The RV Gang

The  RV  Gang

Saturday, September 22, 2012

May, 30th: TAHOE, CALIFORNIA



May 30th:

We have been around the U.S. in 75 days and hard to believe that we are back in California.  Of all the beautiful country that we have seen all over America there is nothing like Lake Tahoe.  I can easily say now that I have traveled the US, that it is my favorite place, besides Maui,, in America.     The smell of the fresh mountain air, the beauty of the mountains with snow, and the sun reflecting off the clear blue lake is a little slice of heaven. 

Today was a perfect day of relaxation on the beach by the lake.  The kids were thrilled to play in the water, catch crawdads, swim, and build a sand fort for their crawdads to live in.   Shelley and I spent the day at the breath-taking beach trying to catch up on our Blogs and just relaxing.  It was absolutely beautiful and I don’t want to go home back to the rat race of life.  .   I’m trying really hard not to be sad about the trip being over, but to be thankful for all that we have accomplished. 

We thouroughly enjoyed our time at Tahoe with the conclusion that after traveling across the country that it is truly the most beautiful place in America!  We so easily take it for granted because it is so close to us, but I don't think I ever will again!








It’s been a wonderful, amazing, adventurous, educational, renewing, crazy and perfect provided trip by God. We will remember it for the rest of our lives. Thank you Lord for your “good and perfect gifts”!! 

May 29th: PROMONTORY POINT & SALT FLATS, UTAH to LAKE TAHOE, CALIFORNIA

May 29th:

We got up early this morning and drove 30 minutes to Promontory National memorial park and arrived right when it opened.   It felt great to be on time for once!  Too bad it’s the end of the trip and we finally are on time!  Ha!  I know we’ve been on time a few places but it feels like we’ve been running behind the whole trip.  Good for us!

Because we were on time, we had time to stroll through the museum and gift shop before the working replicas of Jupiter and No. 119 arrived.  And of course we had the kids do their last Junior Ranger book of the trip.  We cheered them on while we told them to make the most of this last opportunity to do the Junior Ranger program.  They now have a collection of 19 Junior Ranger badges as keepsakes of what they learned at all the National Parks. 
This last National Park is all about the “Golden Spike,” which is what tied the east and the west together. 
Railroads began operating in the 1830’s and by the beginning of the Civil War, America’s eastern states were linked by 31,000 miles of rail, more than in all of Europe.  Unfortunately all of this network was in the east and didn’t reach beyond the Missouri River.  Many Northern, Midwestern and Southern senators fought for a railroad that would bring many benefits of trade, shorten western journeys, and help the army control American Indians resisting white settlements.  In California, Theodore Judah, a young engineer, had his own plan for a transcontinental railroad.  By 1862 Judah had surveyed a route over the Sierra Nevada’s and persuaded wealthy Sacramento merchants, Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins – “The big Four” - to form the Central Pacific Railroad.  That same year Congress authorized Central Pacific to build a railroad eastward from Sacramento and in the same act chartered the Union Pacific Railroad in New York with each railroad receiving $16,000 to $48,000 per mile, depending the difficulty of the terrain.    The Central Pacific broke ground in January of 1863 and the Union Pacific that December, but neither one made any headway because the country’s attention was on the Civil War, and little track was laid until labor and supplies were freed at the end of the war.
 
Central Pacific crews were challenged with rugged Sierra Nevada range immediately, while the Union Pacific built on easier terrain starting in Omaha, Nebraska.   Getting supplies to both railroads was a nightmare, especially for the Central Pacific, which had to ship every rail, spike, and locomotive 15,000 miles around the Cape Horn.  Although, both pushed ahead faster than anyone had expected laying 2-5 miles of track a day on flat land.  The Union Pacific hired many unemployed immigrants – Irish, German, and Italian, and Civil War veterans from both sides, ex-slaves, and even Indians.  The Central Pacific hired several thousand Chinese because the rush for gold and the silver boom had drained California’s labor pool. 
By mid-1868 Central Pacific crews had crossed the Sierra and laid 200 miles of track and the Union Pacific had laid 700 miles over the plains.    Surveyors worked hundreds of miles ahead, while scrapers, and graders prepared about 20 miles of bed at a time, cutting ledges, blasting hills, and filling all ravines.  Workers 5-20 miles ahead dug tunnels and built high wooden trestles – the Central Pacific blasted 15 tunnels through Sierra granite using dangerous nitroglycerine.  As the two railroads traveled closer to meeting they raced to gain more miles and claim more land subsidies. Congress finally declared the meeting place to be Promontory Point, Utah, and On May 10th, 1869, two locomotive – Central Pacific’s Jupiter and Union Pacific’s No. 119 – pulled up to the one-rail gap left in the track.  After a golden spike was symbolically tapped, a final spike was driven to connect the railroads.  Central Pacific had laid 690 miles of track, and Union Pacific 1,086, crossing 1,776 miles of desert, rivers and mountains to bind together East and West.  Engraved on the Golden Spike is “May God continue the unity of our Country as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the World.”  That’s awesome!  The Golden Spike is now displayed at Stanford University in their museum. 
At 10:00am we stood outside the museum, next to the railroad tracks, to wait for the Union Pacific’s replica, the No. 119, to arrive.  Far away we heard the noise and steam of the engine, and the toot of the whistle, as it slowly came towards us.  It was fascinating and such a treat





