4 Wheels 4 Girls

Thursday we drove to Ocean Springs, Mississippi. We stayed at a campground in the Davis Bayou. The campground was nice but it was cold at night because it was 28 degrees at night and we left a ceiling vent open by mistake.

On Friday we went on a huge bike ride to Biloxi, MS. My dad made two wrong turns on our way there. On the way, we went by the ocean and stopped at the beach.

My Family on the Beach in Mississippi

From the beach we rode into town. On my left I saw the ocean. On my right I saw huge houses with huge lawns. I heard birds chirping. I thought they sounded really pretty. In the town, we saw a candy shop that my dad made us stand right in front of it waiting for our family to catch up. We got sort of annoyed with our dad because he tempted us so much to go in and eat all that candy. It was the worst moment of my life.

We went to the post office and realized that it wasn’t there, so we decided to go over the Biloxi Bay Bridge.

The Biloxi Bay Bridge

We were following my dad up the bridge, but somehow Greta got past him and I followed her all the way down the bridge. In the middle of the bridge, I saw my dad coming down. I stopped for about a minute then kept on biking. At the bottom of the bridge me and Greta waited for about 15 minutes until my dad came and told us that everyone was waiting for us at the top of the bridge. We followed him all the way back up the bridge. It was really tiring and my legs hurt. Near the middle of the bridge, me and my dad saw a real life pelican. It was floating in the water almost under the bridge when I spotted it. It was my first time seeing a pelican.

At the top of the bridge

When we finally caught up to my mom and sisters, my mom took me, Greta, Stella, and Ana down to the beach while my dad went to the candy shop and got Stella and Ana a praline. Me and Greta did not get as much as Stella and Ana because they didn’t go all the way to Biloxi like we did (because we were not supposed to go ahead without checking with our parents). Me and Greta ended up getting a small piece of praline thanks to my parents. It tasted like heaven.

On Monday, we went to Providence Canyon State Park in South Georgia. I had never been there before. We went there and hiked. First we packed lunch into my mom’s big backpack. We meant to pack cheese, meat, and bread. Ana carried our lunch on her back all the way down into the canyon.

Ana is carrying our lunch

On the way down to the canyon floor, me, Greta, and Stella all got our feet stuck in the mud. It was mushy.

Me and Greta touched something squishy in the mud and asked what it was. Dad told us it was animal poop. We yelled.

The canyon walls are sedimentary rock.

The canyon had a lot of sedimentary rock in it. I have been learning about that in Ms. Pitt’s class this year. I saw layers in the canyon walls. I saw how lots of sediment got hardened and turned into rock.

My favorite thing in the canyon was the purple sand. We had so much fun.

Finally! It took several full, full days to pack up the house and provision the ship, but we are ready to roll.

Loaded Up and Ready to Roll

It took three brains and way too long to figure out how to fit all six bikes on the back, but as of Saturday, February 5th, at 6:PM, we are ready for the open road.

The Open Road

Hurray! Here are some pictures of our RV:

Our RV

I want to call our RV “Mrs. Bananas” because she reminds me of a banana for some reason.

The front of our RV

I can’t wait to sit on the cushy couch!

Our Bedroom

I hope I get a top bunk.

At the Ingalls' Schoolhouse, July 2010

The idea for this upcoming RV trip came last Summer when we were camping our way across South Dakota. We spent a day at the Ingalls’ homestead in De Smet (For you Little House fans: this is where Ma and Pa Ingalls ultimately stayed and where Laura met and married Almanzo). While exploring, we met a family who had been on the road in a big RV for just over a year, homeschooling their two children and seeing the country together. Jean and I had talked many times about all the places in the world we want to see with the girls, and the idea of spending several months traveling the continent in an RV really clicked for us. The more we talked about it, the more we wanted to make it happen. So, off we go.

Aaahhhh!

Whoopie!

Geronimo!

We are jumping off a big rock into a freezing cold lake @ a buffalo sanctuary. (Even though it was mid-Summer 2010, it was FREEZING. Our lips were turning freakishly blue.) Stella, Ellie, and I were brave enough 2 jump off. SPLASSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cooking Party, September 2010

Making Meat Pies

This is my birthday party at a cooking place. I had a blast with my friends and sisters.