Blog – Page 5 – Two Peas in a Pod

All’s Well That Ends Well!

I have been thinking about the above phrase all week. To me, this means, that if it ended well then it’s all good! Our adventure ended well at 2:30 pm on Saturday 6/12/21…just as we planned. No major detours in our agenda and all is very well!

After our little respite in Wisconsin, we faced the worst travel day on 6/10/21 where our route took us from Milwaukee, through Chicago and around the south side of Lake Michigan. Probably the worst roads in the US! I liken the roads to the covered wagon dirt rutted roads we traveled in Casper, Wyoming!

It was another sunny day (haven’t seen rain in almost 3 weeks!) and it took us 7 hours to go 300 miles along horrendous roads, construction and traffic! We were very happy to get to Bryan, Ohio where we were staying the night at Stony Ridge Winery. Such a peaceful place… we needed some peace at the end of THIS day!

We parked the RV by the pond and quickly commenced our unwinding. Even Harley was chilling and enjoying the kids playing in the pond. It was warm but breezy and we did some serious chillaxing. Here is the amazing sunset from the winery.

We rose on 6/11/21 with a 325 mile day in front of us and thankfully, the Ohio turnpike was a dream. The western PA turnpike was equally smooth and painless. We arrived at our final destination, another Harvest Host winery in Somerset, PA!

Our last stop in the longest trip we have done (longest day count and mileage count). Our final night was at Glades Pike Winery and we faced only 250 miles to home the following day. Easy Peasy….

Not so fast! Paul and I hear something rattling under the RV. UGH! @%$#

I went into the winery to check in and Paul investigated the rattle. I got back to the RV with the wonderful news that 3 of the welds broke on the shroud that covers the exhaust system. Um, What?!? So I pulled out, what I now call the RV’s first aid kit, and got some duct tape. Paul cleaned the metal piece and duct taped the 5 foot piece of metal to the support above, fortunately there were a few welds still holding. He took it all in stride and we went ahead with our evening. It was pretty cool out and we did a wine tasting then asked where we could get some dinner. There was a local restaurant 1/2 mile down the road and they had a steak special tonight…count us in! Thank you Oakhurst Grill!

After dinner, we took a driving tour of Laurel Hill State Park which was in the area and headed back to the RV to prep for the final leg of the journey. In the morning (6/12/21), Paul reinforced the duct tape with sturdy cord to hopefully ensure we made it home… and we did!

There are a few things that didn’t happen as planned but there are always some things that are just going to happen when you are driving 5,783 miles! We came home with a new pin for the tow bar, zip ties to keep the front hood down (the lock fell off early on), duct tape on the outside little door by the generator, a stone flew up and cracked the windshield plus some duct tape and chord on the undercarriage. Not to bad for the ground we covered!

Those that have seen my spreadsheet think that we are too well planned and things happen we cannot control. Well, I do know that we can’t plan for every misadventure but this spreadsheet lowers both Paul and my stress levels. Many mountainous places and most National Parks have no cell service so I always have the addresses I need at my fingertips to plug into the RV Garmin. This trip had some detours but overall it was a plan well executed!

Here are the statistics…

16 States traveled through (most of them we slept in) traveled both southern and northern Indiana and Illinois; Bourbon Trail; time with Jen and Nate; along the way we shared the RV with Joe, Kim and Danni; visited with Ann, Greg and Elora; 2 National Monuments and 6 National Parks; 5783 miles; 33 days and YES, we still Love each other!!

All’s Well that Ends Well! Till Next time (July 2021)..

The Big Cheese

6/8/21-6/9/21 – We left Fort Belmont by 8 and trucked through Minnesota into Wisconsin. Such green lush farm land. It was pretty flat and straight on I-90 today but as we approached the Mississippi River the scenery became more woodsy and tree filled down to the river valley. I realized on one of our trips that when we go from flat Florida to the mountains of North Carolina I start to feel relaxed and at home in the mountains. I Love the woods, it seems to ground me!

We stopped for 2 nights near Milwaukee, Wisconsin to get some rest and visit our niece, Ann, her husband, Greg and daughter Elora. We haven’t seen them since January of 2020 so it was time for a hug from family… we were driving by on the way home and needed to stop and say Hi!

