Stopping to catch my breath!

Although it has only been a few days since I last posted, we have done so much that it seems like a week has gone by.

We revisited Mt. Rushmore by full light of day and the difference was remarkable. While still impressive, the beauty was gone. The soft lighting of the setting sun gave depth and beauty; now it was just carved rock. We did go back a few days later to catch the sunrise as my friend, Gloria Peck, suggested. Again the soft light of the rising sun as it struck the faces made them art. I took a photograph in the sunrise that mimics the color of my first view, but the background sky was grey, not lavender and pink. It's OK, I have the memory and maybe when I get home I can photoshop the picture to replicate the one in my head. Modern technology!

Technology has been a challenge on this trip. Being spoiled by always being connected either by cell phone or Internet has made me cranky when there are problems with that connectivity. I have seen people with laptops in arms walking to find a connection. Who would have thought that camping would include a need for speed. The KOA campgrounds offer WiFi, but it is often slow with frequent drops.

After visiting Mt. Rushmore we went to Crazy Horse Monument. This unfinished sculpture is of Chief Crazy Horse on his stallion. The model on display is beautiful; the mountain, a work in progress. I liked this for a number of reasons. The artist who was self taught and of Polish descent, was asked by the great chiefs to immortalize Crazy Horse so others knew that there were Native heroes as well as the white men on Mt. Rushmore. The Black Hills belong to The People, so it makes sense that one would be immortalized there.

The following day we took the rental car on a road trip into the Badlands. This included a long stretch of gravel road (boy was the car dirty when we were done.) through native lands that looked like another planet. Again no matter how many photos I would take or buy, no justice is done to the true beauty of the place. Some formations looked like sand castles. The weather was changeable that day making the sky in the background interesting as it went from blue to ominous clouds.

Our last day in South Dakota we drove to Custer State Park where we were greeted and wowed by the wildlife. Up close and personal with bison; we watched mothers with the calves romping across the road, a bull rolling in the dirt to help him shed his winter coat, and another blocking traffic trying to cross a one lane bridge. There were wild donkeys and mules who knew how to work the crowd. It was like they were ticket takers standing in the road approaching each car for a hand out. The best was an SUV with one donkey in the front window and one in the back. There were signs about not feeding the wildlife, but I guess the people couldn't read any better than the jackasses. We also saw a few prairie dog towns. As a child I remember them at the Philadelphia Zoo. My mom said they made me laugh. It was fun to see them in a natural habitat.

We ventured to Wind Cave, a National Park. Only one tour was left, so we took it and enjoyed it very much. There were formations in this cave called boxwork that is rare in other places around the world. As a "dry" cave there were not the requisite stalactites and stalagmites. We were more than 17 stories below ground. Much of the cave has still not been explored.

Above ground was more wildlife. So cool that the National Park had two levels to enjoy and explore.

Tuesday was a dreary drizzly day. We broke camp which would have made me sad if the trip were ending, but we were leaving for another great adventure. We drove to Deadwood, SD, just to say we were there and then to Devils Tower, Wyoming.

Friday was a very long traveling day. We set out from south of Souix City, Iowa to travel north to South Dakota and across the state to Mt. Rushmore KOA. The winds across South Dakota praire was gale-like. When Skip asked a store clerk if it was always this windy, she replied that it was; only changed directions. We never would have set out in our boat on such a day. It wasn't bad with a tail wind, but once we headed west, the cross wind made keeping the RV on the road an exercise in constant steering. The ride was further complicated by intervals of road construction where the traffic was one lane, each way. No worries, they reduced the speed limit to 65!

The wind created a dance of prairie grasses that was beautiful to watch; rolling waves of grain. The prairie gave way to rolling hills after crossing the Missouri River which bisects the state. We got peeks of the Badlands, but exploring that would have to wait for another day. We have many miles to cover including a stop at the Rapid City Airport to pick up a rental car before we can rest.

The scenery was different in South Dakota which made the ride more interesting. There were also hundreds of signs advertising Wall Drug. Since we had to stop for gas anyway, it made sense to drive the four extra blocks to visit the famous landmark and stop for a free glass of ice water. I was moved by the story of the founding family, a young struggling couple trying to make a living during very bad times. The wife, an English teacher, got the idea to give away free ice water to hot and weary travellers. The business took off and years later it is a city block of touristy shops, silly photo ops, and the best ice cream!

