Saturday, July 2, 2022

What kind of travelers are you?

Traveler A:

• We have a definite departure time and plan to eat a good meal before we leave so we do not need to make many unscheduled stops.
• We plan out scheduled stops and know what times are more “high-volume” than others near popular destinations.
• We have a specific destination in mind to spend the night on our multi-day travel itinerary.

Traveler B

• We pull our 46 foot RV and “toad” through a Dunkin’ Donuts and have to leave out the entrance blocking angry customers who just want their Saturday morning coffee.
• We decide last minute to stop at one of the busiest tourist destinations in the Northeast on a holiday weekend.
• We grab our passports in case we decide to travel internationally at a moment’s notice, but fail to thoroughly review the registration and insurance documentation of both vehicles, just because the kids want to be able to say they went to Canada.

We are B.  

Honestly, we have good intentions, but we also are fairly impulsive, especially with the flexibility of RV travel.

Rob and I hitched up the “toad” (my Jeep) to Kevin last night and I installed the RV brake.  We tested it, locked it up, ate a late dinner, and drank a beer. I laid out coffee and travel mugs for the morning and double checked the animal care schedule for Amaya.  Rob packed.  I fell asleep.

We were up bright and early.  Both of us showered, loaded last minute electronics and chargers into the camper before herding the half-asleep kiddos into their bunks.  We thought we’d celebrate the beginning of vacation with a quick trip to Dunkin’ instead of making our own coffee.  Good intentions, maybe not such a great execution.  (This will be the first of many questionable decisions that will be made on this trip.)  This Dunkin’ is literally 30 seconds from our home.  Could we have zipped over in the vehicle that was not hooked up to the camper for a quick run?  Sure, but wouldn’t it also be riskier and much more inefficient to take the whole show on the road?  Absolutely.

After getting drinks, breakfast sandwiches and Munchkins (If you have not had a cornbread Munchkin yet, do not sleep on this – they are delicious!) for the road and only blocking four (or so) customers from entering the drive-thru, we were on our way!  The kids went back to sleep in their respective hidey-holes and Rob and I had about three hours of peaceful driving with light traffic through scenic CT, MA, and NY, just chatting, spying the different species of roadkill (so far, a porcupine, a bear, a deer, and a wolf/coyote), and sipping coffee.  Somewhere in this cozy together time, we decided to stop at Niagara Falls… and then cut through Canada to get to Michigan.

What could go wrong?  I mean, who else would visit one of America’s most iconic landmarks on the weekend celebrating America’s independence?  

The correct answer is: everyone.  And they all converged on Niagara Falls at the same time as we did: 1:30 PM.  Suddenly, our peaceful drive turned into a frenetic bottleneck with one “at capacity” parking lot after another.  Also, you can’t park Kevin just anywhere.  She’s big, and doesn’t take corners easily.  If you miss a turn, you’re out of luck because there’s no backing up with the “toad” hitched.  We have come close to having to detach the “toad” in order to back up due to almost not making a tight corner or driving under a low bridge.  I can’t even imagine how horribly embarrassing it would be to have to go through the whole process of removing the RV brake, getting the car out of neutral, folding up the hitch and driving off separately to regroup with the hordes of traffic watching, beeping, yelling… I get sweaty just thinking about it.  It turns out the DoubleTree Hotel had an event and they were more than happy to sell us a parking spot in the grassy field across from the hotel for the bargain price of $20.  Money well spent.

Everyone was more than happy to stretch their legs as we made our ways down the riverwalk towards the falls.  The closer you get to the falls, the faster and rougher the rapids get.  What we thought were helicopters giving tours of the falls were actually Sheriff’s department helicopters.  How many fools try to get in this water (fall into the water)?  It’s terrifyingly swift.

All of a sudden, the riverwalk opens up onto a huge patio and you are literally on top of the American Falls (cleverly named, right?).  The roar of the water is loud enough that you have to raise your voice a bit to talk to one another.  What appeared to be thousands of tourists gathered for scenic photos along the overlook, chatter in at least five different languages.  We took the obligatory family selfie before meandering among the crowd and exploring the kitschy shops and food trucks.  A line that seemed to go on for at least two miles, snaked through the crowd, filled with tired, hot folks waiting for their turn aboard the Maid of the Mist, the scenic boat ride that approaches the falls.  I’ve done the tour on the Canadian side, Horseshoe Falls, (well done naming these falls, Canada) and it’s fun, but it’s unlikely I waited in a line like that.  I was with my parents and they are more of “Traveler A” people, so I’m sure we had a reservation or got there at the crack of dawn.

After a snack and a souvenir, we headed back to Kevin to cool off.  We had decided, with the kids’ input, that it would be a fun (and timesaving) detour to cut through Canada on the way to Michigan.  Our GPS led us to believe that this shortcut would save us around two hours.  We had thrown our passports and kids’ birth certificates in the camper just in case.  A quick Google search of necessary documents informed us that all we needed were registrations and insurance proof for both vehicles, and our COVID vaccination cards.  No problem.

So, we got in line for Canada.  And there we sat for two and a half hours, inching half a car length at a time toward the Rainbow Bridge that connects the U.S. to Canada.  What does it say about America that the wait to get into Canada on Fourth of July weekend is over two hours? 

By the time we approached the custom’s checkpoint, it was closing in on 7:30 PM.  Sure, the views from the bridge were incredible, but holy moly, our shortcut wasn’t exactly a timesaver.  A helpful agent directed us to the RV checkpoint an a border patrol officer requested and reviewed our paperwork.  He asked us about our ArriveCan registration.  Um, what?  We neglected to register our COVID status on the health app for travelers.  Oops.  Luckily, he waved us through the gate with a brisk (very kind, he was Canadian, after all) reminder to use the app for our return trip or they would turn us away.  

We made it!  And only four hours later than we had expected to cross the border.  Entering Canada made everyone famished, so while we made our way down the the Queen Elizabeth West Highway, I threw together some barbecue pulled pork sandwiches.  (I pre-cooked about six meals and froze them so we could heat and eat and not waste time with such trivialities as stopping to eat.)  If you’ve ever prepared a meal in a moving camper, you know it is a feat in balance and timing.  Miraculously, no swears were uttered and no one dropped their food.  Happy bellies, we barreled along.