We got to the campground, lovely drive from the interstate, and settled in for the night. We slept in and took all morning to get breakfast and a shower!

Once at Ann and Greg’s we visited for a bit then went to a park along Lake Michigan with them. As we walked from the parking lot, it felt like air conditioning was coming from the woods…so cool and lovely. The path opened up to the pebble beach along Lake Michigan and WOW, what a big lake! It was so nice to catch up and see what’s going on in their world and make a connection with Elora.

After more hugs goodbye, we took the Lake Drive and enjoyed a winding slower drive back to the campground.

Back at the campground, we did some relaxing and prep for the 3 day drive home. As I write this, it is the 10th of June and we are headed through Chicago…we are “harvest hosting” it all the way home aka, two more wineries till we get home 🙂

As of last night we drove 4,895 miles so far and add one more state to the map… the big cheese, Wisconsin!

Pickers and Potholes

6/7/21- We left the Badlands campground by 8 and headed directly east for our 385 mile drive to Jackson, Minnesota. I mean, directly east for 300+ miles on I 90!

We started out going through the grasslands and shortly came to a checkpoint… we then realized we were entering an Indian reservation. Reservations have been hit hard by COVID and they take it seriously when you come on their land. They asked where we were going, took our name and asked that we wear a mask if we stop on reservation for any reason. It was beautiful land, spotted with a few communities but mostly green grassland and cattle roaming.

I don’t know why Kansas is known for being flat, in my opinion, once you pass the rocky views of the badlands, central and eastern South Dakota AND southern Minnesota are just as flat… and beautifully green.

We did have a slight mishap today, hence the word “Pothole” in the title. You know when you come over a bridge or overpass, the road is not level with the concrete on the bridge? Well, I was driving, of course, and came over a bridge with a bang which woke Paul up from his well deserved nap (driving in this crazy wind takes alot out of you). I keep looking in the side mirror for trucks that are passing because they displace a lot of air and “rock the boat”, so to speak. So after the bang across the bridge, I looked back in the mirror and noticed the car peaking out off to the side. My Honda Fit is not supposed to be off to the side!!!! I loudly said “PAUL, I CAN SEE THE CAR!!” “I can see the car, I can see the car!” He was a bit sleepy after being rudely awakened by the bumpy road. He looked in the rear camera and exclaimed, “I can’t see the car!”. I was going 70 mph and quickly slowed to pull over on I-90 where the speed limit is 80. I guess when the car hit the bump, the pin came off and one of the tow bars disconnected. YIKES! Back up cables kept the car attached and the tow bar jammed but Mr. Fixit with his sledge hammer and his toolbox, got it unjammed. We were very fortunate that I noticed it right away and that there was room to pull over and out of traffic. Well, we BOTH drove the 120+ miles to Jackson where Paul was able to get the pin needed to continue on tomorrow. Guardian Angel is watching over us!

Tired and a bit frustrated with the continued wind, bumpy road and thinking what could have happened, we arrived at Fort Belmont, our Harvest Host for the night.

Ken kept the doors of the Fort open for us and was so passionate and informative about the place we were about to tour. There was a museum of donated items that the “American Pickers” show would have LOVED to see. A Model-T and other rare cars that still ran, old typewriters, canoes made by had from a single log, rare player pianos and juke boxes among other items telling of the Fort’s history.

Apparently there was a renegade Sioux Indian and his followers that massacred hundreds of settlers in the area. The settlers had to defend themselves since the government troops were busy with the civil war so they built the fort and made a homestead. Eleven families lived in the tiny house with the fence around it and when there was an imminent attack (seen by the lookout in the tower), the neighbors would come in as well, having 40-50 people in this tiny structure. They were not attacked again after the fort was built. Many of the buildings were moved to this location to preserve the history of the area.

