Monday, October 5, 2009
Again? What?
So you may all be saying..."Mexico? How did this come about?" Well, let's just say after traveling our 10,000 miles this summer the thought of going too long without another adventure was more than we could handle. OK OK, we started planning a vacation of some kind the week after we got home in July :) Our first thought was...backpacking across Hawaii...but if you remember our budgeting skills from previous posts you know we are pretty cheap so that wasn't going to work. Next thought was a vacation in the Dominican Republic, which was quite cheap until you factored in the plane ticket to Florida. That wasn't going to work either. Then we thought we'd book a plane ticket the day before departure and go anywhere where we could on $50. But, if you remember we are also big planners and the waiting was too intense. Japan? We both knew Australia was out of the question. Italy? Oregon? California? OK, time was running out and so were our ideas. During a texting match one evening we decided on a cruise and booked it right then and there...before we could change our minds. Ark especially is not a sporadic person and had second thoughts the next day...but what can you do? Right now we are both packing our suitcases (or thinking about getting through a week of school first) and getting ready to cruise along the west coast. No worries...you will be included in all our escapades through our trusty "Nomadic Duos" site! Once again we are excited to see how God will use and bless us as we venture to another country...that's 3 countries this year and more stamps in the passport :) We'll keep you posted!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Nomadic Duos Strike Again
The Nomadic Duos are headed to Mexico in a week and a half. Stay tuned for exciting new stories on the way.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Finally, some pictures.
We have 100's more but you'll have to come hang out with us to see the rest...(:
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Around the country in 30 days...
Well, folks, we are home. The nomadic duos accomplished so much in the last 30 days that we figured we had better give you a quick (yeah right, we don't do anything quickly) synopse of our accomplishments:
2 countries
31 states
2 provinces
23 popsicles (each!)
9,970 miles on the car
20 nights in a tent
800 or so pictures (about 1/4th of them are sunset pictures)
12 types of wildlife seen(marmot, squirrels, ducks, black bear, elk, deer, sea gulls, fish, buffalo, chipmunks, leeches, ticks)
3 types of fish eaten (Hake, Haddock, Cod)
7 National Parks and National Forests we were in (Great Smokies, Shenandoah, White Mountains, Badlands, Rocky Mountain, Black Hills, Acadia)
8 houses/apartments that we stayed in with people who blew us away with their hospitality
3 guys that entertained us and humored us by texting us on our long drives (Thanks James, Ross, and Logan...you made 800 miles home from Denver go a lot faster...(:)
25 (at the minimum) Trailmix Burritos that we ate (most of them in gas station parking lots)
0 fights that we had...despite everyone's expectations
3 subways/trains that we rode
6 times that Ark kicked Lew while asleep
1 time that Lew punched Ark in the face while asleep
0 times we had to use our Mace or steel baton
4 times we did laundry (we are so glad to be wearing different clothes today!)
Thank you all for following our blog. We had an unforgetable trip, and we're excited to see how God will use what He taught us as we jump back into regular routines and a new school year. Check us out again at Fall Break, where Lord willing, the Nomadic Duos will strike again.
2 countries
31 states
2 provinces
23 popsicles (each!)
9,970 miles on the car
20 nights in a tent
800 or so pictures (about 1/4th of them are sunset pictures)
12 types of wildlife seen(marmot, squirrels, ducks, black bear, elk, deer, sea gulls, fish, buffalo, chipmunks, leeches, ticks)
3 types of fish eaten (Hake, Haddock, Cod)
7 National Parks and National Forests we were in (Great Smokies, Shenandoah, White Mountains, Badlands, Rocky Mountain, Black Hills, Acadia)
8 houses/apartments that we stayed in with people who blew us away with their hospitality
3 guys that entertained us and humored us by texting us on our long drives (Thanks James, Ross, and Logan...you made 800 miles home from Denver go a lot faster...(:)
25 (at the minimum) Trailmix Burritos that we ate (most of them in gas station parking lots)
0 fights that we had...despite everyone's expectations
3 subways/trains that we rode
6 times that Ark kicked Lew while asleep
1 time that Lew punched Ark in the face while asleep
0 times we had to use our Mace or steel baton
4 times we did laundry (we are so glad to be wearing different clothes today!)
Thank you all for following our blog. We had an unforgetable trip, and we're excited to see how God will use what He taught us as we jump back into regular routines and a new school year. Check us out again at Fall Break, where Lord willing, the Nomadic Duos will strike again.
Home again home again....
Wow, a lot has happened since the last post. First, was the long drive across Minnesota and South Dakota. Not a whole lot to look at across South Dakota. However, Ark found it quite exquisite! Before you ask me about my sanity, let me explain. I grew up in the mountains. The naked eye could see to the next tree and nothing else. If you have any idea of what South Dakota looks like, you can see how I would be so excited to see it. For miles, all you could see was the prairie...rolling, flat, green, and desolate. Not saying I would like to live there, but was entertained for most of the 600 miles to get there.
