Big Wheels Keep on Turning

I’ve got driving on my mind.
I am driving about 1800 miles a month as I drive between Zion and Flatlandia.
That’s a lot of miles and a lot of road time.
Driving this much doesn’t mean I’m becoming an expert on “road manners”
but I have learned (I think) how to be a better, more courteous driver.

I add this list not to preach, but to give people something to think about as they are driving
down the road.
Are you thinking about the other cars/travelers out there?
Or are you just thinking about your destination; about how hungry you are; or that you have to go to the bathroom?
I want to encourage people get out of your bubble and pay attention to your surroundings!

(Okay, it DOES sound like I’m preaching.)

TWO LANE HIGHWAY TRAVEL

1) When you’re traveling with a group of people, PLEASE make sure that you’ve at least two car lengths between each car.
In my experience, groups that travel together travel more slowly and for some reason,
think they have to stay right on each other’s bumper. It seems that they’re afraid someone will get lost if they allow space between each car.
Let me say you WON’T get lost! And you make it virtually impossible for
people who travel faster to pass and get around.
For example: Last weekend I got behind a U-haul truck that was traveling 60 mph in a 70 mph zone.
Attached to the truck was a trailer on which was the family’s mini-van.
Immediately behind the moving truck was the wife driving the family’s pick up truck, packed to the rim.
The wife was only 2 seconds behind her husband, who was driving the moving truck.
He happened to be right behind a semi with only 2 second between them.
That’s the equivalent of about 5 vehicles that I had to pass.
Because, realistically, if the speed limit is 70, that is what I will drive.
Getting stuck behind such slow moving vehicles is not fun when I still have 5 hours left of my journey.

I fully believe that these people have the right to drive that speed if that’s where they feel comfortable.
They had their life’s possessions in those vehicles and I can appreciate their caution.
However, not allowing space for me to pass them one at a time was unsafe.
I had to wait until there was a fairly straight part of the road and floored it.
I ended up going about 90 mph to get around all three vehicles,
which was incredibly unsafe.
And it could have been avoided, if they had paid attention to the road around them.
They were in the middle of Montana.
There was no where for them to get lost.
ALLOW THE SPACE!!

2) What about the people who drive super slow and then, as you move to pass them, speed up?
When you’re on a two lane highway, you want to minimize the time you spend in the left lane.
But when the person you’re passing all of a sudden decides he wants to drag race,
that’s unfair and unsafe.

(These next items pertain to highway and interstate travel)
3) USE YOUR CRUISE CONTROL!!*
It was installed in your car for a reason.
The reason the person felt like they had to speed up when I passed them in #2 was because they
weren’t using their cruise control.
They had gotten tired, and had slacked off on their speed, and when I started passing,
they realized they were traveling slower than they wanted, so they sped up.
If you use your cruise control, this is not a problem.
Your speed stays constant.
You’re not always playing speed-up pass/slow-down get passed with the neighboring car.
(Or the person in #2 just liked being in the first of the line and was ticked that I was passing.)
*It is unsafe to use cruise control on slick or wet roads.

4) Flashing your bright lights at an oncoming car
Sadly, I do a lot of night driving through mountains that have high deer/elk/moose populations.
When I’m driving in the dark, I always slow down and I use my bright lights to
illuminate the road to (hopefully) help me see any 4 legged friends who are standing on the roadside.
I try to be extremely cautious because I want to avoid a collision if at all possible.
When I have a car approaching me, I do my best to remember to dim my
headlights at the appropriate time.
But sometimes, I forget.
I appreciate it when the oncoming vehicle will give a slight tap to flash their lights which reminds me to dim mine.
I don’t appreciate it when the oncoming car puts up with my brights for as long as they can, then turn their
headlights on bright and don’t turn them off.
It’s like they want to teach me a lesson. A tit-for-tat moment.
What good is it if we’re BOTH blinded?
I know these people aren’t in my car and they can’t hear me say,
”Oh! I’m sorry!” as I realize my headlights have blinded them.
But that slight reminder when they flash their lights is safer for both of us.
I can dim mine immediately and then we BOTH have better vision of the roadway in front of us!

