Surfing, Stars, and Saguaro's

Well I realize that it’s been way too long since I last updated the blog, so please forgive me. Since my last entry we’ve traveled almost two thousand miles, met some wonderful people, and had some great times. Last week was spent almost entirely in San Diego, CA. We left San Francisco late Saturday night and drove the very long drive down to southern California. The morning was spent going to church at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, which is the original Calvary Chapel, pastored by Chuck Smith. It was a true honor and delight to hear the man preach. He’s been teaching through the Bible verse by verse for over 40 years, and yet he was so full of life and passion for God that I don’t think I will soon forget it. After church we drove down to San Diego from LA, and spent the afternoon with the Lowe family. It was a great time of fellowship and catching up with them, and they didn’t seem to mind that we hadn’t showered in a couple days and were probably slightly smelly. From there we headed over to Ben’s grandfather’s house, where we settled in for the week. He was a really neat guy, and was very generous towards us in that he let us borrow two very nice long boards for the duration of our stay, which were put to good use. The surf while we were there was definitely not the best California has to offer, but it was a lot of fun and the water was not all that cold. Even in the summertime the water in Southern California can be quite chilly, but fortunately for us it was about 70 degrees. My only complaint about the beach there was that while I was surfing, somebody stole my sandals that I had left on the shore! I couldn’t believe it. I really liked those sandals too.
After four fun-filled days in San Diego, we left California, but not before we went and checked out Hollywood. If you’ve ever heard about the horrors of LA traffic, I can now tell you from personal experience that they are very true! I can understand why so many people want to live there, it has practically perfect weather year-round. But there are many things you have to deal with if you decide to become a resident. Like 2-hour commutes to work that is only 20 miles away, and disgusting smog. You don’t notice the smog that much while you’re in the city, but once you get out of it and look back, the sickening thought occurs to you, “I was breathing that?!” We were very blessed to get a metered parking spot right on Hollywood Blvd., and to our surprise and delight found that the meter had been removed. Free unlimited parking in LA! Incredible! We moseyed around the strip there for a few hours taking in all the sights. Street performers, actor look-alikes, the Chinese Theater, and superhero impersonators, not to mention thousands of tourists, make it a very interesting place to people-watch. There was also a booth of Obama worshippers, I mean disciples, er, supporters that were selling Obama pins, buttons, and even large framed posters that you could hang on your living room wall. I was fascinated at one button in particular that featured Obama on one side, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the other, with the phrase “continuing the dream…”, or something to that effect. As I stood there with my jaw dropped open at the sight of something that was in my opinion so blasphemous, the booth attendee said
“All the buttons are $7”.
“I’m not interested in buying one, I’m not going to vote for him”, I replied.
“It doesn’t matter if you vote for him or not, because he’s going to be president anyway”, he stated very matter-of-factly.
There you have it folks, probably the voice of a prophet. May God help us.
After taking in about as much of Hollyweird as I could handle, we headed east where we would eventually arrive in Austin, TX. One last stop before our trip would be over. But along the way we saw some pretty amazing things. At around midnight we pulled off I-10 and went north on a dirt road, about a half-mile north of the freeway and somewhere between Palm Springs and Phoenix. Once stopped, we got out of the car and looked heaven-ward to see one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. Except for the dim headlights passing behind us, and the faint orange glow of Phoenix far to the east it was totally dark. And over our heads, shining in all their celestial glory, were thousands and thousands of stars. Just hours before we had seen the stars on the sidewalks of Hollywood, glorifying the idols of pop culture. I recently read a quote by an author talking about the religiosity of film, that I thought was pertinent to compare in contrast with what I experienced that night. Geoffrey Hill writes, “As ironic modern worshipers we congregate at the cinematic temple. We pay our votive offerings at the box office. We buy our ritual corn. We hush in reverent anticipation as the lights go down and the celluloid magic begins. Throughout the filmic narrative we identify with the hero. We vilify the antihero. We vicariously exult in the victories of the drama. And we are spiritually inspired by the moral of the story, all while believing we are modern techno-secular people, devoid of religion. Yet the depth and intensity of our participation reveal a religious fervor that is not much different from that of religious zealots.” While Hollywood is doing a wonderful job at influencing and shaping the worldviews and culture of our country, and millions of people bow at its alter, it will never be able to outdo the majesty of God’s Creative hand. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork.” We listened to worship music as we gazed at the cosmic light show for about an hour, highlighted from time to time by a meteorite. Considering the vastness of the universe and the seemingly insignificance of man, we must remember that God is outside of that universe, but chose to enter it in real time and real space 2,000 years ago. Apart from the knowledge of God and living in the fullness of His grace, I can understand why some would conclude that life has no meaning. Looking at those stars can make you feel very small. But God has revealed to man in His Word that man is significant, because he has been created in God’s own image. Looking upward and seeing what you see with that in mind gives the whole thing a much different perspective. Instead of concluding that life is meaningless, we conclude that life is meaningful, because God is there. And not only is He the God who is there, but He is incredibly intelligent and creative, as demonstrated by the cosmos. Those stars inspired me to worship my Creator, because He is good.
The next day we drove through Saguaro National Forest, which is really just a bunch of cactus's, hardly a forest. But they were really neat to see in person. We drove all day and finally reached Texas. Then we drove and drove and drove, and made it about halfway across Texas to Austin the next morning. They’re not joking when they say that everything is bigger in Texas. It is a big state! That’s all I can write for now, except that our time in Austin has been a lot of fun, and I’ll have more to write on it later. For now it’s time to rest, because tomorrow we’re driving back to Memphis. Home sweet home.

