Jensen Family BackJack Tour 2008

The Final Chapter - The arrival of our baby....It's a BOY!

2008-12-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, our sweet baby boy came 17 days after arriving back home! Little Samuel Vernon Jensen is our newest little angel! He was born December 6th at 6:36am at Ashland Community Hospital! Two days before my birthday! He weighed 7 lbs. 14oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long! The same Dr. Jani Rollins has delivered all 4 of our children and she said I am the first Mom that she has delivered 4 children with! Everyone in the family can't wait for their turn to hold him and love on him! Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read our blog and enjoy our adventures right along with us! I will do my best to continue to blog and keep a record of our family happenings. Our blog will now be the old blog I started awhile back and I will start again...www.ourjensenjourney.blogspot.com Our love to you all!

Santa Samuel, Our Christmas Baby!

Evan & Dad with Sam right after his birth. Evan stayed at the hospital with us and was there to meet Sam right after he was born. Evan is a great big brother!

Emilie loving on her new baby brother...she's such a great little mommy!

Samuel with the beautiful quilt his Grandma Judy made him!

Nana with baby Samuel after his first tubbie

Cropper Medical Bio Skin Executive Retreat

2008-11-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

A couple of days after arriving home, Steve and I took off to Sun River to enjoy a wonderful couple of days at a luxurious home in Sun River, Oregon near Bend. Steve had meetings and I just got to relax and enjoy a big cozy bed! It was AMAZING! Especially compared to the Winnebago quarters. :) I even went on a bike ride with the other wives in the snow!

Cropper Medical Folks playing games and having fun!

Arriving back home in Ashland, Oregon

2008-11-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

We arrived back home in Ashland and spent our first night home parked in front of our new house in Ashland! It was our last night sleeping in "The Winnie-Jack" and I have to admit it was definitely bitter-sweet! We had such an amazing time on this road trip!

Here's our transition picture back to reality and the real world. Winnebago on the left with the kids and the new house in the back.

Homeschooling in an RV was quite a unique experience and a lot of fun, but we didn't waste any time getting the kids back in public school. The very next morning that we arrived home, the boys woke up in the RV and were off to their first day back to Bellview Elementary to meet their teachers and see their friends.

San Fransisco Bay Area

2008-11-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

Our very last stop on the trip before heading home to Oregon, was a quick stop in the SF Bay Area to meet up with Nana (Sandie's Mom) and trade cars. She let us tow her car and she took care of our Suburban while we were gone. Thanks Nana!

Fresno, California

2008-11-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

On the way home we stopped for a quick surprise visit to my sister Brenda's in Fresno. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins! They fed us a delicious home cooked meal and we enjoyed catching up for a few hours.

Jensen's and Osborne's with The Winnie

Cousin Ashley & Emilie

Grand Canyon South Rim

2008-11-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

As we were nearing the end of our trip, we were driving fairly close to the Grand Canyon and of course, being the adventurous family that we are, we couldn't resist a trip to the Grand Canyon even if we could only spend an hour there! After all, Steve had to buy one of those National Parks passes at the beginning of the trip when we went to Yellowstone and we still hadn't got our money's worth yet! It was chilly and I am very pregnant at this point but we still enjoyed a fun little hike along the south rim at sunset.

Phoenix, Arizona

2008-11-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

We were really excited to visit with Sandie's sister in Phoenix over the weekend as we were passing through. The kids loved playing with their cousin Morgan!

Cousin Morgan & Emilie reading buddies

Cousin Morgan and Emilie laughing on the bed!

Morgan and Emilie had a sleepover in The Winnie! Morgan read books and Emilie crashed!

Gilbert, Arizona

2008-11-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

Phoenix Sunset with Hot Air Balloon

Steve and Arizona rep Ted Jennings heading off to work

Emilie found an instant friend in Maren while we stayed with The Jennings

Alison Jennings and Sandie Jensen played with our kids while the Dad's worked.

Alison made delicious cookies with the kids and they were so excited when they got to lick the spoons!

