Journal entry by Debbie Heiman — Jul 3, 2018
When Dr. Charlson gave Scott the OK to travel and encouraged us to take our much longed for trip out West, we quickly made plans to leave. I will give you a peek into our amazing adventurous vacation.
Here it goes:
Our family left our home late on the evening of June 15th in our 1976 Dodge Sportsman van, pulling our Kiwi by Jayco 23 foot camper. We were going to Scott’s parent’s house for 2 nights, in preparation to head west on Sunday after church. That 2 1/2 hour drive to their house was a glimpse into the future of our trip. It was pouring rain and was very difficult for Scott to see while driving. It was so windy that the camper was pulling really hard, causing a lot of swaying. Then, the passenger side windshield wiper broke. We got there safely and spent the night.
Saturday, June 16th was a day of fun in the water at the lake at Nana and Papa’s House.
Sunday, June 17th was Father’s Day and we went to church before hopping in Scott’s parent’s Avalanche, pulling our trailer to head to Plankinton, South Dakota. We stayed the night at an RV Park and got up early to keep going.
Monday, June 18th we were on our way to Custer, South Dakota. It rained the WHOLE day, but we did our best to enjoy it. We stopped at a prairie dog feeding area. It was a muddy mess. The kids loved it though! We drove through the Badlands and got out for some pictures. We got soaked, even with umbrellas! We went to Wall Drug and looked through some of the shops. Scott and I got coffee and the kids enjoyed some donuts. We got to Custer, South Dakota and stayed our 1st night at the RV Park there.
Tuesday, June 19th we got up and decided to risk the iffy weather and try to go see Mt. Rushmore. It had been raining so much and there was so much fog! When we got there, you couldn’t even tell that there was a mountain in front of us, much less see any of the Presidents. It was very disappointing. We said some prayers for the fog to be lifted. We started on the trail to get closer and were able to see a bit of the Presidents. When we returned to the viewing area about 30 minutes later, it was very clear. We were thrilled, and got some amazing family pictures!
Our next stop was driving through Bear Country. It was a thrilling experience to drive through all of the wildlife and see them walk right in front of our vehicle. It was wonderful!!!
Next, we went to the Cosmos Mystery area. We were walking through crooked rooms and witnessing gravity defying tricks. It made us all feel a little off balance.
We then drove through Custer State Park and the Black Hills National Forest. We spent our 2nd night in Custer.
Both mornings in Custer, I (Debbie) woke up WAY before everyone else and took long walks. The scenery was breathtaking, and I enjoyed some time alone walking in the cool morning breeze.
Wednesday, June 20th we packed up to leave Custer and head to Cody, WY for the night. At a gas stop, Scott noticed one of the camper tires was stripped down to the steel belt. We asked for permission to leave our camper in the parking lot and head into town 20 minutes away to Plains Tire Co. We got a new tire, went 20 minutes back to the gas station and fixed the tire before heading back on our way. We were thankful that he noticed it before causing us to break down on the side of the road. We got to Cody and stayed overnight in another RV Park. We got some laundry done, which was very much needed! We packed for warm weather and had used up all of our pants and sweatshirts, because the first 4 days were really cool. We didn’t prepare for that much cold weather. Oops!
Thursday, June 21st we left the RV Park in Cody and stopped at Buffalo Bill Dam. After that, we headed to Yellowstone. We were blessed to get a camping site in Grant Village, even though the sign said they were full. The lady told me that I walked up at the perfect time, otherwise there was no way we would have gotten a site. God is good! We stayed 3 nights in Grant Village with no electricity or water hookup. We were roughing it. 😉 After setting up our camper, we went to see Old Faithful. We finished that experience just in time to get back to our site for more rain. We played games in the camper and made dinner on the stove. We were thankful for propane since we had no electricity.
Friday, June 22nd and Saturday June 23rd we just checked out all of the trails and beautiful sites we could find in Yellowstone.
Sunday, June 24th we packed up to leave Yellowstone and head to Grand Teton National Park. We were able to find another site with no electricity or water hookups in Colter Bay. After setting up, we went to Taggert Lake and did a 4 mile hike. What beautiful views we were able to witness!!! We were told that there was a restaurant called Leeks that had delicious pizza. We went there for dinner. They were right! It was delicious!!!
