Out of sorts in Omaha

September 27, 2015September 27, 20151 Comment

September 26, 2015

We started our day yesterday in Emporia, Kansas. We had plans to get to Nebraska and spend the afternoon in Omaha. We had spent a couple long days on the road so we thought a couple afternoon activities would be fun as we go across the “flat” states. We looked online at the things to do in Omaha and there seems to be a zoo, a flower garden, a large flea market and some parks along the river. After discussing those options with the kids we decided to go to the large flea market, as they like to look at all the shops filled with treasures. We drove to the western side of Omaha with anticipation as our treasure search was about to begin and I heard the girls referring to the show “Flea Market Flip” where people find something on a flea market and repurpose it and bring it back to sell. It’s actually a pretty cool show. Upon arriving at the flea market we quickly realized it was indoors and not outdoors. We thought, “okay, it’s Omaha … hot and mosquito filled in the summer and cool and rainy in the spring and fall… just like Minnesota.” After about 5 minutes in the place we realized that it was smaller than the annual Lake Community Rummage Sale and although the vendors were nice, we only found one treasure – a used movie for $1.50.

After leaving the Flea Market (called the Omaha Mega Market) we thought we’d go down by the river and have lunch. I saw a place called “Freedom Park” on the Internet that had military ships and airplanes and was located along the banks of the Missouri River. Unfortunately, GPS lead us astray as we ended up on a very narrow, somewhat muddy and soft, one-way, dead-end closed road with a 35 ft RV. This took us some time to maneuver and escape. After successfully getting turned around and pointed in the right direction and our day in Omaha doing not as planned we decided to stop and make lunch. After lunch we decided that we didn’t want to pursue finding the park anymore and we went on a quest for key chains (the girls as collecting one in every state). As we left on our quest, we realized while having lunch we were sitting 100 ft from the “Welcome to Iowa” sign the whole time. So with the day going the way it had gone, we decided we had to find a way to get a picture by the sign. We put on our flashers and parked where we were clearly not supposed to park amidst two lanes of traffic and a bike trail. We jumped out and got our Iowa Sign picture!

We thought getting key chains would be 20 minutes and we would head out of town, however this proved to be more difficult as people in Nebraska either don’t have a need for key chains or don’t want their states name on them. After trying four convenience store/truck stops and calling a few stores to see if they carried a collection of souvenirs, we ended up driving 20 miles east of Omaha to a Flying J to finally have success.

So in a nutshell, we spent 5 hours in Omaha to get 3 key chains, a used movie and a bit frustrated as I guess not every day on the road is full of success. Today we are in Iowa and we hope it goes better. Life is an adventure.

Ryan

There’s no place like home…

September 26, 2015September 26, 20151 Comment

There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home… with three clicks of ruby slippers. If I could go home from the road trip today, I wouldn’t. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I’m having a lot of fun going to all the states. But I do miss home too.

We started the day in Trinidad, Colorado. We first headed to Liberal, Kansas to go to Dorothy’s house from the movie the Wizard of Oz. We walked through the welcome center for half an hour while we were waiting for Dorothy to give us a tour. First we saw Dorothy’s house. We saw her bedroom, the living room, Aunty Em and Uncle Henry’s room, her kitchen and the laundry room.

We next went in a different building where she told the story of the movie. It started in her house when the storm came. Then we were in the Land of Oz. We walked by the scarecrow that wanted a brain. Then we found the tin man that wanted a heart, and last but not least we found the lion, who wanted courage. We saw the wicked witch and the good witch. Then we went to Emerald City.

We learned so much about the movie! Here’s a couple things that we learned. The good witch was 56 when they filmed the movie. There is still one munchkin from the movie that’s alive. The movie took one year and a couple months to film. And, the reason is was called “Oz” is because the author, Frank Baum liked the O-Z drawer on his file cabinet. That’s just a few things we learned!

We’ve missed adding a few “state” photos on the last posts so I’ll add them on this one.

After Dorothy’s house we went to Sonic because that was on our “bucket list” on this trip. It was delicious!

