Final Reflections

Woodward, PA - Well, we've been back now for a few months. I meant to write a final post a long time ago, but that never quite happened. The trip was great and the RV was a great way to see the country. While the trip was a bit of a whirlwind, it all worked out fairly well. There are definitely places I will want to revisit and spend some more time visiting.

I was impressed with the vastness of the country, and also the amount of desert that is in the western states. There are huge areas of the west with very little civilization. The Pacific Ocean, and Oregon Coast in particular, are great sights. The trail running was a highlight for me and since returning I have completed my first trail marathon.

While the kids tired somewhat of all the hiking, I know they will remember it all fondly as time goes by. I have only happy memories of the trip my family took west in 1974. Everyone got along fairly well in the tight space (okay, there were a few moments of annoyance). All in all, it was a great family experience and I would encourage anyone to try to do something similar.

- Jeff

Day 30--THE LAST DAY *SNIFF*

Somewhere on the road, IN—Today is the FINAL day of our trip!! That means we’ll be home today (just in time for supper)!! Last night we stayed at Jason and Sara’s house after eating dinner with them and Eric. We ate at this AMAZING pizza place. I mean, it was so good I had to control myself and refrain from having spasms. EEEEEE and then Eric and I went to see the Taming of the Shrew, a Shakespeare play. It was pretty good, actually, except the second act was really confusing and no one understood it. And the director was slightly mad.

We are all very excited to go home and see everyone and I am excited to see our piano and our dog. Jason and Sara have a dog named Sage and she was our substitute dog for the morning. Jonas and Marcy played with her while I took pictures of them like a creeper. I am also a little giddy!!
-Jake

Day 29

On the road, IA—Hoorah for the van! Yesterday afternoon the van wouldn’t produce proper air conditioning (it was rather warm) and then it overheated. Mom looked down at the gauge and it was on H for hot instead of the fair and balanced middle. Luckily, having just taken Driver’s Ed, I knew to turn on the heat to draw heat away from the engine. I am Bobbert’s hero. Apparently, all our cooling liquid for the radiator had leaked out slowly in the many weeks Bobbert sat at the RV rental place. We periodically have to refill the cooling liquid reserve tank, because it slowly drains away.

We stayed at a Holiday Inn, and were fascinated by a new and strange contraption the locals call a “television.” iRV had no such device! Held captivated by this bizarre fusion of wires, we spent a long time watching it. It never ceased to amuse us, and Dad and I realized that Cameron Diaz has a VERY obnoxious laugh. Marcy, Joe, and Mom went swimming and then in the morning Mom, Marcy, and Dad went exercising because they are sick animals. It was very humid in Nebraska even in the morning and evening, like somebody was constantly drooling on you.

Now we are on the road again, and we’re going to see JASON and SARA and ERIC in Indiana tonight where we will most likely sleep. We will probably have pictures, and you all will probably be jealous. MUHAHAHA.
-Jake

Last Run in the West

Rawlins, WY – I now know how Dick Cheney came to be elected a senator from Wyoming. He only needed two votes. After you get out of beautiful western Wyoming with Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, there is a whole lot of nothing. I did not have it in my mind to spend the last night in iRV at a treeless KOA in Rawlins, Wyoming, but thanks to a ridiculous amount of construction in western Wyoming that is what happened. I will admit that the nothingness in Wyoming has its own beauty. After standing in the KOA and finding the largest hill within short running distance, I mapped out a rough way to get there in my mind, set my alarm for 5:30am and went to bed.

I set out just after sunrise for a hill that had all kinds of telecommunications radios on it. I couldn’t find a path right away and ended up running through the low scrubby grasses and bushes that entirely populate Wyoming. Soon I connected with the path to the top. There were some steep sections, and after being at sea level for most of the previous week, I noticed the 6800 foot elevation. I got to the top and was rewarded with a nice view of the State Pen just outside of town. The typical Wyoming rolling hills and a few antelope were also part of the scenery. I ran back down, Faith and I packed up iRV, and we were on our way by 7:15am. It was a nice 6-miler to start the day and a beautiful morning.

- Jeff

Yellowstone, or just Yellow-bellied?

Yellowstone National Park, WY - As soon as we checked into the campground I went to the info center to inquire about running trails. Before getting there, I noticed warning signs everywhere about bears and even more signs about buffalo. I talked to the first ranger, and she said that if I enjoy running in meadows, there were some good trails nearby. Then she considered what she had just said and added something to the effect that there was a decent chance I might be pursued by something because I would look like running prey. Nice. She said that one buffalo a few weeks earlier had tried to gore a woman in a phone booth. She added that some runners get attacked every year. Nice. She said that she had been charged recently by a bear. Apparently all of the rangers are required to carry bear spray.