Oregon Coast etc.

Yesterday we headed out a little later than expected. I think it was about 1:30 pm when we finally left the Woodman's. They were wonderful hosts, providing us with good food and shelter, and warm Christian fellowship. We drove down I-5 a bit, then headed West towards the Oregon coast. What's amazing abut the West coast, especially in Oregon, is that it is so sparse! I think I had this vision in my head of jam-packed freeways and Starbucks from border to border, but that is most definitely not the case. Western Oregon is really just a country place with beautiful mountains interlaced with robust rivers. It was getting late when we finally made it to the coast, so we grabbed the first camping site we could find that was on the beach. We set up camp, then headed down to the water to get front row seats to one of those spectacular sunsets that the Pacific side has to offer. There were a few surfers out on the surprisingly small surf, and I found out later that surf that small is really quite rare, even in summer. The local told me that the problem with surfing in Oregon is that the surf is usually too big, and you're usually waiting around for it to get small enough before you paddle out. But even so, I really can't see how people surf there, because the water is frigid! Anyway, we witnessed a beautiful sunset, a testimony to the artistry of God's creative hand. And we also met an eccentric Oregonian who had an interesting (and heretical) perspective on the Bible.
Back at the camp, we got the fire roaring to a nice blaze, which was most definitely needed. The air temperature most have been in the upper 50's, a far cry from the sweltering summer nights that I am so used to in the South. However, once I got cozily settled in by the fire, I found it was so pleasant that I just slept right there under he stars while Ben slept in the tent. The weather was perfect, there were no bugs, and there was no rain all night. I know emphatically that God loves me through His sacrifice on the cross, but last night was a little something extra, a display of His absolute goodness to His children.
We left the campsite at about 9:45 am, and started the long trek down HWY 101 to San Francisco. Parts of the drive gave me joy beyond description, with the clear blue water of the Pacific glistening in the morning sunlight, dotted with large rocks protruding out of the water, and other parts were rather average. We did see some neat stuff though, like the mighty Redwood forest, which made me feel like I would see an ewok from Return of the Jedi at any moment, as well as some Bigfoot tourist traps (which I was a total sucker for), and the famous drive-thru Redwood in Legitt, CA, the tree you can actually drive your car through, which we did for a mere $5.
Moving on down the coast we came to the California wine country, which made me think for a minute I was somewhere in central Italy like Tuscany. After a long days driving, eating a quick dinner at In'N'Out, and a couple of lattes we finally arrived in San Fracisco. Unfortunately we arrived after sunset, so the photos I got of the Golden Gate bridge turned out very average. Right now Ben and I are sitting in a cafe in downtown, which has a very European feel to it. I think any downtown area for me takes a little getting used to, and this one is no different. Crazy traffic, cafes, ristorantes, and strip clubs all over the place, and a chilly July breeze of about 56 degrees. I wish we had a little more time in the city, but we probably won't get to see everything that you're supposed to see when you come here.
All in all, the trip is turning out to be a whole lot of fun, as well as a helpful transition from my rigid schedule that I just came from in the Navy. I miss my friends back home, but I'm also glad to see some old ones along the way. And tomorrow is the best day of the week, cause I get to go to church!

