•8:41 PM
November 22, 2010 8:41 p.m.
The van we camp in is a Sprinter, so Self-Reliant Man occasionally checks the Web for websites and information pertaining to Sprinter vans, accessories, parts, and maintenance. So it was in this way that back in May he stumbled on the website of a couple who was touring the U.S.A. in a Sprinter van that had been made over into a Class B motorhome by Airstream; the Airstream Interstate 3500 housed in a Mercedes Benz Sprinter van. The couple’s names are Rob and Jan. They had sold their home in Colorado and hit the road. Their trip was to cover 50 National Parks in 20,000 to 30,000 miles.
This couple managed to market themselves in such a way that Mercedes Benz was willing to sponsor their once-in-a-lifetime tour of North America’s National Parks, even providing them with the motorhome for the trip. So Self-Reliant Man was Googling “Sprinter Van” and came upon their website back in early May, on Day 19 of their seven month tour. This couple now has over 1100 followers on Facebook as they are now wrapping up their adventure. So I guess it is safe to say that they are somewhat famous.
Since we were one of their earliest followers on Facebook, and since we were also planning a cross country camping trip, we were very interested in their travels, their experiences, their photos, and their itinerary. It turned out that they and we were scheduled to be in Yellowstone National Park on the same day, so we decided to make tentative plans to meet one another for lunch on that day in September.
Well, this lunch meeting never occurred, as they had to accelerate their schedule and they ended up having to leave Yellowstone the day before we arrived there. However, we knew that their trip would eventually take them to Florida, so we thought we would get another chance to see them.
The really providential thing, however, was after we returned from our trip. That week, we had a Kickball P. E. gathering of our homeschool fellowship at a nearby town. Several moms were interested to hear about our trip, and the lady who leads the group (who I had just recently gotten to know) mentioned that she had good friends who were currently touring the National Parks in a motorhome that they were getting to use for free. At mention of this, my eyes grew wide and I asked “Are they still traveling?” and she said “Yes.”
“What are their names?” I asked.
She replied “Rob and Jan”.
What are the chances?!?!? In God’s providence, the chances are excellent. So, after contacting them, and letting them know about our newly discovered mutual friend, we made plans to get together when they passed through our area.
This past Saturday evening was that opportunity. Like I said, they had just concluded their tour of National Parks and were just about to head north to drop off their Sprinter. They had logged nearly 35,000 miles.
We got together for dinner at a local Pan*ra Bread (W*nter Spgs): Rob and Jan, our family, and the lady who leads our homeschool group and her husband. We got to share about our trips and our lives, and best of all, we got a tour of their motorhome which was parked outside. (did anybody here see it there that night? You couldn’t miss it!) This is the neatest motorhome around.
It was surreal, getting to see this vehicle and meet this couple in person who we had been following online for so many months. Turns out we have a lot in common with this couple, besides camping across America. And to top it off, after they take care of some family responsibilities up north, they will return to our area and settle nearby, and are even considering coming to our church to worship. How amazing is that?
Coincidence? We don’t believe in coincidences.
Here are some of the pictures we took that evening.
The van we camp in is a Sprinter, so Self-Reliant Man occasionally checks the Web for websites and information pertaining to Sprinter vans, accessories, parts, and maintenance. So it was in this way that back in May he stumbled on the website of a couple who was touring the U.S.A. in a Sprinter van that had been made over into a Class B motorhome by Airstream; the Airstream Interstate 3500 housed in a Mercedes Benz Sprinter van. The couple’s names are Rob and Jan. They had sold their home in Colorado and hit the road. Their trip was to cover 50 National Parks in 20,000 to 30,000 miles.
This couple managed to market themselves in such a way that Mercedes Benz was willing to sponsor their once-in-a-lifetime tour of North America’s National Parks, even providing them with the motorhome for the trip. So Self-Reliant Man was Googling “Sprinter Van” and came upon their website back in early May, on Day 19 of their seven month tour. This couple now has over 1100 followers on Facebook as they are now wrapping up their adventure. So I guess it is safe to say that they are somewhat famous.
Since we were one of their earliest followers on Facebook, and since we were also planning a cross country camping trip, we were very interested in their travels, their experiences, their photos, and their itinerary. It turned out that they and we were scheduled to be in Yellowstone National Park on the same day, so we decided to make tentative plans to meet one another for lunch on that day in September.
Well, this lunch meeting never occurred, as they had to accelerate their schedule and they ended up having to leave Yellowstone the day before we arrived there. However, we knew that their trip would eventually take them to Florida, so we thought we would get another chance to see them.
The really providential thing, however, was after we returned from our trip. That week, we had a Kickball P. E. gathering of our homeschool fellowship at a nearby town. Several moms were interested to hear about our trip, and the lady who leads the group (who I had just recently gotten to know) mentioned that she had good friends who were currently touring the National Parks in a motorhome that they were getting to use for free. At mention of this, my eyes grew wide and I asked “Are they still traveling?” and she said “Yes.”
“What are their names?” I asked.
She replied “Rob and Jan”.
What are the chances?!?!? In God’s providence, the chances are excellent. So, after contacting them, and letting them know about our newly discovered mutual friend, we made plans to get together when they passed through our area.
This past Saturday evening was that opportunity. Like I said, they had just concluded their tour of National Parks and were just about to head north to drop off their Sprinter. They had logged nearly 35,000 miles.
We got together for dinner at a local Pan*ra Bread (W*nter Spgs): Rob and Jan, our family, and the lady who leads our homeschool group and her husband. We got to share about our trips and our lives, and best of all, we got a tour of their motorhome which was parked outside. (did anybody here see it there that night? You couldn’t miss it!) This is the neatest motorhome around.
It was surreal, getting to see this vehicle and meet this couple in person who we had been following online for so many months. Turns out we have a lot in common with this couple, besides camping across America. And to top it off, after they take care of some family responsibilities up north, they will return to our area and settle nearby, and are even considering coming to our church to worship. How amazing is that?
Coincidence? We don’t believe in coincidences.
Here are some of the pictures we took that evening.
1 comments:
Your hair and your daughter's hair are both getting long and look quite pretty. She is a real beauty. It's wonderful that you got to finally meet up with the touring family.
I've been busy this week, but finally got a chance to catch up on your posts, and I always feel the same way when we get to the end of the school year. Don't feel bad about ignoring the dust, because it will keep. If you could see the dust on my carpets, you'd cry for me. It's much more important to make sure your children are well educated, well fed and happy. And to this outsider, they surely appear to be.
BTW, in 6th grade, they have to write a "how to" composition to go with test 60, and it's done over 10 lessons. My youngest son is writing how to build a snowman, and I told him to write it so your boy, who's barely seen snow, could understand how to build a snowman. He was happy to have a similarly aged child he could picture as his audience!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, with fond thoughts from the chilly northeast!