Monday, June 25th we went to Teton Horseback Adventures and had the most amazing 2 hour horseback riding experience. It was the first time horseback riding for all 6 of us. We all did very well. I was impressed by Myles, since he’s only 8 and had never been on a horse. We got to see the Tetons and get a beautiful family picture on our horses with the Tetons in the background.
After our amazing experience, things went sour. About 20 minutes down the road from the horseback riding location, the transmission on the Avalanche failed. Scott had no gears except reverse. He backed up and got to a pullover area. I called the Park dispatch for help. They called a tow truck for us. We waited for an hour for our tow truck to arrive. We had only eaten breakfast, but were now missing lunch and dinner. Our tow truck driver had 4 seats to drive 6 of us an hour to Jackson Hole.
Scott and I were in the front and the 4 kids squeezed into the 2 seats in the back. The third seat had all of Victor’s tools. The trip to Jackson Hole was very interesting! Victor had so many stories for us and had us all laughing. After getting to Jackson Hole, getting the paperwork set for the Avalanche, getting a rental car (Ford Flex), and getting back to Colter Bay campground, it was 7 PM and everyone was starving. We ate what we could find in the camper (many odds and ends).
Our original plan was to head towards Colorado on Tuesday morning. The transmission wasn’t going to be ready until Wednesday or Thursday. Plans change and we rolled with the flow. Not everyone was thrilled, but I kept trying to state all of the positive things about this experience. That wasn’t very successful either.
Tuesday, June 26th we went on a 2 mile hike at Colter Bay. We took the kids swimming with a view of the snowy Grand Tetons in the background. That was cool! On a drive that evening, a Momma Bear and her triplets crossed the street right in front of our car. That was another amazing experience!
Wednesday, June 27th we hung out at our campsite and did some more swimming.
Thursday, June 28th they told us that the Avalanche would be ready by 11AM. We got up early, packed the camper up and headed into Jackson Hole. We ate lunch and did some grocery shopping for the next couple days of food.
After shopping, I called at 11 to make sure it was ready and they told me it should be done by 3PM. We were not very happy, but decided we should find something to do that’s free. We went to the Welcome Center and looked around. They told us that the fish hatchery had a free tour, so we did that. We took our sweet time, because we had nothing else to do. As we were leaving the fish hatchery, we got the call to say the Avalanche was done. We got the truck back and headed to Colter Bay to pick up our camper. We were finally on our way to Rawlins, Wyoming for the night. We set up, showered and went to bed.
Friday, June 29th we woke up at the RV Park- Red Desert Rose Campground and played their mini golf course before heading to Colorado. We drove about 5 hours to get to Estes Park campground at Mary’s Lake. The whole way there, Scott was feeling sick. He made it all the way there before he started vomiting. It started around 5 PM.
I took the kids to the pool at the campground after getting all set up. Scott continued feeling sick and was sick through the entire night. I had backup plans in case I had to take him to the ER. He refused all night and said he’d be fine. He asked me if I could please wait until morning. I agreed, because what else was I going to do? I had been in communication with my cousin Craig who lives in Fort Collins- an hour from our campground. I had also spoken with my cousin Stephanie who lives in Colorado Springs. They were both willing to help in any way, along with Uncle Harold and Aunt Linda who also live in Colorado Springs.
Saturday, June 30th he was still physically sick until 10AM and agreed that we should pack up and head to the ER after dropping our kids off at Craig’s house in Fort Collins. We had paid for 2 nights at Estes Park but informed them that we would have to leave a day early due to illness. We packed up and drove an hour to Craig’s house. All the way there, we heard a clicking noise under the hood every time we slowed down and sped up.
After getting to Craig’s and having them graciously feed our kids lunch, I was trying to convince Scott to go to the ER for fluids even though he said he was feeling better.
We had called the repair place in Wyoming who fixed our transmission (that was now under warranty) to ask them if they could find us the nearest NAPA dealer. None of them were opened on Saturday. They got us into a Pep Boys and said they would take care of the bill even though it wasn’t NAPA. It ended up being a cracked switch plate, just like Scott had suspected.
Craig followed us to Pep Boys to drop off the Avalanche and then dropped us off at the ER. It went fairly quickly. They drew blood to check some lab work and gave him fluids. His lab work looked pretty good besides for being slightly anemic. They tried to give him a second bag of fluids, which he refused, saying he felt fine. Craig picked us up and we went back to Craig’s. Stephanie and her 4 kids came from Colorado Springs along with Uncle Harold and Aunt Linda to visit with us for the evening. It was so great to be able to see all of them! We had a wonderful evening! Our family slept at their house.
