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.
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