Interstate Driving
5) Driving in the Left Lane
The Interstate has a minimum of 2 lanes going in each direction. The right lane is for driving. The left lane is for passing.
Feel free to drive in the left lane if traffic is light.
Frequently there are grooves in the right lane due to the heavy amount of traffic that is traveling down that side.
Grooves are hard to drive in.
BUT…. when a car is approaching and is faster than you are, please pull over to the right lane
and let them pass you on the left.
That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
That’s the law of the road.

6) Passing highway patrol
Ok. This is a touchy/risky subject.
What do you do when you’ve got highway patrol “pacing cars” on the interstate?
If he’s driving 75 mph, then you’d be crazy to pass him/her.
But what if he’s only driving 60 or 65?
He’s obviously under the speed limit. Why can’t you pass him while driving the speed limit?
So, you’ve got a long line of cars who are dying to drive the actual speed limit but are unsure if they can pass.
I’m not a lawyer or a police officer, but I have passed a highway patrol who was driving
under the speed and I wasn’t pulled over.
Honestly, I think it’s okay.
What do you think?

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It must sound like I’m a speed demon on the highways.
I’m really not. I drive the speed limit and up to 5 mph over,
which I believe is legal in most states.
I haven’t had a speeding ticket in over 20 years (knock on wood).
And the only car accident I’ve been in was when I was a Junior in High School.
The only animals I’ve hit have been birds and (one ground squirrel who ran under my tire on a dirt road)
I try to be a safe courteous driver.
I’m not perfect.
Sometimes I get bored and I find that I’ve zoned out.
I hate when I do that and I work hard at staying alert.
I listen to (and sing along with) a lot of music and have long conversations with Scooter (books put me to sleep).

And now that winter is fast approaching
(Zion received 7 inches of new snow today!)



I’m even more worried about the driving that we’ll be doing this winter!
I just hope that we can stay safe on the roads until we’re living together again and we can
stay off the highways/interstate for a week or two!

(As a side note, we’ve spent over $11,000 on gas so far this year! OUCH!)

Betty’s Pensieve Blog

I think it’s time I unloaded a few random things that have been floating through the dark abyss in the center of my cranium.

I wish I had a Pensieve, like Dumbledore in the Harry Potter books.
I could take my thoughts out, keep them safely swirling around in a big bowl when I don’t need them,
and pull them out one by one as the need arises.
But since my name is Betty, not Dumbledore, and I’m about as magical as my computer mouse,
I’ll have to stick to using my blog as my Pensieve.

Here’s what I’d put in it today:

My beloved neighbor, Jillwanna, left me!
She moved away.
Far, far away.
Okay, she only moved 5 miles out of town, but that means she’s not my next door neighbor anymore!
It breaks my heart because – you know – I was the one that was supposed to move!
As Scooter said, “Mom, don’t you know that Jillwanna has been my next door neighbor
MY WHOLE LIFE?”
We have a lot of history!
I cried when they left and I still miss them terribly.
*sigh*
I hope the new neighbors
(who seem very nice, BTW)
don’t mind if I need to borrow a pint or two of sour cream; or 1/2 dozen eggs; or use their oven all day on Christmas Eve; or load their freezer full of baked goods or yell from my window to theirs; or…..

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

I feel like I’m going blind!!
All my life I’ve prided myself on my GREAT vision!
I mean, what are the odds that I have NEVER needed glasses, when both my parents wear glasses?
All my siblings have needed some sort of vision correction at some point in their lives.
And me, well, I was sitting here all prideful at the fact that I can read the
teeny tiny printing on that label,
– or –
see that license plate on the car 1/2 mile ahead.
Up close or far away – I had it covered!
Can you imagine my absolute and utter HORROR
when, at the store the other day, I picked up an unfamiliar item,
and turned it over to see what the directions for use were
I COULDN’T READ THE LABEL!!!
I held it at arm’s length…
I couldn’t read it!
I pulled it up close…
I couldn’t read it.
I strained my eyes and tried with all the might I could muster…
I COULDN’T READ THE DARNED THING!!
I had to put the item back on the shelf, still not knowing what it was.

Getting old stinks.

