The Adventures of Wes and Suzanne

Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)

2011-09-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

Here is our 8 day trip sailing the British Virgin Islands. This gives you a great idea of what is underwater at a couple of the good snorkling destinations.

Must see dive sites:
The Baths
Diamond reef > at Marina Cay
Monkey Point
Norman Island

The Rockies

2008-08-05T15:55:00.001-07:00

To see the whole Trip start with "July" which is the link just to the right>>>>>

Arches National Park

2008-08-05T15:39:00.001-07:00

Arches was not on our list of site to see however it was a short 3 hour detour for us on our way to the Rockies. We didn't spend much time out of the car rather flying past the sites while Suzanne hung out the window snaping pictures.

More Yosemite

2008-08-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Cattle Guards

2008-07-29T12:57:00.001-07:00

Suzanne and I find it fascinating at how many Cattle Guards we have passed in California, Nevada and Utah. There are cattle guards entering and exiting highways and we have crossed several on the highways. The interesting thing about it is that we haven’t seen that many cattle in those states. In fact I would dare to say we have seen more cattle guards than cattle.

Yeah, my count is that we have crossed 57. (Suzanne)

Tuolomne Meadows!

2008-07-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

The spring and the beautiful meadow! The spring is the red bubbly part in the front of the picture.

The guy in the cowboy hat is definitely the one who gave us the lemonade. The largest part of the spring where we dipped for water was where Wes is hanging.

The bridge with 100 splinters.

The water was crytal clear!

Flowers! Purple flowers!

Upon another one of Michael Barker’s brilliant Yosemite suggestions, we spent the first half of the next day in Tuolumne Meadows. The drive there was 45 minutes of unbelievable beauty with lakes, mountains and flowers!

Oh beautiful meadows! We “scrambled” up a dome in the middle of the valley and were surrounded on all sides with the HUGE meadow enclosed in trees and bordered by mountains. Some of the mountains still had snow!

We meandered through the meadows taking in the cool fresh air, the flowers and the limitless shades of green that made us feel so alive! There were several streams and a river that calmly wandered through the meadow with seemingly no destination. It was BEAUTIFUL! A spring on one side of the meadow releases naturally carbonated water. It was so cool to see it bubbling out of the ground! Although Dad and Aaron would have enjoyed the water naturally, fortunately for us another visitor brought lemonade powder which we added to the bottle we had filled. It was one of the best drinks we have ever had!

We took a picture on a bridge in the middle of the magnificent meadow and Wes got some splinters in the back of his leg. He had to find a tree, strip down to his boxers in the middle of the meadow and lie down in the tree’s shadow (Need I mention there are not many trees in a meadow?) while I tried to discreetly and quickly get the splinter out with the tweezers from his swiss army knife. I don’t think I will ever forget that moment.

Day three of Yosemite

2008-07-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

Our last day was a packed one. We kicked it of with a short 3 mile stroll through the woods where we saw a deer and two fawns that could not have been more than two weeks old. One could barely stand correctly. Our walk ended at the Ahwanee Hotel, which is a historical site and its 1920’s architecture is beautiful. After lunch we took a quick 4 mile hike up to a view of Yosemite falls. After the Half Dome hike the legs were pretty much useless but we still pressed on up the 48 switch backs to see the falls (one of the tallest in the world) and the valley from a different perspective. It was totally worth the trip. (Wes)

(Suzanne)
Wes and I ran down the switchbacks from Yosemite Falls which was a rush! I could not stop laughing. We said “cheers” to someone instead of “thanks” for letting us pass. Someone had said that to us earlier and I couldn’t wait to use it. It was all quite silly! We rented a raft and floated down the river that ran through the valley. Again we were one of the last to secure a raft. We were very close to floating down in lifejackets. I’m glad we did not have to resort to that since the many shallow sections would have made for more walking than floating, and we would have been completely numb by the end. Wes really wanted to paddle down and I had just wanted to float on a tube, so we compromised. Wes paddled the raft and I laid out in the front dangling hands and feet in the water like a queen! I've never felt more royal (except of course when I remember that I am a daughter of THE KING!) We jumped in and walked through the river on occasion marveling at the rock faces that rose thousands of feet on both sides. It was amazing! We finished the day with a sunset, hotdogs over the fire (which according to Wes were the best he had ever tasted), hot chocolate, and smores! Yum!

Meadows

2008-07-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Suzanne has become a Meadow freak. Forget the 3000 foot cliffs and amazing views she wants to play in the Meadows. I think we have 50 pictures of just meadows.