While Alyssa and Marlie took turns riding shotgun, Kai played on his iPad and I got to watch the world go by from the couch.  We saw Toronto across Lake Ontario and passed the Real Canadian Superstore (so mad I missed this photo opportunity) and about twelve Tim Horton’s – think: the Canadian Dunkin’.  

Although we will only spend about three hours in Canada and it is unlikely we will even leave the confines of the RV, the trip will have been worth it.  The kids get bragging rights about their first “international” trip and we got to spend four very cozy hours together belting out the entire PopRocks library.  So far, no regrets on the twists and turns of the day.  Let’s see how we feel after trying to find a place to spend the night just over the U.S. border at around 11:00 PM this evening.  

I have a feeling there will not be enough coffee in the world tomorrow.  But, it’s OK because I’m on vacation with some of the people in this world (minus Amaya).

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Hello friends and fellow travel enthusiasts! Well, the long wait is over and camping season is once again upon us! We disappointingly did not camp until Father’s Day weekend. Why? The reasons are threefold:

1. There is exactly ONE Ford dealership within 50+ miles of us that could address our factory recall on the brakes and steering and provide the necessary repairs and also change the oil. Stupid supply chain issues held up the shipment of the parts and dumb rain delayed the oil change, as with an RV as long as ours, this needs to be done outside. Needless to say, our camper was in their possession so long, we thought we half expected a ransom note to arrive in our mailbox.
2. Baseball. It was the most fun (longest) season ever. In fact, it’s actually still going on, but we are peacing out on this summer’s adventure, so the Rebels will just have to muddle through without Kai this week;-)
3. Work was really hard this year. I mean, if you’re in education, you perpetually feel like you’re about 30 seconds away from utter implosion, but this year has been ridiculously and unexpectedly more difficult. Lots of changes coming and a lot of unknowns too. Sounds like the perfect time to ESCAPE on a road trip!

You are probably wondering about Kevin and how she fared through her first winter outdoors. (In case you’re reading this for the first time, Kevin is our 2021 Grayco Jayhawk Class C RV on a 2022 Ford E450 chassis.) She was a little green up on top and some little friends did make a bit of a nest in her engine, but it appears no real damage was done. After a good airing out, her recall updates and oil change, and a scrub-a-dub-dub, she looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! In fact, you might say even better than before. I mean, she also got new LED headlights so Rob and I don’t need to white-knuckle it driving down country roads in the middle of the night, and four new hubcaps. as well as some aesthetic/functional improvements on her interior. You may recall, we lost two hubcaps on our adventure to Montana and Wyoming last year. Well, these new hubcaps are bolted on and aren’t going anywhere. Whoever thought snap on hubcaps were a good idea for a long-haul recreational vehicle had obviously never traveled in one. Your teeth are practically jarred from your mouth if you hit a pothole or travel down a dirt road (God bless you!).

We took Kevin out on her maiden voyage on Father’s Day weekend. Having missed Mother’s Day camping at the Charlestown Breachway in RI due to Kevin’s unfortunate holdup at the dealership, this was a late start. We went to our traditional stomping ground, Pine Acres in Oakham, MA. Normally this is an amazing weekend of friends, fun, food, and booze. This year, we added baseball into the mix. Kai’s (13) All-Stars tournament began on Saturday and depending on the outcome, games were scheduled all throughout the rest of the weekend. I’m pretty sure Rob had fun with his girls (12, 10) which was the point since it was FATHER’S day, but for me and Kai, it was chaos. Here are the two photos I took on this camping weekend:

You might be wondering how we intend to top last year’s epic trip out west. What could possibly top the majestic Grand Tetons or the Black Hills or digging up dinosaur bones?

Were you going to say Michigan?

No?

Look, I have nothing against Michigan. To be fair, I really don’t know much about the state except it has two parts and looks like a mitten. It seems cold. And I assume it is home to Lake Michigan. That is all.

We do not even have any family in Michigan, but we do know one person in Traverse City, and that is why we are packing up Kevin and headed to UP – that’s the Upper Peninsula, for all you non-Yoopers. According to my limited research on Michigan (I mean, did you expect I wouldn’t do my research?), the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan are like two completely different states, More on this as we travel…

I recently read the Facebook post of a high-school classmate’s wife whose friends and family questioned their vacation destination, which, coincidentally is Michigan. I quote, “Michgan… why?” After seeing their adventures play out, I can say that I’m coming around to the idea of Michigan. After all, seeing America from the road has been one of my greatest joys of the past few years.

So follow this blog for stories from the road. We’ll be packing up Kevin tomorrow and hitting the road on Saturday. Join us on our adventures as we discover what makes Michigan so great and also join us to see what kinds of shenanigans the five of us (only five – Amaya is staying behind to work and interview for a new job – boo) can get into.

Great Lakes State, here we come!

No one likes going home after vacation.

Our little foray into the Black Hills left us wanting more time to travel and to see more of South Dakota. We all agreed that we need to come back and spend some time in the Badlands. It just wasn’t meant to be on this trip, but it gives us something to look forward to for next time.

And so we climbed into Kevin, continued east… 1,740ish miles.

With only a few hours to travel after hitting up Wall Drug, we hunkered down in a rest area for a few hours of shut-eye before yesterday’s long haul. It was a twelve -hour driving day that began at 7:30 AM and ended at precisely at 7:38 PM. I only know this because I tried all day to keep our arrival time before 7:30 PM and at 7:27 PM with only two minutes left in our drive, we were DETOURED 10 minutes. (Do you play these mind games with your GPS? It’s the only way I can chunk out the time on these extended drives.)

Rob and I share the driving and yesterday was my turn. Passing through the remainder of South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois we decided on taking a more southerly route to avoid Chicago at all costs. Remember that harrowing nighttime journey through downtown Chicago on the way out? Well, there was absolutely no way we were taking Kevin back there during rush hour! Back roads all the way.

The landscapes out here are courtesy of corn.

It is simply EVERYWHERE. The land is lush and green and so flat. Grain elevators pop up on commercial farms.

