Traveling from Juba to Pajok

      Before leaving the U.S. for South Sudan, the director for the group, Don Humphrey, expressed concern as to the condition of the road from Juba, the capital of South Sudan to Pajok, near the border with Uganda. While it is a major road from the capital of South Sudan going into Uganda, the road is in dreadful condition. Even when it is dry the road is difficult to navigate. But, add rain and mud and the road can easily become impassable.

         We are to the halfway point in the 90 mile journey when the rains start coming down heavily. It comes just at the time we are about to get off a tarmac road and make the remainder of the trip on a dirt back road. In moments the mud becomes evident, and as we continue the trip our progress slows, and the mud and water grows deeper.

             The last 28 miles of the trip takes us 8 hours. At each drip, and every massive sinkhole and puddle, we question if we are going to sink in and not get out. A little after dark we make it to Pajok. As with the road we are faced with very remote conditions, and we have had to bring our water and flood with us from the U. S. and from Juba. It is the beginning of a week of work and evaluation of a series of new programs being carried out in this new nation.

Traveling Back to Africa

     We jump from travel in the western part of the United States to a destination halfway around the world, some 9,000 miles from home in Indiana.

      In the next few entries we will be taking you to a nation that is only one year old ... South Sudan, Africa. Stay tuned in. It's going to be a great trip.

Travel the Loop Road in the Badlands

"When you are heading west on Route # 90 in South Dakota it might be easy to schedule yourself right past the Badlands National Park without stopping. Don't make that mistake. It only takes about 2 hours to route yourself around the Loop Road. Take it. You will be glad you did."

View of the Badlands - Loop Road

Loop Road takes you into Badlands

Good Road all the way

Hiking into the Badlands

Peaks Loom Above the Road

Bus Load of Tourists Stop for the View

View of the Badlands

Near the Main Gate on the East End

Thoughts from a Bison

Oh, its a great day to be a bison, a bison in Yellowstone. I just love it in the spring, walking around and eating, eating and walking around.

Oh, no, here come those people with their camera again. Pictures, pictures and more pictures. How would you like it if we had a camera and we followed you around taking pictures all day? Huh? How would you like it?

I think I'll go down to the next field and maybe they will go away. I think it will be easier to get away if I walk down the road instead of through the field.

Oh yeh! Mom said to always look both ways before getting out on the road. You might get hit. There are a lot of crazy drivers out there. I guess they might not see a bison walking down the road. Go figure!

Well, do you have your camera for this one? How do you like this view? There, hope that makes you go away so I can eat in peace!

Don't Throw Caution to the Wind

We moved into the open field, all the time watching the line of trees and shrubs off to our left. Near the tree line the big, black bear eyed us cautiously. 

Nearby a very young cub played near the trunk of the tree uncaring, or unknowing of our presence. 

The mother bear was not so oblivious, and she watched our every move. We stopped and watched them for a time. She stared back at us from the protection of the trees and shrubs. It was not long before we took into account our vulnerability. About that same time the mother must have realized her vulnerability and that of her cub as well. 

As we began a slow retreat back toward the car, she reached up and pulled the cub down from the tree, and soon they disappeared in the underbrush in the distance. We were well within the Smoky Mountain National Park. Watching cautiously over our shoulder we reached the car and left the area without incident.

Trailers Leave, Funding Needed

     The three trailers containing 30,000 school textbooks have left Austin, Texas on the way to schools all over Malawi. Briele has done her job. She obtained the books from the Austin School System, and the Western Hill Church of Christ has raised over $20,000.00 in spite of being a congregation of only a little over 100. The total cost for shipping is $38,000.00.

     Now we need your help. Most often the size of the programs of the Malawi Project leave many people feeling their contribution will not amount to much. This is not true. The Project does not have contributors that fund massive parts of the program. The funds that come to the Malawi Project come from donations of $25,00, $50,00 or $100.00. Sometimes someone will send $500.00, but this is an exception. Your check, along with others, is the life blood of what we do. Please consider helping with the textbook shipping. Send your contribution to Malawi Project, 1365  5th Ave, Terre Haute, IN 47807 and mark it  "textbooks". Thanks for your help.