Yosemite

2008-07-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

From Sequoia we ventured north to Yosemite. I’ve seen many pictures of Yosemite but nothing comes close to the experience of being there and seeing its majesty and wonder. Our first glimpse of Yosemite was from tunnel point, which is a parking lot right at the end of a tunnel. “AMAZING.” It’s a breathtaking view of the whole valley highlighting El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls and Half Dome. Our first stop was Camp 4. There are no Camps 1-3 just a Camp 4 which is a name left over from the military days. The nice thing about Camp 4 is that it’s first-come first-served. Since you can’t make reservation we arrived when the doors opened at 8:30 and by 11:00am we secure the last 2 spots of the 72 vacancies. The time in line was well spent getting to know 4 Austrian teachers who did not get a spot. I could write pages and pages of about Yosemite but I will do my best to summarize. After we set up camp we rented mountain bikes which were pretty much glorified beach cruisers with a fixed gear. It’s not fun riding up hills with one gear and taking pictures at the same time, but it made for so good laughs. After a few hours enjoying the valley we decided to take a dip in the river since Camp 4 is not equipped with showers. I should also mention that Camp 4 is where most of the rock climbers stay since it is really cheap and there is great bouldering within the camp. The river is quite beautiful as it meanders down the valley with 3000 foot rock walls on either side. Since the temperature in the valley was around 99 degrees a dip in the water sounded refreshing however it was a little more refreshing than I expected with its freezing water, so I was in and out quickly. Suzanne however swam around like an Eskimo while I snapped a few pictures. We ended our day with a moonlight tour around the valley. It was awesome seeing the rocks, falls and forest with a silver glow and learning the history and geology of Yosemite. On the side of El Capitan, which takes 3-4 days to climb, we saw the glowing lights of a few climbers 2,500 feet up!

Our second day had one item on the agenda, hike to the top of Half Dome. It’s a 15 mile round trip hike that gains somewhere in the ball park of 4500 feet from the valley floor. I have to add that the weather was overcast the morning of our hike and I wasn’t too keen on the hike because I didn’t want to hike 15 miles and not be able to enjoy the amazing view from the top. Suzanne, however was pumped for the hike. So reluctantly I started the hike in the rain. Well I’m glad we did because it was much cooler and it cleared up enough by the time we reached the top to enjoy it. On the way up we saw two of the most amazing waterfalls we have ever seen. The pictures might give you a little taste, but could not possibly capture their glory. The last climb to the top was not for the faint of heart. It felt like a 75 degree angle and definitely could not be done without the cables that run up the side. If you stand up straight your face almost touches the rock.

Squirrels
The squirrels in Camp 4 are the most aggressive creatures I’ve ever seen and the fattest squirrels I’ve ever seen. They have no problem jumping on the picnic table while you are sitting there. Salt and vinegar chips we found to be the best at drawing them in because of the strong smell, so much so that one came right up to Suzanne on the picnic table and tried to get into the bag.

Gulliver's Travels

2008-07-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Walking among the giant trees of Sequoia National Forest makes one feel a bit like a Lilliputian. The majestic evergreens tower above all else in the forest. We walked through a few sequoias and even drove through one! One man even built his house inside the trunk of a down tree! They had fun names for the largest such as General Sherman, Roosevelt, Sentinel, and Booker T. General Sherman is the largest tree in the world by volume. It is 52,500 cubic feet! My favorite depiction of its size was that filling the tree with water would fill 10,000 bath tubs! We hugged many trees and our arms did not measure even ¼ of their circumferences. Hiking around we marveled over and over again at the colossal trees! I could go on and on about the details of their fire-resistance, the way they hollow out, their need for fire and their measurements, but you could probably care less or you have already seen them and know all this. They were just really big dwarfing everything around them including the huge sugar pines that now get no attention because they cower under the grandeur of the great sequoia.

We saw a beautiful view from Moro Rock up 400 steep steps. We also walked around a meadow! Meadows are my new favorite! They are so amazing in the summer and I’m sure in spring as well. Flowers and all things green, outlined in trees and teeming with life, they are so peaceful and beckon a stroll, a picnic, and a dance from any passer-by.

We saw a baby bear and it was incredible to watch it dig for food. It tore apart a few fallen trees and unsuccessfully tried to keep its balance. It fell backwards and sideways, rolling and awkwardly walking around. He was a really cute little grizzly!