For most of the day, I drove by myself, giving Rob a break and allowing him some time to hang out with the girls in the back, watching movies and playing games. All the kids have been simply incredible travelers. Yes, they have their electronics, full access to snacks, and a bathroom, but let’s be real. There is a LOT of sitting and being fairly still. The silliness finally set in around 6:00 yesterday afternoon. There may have been a little wrestling in the dinette area.

The ride on the smaller highways is downright enjoyable. Traffic is light and there’s some pretty fascinating sights to see out here if you keep your eyes peeled (you’re just going to have to believe me – no pics because I was driving). Kevin sped past the largest frying pan in Illinois and also the largest truck stop (in Illinois? in the U.S.? in the world? I’m not sure how this is qualified.)

The last hour of last night’s travel was down a maze of country roads, leading us to the KOA Kankakee. The campground is literally in the middle of a cornfield – beautiful, but remote. And so dark!

It was 5:30 AM when we rolled out of Kankakee – a lovely little town in Illinois, about an hour south of Chicago. We tried to map a route on secondary roads that would help us avoid Chicago and Google Maps tried to punish us by trying to take us down gravel, one-way “roads” to get us on the interstate. I mean, the road closures and detours every three streets did not help either. Poor Kevin bumped along down roads she never should have seen. At some point, she lost another hubcap, so now we are down two hubcaps.

Fast forward to 45-minutes later, when we finally turned onto a “major” road with yellow lines and guardrails. Rob and I may have let out a little “whoop”, herd by no one, as all the kids were still asleep in the back. I was half convinced we were going to drive around the cornfields of Illinois, running out of gas and having to hitchhike to the nearest farmhouse.

And so, where are we now? Well, at noon, we made our first stop for lunch at a KFC/DQ and gas station combo somewhere in Ohio west of Cleveland. That was around two hours ago. The GPS says 9:05 left to drive today. Translation: 12 more hours to drive with gas, food, and sanity breaks. My guess is that we will crawl into the driveway sometime after 1:00 AM. We will be tired and cranky, but at least the dogs will be happy to see us – not so sure about the cat!

And tomorrow, the unpacking begins and life returns to normal.

But until then, time to turn up the 90s alternative rock on Sirius radio and grab another snack, put my feet up and savor the last few hours of this epic road trip!

*Please enjoy this treasure that I forgot to post in the last chapter. Yes, those are matching sheriff badges.”

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again, in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”

~Pat Conroy

It’s been such a pleasant experience camping at the different Kampgrounds of America (KOAs) across the midwest.  I have to admit that I am a bit of a campground snob. I like a maintained and clean. We had not stayed in a KOA prior to this trip, but they are reliable, numerous, and have a certain standard of quality.  There are three classifications of KOAs: 

• Journey – for a one-night stopover (basic facilities)
• Holiday – for vacationers 
• Resort – for vacationers, but with amenities like water parks and huge recreational areas for horseback riding or other outdoor activities.

The KOA Journey in Douglas, WY was a hidden treasure.  Since we arrived late, they left our paperwork in the drop box and left a blue light on our campsite, making it easy to find in the dark.  This morning, we ventured outdoors and found a Coffee Cabin serving handcrafted hot beverages – what a nice little touch!  I’m a pretty basic coffee drinker, but I even indulged in a latte this morning.  It was just what I needed to get me going!

The landscape in this part of Wyoming is harsh – lots of scrub brush and yellow/brown pastures.  

Entering the Buffalo Gap National Forest and crossing over in South Dakota again, the terrain softened a bit and you could picture giant herds of buffalo roaming the lands… of course, we did not see any, but I’m using my imagination.

In the Black Hills, we made two stops: Crazy Horse Monument and Mount Rushmore.  Both monuments are immense tributes to heroes of two distinct cultures.  While the Crazy Horse Monument has been a work in progress since 1948, when it is completed, it will be the largest mountain sculpture.  Chief Henry Standing Bear, a leader in the Lakota community helped to select Crazy Horse (most famous for leading the native people to victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn) as a representative for all native peoples and the sculpture is not intended to be an exact likeness of Crazy Horse, but rather embody the heroic spirit of many native people.  

Chief Henry Standing Bear invited sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to create the monument in the Black Hills, land sacred to his people.  Interestingly, Korczak Ziolkowski was a renowned sculptor who had studied under Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore.  We found his name on the wall of workers at Mount Rushmore.

Ziolhowski was such a quirky and dedicated artist.  He refused $10 million in grants from the federal government in order to maintain the integrity of the monument and his promise to Chief Henry Standing Bear.  He worked by himself for many years, making roads and living quarters by hand.  Later, when he began drilling and blasting the mountain, he drilled holes in the rock using an old compressor that often went “kaput” several times a day, making him climb the over 700 steps to the top of the mountain.  He knew that the scope of the project was so massive that he would not see its completion in his lifetime, but his family continues the mission to complete the sculpture today.  From the looks of the progress, it will be many years before the Crazy Horse Monument is completed.

On the other hand, Mount Rushmore is a finished project.  It is one of those places that I have seen in photos or on television so many times, but never had the desire to see in real life.  It truly is an impressive work of art and when you think about the number of workers it took and the amount of rock that had to be blasted away, it is astounding to see.  What was particularly fascinating about Mount Rushmore was the number of languages being spoken around us.  I counted at least seven different languages.  We talked about why each of the president’s was chosen to be on Mount Rushmore as we moved toward the viewing area down a pathway lined with all the flags of the States and territories.  

It’s a very patriotic place.  It also sells ice cream!  Delicious ice cream AND they have Thomas Jefferson’s original vanilla ice cream recipe which they will sell to you for a dollar.  So now I have Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe for vanilla ice cream.  The Declaration AND vanilla ice cream?  That’s just showing off.

The last stop on our tour of the Black Hills was Wall Drug.  In my mind I equated Wall Drug to South of the Border.  Along the sides of the highway, signs for Wall Drug dot the landscape every couple of miles about 100 miles out of Wall, South Dakota.  They are funny and quirky and often have an Old West theme, like so much else out here.  

I was not wrong.  It was a giant tourist trap and IT. WAS. PERFECT.  WE only had about 30 minutes to explore, but we all managed to find some junk we didn’t need before getting back on the road.

We stopped here for the kids. Since we tortured them with culture this morning, we promised them some actual fun!  This reminds me of the vacations I took with my parents when my brother and I were young.  Something educational + something fun =  vacation.  

