In the Spring a Young Man's Fancy...

Okay, Lord Tennyson wasn't talking about lizards, but the result is the same....

Found these two on my downspout yesterday. They can't move while they're...um, locked in a romatic embrace, so to speak. It gives me the perfect opportunity to get up real close and use the macro. I swear the guy lizard was giving me dirty looks! A happy lizard is bright green, a stressed/unhappy lizard is brownish. Can you guess who is who here?

Still cleaning and unloading the RV. Hopefully, we'll be done by today. Jim is off golfing in Santee (yea!) and later today he and the son in law will start tiling room where the parrot ATE the carpet. We pulled it up before we left...

Time to clean RV carpets and upholstery...

Jackie: You are so right about taking stuff along that you don't need. You'd think that after 4 long trips we'd have that figured out! LOL.

Doris: I'm so glad you enjoyed the trip! That was my mom's name...

I've Been Eveyrwhere Man

"I've Been Everywhere"

JOHNNY CASH LYRICS


I was totin' my pack along the long dusty Winnemucca road,
When along came a semi with a high an' canvas-covered load.
"If you're goin' to Winnemucca, Mack, with me you can ride."
And so I climbed into the cab and then I settled down inside.
He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand.
And I said, "Listen, I've traveled every road in this here land!


"I've been everywhere, man.I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the deserts bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.


I've been to:Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota,Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota,Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma,Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma,Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo,Tocapillo, Baranquilla, and Perdilla, I'm a killer.


I've been everywhere, man.I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the deserts bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.

I've been to: Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana,Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana,Monterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa,Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa,Tennessee, Hennessey, Chicopee, Spirit Lake,Grand Lake, Devils Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete's sake.

I've been everywhere, man.I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the deserts bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.


I've been to:Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika,Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica,Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport,Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport,Idaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina,Pasadena, Catalina, see what I mean-a.


I've been everywhere, man.
I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the deserts bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.



I've been to:Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelbourg, Colorado,Ellisburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, Eldorado,Larimore, Admore, Haverstraw, Chatanika,Chaska, Nebraska, Alaska, Opelika,Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City,Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, what a pity.





Well...almost. If you consider all four RV trips and the one with the kids in the car, waaaay back, I guess. But, still no North Dakota, the only state we've not actually put our feet on the ground in. And unless we are on a plane that has to make an emergency landing in Fargo...I'm pretty sure that we'll always be one state short of the 50 list.



Today was the 'not so much fun' part of RVing. Unloading, ugh. I took at least three days to load the buggy up. Now, why Jim thinks we can unload and put everything back in the house in three hours is beyone me! But, then again, he's the type of traveler who has to unpack his suitcase and put things away before he can get to sleep...even if he got home in the wee hours of the morning. Me? Hah, I'm still putting unpacking my suitcase a week later.



Oh, and let's not forget the laundry and cleaning the RV. Today he did the outside, and it really needed it after the of love bugs yesterday. Later in the day I started the inside cleaning that, hopefully, we can finish tomorrow. You know the deep, back to showroom cleaning....like with a toothbrush cleaning. I got the stove, microwave, sink, and all the kitchen storage done. Tomorrow we'll do the carpets and upholstery. What fun!

All the way home yesterday I wanted to say something, but was afraid I'd jinx us. So when we finally pulled into the driveway I told Jim that in this entire trip (I'll figure the mileage soon) we'd not seen any SERIOUS accidents! A fender bender here and there....and a young motorcyclist on a crotch rocket who seconds before we came around a corner crossed our lane and hit an enbankment in the NC mountains...but was okay. Just amazing and we're so happy that we didn't wittness any tragedies.


So on that happy note I'll end this part of the blog. I'll keep it open, because if we don't get a buyer for the RV we'll be taking trips, not as long as this one, though! I'd also like to add a page with hints for traveling in RV's.

And once again I'd like to thank everyone who clicked in every day to share our adventures. All the gals on Dotti's, friends, family, cousins Jeannie and Barbara, and especially those who I have never met! To the loyal followers in:

Columbia, South Carolina
Flat Rock, Alabama
Mcminnville, Oregon
Lake Saint Louis, Missouri


Thanks for sticking with us!

There's No Place Like Home

Day 51 Dunedin Fl to Summerville SC
480 miles

The End of The Road!



We met friends, Gin and Bob for a brief visit, coffee and pastry and to thank them again for our trip to Busch Gardens before we left Clearwater. Jim really likes the area and is talking about spending some time there next winter...IF we still have the RV.

The weather again was on our side. It was

amazing how all the storms (and earthquakes) missed us by a day or two on this trip. The worst weather was the at the very beginning of the trip coming out of Nashville and even that cleared up within about an hour. The only thunder that we even heard was during the night in Houston. Unbelievable.

