Bead Beard looks at me. “So is this your first dive?” “No sir, my fourth, but this is my first time going out on the reef into deeper waters.” I reply. He nods and pulls on his wet suit. I follow his example, and soon we load up into the long speedboat. As we leave the dock my little brothers wave and scream across the crystalline water some encouragement.  “Don’t drown, Hannah!” “Yeah!” Ezra yells, “And watch out for sharks!”  You have to love younger siblings!

As we speed across the waves there is much laughter and friendly banter. When we reach the reef I look down into the water and see the reef far below. I’m nervous. I have always been fearful of deep water as well as the open ocean. Although I’ve tried to cure myself I’ve never succeeded. SCUBA diving is just another step towards conquering that fear.

Looking around, I notice it’s very calm. The waves lap gently against our boat, lifting it up and down slightly. The water is as blue as the sky, which is clear and serene. With a smile of satisfaction I realize it’s a perfect day to dive.

My gear fits perfectly. Everyone laughs as the unexpected weight of my SCUBA tank bowls me over. My flippers are clumsy and hard to use, but I know that once in the water they will make me more agile and swift.

With a splash one after another the others tip backwards into the water. I inflate my BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) and tip backwards into the ocean, joining them. A cloud of frothy bubbles surrounds me. For an exhilarating moment I don’t know which direction the surface is. Then up I pop into the salty air. The boat has already moved away. It’s time to go down. With a whoosh I let the air out of my BCD and slowly start to sink beneath the lapping waves of the ocean.

This is my favorite part of the dive. When time seems to stop and wait as you float down, deeper and deeper until you feel the bottom is unreachable. The very blueness of the water is incredible, and through it I can see schools of brightly colored fish far beneath me. This isn’t frightening at all! Rolling over onto my back I watch as the bubbles from our tanks float up, tumbling over each other to erupt at the surface.I look at my depth gauge and realize we are down 30 feet and still sinking. 40… 45… 50… We have reached the bottom. It’s like a totally different world! The fish fly around me, swirling uniformly as they participate in the ballet of the ocean reef. I float as well, weightless and free.

Suddenly I realize we are deeper. 60 feet! I have finally reached the depth limit of my license! I  do a little joy dance underwater. Eric sees me and grins as he claps silently. Giggling into a regulator is hard, but somehow I manage it!

We swim on through the water, enjoying the fish and bright coral. Suddenly Eric begins making excited gestures. I don’t understand his meaning, and shake my head to signify my confusion. Eric frowns and waving wildly, points into the distance.

Suddenly I see a huge shape swimming straight towards me through the water. I look around and see that all of the other divers are at least 10-15 ft away behind me. Even Eric is 12 feet away to my right.  My heart starts to race. I can see it clearer now. What is it? Out of the foggy blue a murky shape appears. Four fins propel it through the water. A sea turtle swims straight towards me! It’s awfully close now. That’s when I see its eyes. The result is electrifying. Suddenly a great peace fills me. It is a calm like I have never experienced before. I slowly reach my hand out. The great turtle comes so close I could touch it. Then it stops. It sits there and looks at me. For what seems like a lifetime we hover there, floating, suspended in space and time. I wish it would never end. Then, with the blink of one great, brown eye, it is over.

The great beast settles down on the bottom. I follow. I come slowly closer. Then I reach out my hand. The skin on his head is leathery and soft. I am amazed he will let me touch him. The other divers soon crowd around in amazement, petting and feeling him. Then, with a push, he is gone.

I feel like I have been honored, as if by a king. A while later we surface. In the boat Bead Beard gravely says “We have seen an old soul. What a great experience.” The others seem excited, but only Bead Beard and I are awed. Boo pipes up. “That turtle was around 150 years old!!! It’s rare to see one that big!” Once we get moving the wind drowns out most conversation. The wind whips my hair back as I look down into the bright blue water. I murmur reverently “Yes. An old soul.”

Who wouldn’t be? We were going to live in a beautiful lakefront cottage with an amazing property surrounding it. The best part: we would be staying for six months, our longest time in one place for over two and a half years! How could it get any better?

That was before they told me about the bugs.

There I was, floating on a cloud of anticipation and excitement. I could hardly contain myself! Then, Mom burst my bubble of joy by announcing that for the first few weeks, we could expect a few scorpions living with us, but “don’t worry, they’ll clear out quickly I imagine.”

SCORPIONS!

My expectations plummeted like a banana crepe dropped off the Eiffel Tower. Scorpions! You’ve got to be joking! And we’ll be living with them!?!