-Greta

Colorful Colorado

September 24, 20151 Comment

September 23, 2015

We woke up in Flagstaff, Arizona and headed to the four corners. While we were waiting to get there we worked on school. When we arrived we walked around a lot looking at all the little gift shops. My sisters and I all got a super cool dreamcatcher. Then we took a picture. I thought it was really cool how we could all be in different states at the same time! The four different states are Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. In the pictures below we are standing in all four states at once.

After the four corners we got back on the road and headed to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. We again worked on some school but it was only about a forty-five minute drive. We drive up the mountain to see the cliff dwellings. It reminded me off the town on the movie Aladdin. We took some pictures of that and moved on to a different spot to see more cliff dwellings.

When we were just about to leave we saw a amazing cloud! It was breath-taking, and the sun was setting so that made it even better. Then we drove to Durango, Colorado to see my moms friend Bobbi. She let us stay at her house for the night and made us root beer floats! Thank you Bobbi.

-Greta

Friendship is a beautiful thing

September 23, 2015Leave a comment

A few months ago, my mom and I went to Ethiopia together with group of 6 people from across the country. We didn’t know each other before we left other than a few conference calls we had together, but it was an amazing trip and God surely knit together that group of people for the purpose of that trip.

Yesterday, we drove from Las Vegas, Nevada to Flagstaff, Arizona. We were greeted in Flagstaff by my friends Carlos and Natalie and their family. Carlos and Natalie were both on the trip to Ethiopia. Yesterday, they drove hours to meet us for dinner and our families got to play together and we were able to enjoy a meal together and visit. I think it’s amazing how God knits relationships together and am so thankful for friendships. He sees no borders and distance is not a barrier.

Here are a few pictures of the time we spent together. We were surrounded by quite a beautiful group of kiddos. Carlos, Natalie and family… you are a blessing. Thank you for taking time to hang out with us! We love you all!

Rachael

Grace and Abby

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015Leave a comment

We spent the weekend in Minnesota with some awesome family and friends watching Gracie and Abby at the State 4H horse show. It was a weekend of learning and growing. It was a weekend loaded with fun! It is amazing to watch my girl and her horse! Here are some things that Grace had to say about the weekend…

It was so fun to be able to ride in the colosseum and meet new people. I can’t wait to have more practice and hopefully get another trip next year. Abby did so good and I am excited to work with her more when we get back. I miss her already. Thanks to everyone who came down to watch us. Special thanks to Jackie, Jamie, and Janelle for getting Abby ready and helping me with my patterns. Also a huge thanks to Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Linda for bringing abby down and to Grandpa Dennis for hanging out and helping me in the barn. Another thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Pete and Virginia for coming down to watch. One last one to all of my siblings for coming and supporting me. – Grace

Huntington Beach

September 17, 2015Leave a comment

Yesterday we spent the day at Huntington Beach, my moms favorite place in the country! It was one of the most fun days that we have had so far. We started out driving there in the van for what seemed to be forever. When we did arrive we went to go eat some pizza. When all of us were full we got to go down to the ocean.

We all changed into our suits and went for a swim! It was so fun watching all of the surfers. Next time I go back I am definitely going to do that! When we where swimming we saw fish riding on top of the waves. After we where done swimming it was starting to get dark so we took a walk along the Pier. We stopped along some shops and got a few bracelets and souvenirs. When we where done on the pier we walked downtown and went shopping a little more. We then got gelato, and made our way back to the car. Because our last video was such a hit I made another one at the beach.

We did not get much school done yesterday so we have extra to do today. We fly out back to Minnesota tonight. We will be there for the weekend because it is the state 4-h horse show. Then we will fly back out Monday night.

If you would like to follow our trips on our instagrams here they are:

Ryan- rjmccleary (he doesn’t post much)

Hannah- hannah_mccleary

Grace- Grace.mcc

Greta- Gretamccleary2

I would also like to say thanks to all of you for nearly 900 followers on our blog.