Example: Colonial Williamsburg + Busch Gardens

Example: Gettysburg Battlefield + Hershey Park

Example: Everglades + Disney World

* Has anyone visited Colonial Williamsburg or Gettysburg in July?  No?  I don’t recommend it,  You will melt.  All kidding aside, I am thankful for all I learned on these trips even if I complained at the time.  This is something I keep telling myself every time a child rolls an eye.

I think my Mom and Dad would be proud of this trip.  We’ve had a lot of fun mixed with a lot of cultural experiences while we toured the American West.

I am proud of this trip.  We saw a lot in a little time.  But, the best part was that we were all together.  I feel like we all know one another a little better and have a deeper understanding of each other’s quirks and habits.

“Travel is not a reward for working, it is education for living.”

Today’s adventures began in the sleepy little town of DuBois, Wyoming, population 960.  It’s located right outside the Wind River Indian Reservation between the Absaroka and Wind Mountain ranges .

Fun fact: the original residents of the town wanted to name the town “Never Sweat”, but the post office rejected the name.  In response, the townspeople rejected the French pronunciation and so the name of the town is pronounced DEW-boys.

While the people are few and far between, the livestock is abundant.  Cattle ranches surround the area in the Painted Hills and the National Bighorn Sheep Center also falls within the city limits.  If you want to visit a guest ranch (think City Slickers), this is the place to be.  

Though tiny, the town has its charms.  A general store, patronized by Butch Cassidy, a few steakhouses and restaurants,  wooden boardwalks, curiosity shops, the largest Jackalope exhibit in the country (Jackalope are mythical antelope/rabbit animals) art galleries and various shops selling sundries are  just a few of the sights to see in the downtown area. Rob and I were fortunate to have time for an early morning walk through the quiet street, making our way to Ace Hardware (run by three women – yay!) and The Perch Coffee Shop, the cutest artsy little cafe.  

In the warmer months, the population of Dubois increases as artists and writers hunker down in the area, obviously inspired by the rich landscapes and beautiful climate. 

We half expected to see Walt Longmire emerging from one of the buildings downtown or the local bar.  The Cowboy Cafe is no Red Pony Bar and Continual Soiree, but it comes pretty close.

We left Dubois with intentions to return when we can stay a few days and get into the hills to do some exploring on ATVs (street legal here – and you see lots of folks riding around town on them), or side-by-sides.  Next stop, Thermopolis.

Thermopolis (it took me a week to figure out why this sounded familiar… Mia Thermopolis!  The character from the Princess Diaries) is a bit larger than Dubois and is the home of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center.  There are around 175 active dig sites and we headed up the mountain in a van with two paleontology interns for a three-hour dig at a sauropod site.  Pro tip: better not to look over the edge of the ravine while bouncing along in a 12-passenger van.  Yikes!

Mick and Jackson gave each pair of “bucket buddies” the tools we needed to actively dig on site: a small broom and dustpan, a soft-bristle paintbrush, and an oyster knife.  They also told us how to identify dinosaur bones from rock.  Apparently, dinosaur bones are BLACK.  Mind blown.  Also, you have to be very careful if you find one since they are easy t damage and they need to mark where bones are found in order to record the information for the museum. 

At first we did a LOT of sweeping.  The area is covered by mudstone (essentially, just dried mud) and it crumbles easily when yu sweep it or loosen it with the oyster knife, making a mess.  You have to clean the area frequently as not to accumulate a big pile of rubble.  What you do sweep up needs to be collected in the bucket and heaved over the side of the ravine (this was not my favorite part, mainly because of the incredibly steep ravine we were standing on).

It gets hot up there on the mountain and this activity requires patience and persistence.  Flaking off the bits of mudrock and moving deeper and deeper into the side of the mountain is oddly satisfying. Rob and I were amazed at how persistent the kids were in methodically loosening and sweeping, funny since no one really cleans up after themselves at home.  

Well, three of four kids were actively engaged, while one was politely compliant before tapping out with about 45-minutes left.  She tried.  

Around the two hour mark, I struck bone.  Before my discovery (haha), a few tiny bone chips had been found, but Jackson used his pick ax to loosen the area around the tiny black sliver to reveal a five-inch bone fragment.  He allowed me to use my tools to try to remove more mudrock from around it (this seemed like an inappropriate amount of responsibility), and finally the bone popped out.

The fragment was covered in a watered down superglue to preserve it, given a number and packed up to take to the museum for cataloging.  I am now a paleontologist and will be adding that to my LinkedIn profile.

Other discoveries included some gastric stones that dinosaurs ate to help them digest their food, a kind of “young” coal, and lots of little bone fragments that the kids were allowed to take home.  Dusty and happy, we loaded back up into the van and headed into Thermopolis for food.

Dinosaur digging is hard work and we were starving.  On the recommendation of the paleontology interns, we ended up at the One-Eyed Buffalo, a local brewery and wolfed down an early supper before packing up Kevin and driving two and a half hours to a KOA Journey in Douglas, Wyoming.  

This campground is specifically for people passing through, so there are a lot of pull through sites, which was fantastic because we kept the toad hitched.  Ahhh… another day, another adventure.  This is the life!

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

~Confucius

As easy as it was to take the toad into Yellowstone, it was just as hard taking Kevin. Poor Kevin is awkward, big, and just plain clumsy. We packed her up, wished Rob’s sister and her family goodbye and made our way back through the park on our way to DuBois, Wyoming. Route 89 runs right through Yellowstone and then into Grand Teton National Park.

We focused on seeing the geothermal sites and made good time as we headed to the southern entrance of the park. Due to our enormous size and toad, we rarely were able to get out of the car, but we still saw some incredible sights! Also… a few more buffalo!

All these mini-geothermal features were leading up to the main event – a stop at Old Faithful. With the swarms of crowds at Yellowstone on a Saturday, we decided to park outside the Old Faithful Visitor Center, leave Kevin, disconnect the toad and drive in. Turns out, there was plenty of RV parking, but sometimes it just feels good to whip around in a little vehicle. Driving an RV is convenient in so many ways, but often an inconvenience to others, especially in high-volume areas. You block traffic, you go slow, you need a LOT of room to make turns.