Our first SD adventure took us to Badlands National Park. The name sounded quite funny to me and according to my sister, it's where retired folks who weren't very nice migrate...I don't think that's correct. But once again, I was captivated by the random beauty all around.
By the time we had finished the scenic drive through the Badlands, it was time to head to Wall Drug. Are there any more people out there that have never heard of Wall Drug? Well, for your sake I'll share. It's the most advertised drug store in the world. Let's just say, it's a tourist trap with no sign of being a drug store as we know it. I was ready to leave Wall, SD. Finally after driving through the Black Hills, we arrived at our campground and begrudgingly forked over $12 for parking at the campground. We've traveled the US and never had to pay to park at the campground. Annoying.
As some of you may understand, driving over 600 miles in one day will take it out of you. We went to sleep quite early and slept quite soundly for just about 11 hours. Then our drive to Mount Rushmore began. The first thing on the list was to hit Wind Cave National Park. We thought we could use our National Parks Pass, but the fine print says "Does not include tours." Therefore, no Wind Cave for us. Next planned was the drive on Needles Highway through the Black Hills. We weren't expecting to pay $6/person just to drive on it. We passed. Finally, we arrived at Mt. Rushmore. Didn't expect to pay $10 for parking there either. The National Park Service is getting a letter...anyway, it was amazing to see something so famous...something you only see on TV or read about it books. At least that was the way in my family. Not a whole lot else in SD besides these three attractions. Definitely a highlight in our book.
Estes Park, CO was the next stop. We met our sisters and went camping in the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a great time for us to catch up with our sisters, see the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, and hike a bit. Our last night was spent with my sister in Denver. Then it was time to pack up our bags for the last time and head home. The drive to Prescott was almost 800 miles, yet it went by pretty quickly! Heading to bed in our own beds in our own houses after so long of being together was quite strange. An adjustment to say the least!
Our first SD adventure took us to Badlands National Park. The name sounded quite funny to me and according to my sister, it's where retired folks who weren't very nice migrate...I don't think that's correct. But once again, I was captivated by the random beauty all around.
By the time we had finished the scenic drive through the Badlands, it was time to head to Wall Drug. Are there any more people out there that have never heard of Wall Drug? Well, for your sake I'll share. It's the most advertised drug store in the world. Let's just say, it's a tourist trap with no sign of being a drug store as we know it. I was ready to leave Wall, SD. Finally after driving through the Black Hills, we arrived at our campground and begrudgingly forked over $12 for parking at the campground. We've traveled the US and never had to pay to park at the campground. Annoying.
As some of you may understand, driving over 600 miles in one day will take it out of you. We went to sleep quite early and slept quite soundly for just about 11 hours. Then our drive to Mount Rushmore began. The first thing on the list was to hit Wind Cave National Park. We thought we could use our National Parks Pass, but the fine print says "Does not include tours." Therefore, no Wind Cave for us. Next planned was the drive on Needles Highway through the Black Hills. We weren't expecting to pay $6/person just to drive on it. We passed. Finally, we arrived at Mt. Rushmore. Didn't expect to pay $10 for parking there either. The National Park Service is getting a letter...anyway, it was amazing to see something so famous...something you only see on TV or read about it books. At least that was the way in my family. Not a whole lot else in SD besides these three attractions. Definitely a highlight in our book.
Estes Park, CO was the next stop. We met our sisters and went camping in the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a great time for us to catch up with our sisters, see the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, and hike a bit. Our last night was spent with my sister in Denver. Then it was time to pack up our bags for the last time and head home. The drive to Prescott was almost 800 miles, yet it went by pretty quickly! Heading to bed in our own beds in our own houses after so long of being together was quite strange. An adjustment to say the least!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Why is the Minnesota accent so easy to pick up?
So....driving across Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin was long. However, everything seems to go so much faster if you have Popsicles to look forward to. It took quite awhile to find a grocery store off the freeway, but we finally ventured off a little way and found the tasty treat of coconut Popsicles. It made the 71/2 hours much easier (why is it that we make a 6 hour drive into a 7 hour drive...I don't get it).
On the way to Lew's brother's house, we stopped at the Mall of America. How can anyone come to Minneapolis without visiting the Mall of America? Neither of us are shoppers so we enjoyed walking around without purchasing anything. Though it is a culture in itself, I will be very content to visit the little Prescott Gateway Mall....so much more peaceful!