Santa Fe, New Mexico

2008-11-11T22:59:00.000-08:00

On our way to Santa Fe we had another classic experience in the Winnie Jack. We were driving down the highway, and out of nowhere something flies off the front of the Winnie, hits the windshield and then the ground. We hear it hit the ground and we all thought..."What was that?" Steve pulled over on the side of the highway to get out and run back to see what had happened. On his way up the highway running, a police officer puts his lights on and pulled over to Steve. Seth was with him running along side with only one shoe on because the anticipation of what had flown off the RV was so great and he could only find one shoe! Thankfully, the police officer was pulling over to help, but all Emmy could see off in the distance was a police car picking up her daddy and taking him away! We were hurrying to get our shoes on so we could go find out what was going on! Emilie was relieved to see Dad and Seth coming back in the police car unharmed with a piece of the grill that had flown off! What a hoot!

We were hoping for warm weather in New Mexico...but no way! It was snowing!

50,000 Miles!

2008-11-10T23:11:00.000-08:00

The Winnie Jack Odometer hitting 50k miles! We have to celebrate the fact that we have gone over 10,000 miles and visited over 30 states in almost 3 months!

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

2008-11-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Our Jensen Totem Pole

Classic Winnie Footage

Texas The Lone Star State

2008-11-03T22:31:00.000-08:00

We came into Houston, Texas first where we attended church Sunday morning. Then after church we visited the Houston LDS Temple. We headed off then to San Antonio where we enjoyed swimming in the heated pool and relaxing in the hot tub. Steve worked in San Antonio on Monday and then we drove that same night to Austin. We enjoyed some delicious Chuy's Mexican Food there but wished we could've done more exploring...in fact, I realize I must be getting tired because I don't have many pictures of us in Texas and I couldn't muster up the energy to take the kids to see the historic Alamo Mission...anyway, after Austin it was right on to Dallas and then Oklahoma City...Wow! That was a busy week...it's no wonder why I'm tired!

Kids at Houston, TX LDS Temple

Emmy with pretty Temple flowers

Daddy's Little Pumpkin

New Orleans, Louisiana

2008-11-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Steve couldn't wait to take us out to enjoy some delicious, authentic Cajun grub! After serving in Louisiana as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he developed a real love for the food and culture of Louisiana.

Em with her little alligator friend

Enjoying delicious french doughnuts called beignets and hot chocolate before the parade starts...

The Krewe of Boo 2008 New Orleans Parade was the first Halloween Parade ever in New Orleans! (At least the first official one!) They had extravagant floats designed by some of the same people who design the Mardi Gras Floats!

The Jensen Family after the New Orleans Halloween Parade

Halloween has never been this exciting and may never be this exciting again! Check out the loot from the parade! Emmy caught most of the stuffed animals and the boys got a few too...we also got cups, toys, and lots of neat beads!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Miramar Beach and Destin, Florida

2008-10-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Em and Mom getting our feet wet!

Evan and Seth posing for a picture for Mom...what they were really doing on the beach was playing football with one of their shoes since they don't have a real one on this trip...playing football together is one of their favorite things to do!

Emilie admiring her first ever french braid in the mirror of the little Winnie's bathroom

Soaking up the sun in Miramar Beach, FL

A Tribute to Smoothie King! Steve's favorite place to eat....and the rest of us love it too! Going to all of our favorite stores and restaurants on this trip has been a real perk since none of them are in southern Oregon! Besides Smoothie King, we have loved going to Panera, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Cracker Barrel.

Tannehill State Park, Alabama

2008-10-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

We happened upon one of the neatest events of the year for the locals in Birmingham, Alabama and surrounding areas. In fact, this event draws thousands of people from all over Alabama to celebrate Halloween at Tannehill State Park. Families start to prepare 1-2 months in advance by parking their RV's and Fifth Wheels at Tannehill to elaborately decorate for Halloween. They set up camp and live there for a month or two and have big parties with lots of good grub while they watch football on their big screen tv's that they set up outside their RV's.

Seth and Evan in front of the train at Tannehill State Park

Seth as Anakin Skywalker, Emmy as Tinkerbell, Evan as a Vampire

Tinkerbell Emmy

Besides a fun Halloween event, Tannehill is known for its historical Ironworks Mill. Steve gave the kids a history lesson about the Civil War while we visited one of the mills where they made the canons and guns for the Confederate army.

Salisbury, North Carolina

2008-10-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Riding the Train at Dan Nicholas State Park

Emilie loved playing with Don McCall's daughter Eva while Steve worked with Don in North Carolina

Rocking out in front of the Cracker Barrel, one of the kid's favorite restaurants on our trip

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

2008-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Govenor's Palace

Crime and Punishment...Yeah right!

Evan and Emilie are Horse Lovers!

