Across the Land of Potatoes

The trip goes on! I've made it across Idaho and tomorrow I will head to Portland. I got a hook up there and I am going to be staying at a community house where 10 people live. I'm super excited. And also pumped to see Multnomah Falls on my way into town.

I had some adventures yesterday at Craters of the Moon and today...Bailey and I googled things to do in Boise. At the top of all the travel people lists...was Old Idaho Penitentiary. So naturally, we went! ha. Kind of creepy. But also interesting. And took a couple funny pictures.

Here are collections of little thoughts I've had...

• There's some cute foreign guy and his dad at Craters of the Moon. Maybe I should take a little extra time in the caves and let them catch up...
• Battle would. Not my idea of taking extra time. I really have got to start taking better care of my head. At least I was caving with some Canadians if I passed out or something. The wound came after I had already made a 127 Hours reference.
• There was blood. Not much thought. I just slapped a bandana on it so as not to gross anyone else out with the blood in my hair.
• There are so many different license plates at National Parks. I even saw a Pennsylvania one in Idaho! I guess we're all the same breed. Road trippers = National Park visitors = Wilderness lovers

Sermon thoughts:

• About prayer (and could apply to other things): You shouldn't say, I'll do this because if I do it, He'll be for me. He's ALREADY for you. Rather, the attitude should be, because He's for me, I put forth this effort.
  

I decided to start adding quotes I've overheard:

• "Ohhh, you got that Super Mario song stuck in my head again. I should hit you with my purse!"
• "Are we seriously clapping for a geyser?" (My sentiments exactly. I laughed. As did the Asians sitting between me and the man who made this comment at Old Faithful.)
• A dad, as his family walked away from "Inspiration Point" at Yellowstone after only being there about a minute...."I guess we're not feeling very inspired."

Pictures from Idaho!

 

I got little kid excited to go up this thing @ Craters of the Moon. It was fun.

 

Tree on top of the black rock hill.

 

In Boy Scout cave! Pre- head bump.

 

Bailey and I at Old Idaho Penitentiary 

Just in case any of you readers need to make a phone call....

Here are some links to the FB albums of the rest of my photos.

Tetons/Yellowstone

Idaho

God bless! 

Grand Tetons & Yellowstone

(Ok so my blog might be slowly changing...how do I get my own picture in the background?!)

Anyway! Here is what this post is going to contain:

1. All the brief thoughts I have jotted down in my iphone notepad while I did not have 3G...or perhaps any service at all in Wyoming/Yellowstone.

2. Pictures!

Longer trip thoughts will come later. So here it goes:

• I feel like I'm going to have to pull over and highway wilder-pee. Fo real. It's that bad.
• I have a bug bite the size of China on my forehead, and I "showered" this morning using a Coleman handiwipe. How hardcore are you? ha
• If you want to see our economic recovery plan in action...just drive west. You can't miss it when you have to waste chunks of time sitting in one way road construction traffic.
• I feel like I'm going to smell like a rotten egg by the end of the day. Yellowstone...kinda smells.
• Seen one geyser...seen em all. Idk. Much more impressed by the canyon and falls than the weird geothermal stuff.
• There is some New Yorker next to me making a video about Yellowstone Canyon. I had to turn around to smile to myself about his accent and enthusiasm.
• There is a young couple walking around, and the guy has no shirt on. I've seen them multiple times today. What's the name of that MTV show where girls date dbags?
• Just sayin, if you feel like taking a legit cross country road trip, you really need to know how to read a map. I haven't had service 80% of my trip thus far. 
• The way people stop for wildlife around here...I mean am I heartless if I just totally do not care? Animals schmanimals.
• Okay...so I have taken a picture of a bald eagle (kind of sweet) and some buffalo just because everyone else was. ha.
• Apparently a bear killed someone in Yellowstone for the first time since the 80's the day before I was there. So they closed the road where the guy and his wife were hiking. Like bears never travel elsewhere.
• I love nature but I also love civilization. I was dying for a cheap bed. So I drove on to Idaho Falls for a cheap hotel room. And I'm glad I did!

A couple of notes from sermons I listened to:

• If something stops growing it stops living.
• Comfortable faith is no faith at all.
• Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither.

And a couple of bigger, deeper thoughts from myself:

• Science-type or some philosophical people say they don't believe in God because you can't actually see him. Like it's ridiculous, because we believe in something we can't see. Some of them think we are just nuts. But when I look around at such grand nature.....I have to conclude that they're the nutty ones. To think that this all came out of some big bang?? Are you serious? How can you look at such beauty and not know it had to come from something bigger...something beautiful and loving? Jesus might not be walkin' around today, but I tell you what, I see God EVERY day.
• And then...if God can make things as great as what I can see in nature, how much greater works does and can He do in His children...US...whom He loves??

Oh, dude. My Prius MPG so far has been 45.5 Apparently when I'm not in a hurry to get somewhere, I actually get the EPA. Lovin' it.

A few photos...many more to come later on FB.

 

Grand Tetons...so beautiful.

 

 

Bison...through the window. Careful, they could kill you.(That's what they say)

 

Old Faithful.

 

Paint Pot. Whatever the heck that means. Lots of these. Smelled.

 

The best part of the day...looks fake in pictures.Yellowstone canyon.

 

Lower falls. 

Well....that is all for today! Thanks for keeping up. Tomorrow it's off to Craters of the Moon and Boise with Bailey. Still looking for any connections in Portland or San Fran...hit me up if you've got em! 

God bless.

"...to the wilderness for prayer..."

There are multiple instances in the gospels where we see Jesus withdraw by himself to the wilderness, mountainside, somewhere alone...all for the purpose of spending time in prayer to His Father. (One of these occurs in Luke 5:16).

I have never been more serious about my prayer life than I have been these last few months, and I have been looking forward to this time in the wilderness like you wouldn't believe.

My soul is thirsty to not only vacation with my Lord, but to be surrounded by His majestic nature that has ALL been created solely by the works of His hands and breath. I just can't help but praise Him when I'm surrounded by such beauty!

I serve a GOOD God. And it's gonna be a great two weeks of just He and I.

I was gonna put some photos...but this wifi stinks. Check my twitter for now. @GetLoew.

Love you all and God bless!