conditioners on Thursday evening in the RV!
Josiah described the track has having big jumps & big ruts. There are three rhythm sections at the start, in the middle at just before the finish line. The biggest jump is going into the forest. It is a long tabletop. The dirt is slippery when wet but on a dry day it is dusty (it is like clay but a bit more loamy). The guy on the loud speaker here at the bike race is always yelling when there is a battle on in a race. Josiah liked the track as it was fast and open and would like to race there again. The thing Josiah didn’t like at Lake Whitney was having to do schoolwork.
Try this website for Thursday’s video coverage of racing at Lake Whitney: http://www.racerxfilms.com/20080314_whitthurs/20080314_whitthurs.html. It includes the MX Lites A class. You will see some of these kids graduate to the professional racing environment (that Ben Townley competes in) within the next year.
This is what Sarah said about the week: “It was not that exciting. I did do a lot of relaxing. I met a new friend called Jennifer who was parked next to our RV. We painted nails and brushed our hair. Jennifer’s brother, Kenny junior, drove us around in the buggy (golf cart) in the evenings after dark. We went on a tree swing and kind of broke it.”
One of the best things about the week at Lake Whitney would have to be our neighbours, the Hempens (Kenny senior, Tracey, Kenny junior, Jennifer, Josiah and Luke). They travelled from Iowa, about 800 miles north of Lake Whitney. They are a great christian family who were very hospitable. We got to try thick meat patties from Iowa and they tried our NZ marmite and vegemite on toast - Kenny junior liked it and said it tasted like burnt cheese. Tracey looked like she was going to hurl after tasting the marmite. We were glad to help them early in the week as their son Josiah had a bike accident and had to be taken to the hospital. Because they have a coach and trailer it was easier for us to take them in our pick up truck. Turns out Josiah fractured his collarbone. He was not well. Kenny and Tracey have invited us to come up in August as there is a big motorcross race on in Minnesota (Milville) so we will see if it can work out.
So, on Sunday afternoon we left Lake Whitney and drove to a RV park just out of Fort Worth. We got cleaned up (and cleaned out) which was great. On Monday we bought food supplies and gas and headed for Decatur, just north of Fort Worth.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
The South
In our last post we left off with the tornado warning in Mobile, Alabama. Janine and Chris did not get much sleep that night. The people at the RV park who told us about the tornado said we would know when it is coming as it would sound like a freight train. The RV park we were at was close to an airport and railway line so everytime a plane took off or a train went by we thought is this it coming down the side of our RV? Anyway, there was lots of heavy rain and violent wind, and then it stopped all of a sudden around 4am.
Tuesday morning we went to the USS Alabama in Mobile (http://www.ussalabama.com/). This was wicked. It is a historic park for a massive battleship and submarine. We spent the morning here touring on these vessels. The missiles on the ship weighed over 2,000 LBS. The turrets on the cannons were huge. We then tried the flight simulator. Chris first went with the kids and nearly hurled. Janine then went with the kids.
In the afternoon we travelled to New Orleans crossing from Alabama through Mississippi to Louisiana (the land is flat and swampy through these states). Upon arriving at the RV park we went into the French Quarter until evening. We bought some candy, toured the streets, were approached by homeless people, went to the markets and tried some southern food (eg. gumbo, jimalaya, red beans, etofay - I have probably mispelt these food items).
One thing we noticed on the road to and from New Orleans is the swamp and length of bridges crossing these swamps. One bridge seemed to go for 10 miles (two lanes, both sides). That would have taken some building! We also noticed the devastation left from Hurricane Katrina. Lots of houses are still inhabitable. Some people have parked a caravan (travel trailer) next to their house to live in. Shopping malls are vacant as they were ruined. The RV park we stayed at had a waterline on the wall across the road which would have meant our RV was submerged.
Wednesday morning we travelled west to Breaux Bridge in Louisiana and stayed until Sunday. The weather has been temperamental. On Wednesday and Thursday it was warm (but cool in the morning). On Friday it rained and was around 5 degrees celsius (40 F?)
We are currently at a MX track and have met Mike and Pam. Mike and Pam are involved in arenacross in the USA (smaller version of supercross) along with promoting MX races at different tracks. They (along with their "adopted" MX sons, Corey and Brock) have been most hospitable to us (I watched these guys race on the track today and they can haul). Mike and Pam have been so helpful with different things (including arranging the delivery of a motocross bike, shopping at Walmart) and we are very appreciative. Plus, Mike introduced Chris to a southern delicacy called crawfish (fresh water crayfish). It is boiled in a pot and then spices are added. Everyone eats them including young kids. Pull off the tail, take off the shell and eat the meat, then suck out the other end of the crawfish (the brains?).
