and you may see a sign that claims to be the center of Iowa...
both marvelous landmarks.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Some of the wonderful things in Iowa...
you may see an Abe Lincoln impersonator... along the famous Lincoln Highway in Nevada, Iowa...
and you may see a sign that claims to be the center of Iowa...
both marvelous landmarks.
and you may see a sign that claims to be the center of Iowa...
both marvelous landmarks.
RAGBRAI 08' - team gloves 04'
Some friends and I decided to bike a day of RAGBRAI (Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). The problem was the most convenient day for all of us ended up being one of the longest days of biking - nearly 80 miles.
RAGBRAI was in Ames on Tuesday night, so we figured we just jump aboard the next day and join the ride from Ames to Tama.
The night of Ames festivities included a performance by my sister that had bikers stopping from all over. Later that evening we went to the Nada's concert and hung out with all the spandex sporting folk that would soon become our friends the following day.
We figured we could handle it, souped-up our bikes with fancy racks, bought our padded biker shorts, got our camelbaks, we loaded up with granola bars and powder energy drinks.
We took off from West Ames and it was nearly an hour before we got out of Ames, we struggled to find other bikers so we could head in the proper direction. Once we got aboard it still wasn't a cloud in heaven.
We did enjoy the tasty treats of fresh baked and cooked items in the various towns we went through. From scotcharoos to cinnamon rolls to brats and fresh water.
We ended up making it - all 80 miles of it, minus a short-cut as suggested by a team we decided to follow after some drinks in a small town bar. This cut off about 6 miles on the ride.
Luckily we did get to experience most of the fun - wearing spandex and not have people stare, drinking in a small town bar with other people in spandex, going to the restroom in the great outdoors, having butt pain from sitting on a bike seat for so long, going to a random concert, biking through sprinklers, waving to the folks sitting on their lawn chairs, and seeing a sign that said "ONLY 12 more hills till Albion" (boy oh boy was that encouraging!)
Monday, July 14, 2008
random from July
A lot of random-ness has been going through my head these days, and that as translated into my actions...
*Out of my boredom the other day I joined an adult soccer league here in Ames, Iowa. While this seemed like a good idea at the time - 4 22minute quarters later and a bike ride to the other end of town had me questioning my decision and what I do with my boredom. Considering I hadn't actaully placed soccer since some intramural games at Iowa State, I was quite rusty.
*Midnight Madness happened a few days ago- a 10k race. I decided to go all out and do the 10k with a buddy from high school. . . yet another enduring task that ended up being a wonderful choice. It was a lovely evening with a nice breeze, I suppose the best thing about running just over 6 miles outside in the summer time.
I went to church alone the other day and began to have somewhat of a panic attack in my seat... thinking things like - why in the world am I sitting in a completely comfortable seat while over half the world suffers? why am I in an auditorium setting being almost entertained while over half the world isn't even educated? These thoughts ran on and on, until I finally was able to relax myself with some writing in the church bulletin that had nothing to do with anything. Needless to say, I didn't listen much at church that day.
The Iowa Games are coming up, which means lots of people will be in Ames... but what's more exciting is RAGBRAI is going through Ames next Tuesday and I am joining the ride with a few friends and family members as they leave Ames to go to Tama. The ride is somewhere around 70 miles, should be another exciting challenge.
I guess there isn't much more to say... It's nice to be back in a city where you can smile and say hello to everyone you go by without them thinking you're crazy.
*Out of my boredom the other day I joined an adult soccer league here in Ames, Iowa. While this seemed like a good idea at the time - 4 22minute quarters later and a bike ride to the other end of town had me questioning my decision and what I do with my boredom. Considering I hadn't actaully placed soccer since some intramural games at Iowa State, I was quite rusty.
*Midnight Madness happened a few days ago- a 10k race. I decided to go all out and do the 10k with a buddy from high school. . . yet another enduring task that ended up being a wonderful choice. It was a lovely evening with a nice breeze, I suppose the best thing about running just over 6 miles outside in the summer time.
