All in a Day's Work!

Every year for the last 10 years we have coordinated or worked for a youth camp on the West Coast.  For most of those years the camp has been located in the Northwest, just north of Portland, Oregon.  Since we live in Southern California, we have driven up to the camp every year as well.  This year's trip started today at 4 a.m.

We stayed up too late waiting for the last teens to show up and to finish packing everything that we needed for the trip.  We probably didn't get to bed until midnight and then it was up at four!  It isn't a good way to stay awake during the trip north.  That's where coffee plays a pivotal role.

As we were driving I thought that with all the sleepy heads in the car (including me) there wouldn't be much interaction but I was wrong!  I guess it is easy to talk about things when everyone is excited to be on the road trip and that trip ends with a wonderful camp with other teens of like minds.  So the beginning of the trip was eventful, full of laughter and teasing.

After about 6 hours as we had made it through Sacramento, I heard a loud pop and discovered that I had a blown rear tire.  I never appreciated what those drivers went through when they were changing their tires on the side of the road.  A person can literally get "blown away" by the trucks that go screaming by on the freeway.  Try concentrating on changing a tire and not be intimidated by those big eighteen wheelers.

Did you also know that wherever you have the blown tire there will be all sorts of garbage and liquids of all sorts that are spilled on the side of the road?  You can look both ways for as far as you can see and you don't see anything like what is parked right where you had to pull over and change the tire.

We changed the tire and limped into the tire store and it was recommended that I buy a new set of tires because of the wear of my tires and because of the load that I was carrying.  We had a chance to get a bite to eat and relax in the shade.  Soon, we were back on the road once again.

This is when too little sleep, no coffee and talking a lot early in the morning kicked in for the teens.  Soon, they were all sleeping peacefully while we made our way through the beautiful vistas of Northern California.  It doesn't matter how much trouble you have, when you see beautiful landscapes that make up much of the United States, you forget the ache of the previous trouble!  If you can't do this, you need to rethink priorities!

We are now settled in with some good friends in Southern Oregon and it is good to hear the chatter once again.  They've forgotten the cramped space in the van and the delays on the road and are now laughing and teasing each other just as they did this morning.  Tomorrow morning it is up early (not 4 a.m.) and after breakfast heading up to the camp.  The teens are excited about this last leg of the trip because after dinner and laughing with their friends, the delays and frustrations of today are forgotten.

I realize now how important it is to have a good meal, relax with friends and sometimes forget the troubles that so easily weigh us down.  I've got to remember that!  It's amazing what we can learn if we just listen!

Until next time,

Jerry de Gier