Day 6 - Part One - Reason for visiting Hill City

We headed out about 7:45 a.m. Skies with sunny with a light win and temp in the 50's. A great day!

We saw snow on the side of the road outside Rapid City, SD. They had a MAJOR blizzard on May 1 of this year. In fact, some people had just gotten their power restored yesterday. We also saw snow on the side of the road in Custer State Park.

Strange sign of the day: Wildlife at Large. Does that mean they escaped? Strange street sign: Dead Broke Street.

We are staying at the Horse Thief Campground outside Hill City. It's a beautiful campground in the woods. It's still off season here, so it's not crowded here. There is a huge pasture in front of our campsite. Last night before we left to go out (Part Two), there were deer everywhere!

We drove into Hill City to the Alpine Inn. It's a German restaurant that has terrific food. The last time we were here, David ordered bread pudding which he loves! He swears up and down it's the best bread pudding ever. It's described as a traditional bread pudding with no raisins or nuts covered with a caramel sauce. Since I don't care for "wet bread," I had a white chocolate raspberry mousse. It was terrific. The actual meal I had was weinerschnitzel and David had the German plate (sausages, kraut, potato salad, etc.). WONDERFUL! James enjoyed the bread pudding, too.

We picked up Chrissy at the campground and headed to Custer State Park. It was open house weekend, so it was free entrance and camping and the place was crowded. We passed Sylvan Lake as we came in. If you saw "National Treasure," this is the lake that Nicolas Cage stuck his hand into the rock and screamed. The wind was blowing so hard, the fish were stacking up along the bank where the wind blew them out! LOL

We took the wildlife tour through the park. We'd done this before and knew to bring carrots for the donkeys. About halfway through the loop, they hang out around the road looking for "handouts." We had two pounds of carrots. The picture you see of me screaming was the only one David took of me feeding them. Good thing, too! The van you see became a drive-in when David started handing out carrots to other people. The donkeys get quite "pushy" trying to get more carrots and we both were almost knocked over by them. They didn't bite, though! One came up to the truck window and the donkey and Chrissy had a meeting there. She didn't growl or bite, but let the donkey sniff her!

I wasn't feeling well when we got to the end of the loop and decided to head back. David asked what I wanted for dinner, and the thought of food was more than I could take. I'd been queasy most of the day and the thought of food was horrible.

When I finally admitted my right side was killing me, he found out where the nearest hospital was and headed out.

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 5 - WIND!

David got up early to fix breakfast. He cooked bacon outside as they wind had "died" to about a steady 10 mph. It was sunny and cool and a great day to cook out. Then he asked me for the eggs....what eggs? I couldn't find them in the fridge and the fridge isn't that big. We realized we left them in our fridge at home! George and Deborah - PLEASE take our eggs home with you and use them! LOL

James is feeling better after a trip to Wall Drug. Yesterday he took a nasty fall from the truck. His feet came off the base! A little super glue later and a nice rest in the RV today and he'll be back on the road with us tomorrow.

Headed to the Wounded Knee Museum - wasn't open. Decided we try to post office - wasn't open. Most of the stores in the Wall Drug area were open. We visited most of the shops and found a few items. We got some homemade donuts and David got the $.05 coffee. We each got two donuts, but I only ate one. I wrapped the other in the paper they came in and then wrapped a paper napkin around it. It went into my purse for later.

By now the post office was open so we got more stamps, mailed a package, and some bills. Off again!

This time the Wounded Knee Museum was open. It was interesting. I'm reading "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee." They also had the DVD, so we'll probably watch it tonight. We talked to one of the locals who "fought" in the Wounded Knee battle in the 1970's. He's not impressed with what they do.

By now we've learned something the hard way. The wind here is blowing at a steady 30 mph with higher gusts. They don't consider this windy! We found if you open both truck doors at the same time, all the paper in the truck begins to swirl like a tornado! Now we get in one at a time!

We tried to visit the Missile Museum yesterday, but they were booked for the day. Went back today and got our name on the standby list for the afternoon. They had room for one of us...not both. David let me take the underground tour. You tour the control center which looks from the outside like a regular ranch house except for the "stuff" around it - radar, poles, wire, etc.

You tour the upstairs area first and then taken an elevator 31' down to the control center. David missed this part, but they did let him tour upstairs twice! He actually got two different tours. We learned that these sights used to cover South Dakota, but they don't have any live ones here anymore. These places were "hidden" in plain sight! The missile silo we visited was a 1/2 mile from the interstate.

We met a guy carrying a gnome. Seems he "appropriated" it from a neighbor's yard. It's going on a trip from Arizona to Bermuda! See, I'm not the only one who likes friends to vacation.

We came back and settle down to get ready for dinner. It was really quiet with Chrissy so I thought I'd see what she was doing. She was very quietly and calmly eating my donut. She'd gotten it out of my purse, unwrapped it, and half of it was gone when I noticed it! I only hope that donut looks better on her than it would on me.

I just learned on the local weather that the winds are Chinook winds. It's warmed up to 80 degrees here with 40-50 mph gusts. The trailer moves with the wind.

David has taken laundry to be done. Running low on towels and other unmentionables. They have 3 washers here and it's $1.25 per load. Not too bad.

Tomorrow we're back on the road and headed for Hill City, SD.