Niagara Falls, Canada, New York

2008-10-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

Right before we crossed over the border from Canada back into the U.S. we visited Niagara Falls...because it was later in the day and dark already, it's hard to tell that the boys are standing in front of the falls.

Seth and Evan at Niagara Falls

Evan and Seth at The Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls, NY

North Eastern Apple Harvest

2008-10-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

From New York to Boston to Toronto we enjoyed the MOST delicious apples we have ever tasted! They were crisp with the perfect tartness and sweetness!

At Chudleigh's Apple Farm in Toronto, Canada, we stocked up on big bags of delicious apples, and of course we couldn't pass up on their homemade berry and apple pie and fresh apple cider that was amazing! With Steve being so far away from his Mom Judy and her amazing homemade pies, we found a way for Steve to satisfy his pie fix!

Steve searching for the perfect apples out of dozens of varieties to choose from!

Pumpkin Harvest

Medieval Times, Toronto, Canada

2008-10-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Tanner Cropper and The Jensen Family at the feast

A medieval feast of chicken that you have to eat with your hands!

A miracle in Toronto, Canada

2008-10-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

We were staying at a KOA campground just outside Toronto. The kids were playing right outside the RV. The camp host had put all the picnic benches up for the season (due to the cold weather) leaning against the trees. Seth and Emilie were running around and playing near our picnic bench, when before I could do or say anything, I witnessed the heavy wooden picnic bench falling down with my two youngest underneath it! I ran over to them as fast as I could and was relieved that the table missed Emilie completely! I knew that was a miracle all by itself- then I realized that Seth hadn't been as fortunate and he was face down on the grass! He wasn't moving and it hurt so bad that he wasn't even crying which of course made me panic even more! I picked him up and saw that his head was bleeding, so I grabbed a towel and put pressure on his head. I looked at him in the eyes to show him my love and told him that I was going to say a prayer for him. Then, with all my children around me, I offered up the deepest prayer of faith and pleading that a mother could muster. Then I grabbed some ice for his head and I just held and comforted him. I was amazed at how quickly he recovered. I thought of how bad it could've been. When the table fell it hit his head and hurt his neck. He could've broken his neck, been passed out cold, paralyzed or worse. I am so thankful to my Father in heaven for protecting him.

Seth after accident with bloody towel and battle wound on side of head

The wooden table that fell down on top of Seth and Emilie

Adirondacks, New York

2008-10-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Steve thought it would be fun to tell Emmy that Carebears live in the Adirondacks Forest. He told her if we look really hard we might be able to find a Carebear in the Adirondacks Forest of Feelings. He secretly had me buy a Carebear before we left for the Forest. Then when we got there, he hunted for one with Emilie, while I hid the Carebear in a tree in the forest...this is a picture of Emilie and the Carebear Harmony after the capture!

The Winnie Jack with the Fall Colors

Adirondacks in the Fall

We had woken up to get an early start on our long drive up to Toronto, Canada. We were driving in one direction when we realized we needed to be heading the opposite direction. And as you can probably guess, 29 foot Motor homes with a car in tow are not the easiest things to flip a u-turn in! We had found a decent place to turn around and as Steve was going to make the turn the car dolly swung out a little too far and caught the guard rail! As we went to turn around we heard a noise and realized we couldn't move forward anymore! We were stuck on the guard rail! The scariest thing about it was we were taking up both lanes! People drive really fast on that road and we were panicked that someone would come around the bend and not be able to stop in time! We were really stuck too! There was no quick way to get out of this sticky mess! Thankfully, we were able to stop traffic before they hit us and with the help of 3 nice men we were able to get unstuck and get off the road. Unfortunately, our early start didn't help much as we now had a flat tire on the tow dolly that needed repair. So I stayed with the kids while Steve drove to a town to get the tire fixed. We are very grateful and feel blessed that we were protected and nobody got hurt.

Scary accident with the Winnebago and a guard rail

The Tire that blew from catching the guard rail

Historic Boston

2008-10-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

Along the Freedom Trail we visited a cemetery where many famous historic persons are buried including Samuel Adams

Boston Common Tadpole Playground

Seth with Paul Revere Plaque

Cape Cod, MA

2008-10-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Atlantic Ocean in Chatham, Massachusetts

Cape Cod Bay at Sunset

Fall Time in Massachusetts

We met up with Steve's cousin Stuart in Franklin, MA and had a great time catching up and enjoyed a nice dinner together

Boston, MA

2008-10-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

Sandie and Julie Gronneberg-Shulman. I've known Julie since I was about 8 years old and she has been a special friend to me throughout my growing up years...I hadn't seen her for about 10 years...so it was so great to see her in her beautiful home in Stoneham, MA where we were treated to a delicious home-cooked Lasagna dinner. Julie is the head Graphic Designer at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She has a wonderful husband Tobin and adorable son Lincoln.