The day we arrived I kept a sharp lookout for any of our armor-plated enemies. None were found. Until that night. Mom had one on her dresser. We were all awaked by her frightened screams, the slaps of Dad’s shoe on the dresser and finally a swift crunch. The rest of us didn’t sleep very well that night.

Surprise!

The next day we found our first black widow spider in one of the school boxes. “They didn’t mention black widows!” I yelped. “Oh, Hannah!” Mom said “It’s not a black widow! Look how beautiful it is!” She then stuck her hand in the box with it as I looked on in horror. It wasn’t until Dad explained that it was in fact a black widow that she realized the truth. We found three more that week.

But I couldn’t go on for six months in agonized fear of these creepy-crawlies.

To do so would be childish and unreasonable. So I set about realizing my fears, and learning to deal with them. Every time we would find a spider or scorpion, I would smash it. There were some exceptions –of course, I still freaked out now and then. But no matter how it scared me, I would kill the spider. One of my favorite poems is this:

When facing your horrible, nervous, tense fears,

clench the emotion, don`t grab those dreadful tears.

Take a deep breath, stand straight, stay strong,

keep your head up, don`t encounter the wrong.

Face the mad, sad fear, get yourself involved,

till you overcome it…and the problems solved.”

Ricky Owen

And it is true.

Now, months later, I have no qualms about smashing a scorpion or a black widow. It is satisfying to conquer your fears and regain the ability to think rationally about what exactly you are afraid of. Some fears, although you never quite get over them, can be brought into your control and tamed to a certain point so that they don’t hinder you.

If you have decided against going somewhere with poisonous bugs, or heights, or any of your fears, think again. Conquer them and experience something new!

The sun rises above the luxurious foliage of a green jungle.

Birds scream and monkeys howl, setting the tone for the day. Long, draping vines hang down, blocking out the sunlight from the jungle floor. Flowers bloom on the trees, letting their fragrance fill the air as they nod their bright heads in the radiant sunlight. A troop of carpenter ants trails along, carrying their nutritious burdens along the jungle floor to their nest. They crawl laboriously, over twigs and dead foliage, moving steadily towards their destination. Suddenly, the trees that surround them on all sides are gone as they enter a wide clearing. A massive pyramid of stone rises above the trees, towering towards the sky to greet the sun; unchanging, immovable, ancient.

Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza is an incredible piece of history, located deep in the Mexican jungle. Home to the Mayan people from 700 A.D. until the 1300’s, it remains well preserved for visitors to wander and imagine the lives local Mayan’s lived there. But be prepared, it is a very popular attraction and is rarely near-empty. It can also be very hot, even by my standards. So come prepared, bearing waterbottle, sunshades and hats!

Chichen Itza’s ballcourt and pillars of stone are incredible. Many pillars stand, tall and even now sturdy and strong. Archeologists speculate that they must have once held up great structures, as there are many of them covering quite a large perimeter.

Sadly, the great pyramid itself can no longer be climbed as it is not permitted.

I’ve heard that this is because a tourist fell down the incline years ago. In my lifetime it has not been open to visitors. Go to Teotihuacan to climb the pyramids there!

A tropical sunrise is worth seeing!

While you are visiting, be sure to watch the sun rise over the magnificent scene of the primeval city, lasting for ages past it’s time. Soak in the first beams of warm sunlight and hear the jungle awake to greet them. Watch as the sun hits the pyramid and bathes it in a glow of oranges and reds as it climbs slowly into the 21st century day. It is the waking moments of the morning; rejoice in the ages past and in the newness of a different day!

“Alright everybody, load up!” Mrs Wood calls.

Soon we are all in, buckled, and ready for our very last day on the road. After two months of nonstop travel, fun and education, we are finally on the long road home. And a long road it is; we in the Mama Bus has a seven hour ride ahead of us.

I press my forehead against the cool window and marvel at how quickly it has gotten chilly. In just four days of travel we have gone from the high seventies to the low thirties and forties. Brrr! The trees we fly past change as we go. From a variety of lovely dark greens, light greens and dusty yellows they have transformed themselves into a magnificent array of bright gold, stunning  orange, mousy browns and flashing reds as they enrobe New England with their glory. The falling leaves swirl and spin in the crisp cold October breeze, lightly embracing our van before whirling uncontrollably away again.

It seemed to take years before we were in familiar territory.

As we crossed the state line a uniform cheer and round of applause went up for all we’ve accomplished thus far.  Everyone ooh’d and ahh’d as they recognized well-known landmarks along our route. Excitement buzzed in the air as we neared our destination.