Return of the Bird

1.            Flight to Tower: Breaking Away from the formation.

            Tower: We have you on radar. Commence final approach.

 

2.            Flight: Roger that. Beginning Decent.

            Tower: Begin turn to the left, continuing approach.

3.            Flight: Roger that. Turning to the left.

            Tower: We have you on visual. Continue decent.

4.            Flight: Have landing zone in sight. Down to 1,100 feet.

            Tower: Slow airspeed. Don’t want to see you overshoot.

5.            Flight: Roger that. Slowing airspeed.

            Tower: Begin lowering your feet.

6.            Flight: Roger that. Feet down and angled.

            Tower: You are under the radar.

 

7.            Flight: Right. I am standing on the roof, stupid!

Somedays Just Wear a Guy Out

Did you ever notice that some days are harder than others, and by the end of the day you just feel all washed out? This guy seems to be presenting that tired out feeling as he stops to take a break.

Dug Out on Lake Malawi

It is a calm day on the lake. A fisherman paddles up near the short in one of the dugouts used extensively on the lake.

Thinking, Believing and Doing

"What we think or what we know
or what we believe is, in the
end, of little consequence.
The only consequence is what we do"

- Norman Vincent Peale

30,000 Textbooks for Malawi

It started on a recent trip to Austin, Texas where the plight of the children of Malawi was discussed with a small group of Christians one Saturday night. Among the group was a teenager by the name of Brielle.

She asked, “Can they use school textbooks?”

The answer was “yes”.

One could not imagine at the time that Brielle would be so successful that two 40-foot trailers are being prepared for shipment to Malawi. The trailers will contain 30,000 school textbooks. Brielle has done her part. The textbooks are in a warehouse awaiting shipment to Malawi.

Now it is up to the rest of us to step up and help her reach her goal. It will cost nearly $33,000.00 to send the trailers halfway around the world with the much needed school books. The Western Hills Church of Christ, 6211 Parkwood Dr., Austin, TX 78735 has determined to find a way to raise the funds and make the shipment possible. They are asking for your help to accomplish this, and you can make your contribution directly to their address or go to the MalawiProject.org site and send a contribution through PayPal.

Project Assists School

The Malawi Project recently received a major donation to be used to assist in the construction of a maize mill on land being developed for an international school by the Green Valley Church of Christ in Noblesville, Indiana.

The mill is nearly complete and will serve a large number of villages in a mountainous area where traveling long distances is difficult and there are almost no motorized vehicles.

The church officials determined the first project on the over 200 acres of land donated for the school by Tribal Authority, should be a project that would help the people. The maize mill seemed to be the right choice.

Snow, Then Out Into the Open

Leaving Amarillo early the next morning we find ourselves traveling on a slick and dangerous road. The ice trucks are out, but the cold, the snow and the wind have made I-40 a long continuous path of ice. It's slow going at first, and only around 10 in the morning do we reach the Texas-New Mexico border and begin to break out into clear highways. We begin to accelerate to make up for lost time. We need to be in Holbrook, Arizona by the end of the day and we are already running behind. The blowing snow continues to warn us of the possible hazards along the way, but the pavement is no longer glazed over with ice, just wet and slippery in spots. Its best to stay in the right hand lane. From time to time a brave soul speeds around us in the snow covered left lane. Carefully fellow, that lane is still pretty slick.         

With careful driving its not too long before we cross over into New Mexico and the snow is more confined to the sides of the road. I grip the steering wheel with a little less stress, and Suzi drifts off to sleep, as she loves to do when we travel.

We are about to pass through the area I have been most concerned about... West Texas and the possibility of a major storm stopping our forward motion. I feel better as we pass over into New Mexico.

The highway is now clear, and the scenery is opening up into great broad vistas. I can see for miles, and the snow  seems to bring the scene around me into even greater focus.

With a clear highway we cross New Mexico without incident, and enter Arizona. It is well after dark when we reach Holbrook, Arizona, our destination for the night. We decided before leaving Indianapolis that we wanted to have our granddaughter experience the night in a wigwam, and Holbrook sits astride historic Route # 66, and is home to one of the famous Wigwam Motels. We check in after dark and head for our rooms. They are neat, clean and comfortable, though a little small. A quick look around in the pale moonlight promises a better view of the wigwams with the morning light. But for now, its been a long day, so its off to bed. See you in the morning. Tomorrow we want to get a better view of this historic place, and still make it to the Grand Canyon by around lunch time.

Catching Up With The Snow

Departing from Miami, Oklahoma early in the morning we have set our sights on reaching Amarillo, Texas by nightfall. That will only be about 450 miles, and after having made 600 miles the day before, this one would seem like a piece of cake. We are traveling in two cars, and headed for the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. For the past two weeks we have been watching the weather forecasts closely, and our biggest concern would be to have weather related problems is West Texas, and in the area near Grand Canyon, and Falstaff, Arizona. As of now the weather looks favorable, although they had storms west of Amarillo a couple of days ago that shut down the interstate. We are hoping the weather does not do a repeat performance as we reach that part of the country.

The trip is uneventful across the state of Oklahoma, and into Texas. Although the temperate is hovering a little below 32 degrees, the sky is relatively clear, and we are keeping our fingers crossed. Tulsa and Oklahoma City grow dim in the rear view mirror, and then disappears beyond a ribbon of double lanes of asphalt. Everything seems to indicate a good day ahead, at least until we approach Amarillo.

Snow Beginning to Fall

As we approach Amarillo from the east snowflakes begin hitting the windshield, and for a time, they are light enough there is no interruption or slowing of our forward progress. However, as we reach the outskirts of Amarillo the snow is coming down much heavier, and the road and streets are fast disappearing below a blanket of white. Traffic begins to slow on the interstate, and the big trucks begin moving to the right hand lane. We start thinking about where we are going to eat dinner. After all, it is Christmas afternoon, and we are unsure how many places will be open. We have reservations at a Hampton Inn for the night, so if we eat soon we can go directly to the hotel and settle in.

Big Texas Steak House

Giant billboards have been advertising the Big Texas Steak House for some time, and the women in both cars are familiar with the place from its appearance on the food channel. It is right on our way as we pass through the city on interstate 40, and both cars turn in for dinner. 

Open? 

That is for sure. The parking lot is full, and the crowd is backed up to the door waiting for a seat inside. It doesn’t take long for the line to dwindle and we are seated for dinner. 


What A Great Meal
It is a delightful smorgasbord of Christmas meal delight, and after we are seated we give  Christmas presents to a grand daughter. 

Then Suzi makes her decision and after filling her plate, shows off what she is able to get on a single plate. 

Cowboy Songs During Our Meal
While we are enjoying our meal two cowboys come over with their violins to serenade us, just like we are celebrities. They even do a good rendition of “Back Home Again in Indiana”. I’m really impressed, and feeling quite important, at least until they go over to the next table and do a song from their home state, and then the next, and the next, and on and on. Guess they do it for everyone.

Hampton Inn for the Night

After the meal we settle in at a nearby Hampton Inn for the night. Outside the snow continues to fall. From time to time I glance out through the window. This is not so good. It sure looks like there could be a fair amount of snow on the roads by morning, and we can’t loose much time or we’ll be too late reaching California.

Getting ready for another road trip. If you would like to go along, get your suitcase packed and meet us beside the red Prius. This will be a trip by car. No plane. No overseas travel. We're going to combine a pleasure trip with a work trip. We're planning to attend the Rose Parade in Southern California, then hold meetings that will hopefully obtain more supplies for Malawi, as well as some time to discuss some modifications to the Malawi Project website. 

The trip will take us through Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona (with a stop off in Phoenix and one at the Grand Canyon), and on into California. Here we'll attend the Rose Parade, visit friends, and hold meetings. 

The return trip will take us up through Colorado, then out across the plans of Kansas, a stop off with friends in Missouri, then back to Indianapolis. So, without further discussion, the tank is full of gas, the Garmin is programmed for the trip, and we have the suitcases in the car. 

                                         Let's go. 

The first day takes us over 600 miles, and we stop for the night in Miami, Oklahoma. We will be following the route of the historic, famous Route 66. 

Our current route along I-40 will follow that famous route all the way west along the current southern route to California.