The Grand Tetons

The drive out of Texas is tortuous.  For 10 hours, we battled flat, brown landscape.  The drive into Denver was during the wee hours of the morning, and we weren't able to appreciate the mountains rising over the horizon.  The much shorter drive in the Grand Tetons made up for all 10 hours of Texas.  The mountains were spectacular.  Actually, spectacular doesn't begin to describe the majesty of the country.  As we gasped and awed, pointing out the window at each new glorious scene, we were abruptly stopped.

The bison wanted to cross the road for lunch.  We we not about to disrupt their plans for food!

They appeared to be having enough of their own drama....

The goal of leaving Warren Bridge early in the day was to arrive at  Headwaters Lodge and Campground at Flagg Ranch early enough to secure at walk in camp site.  Folks, these sites reserve up to a year in advance!  A YEAR!  I got in line for a site, and managed to score two out of the last three!  It was 9:08, and the host opened at 9:00. HALF of the campground was booked in 8 minutes.  Geez.  With lodging taken care of, but a few hours till check in, we opted to take a short hike.  

We hiked for over an hour, and the views were...again...no words to describe.  The God I serve has a bigger imagination than I can think of.  From the raging rivers to the deepest canyon to the highest peak of the snow topped mountains, we are BLESSED to live in and experience His AMAZING creation.  

Hiking over, we pitched our tent, showered, and made the hour long trek back to Jackson to meet up with my parent-in-laws and my oldest daughter.  We ate, we laughed, we shared road stories, and when were were done, we headed back to camp.  I was SO thankful for our 20* sleeping bags.  34* is pretty chilly at night!  Tomorrow, we would explore Yellowstone and meet up with an old friend.  Don't miss the next installment of the Jolly Camper!

Year 3 - It begins

Welcome to the Jolly Camper!  I'm Sara, the Jolliest of campers, and this is my blog.  Every year for the past three years, I've gathered up my children, packed my mini-van, and headed out on an adventure.  Two years ago, we camped in our van through 14 states.  Last year, we got smart, bought a TENT, and camped for 30 days through 30 states.  This year, we're finishing up the lower 48 states.  I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am that God lets me do this.  I'm not proud, I'm not lucky, I'm straight up BLESSED.  

OK, so this year, we started with some car trouble.  I know, not the ideal way to start a trip.  I am fortunate enough to share the road with Ciara this year.  Ciara has been babysitting for us for the past two years, and she agreed to come along as my traveling nanny!  She's good people.  Anyhow, I'd had  an alignment done, and you know when you take your car to the shop and they start to "find" things?  That happened.  We ended up with an alignment, an AC belt a serpentine belt, and a new tensioner.  They were recharged the AC while they were in there.  I went from the shop to pick Ciara up, we loaded the van, and set out of San Antonio.  Excited and anticipatory, we drove 3 miles and realized the AC was not....cold.  Not even not cold, it was warm.  I called the shop.  "Give it a few days to cycle" they said.  I may be blonde, and I may not be mechanically inclined, but I KNOW I'm not going to make it through 10 hours of West Texas with a "cycling" AC.  I called my regular mechanic, and he got us in right away (I had strayed because he doesn't do alignments.  Never.  Again.). Apparently, you need the shredder valves IN the line for the unit to stay charged.  Mike at the Express Lube on Pat Booker in Universal City.  Go see him.  

We didn't leave till almost 4pm with a air conditioning mishap, so 14 hours of driving later, we arrived in Denver just in time for breakfast.  My sister in law housed us for a few hours of sleep.  Once we'd washed the sleep out of our eyes, we loaded up for food.

Kristina is my sister in law, but honestly, she's closer to being my sister.  She stood up with me at my wedding to her brother, and I stood up with her.  We've laughed, cried, loved, experienced, and done life together.  She's an amazingly talented artist of paper and food (she's a graphic designer AND chef).  When she recommends food, I listen.  Sam's #3 greeted us with coffee and some AMAZING green chili omelets.  The kids crawled all over her, and they weren't denied hugs and kisses.  The visit was short, but sweet.  THANK YOU, KRISTY!

10 more hours of driving... but hey, 10 is shorter than 14!