Starbucks, GreenPeace, and Books

I think today was officially the halfway point of our incredible cross-country adventure. Yesterday was a long day, which consisted of seeing Seattle in about six hours, having dinner with my good friend Jacob Dixon, and then heading south down to Oregon City to stay with the Woodman’s.
Seattle, also known as the Emerald City, really is a neat place. I was thankful that the God gave us a true Seattle experience with gray, overcast skies and slight chill to the air. We left the hostel around 10:30 and walked just a block down to the Pike Place Market, also known as just the Public Market. It’s the home to the famous fish throwers, who thrive on launching freshly caught fish through the air to the cheers and applause of hundreds of onlookers. Seattlians sure know how to make an ordinary thing like grocery shopping into an entertaining spectacle. It’s also home to a world class farmer’s market with lots of fresh produce (mostly organic), as well as tons of quaint and delicious cafes and bakeries, not to mention the original Starbucks. I’ve said many times that I’m not a huge fan of their coffee, although after driving 15 hours across middle-American farmland, I sure was glad to get my caffeine intake at the first one we came to in Denver. But the nice thing about them is their consistency. Anywhere you go you’re going to get pretty much the same thing, and the original Starbucks in the Pike Place market was no different. With such an incredible history of small business turned world-wide corporation, I had to get a mocha from the place that started it all. I waited in line amidst an onslaught of tourists, all with the same idea in mind as me. After about fifteen minutes I received my drink, and it was pretty good. Probably one of the best mocha latte’s I’ve had from Starbucks, so I was glad that they lived up to their reputation.
After moseying around the market for a bit, complete with some incredible street musicians, we started to explore the rest of the city when we were viciously attacked by a street-evangelist from GreenPeace!!! She proceeded to attempt to sway, coerce, smooth-talk, and condemn us for our carbon-emissions, and tried ultimately to persuade us into bowing before Mother Earth and worshipping at the alter of Al Gore. But there is no need for worry, because we would not be swayed! Despite her scare tactics that because of gas engines and Kleenex we would all soon be underwater and therefore blaspheme the goddess of nature, I will still be driving my CO2 producing, fossil-fuel burning 4-cylinder Camry, with the wind blowing in my hair and a twinkle in my eye, while wiping my runny nose with a tissue. Sarcasm aside, we had an interesting conversation that I got mostly on film, and she was respectful even when I rejected her religion. It did make me think though, that here are people that are spending their time and energy doing in effect “street-witnessing”, yet there were no Christians pleading with people top turn from their sins and bow before the God of Creation, nor was I. Very convicting.
The rest of our time in the city was spent mostly walking up and down the steep streets, and exploring an art museum. After this, we headed down to Tacoma just south of Seattle to meet up with Jacob Dixon and have some dinner. Jacob just got back from his first deployment with the Army, and I was glad to see that he was still in one piece. He said that his regiment has a very low casualty rate, probably due to the intense training they do before they go overseas. He’s definitely grown up a bit, as war will do to a person. Please pray for him.
We finally made it down to Oregon City later that evening and were welcomed by the Woodman family, who used to go to Calvary Chapel Bartlett. They’ve been very kind to us, giving us food, a place to sleep, and an opportunity to do some laundry! Today Ben, Candace, and I headed up to Mt. Hood, down to the Hood River which is the wind-surfing capital of the world, and finally into downtown Portland. The view from Mt. Hood was beautiful, and I was pleasantly surprised to see there was still lots of snow on the mountain. Take that Green Peace global warmers! I was excited to go check out Hood River, mainly because I heard so much about it when I was a kid. My dad used to be an avid windsurfer, and all the magazines about the sport seemed to be centered around this mecca of wind. Unfortunately today there was no wind, apparently the winter is the best tome of year for that. But it was very pretty and I got some really neat photos. The amazing thing about Oregon is that it is so diverse! From the mountains, to the beaches on the coast, to the river, it really has it all. There were also some beautiful water falls right off the highway that we stopped to look at on the way to Portland.
After dinner I Portland we went to Powell’s Books which has to be the largest bookstore in the world. The place takes up an entire city block! We spent about an hour and a half in there, which was good because I was going to go broke if I stayed in there any longer.
Tomorrow we’re going down to the coast of northern California to camp out among the mighty Redwoods. I’m very excited.