At noon we got back on the road towards California.  We had to drive back through Salt Lake City to connect with the 80 freeway west– the 80 that travels through Tahoe and Sacramento to highway 12.  We will travel on this road all the way home through 3 states.  The 80 extends all the way across the northern part of the USA just like the 10 freeway in the southern US.  As we drove along we came to the famous Booneville Salt Flats of Utah right off the 80 and we pulled over to walk on it.  It was absolutely amazing.  When you look into the horizon the glare makes it look like it goes on forever and mixed with the white it can seem like water. 

We still had 6 more hours of driving through ugly Nevada, on to beautiful Lake Tahoe.  It felt like the longest drive ever . . . nothing to see and we are all ready to get home.  We worked for hours with the kids on their books and finishing all the fun facts about each state.  They worked diligently and finished them all – they were very proud!   We still have a huge amount of work to do on their books but we accomplished an enormous amount on the trip.  Hopefully it will be something that they remember forever.

We arrived at Sweet Briar in Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe at 1 am.  The parking lot had cars spread out but there was a nice small corner to park the RV in but it was extremely difficult and took us about a half hour.    But Shelley and I can do anything now after driving the RV all the way across the country and parking it in many different places.  After parking I finally stepped out of the RV and felt a huge sigh or relief . . . “We’re home!”  Tahoe is like a second home to me and there is nothing like the smell of Tahoe . . . the fresh crisp air, the pine trees, the stars . . . it’s so incredibly beautiful   It made me feel incredibly thankful that I live here and that we actually made it home to California!!


May 28th: SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH


May 28th:

We packed up this morning and drove back to Arches National Park so that the kids could get their Junior Ranger badges.  The lady went over everything in detail and was especially detailed about the millions of years.  The kids asked her all kinds of questions about the millions of years in relation to the Bible and the flood of Noah, but she didn’t clue in at all and kept rambling on about all the rock formations “millions of years ago."   The kids were frustrated that she didn't listen but I told them that they planted a seed of thought in her heart and who knows what God will do with it.   It's hard to impact many of the people who don't know anything else except evolution, and they have no desire to listen or read anything.  They are stubborn and their hearts are hard.



Onward to Salt Lake City, again through the land of nothingness!  I’m telling you that the southern end of Colorado and Utah are ugly!!   


We drove for 3 hours of plain terrain, and then suddenly there were mountains . . . even mountains with snow.  I was strange that the terrain changed so quickly.  It actually became beautiful, with mountains, streams, and a cliff-side train track.   Although, I knew we were still in barren land when we drove past the biggest wind powered generators that I have ever seen.  
Finally we arrived in Salt Lake City and drove downtown.  We were curious to see  the Mormon temple and square.   I had no idea that it was actually the whole downtown.  We drove down the main street and pulled over to the sidewalk.  All around us were “Latter Day Saints” buildings and the main tabernacle.  I actually felt chills go up my spine and thought, “should I really be here?”  Then I decided that we needed to pray for the Lords protection and wisdom as we walked around the area. 
The Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10-acre Temple Square in the downtown Salt Lake City.  The temple grounds are open to the public but the temple is considered sacred and a “temple recommend” is required to enter, so there is no public tours.   

But there was a visitors center that we decided to go into . . . it was a large building full of displays about the building of the temple, the traditions, a model of the temple, and a computer display about the levels of the temple and what they are used for.  We started reading about the baptismal bottom level of the temple and we decided that we needed to leave . . . we all felt a little strange about being there and ran out to the center square.  We took some pictures and then we left.  It was good for all of us the see the area and educate the kids a little on Mormonism, but glad it was short.   

Next we drove to the nearest Starbucks to collect our “Utah” mug and it was in a beautiful outdoor mall.   They named the mall the “Olympic Plaza” and was built for the 2002 winter Olympics.  We found our mugs, shopped a little, and then we were off to Promontory Point, Utah, about an hour and 20 minutes away, to spend the night.    On the way we drove under several overpasses that had different Olympic athletic emblems on the sides . . . it was very exciting to see!   We tried to get pictures of them all but  most came too fast and we missed them!    

Finally we arrived at our State park camp ground, made dinner and went to bed.  It’s hard to believe that we are almost home!  Three more days!