We took I275 to I4 to I95. Traffic wasn't all that bad for a holiday weekend. Orlando...well, anyone who is familiar with Orlando knows that there's always a traffic problem. So we just crawled through the city for a half hour or so. Just a little west of Orlando we encountered biblical swarms of love bugs. There's always a lot of them in Florida this time of year, but they were so thick for a while that he had to keep using the windshield wipers so he could see....it was like black snow. Only these little boogers stick!

I remember when we lived on St. Simon's Island in the early 90'sthe love bugs were bad that year. Here I was the only 'Yankee' around the proper southern ladies. One of the new neighbors from the NC mountains (where they didn't have love bugs) asked me if they bite. I told her, "No, they're just a nuisance...anyway they're too busy screwing to bite anybody!" Geez, you should have seen the looks I got.

After Orlando, the ride was easy. We like to take Rt9A around the east side Jacksonville instead of the I295 bypass to the west side. I think it's shorter and soooooo much more scenic.

Florida and almost all of Georgia are three lanes wide and it makes such a difference in traffic. One thing a bout Florida is that they have a much better highway system than most states. The highway project in Georgia (110 miles of I95) was started before we moved down to St. Simons in late 1991...and it's almost done.

We were happy to see the* Welcome to South Carolina *sign...although we always joke that it means 'welcome to SC...now you lose a lane of interstate'. We need a lot of highway improvements. They're always about 10 years behind, sigh.

Everything was so GREEN. We did have leaves and blossoms when we left but it's more lush now. This has been a great year for gardens, cool nights and frequent rains. Usually we're getting into the muggies by now.

The last 45 minutes of the trip was on country roads and we finally snaked our way into our subdivision. The yard looked great, and to my delight my oldest son had planted a garden for me! I'd felt so bad that I wouldn't have any garden tomatoes this year because I wouldn't be here to tend to it...but he planted and has come over to take care of it. What a great surprise!

The kids came over and took us out to dinner. It was great to see our family again.

Traveling is a blast, but there's no place like home!

Busch Gardens and a Little Bit of Greece

Day 50 Dunedin and Tampa FL

Hot and muggy today, hard to believe it was just last Sunday were were shivering in Chicago.

We went to Busch Gardens today. It was quite warm but the park provides plenty of shade and breezes. The two week old baby rhino is the cutest thing! He was prancing around behind his mother....cute little rhino butt! Our days of scary roller coasters are over, Jim kept watching the one that drops so dramatically, but there aren't too many people of , ahem...our age on them. I've read how those type of rides can spike blood pressure incredibly. Now me, with the heart thing...nah. My brain knows I'm on a ride and it's all safe. But at the same time it will also think, "Holy Mother of God, we are falling face first, 200 feet to the ground...we will be dead in a few seconds!" Nope, I'll stick with the tamer things.

I got a stinker of a headache in the heat so we came back to the RV, took care of the dogs and I chilled out for a bit. Later on we took a ride over the causeway to see what the beach looked like down the street, really nice. Maybe on another trip we'll take the ferry over to the 'best beach in the country', Caladesi Beach.

Then we took a ride to 'little Greece', or Tarpin Springs. They have fishing boats, shops and restaurants. Well, when in Rome....or Greece....eat Greek food! So we stopped in Hellas and I had Spanokopita, and Jim had a Gyro dish. The huge bakery next door had the most incredible desserts, but thankfully, we were stuffed and just peeked at a few. Jim kept giving me 'the look' when I stopped to look at them. Geez, I just wanted to see what pretty pastry is supposed to look like...I do like to bake! Consider it 'instructional'.

I knew one amusement park would be enough for him and the he'd want to get back home tomorrow. I was right, tomorrow we'll head for home. Yesterday was the end of the seventh week, we're ready. I miss my kids and grandkids. Oh yeah and my KING size bed!

It' been a fabulous trip, but all good thing must come to an end.

So tomorrow is the end of the road.

This is One Long Ass State!

Day 49 Navarre FL - Dunedin FL


427 miles

The title is Jim's eloquent description of Florida...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It rained overnight, but it was sunny when we pulled out of the Navarre Beach Campground at 8:30am. We took US87 north to I10. Traffic was lighter that we expected as we headed east toward Tallahassee. The Tom Tom and computer were directing us to use I10 and II75 to get to the Tampa area. We decided against all interstate driving, took I10 for part of the day and then took US19 south (Florida/Georgia Pky) just east of Tallahassee, it was also 50 miles shorter. We are so glad we did...we've been on this road before but for what a nice highway it is. Four lanes and divided, way off the beaten path and the northern part of it is the 'old Florida' of tall, moss draped live oaks, and sleepy towns that time seems to have forgotten. . until it gets closer and closer to the greater Tampa area and then it turns into the multi- laned,endless strip mall thing,that is.