-Grace

Oregon and California

September 14, 2015September 14, 20152 Comments

Sunday Sept 13th, 2015

Yesterday we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium where we had the opportunity to see sharks, fish, jellyfish, seals, and much more. My favorite part was watching the seals underwater! We also learned a lot about ship wrecks and fish. There was a part of the Aquarium that you walked through and all around you, including underneath in some spots, was a huge tank all around us. It had many different types of fish, including sharks! There where also some puffins (a type of bird) that had colorful beaks.

Here is a video I took of the Jelly Fish we saw!

After we left the Aquarium we drove Highway 101, the Pacific Coast Highway along the coast. We saw the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful!

Then for the state sign pictures! Here’s what we have folks. We left Oregon in the dark and entered California in the dark.

Love, Grace

Driven by our last name

September 13, 2015September 14, 20152 Comments

Saturday, September 12, 2015

After getting to Boise, Idaho late in the night and finding our parking spot at the local WalMart, we work up early as the employees for the nearby Burger King were arriving for work. We really need to have more appreciation for a Croissan’wich as they get there quite early! We hit the road with our destination being Portland, Oregon for the day. As you’ll see as we entered Oregon, the RV was at max speed (about 68 miles per hour).

As the kids were all still sleeping Rachael and I were able to enjoy the sunrise over the distant hills. Then as we climbed out of the valley and went over a large pass we had a 6 mile 6% decline. We discussed if anyone ever has to use the “run away” truck ramps and if they apply to RV’s as well. I told Rachael my plan was that if the brakes went out we were just going to ride the bumper of the semi in front of us all the way down, however that would have proved to be a bad plan. Shortly after that we could see his brakes were starting to fail as blue smoke was starting to come out from under his truck. The semi was able to stop and pull over to the side so it did not go completely out of control but did make me think that steep inclines need to be taken seriously! This brought us down to drive along the Columbia River which we were able to enjoy for a few hours. The pictures below will not do it justice. It was truly beautiful!

When we got to Portland the kids were starving so we decided to try out a Burgerville. We heard they were known for their milkshakes but after being there we are still fans of Culvers.

After leaving Burgerville and feeling that the kids were content we opted for a “mom” activity and went to the Portland Saturday Market. It was a very cool market that happens every Saturday and Sunday; March – Christmas Eve. There was a booth for every interest from shirts to wood carved utensils, pottery and many types of artwork so unique I have no clue what it was.

After the market we wanted to go to Washington to get a picture by the state sign. Unfortunately where you cross from Portland into Washington it has multiple lanes of traffic on a bridge so it seemed it might be too dangerous for our family to climb the bridge and use our selfie stick to take the photo. We only have the one below.

For the few hours we had to spend in Washington State we had to choose what to do. Some of the places we discussed were Mt. Rainer, the Space Needle, Pungent Sound, Mt. Saint Helens or visit the only rainforest in the continental US on the Olympic Peninsula. BUT, we unanimously decided (or maybe just me) we should drive 5 hours round trip visit McCleary, Washington! We have pictures of our adventure below. The hospitality at the local diner was amazing once they were awe struck with meeting “real” McCleary’s. After being a celebrity for an hour, meeting the mayor and signing the guestbook we left the BEST named small town in America and the kids and I slept while Rachael drove us back to the RV park.

Trucker in training, Ryan

Irresistible Idaho

September 12, 2015September 14, 20151 Comment

We woke up this morning in West Yellowstone, Montana. We went shopping to go look for a key chain. I am collecting a key chain from every state! As we were walking down the street we bumped into the “Yellowstone Pawparazzi”.

After I found my key chain we left Montana and entered Idaho. I learned this boarder is also the Continental Divide where the water flows on either side to the Pacific (west) or to the Atlantic (east).

Then we went to Craters of the Moon in Idaho. Craters of the Moon is a area in Idaho that molten magma or lava built up pressure and pushed through the ground. It was not one big volcano, but many acres of land that the lava had covered.

First, we hiked up the Inferno Cone. It was very hot outside and it was very steep so it was hard to hike up. But, once we were at the top it was a beautiful view. On Inferno Cone, the rocks were very small and had little indents in them and they were very light. I learned that Inferno Cone is a cinder cone that splashed up lava and exploded rather than large masses of lava rolling across the land. Below is a picture of us walking up the Inferno Cone.

