Team Jones Signing Off

Well, this is my (Lori) last post for this year's NoJo Road Show. It is first of all, incredible to realize what God has created. I think we all came away with the thought "How can anyone not believe there is a God?" - The Jones family is deeply thankful for friends like Thad, Tina and Brandon. I am certain, however, that next time we travel this far it will be in an airplane and I have a deep conviction that we will skip Kansas and Oklahoma. (We know why Dorothy and Toto aren't there anymore) We have, once again, made lasting memories with great friends. (Believe me, anyone who can travel with your 5 year old and still love you is a keeper!!!)
As I close this post, there are several things I have learned and I would like to share them with you:
1. The states of Missouri and Iowa are the capitals of deer suicide (none of Bambi's relatives are alive anymore so don't try to research his family tree)
2. I have learned that Tina and Jeff will take pictures of anything - even in the dark of night!!
3. I have learned that no matter how many snacks you take, all the "good stuff" is gone by the time you get out of the driveway thanks to Emianna
4. Thad is the king of tailgating : I am now open to the idea of a sandwich in the parking lot of a Target.
5. I have also learned that there are people in the USA who have no idea what Sweet Tea is. Thad is convinced he could earn a million bucks if they'd just let him make one batch. (The addicts would flock to him)
6. I have learned that men will stop and shop at places that interest them: Cabela's, Bass Pro, etc., but let a female mention 30 minutes in an outlet mall and it all hits the fan.
7. I have learned that there is no plan or itinerary to stick to UNTIL the female mentions the Outlet Mall (see #6) then suddenly, it would throw us off our schedule
8. There are many things one doesn't consider when riding in a car for days: For example, I am just now beginning to lose the numbness in my , well, I won't say it, you know what I mean.
9. Tina and I could write a book of RR across the US - they are different, some clean , some not and the number of people who don't check to see that the toilet flushed behind them is amazing!! Flush twice if you need to, we beg you!!! Also, don't start your job until the paperwork is in place!!
10. I have learned that people are people everywhere you go: What freaks us out in Kansas is everyday stuff to people who live there (Windstorm)
11. I have learned that Asian people travel by the bus load (I still think one of them pulled the fire alarm) and I have learned to "dress" for the occasion
12. I now know that they are not kidding when they say a buffalo will come towards (charge) human beings - it does not look good when you start running and leave your 5 yr old to fend for herself (Lord forgive me)
13. I know that we are all different and can only stand so much of each other (Thanks Thad, Tina and Brandon for being so patient) but isn't it amazing that God knows each of us inside and out and loves us anyway. We hope the Nobles love us anyway because we certainly love them.
Can't wait to see where we will go next (This time Tina & I will take "Fire Drill Attire")

Home Sweet Home

We made it! It seems like all the way around the world and back. The last day we rode close to 1000 miles, just so we could sleep in our bed. Team Jones stopped in Hattiesburg MS. Emi needed a break from riding. Let me tell you about how AWESOME this little girl is. She rode for over 4500 miles and ALWAYS had a smile on her face. NEVER complained!!! Every time we stopped to check into our hotel she always came up to me and wanted to know what she could help me carry. She was my pillow carrier every night. I am so thankful we had the chance to see just a little bit of God's creation. Words, pictures, could never explain the wonder of his work. We had another great time with our vacation buddies. Team Jones are great friends to go on vacation with. Thad and Jeff have been friends since elementary school and we don't always get to see them as often as we would like but, when we have the chance to spend time with them we always have a great time. So, until next time.... That's all Folks!!!

1000 Miles From Nowhere

Well, it is official, we are literally in the middle of nowhere!! We have seen miles and miles of NOTHING!!! Today we decided that we needed to stop earlier and have a little down time. Emianna got to swim for a couple of hours and she is happy. We know that the "fun-o-meter" has dipped to a lower setting because Tina and I were actually a little excited that we got to go "shopping" at the local WalMart here in Colby, Kansas. We are all going to be permanently "messed up" when it comes to eating. The time change has really done a number on us. Please be patient if you are around one of us when we return and we take out something to eat at a totally inappropriate time. We were just told by Thad that we can drive a couple hundred miles tomorrow. Oh Joy and Excitement!! We've watched all of the DVDs we brought with us Tina and I have given up on trying to do laundry. Yesterday we were caught in a sandstorm. Jeff and Thad decided to stand outside and watch it. Then things started to get a little rough but according to Thad, "they were so amazed by it" that they couldn't bring themselves to get in the car. They got a little "sandblasted" while the rest of us watched from the car. They did get a little panicked and take cover with us eventually- Jeff even recorded some of it. Although we are in Kansas, we haven't seen Dorothy or Toto but we did eat at a little place called the "Sugar Shack" yesterday. While it was a lovely burger, fries and homemade shake experience for Thad and Brandon, apparently they lost Jeff's order. Tina and I keep trying to turn the water faucets on by simply waving our hands under the faucet. And we have forgotten how to dry them with a paper towel so we look like 2 idiots trying to put a magic spell on the bathroom. There will definitely be consequences from this trip so be patient with us when we get home.