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I have lived in Zion for a long time.
And I have followed the blog of a fellow Zionite for a couple years.
But we have never met… until last week!
Tauna at Garden of Egan is a FUN person.
She’s married to her LOVE – Howie.
She is a mother and grandmother to some wonderful human beings.
She raises chickens and cats – in the same yard!
She is a candy maker extraordinaire, decorator to die for and
compassionate ER nurse.
I knew I would like her and I looked for her in all the stores around town.
But we never crossed paths.
One morning last week I popped into the ER
(wearing my walking clothes, hair barely brushed and no make-up on)
where I was going to pick up some things from a friend who works there.
When my friend came out the door, Tauna came with her!
It was so fun to meet her!
She gave me a hug and it was just like old friends being reunited.
(She was so sweet and didn’t cringe at my unruly appearance.)

Later that week, at the Farmer’s Market,
lo and behold, I saw her again!
This time we had more time to chit chat.
I think I found a soul sister.
We share so many similarities in our life.

I am thrilled to have finally met Tauna.
She’s so nice and beautiful and I can tell that she also has a
BEAUTIFUL HEART!!

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Tomorrow (October 16) is a red-letter day in our house.
First (and most important) it’s officially
GENDER REVEAL DAY.
Yes, the day that Belle and Beast find out what flavor of baby they’re having.
Their doctor’s appointment is at 9 am.
They have agreed to close their eyes at a certain point during the sonogram
and have the technician write down the gender on a card and SEAL it in an envelope.
They have promised not to peek.
Then they will bring the envelope home to me,
(the most beautiful grandmother :-) )
and I will make a batch of cupcakes in the correct color
pink or blue
that will be served at a
Gender Reveal Party
for family and a couple close friends later that evening.

(Pictures and information will be forthcoming!)

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

The second – but not quite as exciting -- thing that happens tomorrow
is the arrival of our much anticipated
iPhone 5’s.
{Happy Dance} {Happy Dance}.
18 months ago, I brought home my first ‘smart phone’, which was a Droid X.
I chose the Droid over the iPhone because…
well….
I felt like I had paid enough money to the iGods:
iTunes
iPod
iPod Touch
iPad
are all devices that are used by our family.
Seriously, it’s a little disturbing, so I felt like sharing the wealth a little bit.
I have to say that within the week, I regretted my choice.
I didn’t like the Droid at all.
I wished that I had an iPhone in my hand instead.
I had 30 days to trade the Droid in, but I held out hope that I would change my mind.
I thought that maybe I didn’t like it because I wasn’t used to it yet.
I realized on Day 31 that my mind wasn’t going to change… AT ALL…
and that I was stuck with this phone for two full years.

And then, (cue the heavenly choir singing “Hallelujah”) I received a notice that I didn’t have
to wait the full term to upgrade.
Tears of joy filled my eyes.

Flynn was just as excited.
He had an iPhone when he worked in Mordor, but had to turn it in when his employment ended.
So he went back to a basic cell phone.
Just a phone that makes phone calls and texts.
(Remember what those are?)

When we found out that we could upgrade, we started saving our money.
And, on October 5, when the upgrade time finally arrived,
I called my Verizon provider and said,
”GET ME MY iPHONE 5!!”
The helpful man on the other end of the phone said,
”YES MA’AM! They will be here on October 26.”
and I told him I loved him. ♥ ♥

The iGods have forgiven my Droid weakness and shipped my phone here faster than expected.
It’s in transit and expected to be delivered tomorrow afternoon by 4:30.

I may be in the middle of baking pink or blue cupcakes, but I will put that handmixer down
and head over to the Verizon store.
And then I will officially be… COOL.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

And that is what I will put in my Pensieve today.
Now there is some available room for more frivolous thinking.

The End

In my last post I talked about all the adventures we’ve been on this year.

Of all the roads we’ve traveled.

And, if you remember, there was ONE ROAD to the south that we hadn’t driven down yet.
Just that ONE ROAD that was calling our names…

We finally answered that call.
Scooter was on break from school,
you know, the annual
POTATO VACATION,
so he and I traveled to Flatlandia to spend our week there.

The first part of the week was spent trying to work out
how to fit more pieces into our life puzzle:

* We looked at a lot we’re in the process of purchasing
* Interviewed two possible builders
* Dropped financial records off at the bank for the construction loan
* Finally settled on a house plan that we BOTH like

Yes, we definitely feel like we’re moving forward in a positive way.
Our fingers are staying crossed that things will start falling into place
and we can break ground
SOON
on this house we want to build!