We're in Dunedin, between Clearwater and Tarpon Springs, and back to Dunkin Donut land. We were really road weary and the last thing we wanted to do was cook and clean up a meal. We know there is an Italian and Greek population in this area so we knew we could find a good meal. We had a late dinner at Bambino's Pizza and it was very good.

This is a lovely area and the causeway to the islands is almost across the street. I hope we get the time to explore a little. We've passed through this area many times on the way to other places, but have never really seen much of the shoreline and islands here.

We're tired, after a long day and are going to bed early. Tomorrow we're going to Busch Gardens. A Saturday on a holiday weekend...can you say crowded?

Mighty Fine Shrimp and Grits..Ya Ya!

Day 48 Navarre Florida

Non travel day

I slept until 8:45 this morning. Mainly because two families pulled in beside us after midnight last night. They were unloading, opening and closing car doors, little kids yelling...every time I dozed off they banged something. I was referring to them 'The Bang Bang Family' from a children's book that I used to read to my kids when they were small.

Later we took a ride to The Fish House Restaurant on the waterfront in Pensacola. We were introduced to this place by Jim's brother and wife from Omaha. We try to stop in here whenever we're in the area and Navarre is only about 20 miles east of here. Jim loves one of their signature dishes --World Famous Grits à Ya Ya~ Spiced Gulf jumbo shrimp top a sauté of spinach, portobello mushrooms, applewood-smoked bacon, garlic, shallots, and cream over a heaping bed of smoked Gouda cheese grits.

Now, before you all say, eeewwwww, trust me, this is good stuff! I'm not a grits sort of gal, even after almost 20 years in the shrimp and grits capital of the universe, Charleston, SC. But, I tasted the dish last time we were here and today I ordered it. The grits are the texture of mashed potatoes, smooth and creamy. Should be, with all the calories they add to a simple dish. We have no idea when we'll make it back to this part of the country...so we enjoyed.

Later in the afternoon, we drove 20 miles or so in the other direction, east, to Destin. Destin has some of the prettiest beaches on the Gulf...when you can see the water. It's getting like Malibu, where you know there's an ocean out there--somewhere on the other side of all the big homes.

We've stayed there in the past, and just enjoy seeing how things have changed, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. There is an enormous new building on next to the bridge at the inlet that is one of the ugliest things I've seen in a long time. I don't know if it's supposed to be an Italian design, or what. It reminds me of an area we drove by near Lake Mead, and it also makes me think of a Disney hotel...not very 'beachy'.

We had a late, light dinner...the rest of yesterday's chicken and some fresh sweet corn.

The forecast today was for heavy rain, we expected it all day, but like yesterday it never materialized, tonight I hear some rain on the roof. Hopefully, our luck will hold out on our trip to Tampa tomorrow and at the park the following day.

Another long drive tomorrow..

Resting on the Gulf

Day 47 - Navarre Florida
Stayed put!

Walked a few loops around the campground this morning, the loop is 3/4 mile, so three of them was 2 1/4 miles. We were sweating for a change! Later we laid out on the beach for about an hour. I think Jim overdid it, and ended up feeling so bad, he ended up in bed. He didn't feel like lunch and spent most of the afternoon sleeping.

Later, he felt better so we took a ride over the causeway to Santa Rosa Island. Typical barrier island, with plenty of evidence that Hurricane Ivan had visited in 2004. Hopefully, this, like last year, will be a year without hurricanes.

We drove west on the island into the Gulf Islands National Seashore area. Nice bike trails, maybe Jim will feel better tomorrow and we can take the bikes over there. It's a beautiful white sand beach area, without development.

Picked up a chicken at Publix, made dinner but he wasn't too hungry. Then American Idol on TV. The weather stayed nice, quite windy, but no storms.

Gee, we finally stop long enough for a rest, and he's sick!

Sorry, no pictures...should have taken some over on the island.

Tomorrow...dunno, depends on how Jim feels.

Back to Summer on the Florida Panhandle

Day 46 Nashville TN to Navarre Beach FL
469 Miles


Hard to believe we were chilly in Chicago only yesterday morning!

The weather was beautiful in Nashville this morning. Before we left the KOA we took the dogs to the 'doggie playground' in the campground. Shih tzus are NOT very agile, we knew this, already and their performances on the equipment proved us right. We had to shove the dogs up the incline, all four paws stiff and nails screeching on the wood. Molly had to be pushed through the hoop. We got a good laugh out of their antics.