I went to church alone the other day and began to have somewhat of a panic attack in my seat... thinking things like - why in the world am I sitting in a completely comfortable seat while over half the world suffers? why am I in an auditorium setting being almost entertained while over half the world isn't even educated? These thoughts ran on and on, until I finally was able to relax myself with some writing in the church bulletin that had nothing to do with anything. Needless to say, I didn't listen much at church that day.
The Iowa Games are coming up, which means lots of people will be in Ames... but what's more exciting is RAGBRAI is going through Ames next Tuesday and I am joining the ride with a few friends and family members as they leave Ames to go to Tama. The ride is somewhere around 70 miles, should be another exciting challenge.
I guess there isn't much more to say... It's nice to be back in a city where you can smile and say hello to everyone you go by without them thinking you're crazy.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
chicken crack corn and i don't care
in iowa... we have chickens.
in my backyard... we have chickens.
we currently have 6 baby chicks. and daily we get somewhere around 6-10 eggs laid.
it's a marvelous farm-life.
in my backyard... we have chickens.
we currently have 6 baby chicks. and daily we get somewhere around 6-10 eggs laid.
it's a marvelous farm-life.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Nebraska
I realized I was almost home when I saw the endless fields along the sides of I-80. It was a joy to see as I was ready to get home.
The fourth of July was spent with Brittany's family which included all sorts of food, fantastic view of fireworks from surrounding towns and cities, our own fireworks show put on by Brett (Brittany's brother) and most exciting to me - getting to hang out with kids!
The following day I got to help watch the kids which included a trip to Wall-E. . . GO SEE IT! After that we joined ronald mcdonald for some ice cream.
apparently this is me writing my name with a sparkler:
The fourth of July was spent with Brittany's family which included all sorts of food, fantastic view of fireworks from surrounding towns and cities, our own fireworks show put on by Brett (Brittany's brother) and most exciting to me - getting to hang out with kids!
The following day I got to help watch the kids which included a trip to Wall-E. . . GO SEE IT! After that we joined ronald mcdonald for some ice cream.
apparently this is me writing my name with a sparkler:
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Mesa Verde National Park
I had a bad attitude here and then remembered this:
Philippians 2:1-11
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Ok, you're right... recalling this didn't immediately change my attitude, but it did remind me of what a great opportunity I had to see a National Park where the Pueblo Indians lived and what they did. . .
Philippians 2:1-11
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Ok, you're right... recalling this didn't immediately change my attitude, but it did remind me of what a great opportunity I had to see a National Park where the Pueblo Indians lived and what they did. . .
four corners
The four corners monument is magnificent, in that it's LITERALLY a slab of concrete with flags and words. The surrounding area of the slab of concrete is a contraption of Native American food gifts and random shacks where gifts are sold. Considering the monument is in the middle of a desert, it is also in fact, in the middle of Indian lands. . . therefore, the Indians get to make money off of the tourists. It works well - I bought some things, Britt bought some things and I think I enjoyed the Indians far more than the slab of concrete itself.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The GREAT and somewhat non-existent Salt Lake
Here are some more photos from temple square along with some from the Great Salt Lake:
Glen Canyon - Page, AZ
Getting to Page began on a rough note...
We were in Provo, UT the night before and didn't get to bed until 12am. We figured in order to make our 1pm boat tour on the colorado river, we needed to awake at about 3:30 and be on the road BY 4am. Of course on a night like this NO ONE sleeps well and we get paranoid about missing our alarm clocks, etc.
However, we did hit the road by 4 and were on our way to Page, AZ. We passed some fantastic national parks including Bryce National Park- known for it's Hoodoos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(geology))
We did make the stop here to go to a view point and view these fantastic Hoodoos:
Once we finally arrived in Page, AZ... We THEN realized we were about 3 hours early due to time changes, a GPS system that underestimates my speed capabilities, and a state that does not recognize daylight savings time (except for in Indian Reservations, or something like that - that's what someone said).