We got all that done EARLY so we could spend the weekend
PLAYING.

{Have you noticed that’s what we do on the weekends? WE PLAY!!}

So,we loaded up the car,
pointed it in a SOUTHWARD direction
and put the pedal to the metal.
(Metaphorically speaking, of course.)

Scooter was very excited about this adventure’s destination.
He has been there once before in his life,
but it has been 8 years ago.
Too long ago to remember.
Even for a kid who seems to have an almost photographic memory.

He talked almost non-stop the entire 4 hours of the drive.
Ok. Nothing new there. But he was so happy to be going.

As we approached our destination, his excitement levels were hard to contain.
He was bouncing up and down in his seat.
He was looking out the window, right and left, not knowing when he’d see it.
His voice was getting louder.
He was saying things like,
“I mean, it just has to be SPECTACULAR!”
”The unparalleled beauty of this place will be astounding.”
{ok. I don’t think he actually said the second statement, but it was very similar to it.}

And then we came around the corner.
And he saw it….

He saw THIS….

and I think at that moment,
he felt that his life was complete.
He exclaimed in delight.
He used words that I can’t remember.
Big adjectives that only a kid that belongs to the
”Nerd Herd”
would think of using.

And he was happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My boy is also a conservationist.
He is adamant about preserving National Parks and Monuments.
He earned his Junior Ranger badge for YNP last year and is intent on earning
as many badges as he can.
But it’s not just earning the badges that he wants to do.
He believes, with all his heart, that when he wears that badge,
it’s his DUTY
to take care of the place he’s in.
He feels compelled to make sure that people respect the area.
He cleans up trash.
He educates himself.
He protects the natural environment by not picking wild flowers,
by staying on designated trails and pathways,
by staying away from wildlife and refraining from feeding them.
And, most importantly,
by following ALL THE RULES that he is aware of.

Look at his serious face as Ranger Stephanie gives him the
Swearing In Ceremony for the Junior Ranger Program at Mt. Rushmore.
(I didn’t know she’d do it, otherwise I would have been more prepared and gotten more pictures of
the solemn moment.)

We enjoyed our time at Mt. Rushmore.
It was cold.
FREEZING cold.
And, being the kind of mommy that plans ahead, (ahem…)
I made sure we all had winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves.
NOT!!

For the 29° {nighttime temps,}
we were bundled up in
a) one hoodie
b) one jacket
c) cotton knit gloves
(which we bought at Walmart on our way out of town)
Brrrrr…..

We LOVED the Black Hills.
It’s such a beautiful area!
We are anxious to explore that area a little more.
We want to spend more time there.
Who knew that South Dakota could have such pretty landscape?
What a pleasant surprise!

But, there was ONE MORE PLACE we wanted to take Scooter to.
Another beautiful landmark that we visited on that same journey 8 years ago.
So, we got back in the car for another few hour’s drive.

I was driving.
Because that’s what I do.
I get car sick, very easily, and it’s just better for me to be behind the wheel.

However, I was ready to turn the driving over to Flynn when we came over a hill
and around a corner and we saw this:

Both Flynn and Scooter
made such loud exclamations of
Awe,
Joy,
Wonder,
Delight
that they scared the daylights out of me and I almost wrecked the car.
(I didn’t see the initial view of Devil’s Tower, because I was too busy
WATCHING THE ROAD!)

We arrived five minutes before the Ranger Station closed so luckily Scooter was able to get the
booklet and information he needed for his Junior Ranger Badge.
No swearing in here, though, because he hadn’t officially completed everything he
needed.
We promised the Ranger that we’d complete it and she gave us the badge.

The rest of the time here was spent walking around the base of this great monolith.
As well as ogling the crazy brave souls that we saw climbing straight up the walls.
(My cousin is a rock climber. I actually find it completely fascinating.
I hope that he comes here to climb some day! It would be fun to come watch him!)

^^This is as far up as my intrepid
explorers dared to climb.^^

It was with sadness that we turned the car back toward Flatlandia.
We’re always sad when our adventures have to come to an end.
However, it was a super weekend!
We made plenty of Memories, which was our goal.