Then, on to the highway...I65 south out of Nashville, then almost all the way through Alabama. We got through Tennessee the easy way, which would be the north/south way...the east/west takes a long, long time! Most of the day was spent traveling through Alabama.

We were thrilled with the mild temperatures and the beautiful weather. After lunch, when we were just south of Birmingham, I called a campground that we've been to twice in the past, it's right on the Gulf. However, it's quite expensive and not that great, most of the time the ocean isn't visible to most campers due to the dunes. I called them and the price was over $100/night...this for a 20 foot wide piece of sand.

Decided against it and called one in Navarre FL. that isn't on the Gulf, but on the sound...between the mainland and the barrier island. I was asked if I wanted a site on the beach which I accepted, high at $80, but we really wanted a spot with a tropical feeling and were delighted when we got here. The spot is even better than we'd hoped for. We are right on the water...I mean, right on the water! The back of the RV is almost hanging over it. Oh, and the moon is full tonight and beautiful, coming up across the sound and shinning on the water. Aaaaaah.

We need a VACATION from our vacation! Driving in the big cities and the last two travel days have worn us out. How funny is that?

We will be here until noon Friday. We'll likely visit Pensacola 20 miles west and Destin 20 miles or so east too. We have a favorite restaurant in Pensacola, the Fish House that has the best shrimp and grits that Jim loves and a risotto dis I love. May have to ride the bikes and walk a bit to work off the calories if we do that.

Then, the last few days of this trip will be spent in the Tampa/St. Pete area and Orlando. Jim wants to play in the Parks. Of course, it's also a holiday weekend, so we'll have to play it by ear. From what we've seen, the travel industry is probably going to be hurting this year. My guess is that people will be vacationing close to home. We've seen very, very few out of state plates in our travles and only today saw our first South Carolina license plates since we left!

Hey I get to sleep in tomorow, yea!

Lots of Miles, Lots of Gas Today

Day 45 Joliet IL to Nashville TN (again)
500 Miles

I think this is a first, I didn't take any pictures today...

We left Joliet around 8:30am and expected to drive quite a distance, but didn't think we'd get all the way to Nashville this evening. We took I57 south picking up I24 a little northwest of Paducah, Ky. This route was a few miles longer, but avoided all cities. The roads in the north are pretty beat up at this time of year. There's a good deal of construction, repairing and upgrading going on, meaning we see a LOT of orange barrels and cones! We did a lot of shaking, rattling and rolling today.

Thankfully, the ride was uneventful and that's why we did so many miles, the most we've done in one day on this trip. The areas we covered were mostly farm lands and the further we went the greener and warmer it got.

When we realized that we would indeed make it to Nashville we decided to go back to the KOA where we stayed at the beginning of the trip....seems like so long ago, but it was only April 7th and 8th. This time however, we're just staying overnight and will head toward the panhandle of Florida tomorrow, it's a long drive, hopefully we'll make it all the way to a warm, sunny beach.

It seems as though as soon as we arrive in an area, the temperature drops to near record lows. Florida, you ready for a cold snap? I'm beginning to think we're a jinx...while we were in Chicago, they announced that it had just become the most expensive city for gasoline .

My Kind Of Town, Chicago Is...unseasonably cold.

Day 44 Rock Island IL to Joliet IL

140 Miles


Happy Birthday, Jon!

Back later, just wanted to greet my youngest...relatively speaking, he's

37.



Sorry it took so long to get back to this, last night no WIFI.



Finally had some warm weather Saturday traveling from Omaha. During the night a cold front came through and temps were in the 40's when we got up. Throw in a breeze and it was darn chilly.



We drove to as near as we were going to get to Chicago, about 48 south west, in near Joliet. We stayed at the RV section of the Empress Casino. Quite nice, and CHEAP, less than $14/night. And of course, they don't want you messing around on the internet, they want you to gamble...so no WIFI.



We had lunch and headed downtown. Heavy traffic for a Sunday afternoon, but it is a MAJOR city so I guess it's normal. Can't imagine what the rush hours are like! We parked a couple of blocks from the Navy Pier, (paid $32 parking fee) and took the first architectural boat tour we could. I knew Jim would like it, and he did. However, we were chilled to the bone when it was done, temps around 50 degrees and windy. Spent some time in the Navy Pier and had some pizza before we left to head back to Joliet. Only took ONE picture! My eyes are closed and I'm caught red-handed with my caramel corn...



I had hoped to go back the next day to do some more Chicago touristy things, but between the cold, parking and traffic, we both decided that heading south to a less hurried and warmer place was preferable at this stage of the game.



Heading south on I57 tomorrow...