So we spent our time in a small cafe drinking dt. pepsi that tasted like cherry syrup and a root beer float that looked like what I wanted to do in the bathroom.
In conclusion - we CLEARLY made our boat tour and were happy to do so. However, we did not realize this ALSO included a far bus ride to the drop off (we both passed out on the bus like it was our job). Once we got off the bus it was as if we had no idea where we were or what we were doing all we really recall was being told to leave our bags and put on hard hats:
We proceeded to the boat where we ended up (intelligently) sitting by the gasoline cans that were exposed and leaking gas the entire trip.
In conclusion, the 15 mile boat tour was fantastic and included beautiful sights, hearing thunder in the canyon, a great tour guide some great boat mates we later saw at the Grand Canyon, and a lovely ending rain that brought us to the Vermillions which start the grand canyon. We then realized this meant another bus ride. . . this one ended up feeling like 3 hours but was really around an hour (we clearly passed out yet again, due to lack of sleep). I just remember driving through Indian reservations and hearing our bus driver/tour guide speak about the Native Americans of that area. How some of the children STILL ride a bus 3 hours each direction in order to get to school.
I clearly have no idea what's going on in this photo and I have no idea where I am:
We were in Provo, UT the night before and didn't get to bed until 12am. We figured in order to make our 1pm boat tour on the colorado river, we needed to awake at about 3:30 and be on the road BY 4am. Of course on a night like this NO ONE sleeps well and we get paranoid about missing our alarm clocks, etc.
However, we did hit the road by 4 and were on our way to Page, AZ. We passed some fantastic national parks including Bryce National Park- known for it's Hoodoos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(geology))
We did make the stop here to go to a view point and view these fantastic Hoodoos:
Once we finally arrived in Page, AZ... We THEN realized we were about 3 hours early due to time changes, a GPS system that underestimates my speed capabilities, and a state that does not recognize daylight savings time (except for in Indian Reservations, or something like that - that's what someone said).
So we spent our time in a small cafe drinking dt. pepsi that tasted like cherry syrup and a root beer float that looked like what I wanted to do in the bathroom.
In conclusion - we CLEARLY made our boat tour and were happy to do so. However, we did not realize this ALSO included a far bus ride to the drop off (we both passed out on the bus like it was our job). Once we got off the bus it was as if we had no idea where we were or what we were doing all we really recall was being told to leave our bags and put on hard hats:
We proceeded to the boat where we ended up (intelligently) sitting by the gasoline cans that were exposed and leaking gas the entire trip.
In conclusion, the 15 mile boat tour was fantastic and included beautiful sights, hearing thunder in the canyon, a great tour guide some great boat mates we later saw at the Grand Canyon, and a lovely ending rain that brought us to the Vermillions which start the grand canyon. We then realized this meant another bus ride. . . this one ended up feeling like 3 hours but was really around an hour (we clearly passed out yet again, due to lack of sleep). I just remember driving through Indian reservations and hearing our bus driver/tour guide speak about the Native Americans of that area. How some of the children STILL ride a bus 3 hours each direction in order to get to school.
I clearly have no idea what's going on in this photo and I have no idea where I am:
Gallup, New Mexico
First of all, who names a town Gallup?
Well, according to Wikipedia:
"...The City was named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...Gallup is sometimes called the "Indian Capital of the World", for its location in the heart of Native American lands, and the presence of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and other tribes...Route 66 runs through Gallup, and the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, Route 66. In 2003, the U.S. and New Mexico Departments of Transportation renamed US Highway 666, the city's other major highway to Route 491 since the number "666" is associated with Satan and devil worship, thus it was offensive to some people and local Navajos some who are superstitious felt it will lift the route from being "cursed""
REALLY?!?
... and more...
"Gallup was the subject of a 20/20 mini-documentary about the city's problems with alcohol."
... after reading that I knew that this was a town I wanted to stay in, I mean 20/20 is a great show that captures my attention after 30 seconds so of course this is where I wanted to stay.
