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Whirlwind Tour

Posted by on April 8, 2013

I write this after a shift driving from Omaha, Nebraska to Colorado Springs with the mountains just barely coming into view northeast of Denver.  We’re getting in just before perhaps the last big blizzard of the season, and we can tell a storm is brewing!  We’re getting blasted by a 30 mph southerly wind and tumbleweeds are, well…tumbling…across the road.  It’s become a game to see if we can hit one.  I think we need to paint tumbleweed “kills” on our car’s nose art.

rental car with nose art

In the tradition of famous WWII aircraft, I had a little fun and added “nose art” for our little rental car. We had four tumbleweed “kills”…one short of being an ace!

We’re rounding out with over 3,000 miles of driving through 7 states: Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska – the first time I’d even been in the last two!  Nebraska was surprisingly scenic as we followed the Platte River on I-80…so far the least boring way to cross the Midwest of three different routes we’ve used.  It kind of brings our journey full circle…the Platte River headwaters are just north of Dale’s parents’ cabin in Southpark.  We also got to witness one of the global wonders of wildlife – the half-million strong Sandhill Crane migration.

sandhill crane

The beautiful sandhill crane (click image for more info)

It’s been a wonderful tour visiting with friends and family.  Thank you so much to everyone for your hospitality and generosity.  We are so excited to return to Kenya with your donations to buy Bibles and other necessities for the children we are serving.

We want to specifically thank our long-time friends the Smiths in Norman, OK, the Meek family in Moore, OK, my high school friend Carrie and her family in Rogersville, MO, and finally our former neighbors the Raders in Omaha, NE for so graciously opening their homes.  Without your hospitality we could never afford to travel so extensively.

I’m grateful to have so many new partners in our ministry.  We hope that you will all keep us in your prayers, and we look forward to seeing many of you in Kenya soon!  Here’s a few pics from our travels:

boy with dogs

Riley ended up sharing his bed with some very large but friendly dobermans at the Smith’s house.

goose sitting on next

An unlikely place for a Canada Goose to nest – a large planter right in downtown Oklahoma City!

The famous mobile radars used in research all over the world at the National Weather Center.

The famous mobile radars used in research all over the world at the National Weather Center.

weather globe

This was a very cool feature at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma. It was a 6 ft diameter globe with several projectors displaying the satellite image from a couple of days. The image rotated, making it look like the earth was turning! Really a cool feat of technology! Click on the image for more info.

SR-71

The SR-71 Blackbird, a super-fast high-reconnaissance aircraft at the Strategic Air Command Museum in Ashland, Nebraska.

slide

A little-known treasure in downtown Omaha, Nebraska – an awesome public slide. We brought wax paper to sit on, and my first time down, I was airborne over that little bump in the middle!

The Rader family, our good friends from Oklahoma, now living in Omaha.

The Rader family, our good friends from Oklahoma, now living in Omaha.

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