Emilie & Lincoln

New York, New York

2008-10-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in NYC for two days. We went on Sunday morning and took the train into the city. We first went to a Stake Center on the Upper East Side to watch General Conference. A special broadcast from our church leaders including the prophets and apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We had a great time afterwards walking through Central Park and it was a big highlight to check into our hotel, The Hudson. We spent the night Sunday and Steve took the day off on Monday so we could continue to sightsee on Monday. We then took the train home on Monday night after two long, fun-filled days in the Big city. We were a little taken back to get back to our car late at night to find that someone had broken into our car with no forcible entry and stolen our GPS. Then, they didn't shut the door tight so the battery was dead! What a bummer! Even though the kids were bummed about the GPS being stolen, someone helped us jump the car and we prayed for the person who stole the GPS that their life would improve and we all felt better. Overall, we had a great weekend!

Boys in awe at Grand Central Station when we arrived in NYC

Emmy in Central Park

Emmy on the windowsill of our hotel enjoying the view

The view from our hotel room

The Hudson Hotel where we stayed

Seth checking out the view from The Empire State Building

WOW! TIMES SQUARE! THIS IS AMAZING!

An ultimate space dining experience was had at the Mars 2112 Restaurant

New York Skyline

Jensen's at the Statue of Liberty

Em enjoying Ice Cream at the Statue of Liberty

Seth and Evan on the ferry with NYC in the background

Kids at fountain near Rockefeller and Radio City

Ithaca, New York

2008-10-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had a very special afternoon near Cornell University visiting the old stomping grounds of Steve's dad, Vernon H. Jensen Jr. We saw the house were he was raised and then we went down into the gorge near his house where he spent hours playing as a young boy! We talked about Grandpa Vern and Steve shared a lot of stories about him. Although the kids and I have never had the privilege of meeting him because he passed away when Steve was 19, we all feel a connection to him through Steve and feel like we know and love him.

Upstate New York at the Jay's

2008-09-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of spending a weekend at the Jay's home in Dryden, New York. Joe and Judy Jay are some of the most kind and hospital people we've ever met! They opened their home to us and treated us like family! We had a great time visiting with them, enjoying their horses and eating delicious home cooked meals...it was so nice to have a break from the Minnie Winnie!

The Winnie in front of the Jays home

Feeding the horses in the morning

Evan on Pokey

Steve and Joe before they left on their manly guy bonding ride

Emmy LOVED riding on Shiloh

Seth in the barn with the horses

Phillies vs. Braves

2008-09-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

Bio Skin rep Jim Downey gave us a generous gift...tickets to a Phillies game...a true and loyal Phillies fan!

Seth lovin' the first professional baseball game that he'll remember!

Phillies Fans Forever!

Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

2008-09-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

While Steve was off working with Marsh DeMoulin, I took the kids to a beautiful State Park on Maryland's western shore called Sandy Point.

Let's Get Wet!

Emmy soaking up some fresh air on the beach

Washington D.C. National Mall & Zoo

2008-09-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

The White House

Seth paying tribute to the Washington Monument

Boys at Washington Monument

Evan LOVED The Air and Space Museum. One of the highlights of the day was an IMAX movie we watched about Fighter Jets.

U.S. Capitol Building

Emmy at WWII Memorial

Our Oregon Tribute

Reflection Pool...you should see the dancing and faces Steve is making to get these kind of smiles!

Abraham Lincoln Memorial

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Boys with Tiger

Good Morning Baltimore!

2008-09-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

It was actually, Good Evening Baltimore! After Steve got off work with Marsh, we headed to Baltimore to see the city and have a delicious dinner at the Rusty Scupper. After dinner we took a walk up to a nearby fort on a hill and enjoyed a view of the city!

At the marina in front of the Rusty Scupper Restaurant where we ate.

Steve and Emmy at the fort

Ohio and Pennsylvania already are behind us...on to Maryland and Washington D.C.

2008-09-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

We left exactly one month ago on August 18th! A milestone for the Winnie! We hit 44,444.4 miles! That means we have gone about 4,500 miles!