The truth is, Gallup was the closest city inside the New Mexico Border and we wanted to keep up with staying in a different state every night- so that's where we landed after watching the Grand Canyon sunset in Arizona.
In the end, the best part about Gallup was the HORRIBLE drivers and the fact that we got starbucks coffee the following morning at 8 o'clock AM from a bar called Sammy C's Rockin' Sports Pub. Truth, my friends, truth.
I was officially Enchanted...
Well, according to Wikipedia:
"...The City was named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...Gallup is sometimes called the "Indian Capital of the World", for its location in the heart of Native American lands, and the presence of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and other tribes...Route 66 runs through Gallup, and the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, Route 66. In 2003, the U.S. and New Mexico Departments of Transportation renamed US Highway 666, the city's other major highway to Route 491 since the number "666" is associated with Satan and devil worship, thus it was offensive to some people and local Navajos some who are superstitious felt it will lift the route from being "cursed""
REALLY?!?
... and more...
"Gallup was the subject of a 20/20 mini-documentary about the city's problems with alcohol."
... after reading that I knew that this was a town I wanted to stay in, I mean 20/20 is a great show that captures my attention after 30 seconds so of course this is where I wanted to stay.
The truth is, Gallup was the closest city inside the New Mexico Border and we wanted to keep up with staying in a different state every night- so that's where we landed after watching the Grand Canyon sunset in Arizona.
In the end, the best part about Gallup was the HORRIBLE drivers and the fact that we got starbucks coffee the following morning at 8 o'clock AM from a bar called Sammy C's Rockin' Sports Pub. Truth, my friends, truth.
I was officially Enchanted...
GRAND canyon
Let's face it, the Grand Canyon was more than grand, it was brilliant, amazing, lovely, vast, magnificent, etc.
After a rafting tour at the Glen Canyon on the Colorado river that ends at the start of the Grand Canyon (Vermillions) - we drove down to stay at the Grand Canyon to get up the following day to hike.
After a rafting tour at the Glen Canyon on the Colorado river that ends at the start of the Grand Canyon (Vermillions) - we drove down to stay at the Grand Canyon to get up the following day to hike.
grand canyon jumps
me n' Jesus - Salt Lake City, UT
So I went to temple square to hang out with some Mormons and learn a little bit about them. . . and I did just that. I learned several things I never knew before - mostly about their continual modern day prophets... interesting.
Britt and I got an intimate tour with 2 ladies on their mission from Singapore and Japan. It amazed both of us how intentional and dedicated they were to their beliefs in terms of going door to door to dedicating those 2 years.
We then went on to see their conference center that is used 2 times a year to hear from their modern day prophets and choir.
Later in the day I walked by some kids and a few adults wearing name-tags that sported the logo of "Challenge" a modern-day evangelical church conference for students. This made me happy because it was at a challenge conference that I made a decision for Jesus 8 years ago yesterday. I told them this and then they questioned why in the world I was hanging out with Mormons and visiting the temple. I just simply said, "the same reason you're here."
I was there to love on some people - whoever I ran into. Learn more about why Mormon's believe what they believe and what exactly they believe and finally to...
get my picture taken with Jesus.
Britt and I got an intimate tour with 2 ladies on their mission from Singapore and Japan. It amazed both of us how intentional and dedicated they were to their beliefs in terms of going door to door to dedicating those 2 years.
We then went on to see their conference center that is used 2 times a year to hear from their modern day prophets and choir.
Later in the day I walked by some kids and a few adults wearing name-tags that sported the logo of "Challenge" a modern-day evangelical church conference for students. This made me happy because it was at a challenge conference that I made a decision for Jesus 8 years ago yesterday. I told them this and then they questioned why in the world I was hanging out with Mormons and visiting the temple. I just simply said, "the same reason you're here."
I was there to love on some people - whoever I ran into. Learn more about why Mormon's believe what they believe and what exactly they believe and finally to...
get my picture taken with Jesus.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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