Road Trip Update - In the Middle

We are now finished with our first week of the trip. Things are going well. It's interesting what you see, and don't see while driving across this wide country of ours. Once you enter into South Dakota you see land. Sometime there are crops on that land, but mostly land. Not very many houses are visible from the highway. It's flat, REAL FLAT land. We did see some specks in the distance that we figure were cows. Since there really isn't much to look at, you tend to read all the highway signs along the way. There are plenty of highway signs. There are your basic informational signs, gas, food shelter. These tend to be few and far between. There was one sign that said "Gas up now, gas can later" this exit. Makes you think about how much land lays between the exits! There are also very few rest stops. I guess they figure if you gas up you'll take the time to go then. The billboards are the funnest things to read. About 200 miles before you would get off to visit these places they start to advertise. The one on I-90 is Wall Drug. For miles and miles there are colorful, funny billboards that advertise stopping at this wide place in the road. There is a similar one on I-75 that advertises Pedro telling you to stop South of the Border. I believe the border is North Carolina, but I could be wrong. Anyway, we had to pick where to stop. Should we stop at Pilgrims Village and see the village with buffalo, or pick Al's Oasis and see what they have there. Then there was Bear Country, where we could drive through a wild animal park. I always like those. There was the Car museum that Jake was sure we could go through really quickly just to see all the old and new cars they had. Yeah...right....taking a 15 year old who is 4 months away from getting his driving temps would take a complete day to go through a car museum. After much consideration we decided to stop at Wall Drug.  Wall Drug started in the early 1900's as a drug store in Wall SD. There is a street of shops selling everything you didn't know you needed. The drug store is still there and working. You can get a buffalo burger and home made ice cream at the cafes. There were tee shirt shops, jewelry shops, cafes, gift shops and all kinds of stuff that I can't remember. On the next street over, there is a place where kids can "pan for rocks". The bigger bag of dirt you buy, the bigger your polished rock will be. There were dinosaurs in all the buildings to honor the dino bones found the area. Yes, it was a tourist "destination", but it was a fun one. Once we hit the West side of South Dakota things changed. The land started to roll, hills and valley popped up in the distance and you could see houses. We were starting into coal country. We crossed into Wyoming during a heavy rain storm. The lightening was beautiful and Jake was trying his best to get a picture of it. We could see train cars loaded with coal. These cars seemed to run for miles. There was a hugh coal processing plant as we came into Gillette. There are tours you can take, but that will have to wait until next time. Today we leave for Custer SD for a few days. This trip has been great. It is the first time Jake and I have gone away. I wasn't sure how this would go. I am seeing peeks of a young man. I watched my teenage son work the booth, help not only me, but other vendors with setting up. He listened patiently as older ladies told him about their pets, living and dead. And he held his ground when a younger woman was trying to get him to give her "a deal" on a purchase. I will never have this opportunity again. My hope is that Lee will. We have five more days to go. I will be glad to be home, with my whole family. I will cherish this trip. I hope that you have a chance to get away with a loved one. Maybe not driving cross country. That can be iffy. But just have some one on one time. Just remember to have an open mind. Not stick to the schedule and try to see out of the way places that aren't on the map. And stop at Wall Drug and have an ice cream! Take care!

Day 1 of the Great Wyoming Adventure!!

Today is the first day of our Wyoming adventure. We have come to some agreements on the road. We will get on the road by 9:00, instead of 8:00. We are not going eat every meal at a fast food restaurant. Imagine Dragons isn't that bad of music and neither is Jimmy Buffet. Today we went approx. 519 miles and took 8 hours to get from Cincinnati, Ohio to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Once you get past the rolling hills of the Ohio Valley, things flatten out. We saw lots of corn and soy bean fields. The highway keeps going on and on and on. There are plenty of signs on the highway in Ill. saying they love their guns. We saw an interesting site. I have seen beautiful homes on golf courses. In Illinois, we saw a hugh farm, overlooking a 36 hole golf course! Probably part of the original farm. For lunch we stopped at a place called the Pit Stop Diner. It was a really neat place. Very 50's with lots of car memorabilia. The food wasn't bad either. It was fun to find this little place on the highway. The big shock was gas for $4.99 in Ill. and then $3.45 in Iowa. The pleasant surprise was the rest stop in the land of Lincoln. It was very pretty place. Lots of flower beds, walking trails, and they even had a play area for kids. It was nice to talk about the end of school and what the summer will hold. Then there was just the riding along in silence. Jake sleeping, taking pictures through the car window and not complaining are we there yet. I guess that will come tomorrow. And so the adventure begins. I hope you check back and see how things are going.

ROAD TRIP!!!

One week from today, Jake & I will take off on a road trip. We are going to Gillette WY for the International RV summer rally put on by the motor coach association. I will be a vendor there. It sounds like it will be a very big show, and I am very excited about doing it. I have done shows out of town, but so far the farthest I've gone is Hershey PA. It will be an adventure! I am really excited about it, Jake, not so much. The idea of driving 22 hours to get there, the idea of not having control of the radio the entire time, having to sleep on a pull out couch in some hotels, the idea of not having his the Xbox. The idea of the only person to talk to is his MOTHER! How could I do this to him??? Simple, I need the help. There will be good and bad about this trip. But here is "the plan". We will leave Cincinnati on the 16th, stop in Cedar Rapids Iowa for the night, the 17th stop in Sioux Falls S.D., then make it to Gillette WY on the 18th. We'll be in Gillette until the 23rd. Then off to Custer state park for a few days, then head back home, stopping in Sioux City and Peoria before arriving home the 28th. It's a plan! What could go wrong?

I shared my plan with friends and family alike. I have been told horror stories of what could go wrong. Let's start with "the silent treatment". You know, that wonderful thing that happens when you and your teen disagree on, well, everything. That can make the long highways of the plains states even longer. My solution. Jimmy Buffet. Especially Jimmy Buffets Fruitcakes CD. I love that CD. I know every word, of every song. Jake may want to be quite, but I plan on singing my way across Iowa. His solution. Noise canceling headphones. Then we have "I'm hungry". I will admit we are both hungry most of the time. Jake because he's 15 and me because I'm watching my weight. The solution. Snacks of baked chips, fruit and cheese. Not really sure how that will go. I might have to wing that one. The "let me drive comment". Here is the thing with that. Jake is 15, in Ohio at 15 and 1/2 you can get your temps. He will be 15 1/2 Oct. 21st. Thank you to several people who have planted in Jakes head that "there is nothing out there for you to hit, how could you get caught" I will have to deal with that. The thing is, they are probably right. However, that doesn't mean that Jake should break the law, drive too fast down the highway with me yelling, run off the road and hit a cow. Yes, that really could happen! I don't think I wish to explain to a state trooper exactly why I choose to subject their great state to the whim of a 15 year old new driver. And the friends and family who said he'd never get caught. They would be the first to say, why did you let him drive?! You know you would! Then, because he is about to learn to drive, I have to watch how I'm driving. I am already getting the, what's the speed limit here. You took that curve kind of fast didn't you? Did you signal? That brings us to the last horror story. Can we go home yet? NO! We are going to have fun. We are going to see rock formations, wildlife, and history. This will be the first (and probably last) Mother-Son road trip and there will be lasting memories. Good and Bad.  The pictures will tell the tale. Who is smiling? The body language. If anyone is in the picture at all! Who knows how this will end? Stay tuned for updates on our road trip!
Take care!