Yellowstone, and Jackson Hole

Whew!!! We have had a few couple of busy days. We finally had time to stop and update. The last 2 days we went through Yellowstone. We went in the east side and road up to Gardiner Montana, and spent the night. The next morning, we were eating breakfast in the motel and looked out the window and noticed an elk eating out of a tree and then proceeded to walk down the side walk. We then went back into Yellowstone and went all the way down and out through south end. We saw tons of elk, and deer but no bear. That is what Lori and I (Tina)were waiting on . Along the way we saw how beautiful God made this park. Brandon even made the comment, " all this beauty and God put it in one spot"! I do think so far Wyoming is the prettiest state I have ever been in. We saw numerous hot springs, which were pretty but really stinks bad. Think of Suwannee Springs just hot! Then we stopped and saw Old Faithful go off. That is truly amazing also. As we left Yellowstone we saw the Grand Tetons, and then went through Jackson Hole. It is a whole different world. You see mountains all around you. Very pretty little town. We stayed at a cute little hotel, it looked like a Bed and Breakfast. Right in front of the hotel is a huge ski slope. The lady at the front desk said it was just the bunny slope. Can't imagine the real thing. These slopes look like what I would call the "black triangle ones" which are the very hard ones. Today, we are going to walk into town, and look around before hitting the road again. We hope to slow down a little now, since we will be turning toward home when we hit Denver CO. Of, course Brandon wants to stop and watch the race tomorrow. Oh, let me add the weather is nice and comfy. 65-70 degrees for the last 3 days. Hate for you guys at home!!!!

PS Can't update the picture because I am using the hotel computer. I will try to update pics tomorrow. Until next time

Home, Home on the Range

Today was a short travel day. We left Gillette Wyoming, and drove down to Casper to See Ashley, and Lisa Mills. The ride from Casper to Themermopolis Wyoming, is one of the prettiest places I have every seen. It looked just like a cowboy movie. Jeff said he was waiting for Tonto and the Long Ranger to come accross the mountain at anytime. We stopped at a state park and stretched our legs for a minute and Emi and I (Tina ) collected a few rocks. Jeff said by the time we get home our back end of the truck will be touching the ground. We went through several small towns and at the city limit sign they have populations posted. One town acutally had a population of 10. We have seen tons of antelope up and down the highway. When you get on and off the interstate in Wyoming you go over a cattle gap. Tonight we are staying in a nice little town. Really nice people. The hot tub is an actual "Hot Springs" hot tub. It was hot sulfur water. Thad, Emi and I went and got into it because it is suppose to heal all your aches and pains. Not sure about cureing the aches and pains yet, but it does make you stink!!!!!! As Brandon, Lori, and Jeff told us after we got out. Tomorrow we are headed to Yellowstone. Our waiter tonight told us it was like another world there. He also said the bears will be waking up from hibernation, so "STAY IN YOUR CAR". Looking forward to that!!!!