Then, we went to the caves that we formed by the lava rolling across the land. They were made by the lava on the top layer hardening and lava still moved underneath the top layer. This is a sign that was in front of the caves that we went into!

The first cave we went in is called “The Beauty Cave”. This cave, which is actually lava tube was nice and cold. It was like really big! It was pitch black inside. We had to use our phone flashlights to see. On the ground it was really rough and kind-of hard to walk on. As we walking we came to a dead end. The sign said that we could not go any farther for our own safety. It was a little creepy at first in the cave but then I got used to it.

Next we attempted “The Boy Scout” cave. We went in a little bit and realized quickly that it was too small and narrow that it was too hard for us to go into without helmets, kneepads and super bright flashlights. You would need to have really bright flashlights to see. Grace bumped her head twice so we decided to go to the next cave.

The last and my favorite cave we went into was the “Indian” Cave. It was the longest cave we went into and there were big holes in the top so we could actually see. It was very rocky so this one was also kind-of hard to walk through. Since I could see, we noticed the ceiling showed drips of lava that had hardened. I also noticed that the ceiling was missing a chunk and right underneath it was a big pile of rocks that had fallen. It made me a little bit worried because I wondered if rocks would fall on us!

We left Craters of the Moon and got back onto the road to go to Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho. We arrived at Shoshone Falls, which is claimed to be the “Niagara Falls” of the west. We were surprised when the water falls at Shoshone Falls were not going! There was two small spots that had a little water going down them, but nothing like the pictures. In the picture we took below the water is supposed to be flowing over all those rocks. Now I am excited that we get to see Niagara Falls in a few weeks. Hopefully they are not “out of order”.

The sun started setting and even though we didn’t see a huge water fall the river canyon was beautiful. Then my mom and dad took me out for pizza!

My favorite part of the day was going in the Indian Cave and exploring it. It was just fun!

Now we are on the road to Boise. Goodnight.

Greta

Wyoming

September 11, 2015September 12, 20155 Comments

Grace has put together this blog and written the last posts. I think she’s done a great job! She’ll be back as well as the rest of the kids taking their turn. For now, you get the musings from mom.

Today, as I sat listening to Burka read to me I could hear Grace and Greta at the table quizzing each other for their science test they take tomorrow. Hannah and Ryan discussing her Economics class in the front of the RV. All this was happening while were watching breathtaking views of Wyoming out our windows. I could not help but think I am one lucky mom. Really, I’m not sure that it gets better than this unless my two college kiddos were with us. I love learning more about the hearts of my kids while we experience our beautiful county first hand.

We woke up in Gillette this morning. We traveled up through the Bighorn Mountains and back down through them as well. I watched as my kids looked out the windows of our RV down to the valleys and up to the peaks. They noticed houses built way up high in the mountains and day dreamed about what kids would do if they lived there. We talked about how getting groceries would be different if you lived in the mountains versus living in Alexandria MN.

I packed our efit boards so Hannah and I got to get out and do a little stretching and working out in the Big Horn Mountains. It sure did feel good to get out and move a bit on our long stretch of driving.

Each of us has things that we think are great about our day as well as things that were not so great. Things happen – like when Hannah lost a paper she wrote for her college class due to the Internet going down. It’s all part of the adventure.

In the afternoon we made our way to Yellowstone. The geysers and sulfur pools are really amazing. A bit stinky for some in our group, but really it blows my mind to think about these boiling pools of water.

Buche is usually our comic relief and he’s not failed us on this trip. Our first stop in Yellowstone was “Mud Volcano”. We stopped in the bathroom before heading down the trail. After checking out the toilet (that did not flush) he said with a fearful look on his face… “DON’T fall in mom!”

The girls talked about memories we made on our trip with our friends the Thomas’ that we traveled to Yellowstone with some years ago. Those memories make me thankful for friends. Thankful for times spent together.

We watched the sun go down over Yellowstone tonight. We walked a path until darkness had set. It was beautiful. It was quiet. It was peaceful. This place is a mystery to me.

It is an adventure. It is good. And, I am so very thankful.

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