Back On The Road

Day 43 Omaha NE to Rock Island IL
320 Miles

We spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with Jim's brother and wife at their lovely home in Omaha. I kept looking up at the high ceilings, it's been a long time since I've seen anything over 6 1/2 feet or so high. And the water pressure...aaaaah. Just enjoyed staying in the shower, it felt like I was at the base of Niagara Falls after the lower pressure in the RV.

Jim golfed Wednesday and Thursday. Sister in law and I shopped Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday we all went to their wonderful Doorly Zoo, clearly one of the best in the country. We had a great time interacting with the gorillas, the gorillas also had a great time jumping up and banging on the glass to scare the crowds. Even saw an elephant with a 'grill' on his tusks, like a rap star!

We stayed downtown for dinner and later went to see a movie. Jim found a remote that he couldn't possible lose!

We also got to visit with our two grown nephews at diner Thursday and Jim enjoyed telling some of his 'cop stories' which are very similar to our all of our Dad's 'war stories'.

It was a nice break from all the travel and it was great to actually be around family again, after all the traveling. But, this morning it was time to hit the road again...how's that old saying go? 'Fish and visitors start to stick after three days.'

Nice ride across Iowa, and it's GREEN now! The trees have leaves and the corn is starting to sprout. And there is a LOT OF CORN. Iowa seems to be 'road kill' heaven for deer. The poor things everywhere.

We pulled off the road after we crossed the Mississippi River in Rock Island IL. And it's warm, yea. Tomorrow we are headed for Chicago. We've planned the rest of the trip and we'll be heading south after our Chicago visit. Tired of being cold, and the big cities of the northeast are not what we want to tackle after all these weeks on the road.

One Less Pheasant In South Dakota

Day 39 Chamberlain SD to Omaha NE
320 miles

We just can't seem to get a warm day , seems everywhere we go, a cold front comes through. Everyone tells us that it's been a cold, wet spring in this part of the country.

We left the campground on the Missouri River around 9:00 and had no plans to stop anywhere except to get gas and have lunch. I'm still wondering where these people who live so far away from towns get groceries?

We went through areas with a great many pheasants, ONE had the misfortune of trying to fly across the road just as we were cruising by....at 70mph. It wasn't pretty, a fact we discovered when we stopped for gas a couple of hours later, yuk.

We're in Omaha visiting with Jim's brother and wife. Very nice neighborhood....Let's hope the neighbors don't think we're Clark Griswold's relatives 's, Cousin Eddie's family.

It's a big house, but seems even bigger after living in our '30 foot box' for so long!

Tomorrow Jim finally gets to play some golf, he's been having golf withdrawal, bad.

And *I* will have some female companionship with my sister in law, yea!

South Dakota Never Ends

Day 38 Spearfish SD to Chamberlain SD
305 miles

Maybe it just seems that way.

I90 spans over 400 miles and there's not really a whole lot to see. The land goes from mountains in the Rapid City area, to flat as a pancake to rolling hills. Sometimes, the land looks like a sage Velux blanket has been stretched across the landscape.

It was cold, windy and showery when we left the campground in Spearfish this morning. Made our way to Mount Rushmore and realized we'd forgotten how steep the road up was! The grade wasn't given, but Jim could tell by the way the poor RV was straining to get to the top of the mountain dragging the big ol' Jeep along. We unhooked at the Mt. Rushmore Memorial and as I drove down the mountain I was shocked to see that it was a 10% grade. No wonder it was a hard pull up, we haven't done anything over 8% on the whole trip. Not to mention, that when we unhooked, the dash on the Jeep was flashing a message to *Check electrical brake system*...um, and her I am driving it down a mountain with a long 10% grade. The message went away, although I must admit that I was looking for 'soft' places to crash if the message was real...the brakes worked fine in both.

The four dead presidents looked exactly as they did in 1991. The area around them is much nicer though. They've made a nice visitor's center, with good coffee, yea! We split a chocolate chip Cookie and shared some with one of the many tame chipmunks. The only thing that was annoying was the $10 parking fee...we were only there about a half hour. Jim sight sees fast!

Back on I90 for the rest of the day and the weather finally cleared. Anyone who has ever traveled this interstate will remember the signs for 'Wall Drug'. Hundreds of signs...
Of course, it's a tourist trap, but a needed break for most drivers. Lots of little shops and the famous 'Wall Drug' Last trip Jim wouldn't stop, so he knew he had to this time because I've been reminding him about it for 17 years. Besides, we has to stop for lunch anyway and needed to stretch our legs

We took a picture of a whole clan of 'Normans' for my grandson. Sorry James, you know how this family is...we'll never let you forget.