We drove out of the park toward Yosemite and Wes found a great campsite on Lake Kaweah right outside the park. We set up in the dark under a full moon and the lake made for a beautiful morning!

Death Valley

2008-07-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Bryce Canyon

2008-07-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

50 mile dirt road

2008-07-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

Mtn Biking in Page

2008-07-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

Pictures on the way to Page

2008-07-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

2008-07-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

We hit a rain storm since it is "monsoon season" out here. This just means it rains for about 60 seconds sometimes, but you can see the storm moving through! We had lost one winshield wiper! Wes rigged it This is looking back at Sedona. The scenery changes so quickly! All the sudden there were trees!

We found blackberries at the top of the Tonto Bridge! I have missed picking blackberries for a while, especially this summer, so it was such a blessed surprise!

These are from the bottom and top of the Tonto National Monument which was a fun little find on the way to Page! It was a huge land bridge and we had to climb through the rocks and stream to get through.

having fun on our way to Page
We rode along the ridge of some mountain range!
We also saw a dead deer on the side of this road with no indication of poaching. It is the first dead deer I have ever seen that had not been purposefully killed.

- a cool rock in Sedona
- outside our airplane resataurant in Sedona
- We had homemade ice cream in Sedona! Wes said is was the best he had ever tasted. Mom, your peach still beats it by a mile!

We went mountain biking around the rim of a huge canyon in Page for about 2 hours. It was amazing and a great introduction for me (Suzanne) into the sport. Wes said it was his favorite thing we have done. The guy at the shop was the typical outdoorsman in that he directed us away from the populated slot canyons and out to a more private one 9 miles down some dirt road over a creek. The road was a "shortcut" to Bryce Canyon which we had wanted to see, but cut out of our trip due to time constraints. After taking a dip in the non-shark infested, non-gator infested Lake Powell, we drove and wandered around the desert for a while, but never found the canyon. We decided to stay on the road and head to Bryce having no idea what we were in for...50 miles of washboards going 15mph in the most incredible scenic area! One side of the road would be completely different than the other and around every bend or over every hill we would be surprised again and again! My favorite comment of the day was upon cresting a hill Wes yelling, "Oh, civilization!" only to discover they were huge mounds of dirt.

The biggest blessing of our mishap adventure was Bryce Canyon, which is my favorite part of the trip so far!! We hiked down into the canyon and I have never felt smaller. Our God is so big and so in control! The carefully crafted canyon testified to His beauty. I could almost see Him smiling as He painted and shaped knowing I would stand one day marveling at His grandeur! The towers of rock in the canyon were replicated by many who passed through so we piled some stones and prayed remembering who our God is and how much He has blessed us.

We continued our journey to Vegas where we stayed with Kent and Renee. Thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality! It was great to see you! Wes was craving hot breakfast so we ate some excellent pancakes at IHOP at the end of the strip. (Yes we cruised the strip.) After passing a "Prison Area, Hitchhiking Prohibited" sign, and buying the best beef jerky we have ever had from the side of the road, we were on our way into the desert. Death Valley was hot to the degree of 118! Per the sign, we turned our AC off so the engine wouldn't overheat. The sand dunes were neat and the veiws were beautiful, but we didn't get out of the car for long. The quick changes in elevation were probably the coolest part! We went up the mountains (4500 ft) down to sea level and back up the mountains. It was awesome to be in the valley and see the mountains so abruptly and rigidly shoot out of the earth! What contrast! We rode along the Sierra Nevada range and Wes found us a great campsite right on Lake Kaweah outside of Sequoia National Park. We are just entering the park now where we will spend the night and then journey on to Yosemite tomorrow! Thanks for all the comments! We love you guys!

New Mexico

2008-07-17T19:07:00.001-07:00

New Mexico brought a whole set of new challenges. Apparently New Mexico and Arizona have a period of time know as the Monsoon season. July would be that season. It’s pretty amazing to watch from a distance since you can see for what seems 100 miles. As we hit our first storm I turned of the wind shield wipers and the first swipe of the blades was the last for the passenger side blade. I’m not sure what happen but it pretty much ejected its self from its fixed position on the wiper bar. It’s not easy driving in the rain without wipers but I managed. The next town we rolled into I stopped to pick up a new blade to find out that auto zone doesn’t carry the new blade mount for a 2008 Suburban. Well since the skies cleared up I decided to press on. Thankfully no more rain showed up. NM was the state I decided to take our first “Off the Beaten path” journey. Our destination for the night was a small town called Roosevelt where I thought we would stop for the night at one of the many camp grounds. Well since we made so many stops along the way we didn’t end up arriving in Roosevelt till around 11:00pm local time. I figured that the camp grounds would be closed for the night to new guests so we would have to get a hotel room. Not a big deal except for that fact that there are no hotels in Roosevelt. In fact there is nothing in Roosevelt except for camp grounds, a Marina and a Tonto Cliff Dwelling. So once again we had to crash in the back of the Suburban. Holy hotness.