The Blackeyed Peas beat to the sound of our growing anticipation and gravel crunched under our tires as we turned into the driveway of the Wood’s house. The Dad’s waited, arms open as the herd of kids, filled to overflowing with excitement and joy, stampeded over each other in their haste to be the first ones out of the van and hugged! Madison, the dog, was also wild with excitement she couldn’t contain and more than one person was bowled over by her ferocious and loving attack on her kids.

The trip is over.

Strange isn’t it, how when you first start something of epic proportions you believe somehow that it will never end. And then in the blink of an eye adventures are had, friends made, goodbyes said and the trip is at an end. But although it has been fast, it has been one of the most entertaining journeys I’ve ever made.

It was an epic adventure, and one that we all will always remember.

We stayed with family while in Tombstone. Because Grandpa is a former politician in town, he knows everyone. This meant that we got to do a lot of things for free that we wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Tombstone in and of itself is a very cool town!

I’ve always wanted to go visit Tombstone. The folks here don’t just wear cowboy outfits, they live it! If you are here at the right time you may be lucky enough to see the Vigilantes act out gunfights and hilarious comedies in the streets. We did!

Everyone in town went far above the call of duty to accommodate us and help us in any way possible. I believe that having 11 kids in tow surprises people and makes them realize that what we are doing is crazy. Somehow, wherever we are, there are people who want to help us at no cost to ourselves.

It’s great!

For example, the patron of the Crystal Palace Salon took an immediate liking to us and within minutes was explaining the entire history of the Salon and Tombstone in general. Afterwards, he sat all of the kids at the bar and gravely poured us our first shot. Of sarsaparilla. We all were equally grave as we “bellied up” and then laughter burst out, filling the 1800’s historic salon, one that has seen multiple gunfights over the ages.

Another man gave us all a free wagon ride/tour of the town. We got to visit the Ghosts And Legends building for free (totally creepy, but educational and fun; definitely worth the $5 each) as well as watch a hilarious comedy gunfight for free.

Our time in Tombstone was wonderful! Read more about it from my Mom’s angle!

Thank you Tombstone folks!

The road winds upward through the towering mountains of California. The Mama Bus twists around the curves and finally into Yosemite National Park.

The first thing on our list of things to see was the giant Sequoias. And they are giant! It is a known fact that the redwood trees are much taller than the sequoias, but the sequoias are much larger in diameter. In fact, when we visited one of the most famous trees, the Grizzly Giant, we learned that you could fit half an Olympic pool inside!

Another tree you can see while walking the groves is the sugar pine. The tree itself isn’t that impressive, but it can grow pine cones a foot long! Here’s a fun idea if you go with family:

Host a contest for the biggest cone!

The one we found actually turned out to be our tour guide’s prop!

But the giant sequoias aren’t the only incredible thing to see. There’s also all sorts of cliffs, geological formations, waterfalls and more to check out. I especially liked all of the hiking trails available, being a very active person.

We didn’t get to spend more than a few days exploring the area, but I could definitely have stayed much longer!

What is your favorite National Park?

While some call it a “hole in the desert”, I found it both incredible and inspiring and I don’t think I could ever honestly name it so.

The cerulean sky contrasts sharply with the gorgeous reds, oranges and yellows of the canyon. Deep below a dusty blue grey river — the mighty Colorado River — winds defiantly through the high enclosing walls of the majestic canyon, slowly carving deeper and deeper down through the layers of desert sediment. Here and there wildly green bushes clamber to grab a hold on the crumbly canyon walls and add yet another spot of color to the scene.

A raven caws as it beats its wings hard to reach the rim. Once there it sits calmly next to the trail, preening in the shining glory of the tourists oooh’s and ah’s. Jessy pulls on my hand and looks up at me, her face glowing with pure excitement. “Hannah, Hannah, let’s go see the big birdie, ok?!”  As I walk towards it with Jessie skipping merrily at my side I’m super grateful for the strong railings lining the walkway. After watching the raven for a while we moved on.

Birds bigger than eagles!

As it turns out, ravens aren’t the only kind of large bird to be seen soaring between the walls of the canyon. Nor are they even close to being the largest! On our walk we met a man who was using radar technology to locate condors.

A condor is a gigantic bird with a wingspan of 9 feet. It weighs around twenty pounds and is bigger than an eagle. A kind of vulture, they live in the Grand Canyon along with a few other kinds of large bird, namely eagles.