Josiah rode his motocross bike at a race at Breaux Bridge and did well. The track was short but extremely rough compared to NZ standards. The track owner had mixed in some mulch (rice and corn?) which made it like sawdust so it whooped out alot (big braking and acceleration bumps. Josiah competed in stock and modified classes. One thing I noticed about the modified class was the amount of $$ spent on the bikes. There is some serious bling on these things. The other thing that I noticed was the quarantine of the parents to the pit area and the heat coming from the parents when their child didn't do as well as they thought. These parents could outdo a trooper in a swearing contest.
We are now in the middle of Texas near Waco (Monday night) having left Breaux Bridge and gone through Houston last night. Last night we stayed at a RV park just outside of Houston which Chris selected as it was 2 miles from the interstate highway into the city. Turned out when we pulled off the highway and turned left to go back under the highway we then had to turn left immediately again and travel the two miles back up along side the highway. So we stayed right beside the interstate highway with heavy traffic all throgh the night.
In the morning we showered and then hit the road for the Johnson Space Center in Houston (www.spacecenter.org). This was a quick trip and we didn't really do it justice. We also got caught in a storm on the outside tram tour. And then we had to hit the road again, in the storm travelling through busy Houston traffic.
I am hoping for Sarah, Josiah and Joel to add their comments to the blog in the next few days.
Tuesday morning we went to the USS Alabama in Mobile (http://www.ussalabama.com/). This was wicked. It is a historic park for a massive battleship and submarine. We spent the morning here touring on these vessels. The missiles on the ship weighed over 2,000 LBS. The turrets on the cannons were huge. We then tried the flight simulator. Chris first went with the kids and nearly hurled. Janine then went with the kids.
In the afternoon we travelled to New Orleans crossing from Alabama through Mississippi to Louisiana (the land is flat and swampy through these states). Upon arriving at the RV park we went into the French Quarter until evening. We bought some candy, toured the streets, were approached by homeless people, went to the markets and tried some southern food (eg. gumbo, jimalaya, red beans, etofay - I have probably mispelt these food items).
One thing we noticed on the road to and from New Orleans is the swamp and length of bridges crossing these swamps. One bridge seemed to go for 10 miles (two lanes, both sides). That would have taken some building! We also noticed the devastation left from Hurricane Katrina. Lots of houses are still inhabitable. Some people have parked a caravan (travel trailer) next to their house to live in. Shopping malls are vacant as they were ruined. The RV park we stayed at had a waterline on the wall across the road which would have meant our RV was submerged.
Wednesday morning we travelled west to Breaux Bridge in Louisiana and stayed until Sunday. The weather has been temperamental. On Wednesday and Thursday it was warm (but cool in the morning). On Friday it rained and was around 5 degrees celsius (40 F?)
We are currently at a MX track and have met Mike and Pam. Mike and Pam are involved in arenacross in the USA (smaller version of supercross) along with promoting MX races at different tracks. They (along with their "adopted" MX sons, Corey and Brock) have been most hospitable to us (I watched these guys race on the track today and they can haul). Mike and Pam have been so helpful with different things (including arranging the delivery of a motocross bike, shopping at Walmart) and we are very appreciative. Plus, Mike introduced Chris to a southern delicacy called crawfish (fresh water crayfish). It is boiled in a pot and then spices are added. Everyone eats them including young kids. Pull off the tail, take off the shell and eat the meat, then suck out the other end of the crawfish (the brains?).
Josiah rode his motocross bike at a race at Breaux Bridge and did well. The track was short but extremely rough compared to NZ standards. The track owner had mixed in some mulch (rice and corn?) which made it like sawdust so it whooped out alot (big braking and acceleration bumps. Josiah competed in stock and modified classes. One thing I noticed about the modified class was the amount of $$ spent on the bikes. There is some serious bling on these things. The other thing that I noticed was the quarantine of the parents to the pit area and the heat coming from the parents when their child didn't do as well as they thought. These parents could outdo a trooper in a swearing contest.
We are now in the middle of Texas near Waco (Monday night) having left Breaux Bridge and gone through Houston last night. Last night we stayed at a RV park just outside of Houston which Chris selected as it was 2 miles from the interstate highway into the city. Turned out when we pulled off the highway and turned left to go back under the highway we then had to turn left immediately again and travel the two miles back up along side the highway. So we stayed right beside the interstate highway with heavy traffic all throgh the night.