Getting a rental car meant that I would do some driving. Not that Skip didn't offer to let me drive the RV, but my answer was always in Nebraska, where it is flat and there is no traffic. We'll see...

I did drive from the airport to the campground which was on the road past Mt. Rushmore. As the sun was setting and the colors of the sky were pinks and purples I rounded a bend and saw it. The stone sculptures were lavender grey and were breathtaking. At first I wasn't sure that I was looking at the real thing. I was awed by what I previously thought was a defaced mountain. In the setting sun I saw it as a work of art.

When we returned the next day, the full sun showed the harsher profiles we are familiar with through photos. I am not sorry we went back, but wish the picture in my head was the one recorded by my camera. It was truly beautiful.

We were disappointed to learn that the fireworks display would not take place due to dead and dying trees which would be a tinderbox. There is a light show at night, but we had no desire to return to that. We still hope to catch the sunrise there on Tuesday morning before we leave the Black Hills.

Technical difficulties

My cell phone works at the campsite, but the WiFi does not. The WiFi works at the "commercial area" of the KOA campground, but my cell phone does not. Makes staying connected difficult. Sorry I haven't been posting about my wonderful adventures.

A Day of "Almosts"

We arrived in St. Louis to do some sightseeing. The first "almost" was finding the special parking lot for RV's. We followed the directions and ended up at a road blocked by a large concrete barrier- so high we couldn't see over it. So we drove around and around St. Louis looking for a place to park. There was a Cardinals game so the town was wearing red, not Phillies red, Cards red..and not many parking options. Skip asked a parking attendant who would let us park there for $60 bucks, but gave directions to a free lot farther away from the stadium, close enough for the Arch. We found a place to park and walked toward the Riverwalk...to find that it was quite flooded. The mighty Mississippi had overtaken about a block of the tourist area along its banks. Letting the humans know who is boss. We walked to the water so Skip could touch it and I could take a photo. None of the water activities were running, no riverboat tour today. (Almost #2) We understood why the parking lot was blocked, the street, which ran along the river was flooded.



After a brief view of the Arch and a few photos, we looked for a restaurant and found an Irish Pub. I had the best pulled lamb sandwich! (OK, it was my ONLY pulled lamb sandwich, hadn't eaten lamb since I was an honorary Armenian in high school.) Washed it down with a Harp, also good. Skip had salmon and iced tea since he was driving.



Back on the road we hadn't gotten far out of St. Louis when a tire from a semi jumped the median and careened toward us! Neither we nor the car in the next lane hit it! (Almost #3, or miracle #1, depending on your point of view.) A little nerve rattling, but a prayer of thanks was offered.

Not getting much further down the road, I fell asleep and was awakened by Skip saying, "I just got pulled over by a cop and I have no idea why.." Uh oh...

He got out of the RV and spent a long time talking to the officer. Then a second officer came up and I was asked to come out. They asked a lot of questions about where we were going and about our plans. What I didn't know at the time was that they had already asked Skip if we had any guns, drugs, or large sums of money. Skip's answer of we don't own guns, have prescriptions for any drug with us and had about $500 between us, drew an amused, "we are looking for thousands, not hundreds." Then one asked if he could go inside to check. Forget about the 4th Amendment and search warrants! We were so rattled that neither of us thought a second before we gave permission. Nothing was found, of course, and we were sent on our way with a handshake and very frazzled nerves. (almost #4) No ticket, no traffic violation, no warning, just: "have a nice trip you seem like nice people..." They were not bullying nor rude, just doing their job. Don't know who they were looking for, but glad it wasn't us. Next time I teach about the 4th amendment, I have a story to tell.

Almost #5 came when we tried to get on the internet to make reservations for a campsite, and couldn't log in at McDonalds #1 and Almost # 6 was the second attempt at McDonalds #2.

We were also planning to find Jack Stack for barbeque, Kansas City style. That takes care of Almost #7 and #8. We stopped at another McDonalds in KC but a woman in a van identifying herself as with the police department told us we were in an unsafe neighborhood and we needed to leave! She gave us the address of Jack Stack in downtown KC, but we drove around and around and never found it. Ended up in Kansas...