Take a mule ride!

One of the very coolest things to do while in the Grand Canyon is take a mule ride.  There are multiple companies who provide services to tourists and there are many different amounts of time you can choose to be out for. Some can go for two days! However if you’re planning to go, be sure to find out the limits. It can be costly and for safety reasons there is an age and weight restriction.

The mules will take you down into the canyon where you can fully appreciate the depth and immensity of the canyon.
The Grand Canyon is definitely one of the most incredible and amazing parts of American geology. The way it has been sculpted slowly out of the dry and dusty landscape surrounding it is unbelievable.

It is much more than a “hole in the desert”!

Quite a few people have asked us what our everyday life is like in the Mama Bus. Here’s a window into our world!

Every day is slightly different, but the basic routine is the same.

Morning:

The sun peaks over the mountains, warming the chill air in our tents. We curl tighter into our sleeping bags and pretend morning hasn’t arrived yet. The birds chirp loudly above us and we hear giggles and rustling from the little girls in the mama tent as they wake up. One of the mamas yells to the surrounding tents “Up and at em’ guys! Roll those mats and stuff your sacks! It’s time to get up!” Everyone groans, but after a minute or so we’re mostly up.

Breakfast tends to be a very simple and speedy affair, consisting mainly of cereal or oatmeal. A few times we have eaten breakfast bars and fruit in the car when we’ve had an especially long day ahead of us, but we usually make time in the morning, just after the tents have been pulled down.

It’s Gotta Be Noisy?!

Most people (including myself) worried that the amount of noise in the Mama Bus resulting from the combined efforts of eleven kids would be too much for everyone. However, much to my surprise, the long hours we spend in the car each day are pretty quiet. The older children have school and other responsibilities to occupy them, while the younger kids have a few toys and books to enjoy. Overall, we haven’t had more than a few times where the noise level has gotten out of hand!

Night:

When we arrive at our destination it doesn’t take more than a half hour to set up all of our tents and cook dinner over our camp stoves. Then, around a campfire, Jeremiah (15) plays guitar and I play my violin and guitar to round off the day before we snuggle back down into our sleeping bags and fall asleep, awaiting the dawn that will bring another adventure into our lives.

Happy Trails

Guess Where We Are!

The Mama Bus last stopped in the lush and amazing Yellowstone National Park. This is the most amazing National Park we have yet seen! The variety in scenery is incredible throughout the park. When we first entered we drove through forests and marshland. However, as we drove through again later, we discovered sulfur pits and rocky cliffs. All of it was beautiful.

Old Faithful

One of the most famous park attractions we saw was the well-known geyser: Old Faithful. Old Faithful is one of the most visited natural sites in the U.S. We arrived just in time to visit the excellent tourist facility minutes before the geyser shot hundreds of gallons of boiling water into the air.

What Causes It?

Yellowstone is perched directly on top of what experts call “The Yellowstone Hotspot”. This hotspot is a chamber of magma deep in the earths crust. As the continental plate shifts, the hotspot will stay in its place, only moving an inch a year. Over many years (not exactly sure how many is disputed, but it’s a lot!) the hotspot has exploded in many places, moving across the state and forming mountains.

Now, as water is heated underground by the cooling magma, it rises through cracks in the earth. Eventually, deep under Old Faithful, it collects in a chamber, creating steam. The pressure begins to build, but the water and steam can’t get past a tight spot in the rock. Eventually the pressure has built up to where hundreds of gallons of water and clouds of steam are shot past the obstruction and spewed 30 feet into the air! People have gathered from all over the world to see this incredible sight, which occurs every 70 minutes.

We Saw…!

The Mama Bus saw some other amazing sights in Yellowstone as well. Click here to share the adventure!

Six Weeks Of Pure Awesomeness!

Two crazy mothers and their combined 11 kids ages 2-15 are about to leave on a six-week-long cross-country trip from Franklin, NH, to the West Coast and back. I’m one of the 11 kids, and I can’t wait to start tomorrow on The Mama Bus!

Cool Adventures!

We will be driving a fifteen passenger van along the way and will be stopping at some of America’s most amazing historical sites and national parks. See our full route here. I’m most looking forward to Yellowstone National Park and the Carlsbad Caverns.

Wanna Follow The Insanity?

Would you like to join the adventure? I will be blogging three times a week to update you on where we are, what we’re doing, and what crazy adventures we’ve had. Also, visit www.themamabus.com to watch the daily video blog to see our everyday life on the road!

Happy Trails!