Sunday, July 1st we woke up and went to church with Craig, Aimee, and the girls. After church, we got a call to say the Avalanche was ready to be picked up. Craig took Scott and I to pick it up while Aimee took the 7 kids home. We ate a little lunch and got back on the road to head to Nebraska for the night. We set up, slept and got up in the morning to head to Scott’s parents house.
Monday, July 2nd Scott saw that another tire was bald down to the steel belt. We drove to a tire shop and got another new tire. We drove 9 hours and arrived at Gary and Karen’s house around 7PM. It was so great to see our dog Sophie again and to see Nana and Papa, who took care of Sophie for 2 weeks while we were gone.
Tuesday, July 3rd the kids spent the day in the lake. Gary and Karen took them knee boarding in the boat while I did laundry and tried to get organized to head home.
Scott hadn’t felt very well since the Friday/Saturday episode. This morning, he drank some OJ and got sick again. He hasn’t been able to eat much since Friday, but is trying to stay hydrated with a lot of water. It’s 7:15PM as I finish writing this on Tuesday, July 3rd. We’re about 2 hours from our home sweet home. It will be wonderful to be home again and sleep in our own beds!
Tomorrow starts the medical preparations for surgery in 2 weeks. Scott has a procedure on Thursday morning at 8AM, and I pray that he feels good enough to get through it. Hopefully he won’t throw up any more and he’all be able to start eating again soon.
He has a CT scan and appointments with his oncologist and the surgeon before surgery as well.
In case you missed it, surgery will be on Friday, July 20th. We arrive around 5AM. I can’t believe it’s only a little over 2 weeks away.
Even though we had some snags on our trip, I feel extremely blessed to have spent so much time together with just the 6 of us. We have so many stories to tell and memories that will last a lifetime! God was so good to us and kept us safe during the whole trip. We saw so much wildlife and beautiful scenery. It’s a trip that will never be forgotten.
I know that not everyone has a Facebook account, but I will be posting pictures from our trip on my page if you are interested.
It’s back to the life of many appointments and very full calendars. Back to being a taxi driver and spectator for our kids sports. I wouldn’t change a thing if I could. God gave us this life and he has a perfect plan for us. I know that he will continue to give us the strength that is needed to keep pushing forward.
Here it goes:
Our family left our home late on the evening of June 15th in our 1976 Dodge Sportsman van, pulling our Kiwi by Jayco 23 foot camper. We were going to Scott’s parent’s house for 2 nights, in preparation to head west on Sunday after church. That 2 1/2 hour drive to their house was a glimpse into the future of our trip. It was pouring rain and was very difficult for Scott to see while driving. It was so windy that the camper was pulling really hard, causing a lot of swaying. Then, the passenger side windshield wiper broke. We got there safely and spent the night.
Saturday, June 16th was a day of fun in the water at the lake at Nana and Papa’s House.
Sunday, June 17th was Father’s Day and we went to church before hopping in Scott’s parent’s Avalanche, pulling our trailer to head to Plankinton, South Dakota. We stayed the night at an RV Park and got up early to keep going.
Monday, June 18th we were on our way to Custer, South Dakota. It rained the WHOLE day, but we did our best to enjoy it. We stopped at a prairie dog feeding area. It was a muddy mess. The kids loved it though! We drove through the Badlands and got out for some pictures. We got soaked, even with umbrellas! We went to Wall Drug and looked through some of the shops. Scott and I got coffee and the kids enjoyed some donuts. We got to Custer, South Dakota and stayed our 1st night at the RV Park there.
Tuesday, June 19th we got up and decided to risk the iffy weather and try to go see Mt. Rushmore. It had been raining so much and there was so much fog! When we got there, you couldn’t even tell that there was a mountain in front of us, much less see any of the Presidents. It was very disappointing. We said some prayers for the fog to be lifted. We started on the trail to get closer and were able to see a bit of the Presidents. When we returned to the viewing area about 30 minutes later, it was very clear. We were thrilled, and got some amazing family pictures!
Our next stop was driving through Bear Country. It was a thrilling experience to drive through all of the wildlife and see them walk right in front of our vehicle. It was wonderful!!!
Next, we went to the Cosmos Mystery area. We were walking through crooked rooms and witnessing gravity defying tricks. It made us all feel a little off balance.