Heading West

Today we woke up and loaded the car to make the trek through Montana, Idaho, across the Cascades and into Seattle, WA. The drive wasn’t too bad, especially once we left Montana and got into Coeur D’Alene, ID. I made the comment more than once today that if I lived in Montana I think I would go insane. Now when you think about Montana mountainous landscapes and lush pine forests probably come to mind, and it certainly has those. The beautiful streams and valleys that captured my imagination from Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It” are represented in certain places, and fly-fishing is one of the few things that makes the place sound appealing to me. But besides that, there really isn’t much to write home about. The small town of Boulder where my uncle Ron lives has little vegetation, and has a population of about 1,400 people, but it seemed like even less. It was nice to see him and catch up, but I can’t say I shed any tears as the town faded from view. Early on in the trip we stopped in Butte to get some lunch, and I also partook in my first drive-thru coffee-stand experience. The farther west you go, the more of these little coffee-lover oasis’s you will see. I’m going to talk to some people while I’m out here and see about getting these out in Memphis.
At about 4 pm we came through the enchanting towns of Coeur D’Alene and Post Falls, ID, which among other things are home to Dr. Chuck Missler and his ministry Koinonia House. I first encountered Chuck’s Bible studies when, as a new believer someone gave me one of his “briefing packs” that explained the origins of the pagan celebration of Halloween. His depth of knowledge, passion, and occasional wit hooked me, and I have since become a devoted follower, having acquired most of his topical briefing packs and a few of his verse by verse commentaries. I had to stop in to their office and hopefully meet the man who is like a spiritual grandfather to me. When we arrived at their office which is just off I-90, we discovered that Chuck was not around, but I did talk to the receptionist for a bit, and picked up a few of their products. If you’re interested in learning more about the Scriptures in a serious and technical manner, check out their website: www.khouse.org.
From there Ben took the helm and it was a few more hours drive into Seattle. We stopped at the Columbia river for a quick photo opportunity, and I nearly got blown off the large rock formation I had climbed to get a good shot of the river from above. The mountains on both sides act like a wind tunnel that channel the gusts down the valley at incredible speeds. It is such a nice change to see some elevation to the landscape, as well as some water that isn’t the color of lightly creamed coffee.
We finally got into Seattle a little after 10 pm, found some parking, and got checked in at the Green Tortoise hostel right across the street from Pike Place Market, home of the famous fish-throwers and the original Starbucks. Every place has its own culture, and Seattle is in a league all its own when it comes to personality. Plus it’s the coffee capital of the world! The Green Tortoise is a neat place to stay if you’re ever up this way, want to stay downtown, and don’t want to pay an arm and a leg. It was apparently started by some hippies that wanted to keep an anti-establishment communal environment alive when it was no longer popular to do so, and it seems to be working quite well. It’s patrons, like my English dorm-mate Phil, are literally from all over the world. Walking through the commons area which has a cozy, inviting feel to it, and is set-up with old iMacs for public use, it looks like six continents could easily be represented. It’s almost midnight, and while the guests in the common area are showing no sign of turning in for the evening, my body is telling me it’s time to do just that. Ben and I have been on the road for a week now, seen some incredible sights, hung out with some great people, and we still have a long way to go. One thing I’ve come to realize so far is that regardless of where I go, God is still there. You could travel to the ends of the earth and not be able to escape from the presence of Him who made the heavens and the earth. He is not a cultural icon, a symbol of power, or a political tool. He is alive, and He is at work in the hearts of men and women. I love what Paul preached to the pagans in Athens in Acts 17:24, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has appointed their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’”
God is truly Lord over all the earth, and over all people, though all do not acknowledge Him as such. I am just so grateful that He has called me unto Himself, and that He has shown Himself to be intelligent and artistic through the beauty of His Creation.

With all this excitement I nearly forgot…I am officially no longer in the Navy.

Yellowstone

Well this is going to be a really short one. We just got into Boulder, MT a little while ago and my computer access is limited. Yellowstone is absolutely gorgeous! If you've seen photos of some of those famous places like Lower Falls or Old Faithful, it's kind of surreal to go and see them in person. They really do exist! Ben and I rolled into the park last night just after dark and set up camp. There is so much to see, you really need a few days to get to everything. We saw as much as we could and took plenty of pictures, and then headed up to my Uncle Ron's place in Montana. Leaving Yellowstone from the north exit, we headed west a few hours to get to Boulder. And I thought Wyoming was desolate! I'm not quite sure how I feel bout the solitude of these places. Besides the aesthetic beauty of the mountains, it seems as if there is no life out here. The drive out seemed very lonely, and I found myself thinking of friends back in Memphis. Tomorrow we are heading out west, crossing the Cascades, and into Seattle. I'm looking forward to it.