The next morning I was up early to watch the sunrise over the man made Roosevelt Lake and once Suzanne woke up we were off to Page. The surrounding have finally taken on a whole new look of which I will let the pictures do the taking. On our way to Page AZ we took another off beaten path thru Sedona which has some really amazing rock formations and beautiful colors. We stopped and had lunch at the air port which is on top of a plateau with incredible views. I had a buffalo burger with fried cactus and cheese. Definitely one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. The ride from Sadona to Page was amazing and very diverse. Again I’ll let the pictures do the talking. We finally rolled into Page around 6:00pm and had dinner at a local Mexican place. After our previous nights stay in the back of the truck we decided to splurge on a hotel room. Well after an hour or so of searching we finally found the last hotel room in town at the exquisite Motel 6. At that point we really didn’t care, it was just nice to have a hot shower and bed.

More of Texas

2008-07-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

Texas keeps rolling like a tumbleweed. We just crossed the state line into New Mexico after driving for about 7 hours (I think). Although Laura thought my impression of Tejas would quickly deteriorate during today's desert experience, I have to stay I am still amazed. I love traveling where there are no billboards, and no power lines are even better! I realize this means there is almost nothing at all, but you can actually see the landscape with nothing to disrupt the view! The speed limit is 80mph (nice) and there are beautiful rolling hills and plateaus! I have never seen plateaus!!! They are amazing! Who knew that there could be so much land that just dropped off! We could see the rock lines too! God is so creative. We also saw oil being drilled! There is so much land I am tempted to pull a Green Acres and live here (not really).

Wes made lunch on the other side of the house while I was driving. I knew he was making PBBJ (PBJ with bananas) and when he mentioned there might be a surprise I told him I didn't want M&Ms on mine he smiled like a 12-year-old boy shyly asking, "How did you know?" It was awesome!

We also saw the Rio Grande. It is not so grand or grande, whichever you say. However, the shacks on the other side in the small window where we could actually see Mexico made me feel blessed!! It was cool and Wes was patient at my continual questioning as to his surety that we would see it.

We saw a rainstorm coming into the plains and cool funnels of sand swirling several feet high. We passed the biggest cow ranch or dairy farm I have ever seen and it was not on my side so Wes is now winning the cow counting game and I will never catch up. We also took a picture of this old man's truck because his dog was riding on the toolbox. It pretty much flashed in his face at which time Wes hit the gas seriously thinking he may pull out a shotgun. We have listened to dad's "Be my Valentine" sermon, raced a train, counted train cars (142!), mastered picture taking from the driver's seat, and listened to some appropriate Mexican inspired music. In regards to stops, Texas and NM have rest stops that have fun shapes (some without bathrooms and why you would want to picnic in the middle of a hot desert of nowhereland is way too creepy ConAir guy). There are teepees, huge (Texas size) wagons, and adobe huts. Fun!

We are headed through New Mexico for a while before we stop to sleep. We are starting to see mountains which are incredible in shape and size! Nonetheless, Wes thinks Texas was much more interesting than New Mexico. Perhaps the biggest attraction is the road that is completely straight for miles and miles...amazing. As the mountains creep closer Wes's 12-year-old boy excitement grows. We will get in so late to Roosevelt that our plan to camp may be spoiled so we may be camping out in the back room again! My only regret so far is that I did not buy a shirt that said, "Don't mess with Texas." I liked the saying before our adventure and it has now solidified it's meaning in my heart and is quite inspiring to me (as is, "Remember the Alamo!").

San Antonio!!

2008-07-14T17:21:00.001-07:00

After chasing daylight for a few more hours and driving through Houston (which is oh so big and neat) we arrived in San Antonio. We tried to cook burgers on the engine, but after over an hour they were still raw and we were hungry so we ate at Texas Burger.

Texas...
Everything really is bigger in Texas: the roads (one was 14 lanes), the lanes on the roads, the trucks that everyone drives on the big laned roads, the overpasses, the open range, the sky, the homes, the flags, the biggest star ever upon entry, welcome signs (which proudly admitted to being George W's home), and the smiles. Everyone had we met had a Texas size personality which means fun! (Yes, I realize that not everyone in Texas may not have a Texas size personality, but they were laid back and fun!)