After our mall adventure, we enjoyed a very yummy and pleasant meal with Lew's family (her dad drove all the way down to see her!) It was exciting for her to see her nephew who seems to have grown a whole lot in the last 2 months. He is very strong and we enjoyed watching him try to walk on his little bow legs.
Our Twin Cities outing included visiting the World Mission Prayer League headquarters and visiting old friends of Lew's...and Ark got to meet some new friends. It was a quiet and peaceful atmosphere and we both enjoyed being there. In walked Hannah, another college roommate of Lew's, and the three of us headed out to see the city. We went to the Landmark Center where every floor had a different museum on it. The old piano museum where we could play old harpsichords and forte pianos was our highlight. Some of the instruments were played by Bach or Mozart themselves. Pretty amazing!
The next stop was to the sculpture garden. Some famous statues protruded with pride all around the garden. They were kinda....unique...that's my way of describing them. We enjoyed ice tea and teacher talk the rest of the afternoon. The evening was spent visiting more of Lew's college friends over bubble tea. Ark had never tried anything with tapioca in it so it was another unique experience. A slimy experience! How fun to catch up (and meet) with friends from the past!
Tomorrow it is off to South Dakota and then slowly making our way south...well, I guess it's not so slow since we only have a few days to do it...with stops along the way! The world has so much culture....even our own country. I am definitely loving the experiences of seeing so many of those cultures.
On the way to Lew's brother's house, we stopped at the Mall of America. How can anyone come to Minneapolis without visiting the Mall of America? Neither of us are shoppers so we enjoyed walking around without purchasing anything. Though it is a culture in itself, I will be very content to visit the little Prescott Gateway Mall....so much more peaceful!
After our mall adventure, we enjoyed a very yummy and pleasant meal with Lew's family (her dad drove all the way down to see her!) It was exciting for her to see her nephew who seems to have grown a whole lot in the last 2 months. He is very strong and we enjoyed watching him try to walk on his little bow legs.
Our Twin Cities outing included visiting the World Mission Prayer League headquarters and visiting old friends of Lew's...and Ark got to meet some new friends. It was a quiet and peaceful atmosphere and we both enjoyed being there. In walked Hannah, another college roommate of Lew's, and the three of us headed out to see the city. We went to the Landmark Center where every floor had a different museum on it. The old piano museum where we could play old harpsichords and forte pianos was our highlight. Some of the instruments were played by Bach or Mozart themselves. Pretty amazing!
The next stop was to the sculpture garden. Some famous statues protruded with pride all around the garden. They were kinda....unique...that's my way of describing them. We enjoyed ice tea and teacher talk the rest of the afternoon. The evening was spent visiting more of Lew's college friends over bubble tea. Ark had never tried anything with tapioca in it so it was another unique experience. A slimy experience! How fun to catch up (and meet) with friends from the past!
Tomorrow it is off to South Dakota and then slowly making our way south...well, I guess it's not so slow since we only have a few days to do it...with stops along the way! The world has so much culture....even our own country. I am definitely loving the experiences of seeing so many of those cultures.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
We didn't take anyone's advice in Chicago.
Day 25--Chicago: the windy city.
We took the train into Chicago where we saw the Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower. Then we walked to the Planetarium, which we did not go into, but we could see the whole Chicago skyline from there. Then, we walked all the way around to Navy Pier...very long walk. We didn't understand the point of Navy Pier, but we did sit out there and watch the boats and lighthouses for a while. We walked to Garretts, which is an awesome popcorn place. Ark bought Lew a birthday treat of MacadamiaNutCaramel Popcorn. It was awesome...Thanks, Ark.
We rode the train back and had dinner at the Macaroni Grill with Abby and Josh. We had fun drawing pirates on the table cloth. We also were brought two huge brownies for Abby's and Lew's birthday, but unfortunately, the waiter refused to sing to us. Thanks for dinner, Josh and Abby, and for your wonderful hospitality of letting us stay with you.
Next up: Lew's old stompin' grounds--Minneapolis, MN
We took the train into Chicago where we saw the Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower. Then we walked to the Planetarium, which we did not go into, but we could see the whole Chicago skyline from there. Then, we walked all the way around to Navy Pier...very long walk. We didn't understand the point of Navy Pier, but we did sit out there and watch the boats and lighthouses for a while. We walked to Garretts, which is an awesome popcorn place. Ark bought Lew a birthday treat of MacadamiaNutCaramel Popcorn. It was awesome...Thanks, Ark.
We rode the train back and had dinner at the Macaroni Grill with Abby and Josh. We had fun drawing pirates on the table cloth. We also were brought two huge brownies for Abby's and Lew's birthday, but unfortunately, the waiter refused to sing to us. Thanks for dinner, Josh and Abby, and for your wonderful hospitality of letting us stay with you.
Next up: Lew's old stompin' grounds--Minneapolis, MN
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