Then another shot of something even my Ranger Rick son can't identify. I'm thinking it's a Jackalophesant.

And then as we were leaving Wall Drug Town, we stopped for gas and I looked up to see a 'big dinosaur' . Big dinosaur is a hugely funny thing in our family and I know my daughter is laughing as she reads this. Let me explain.

In late 2003 Jim and I were driving to Hudson Florida to pick up a motor home for our 2004 trip. Along the side of the road I saw a big, pink, fiberglass dinosaur. I pointed and said, "Look at the big dinosaur." Jim looked at me with a horrified, puzzled look on his face and said, "WHAT did you say!?" I meekly repeated, "A big dinosaur..." At which point he started to laugh so hard that I thought he'd drive off the road. Now, I was puzzled and asked him what the heck did he think I'd said?

Wiping his eyes, he told me that he'd heard, "A big vagina store!"

And we've been laughing about that every time we see a 'Big Dinosaur.'

We lost an hour today because we came back into the Central Time Zone, so we didn't get as many miles in. We're in a nice spot in Chamberlain SD, about 75 miles from east of Sioux Falls. Did laundry and I gave two very dirty shih tzus baths.

Tomorrow we pick up I29 in Sioux Falls and head down to Omaha to visit family.

If This is True, I'm going to be a Genius!

Browsing the newspaper this morning and discovered this article...


Tip of the day from the 'You Docs': Kick back, get smarter
Monday, May 12, 2008

Sure, vacations are great for both your stress levels and your sex life. But most people (especially those chained to their desks) forget that vacations also can improve your ability to invent the next Google or even figure out what Bob Dylan is saying when he talks.

How? Maps. Whether you're driving to a strange place, hiking an unfamiliar canyon or figuring out the subway system of a new city, you're using many different parts of your brain at once. Turn off the GPS (chill, you're on vacation, remember?) and instead use your visual-spatial skills to read the map, your verbal ones to explain what to do next ("Honey, turn left. Now!") — or, if you're the one driving, your decision-making skills to get out of a tight spot ("Yikes, NOT there, here!"). All require processing information quickly and remembering it for the return trip. What if you get lost? Think of it as more mental exercise: Solving the where-am-I? puzzle also contributes brain-building benefits.

Of course, the biggest challenge might be taking enough time off to get lost in the first place. A national survey by Expedia.com found that 31 percent of Americans don't take all the vacation days they get, and we average only about 14 days a year to begin with. The average worker in France gets 37 days (yes, you read that right) annually, according to the same survey. So the next time you and your partner plan a vacation, agree to get lost — on purpose. If all else fails, you can turn the GPS back on.

White Knuckles in the Bighorn Mountains

Day 37 Cody WY to Spearfish SD
345 miles

Today could have been forgettable, except for a 58 mile section of highway (I use the term loosely) that went up across and over some mountains.

We left Cody, stopped at the WalMart (Sunday mornings are WAY better than Sunday afternoons at WalMart!) for a few things and then hit the road. We stayed on the same highway that travels right through Cody, US 14/16/20 east toward a small town, Ranchester, a little north of Sheridan where we wanted to pick I90. There isn't any real easy way to get back to I90 from Cody. The road was two lane but, in good condition and heck, we were practically the only vehicle on it anyway!

We'd checked with the Mountain Directory (a book that rates highway grades for large vehicles) and knew that we'd have to traverse the Bighorn Mountains, and there was going to be quite a hairy grade to get over. The peak is at Granite Pass, at 9300 foot elevation.

After riding for a couple of hours of boring roads...lots of pronghorn sheep and cows, things changed fast.

We got to a tiny town called Shell and entered a narrow,rocky (like soaring cliffs overhead) canyon. Then we started to climb. Jim decided we needed to unhook the Jeep, after he looked almost directly overhead and saw the road above us. He leaned over the dashboard, pointed up and said, "Oh shit, that's the road up there."

That meant a sharp switchback and steep climb, and sheer rocky cliffs....and this was only mile #1. Yikes!

So we unhooked, and I was very relieved driving a nice, small, 4 wheel drive vehicle over the mountain instead of looking over the edge and hoping the transmission and brakes and tires will all function properly and we won't go flying over a 1,000 granite cliff! Yeah, I do that. Plus it does make it easier on the RV without pulling the Jeep up a steep 18 mile hill.

The climb up was fairly easy, we were on the inside edge...but you know that on the way down you have to be on the outside edge. We traveled on a ridge across the top for quite a while in the Bighorn National Park. In fact, I almost forgot that we hadn't come down off the mountain yet, until I saw the elevation 9300 feet sign There was a lot of snow up there and I noticed some clouds gathering. I thought ALL I needed at this point was to have a blinding snowstorm!