Luckily, when we arrived at Old Faithful, we only needed to wait ten minutes for the geyser to begin letting out a little steam, gearing up for a full eruption. The crowds “oohed” and “ahhed” as water burst from the earth and spouted into the air. for a good two and a half minutes. Steam blew over out heads and dissipated into the air. Honestly, Rob and I both looked at one another and shrugged out shoulders. Is it bad to say we were underwhelmed by Old Faithful. I feel like a bad American. I suppose the “wow factor” of Old Faithful is not the size of the eruption, but rather the regularity and frequency with which it erupts. Every 60-90 minutes, 3,700 – 8,400 gallons of boiling water are shot into the air, but Old Faithful is not the largest geyser in the park. I’m not exactly sure what I expected, but I was definitely a bigger fan of other sites in the park.

Somewhere between Old Faithful and the Southern Entrance to Yellowstone, Marlie began reading maps. She followed the park map right out of Yellowstone and into Grand Teton National Park. Knowing we did not have a lot of time to spend stopping in Grand Teton, we limited ourselves to a few select vistas to snap a few pictures. My camera does not do it justice. It is the most beautiful place I have ever laid eyes on. While most of the views on this trip has been jaw-droppingly stunning, the Grand Tetons are without comparison.

It is no wonder that the Grand Tetons is my father’s favorite place in the U.S. He strongly encouraged us to visit because of its mesmerizing beauty and grandeur. Of course, he was right. We were impressed – mostly the adults, as most of the kids were napping on this portion of the route. I get it. I wasn’t wowed by landscapes as a kid either, but the immenseness of the Grand Teton mountains and the forests is unquestionably impressive. To say we were awestruck is an understatement. Rob said he just never got tired of seeing the landscapes, that it was as if his eyes were hungry and couldn’t get enough. I concur.

One lesson we learned on our visits to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons is that if we want to see more, we need to move less. Yes, we saw some fascinating wildlife, but we could have seen more, should have seen more. In trying to see it all, we didn’t see enough. Rob and I have accepted this trip as a “fact-finding” mission and WHEN we return, we will intentionally carve out time for quiet hikes, stillness in the woods, just to observe all the phenomenal creatures in the parks.

Moran Junction was a bittersweet arrival. At 5:45 PM on June 26, 2021, we turned east out of Grand Tetons and headed toward DuBois, WY, our next destination. Although we are excited for the next leg of this adventure, we have officially turned back home. *Sigh*. There is still so much more to see, do, hear, smell, and taste. I’m not quite ready to be done, so I plan to savor each and every moment.

With just a few hours to DuBois, WY, we drove quietly through the varied landscapes – eyes peeled for grizzlies. No such luck. But, we did pass the continental divide four times. If you have heard of this term, but are unsure of what it means, you are not alone. The continental divide is the boundary between the two main watersheds on the continent. Basically, whichever side you are on, determines the way the rivers flow.

Arriving in a new place every night can be exhausting. You don’t know the area, the campgrounds are all slightly different, and sometimes you are just plain travel-tired. It was a frozen pizza and scoopy dip kind of night spent entirely inside the RV with an early bedtime for all. Even with the exhaustion setting in, when you arrive at your campground and this is the view, it’s sort of makes it all better. Look at the colors on those hills – breathtaking! Resting up for tomorrow’s dinosaur dig out in Thermopolis!

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

~Henry Miller

Yellowstone is the oldest national park in the U.S. and spans nearly 3,500 square miles. Interestingly, it sits on top of a supervolcano which still powers the geothermal activity in the park. The park has been high on my list of “must-sees” during this trip – i.e. I was not about to leave Montana and Wyoming before getting to see Yellowstone. I have had my heart set on seeing a buffalo (American bison) since we decided to come out here. With only one day to see the sights of Yellowstone,, my plan was:

1. Mammoth Hot Springs
2. See a buffalo
3. Old Faithful
4. Spot a grizzly bear
5. See more buffalo

Knowing my time limits, I wanted to leave super early in the morning to make the most of the day.

So, naturally, we left around 10:00.

Yellowstone is about an hour away from Livingston, but we still stopped a few times for gas (at the Sinclair station – their mascot is a cartoon dinosaur… get it? Dino juice.) and milkshakes. Taking the toad felt INCREDIBLE after hauling Kevin for the past few days. Nothing feels as free as flying down open road in sport mode with nothing but mountains and blue sky before you.

Driving along, we admired the scenery. Traffic was jamming on the Yellowstone with rafters, kayakers, and fly fishermen. Of course, cows dotted the pastures and we spotted the occasional horse… and then… BUFFALO. OK, they were behind a fence, clearly part of a ranch’s herd, but still buffalo. Not quite what I expected. Smaller, less shaggy. Nevertheless, we pulled a u-turn and snapped a few pictures before moving on.

To get to the North entrance of Yellowstone, you must drive through Gardiner, Montana, a quaint little town with various shops and restaurants (none of which are open at regular times – ugh). The town is a throwback to the Old West with locales with names like The Iron Horse Bar & Grill and the Tumbleweed Bookstore and Cafe. Charming and teeming with tourists.

Entering Yellowstone on a seven-day pass it’s the smallest pass you can buy), we headed right for Mammoth Hot Springs, stopping along the route to jump out of the car to snap a few photos or to touch the water – really not sure if that’s allowed, but you are pretty much permitted to go anywhere in the park unless a sign specifically tells you NOT to go there. It is an “at-your-own-risk” kind of a situation. Hikers are recommended (rather, commanded) to carry bear spray. I always wonder what kind of fools think they can get really close to wild animals and remain out of danger. Today, I saw them. Lots of them. I understand why the National Park Service puts out these warnings. There are a LOT of animals in the park and not a lot of people with common sense.

Mammoth Hot Springs are one of Yellowstone’s most famous attractions. You can smell them before you can see them (sulfur wafts through the air). Sometimes described as an “inside out cave” they are bizarre looking, almost like what you would imagine seeing on Mars. The hot springs were formed (very basic explanation coming here) from volcanic acids dissolving limestone as they push up to the earth’s surface. When the solution reaches the surface, some gasses are released into the air, leaving the limestone to create deposits called travertines. Since limestone is soft, the formations change rapidly (in geological terms).