Crazy Woman

Ben and I arrived in Sheridan, WY last night at about 10:30. We had a warm welcome from Jay and his 16-month-old daughter Alexia as we settled in for the night. The drive up here from Vail took about 8 hours, and while some of it is scenic and beautiful with the wide open spaces of the Wyoming country side, most of it is quite boring and monotonous. Apart from the cities of Cheyenne and Casper and the occasional deer grazing on the side of the road, the drive up I-25 will leave you in almost complete solitude. It begs the question to somebody who is considering moving to Wyoming "why?". But fortunately not all of the state is like that, and once you go west a bit the landscape becomes stunningly beautiful with its high mountain peaks that still bear the snowy marks of the previous winter's fury, as well as the local moose and deer.

This afternoon Jay took Ben and I up to Crazy Woman Canyon, just west of Buffalo. Now with a name like that there's got to be an interesting story behind it, and the internet offers a number of possible explanations of how the place got its namesake. Some are more colorful than others, but the generic version is that any woman who was willing to move west before their were highways and Starbucks were considered by their families back east as "crazy". But I would imagine that most men could come up with their own Crazy Woman story derived from personal experience(s) that would be just as bizarre and interesting as the ones around these parts. I certainly could...

Last night I stayed up really late talking with Jay about all sorts of stuff. I always love hanging out with Jay, and am totally blessed by his fellowship. He has such an in-depth of knowledge of the Scriptures that if you didn't know better you'd think he'd be known as Dr. We stayed up so late that the sun snuck up on us, so I decided to take advantage of being up at sunrise to do some filming of the countryside.

Tomorrow we're going to church in the morning, and then it's off to Yellowstone national park to see some of the most beautiful sights this country has to offer. If you haven't taken a trip out to see some of these places, I can't recommend it enough. Seeing the Grad Canyon or Old Faithful, or even the world's largest ball of twine in pictures is one thing, but seeing them with your own eyes is another thing entirely. And what better time to do it when gas isn't even $5 a gallon?

All Things Vail

17JUL08
Today was a really long day. It all started last night, when Zach, Keith, and myself stayed up till 2 am talking about life, which made getting up this morning a little difficult. More on this in a little bit. This morning the crew loaded up in the car and headed down I-70 W towards Glennwood Springs to go whitewater rafting on the Colorado river. We went with Timberline rafting company who I highly recommend, except that if you don’t have a relative or good friend that works up here and gets great discounts, it can be quite pricey. But our guide was great, and confident enough in his guiding skills that he took his 4-year-old daughter along for the ride. She took the rapids like a seasoned veteran. One thing about the rivers out here though is that the water is cold! It definitely made the idea of a hot shower this evening that much more pleasant.
After our rafting adventure we headed back to Vail to rest for a bit before we headed into town to go disc golfing on the top of Vail mountain. Unfortunately when we got there, the Gondola that carries you up to the top of the mountain had been shut down due to inclement weather, so Ben, Shaun, and myself decided we wouldn’t let that stop us. We would hike to the top! An hour and forty-five minutes and a rainstorm later we arrived at the summit, 11,000 feet above sea level. It really was a better way to go because we saw some amazing scenery along the way, not to mention the added bonus of getting some great exercise. After throwing some dics and taking some photos of the picturesque scenery we headed back down on the Gondola (which was now working) to have some sushi, a much needed meal after a long day of adventure.
The thing I love about Vail, besides the amazing landscape is that it is mostly a younger crowd, and that there is a sense of camaraderie and openness among the people. Many of them are not Colorado natives, but have come from as far as England and Russia to live and work. The people here also really enjoy their surroundings and take advantage of what the mountains have to offer, and whether they realize it or not, are in a sense acknowledging God as Creator by partaking in the blessings of His creation. I’ve had a few conversations with people out here, talking about the Big Questions in life, such as: Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? How do we know that God exists? Why are there so many religions? Is there life after death? These are questions that I think everyone asks at some point in their life, and are ultimately more important than deciding what job you will do and where you will live. And it is the answers to these questions that a person arrives at that will determine how they will live their life.
We've spent three days in Vail, and it's time to head on to our next destination. The next stop on our great American road trip is Sheridan, WY to spend a couple days with Jay and Susie Oss, which I'm really looking forward to. Until next time...