We left Michigan and drove to Dayton, Ohio where Steve worked with Bob Grote. Then we immediately drove to Washington, Pennsylvania for Steve to work with Dave Smith for the day. Then immediately after they finished working, we drove to just outside Washington, DC to Millersville, Maryland...Wow! We have done a lot of driving in the last day and a half. While Steve worked today, the kids and I did some grocery shopping and spent some time in Petco looking at the animals. We should have some more exciting news coming up in the next couple of days as we do some exploring in Maryland and our nation's capital. I hope we move into a house when we get back home because after being in Petco today, the kids really want to have animals and they hope to adopt one of Riikka's puppies!

Cabela's

2008-09-17T09:46:00.001-07:00

Cabela's is a huge outdoor store with hundreds of animals and an aquarium!

Detroit, MI

2008-09-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple days on Greenfield Lake in Michigan while Dad worked with a rep Dick and caught up on office work.

Go swim in a lake!

Sandcastle Fun

Ducks vs. Purdue

2008-09-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

The ducks were behind the whole first half, but we cheered them on and they came back in the second half to win after they went into overtime...it was a great game! Steve had a fun time checking out the players braces and seeing Bio Skin braces all over the field on both teams players!

Seth and Evan with the Ducks Mascott

West Lafayette, Indiana

2008-09-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

While Steve attended a Pain Management Conference in Nashville, TN, the kids and I went to my brother Cole's house in West Lafayette, IN. My brother Cole and his sweet wife Rachel and their two kids Rella and Giles were excellent hosts! We had a great time getting to know our cousins better and taking a little break from the RV life. My brother Cole is attending Purdue University to get his PHD.

Emmy LOVES her new little cousin Giles

Riding in the motorhome

Froggy back rides

Jensen kids in their true fashion!

Petting Zoo Fun!

Emilie LOVES her little cousin Rella

Evan and Rella

Fun at the Zoo!

The cousins are Sunflowers!

Aunt Rachel starting Emmy young on violin lessons!

Historic Nauvoo, IL

2008-09-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Kids with Christus in Nauvoo Visitor's Center

Finding out what it was like to ride in a wagon

The Jensen Clan with Oxens Gary and Gabe and Oxcart

Original sun stone from the first Nauvoo Temple

Nauvoo LDS Temple

CHICAGO......and all that Jazz!

2008-09-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

The Jensen Clan and the Chicago skyline

After Minneapolis we drove through Wisconsin stopping only in Madison to eat breakfast and straight on to the windy city we flew...unfortunately for us it was the stormy and rainy city when we arrived. Steve stayed at a KOA outside Chicago to do office work in the Winnie and the kids and I packed up to meet up with Nana in a small town outside Chicago called Romeoville. The next day Steve went to work with Joy Bowen in Chicago and we spent the morning with Nana and then said our good-byes. Although it was a very short visit with Nana, it's always good to see her and especially since we are so far from home. The kids and I also enjoyed staying at a hotel for a night and swimming and relaxing away from the Winnie for a change. After our good-byes, the kids and I were off on an excursion to the big city. We hopped on a train in a Chicago suburb and took the train into the city. We got off the train and walked towards the water and the Navy Pier. After their work day, Joy dropped Steve off at the Navy Pier where we rode some rides and walked around. Then we went to the Uno's Pizzeria for some Chicago-style deep dish Pizza and then we walked around the city exploring and staring up at all the big buildings. Emilie loved the American Girl store too...We had a great time in Chicago and exhausted we all took the train back to the car having had a very fun filled day!

Joy Bowen with Steve and the kids after their work day

Navy Pier BIG Ferris Wheel

View of the Chicago skyline from the BIG Ferris Wheel

Emilie ecstatic about her new American Girl dresses. One for her and one for her Bitty Baby that matches!

Mall of America, Minneapolis, Minnesota

2008-09-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

After a day in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, we headed northeast to the Twin Cities. One of the big attractions in Minneapolis is the Mall of America. IT'S HUGE! Inside this gigantic mall is a Nickelodeon Theme Park. We spent the day walking around the mall, eating lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe, and riding rides. The kiddos were in heaven! Steve worked with his rep Brian Bowen and got to see a surgery which he thought was very fascinating.

Meeting Dora The Explorer (The highlight for Emmy!)

The Lego store was so cool. This neat sculpture behind Seth & Evan is made entirely out of legos!