Below you can see many of the different formations that make up the hot springs. You can actually see steam escaping from holes in the ground and the water that runs in rivulets is warm to the touch. Geothermal energy is cool (or hot – lol). When you think about it, the earth is turning itself inside out. We have no less than 400 photos of Mammoth Hot Springs taken at various points along the boardwalk. There are a LOT of steps, to climb up (thanks Peloton, for the quad and hamstring strength) but the almost alien landscape makes the effort worth it.

While Mammoth Hot Springs were a hit, the best was yet to come.

I. SAW. THREE. BUFFALO.

These were actual, wild buffalo, not the fenced in tiny-headed domesticated buffalo along the highway outside Livingston. The Yellowstone kind: big, beefy, hairy, loping buffalo (OK, American bison)

Just wandering in and out of the woods along the road that cuts through the park, they began grazing and rolling around in the dirt to cool off.

These animals are majestic. To think they were nearly hunted to extinction is unfathomable. Still losing some of their winter coats, they were shaggy and sort of adorable (for a 2,000 pound beast). I probably could have watched them for hours as they meandered through the field. We were incredibly close (more than 25 meters away, as directed by the National Park Service) and all of us stood silently in awe. The feeling I had seeing these animals in person is indescribable.

Everything else in Yellowstone was a complete let down.

Just kidding. We had an amazing day! There are geothermal springs all over the park and we pulled over to see most of them. I mean, who doesn’t marvel at steam hissing out of the earth?

Besides the wildlife and the hot springs, the scenery was absolute perfection. Even within the 40 miles of the park that we traveled, the landscape changed at least a dozen times. From sheer cliffs, to roaring brooks, open plains, to dense forests. The kids were game to stop and see it all! The number of times we stopped the car and hopped out, could have frustrated even the most seasoned traveler, but Amaya, Kai, Alyssa, and Marlie were thrilled to take it all in, to gawk at the beauty surrounding them, and to take ALL the pictures.

And so ended our first day in Yellowstone.

You may be thinking, but, Jenn, you didn’t make it to Old Faithful. Wasn’t that on your Yellowstone “to-do” list?

Nope. We did not.

We had such an amazing time that we decided to take the route all the way through Yellowstone out the Southern entrance and into the Grand Tetons to our next destination in DuBois, Wyoming. We will be back tomorrow, trying to see more wildlife, and more breathtaking vistas. and Old Faithful But tomorrow, instead of driving the toad, we will be taking Kevin.

Yikes!

“Once a year, go somewhere you’ve never been.”

~Anonymous

It should come as no surprise to you that I now want to live in Montana.  There, I’ve said it.  I know I fall head over heels in love with pretty much every place I visit, but this time I mean it.  Being a beach and lake enthusiast, I didn’t think I could picture myself living here, but the Yellowstone River, which flows behind the campground, and the majestic mountains have truly changed my mind. We are already thinking about booking sites here for next summer.

With Kevin comfortably tucked into a spacious site with a patio and a fire pit, we will be experiencing Livingston’s finest offerings over the next few days (more time out and about and less time to write – which is how it should be!). Everyone slept in this morning… I’m not sure if an air horn would have woken these kids up.  I love when Rob and I can slip away for an hour or so on these early mornings, and get a little precious time to ourselves.  Leaving a note saying we were going for “coffee”, we headed into the sweet little center of Livingston (population 7,575) where it looks like you stepped back in time.  From the false Western storefronts to the retro movie theater and the vintage little shops and cafes, it has that warm, small-town feel to it.  For several blocks behind the main drag, you can find municipal buildings and homes neatly landscaped, all set with the backdrop of these incredible mountains!  It’s picture-perfect.  

After picking up a coffee from Coffee Crossing, a quirky little coffee shop next to the Empire Movie Theater (two screens), we headed to the Town & Country grocery store.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I love visiting a local grocery store.  Finding all sorts of local treats is one of my favorite things to do when we visit a new area and no place is better than the shop where the locals do their shopping.  We picked up a few bottles of Montana wines (I don’t know how good they will be, but the names were interesting.  Don’t you pick your wines by their names?), a Montana New England I.P.A. (weird, right?  We thought so too!), local huckleberry honey (which is purple), Montana grass-fed beef burgers, and Montana bacon.

Back at camp, everyone was in various stages of breakfast and getting dressed.  Rob, Alyssa, and Marlie headed to Bear Paw horseback riding while I gave Amaya and Kai a little independent time to explore Livingston.  Every single day of this trip, I am so grateful that BOTH of my kids are with me, but I also appreciate their need for space.  After three full days cooped up in Kevin, I knew Amaya and Kai would come back rejuvenated if they could just slip away for an hour or so (it took me so long to learn this lesson) and clear their minds.  Would you believe that Amaya took the exact photo I took of the Empire Movie Theater earlier that day?  Sometimes coincidences like that give me the shivers.  It also reminds me that she is, in fact, my kid, and likes oddities in much the same way I do.

Horseback riding was a smashing success!  Both girls and Rob were able to ride out into the mountains and over streams with their guide.  Seeing the landscape from atop a horse is an entirely different experience.  Not only did they venture off the beaten path, but they got up-close and personal with white-tailed deer and gophers.  This is the way to see the land.  This is how you learn to appreciate the Earth and all its wildlife.

After a dip in the pool and a quick dinner of those Montana grass-fed burgers (delicious, incidentally), we headed out for a sunset, scenic raft ride down the Yellowstone River.  I didn’t think it was going to happen since I called so late in the day (i.e. two hours before we took off), but Rowdy from Rowdy River Guides was able to set us up with Tyler who took us on a three hour float.  Just bring a light jacket, he said.

This activity was my pick and it was EPIC.  Who gets to take a private rafting trip down the Yellowstone watching the sunset over the Crazies?  If you think you would get tired of seeing mountains, rocks, a river, cows, deer and grassland, I am here to tell you that you are wrong.  I will never get tired of the majestic scenery. 