She then called in another ranger who she said was a runner. He said that a lot of the rangers don’t get as much exercise outside because of the dangers of being in bear and buffalo country. He said I might be okay close to the canyon because there were fewer bears and buffalo there. We kind of mapped out a route and I went to bed that night thinking I would get up early and put in 10 miles or so in the canyon area. As I went to bed, my spouse mentioned something to the effect that she was not wild about me being gored by a buffalo. I must admit that I am not wild about the idea either. When my alarm went off at 5:45am, I turned it off and went back to sleep. Yes, I wimped out in the face of possible de-bowelling by a bear or goring by a buffalo. I still feel bad about it. It would have been a good run. I know that because we hiked around the canyon later that morning and it was cool. Next time I come west, I will buy bear spray.

- Jeff

Bear Paranoia

Glacier National Park, MT – I was originally kind of excited about the prospects of running at Glacier National Park. I heard there were great trails to be run. My anticipation was quickly tempered after our arrival. I knew Glacier was bear country and was already a bit apprehensive about running there. When we checked into our campground, my fears were magnified by the ranger. She said there had been bear and cougars near the campground lately. I asked her about running and she looked at me like she didn’t approve of the idea. She asked me if I had bear spray. When I replied that I did not, she said that I could pick some up at the camp store. When I went to the camp store, I found out that the cost of their bear spray (basically strong pepper spray) was $49.99. After considering this, I decided to not buy it. I did, however, find a bell that I could attach to my shoe for $4.99. I bought the bell. I guess that indicates that I place the value of my life somewhere between $4.99 and $49.99.

When we got into our campground, I discovered that our particular campground really didn’t have any trails very close to it (we were on the west end of McDonald Lake, which is one of the lower spots in Glacier). I wasn’t sure when I was going to run or where. The next morning we got up early to get to Logan Pass so we could do some hiking up there. There are really some great hikes available up that way and I would love to do some running up there, but I didn’t have the time this trip. We got back to the campground sometime after 6pm and I decided to chance a short run.

I attached the bell to my shoe and set out. People in the campground looked at me kind of strangely as I went by and dogs all over the campground went crazy when they heard my jingle. I pressed on. I did find a short trail about ¾ mile from the campground and, after running it once and not seeing bears, decided to run it again and hope my luck held. Part of it went through a burnt-out part of the forest and every black stump looked like a bear. I decided to break off on a side trail but shortly discovered a pile of poop in the trail. The recommendation from all the park literature said to turn back if you find fresh bear feces so I looked at it closely. I was 95% sure it was horse crap but decided I didn’t want to stake my life on my poop-reading ability so I turned around. My run ended up being 5 miles and I encountered no animals but deer and squirrels. The bell made me feel a little safer, but only a little.

- Jeff

Day 28.2

Chik-Fill-A, CO—Cow appreciation day. At lunch we went to a Chik-fill-A near Denver. If anybody ever went there they would know that there is a cow appreciation day. Inside we noticed that everybody was dressed up as cows. Even people over 89. It turns out at that very day if you dressed up as a cow you’d get free chicken. I got a couple photos of people wearing cowbells and other cowlike features. They even had a cow mascot walking around hugging people. It was weird.
-Jonas

Day 28.1--The Lunacy of Marcy...

Denver, CO—GOODBYE FOREVER, IRV!! We will sort of miss you in a weird way. But back to our shiny not-new van, Bobbert. How we’ve missed you, you overly priced filthy scum of an old car! We have counted the days. You want to know how many? What? You don’t believe in our love of you, Bobbert? For shame! Fine. I’ll tell you, Bobbert. Just let me check the blog. . . I mean listen to that frog! 25 days, I believe. Here are some pictures of us praising your return while iRV sulks in the background. GOODBYE FOREVER, IRV!! See how crazy we are, Bobbert? It was all for you! I’m proving my love by humiliating myself by posting this on the internet. ALL HAIL BOBBERT!

~Marcy

(nobody judge me)

Day 28

Somewhere on the road, WY—We’re officially getting the van today! We’re going to Colorado, getting the van, turning in iRV, and probably visiting with Dave, Sarah, and Jaxson again. Right now we’re attempting to erase all evidence of our existence from iRV, which as you can imagine is easier said than done. We’re repacking our clothes into suitcases, which proved difficult for me because I bought a lot of new T-shirts I didn’t leave room for. We also found a small child lurking inside of Mom’s clothes cabinet. The picture is of the Grand Tetons.
-Jake

Day 27.2

Yellowstone National Park, WY—On the way out from Yellowstone, we wanted to get a picture of a buffalo. So on we went until we saw one we got a couple, then noticed it was releasing buffalo chips (not the kind you would want to eat) Then I got a couple pictures of it. Notice in the picture the buffalo’s tail is up and if you look closely you can see the tasty chips.
-Jonas

