Sunday 10:00 pm July 27, 2008 Hola Familia, It¢s been 42 days, 20 states and Canada, 7775 miles and all kinds of weather. From the Arizona heat of 123 degrees (that¢s what my truck read), thunder and lightning of a west Texas thunderstorms, hot and humid rain storms in New Orleans as we cruised on the mighty Mississippi River, the sticky Florida humidity, a North Carolina rain storm with zero visibility, record breaking heat wave in Washington DC and NYC to yesterdays ordeal. We were in Des Moines, Iowa relaxing at ADVENTURELAND water and theme park for the day. It was around 4pm and the skies turned black within moments. It started to rain and then the wind came up out of nowhere. Sirens started going off and the locals told us those were tornado warning sirens and for us to take cover. HUH????? TORNADO? COVER? The wind kicked up very fast and the rain felt like small rocks when it hit you. We followed a group towards the restrooms. Elizabeth and I waited in the ladies 4 stall restroom with about 50 other park guests for 45 minutes until we were cleared to leave. The doors were closed so we could not see what was going on outside. When we came out the wind was still blowing and the rain was still coming down but nowhere near the earlier intensity. (I later found out winds were up to 82 mph) Tree branches were covering the grounds and the park flooded well above our ankles in certain areas. We left the park and I looked for information on what to do. The storm was moving south east and we were going west so I drove into the sunset. Within an hour we were 50+ miles away and blue skies greeted us but we could still see the big black clouds behind us. We wanted to make it to Sioux Falls, South Dakota but the skies were darkening so we decided to bunk in Sioux City, Iowa and move west in the morning. The Good Lord has definetly opened our eyes on how our fellow Americans live day by day. He has shared a small fraction of His AWESOME beauty and power from Carlsbad Caverns to Niagara Falls to thunderstorms, heat waves and tornados. I thank Him for giving Elizabeth and I the opportunity to experience it so we can share with all of you. Next stop is Mt. Rushmore and then to see Old Faithful. We plan to visit my oldest son, Joseph, in Cedar City, Utah for a few days before we head into Californian. Thanks to all of you for asking the Good Lord to keep His watchful eye on Elizabeth and I as we journey on this trip of a lifetime. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Gods Peace, John and Elizabeth