We finally arrived at the point where we started to descend. I have no idea what was over the edge of the guardrail...I just knew I couldn't see the bottom and I wasn't taking my eyes off the road for more than a second. I did, however, read the sign that said 'Next 9 miles down hill' and another saying the same thing, only 11 more miles...so 18 miles down hill.

When I did take a quick peek the view was phenomenal. At one point I pulled into a turnout and Jim following was sure that I was going to tell him that I couldn't go any further. Heck no, I'd rather be in the Jeep any day than the RV on a mountain. I was kind of nervous at that point because there were a few places with no guardrails and I was waaaaaay over the yellow line into the OTHER lane, just be be sure....I mean, one mistake and you're going into an abyss! I didn't mind the straight sections, but those outside curves where you're hanging off the mountain are a little hairy. I did manage to squeeze off one shot while I was driving, but didn't want to push my luck.

The view of the valley below stretched for miles, it was like looking out of a plane. At one point on a switchback I noticed some severe guardrail damage, where someone had hit the guardrail HARD and hopefully didn't go over it because it was a long way down.

I was about 5 minutes ahead of Jim when we got down and it took me a while to find a spot big enough for the RV and Jeep so we could re-hook. And that was a good thing because I think it took that long for me to pry my fingers off the steering wheel!

Had lunch in the Rv in Sheridan, then began the long, last leg of the day. This area has ranches and farms. I've never seen so many deer in my life, or cattle. This afternoon I saw black cows, horses, brown cows, mules, and black cows with white faces...I'll have to look them up wild turkey and little baby calves. Gonna feel bad about veal parmesean sandwiches for a while...

Finally we crossed into South Dakota and got a campground in Spearfish. Had a quick dinner and headed into Deadwood, an old mining town with casinos in every building. Lost a grand total of $13, very fast, I might add. We only stayed about an hour and headed back. Sunday night, off season and we don't drink...

Tomorrow we're going to see *The Heads* near Rapid City and then take that looooong drive across South Dakota.

Where the Buffalo Roam...

Day 36 Bozeman MT to Cody WY
225 miles

And Yellowstone National Park

We left the Sunset RV Park on the east side of Bozeman around 9:30am bound for Yellowstone National Park about 80 miles south. Overnight it snowed and there was a few inches melting on the picnic table...no, the dogs weren't pleased on their morning walk. There was a cute bird feeder, near the RV office, made of tin cans that I loved...the tin man even had a little heart. Also got a picture with a life size bear only a few feet away from the bird feeder. Wanted to take another picture leaving the park, to show the railroad track and trains directly across the street!

This shot is of the mountains leaving Bozeman. We were really glad to see sunny skies, it was cold though. The ride on US191 to West Yellowstone was beautiful. As much as I don't care for snow, it was a wet snow, unusual for here, that clung to all the fir trees for a stunning effect and it also covered up all the dirty snow.

The first encounter with Yellowstone's wildlife shortly after we entered the main gate at West Yellowstone. Although it snowed a few inches yesterday and during the night, most of the winter snow is melting on the open meadows and the grazing animals are hungry. The photo below was taken right out the passenger window!

We came around a corner to a herd of bison. As we were going by they decided to cross the road right in front of us! The one in the picture came very close and he was huge. I didn't realize it while taking the shot, but there is a geyser going off in the background, it's not Old Faithful. There are warnings given about bison when you enter the park. Idiots try to get close to them for pictures. The warning said that they can sprint 30 mph for a short distance and people have been gored. I stayed right in the RV, trust me.




























We stopped at some of the thermal features, the fumaroles and the paint pots (bubbling mud) then on to Old Faithful. It was going off when we arrived, which worked to our advantage, by allowing us to have lunch in the RV while waiting. The next eruption was scheduled (or rather estimated) at 2:26pm, give or take 10 minutes either way. Old Faithful didn't let the crowd down, and erupted at 2:30pm.

Yellowstone is huge and the roads in it are like a figure eight. We only drove the bottom part of the lower loop because we had to get to Cody and there's no easy or fast way other than the east gate of the park. We drove around Yellowstone lake, it's still frozen. On the way there we passed a knot of cars and knew it would be a bear to create such a stir. It was, a female and her cub. Amazingly, morons were getting out of their cars to take pictures...the park wants people to keep at least 100 yards away from the bears, further for a female and cub. We did get a picture from the RV but it's not the best.

Later, in a higher elevation, as Jim was driving I was concentrating on looking out the window for bears, I saw TWO more in the woods. We couldn't stop to take photos though, the roads are narrow enough with the snow banks on both sides and it' s not like the RV is a compact car.

