August Update

July 31 (nearly August):  Melissa, Pedro & family left Centerton, Arkansas last night (Friday) to come out for a visit.  Today, Susie, the girls, and my grandaughter Bailee and I left to meet Mel & Co in Thermopolis, WY for a couple of days of R&R and then for a trip through Yellowstone Park.  Since the Suburban doesn't have air conditioning, we thought we'd find a rack for the Lumina and put some stuff on top of the car.  No luck.  Those temporary racks that we used in yester-year are extremely hard, if not impossible, to find.  Pam had offered their van and so we took it instead of one of our vehicles.

We arrived at Thermopolis mid afternoon and Mel & Co were already there.  Outside of the cabin where we stayed were some hot pools, so we spent the afternoon and evening playing with the kids in the pools.  Dinner was cooked over an open fire and life is good.

August 2:  We left Thermopolis this morning headed for Cody.  We were almost to Meteetsee when the van gave a bang, lost power, and put out a lot of black smoke.  Oops.  After pulling to the side, I looked under than van and discovered oil draining from the block.  Although I couldn't see any holes, I was pretty sure that we had thrown a rod and blown out a piece of the block.

Fortunately Mel & Co were right behind us and took Susie to Meteetsee where she had cell phone coverage.  Two hours later a tow truck showed up and towed us into Cody.  We called Justin & Pam, let them know the situation, rented a car, had dinner and found a hotel room.  After several discussions with J&P, we decided than van was terminal and needed to be disposed of, and then we would continue our trip through the park and meet Justin in Rexburg tomorrow evening.

August 3:  With the rental car and Mel & Co in their vehicle, we toured the park and made a few stops at various sites, including Old Faithful.  It was a nice trip through the park and it has been years since either Susie or I had been there.  We ended the day with dinner at Winger's in Rexburg and a night in another hotel.

August 4:  Justin and I drove with the Lumina and rental car back through Yellowstone Park to Cody, dropped off the Rental car, and then drove back through the park to Rexburg.  Elapsed time:  11 hours.  Stops:  West Yellowstone, Cody, & West Yellowstone.  However we did see 1 bear, 1 buffalo and a bunch of elk.

We then picked up Annaleise & Bailee from the Rasmussens and headed back home.  After we got home, Pam asked if we had said daily prayers over the van.  Nope, that part slipped my mind.  She then stated that she never went anywhere in the van without saying a prayer for it.  Pam also stated that even though the van was a financial loss, she was happy to see it gone.

August 14:   I was at Bear Lake today as a solo participant in a scouting event.  The event:  "Bike the Bear."  Please see My View of the World under the Fitness 101 category for my write-up of this event.  It was my first ever Century bike ride.  Although I didn't set any records, it was a good accomplishment for an otherwise uneventful (fitness wise) summer.  However, the Grand Canyon is coming and I'd better get back into shape.

I drove to Lewisville, Id. on August 15 to visit my dad.  His 85th birthday was on the 16th and I wanted to go up for a visit and wish him a happy birthday.  Dad, Mary and I had a nice visit and I ended up spending the night at their place.  After taking them to breakfast the next morning, I made the return drive back to Utah.