Driving to the Grand Tetons from Denver was one of the most beautiful drives I think I've ever taken.  The green rolling hills and mountains growing in the distance gave hope to a destination.  We were slated to stop in Falls, ID to camp for the night.  The place we wanted to stay in Wyoming was a first come first serve campground, and we knew they filled quickly.  The plan was to stay in Falls, then leave early in the morning to get to Headwaters by 0900.  Ciara and I were tired, and the drive was taking longer than we anticipated.  With three hours to go, Ciara noticed a sign for camping on the left side of the rode.  We though, checking it out wouldn't hurt anything!  

Warren Bridge is where we stopped for the night.  A quaint campground with a vault toilet, but a beautiful stream.  For $10, who could say no!  With less than a 2 hour drive to Headwaters, we set up the tent and called it a night...

But not before a quick jammie hike to the stream. 

Folks, this is what it's all about.  In a tent with three beautiful kids, a friend and nanny, and God's paintbrush.  Really, who wouldn't be a jolly camper?

Year 3 - It begins

Welcome to the Jolly Camper!  I'm Sara, the Jolliest of campers, and this is my blog.  Every year for the past three years, I've gathered up my children, packed my mini-van, and headed out on an adventure.  Two years ago, we camped in our van through 14 states.  Last year, we got smart, bought a TENT, and camped for 30 days through 30 states.  This year, we're finishing up the lower 48 states.  I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am that God lets me do this.  I'm not proud, I'm not lucky, I'm straight up BLESSED.  

OK, so this year, we started with some car trouble.  I know, not the ideal way to start a trip.  I am fortunate enough to share the road with Ciara this year.  Ciara has been babysitting for us for the past two years, and she agreed to come along as my traveling nanny!  She's good people.  Anyhow, I'd had  an alignment done, and you know when you take your car to the shop and they start to "find" things?  That happened.  We ended up with an alignment, an AC belt a serpentine belt, and a new tensioner.  They were recharged the AC while they were in there.  I went from the shop to pick Ciara up, we loaded the van, and set out of San Antonio.  Excited and anticipatory, we drove 3 miles and realized the AC was not....cold.  Not even not cold, it was warm.  I called the shop.  "Give it a few days to cycle" they said.  I may be blonde, and I may not be mechanically inclined, but I KNOW I'm not going to make it through 10 hours of West Texas with a "cycling" AC.  I called my regular mechanic, and he got us in right away (I had strayed because he doesn't do alignments.  Never.  Again.). Apparently, you need the shredder valves IN the line for the unit to stay charged.  Mike at the Express Lube on Pat Booker in Universal City.  Go see him.  

We didn't leave till almost 4pm with a air conditioning mishap, so 14 hours of driving later, we arrived in Denver just in time for breakfast.  My sister in law housed us for a few hours of sleep.  Once we'd washed the sleep out of our eyes, we loaded up for food.

Kristina is my sister in law, but honestly, she's closer to being my sister.  She stood up with me at my wedding to her brother, and I stood up with her.  We've laughed, cried, loved, experienced, and done life together.  She's an amazingly talented artist of paper and food (she's a graphic designer AND chef).  When she recommends food, I listen.  Sam's #3 greeted us with coffee and some AMAZING green chili omelets.  The kids crawled all over her, and they weren't denied hugs and kisses.  The visit was short, but sweet.  THANK YOU, KRISTY!

10 more hours of driving... but hey, 10 is shorter than 14!

Driving to the Grand Tetons from Denver was one of the most beautiful drives I think I've ever taken.  The green rolling hills and mountains growing in the distance gave hope to a destination.  We were slated to stop in Falls, ID to camp for the night.  The place we wanted to stay in Wyoming was a first come first serve campground, and we knew they filled quickly.  The plan was to stay in Falls, then leave early in the morning to get to Headwaters by 0900.  Ciara and I were tired, and the drive was taking longer than we anticipated.  With three hours to go, Ciara noticed a sign for camping on the left side of the rode.  We though, checking it out wouldn't hurt anything!  

Warren Bridge is where we stopped for the night.  A quaint campground with a vault toilet, but a beautiful stream.  For $10, who could say no!  With less than a 2 hour drive to Headwaters, we set up the tent and called it a night...