In the morning we showered and then hit the road for the Johnson Space Center in Houston (www.spacecenter.org). This was a quick trip and we didn't really do it justice. We also got caught in a storm on the outside tram tour. And then we had to hit the road again, in the storm travelling through busy Houston traffic.
I am hoping for Sarah, Josiah and Joel to add their comments to the blog in the next few days.
Monday, March 3, 2008
First week in the USA
We arrived midnight on Sunday 24th February after travelling for nearly 24 hours from Auckland, NZ. There was some fun on the way at the airports. We had to sprint from US Customs in Los Angeles to get to the domestic terminal to get to Charlotte, North Carolina. We had to carry our luggage (10 full bags weighing around 22 kgs each) trying to cross the roads with our bags getting tipped over onto the road. The aircraft carrier cancelled our flight from Charlotte to South Carolina so we had to sprint again to another terminal in Charlotte to be put on standby for a later flight. We got on and finally arrived in SC!
We stayed with Jessica and Josh with their two kids, Caroline and Alex. We had such a good time with them and they looked after us with true southern hospitality. In fact, we even thought about forgetting the RV trip in the US and staying there for instead!
The next few days were spent sorting out the RV (fifth wheeler) and truck. The RV and truck was suggested by Kyle Fullwood who we met in the USA in September when we were at Budds Creek, Maryland. Kyle is a God send as he has provided lots of advice and support to get us over here.
Back to the vehicles. The RV is nearly 40 feet long & weighs dry at just under 12,000 LBS. Its a big daddy. The truck is a F250 6L V8 diesel turbo. This thing has got some torque like nothing you will ever see or hear about in a pick up truck in NZ. Chris Cordez, the previous owner installed 5,000 LB airbags in the rear plus a "bully dog" (more power and torque). Chris gave us the run down on how to operate the RV which was great. Lots of notes taken.
We stayed the first night in the RV on a plantation on Friday night. Thanks to Ken and Donna (friends of Kyle) for experiencing further southern hospitality. No bears or aligators so that was good. We finally got moving Saturday morning aiming for Nashville, Tennessee. We slept in and then couldn't sort out the brakes on the RV so we ended up leaving at around 10am.
We nearly got to Columbia when the truck made a loud noise and loss of power. We pulled over. Chris looked under the truck and noticed a hole in the manifold. We had just subscribed to a roadside assistance program which was initially most frustrating. That is, you phone a call center located somewhere else in the USA. The first lady said they couldn't help us as we were not registered as members. After insisting they help (receipt on hand) and a further five conversations later, a tow truck was organised. He turned up five hours later.
The roadside assistance had organised to tow us further away to a RV park and truck dealer. The tow truck driver ended up speaking to the operator at roadside assistance. After a few minutes she hung up on him. He towed us to his workshop, put a plug in the truck manifold (plus gave us a spare) and recommended a good place for us to stay the night at a nearby RV park. Thank you so much to Dave for getting us back on the road, a really nice guy (and Jennifer his wife as Dave the tow truck driver was late getting home). If you ever get broken down in Columbia you have to use this guy. PS. Dave mentioned the problem was the bolt had come out of the manifold hence the problem.
Sunday morning we left Columbia (South Carolina), travelled through Atlanta (Georgia) and hit (sweet home) Alabama. We stayed out in the boondocks east of Birmingham.
On Monday morning we went to Birmingham as we wanted to go to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (http://www.bcri.org/index.html). On arrival, the place was closed as it is closed on a Monday. Great. After mentioning this to the receptionist (Gliss) and crossing the road to the park, a gentleman came over and introduced himself (Ahmad Ward). He works at the Institute. He mentioned Gliss had called him and our situation and he gave us a tour of the place and talked us through it all. This was the best situation for us as the carpark was empty and we could ask Ahmad lots of questions. Thank you Ahmad for your southern hospitality. You Kiwis should have a look at the BCRI website. The treatment of African Americans was unbelievable (words cannot express the sadness). BCRI is located across the road from where four young girls were killed in a bomb attack at a church. Birmingham was also the place you may have seen photos of in the past of firemen hosing down African Americans with high pressure water and releasing police dogs onto young African American people.
We are still in Alabama at a place called Mobile (bottom of the state). We got here around 6pm. There is a tornado warning at the moment. Some people passed by our RV and said if it comes through to get out of the RV and head straight for the ditch nearly. Don't do anything else but that as the tornado will easily pick up the truck and trailer and you are safer in the low ditch. They are currently watching the tornado on the TV. This southern hospitality is really blowing us away.