We then drove through Custer State Park and the Black Hills National Forest. We spent our 2nd night in Custer.
Both mornings in Custer, I (Debbie) woke up WAY before everyone else and took long walks. The scenery was breathtaking, and I enjoyed some time alone walking in the cool morning breeze.
Wednesday, June 20th we packed up to leave Custer and head to Cody, WY for the night. At a gas stop, Scott noticed one of the camper tires was stripped down to the steel belt. We asked for permission to leave our camper in the parking lot and head into town 20 minutes away to Plains Tire Co. We got a new tire, went 20 minutes back to the gas station and fixed the tire before heading back on our way. We were thankful that he noticed it before causing us to break down on the side of the road. We got to Cody and stayed overnight in another RV Park. We got some laundry done, which was very much needed! We packed for warm weather and had used up all of our pants and sweatshirts, because the first 4 days were really cool. We didn’t prepare for that much cold weather. Oops!
Thursday, June 21st we left the RV Park in Cody and stopped at Buffalo Bill Dam. After that, we headed to Yellowstone. We were blessed to get a camping site in Grant Village, even though the sign said they were full. The lady told me that I walked up at the perfect time, otherwise there was no way we would have gotten a site. God is good! We stayed 3 nights in Grant Village with no electricity or water hookup. We were roughing it. 😉 After setting up our camper, we went to see Old Faithful. We finished that experience just in time to get back to our site for more rain. We played games in the camper and made dinner on the stove. We were thankful for propane since we had no electricity.
Friday, June 22nd and Saturday June 23rd we just checked out all of the trails and beautiful sites we could find in Yellowstone.
Sunday, June 24th we packed up to leave Yellowstone and head to Grand Teton National Park. We were able to find another site with no electricity or water hookups in Colter Bay. After setting up, we went to Taggert Lake and did a 4 mile hike. What beautiful views we were able to witness!!! We were told that there was a restaurant called Leeks that had delicious pizza. We went there for dinner. They were right! It was delicious!!!
Monday, June 25th we went to Teton Horseback Adventures and had the most amazing 2 hour horseback riding experience. It was the first time horseback riding for all 6 of us. We all did very well. I was impressed by Myles, since he’s only 8 and had never been on a horse. We got to see the Tetons and get a beautiful family picture on our horses with the Tetons in the background.
After our amazing experience, things went sour. About 20 minutes down the road from the horseback riding location, the transmission on the Avalanche failed. Scott had no gears except reverse. He backed up and got to a pullover area. I called the Park dispatch for help. They called a tow truck for us. We waited for an hour for our tow truck to arrive. We had only eaten breakfast, but were now missing lunch and dinner. Our tow truck driver had 4 seats to drive 6 of us an hour to Jackson Hole.
Scott and I were in the front and the 4 kids squeezed into the 2 seats in the back. The third seat had all of Victor’s tools. The trip to Jackson Hole was very interesting! Victor had so many stories for us and had us all laughing. After getting to Jackson Hole, getting the paperwork set for the Avalanche, getting a rental car (Ford Flex), and getting back to Colter Bay campground, it was 7 PM and everyone was starving. We ate what we could find in the camper (many odds and ends).
Our original plan was to head towards Colorado on Tuesday morning. The transmission wasn’t going to be ready until Wednesday or Thursday. Plans change and we rolled with the flow. Not everyone was thrilled, but I kept trying to state all of the positive things about this experience. That wasn’t very successful either.
Tuesday, June 26th we went on a 2 mile hike at Colter Bay. We took the kids swimming with a view of the snowy Grand Tetons in the background. That was cool! On a drive that evening, a Momma Bear and her triplets crossed the street right in front of our car. That was another amazing experience!
Wednesday, June 27th we hung out at our campsite and did some more swimming.
Thursday, June 28th they told us that the Avalanche would be ready by 11AM. We got up early, packed the camper up and headed into Jackson Hole. We ate lunch and did some grocery shopping for the next couple days of food.
After shopping, I called at 11 to make sure it was ready and they told me it should be done by 3PM. We were not very happy, but decided we should find something to do that’s free. We went to the Welcome Center and looked around. They told us that the fish hatchery had a free tour, so we did that. We took our sweet time, because we had nothing else to do. As we were leaving the fish hatchery, we got the call to say the Avalanche was done. We got the truck back and headed to Colter Bay to pick up our camper. We were finally on our way to Rawlins, Wyoming for the night. We set up, showered and went to bed.