San Antonio...
We stayed in a hotel that stood between the Alamo and the Riverwalk. A fountain/river ran through the bottom floor from one to the other. CRAZY! I have always wanted a stream flowing through my house! The Alamo was awesome and my NC rebel blood was so proud that 13 North Carolinians had volunteered for the fight! We know so much more about Texas now! I love that Travis answered Santa Anna's truce talks with a cannon shot!

We visited Market Square and I was amazed at the Christian, mainly Catholic, influence. Creatively crafted crosses and cricifixes combined with multi-cultural nativity scenes were on every corner. There seemed to be a lot of Christians in the city and at night the Riverwalk was not full of drunken craziness. How refreshing! We also saw traditional Mexican dances at the market which I have been wanting to see live since watching MI-2. It did not disappoing with great stomping and skirt swishing! We also played in a fountain which I have always dreamt of doing! I danced through it several times!

Scenes from San Antonio...

The Riverwalk was amazing! Wes thought the hand-carved signs were neat and was especially amused by the tree growing out of the building. He was amazed at the architecture and entertained by its history. We walked all the way around and took a riverboat ride. It was beautiful at night with all the lights!! We ate some great Mexican food on the water. Can you ever get enough chips and salsa? After dinner we went to the rooftop of our hotel where the pool and hot tub were unfortunately filled with children (they were all nice children, but it made us appreciate romantic adult places). Our sunset was not to be ruined as it dances with brilliant colors above a city coming alive. Wes described the Riverwalk area perfectly as "enchanting"!

Road Trip Begins

2008-07-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, at 8:30pm, after the monsoon rain and lightening that struck so close to our outside wall that our alarm system and internet are completely blown to pieces, we were off! The coolest part was that the monsoon went into dry season when we were ready to load the car!

The Suburban
Wes's parents have generously let us use their Suburban for our latest adventure! It is huge! I made a bed in the back that is quite comfortable. When I climb back there it is like I'm in a different room. I broke down giggling yesterday as I felt like I was in the back of a tractor trailer.

Wes drove until midnight after working the I-Phone launch all day. What a champ! We slept at a rest stop with all the truckers! Although the bed I made was comfortable and Wes slept soundly, I woke up approximately 26 times...I'm really not exagerrating. At 6:30am I could not sleep any more and started driving while Wes was still sleeping in the "back room". My new short hair after being curly yesterday looks amazing. I definitely win the bedhead contest. Ahh...roughin it.

When Wes woke up, we camped out in the back room and chowed down on Golden Grahams and we were quickly on the road again. Pensecola is beautiful! I've never been and I kept thinking, "Why haven't we vacationed here before?" Then I realized we can go so many other places in that driving time....like my parents! "Wish you were here!"

My whole family plays cards and Wes brought a deck that was unusual...52 Fun Things to do in the Car. We randomly picked 3. In "Hot Words" we chose 5 words we were not allowed to say. Wes has said 2 of them already so I think I won. We also played "A-Counting" where you count cows on your side of the road. We were going to change it to tire tread, but after beginning we found I was at a severe disadvantage since everyone in trouble pulls off on the passanger side where Wes was sitting. I am totally winning with cows! The other game is a total Makinson (my maiden name) family road trip game. A color is chosen and each person takes turns naming objects of that color. Yeah, we decided to chuck that one since niether of us would be able to concentrate that long. We have also started filling in a book that asks lots of questions called, "All About You". We did not realize that it is supposed to be therapeutic and is definitely secular. I was happy to hear that Wes had never "had an ex throw a drink in his face". He is so lovable! Who could ever? We have selectively answered and have been blessed to realize that we have communicated almost everything that has been asked. Oh, happy marraige!

Across state lines...
We planned to take pictures at every state line, but we distract each other so easily and have just taken our first one in Texas! We crossed a HUGE bridge to get into Mobile and we could see the whole city from the top. We also saw a city that was full of factories! I have never seen such an industrial city so it was neat. The landscape gradually changed to swampy bayou. It was so beautiful!!! I think I could drive through bayou for days. We took a detour into New Orleans and crossed a 5-mile bridge across Lake Pontchartrain. It was neat to see the city being rebuilt and amazing to see the damage that remains. It hurt me that we were so close to my little brother's soccer game in MS and couldn't go, but I'm sure he felt my love from 4 hours away. Still truckin...