The last day of Heather’s sabbatical in 2026. This blog entry was intended to highlight our favorite parts of this wonderful journey. We found it very difficult in picking out favorites. So these pictures will show in order of start to finish of our journey. Mind you we took way too many pics and videos to share them here.

We truly enjoyed seeing family and friends, and having made new friends! What wonderful memories we have, conversations that took place, and we look forward to our continued relationships.

Thank you to all the camp managers for your hospitality and time. We enjoyed our visit at each unique and special location. Every one of which has the Spirit of God who abounds in those who love, care and support them. May you continue to share and shape future generations of those that choose to be welcomed in your camps regardless of their denominations creating lasting joyous memories.

We had somber moments and times of celebration. Little steps from crossing off quests from my bucket list. Hearing stories and fond reminiscences of how things unfolded into being and the promise of new beginnings. Enjoying the melodic music and stars from the Grand Ole Opry to Kenny G in concert. We were in the moment. Being in the seats on top of the Big Green Monster to enjoying a stadium dog in the Famous Fenway Park. Good times…

From planes, trains, ships, buses, trolleys, horse carriages, autonomous vehicles, cars and especially our footsies, we traveled many miles or kilometers. Maybe we could have done a few more, but it all seemed just enough. Having lunch and ice cream with our Kansas friends Jacob and Abigail and spending time together waiting to disembark was pretty cool! We will have to meet for lunch at the Carriage House in Yoders Kansas sometime. They used to have the World’s Best Chicken 🍗, now they are a close second…according to this connoisseur of yard birds.

What an amazing adventure! The best part was the time spent with my beautiful partner in crime, Heather. Seeing her smile and the gleam in her eyes every day makes the world 🌎 turn. She especially loved the Polar Bears. They were all rescued in the Canadian Arctic and have a huge special place to roam. Her second favorite is the Red Panda. Again, her smile and giddy demeanor when visiting this rare animal. My favorite was the wolf pack. They seemed so at ease in their environment and their presence was dominant.

I enjoyed so much seafood 🦞 I thought I would grow gills. We enjoyed Nolan Ryan’s beef on both cruise ships, Yummy! We ate some not-to-our-liking dishes and some that were out of this world delicious! 😋 I had the best fried chicken ever and an unbelievable bison burger! Heather’s favorites were the Timbits and dark roast coffee from Tim Horton’s, again Yummy! 😋

Some of our best stops were the Provincial Parks all across Canada. 🍁 We experienced the grandeur of many waterfalls from Alaska to Nova Scotia. Seemingly endless streams and rivers along with the endless variety of colorful skies. Patterns we have never seen before. Some appeared as if the top of the world was pulling them North.

As you can imagine the wildlife along the way has been a tremendous highlight of our journey. The majestic open spaces and our viewing them uninterrupted were amazing. Just glad Heather never did have to push me down to get away…just sayin’…

We loved Yellowstone National Park and Teton National Park. We spent 5 days here at Yellowstone and vow to come back again. Old Faithful called us back for a second viewing, that’s how much we enjoyed the two minutes of show each time. Spectacular!

We had a disappointing change to our plans on ending our journey. We were expecting to fly from Bozeman Montana to Denver Colorado and change planes and continue on to Alabama to be with the Fabulous Five Reunion. That day our plane coming out of Las Vegas to Bozeman experienced extremely high winds and was severely delayed. Hurricane Isaias was heading towards Alabama and the airlines were canceling flights. They could not get us to where we were going with any certainty that we wouldn’t be stranded somewhere in between. Southwest put us in a nice hotel in Bozeman and we were taking an early morning flight home to Amarillo with a three-hour layover in Las Vegas Nevada.

We almost didn’t have transportation to the airport because our Uber driver didn’t show up and our backup driver for our hotel shuttle also was a no-show. As Heather and I were talking the shuttle driver at the hotel next door was apparently getting ready to depart. I hurried over (not that I could run with my back hurting) and asked if he could squeeze us in. Without hesitation he said he could. He earned a nice tip that morning!!!

We did breakfast in Las Vegas and made it home safely with an Uber ride home. Ta da! We missed our house and we think it missed us too. We know Astro did…lol…

Heather is now rejuvenated and spiritually refreshed. I on the other hand need a break from the road and many nights with my remote control and my butt planted firmly in my recliner. Just kidding! Some chiropractic care and medical checkups are top priorities. Then some good old house cleaning and mild yard work. Awe the garden harvest.

Did you know that the founder of IKEA was elected president of Sweden 🇸🇪 last year. Only one problem! He’s still assembling his cabinet. Haha that’s my final dad joke… go figure!

Three months ago, we began a journey—not just across miles/kilometers, mountains, and unfamiliar places, but through moments that gave us something to ponder. We watched the sunrise paint the mountains, stood quietly before nature’s wonders, laughed at the unexpected, and discovered that sometimes the best memories come from the smallest moments.

Along the way, we met new people, experienced different cultures, and were reminded that the world is far bigger than our daily routines—and that kindness, friendship, faith, and a good sense of humor make the journey worthwhile. As this three-month adventure comes to an end, perhaps the greatest thought to ponder is this: We spend so much of life trying to reach our destination that we sometimes forget the journey itself is the real gift.

The mountains will remain. The rivers will continue to flow. The roads will lead others toward new adventures. But the moments we lived, the people we met, and the memories we made, belong to us forever. And “never” believe that an adventure must end simply because you’ve made it home!

—Michael and Heather