The kids meeting Spongebob Squarepants!

Emilie and Seth driving go-carts!

Steve going into a surgery with rep Brian Bowen

Brian Bowen getting ready to go into surgery

Cody Nite Rodeo, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands

2008-09-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

After Dad did office work during the day and the kids played and swam at the KOA in Cody, WY, we took off for an authentic night on the town cowboy style.We ate at a super grubalicious restaurant called Bubba's B-B-que and the whole family had spare ribs, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, baked beans, salad, garlic bread, and bread pudding! It was quite the feast! After dinner we went to an RV parts store for a few items and found out while we were there that our fridge was broken and that the RV needs two more batteries! Unfortunately we also found out that Steve's fix on the kitchen floor didn't hold and water was leaking again! We had taken the motor home to a tire place earlier today as well because we had blown that third tire and realized that we needed to just replace all the tires that were on the rig from the previous owner so that puts the record at 8 new tires now! All six of the tires on the Minnie Jack and the two on the car dolly that we found out were 13 years old and illegal to be on the road! At least now we can feel pretty confident that we won't be on the side of the road stranded again- at least not with a flat tire I hope. After the repair on the fridge we were off to forget our worries at the famous Cody Nite Rodeo! None of us had ever been to a rodeo before...it was quite an experience...bare back riding, bull riding, barrel racing and more! The kids got to go down in the arena and try to pull a red ribbon off a calf's tail for a prize.

Wyoming was much more beautiful then we expected. We hit the highest elevation on our trip driving between Cody, WY and Rapid City, South Dakota it was near 10,000 feet. We went to church in Rapid City, SD on Sunday and then Sunday afternoon we went to Mt. Rushmore on the way to the Badlands National Park. The kids earned another Junior Ranger badge at Mt. Rushmore! They are learning a lot about our country. Steve talked to a girl at Mt. Rushmore who works in an Orthopedic section of a hospital and was familiar with Bio Skin products in Denver, CO. It's a small world and fun to make those connections. We stayed near the Badlands for one night and drove on to Sioux Falls, SD the next day. That was last night that we arrived here. It was raining really hard yesterday with really intense lightning. Today Steve is working with his rep Tom and the kids and I are off to discover Sioux Falls....

Cody, Wyoming

2008-08-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

The next stop after Yellowstone is Cody, WY. Steve has office work to do so we are camping out at a KOA with internet access and there's lots of stuff for the kids to do like swimming, a jumping pillow, riding bikes etc... I must update you on the mishaps as well after all that's probably the most entertaining part of this blog! So we left Yellowstone and headed towards Cody...we were on the road for about an hour and a half when Steve started to feel something weird again with one of the back tires this time. Sure enough in the middle of Wyoming we blew our 3rd flat tire! Unbelievable! Or actually at this point very believable... however, this time Steve had the tools and was so "The Man". We pulled over and he changed this big rig tire and in less than an hour, we were on our way again. In fact, Steve is becoming quite the repair man on this trip...last night he fixed that "major problem" of the hose that was burst in the kitchen floor! These pictures were taken as we were on the side of the road in Wyoming while Steve was fixing the tire...I'm so grateful that Steve is not only a great husband and a great business man but also a great handy man!

Yellowstone Detour...

2008-08-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Whats making this trip worth the hard times and struggles (ie: roadside mishaps, tight quarters, Steve gone working all day while the kids and I try not to go insane in the RV etc...) is visiting beautiful places like Yellowstone along the way! In Yellowstone National Park we saw so many neat things like hot springs, geysers like "Old Faithful" and lots of wildlife. The kids loved to look out the windows and spot animals like a bald eagle, bison, elk, a coyote, and we even saw two Grizzly Bears eating a bison carcus! We took a picture of them through a telescope with Steve's I phone. While Steve drove up to Billings, Montana to work with Lane Maddock, the kids and I stayed in the Park and enjoyed the scenery and worked on a special cub scout badge called the Junior Ranger. And this post wouldn't be complete without some more drama with the Minnie Winnie. While I was giving Emilie a shower the water stopped working! Her hair was full of shampoo and the water went from a flow to a trickle! Can you believe this luck?? It's like the money pit movie with Tom Hanks! I took the motor home to a repair place and they said it was too big of a problem for them to fix because a pipe burst and water was coming up our kitchen floor! So we have had no water for a couple of days! We must keep our heads up and keep on rvin'!!