Day 27.1

Yellowstone National Park, WY—After our hike to see several falls, we met up at iRV to prepare our long 8-hour drive. On our way, we saw a canyon overview and stopped to take a looksie. We all piled out of the RV except for Jake, who at the moment wanted to sleep more than he wanted to see wildlife and scenery. Quote:

“I hate wildlife!”
-Jake Smucker

Isn’t that surprising, is it? But the view was spectacular and we saw an Osprey (this morning at the falls we encountered a Peregrine Falcon!!!)! We found this huge stone bench on which to place our bottoms for a while. It wasn’t the comfiest, mostly because it was made out of stone, but it was pretty cool. Included is some pictures, including Mom, Jonas, and me on the giant stone bench. When we returned to iRV, Jake was listening to music to “soothe his soul”. That is another exact quote. We all love little delusional Jakie.

~Marcy

Day 27

Yellowstone National Park, WY—We just hiked on a trail that led down to this really cool waterfall, and then on another trail that hiked to another really cool waterfall. As you can tell by the pictures, there was a LOT of water on these things. If you would fall off the ledge lookout, you would probably plummet to your death. On the first trail, it was entirely composed of eleven switchbacks, which is a lot when you have to walk back up them. Mom and I counted. On a completely unrelated note, we saw our first wild bison! They’re really ugly.
-Jake

Day 26.2

Yellowstone National Park, WY—I forgot to mention, at the Hot Springs there were all these random hats lying in the dirt that had blown off of peoples’ heads. I got several pictures of them, but you kind of have to look for them. Also, I accidentally posted a picture of Jonas and me pointing to a hat in the previous post. Anyway, Jonas says he even saw a flowerpot, but I find that hard to believe. Also, this is the last National Park we will visit before our trip home, which by now we are kind of looking forward to, even though we will have to give up iRV in Colorado and take our van again.
-Jake

Day 26.1

Yellowstone National Park, WY--We then stopped at the Hot Springs, which are these pools heated by sulfur stuff from underneath the earth. It created a lot of smelly steam. The path to walk on was elevated a couple feet off the ground, and you weren’t supposed to leave the walkway. We even got a pamphlet warning us not to submerge our heads in the Hot Springs. Nevertheless, we saw footprints from a human AND from a horse in the ground. Hmmm. Also, we got a little poster thing warning us about the danger of being gored by a buffalo...but Dad will have more on that later. :-) Squirrels in my pants!
-Jake

Day 26

Yellowstone National Park, WY—We arrived at Yellowstone and the first thing we did was go see Old Faithful. The park people predict a time when it will erupt, and Old Faithful can go off within ten minutes either way of that time. There were a TON of people crowded around Old Faithful for a long time before it even erupted. In fact, Dad says that when he drove in, it was most likely still congested from the previous eruption. Nothing happened when the time came at first, but once it erupted it kept getting bigger and bigger and I kept snapping pictures and I took probably about 50….Now I will continue in another post in order to show more pictures. SQUEE.
-Jake

Day 25.2

Glacier National Park, MT—Tonight after we got back from Apgar Village, Father Dearest went on a run for 45 minutes or so while Jonas and I typed some more of our most recent book: Things I want to do Before I Die. It includes:

~Making a tofu explosion
~Buying a chocolate dog and ripping its head off and eating it in public
~Gluing a cat to your face
~Reciting your Christmas Wish List to a random person on the streets
~Lighting a ground-squirrel on fire
~Attatch a realistic prosthetic arm to your left shoulder, then rip it off and beat waiters with it whenever they get your order wrong
~Paper mâche your dog
~Talk loudly to yourself in a public place
~ Eat sibling’s drivers license
~Buy a small rat, put it on a leash and insist it’s a Chihuahua
~AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!!

As you can see our book consists of the most random of ideas. You should read it when we are done. When Squiggles returned, we slipped on our swimsuits and ran outside to the lake. It was around 65 degrees by then and the water was FREEZING! Dad and I waded, then DIVED into the freezing water. It was sooo cold. But it was so good. After about going under two times, I reached for my towel, then decided to go under one more time. Jake called me masochistic. Whatever that means. I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!!! That is all. ☺

~Marcy

Day 25.1

Glacier National Park, MT—We went on another hike later, to an absurdly blue lake that looked like something out of Peter Pan or one of those fake traveling commercials. We were looking for mermaids as we hiked along. We also saw this gorge where the water eroded away part of the rock. It was rockalicious. We then bought huckleberry fudge, which Dad and I shared with Marcy and Jonas. It tasted like a rich and creamy smartie☺!! Also, the weather was really spastic and it kept raining, then not raining. I have been teaching my father to smile more naturally, instead of merely opening his mouth and bearing his teeth. He is showing great improvement so far, but still needs a little work. So, if you see him "smiling" and he is not actually smiling, you must chew him out. Muhahaha. That is all for now.
-Jake