Thought for Today + License Plates + Road Trip

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

It seems to me that the story of Christ has endured for innumerable reasons: because in the fullness of time God indeed sent his Son; because knowingly Jesus walked to the Cross and into the hands of those who didn’t know what they were doing; because something really happened after his body was laid in the tomb; and because with great power and with God’s Spirit, the apostles continued to testify of the events they saw. What if the story of Christ remains today simply because it is true? --Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity

LICENSE PLATES

Those of you who follow my blog know that Lois & I "collect" license plates. When we arrived at Glacier NP on SUN 9/8, we had seen all but three license plates. Then, in parking lots at Lake McDonald Lodge, we found the last three:  Delaware, Vermont, & West Virginia. This is the earliest we've ever found all 50 states, and the first time in at least 5 years that we've found all 50.

ROAD TRIP

• We left Norfolk on WED 9/4 & returned on MON 9/16.
• We put almost 3600 miles on our car.
• We visited four national parks:  Teddy Roosevelt, Glacier, Yellowstone, & Badlands.
• It was our first visit to Teddy Roosevelt & Glacier.
• We stayed in motels & cabins in Rapid City, SD; Dickinson, ND; Havre, MT; Hungry Horse, MT; Helena, MT; Buffalo, WY; & Chamberlain, SD.
• On FRI 9/6, we spent the day exploring & hiking in Teddy Roosevelt NP.
• On TUE 10/10, we hiked & walked in Glacier NP:  17,500 steps, 7.2 miles.
• On WED 9/11, we drove Going to the Sun Road from West Glacier to Logan Pass, & saw a grizzly bear just outside of Logan Pass.
• On THU 9/12, we took a Sun Bus Tour from St. Mary (east entrance of Glacier NP) to Logan Pass.
• On FRI 9/13, we took a boat tour of Gates of the Mountains, north of Helena, MT.
• On SAT 9/14, we drove through Yellowstone NP on our way to Buffalo, WY.
• On SUN 9/15, we drove through Badlands NP on our way to Chamberlain, SD.
• On MON 9/16, we drove through water on I-90 & found our route blocked on U.S. 81, north of Yankton, SD, due to water on the road; & had to drive over 50 miles in a detour to Yankton.