But not before a quick jammie hike to the stream. 

Folks, this is what it's all about.  In a tent with three beautiful kids, a friend and nanny, and God's paintbrush.  Really, who wouldn't be a jolly camper?

Pudding!!!!!!

Sunday, we braved the backwards roads and driving again, and ventured into London.  We met up with our friends Andy and Jodi Gray at their amazing church plant, CityHill at Metro Garden Restaurant and Bar.  Worship and a message were refreshing, meeting the people was fantastic (can I just say the accent over there is suburb), but best of all, Gordon and James proposed to Shelly and I, and Andy got to perform his first and last marriage ceremony!

We weren't aware of the tradition of wedding breakfast, but apparently it's a big British thing.  Since we were already at a restaurant and bar, the transition to Sunday Roast was flawless.   Um, YUM.  

Sunday Roast with Mash, Broccoli and Parsnips, and a gigantic Yorkshire Pudding paired with a mild Malbec hit the SPOT.  I could literally eat this every day for every meal.  

More pudding for dessert (sticky toffee pudding made me fat).  We stayed away from Tom's Stinky Cheese Board.  Seriously.  If you're ever in London, make your way to Clapham Common and try this place.  It's called Metro Garden.  

James and Gordon were HUGE fans of the roast and hugs....

We set out to explore downtown London.  We took the Tube in, and walked around the London Eye, Parliament, London Bridge, and Big Ben.

Big Ben was green for St. Patricks Day!

What kind of London tourists would we be without all cramming in a phone box?

We headed back to Clapham Junction, loaded into our little Cactus car, and headed home, exhausted but so very happy!

A Quick Hop Across The Pond

March 12, a day which will live in infamy: the day that James, Gordon, and Sara revealed a year long secret that Shelly Warren was going to London.  Do you KNOW what it's like to keep a YEAR LONG SUPER AWESOME secret?!?!?!  I can almost guarantee you do not.  She THOUGHT she was dropping Gordon and I off for our annual European vacation to which we would be visiting Iceland before driving to Dallas with her husband.  She. Was. Not.  I know, I know, you're wondering,  how did she have her passport?  How did she pack?  I'll tell you.  Jesus and three near sociopaths.  It makes sense in my head.  So, here we are at the airport as things are sinking in.  There was a lot of crying and smiling, and more crying, but I think this is where she really got it:

We boarded the plane for a 7 hour red eye:

When we landed, we took a cab to the rental car pick up spot.  They really are like in the movies!  James and I sat backwards and we jostled down the road on the left side with the driver behind ME!

We picked up the car and CAREFULLY drove (and driving is a story all of it's own) to Windsor. First of all, did you know everything in England is metric EXCEPT the speed limit?  50 MPH is a LOT different from 50 KPH.  Driving on the left is terrifying!  You don't just have to switch sides, you have to switch your spacial awareness four feet in a moving death trapl...er....car.  We made a quick stop at a pub got us breakfast and beer/cider, but more importantly, OUT OF THE CAR.

The royal crest adorned the ceiling of the restaurant.

After some duck pate, we were ready to start exploring.  She looks, happy, right?

Windsor Castle was BEAUTIFUL.  The weather was cool and crisp as we walked the grounds.  

Windsor Castle is still one of the Royal Families main residencies.  The Church they attend is inside the gates.  We walked in as an orchestra and choir were rehearsing.  There were truly no words to express the beauty of the building and the music within.

Windsor Castle is also the home of the oldest Tudor castle in the UK!

We could have spent DAYS, just touring the castle.  We were jet lagged, tired, and dreading the 45 mile drive to our hotel.  

We came back to our rental car and received our first UK souvenir, a parking ticket!  Apparently, even the parking signs are polite.  When we asked the meter maid about the ticket, he apologized, and recommended we stay parked there for free for the rest of the day.  Toto, we weren't in Kansas anymore!  We found it rather humorous that the rental agency gave us a Cactus.  Do you think they were politely mocking our Texas origins?

We took the M4, on the left side of the road, with Gordon on the right, with the stick shift on the left down to Lingfield Surry where we were staying.  Jet Lag, Stay Away!  The WarNigs have things to see!