We stayed with Jessica and Josh with their two kids, Caroline and Alex. We had such a good time with them and they looked after us with true southern hospitality. In fact, we even thought about forgetting the RV trip in the US and staying there for instead!
The next few days were spent sorting out the RV (fifth wheeler) and truck. The RV and truck was suggested by Kyle Fullwood who we met in the USA in September when we were at Budds Creek, Maryland. Kyle is a God send as he has provided lots of advice and support to get us over here.
Back to the vehicles. The RV is nearly 40 feet long & weighs dry at just under 12,000 LBS. Its a big daddy. The truck is a F250 6L V8 diesel turbo. This thing has got some torque like nothing you will ever see or hear about in a pick up truck in NZ. Chris Cordez, the previous owner installed 5,000 LB airbags in the rear plus a "bully dog" (more power and torque). Chris gave us the run down on how to operate the RV which was great. Lots of notes taken.
We stayed the first night in the RV on a plantation on Friday night. Thanks to Ken and Donna (friends of Kyle) for experiencing further southern hospitality. No bears or aligators so that was good. We finally got moving Saturday morning aiming for Nashville, Tennessee. We slept in and then couldn't sort out the brakes on the RV so we ended up leaving at around 10am.
We nearly got to Columbia when the truck made a loud noise and loss of power. We pulled over. Chris looked under the truck and noticed a hole in the manifold. We had just subscribed to a roadside assistance program which was initially most frustrating. That is, you phone a call center located somewhere else in the USA. The first lady said they couldn't help us as we were not registered as members. After insisting they help (receipt on hand) and a further five conversations later, a tow truck was organised. He turned up five hours later.
The roadside assistance had organised to tow us further away to a RV park and truck dealer. The tow truck driver ended up speaking to the operator at roadside assistance. After a few minutes she hung up on him. He towed us to his workshop, put a plug in the truck manifold (plus gave us a spare) and recommended a good place for us to stay the night at a nearby RV park. Thank you so much to Dave for getting us back on the road, a really nice guy (and Jennifer his wife as Dave the tow truck driver was late getting home). If you ever get broken down in Columbia you have to use this guy. PS. Dave mentioned the problem was the bolt had come out of the manifold hence the problem.
Sunday morning we left Columbia (South Carolina), travelled through Atlanta (Georgia) and hit (sweet home) Alabama. We stayed out in the boondocks east of Birmingham.
On Monday morning we went to Birmingham as we wanted to go to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (http://www.bcri.org/index.html). On arrival, the place was closed as it is closed on a Monday. Great. After mentioning this to the receptionist (Gliss) and crossing the road to the park, a gentleman came over and introduced himself (Ahmad Ward). He works at the Institute. He mentioned Gliss had called him and our situation and he gave us a tour of the place and talked us through it all. This was the best situation for us as the carpark was empty and we could ask Ahmad lots of questions. Thank you Ahmad for your southern hospitality. You Kiwis should have a look at the BCRI website. The treatment of African Americans was unbelievable (words cannot express the sadness). BCRI is located across the road from where four young girls were killed in a bomb attack at a church. Birmingham was also the place you may have seen photos of in the past of firemen hosing down African Americans with high pressure water and releasing police dogs onto young African American people.
We are still in Alabama at a place called Mobile (bottom of the state). We got here around 6pm. There is a tornado warning at the moment. Some people passed by our RV and said if it comes through to get out of the RV and head straight for the ditch nearly. Don't do anything else but that as the tornado will easily pick up the truck and trailer and you are safer in the low ditch. They are currently watching the tornado on the TV. This southern hospitality is really blowing us away.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Natzke5?
This blog records the life and times of five members of the Natzke family. We reside in New Zealand and are about to go on the trip of a lifetime to the USA touring around in a fifth wheeler. The Natzke family consists of dad (Chris), mum (Janine) and their three children (Sarah, Josiah and Joel).
This trip has been nearly a year in the making. The family home has been sold and Chris has taken a career break from Deloitte. We fly out from New Zealand on Sunday 24th February, arriving in LA and then onto Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. All going to plan, we will buy a pickup truck and fifth wheeler and begin travelling within a week.
This trip has been nearly a year in the making. The family home has been sold and Chris has taken a career break from Deloitte. We fly out from New Zealand on Sunday 24th February, arriving in LA and then onto Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. All going to plan, we will buy a pickup truck and fifth wheeler and begin travelling within a week.
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