Just before we got to the east gate we had to drive through Sylvan Pass. Oh my gosh, what a ride that is! Thank heavens for guard rails...there's a deep raving on the right heading east and the descent is steep. I was glad to get back to flatter ground.


Even after you leave the park the scenery and wildlife continues, there's plenty of grizzly warning. We came upon a herd of big horn sheep on the road to Cody and got another picture.

Just before Cody, we came upon a large lake. I KNOW I would have remembered a big lake and a high dam from our 1991 trip, and I had no recollection of this. No wonder, it was finished in 1995.

Cody is a great little western city. As we drove through town we noticed that the local men really do dress like cowboys. In the warmer months, there's a rodeo every night. We went twice on our last trip. The Buffalo Bill Historical Museum is quite the place, highly recommended.

We are at an RV park in town, that sits on the edge of a ravine leading down to the Shoshone river. The wind tonight is rocking the RV...no, we're not rocking it!

Heading east to South Dakota tomorrow and 'The Heads' as my cousins' young daughter called Mt. Rushmore.

A Little Bit of Everything Today

Day 35

Spokane WA to Bozeman MT

400 Miles

It was cold when we got up this morning, the hot coffee was very much appreciated. We left the Spokane KOA around 9:30, but we lost an hour going from Pacific Time to Mountain time in Idaho, so I guess it's like leaving an hour later.

Beautiful scenery around Cour D'Alene, the lakes and mountains are so pretty. Later going through the Bitterroots we encountered deep snow again, not on the highway, but everywhere else. We stopped at the rest area in one of the rest areas and walked the dogs...that was quite hilarious. Oh heck, I'll let them tell you about it themselves.

ROOKIE: My name is Rookie (actually, 'Rookie of the Year' is my formal name) and I was born in Goose Creek, South Carolina. I am a warm weather dog.

My mother, Molly, and I are stuck in a 30 foot box with the humans. That's okay, because we get to go for lots of rides. Today we got out of the 30 foot box with our leashes on to take a walk. I though the grass looked really funny...it was all white and about three feet higher off the ground that it was supposed to be.

The humans made mom and me climb on the white grass. It was so cold on my 'southern' paws and it made them wet. What happened next scared the crap out of me. The white grass made noises! Every time the man and woman human stepped on it, it crunched! And that made me jump and turn around to see what was happening. Got me so flustered (I scare easy) that I couldn't pee. I mean, how could I pee on something that makes noise? Finally the man human found a place with dirt and a tree, I was so relieved...heh, heh, so I relieved myself!
I was so glad to go back into the nice, warm, 30 foot box.

MOLLY: My Name is Molly (Good Golly Miss Molly) and I'm an 11 year old bitch, in every sense of the word. I like being in the 30 foot box. I have the two humans at my beck and call 24/7. I make them scratch my back whenever *I* want and they don't eat ONE meal without me knowing about it and getting some of what they're eating.

My son is a wimp. God, he disgusts me, being afraid of every little sound, jumping and putting his tail between his legs! Every step the humans took he was scared of the crunchy noises. Me? Hey, I'm old, I can't hold it too long, I'll squat and pee anywhere...even if it's on cold, wet, white grass that crunches!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weather threw everything at us today. It was sunny, rainy, sleety, and snowy off and on all afternoon driving across Montana. Too bad, because this is an absolutely gorgeous state. It gas just about everything, huge mountains, beautiful lakes, rivers you wouldn't believe, ranches...HUGE cattle ranches and horse ranches. In fact I'm sure I saw more horses today than I have in my entire life up till now.

We passed a small town that had a large sign that declared that it was the 'Home of the Testicle Festival'. I thought it was quite appropriate that the name of the town was CLINTON. Hah!

Later in the afternoon, just after we passed Butte, we had to go over a mountain pass. This one was listed in our book as being rather intense, with sharp curves and steep grades...6 miles of them. I remembered this stretch of highway from our 1991 trip and wasn't looking forward to it. We decided to unhook the Jeep and I drove it up and over and waited for Jim and the RV on the other side. I think it did both my nerves and the RV transmission and brakes good!

Bozeman was just a little over an hour east so I made coffee while we drove (pouring water while going 65 mph on a curvy/hilly road is interesting) and pulled into the RV park around dinnertime.

We saw billboards for Fuddruckers (we stop when we find one) so Jim decided I needed a break from cooking and I told him that he needed to take me out for a special occassion anyway. What occasion? My friend Mary's brithday...hey, I'll use any excuse I can think of!

Oh yes, Happy Birthday Mary in Gainesville, Florida!

Tomorrow, Yellowstone...IF it doesn't snow!