Pocatello, ID is the next stop...

2008-08-29T00:38:00.000-07:00

After spending the weekend in Tri-Cities, we drove to Pocatello, Idaho for Steve to meet up with Russ McAffee. During the long drive there, the check engine light came on, can you believe it? So in the morning Russ took us to his mechanic. Nothing appeared to be wrong so Steve and Russ went off to work and the kids and I visited the Pocatello Zoo and Ross Water Park. Evan, Seth, and Emilie had a blast and learned about animals like the bear, lynx, and coyote. Evan made a good friend at the water park from Blackfoot, ID named Jaxen.

We made it to Tri-Cities for the weekend...

2008-08-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention something crazy that happened on the way to Tri-Cities beside blowing the second flat tire. We were driving along and Steve thought that something was sounding and feeling funny with one of the tires, so he pulled over on the side of a busy highway to check it out. I was laying down in the bed in the back resting. Steve had gotten out of the RV on one side while Evan and Emilie climbed out for some fresh air on the other side. Steve decided that he would keep going after checking the tire out so he climbed back in the RV and started to drive off! He hadn't noticed that the kids had gotten out. As Steve drives off, I hear a huge scream out the window of the back of the RV! It's Emilie! I jump up (as fast as a pregnant lady can) and say, "Steve, STOP! The kids aren't in the motorhome!" He can't believe it! He pulls over as quickly as he can so we could get then safely back in! Emilie was a little shaken up so I held her and comforted her and of course we made some safety rules so that would never happen again! By Thursday night late we made it to Steve's Mom's house in Richland, Washington. We were welcomed with a delicious home cooked meal and FOUR outstanding homemade pies made from delicious fruits from Judy and Val's garden. WOW! We really needed that after a long day of driving and being stranded in the middle of Washington and almost leaving two of our kids! Steve spent Fri. doing an internet training and office work. Over the weekend we did maintenance on the motor home and worked on making it a little more organized. We were so happy to see a few of our dear friends Jon & Holly, Dan & Stacey, and Jacob & Annette. We were also sad to have not had the chance to see more of our dear friends due to the lack of time.

Some fun in Seattle...

2008-08-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

After Steve got home from work, we loaded up the kids in the tow car and took off to Seattle. We saw some neat sand art on the side walk and ate great clam chowder near the Pike St. Market. The kids were amazed and excited about being in a big city! They especially loved the Space Needle. The next afternoon after Steve did office work, and before driving to the Tri-cities, we took a ferry ride from Fauntleroy to an island called Vashon. On the way to Richland, Wa though we had the second tire blow out on the Minnie Jack! The first tire blew out the first night we bought the motor home in Corvallis and on the way home late in the night one of the tires blew leaving us stranded to spend the night just off the freeway a little bit north of Grants Pass. Now, it happened again on the way to eastern Washington and this time in the middle of no where! Yikes! The Minnie Jack is not holding up as well as we would like, but we are keeping our spirits up.

Day Two and it's really sinking in...

2008-08-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Our first day on the road trip the kids and Mom spent the day with Steve's long time friends Jason and Jami Phelps in Vancouver. Then last night after Steve finished working with the Portland Rep Nick Ortega, we drove to Kent, Wa which is just south of Seattle. We checked in to our first RV park at a KOA campground. It's been pouring rain for the last day and night with only a few breaks where we were able to squeeze in some swimming in an outdoor heated pool. The kids also enjoyed an outdoor giant chess game at the playground. Today it finally became real this whole road trip adventure when Steve woke up and drove off to work this morning to meet with the Seattle Rep, Steve Simmons and left me and the kids in the motor home...wow, this is crazy! We are getting used to it though and look forward to everyday ahead.

The Adventure Begins...

2008-08-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

The Jensen Family packed up our home and put everything in storage minus the necessities of life and made the first leg of our journey to Portland, Or and Vancouver Wa. On Monday August 18, 2008. The Minnie Winnie (aka Winnie Jack, named after the Winnebago and the Backjack) is packed full! It's the new home for all 5 1/2 of us! Steve (Dad), Sandie (Mom), Evan (8), Seth (6), and Emilie (3). The half comes from the baby on the way due in early December. We had quite the send off from the CEO, Founder, and Managers of the Company that manufacture Bioskin. They and their families came with delicious cakes to share, thoughtful cards of encouragement and a bottle of bubbly to smash on the motorhome to celebrate the beginning of this exciting tour across the country.