Tyler was the perfect Montana rafting guide, very knowledgeable about the area and extremely personable.  He took us rock hunting for agates on a few of the rocky shores.  Marlie ended up with the only agate, and sadly, she dropped it into the river cleaning it off – a bit of a bummer.  Good thing she collected at least 50 other rocks, the heaviest of which strangely ended up in my backpack.  In fact, all the kids picked up some beautiful rocks, weighing down their pockets.  We now have an embarrassingly large rock collection underneath the camper… it sure would be a shame if some disappeared before we leave on Saturday…

Besides the gorgeous scenery surrounding us, our trip down the river yielded a few fun surprises:

• A baby skunk following us along the shoreline, paddling in the water
• A baby racoon scampering up the riverbank
• Whitetail deer hiding in the shrubbery on the bank of the river
• Cows grazing near little offshoots of the river
• a  glimpse of John Mayer’s house (you read that right… THE John Mayer… apparently he is very good to the Livingston community, holding concerts and pouring all the proceeds into local organizations)

• Tiny rapids that soaked Amaya (poor girl, she was frozen for the last half hour of the trip)
• Fish flipping and flopping out of the water

Overall, we all loved this little adventure, but would have loved it more had we brought something more substantial than a light jacket.  By the end of the journey, we were all incredibly punchy, chilled to the bone, and a little nervous since a summer storm rolled in and caught us while we were still a good quarter mile from shore.  Poor Tyler rowed with all his might.  There’s nothing like being afloat on the river on a raft when a bolt of lightning slashes open the sky!  Eventually, we hightailed it to the car, cranked the heat and headed back to the safety of Kevin.  

I think about days like these and wonder if the kids will remember everything we’ve done on the trip together. Probably not. They will most likely remember thawing out inside the RV while rain hammered the roof, playing MadLibs and eating popcorn with Rob’s sister and her family. I will remember for all of us because these are the best days. And even if they don’t remember how many deer we saw on the riverbank or the color of the sun as it disappeared behind the mountains, they will remember how they felt when all of us were together.

Thumbs up for our first full day in Montana.  I give it an A-… but only because I still haven’t seen a buffalo.

“Oh Montana, give this child a home

Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own

Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes

Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies”

~John Denver

Warning: this post contains a LOT of scenic photos and very few people.  

I have been slack-jawed all day looking out the window at the scenery.  The United States is breathtaking.  I feel almost swallowed up by the land which is so incredibly vast and seemingly immeasurable.  It’s humbling.

Today was the day I had been waiting for… our arrival in Montana. Rob and I got an early start – the kids were neither awake when we parked last night nor this morning when we took off for the last seven hours to Livingston, Montana.  With two steaming cups of coffee in our Hydroflask mugs (Thanks, Gander!) and Steve Miller on the radio, we set out through South Dakota.  We passed Rapid City and Sturgis where preparations are already underway for Bike Week 2021.  Rob and his buddy rode through last year’s event.  He nostalgically recounted the camaraderie, the vendors, the spirit of the bikers that define the annual event.  Some of the businesses around Sturgis make ALL of their money FOR THE YEAR during the two weeks of bike week.  That is insane!   Certainly, the number of bikers has been steadily increasing as we move westward.  The landscape in South Dakota changes rapidly.  From lush green hills to drier, flatter expanses, it goes on and on and on.  Little hamlets and villages of just a few hundred people line the sides of the highway and there are enormous cattle ranches with farmhouses set far back into the hills.  On our way back home, we will probably take a more southern route and ride through the Badlands and Black Hills area.  You could easily spend a month out here and never see it all.

Passing through several Native American reservations, we were reminded of the poverty that  affects so many of the people, but also the incredible culture of the tribes that continue to inhabit this land.  We passed through Sioux and Cheyenne reservations in South Dakota, briefly passed to Wyoming and entered Montana and drove onto the Crow Reservation in Montana.  As we continue to travel, we will look for more opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the people who have lived here for thousands of years.   

The Little Bighorn National Battlefield Monument, right outside Billings, MT, is situated on the Crow Reservation.  On a whim, we decided to take Kevin (and the toad) and drive through the battlefield – because, why not?  When are we ever going to be passing this way again?  Naturally, the children were thrilled to see a 240-year old battlefield (actually they were pretty agreeable and we didn’t make them get out of the car because we couldn’t park Kevin anywhere, and also, it was HOT.  Frankly, I’m surprised we were allowed to take our show through this somber memorial – I mean, we look ridiculous.)  Along the curvy, hilly road that cuts through the fields, you can see white and red markers indicating where U.S. and Native Americans fell during the battle.  The site commemorates those lost on both sides of the battle. The Last Stand area, where Custer and the 7th Cavalry were finally defeated by the Native Americans (several tribes united for this battle) led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, has the most white grave markers, but you can see stones scattered throughout the expansive battlefield.  Driving through the battlefield was like a four-mile game of chicken.  Theoretically, it is two-way road, but if two giant RVs try to pass one another going in the opposite directions, someone has to pull over before someone loses a mirror.  My upper arms and shoulders are sore from the death-grip I had on the steering wheel.  

By the time we were an hour outside Livingston, it had become clear how Monanta got its name.  Livingston is situated in a valley between the Absoroka and Crazy Mountain Ranges (part of the northern Rocky Mountains), right on the Yellowstone River.  When you get out of your vehicle and just stand out in the open surrounded by mountains, some with snow-capped peaks, all you feel is small and speechless.  How have I stayed away from here for so long?  Montana is also called Big Sky country because of all the open spaces and the lack of tall buildings that obstruct the skyline.  Nothing but mountains and sky.

Hallelujah!  Around 5:00 PM on Wednesday, we reached our first major destination: the KOA Paradise Valley/Holliday.  Turns out we lost a hubcap somewhere along the way. Whoops!

‘The campground is packed with motorcyclists, tent campers, trailers and RVs.  Also, the view from our camper is SPECTACULAR!  We’ve barely parked and the kids have already spilled out of the camper and are headed to explore our home for the next four days.  Time to kick back, see Rob’s sister, brother-in-law, and nephew and think about tomorrow’s adventures!

Thanks for coming on the road with us!  Tomorrow… more photos of people now that we have all showered and feel like human beings again!

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

~John Muir

Hello, from the open road!  We continue to trek across this great nation, barrelling down I-90 West at record speeds of 65 mph.  Kevin is heavy, and, if I’m being honest, she’s a little rattly.  Between the squeaky front door and the rumbling of five axles, we all spend a lot of time saying, “What?” and yelling, “I can’t hear you” to one another.

