Home Archive by category "Adventures" (Page 24)

Category: Adventures

On the Road Again, er, TRACKS

Or should it be ‘trackin’ with the Bastians? Well, we are off on the next phase of our sabbatical… I stopped by the office to grab a few things and was SHOCKED to see a new sign on my office door! Soon we were at the station… Sara booked us a huge comfortable room… With views out BOTH sides of the train! Soon we were leaving Chicago behind… We went from tall building to farmland within 40 minutes… I’m not sure how fast this train is, but it seems FAST – my guess at least 80mph if not overa 100 just trying to imagine a car going this fast… the train looks very old and worn, but is comfortable, and the ride isn’t too bumpy… we’ll see how it goes. Yes, I am bloggin’ from the train via my trusty cell phone which gets my laptop online. I was curious if I would get this post posted and not lose my connection, so far so good. Keep in touch! Post a comment below and say hi! Good Bye Chicago, be back in a few weeks!

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1000 MILES AND COUNTING!!

1000 MILES passed! Yes, on the road today we passed the ‘1000 mile mark’ on this sabbatical. Since there was no out-doing getting to see George Lucas, we decided to hit the road early and get home – much to do to prepare for this next phase of the Sabbatical Adventures – we leave on the train tomorrow. Laundry is going now and we are trying to figure out how to best pack for a 20+ day trip that includes train, plane and automobile!The highlight of the day was finding ourselves in the home stretch just around church-getting-out-time so we decided to drop by Culvers and see if any church folks would be there… Fun to get to see some of my kids before hitting the road again… Please pray for us as we travel – for safety, for schedule timing, for times to relax and refresh, to get all the reading done I want to do, and that we will find opportunities to minister to others as we travel. Next stop…. Spokane Washington via Amtrak! (or pray for no brake problems on our Amtrak train!!!)If you haven’t seen the online release of my novel, I’d love to have you…

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SW Celebration DAY TWO

It is the morning after the day before today…. It was pouring rain all morning, so I skipped the costume and we headed down one hour after the doors opened and got in line with only about 50 people left and walked right in. Whew! It was a calculated risk, and paid off, considering yesterday the doors opened at noon and people were in line as early as 6-7am, and today the doors opened at 9am, so the line up started before the sun rose! We skipped the HOURS in line and got right in! Though, the ‘store’ was already closed due to the people inside being enough to keep them busy until 8pm! Good thing we got that over with yesterday. Here are some highlights from the day… MUCH more to come in the Gallery after the convention is over. My ‘hands free’ umbrella invention! How to know when you are getting close… General Grievous done shopping! Even Imperial Guards need to use the cell phone once in awhile And I thought my Star Destroyer was big! This 40,000+ piece lego Super Star Destroyer was amazing! Later, in the gallery, you will notice a small docking bay that inside…

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The Force is With Me!

Time for Star Wars Celebration III! Right after I repair the shower myself in the hotel. (The maintanence guy called off sick, no doubt, he was sneaking off to the convention!) Soon we were meeting Imperial Forces! We left around 8 am and headed to the convention center in downtown Indy. Since we are official ‘fan club’ members, we have the opportunity to get in one hour early. (yeah, right!) And posing for pictures with them. The doors supposedly opened at noon (for fan club members) so we decided to get in line three hours early – and were already HUNDREDS (if not thousands) of people behind in a line that wrapped around the convention center, went up stairs, and finally went into a Disneyland on Steroids snaking pattern. Met a few Rebels too! The guy next to us, Ivan, knew more about Star Wars than George Lucas, so we definately learned a lot! It was fun to see all the costumed characters. Where is my costume? I decided not to wear it today so I could focus on learning the ‘lay of the land’ get the collectibles I’m after… I plan to wear it tomorrow. My Clone? This was…

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Hangin’ with the Franks

Well, we have left the Franks behind us – always too short a visit, but we had a wonderful and relaxing time…. Walking along converted railways… Enjoying the wildlife… A little taste of home “East of Chicago” They know how to make a guy feel welcome! Their adorable little girl… Of course, we spent a good amount of time “talkin’ ministry” and the Liberty Baptist photo gallery and interview summary will be posted later this week – but it was time to hit the road again for a very different type of stop… some of you will just have to bear with me for the next four days as I will be at the Star Wars Celebration III Convention in Indy. Starting to see signs of like-minded friends… Already making new friends… And the convention hasn’t even started yet! But I’ll keep you posted on the activities!

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