This trip has been a lesson on the history of our country and the appreciation of those that preserve it with a passion. ❤

4483 total miles driven. Headed to Wisconsin for 2 nights 😊

Badlands Part Deux

6/6/21- as we arise waaaaaay earlier than usual, we got out and on the road by 6am. We must really want to see some wildlife! Big horn sheep and Prairie Dogs are on the list. We booked it to Dillon Pass (as much as you can “book it” at 35 mph) and got a great view of 2 male big horn sheep on the grass near the road. We also saw a herd of females further up… and then there were the prairie dogs in “Roberts Prairie Dog Town” on Sage Creek Rim Road. We followed the dirt road for about 20 miles to see the west side of the park. Great views!

As the sun came up, it cast different shadows on the landscape…

Driving along Sage Creek Rim Road below, and OMG what a windy day! The wind actually knocked me off balance a couple times!

Of course Paul is trying to hand feed the prairie dog!

Since we got up early and it is a much cooler day, we did a few short hikes. It’s only 10:30 but we have been up for 5 hours! Below are the views on our hikes.

Below is what is called “the door” and we climbed up to see the magnificent view. The view from “the door” is the area we were walking in the above pictures.

Back to the RV for some lunch and a nap!

After an afternoon of rest and relaxation, we caught the sunset…the picture on the left is the western sky and at the same time, the picture on the right is the eastern sky.

Mako Sica

Mako Sica is the Lakota Indian tribe name for “Badlands”. The Indians thought the lands were “bad” because there was little water, rugged terrain and the lands were difficult to traverse. Thanks for the question Wendy, I looked it up.

So Yes, we are in the Badlands of South Dakota!

6/5/21-When we were travelling through the plains of South Dakota, the road was pretty straight, the land was luscious green…for many many miles…and then we came to the crest of the hill, and there were the rock formations of the Badlands National Park. Quite striking! We settled into the Badlands Interior Campground which was 2 miles from the visitor center of the park. We desperately had to do some laundry, which was thankfully at the campground. Of the mountain of wash I had to do, I chose only the summer clothes and unmentionables to focus on, and as I learned, the dryers didn’t work so well so most of the laundry was hung around the camper for the night to dry. Glad I didn’t do more, we would have been surrounded by wet clothes. Paul said the humidity in the RV just went up with all the damp clothes hanging around…that’s not a bad thing in this climate!

It was pretty hot as the sun baked the RV but thankfully we had hook ups and electricity… Hello Air Conditioning! 😉

It was fairly quiet at the campgrounds, mostly full of RVs and some tents, they also have a 20+ room lodge here too. It was quiet until the sun set, the temperatures dropped drastically, and all the sudden people came out, kids were riding bikes and the campground came alive with action and people! That’s what happens with the temperatures are over 100 degrees and when the sun sets, it is a very balmy 88! Feels cool in comparison 😎

6/6/21- Time to explore this park. It was 118 degrees in the sun, according to our thermometer on the RV, so the only thing to do is an air conditioned tour of the park. We stopped at the visitor center and learned about the wildlife here and the fragile rock formations. Apparently every drop of rain erodes the soft limestone ridges and the formations have eroded several inches in the last 50 years. Here are some pictures of our first day in the park.

When we were at the visitor center this morning, we noticed there was a night sky program at the amphitheater, so we took advantage of the clear sky and went up to the park for the presentation. It was well worth it and apparently the milky way comes up from behind the rocks at midnight… we didn’t stay up since we were getting up early to catch some wildlife tomorrow. It’s supposed to be only 88 degrees tomorrow, so we might get a few hikes in as well.

Good night!

Bugs, Brews and Stone Faces

6/3/21- We woke up on the ranch, pretty cool that I can say that! After heading to Walmart to restock for the last leg of the trip, we hooked up the car and headed through Wyoming. Such a vast sage brush land spotted with a few cattle and some horses of many colors.

We decided to go off the plan 😳 and detour to Devils Tower in the northeast corner of Wyoming. We were passing that way, kind of, so we swung on by to see it. From a distance it looked impressive but the closer we got, the more amazed we were. Glad we decided to see this. It is the first National Monument!