Dawn broke gloriously over the Walmart in Janesville, Wisconsin. All kidding aside, RV traveling is made so much more convenient by places like travel plazas, Walmarts, and RV dealerships that provide (sometimes for a small fee) a safe place to park for the night.  

Wisconsin and Minnesota are stunningly beautiful and so open. 

I’m happy to report that the corn crops are looking good and should definitely be knee high by the fourth of July – not quite ready to harvest as it is not yet as high as an elephant’s eye.  Connecticut is full of farms, but nothing quite like the vast tracts of land out here.  Rolling hills covered with green as far as the eye can see.  And the barns – they are incredible – so many unique styles.  Interestingly, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of an Amish farm with several men plowing the fields with teams of horses.  We even passed a huge wind farm in Minnesota with turbines as far as the eye can see – giants lined up on the horizon.  This is definitely the way to see the country.

One of my favorite observations over the past few days has been learning what makes each of Kevin’s passengers “ooh” and “ahhh”.  Most of the time, it’s just Rob and me who are looking out the windows, but the kids like to point out unique billboards: The Spam Museum (I’m assuming this is right near Hormel HQ), Humbird Cheese Mart, Wizard’s Quest, Wall Drug (pictures coming as we get closer).   Rob never fails to point out the large number of RV dealerships and manufacturers, the Jeep Cherokee factory, Caterpillar, Harley Davidson, and other places with heavy machinery.  As for me, I am a “Look, brown cows!”, “Look!  Black and white cows!”, “Look!  A building painted like a black and white cow!” kind of girl.  I will never not point out a cow when I see one.  Needless to say, I have been very busy in Wisconsin and Minnesota. **After reviewing all my photos, I am sorely disappointed that not ONE cow picture exists.

We have now crossed eight(ish) states and I am shocked at the amount of roadkill we have seen.  I commute on the highway to work each and every day, where I see a fair number of unlucky chipmunks and squirrels, the occasional possum, but the butchery on the interstate is astounding. It’s one grisly scene after another, a wide variety of creatures in various states of decay.  Many are deer, and judging by the size of the corpses, they had to have made some major damage to the vehicle that struck them.  It seems like such an inhumane way to go, just laid out in the breakdown lane.  Carnage in America’s Heartland – yikes!

Around the 28 hour mark of the trip, you need to take care of some serious camper business.  Friends, we have arrived at the dark side of camping: the pump out.  We left CT with a half tank of fresh water.  The water we use goes into our gray and black water tank.  Gray water is shower water, dish water, hand washing water and black water is: sewer. You do not want to overflow the black water tank in your RV.  There will be a mess and a stench you cannot recover from.  There is no amount of bleach that will fix a black water tank overflow.  That said, we found a Gander Camping Center where we promptly paid to become “Good Sam” members to get perks such as free pump outs and discounts on camping gear.  We poked around the store for a bit – it is a cross between Walmart (if you know me at all, you know my love for a good Walmart supercenter) and Cabela’s if both of those stores only sold camping swag.  A-MAZING.  And the bonus is that you can also pump out your gray and black tanks and fill up the fresh water.  Rob is usually in charge of this job – not because I can’t do it (but partially because I don’t want to do it), but because he is pretty good at getting it done quickly.  Of course, every time we pump out the black water tank, one of us utters the classic phrase, “Sh!*#er’s full!”.  It’s become a tradition and if we have to deal with this nastiness, we are at least going to have a good chuckle.  It never gets old.

We are ending our day in South Dakota.  From flat plains to rolling hills, the landscape changes dramatically as you drive across the state.  Passing through Chamberlain, population 2,500, you marvel at the sheer amount of wide open spaces here.  So much land and so few people.  It’s a fascinating terrain dotted with cattle herds, more turbines, and fields of grain.  At 9:00 PM, the sun was just setting and we pulled into the Dignity sculpture rest area to stretch out and eat a late supper before the last leg of the day.  The 50-foot tall Native American woman stands in front of the Missouri River representing the Dakota and Lakota Tribes of South Dakota.  It is a graceful and calming image despite its immense size and she captured all our attention.  What also captured our attention was the warning sign that there might be poisonous snakes in the area.  (Alyssa has corrected this sign – the snakes are venomous.  Poisonous refers to items you ingest, while venom is injected into the body.  Now you know.)  

After a much needed rest, we loaded up Kevin and here we are, plugging long in the dark, marveling at the silhouettes of hills that lie on either side of the highway.  It’s peaceful now as we drive toward tonight’s Walmart parking lot.

Today’s big takeaways:

• I am feeling more confident and comfortable behind the wheel. I did accidentally take us to an abandoned gas station to fill up, but I can’t be held responsible for mismarked travel signs.  

• The kids continue to amaze me with how easygoing they are at this whole traveling thing. I mean, what more do they really need besides a full fridge, a comfy place to lay their head, and their iPads? Earphones. I suppose they need earphones to drown out the grown-ups’ music. Whatever.  Bon Jovi’s Wanted Dead or Alive is one of the greatest songs of all time.  Change my mind.
• Kai has just informed me he doesn’t eat orange lifesavers because he doesn’t like the “carrot” flavor.  Ummm… since when are orange lifesavers flavored “carrot”?  I’m floored.  I’m questioning my every parenting move over the last 12 years.  Where did I go wrong?  Carrot?  Carrot. Ugh.
• Travel plazas are a welcome break from driving.  They sell all kinds of wonders such as sleeveless collared shirts, knives, and a giant rag doll, among other local treats and the usual junk-food offerings.  So fun to look around when you’re punchy from 12-plus hours of travel.  I narrowly avoided a truly idiotic purchase around 12:30 this morning –  It never hurts to remind yourself, “You do not need to purchase clothing from a travel plaza.”

• We have so much to see and so little time to do it.  I am doing my best to be present, to see this trip through the kids’ eyes, to slow down, to go with the flow, to throw the “plan” out the window (teacher friends –  this is so hard because we are major control freaks) and to remember we are making memories at every turn in the road.  We are so very  fortunate to have this opportunity to experience this all together.

Until tomorrow…

“Into the great wide open. Under them skies of blue. Out in the great wide open. A rebel without a clue.”

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers