Best Sign - 2015

David found this one on a door to the men's outhouse in Whitehorse...

Staat Stats 2015

2015 Trip Map

Staat Stats

To summarize our 2015 adventure, here are a few Staat Stats:

Miles travelled:  16,240

Miles travelled on gravel roads (including 4-wheel drive roads):  2,744 (mas or menos)

Days on the road:  84
Days in Alaska:  38
Days in Canada:  32
Days in Lower 48:  14

States visited:   8

Canadian Provinces visited:   3

Canadian Territories visited:   1

Most expensive gasoline:  $5.79 per gallon (Canadian dollars)
Nights in Motels:  4

And... drum roll, please... since we began these trips in 2010, we have traveled...

Sum total of miles:   92,478 miles
Sum total of days on the road:  499

WOW!!!

Why Me, Lord?

I admit that I'm a fan of country and western music.  I hope you won't think differently of me because of it.  It simply comes from my Texas roots.

On this year's trip, while we sat at the Wolf's Den, a Swiss restaurant located in Whitehorse and Canada's Yukon, it pleased me that they were playing country legends on their radio.  Then Kris Kristofferson's song Why Me, Lord began to play, and I had difficulty holding back tears.

We had just come off my favorite highway, the Dempster, with all its animals, snow, mud, and drama.  The song's words floated between David and me, and all we could do was look at each other and smile... What have I ever done to deserve even one of the pleasures I've known? 

Now that we're back in Texas and I sit in the comfort of our lovely home, I find myself still humming the tune.  I've been thinking about how privileged David and I are.  We have seen so many wonders!  I'm hoping that you might enjoy reading about just a few of the amazing things we have witnessed and experienced... in nature alone.  (Perhaps you'd be willing to share some of your experiences, too, in the comments section below.)  Here goes...

• One moonless night at the bottom of Palo Duro Canyon, we laid upon the rooftop of our SUV and watched thousands of shooting stars flash across the sky during a meteor shower.
• We have caught our breath at the top of two fourteeners surveying vistas that seemed to touch the very face of God.
• During a night at Wood Buffalo, we stood awestruck in parkas and pajamas, watching the sky radiate with amazing northern lights.
• After a hike up Hermosa Peak, we literally witnessed a mountain breathe beneath its coat of many colors.
• One night while on the Mississippi Sound, we sailed along a moonlight trail that led us to a moment in paradise.
• We have stood in the Badlands while a white and wild stallion pranced his way into our hearts.
• On the shores of the Bay of Fundy, we watched 30,000 sandpipers dance a dazzling folk ballet between sea and sky.
• We have showered with bison, bedded with elk, cradled a hawk, walked unknowingly into a herd of javelina, ridden on horseback past feeding mountain lions, and been chased by a mother mountain sheep. 
• We have camped during earthquakes, hurricanes, snow, fire, torrential rain, and had lightening strike the tree we slept next to.
• We have witnessed glaciers calving, bears fishing, cranes dancing, otter playing, eagles landing, seals swimming, birds nesting, wild stallions fighting, bison rolling, sea stars clinging, moose sunbathing, gannets hovering, spiders weaving, coyote hunting, elk sparring, ravens stealing, whales spouting, sunsets fading, geese flying, bats hanging, gulls squawking, dolphins jumping, squirrels chattering, tidal pools brimming, puffins tumbling, rainbows arching, skunks spraying, mushrooms bleeding, lizards scurrying, antelope sprinting, prairie dogs jump-yipping, aspen quaking, stars falling, sand pipers swooping,  marmots whistling, ice melting, salmon spawning, deer bounding, snakes slithering, swans gliding, snow drifting, wildflowers blooming, waves crashing, butterflies hatching, and a luna moth dying. 
• Whales have waved at us, grizzlies have gazed at us, hummingbirds have dive-bombed us, muskox have stared at us, snakes have struck at us, wild horses have laughed at us, an enormous sea turtle swam with us, and once a wolf sat behind our camper and surveyed us with soft and endearing eyes.
• We have heard loons call, coyotes sing, elks bugle, bears growl, bison grunt, rabbits shriek, wild horses whinny, owls hoot, caribous snort, mountain sheep baa, bees buzz, seals bark, wolves howl, wild donkeys bray, and eagles scream.
• And this year, we watched a Blood Moon disappear during a total eclipse and witnessed the very skies declare His Glory.

These experiences barely scratch the surface of the extraordinary world that we have encountered during our travels.  Even one of these experiences is so much more than we deserve.  We have been truly blessed.  I can only ask, "Why me, Lord?" and say to each of you that if in any way we can help you on your path, please let us know.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Dear Jesus.  I can't wait to see what happens next!

Why me Lord, what have I ever done

To deserve even one of the pleasures I've known?

Tell me Lord, what did I ever do

That was worth loving' You or the kindness You've shown?

Lord help me, Jesus, I've wasted it so

Help me Jesus, I know what I am.

But now that I know that I've needed You so

Help me, Jesus, my soul's in Your hand.

Try me, Lord, if You think there's a way

I can try to repay all I've taken from You.

Maybe Lord, I can show someone else

What I go through myself, on my way back to You.

Lord help me, Jesus, I've wasted it so

Help me, Jesus, I know what I am.

But now that I know that I've needed You so

Help me, Jesus, my soul's in Your hand.

Jesus, my soul's in Your hand.

Singer/songwriter:  Kris Kristofferson