We drove on a short distance and voila, we were in South Dakota. This seemed amazing to me, I don’t think I ever envisioned me being in this state. Once here, we decided to detour again into Sturgis… for Paul, of course, and we found the Black Hills Harley Dealership to snag a t-shirt. Huge parking lot for the RV and after some tails of the “organized chaos” of the Sturgis motorcycle festival, we headed east again to our night’s stay. The last picture is of the long straight road we were on for 115 miles and all the spots are bugs… just a few (hundred)! You know when you are driving in the snow and slush and the snow plow passes you going the other way.. and the slush splats all over your windshield? We passed a spot where there was a swarm of bugs and, yes, all the sudden a multitude of bugs splatted sounding like slush hitting the windshield… OMG, too hard to see through this mess!

We stayed the night at the Sick and Twisted Brewery near Mount Rushmore and decided to just sit, sip, and eat pizza. There was another couple staying behind the brewery with the Harvest Host organization. Bob and Cindy were so easy to talk to and we enjoyed their company while we ate. Gotta love those Harvest Hosts… bringing people together.

6/4/21- Woke up and took off for Mount Rushmore, arriving there by 9:30! It was so impressive and the museum was informative, showing how the sculptor created this monument. It took 14 years and was finished by his son. I thought it was interesting why the 4 presidents were chosen for the masterpiece.

off to Wind Cave National Park. Since this was not on our original plan either, we did not get tour tickets ahead of time (came to find out you have to be at the park 2 hours before it opens and stand in line with 250-300 people to get a tour. We walked to the natural cave opening (largest natural cave opening) and Paul is holding blessing steamers in front of the opening, you can see how the wind blew the streamers. It was blowing around 9 miles per hour.

Off to the Badlands for 3 nights. It was 103.2 according to our thermometer, which was in the shade of the awning! A hot one! Off to do laundry and sitting in the air conditioned camp store as I write this.

Add one more state to the map, South Dakota!

Wagons Ho!

6/2/21- Today we headed out of the Grand Teton National Park and are officially starting our eastward journey back home. As we traveled out of the park and took our last look at the Grand Teton mountain range, we found ourselves in a flatter, less mountainous area. More guest ranches near Dubois, then cattle country. The prairies were covered with sage brush and different grasses, some rock formations but overall, almost as flat as Kansas. We traded the Kansas farmland for sage covered ranches where the cattle and horses roam. Metal signs depicting the cowboy and Indian life were periodically placed along the 115 miles of route 26.

Our destination today is Casper, Wyoming for a night’s stay at a ranch and a covered wagon tour! Get-a-long little doggies!

We met the covered wagon trail guide at the Historic West Interpretive Center in Casper, WY and followed her to the private 33,000 acre ranch where the covered wagon tour started. We followed her off the main road and over the cattle guards on a gravel road that quickly turned into a rutted dirt path, first real off-roading for the RV. OMG, now we know what the shake, rattle and roll is all about! The RV was jostled around, things flying all over and Harley wondering what’s going on. We were lead down to a flat area where we parked and hopped on the covered wagon for a ride and a cast iron chuck wagon dinner on the range. The guide, Morris, and his granddaughter, Grayson, lead us down the official “Oregon Trail” and gave us the history of the wagon trains. Morris, himself, along with his daughters did the Oregon Trail from Casper to the coast of Oregon in 1993. What an unforgettable journey!

After a delicious dinner and bumpy but interesting ride in the covered wagon, we made it back to the RV. Such a great experience! Absolutely check out Historic Trails West if you are in Casper, WY.

Officially headed east… total miles to date 3490 and 10 nights to go. Headed to South Dakota today for another Harvest Host stay. Then off to the Badlands National Park.

West and Wewaxation

6/1/21 – We said goodbye to Kim and Danni as they headed to Salt Lake City for a few days before heading home. We all had alot of fun together over the last 6 days but it was time to say adieu.

Paul and I play hard, drive alot and took the day to be with Harley and just enjoy the surroundings and campsite. We leisurely entered the day, shower, breakfast at 11, soaked in some sun (while our solar panel did the same) and eventually walked back to Jackson Lake so Harley could play in the water. We relaxed, took our shoes off and sat on a large boulder with our feet in the water while Harley snapped at the waves coming on shore and fetched pebbles and sticks we threw into the water. A lovely afternoon!