Burn Baby Burn

It is Tues. Night and boy have we had an incredible 24 hours - incredible as in crazy. Our problems started when we couldn't find a hotel (we are not married to careful planners) so we rode all over Rapid City SD - we did find a room at the 9 story Radisson in downtown Rapid City. (Our room was on the 8th floor). We got settled in, ordered pizza and went to bed only to be stunned into consciousness at 3:40 AM by an alarm sounding telling us an emergency situation was occurring on our floor - please leave the building but do not use the elevators. So Tina & I made certain we had on foundation garments under our PJs and headed down the stairwell with our families and every person over 70 on this side of the Mississippi River. There were also 2 tour bus loads of Asians in the hotel so there we all went. Upon arriving at bottom of the stairs and walking out into the open Tina and I discovered that we were underdressed for the occassion. Seems MOST people sleep in the nude and get dressed or go to bed with their high heels and party dresses on. There were panicky Chinese and sleepy children all over the place along with the Lawrence Welk aged group and of course US. While Tina and I proudly stood in our PJs, we discovered that Jeff had worn his shirt wrong-side out or perhaps this is a "fire tradition" we are not aware of. One - yes One - brave firefighter went into the hotel only to return moments later and report to Thad. Thad then came to us with an official "fireman report" - Jeff asked what the fireman told him. Thad's reply was "Nothing". We then realized that in Jeff's haste to put his shirt on backwards, he forgot to get the room key. He quickly got it replaced but much to our dismay, we realized that there were hundreds of Elderly and Chinese trying to return via the elevator. Thinking quick on our feet, we took the stairs. 8 Flights - Jeff carried Emianna who informed him somewhere around the 6th floor "This is great exercise". We had to pause before proceeding to our rooms. Tina slept about 2 hours while I watched the dead but bright city below for about 2 hours before returning to bed. We now know that daylight begins its appearance in Rapid City at about 4 AM. But moving on, we got up today and got breakfast then went to see "The Heads" (Mt. Rushmore) - There maybe a mountain there, but I don't think it is fair to ask visitors to pay then expect them to take 9,245 steps to get to it. We were all less fortunate than Tina, who had her "grippers" on so the toll on our not so young bodies is being felt. Upon leaving Rapid City, Jeff was pulled over by officer friendly who told him he had a tail light out. Jeff began an epileptic seizure for fear he may have to remain in a South Dakota pen. Emianna was also somewhat concerned but began snacking and quickly released worrying about her dad. No ticket was issued just a warning and we left Rapid City as "Rapidly" as possible. Of course, we know our luck should get better (Ha!) Anyway we saw Devil's Tower, which , hold on, involved more steps and climbing. Tina and I have decided to immediately see our doctors upon returning home because we feel near death. Staying at a lovely hotel tonight in Wyoming (they have promised us no fire drill) with a bunch of coal workers. There is a lovely aroma in the elevators which Jeff says reminds him of a Lionel Train Set he had when he was small. Had fun, most importantly, stayed safe but sore and tired. Looking forward to seeing more of Wyoming. PS - I personally think it was the old Chinese guy who pulled the hotel fire alarm, but I'm just guessing!!

Corn Palace, Badlands, and Wall Drugs

Whew! what a day we had... We started today with the corn palace. I do have to say it was kinda corny... Sounds kinda crazy but it is really a big attraction.. Lori, Emi and I were more impressed with the gift shop. Then as we were walking out and actually looked at pictures, we learned they change all the corn out every year and it cost $130,000 a year to do it.

Then we got in the car and rode, rode, and rode some more. Let me tell you South Dakota has some of the straightest interstates and flat I might add, I have ever seen. And, for miles nothing but hay fields. We saw a sign that said "get gas now, or get gas can later", so we decided we would go for the gas. When you get off of the interstate the roads are gravel. So the towns which are very small have gravel roads. We also learned when you see a sign that says scenic overlook, you need to stop. It doesn't matter if all you have seen for miles is FLAT, it means something is coming up. We finally learned this when Thad and I saw one of these signs. I said, "Scenic overlook, you must have to climb something to over look", Just over the top of the mountain you overlooked a HUGE valley and a river. It was like FLAT, and then there it was! It was beautiful!!!

Next stop was the Badlands. This was one of those "Scenic overlooks" we stopped at. I can't tell you how amazeing this place was. Out of all this flat land comes these huge rocks, and cliffs. We also saw Praire dogs on the side of the road, and they actually bark!!! Tons of them.

For MILES, and MILES you see signs they say, "Wall Drugs" A must see!!!, Well, we saw, the only thing that was a must see or shall I say a must taste was the homemade donuts. WOW! We saw a sign advertising them and that is all Emi talked about until we got there.

I know I mentioned about all the deer dead on the side of the road. Well, we decided the deer in South Dakota seem to be a little smarter than the Iowa ones. The South Dakota deer are not dead on the road (most of them anyway) they are eating all the hay in the hay fields. We have noticed when someone says look at that deer, the next response is, Is it dead or alive.

Tomorrow is Mt. Rushmore, or as Emi says the place with the heads, and Sturgis. Nothing is at Sturgis, Thad just wants to go to say he has been and it is right here. Well, I will sign off now. It is 3:30 am your time, and 1:30 am here. Thad and Brandon are snoring away so that means I am AWAKE!