Road Trip
Friday, May 19, 2006
I had a dilemma: I had graduated from College in Wheaton, Illinois, and was supposed to be working at a camp this summer in Washington State (see a couple posts below for info on the camp). I needed to get from point A to point B with all my earthly possesions. A friend most graciously gave me his car, a 1989 bright red Jeep Cherokee named Mary. (Thanks Mike!)
Mary and I undertook the 2253 mile journey in 6 days from school to home stopping off in three cities, having a grand old time. (Click on the Jeep for a larger picture.) Besides Mary, it was a solo trip where I did a lot of thinking, and listened to The Adventures of Hucklyberry Finn and Robinson Crusoe unabridged on CD. The total drive time was about 40 hours.
My first stop was in Minneapolis, MN with the Paurus family, friends from Wheaton. I had the privaledge of meeting Yoshi, a Japanese friend of theirs who was also a guest in their home. Yoshi drank more tea than anyone I have ever met, and showed me some cool things with Japanese characters.
On the way to my next stop, I drove through the Badlands, which were absolutely amazing. Here are some pictures.
Next, I landed in Rapid City, South Dakota. I didn't know a soul in South Dakota, so the day before I left, I looked online at the Paurus's and tried to find a place. After looking up a couple of homeless shelters, I stumbled upon an Christian and Missionary Alliance Church's website. (I grew up in the CMA.) No one answered in the church office when I called, so I had to get sneaky. I found their listing of small groups and got someone's home phone number that way. I called the number and was surprised to speak with the pastor's wife on the phone, who had actually met my dad before at a CMA conference in Seattle! She hooked me up to stay with Craig, a middle aged mechanic who ran an off-road 4x4 custom repair shop. Me and Craig had a fantastic time together, and the next morning on my way out he told me to stop by his auto shop. He ended up repairing and replacing a number of things on my Jeep at no charge. Thanks Craig!
My last stop before home was in Bozeman, MT in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I stayed with the parents of Tim Lockie, the man I worked with for InnerCHANGE in San Francisco last summer. (See a couple of posts down for info on my summer and a picture of Tim overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.) In Bozeman I enjoyed delicious barbeque, live Blugrass music, and made many new friends.
At 5:45pm on Wednesday, May 17th, I rolled across the Columbia Plateau of Eastern Washington, and as the Cascade Mountains appeared on the horizon and Mt. Ranier loomed nearer in the distance, I rolled into the Yakima Valley and pulled up in front of my house, just in time for dinner.
I praise God for the many prayers that kept me safe and helped Mary keep running, and for the generous hospitality I experienced that encouraged me the whole trip! home.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:37 AM
Hope you have a geat summer and your invitation to visit is still open.
PK
It brings tears of joy to my eyes reading about the blessings of God in your life. The Lord is always faithful even when my sight is too blind to see it. I'm glad you will be able to spend the summer at home with the family. That should be an amazing experience. I'm working on being home for graduation. In which case it would be wonderful to catch up with you for a bit. Anyhow, I need to get going God bless and I will try to maintain some form of communication this summer.
Your Friend and Brother in Christ,
Nathaniel C. Eells
i am shocked and thrilled at your boldness on your x-country trek. the pictures made me breathe in really quick and hold that breath till the last picture. beautiful beautiful. i should be seeing you on the 17th (l and j's wedding) and i am most certainly looking forward to it.
much, much love, -h.