We are home!

My Precious Carol and I returned to Siloam Springs on May 16. I can hardly believe we had been on the road for almost 10 months. In fact, including the five-week trip throughout the Northeast in April and May of 2018, we've been on the road for 11 of the past 13 months.

I told Carol, "It seems as though I had dinner one night, went to bed, had a long dream, then woke up to have breakfast. It doesn't seem like we've been gone 11 months."

I've answered many questions friends have asked, and I'd like to share them with you; here they are in an interview format.

"How do you feel?"

"Tired!"

"How did you and Carol live in that 20-foot trailer for 11 months?"

"We didn't live in it for 11 months. We lived in it only one day at a time; it was easier that way."

"How many miles did you log?"

"We drove 26,267 miles, through 28 states, changed oil six times, and stayed in 53 RV parks."

"How long did you stay in each park?"

"We usually stayed one to three nights. Seven times we stayed four to seven nights, and at one park in southern Washington, we stayed for six weeks. However, we stayed with our son in Northern California for 10 weeks, with my sister in Southern California for four weeks. They both have full-hookups for a trailer. We visited other relatives for a couple of weeks, but parked beside or in front of their houses."

"Was there any special routine you and Carol had?"

"For several years we've started most mornings with Bible reading and ended most days with Scrabble. When we returned home, we were tied with 372 wins."

"372 wins ... that's 744 games! Are you kidding?"

"Nope. We're competitive, but we usually play friendly games. And we use the dictionary because in these, our later years, we want to continue learning."

"Where was your favorite place?"

"With Carol" was my quick answer. "We live in a beautiful country and I have special memories in each state. But Yellowstone National Park and Washington State were exciting."

"Why?"

"Have you ever seen a North American Bison up close?"

"Oh, buffalo. No, should I?"

"Not on purpose. As we were leaving the Fishing Bridge Campground in Yellowstone, traffic was slowed down because one lonely beast was slowly ambling down the middle of the street. No one honked, but everyone gawked wide-eyed at the 1,500-pound beast. My side of the road was stopped and the critter walked toward my car. When it got beside us, we could see its huge eyes as it shook its shaggy head. Then it turned and left the road. It was magnificent. Seeing that animal up close left a stronger impression on us than seeing the herd of about 350 lazily walking around the valley a mile away."

"What about Washington?"

"Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, and Washington Peninsula were spectacular. St. Helens blew its stack in 1980 and lost over 1,300 feet off its top. From the observatory, I took pictures of the cone growing in the crater -- it's still steaming. Mount Rainier is more than 14,000-feet high and snow-covered. We spent three hours up there and learned that the seismograph records rumbles underneath nearly every day.

"We spent two days touring the Washington Peninsula, including driving up to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains. It seems as though you can see the entire state from up there."

"Will you take another trip like that one?"

"Probably not. A week-long trip? A month or two? Perhaps. Our son, Ron, reminded me that this trip fulfilled the dream of traveling the country that we've had for more than 30 years. So we traveled the country and observed the beauty of God's handiwork. We also visited churches along the way to see how people worship or respond to God."

"What did you find out?"

"Many churches replaced the Holy Spirit with the amplifier and I walked out of three of them. Some churches ignore the Bible and do not lead the people into a relationship with God; they teach about social and political issues. Many pastors diligently preach Christ and the people are loving. But three pastors and church groups stood out high in my esteem: Castle Rock Christian Church in Castle Rock, Wash.; Calvary Chapel in Temecula, Calif.; and Siloam Springs Bible Church in Arkansas."

Carol and I enjoyed traveling together and will continue doing so -- but on shorter runs.

-- Gene Linzey is a speaker, author and mentor. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. Visit his website at www.genelinzey.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Religion on 06/05/2019