Friday, June 29th we woke up at the RV Park- Red Desert Rose Campground and played their mini golf course before heading to Colorado. We drove about 5 hours to get to Estes Park campground at Mary’s Lake. The whole way there, Scott was feeling sick. He made it all the way there before he started vomiting. It started around 5 PM.
I took the kids to the pool at the campground after getting all set up. Scott continued feeling sick and was sick through the entire night. I had backup plans in case I had to take him to the ER. He refused all night and said he’d be fine. He asked me if I could please wait until morning. I agreed, because what else was I going to do? I had been in communication with my cousin Craig who lives in Fort Collins- an hour from our campground. I had also spoken with my cousin Stephanie who lives in Colorado Springs. They were both willing to help in any way, along with Uncle Harold and Aunt Linda who also live in Colorado Springs.
Saturday, June 30th he was still physically sick until 10AM and agreed that we should pack up and head to the ER after dropping our kids off at Craig’s house in Fort Collins. We had paid for 2 nights at Estes Park but informed them that we would have to leave a day early due to illness. We packed up and drove an hour to Craig’s house. All the way there, we heard a clicking noise under the hood every time we slowed down and sped up.
After getting to Craig’s and having them graciously feed our kids lunch, I was trying to convince Scott to go to the ER for fluids even though he said he was feeling better.
We had called the repair place in Wyoming who fixed our transmission (that was now under warranty) to ask them if they could find us the nearest NAPA dealer. None of them were opened on Saturday. They got us into a Pep Boys and said they would take care of the bill even though it wasn’t NAPA. It ended up being a cracked switch plate, just like Scott had suspected.
Craig followed us to Pep Boys to drop off the Avalanche and then dropped us off at the ER. It went fairly quickly. They drew blood to check some lab work and gave him fluids. His lab work looked pretty good besides for being slightly anemic. They tried to give him a second bag of fluids, which he refused, saying he felt fine. Craig picked us up and we went back to Craig’s. Stephanie and her 4 kids came from Colorado Springs along with Uncle Harold and Aunt Linda to visit with us for the evening. It was so great to be able to see all of them! We had a wonderful evening! Our family slept at their house.
Sunday, July 1st we woke up and went to church with Craig, Aimee, and the girls. After church, we got a call to say the Avalanche was ready to be picked up. Craig took Scott and I to pick it up while Aimee took the 7 kids home. We ate a little lunch and got back on the road to head to Nebraska for the night. We set up, slept and got up in the morning to head to Scott’s parents house.
Monday, July 2nd Scott saw that another tire was bald down to the steel belt. We drove to a tire shop and got another new tire. We drove 9 hours and arrived at Gary and Karen’s house around 7PM. It was so great to see our dog Sophie again and to see Nana and Papa, who took care of Sophie for 2 weeks while we were gone.
Tuesday, July 3rd the kids spent the day in the lake. Gary and Karen took them knee boarding in the boat while I did laundry and tried to get organized to head home.
Scott hadn’t felt very well since the Friday/Saturday episode. This morning, he drank some OJ and got sick again. He hasn’t been able to eat much since Friday, but is trying to stay hydrated with a lot of water. It’s 7:15PM as I finish writing this on Tuesday, July 3rd. We’re about 2 hours from our home sweet home. It will be wonderful to be home again and sleep in our own beds!
Tomorrow starts the medical preparations for surgery in 2 weeks. Scott has a procedure on Thursday morning at 8AM, and I pray that he feels good enough to get through it. Hopefully he won’t throw up any more and he’all be able to start eating again soon.
He has a CT scan and appointments with his oncologist and the surgeon before surgery as well.
In case you missed it, surgery will be on Friday, July 20th. We arrive around 5AM. I can’t believe it’s only a little over 2 weeks away.
Even though we had some snags on our trip, I feel extremely blessed to have spent so much time together with just the 6 of us. We have so many stories to tell and memories that will last a lifetime! God was so good to us and kept us safe during the whole trip. We saw so much wildlife and beautiful scenery. It’s a trip that will never be forgotten.
I know that not everyone has a Facebook account, but I will be posting pictures from our trip on my page if you are interested.
It’s back to the life of many appointments and very full calendars. Back to being a taxi driver and spectator for our kids sports. I wouldn’t change a thing if I could. God gave us this life and he has a perfect plan for us. I know that he will continue to give us the strength that is needed to keep pushing forward.
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