We went back to the campsite for some apps then Paul took a walk to see if the fox den in the campground was active at dusk. He didn’t get to see the fox but was able to talk to some of the wildlife photographers that have been stalking the den for the last few days. At one point, we did see momma fox roaming through the campground near our site trying to gather goodies for the pups.

Dinner by the fire and clean up for our next leg of the trip. After today, we have 11 more nights before we are home and will be heading eastward.

Tetons!

5/31/21 – Memorial Day in the National Park! Not too crowded in the Tetons and a tremendously beautiful day to tour the park. We drove up to Signal Mountain and got a view of the vast meadows below spotted with elk and pronghorn (look like antelope but they call them pronghorn in these parts). So pretty with yellow and purple flowers spotting the hillside by the observation overlook.

We then went off the main road onto the “scenic Jenny Lake drive”…

Along the drive, Paul swore that he saw a moose by the road but it was around a curve and just caught a glimpse. It was close to the pullover by Jenny Lake so we parked and walked to see the moose… well, Paul hoofed it over a mile while Kim, Danni and I strolled along the bike path. We knew it wasn’t as far as Paul was going and eventually we 3 went back to the lake to wait for Paul. When he returned, he said he couldn’t find the moose and even walked back off the road (not advisable) and found “moose scat” but no moose.

We did, however, see a grizzly bear and 3 cubs playing in the distant field when we went on our dusk wildlife hunt. We also saw a small herd of elk. No moose, though, it was not for the lack of looking!

We took our time getting back to the campground and caught the sunset…again, no words to adequately describe the beauty.

Good Night all

No Words!

5/29/21 – There are no adequate words to describe the drive we had today. Superb, Magnificent, Awestruck, Indescribable beauty doesn’t even come close! As we inched our way into Yellowstone to head to the Grand Teton National Park this morning, it took 45 minutes to go 2 blocks to the entrance of Yellowstone…no surprise though since it is the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend! Once past the Great Prismatic Spring we sailed to the “West Thumb” of Yellowstone Lake and headed southward to the Tetons. OMG… I have NEVER seen such natural beauty. The meadows of Yellowstone turned into the forests of the Tetons, the sudden appearance of Lewis Lake against the snow capped mountains, Lewis Falls appears as you come around the bend and then the river flows deeper and deeper into the canyon which juts up the other side with such majesty…. NO WORDS are good enough for God’s creation in these parts!

And then there are the Grand Tetons, Just couldn’t stop looking at them! They arise from the shores of Jackson Lake so jagged and majestic.

We got to the Colter Bay Campground in the GTNP and found the campsite under water. It was mud and swamp land… but just as we were thinking of going to the check in center, campground staff rounded the bend and told us the park was not full yet so there is a chance to get another site. Paul and I hopped into the car while Kim and Danni watched over Harley and we scored a beautiful site #270 in the M loop. Big enough for our rig and 2 cars. SCORE! Set up commenced and we had our home for the next 4 nights. Dry camping in the woods, quiet and, well, in the Tetons…can’t complain!

Paul went exploring with Harley and found a path to Jackson Lake…

We hung out at the Lake shore for a bit, Harley got desensitized to the water and started retrieving sticks from the water.. only up to her chest though.

We went back to the campsite for some dinner and campfire, and of course, s’mores!

5/30/21 – Our first full day in the Tetons NP and started leisurely, soaking up some sun while showers took place in the RV. Then drove to Jackson to see the sights. Teton beauty along the way.

Hiking boots and PJs… a fashion statement

In the town square of Jackson (some know it as Jackson Hole), there are arches on each corner made of elk antlers. There is an Elk Refuge just outside of town as well.

We toured the town and had to have lunch at the “Million Dollar Cowboy Bar”. Bison burgers and Cowboy chicken sandwiches please. There was live music and the bar used genuine saddles for the bar stools. Nice place! We couldn’t leave without having some ice cream from Moo’s (featured on the food network) and Huckleberry flavor is scrumptious.

On our way out of town, we saw the below pictures.

There is a fox den in the campground and we got a glimpse of the pups running around on the hill by the den. Another quick jaunt to the lake to gaze at the Teton Range then campfire and s’mores… I can get used to this!

Tomorrow is wildlife hunting in the Tetons.