GUNTHER... A Sentimental Journey .. Part 1

We are taking Joey's VW van, affectionately known as Gunther, cross-country to our grandchildren in VA. It's a nifty and nimble vehicle. It's got a stove, a frig, and a table. The roof pops up and it sleeps a family of 4 plus little Aidan. We could have shipped it for cheaper, but we wanted to experience a bit of what Joey experienced the last year of his life-- as he and Rachel drove the northern hemisphere, from Alaska to the Panama Canal, from west coast to east coast and back again. They logged 27,000 miles. We are doing a mere 12% of that, 3000 miles from LA to Virginia Beach (in 8 days). We wanted to share some of his zest for life and his beautiful and spontaneous spirit of adventure. We wanted to have some time to reflect and honor our son as we journey together, listening to music, and talking about the adventure of life, and our new chapter with Joey in Heaven.


This morning, after Joe's impressive all night drive, we are in Kingman Arizona, just over the state line, filling up Gunther's tank and our's, at a gas station with the world's cleanest bathroom (thank you God for road trip mercies!) We slept in the pop-up last night, which was very cool and adventurous for us!!

We woke up with frozen toes, but well-rested. We are now 4 hours away from the Grand Canyon, where we will be spending the next 24 hours. On our next post, we'll tell you about what happened in LA before we started the trip....cuz it was a series of divine appointments and special moments---confirmation that this trip was the right thing for us to do!


Our love to all...keep us in your prayers,
Joe and Karen in the Gunther Machine!