ROAD TRIP: Contest Winners... i.e. the longest post in blog history

We have finally reached that long awaited moment... and we know that at least 5 of you have been waiting with baited breath (for shame on the rest of you... who stalk the blog but don't comment... I'll deal with you another time)... So here we have in no apparent order the entries that we received... you will have to read to the end of this truly long post to find out who won*...

Joel said...

Laura and I were en route from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Pemba, Mozambique. The airfare was $400 rt pp for a 90 min flight and the bus was $25 pp one way for a "6-12 hour journey". We opted for the bus since we were trying to conserve funds on a four continent journey, plus we had been on long bus trips on the treacherous roads of Africa before...40 hours into our bus ride we found ourselves exhausted from a grueling ride on a 50 seat bus that had about 75 people in it....we found ourselves without water because while we were asleep the lady in front of us "borrowed" our water supply which later her young child peed all over the floorboard because the bus wouldn't stop...and we found ourselves stuck in a swamp at midnight with wild lions surrounding us in the rural bush. The bus was tilting like it was going to sink and possibly flip into the swamp...so many people shifted their weight until the bus was secure. Then we were stuck for hours in the bus because nobody wanted to get out (for fear of lions) and because we were in the middle of NOWHERE... A few hours later as I was sleeping on the rooftop of the bus on the pile of soft luggage tied to the roof I saw a giant truck come and it pulled us from the swamp. A few hours after that we were in the village of Mtwara, the southernmost civilized city in TZ. I naively asked, how far is it to Mozambique? I was told it would take 6-12 hours from Dar! I was kindly informed that the rain had washed out the roads and it may take another 2-3 days journey, but that it would be best to go by sea at this point which would take 1-2 days. Laura and I decided to go back to Dar es Salaam on a commercial plan that left a few hours later...that flight took 45 minutes...yeah...and it cost $500 total. In Dar, there were security concerns and countrywide fraud so all the ATMs were turned off and nobody would take credit cards. We needed $800 bucks to book the last available flight to Mozambique for the next two weeks...we miraculously got on the flight due to the generosity of an Australian man who observed me pleading with the airlines 45 min before the flight and loaned me eight Benjamin Franklin's with no questions asked and simply saying "I think I've got what you need, mate! You're good for it, eh?" It was a very memorable road trip on the bus and the process of getting to Mozambique was highly worth it since we assisted setting up a school of missions where when we arrived over 200 people from across the globe came to experience Africa and learn about missionary work in Mozambique. Fine

Alanna says...

Summer of 2002 Amanda and I had the privilege and pleasure of visiting Caleb, Ashley & the Wilder fam at the Wilder Plantation in Sumter SC! We ate at the BBQ Hut, Bakers Sweets (www.bakerssweets.com), some great place in Charleston and had our fair share of Waffle House! :) One of my favorite memories from that trip was a cook out at the Wilders. Ashley's grandma showed up in Hawaiian garb because she thought Ashley invited her to a Luau (when Ashley said "cook out")!! She was so cute!! :) I love the Wilder hospitality - it was definitely a good time with great friends, family and food!!

Cindy says...

Early 70's. Took a motorcycle trip from Denver to Phoenix on a Honda 450 (stop snickering), through Four Corners area of Colorado. Beautiful ride! We made it to Buena Vista, CO the first day and had to stop. Hard to ride that long on not-so-big motorcycle (stop snickering). The next day, we had to ride all the way to Flagstaff, AZ - LONG RIDE. We made it, but the sun was hot. I was wearing jeans and sandals, no socks. We reached Phoenix the third day. I ended up with a 3rd degree sunburn. THAT was memorable.

and in an effort to stuff the imaginary ballot box... she also submitted...

Another memorable road trip. Trip from Denver to Phoenix, up California coast to San Jose, CA, back to Denver. With a 1-yr old. I can laugh now, but it wasn't funny by the time we hit San Jose. We drove almost non-stop from San Jose back to Denver. The Boy wasn't happy. This was "back in the day" when you didn't have to have your kid strapped into a seat, so Eli had free-reign in our little Datsun station wagon. But he was real tired of the toys and being cooped up in the car. Beautiful scenery until we left San Jose - we drove all night and most of the next day, took turns driving/napping/playing with the kiddo. Definitely memorable.

Paul says...

One cold winter Saturday night in the middle of winter of 2003(?) Emily, Josiah and I drove back from Ohio after a friend’s wedding to get back to church on Sunday. Emily and Josiah were freezing and I was burning up in the car. All I remember is a great bonding experience! Em, you might have to fill in the details…

Hannah says.... (attempting to get the sympathy vote...in a contest with no voting)

I was invited to a co-workers wedding earlier this year. I invited Nicole Tarno as my hawt date :-). We rented a car and drove 7 hours to the NC shore... most of that time in the rain. I had to pry my fingers from the steering wheel when we arrived... it wasn't that bad I guess... we did perfect a dance to BOOM BOOM POW!! ( which is pretty awesome)Anyways, I digress... when we arrived we ran into the hotel in the rain to make sure it was the right place before we unloaded our luggage ( two girls for 1 night = at least 5 bags)... after confirming that it was in fact the right hotel we ran back outside to the car... as I approached the car I noticed that something was wrong... the lights and horn were going off and on.. the doors kept locking and unlocking... I was pretty sure the car was possessed... I started to yell at Nicole to save herself while I tried to figure out what the problem was.. ( I may or may not have yelled something about the keys being locked in the car... while I myself was IN the car) I finally turned around to see Nicole doubled over laughing in the truck as she pushed the alarm button on the keys... I had accidentally left them inside the hotel...With friends like these...?

Javi says... (she has more pictures than I can post... so if you want to see email her)

This is the story about facing your Goliaths.
The date is April 26, 2008. Four friends join together in a 152 mile quest through the treacherous freeways of Virginia to reach a land known only as Busch Gardens. Their mission? To conquer the park’s newest monster roller coaster. Legend has it that the Griffon carries riders up 205 feet, then hurtles them 90 degrees straight down at 70 mph.

Prepared with our road maps the brave Katie Faust, Adam Watson, Vee Surges & Javiera Ihrig set out on their quest to dominate the Griffon. ... One courageous knight must face the monster of past. Or die trying. "I've been waiting 20 years to face the Loch Ness Monster. When I was six, my family went to Busch Gardens. I bought a hat that said, "I survived the Loch Ness Monster" because I liked the hat. I wouldn't dare ride it. (I think it was brand new at the time... it's like an antique now... one of those historical, "preserved" rides that little kids laugh about because of the weird noises it makes) Nevertheless, according to the website it is still there.So I got this hat, but my sister did not understand how I could have "survived" if I hadn't even been on it. While, technically, one can be said to have "survived" any hazard that one completely avoids, I am still looking forward to the opportunity to face this dragon... and straight up conquer it."- Adam Watson.

Behold! The Loch Ness Monster is vanquished!

Fin.

And the winners are.... ( drum roll please)....

Javi and Paul!!! You are each the proud new owners of a shiny $5 gift card to Starbucks. Prizes will be distributed at the next practice. :-)

*Disclaimer: Winners were selected using www.random.org