So today is sunny and bright, the corn in Kansas is higher. We made reservations on the KOA free WiFi for tonight in Iowa. Maybe we'll buy some corn for dinner.

Always have a Plan B

The original plan was to wake at 2 a.m. and be on the road by 3 Monday morning. What interfered was the level of activity close to midnight. An executive decision was made to NOT set the alarm and see what happens. With so much left to do, we didn't leave until shortly after noon. With no set timetable, we were able to just get ready and go...

Moving into the RV is a lot like relocating. Every item was evaluated for necessity and usefulness. In the end I stuffed everything I could into the RV.

I had to modify the co-pilot seat for my comfort. Being short means my feet dangle so we needed a foot rest. I also couldn't stand the feel of the pleather armrests on my arms so I made covers out of old handtowels. Problem solved.

If you can imaging sitting on top of your car or minivan, that approximates the vantage point of the RV. You ride with the big boys and see a whole new view of the world. We traveled through PA and picked up Route 70 through West Virginia and into Ohio. We got very tired and didn't have reservations at a campground, so we found a Walmart parking lot and joined other RVs and a semi or two for some sleep. Yes, we slept in Walmart's parking lot in Cambridge, OH. Store traffic, bright lights, teenagers laughing at us...slept well.

In the morning we found McDonalds with free WiFi and posted on Facebook and made reservations for a KOA just this side of St. Louis, MO. Granite City, IL. Full hook up, showers, pool, the works. We finished the drive through Ohio, then Indiana, finally to the edge of Illinois. Made it to the KOA just this side of the Mississippi.

It's an OK place, glad to be still and not riding. The first thing I noticed outside were wierd insect noises until the sun set. It was a metallic, cicada sound...almost alien. It's nice to be camping again. It's nice to have some comforts not found in the tent camping we used to do. I really like having a real bed (and queen sized at that) and the refrigerator and stove are very convenient.

I am really tired, it's been a long day. Some things I learned:
1. From the interstate corn fields look the same in PA, OH, IN, IL, I've seen them all.
2. Don't travel without tie wraps (aka wire ties), they can fix a variety of problems, as useful as duct tape.
3. Truck stops have friendly people, but they sell scary things like knives, half size baseball bats with rubber wristbands, and handcuffs.
4. Most people you meet are nice and friendly and helpful.
5. This is a trip everyone should do, but maybe not more than once and only with your best friend. That's what makes it special.

Living the dream, even though I didn't know I had this one...

R U Ready?

Skip is out in the rain washing the RV. Thunder may just bring him in. We have so much to do to get ready for the trip that it can be overwelming! A trial run to Honesdale, PA for the Roots and Rhythm Festival and star gazing this weekend showed us that we CAN sleep in the tin can.

Traveling in an RV gives one a different perspective. Heading downhill out of our driveway was thrilling, yet I felt like I was going to fly through the windshield even wearing the seatbelt. The view is amazing-all window. By the time we got gas, ate lunch at the kitchen table (or is it a galley, like the boat?) and hit the turnpike, we felt like old pros. A plus: I was able to sleep in the co-pilot seat for part of the ride.

The "water problem" turned out to be a hot water problem and we have ordered a flash water heater to be overnighted. I do not wish to rough it for 5 weeks without hot water to wash hands or dishes. Hopefully Skip will be able to install it easily enough when it arrives.

Cleaning, packing, provisioning, oh my! Hope I can be ready on Sunday when we are supposed to be leaving.

The thunder brought him in, it is raining like crazy and the sun is out. I'm going hunting for a rainbow!

Oregon or Bust

The deadline has passed and now it is time to get excited. May 15th was the cut off date; no job for Skip (and not for lack of trying) and we officially plan the cross country trip to Oregon. A daunting process awaits. Getting the RV road ready and planning the route is the easy part. Psychologically preparing to be away from our family and the beloved Chesapeake Bay for five or six weeks is the toughest. Of course spending 24/7 times 5 in 32 feet of RV should be real interesting too... Good thing we are best friends and enjoy each other's company.

Photo is daughter, Emily, in front of her RV; soon to be our home away from home.