DAY 78 AUGUST 3 HOME

Day 78. We said our goodbye's and headed for home around 10 a.m. We arrived in St. Louis around 2:30 p.m. Our house, both inside and out, looked in good shape thanks to the attention of our two sons, Nate and Ben. We unpacked the car and immediately turned around and went grocery shopping. We then prepared supper for Nate and Abby, and Ben was able to stop by while on patrol. Abby brought by our our mail and financial records from her bill paying, which she did for us while we were gone. We have a mountain of catching up to do, but it feels good to be home!

This will be the final entry of our Intoafarcountry blog. Thank you for following along on our adventure. Thank you for your words of encouragement in the comments. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes and we went on this great adventure. For the record, we were gone 78 days. Our mileage for day 78 was 258 miles, which brings to total mileage for the trip to 12,002 miles. Other than two flat tires we had no car problems. We met many wonderful people and saw God actively working in strange and woderful ways. We take many wondeful memories of this trip with us which will undoubtedly change us as we move forward. Who knows what God has in store in the future? That is an appropriate thought for everyone. Stay tuned...

Pastor Bill and Gail

DAY 77 AUGUST 2 KANKAKEE

Day 77. We enjoyed bruch with Hillery at Ann Sather's and headed out for Kankakee, about 1 1/2 hours south of Chicago. In Kankakee we had a nice family reunion with Gail's mother, three of her sisters, plus spounses and their children. We recounted for them the highlights of our sabbatical and the 11 weeks we have been gone. Gail recounted that in addition to the 25 days we spend in Fort Yukon, we spent 32 days tent camping. Quite an experience! It seems strange that we head for St. Louis tomorrow and home.

Mileage for the day: 74 miles.
Mileage for the trip: 11,744 miles.

DAYS 75-76 JULY 31-AUGUST 1 REENTRY

Day 75. It feels stange being back in the major metropolitan area of Chicago. I mentioned to Gail that contrasting Chicago to Fort Yukon was like comparing St. Louis to the far side of the moon. We are adjusting to the press of traffic, the level of noise, the dark at night. It is all vaugely familiar and yet strange. Our daughter, Hillery, worked from home in the morning so Gail and I read and relaxed. In the afternoon we drove to IKEA--always an shopping event! Afterwards we took Hillery and Joseph (her significant "other") out to dinner for Hillery's birthday (actually July 26). We had a delicious meal and wonderful conversation.

Day 76. We relaxed in the morning, did some shopping at Home Depot after lunch, and then spent the balance of the afternoon at the Shedd Aquarium on the lakefront. There is always something new to see there and we always enjoy going. We rode the El back to Hillery's, where she prepared a supper. We continued to catch up on all the news and make plans for our reentry into our St. Louis routines.

Mileage in Chicago: 65 miles.
Mileage for the trip: 11,670 miles.