Reading: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and The Chili Queen (Sandra Dallas).

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 4 - Wall, SD

Woke up this morning to 48 degrees and partly cloudy. It rained off and on during the night. What we haven't gotten used to is the wind. It never stops blowing here.

We started the day with the mileage at 72,050. No ending mileage as today is a sight-seeing day when we get to Wall, SD.

Current count on Wall Drug Store billboards and signs since yesterday: 66! That doesn't count the ones all around town. See Rock City is way behind on this place.

We're now in Mountain Time, so if you ever get us on the cell phones, remember the time difference! LOL

We stopped at a scenic overlook just before the Badlands and ran into a girl from Huntsville and her grandmother from Virginia. It was so windy there, we had difficulty walking out to the sight to view the area. Found out later that the wind was blowing with gusts up to 44 mph. We were also under some clouds that dumped rain a few minutes later, so I guess that accounted for some of the wind.

We got to the first campground about 12:30 p.m. Three people in it, no real hookups, office closed, so we left. We're now at the Arrow Campground in Wall, SD. Wi-fi is good.

We had a quick lunch and headed out to the Missile Silo Park and the Badlands. We were too late to get a reservation at the Missile Silo Park. They tour two times a day and only 6 people can go. We'll try again today to see if anyone cancelled. We did meet a ranger here from North Carolina. Good to hear a fellow southern accent.

We made several stops along the overviews at the Badlands. It's so strange looking. For 2 days we've seen nothing but wide open country, and now we see strange rock formations and deep valleys. Wind has not let up, so if you see some pictures with my hair in it, you'll understand. Look for the picture of David holding onto a sign for dear life!

Animals seen today:

Bluebirds
Buffalo/Bison - 6
Prairie Rattlesnake -1 (crawling across US 240 - 4 lanes) in the middle of downtown Wall
Pheasants - 4
Prairie Dogs - 1000's and 1000's (Chrissy wanted to play with them!)
Cows - 1,000's
Deer - 6 (huge ones)
Skinny Cows - a/k/a - antelope - 10
Mean dog - 1 (in the rv)

James enjoyed the Badlands very much, but had a minor accident when he got back to the RV. We'll take him to Wall Drug tomorrow to get his injuries checked. I think some superglue should make him good as new!

Hamburgers grilled on George Forman for dinner. Still can't cook out. Still running the furnace after dark as it gets cold then! Watched a little TV and read. Off to bed soon!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 3 - Midnight at The Oasis

Beginning Miles - 72050
Ending Miles - 71703
Total today - 347

It was cold this morning in Gretna (Omaha), Nebraska. 39 degrees. The heat pump had a hard time keeping up during the night. Good thing we have a 12 pound heating unit - Chrissy!

We pulled out about 8:00 a.m. headed for South Dakota. We crossed the Mormon Bridge over the Missouri River to enter Iowa. I keep seeing dotted lines on the GPS unit when we get close to a state line. David explained that there really were dotted lines on the pavement. He said it was much like the new cooler units at WalMart: When you get close to them, the lights come on from an energy saving mode. He looked out his window just as we crossed the "dotted line," and he swore the dotted line was briefly lit up on the pavement. That's his story and he's sticking to it.

We crossed into South Dakota at 10:30 a.m. and took a short break. David and James got out to stretch their legs and have their picture taken. On the way back to the RV, we saw a truck with a rat picture on the back. We've all seen "How's My Driving?" stickers, but this one was great, "RAT ON ME."

Tomorrow we're headed to Wall, SD. If you've ever gone to Chattanooga, you've seen the "SEE ROCK CITY" barns and signs everywhere. Same goes for Wall Drug in Wall, SD. On I-29, I counted 8 signs. On I-90, I've counted 26 so far and we're not there yet!

We spotted smoke coming from the Souix City area. Twenty miles later we came upon a barn fire. It's amazing you can see the smoke from such a distance. It's fairly flat here with a few occasional hills. We're getting 10-12 mpg on the truck driving flat country and keeping the speed down. Check out the gas prices on the right hand side of the blog!

We passed a sculpture garden that featured the "World's Largest Bull Sculpture." I'll have to take their word for it.

Just before we got to Mitchell and the Corn Palace, we saw several signs for "Dick's Body Shop." One of the signs mentioned "24 Hour TOE Service." Does this mean if I break a toenail, he'll fix it regardless of the hour? What if I need a new coat of nail polish.....

Another strange sign we keep seeing is "Drive in your lane." Not quite sure why I'd be driving in someone else's lane...

We stopped briefly at the corn palace. It's billed as the world's largest bird feeder. The decorations on the outside are made of all corn products. We learned that since we were there two years ago, the corn crop failed and for the first time in MANY years, the designed wasn't changed for two years. The designs inside the building are changed every 10-15 years.

More strange signs: Eat Here (Then Get Gas) outside Doowah Ditti's Cafe off I-90.

Saw a pheasant walking SLOWLY across I-90. Beautiful bird and I hope he made it!

We decided to stop for the night at The Oasis Campground across from Big Al's Oasis Restaurant - Coffee $.05. I've got a new song stuck in my head - MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS. We pulled in and the office is closed. There's a note to find a spot and they'll be by later to collect payment.

David has a steak marinating in Dale's Sauce and some chicken so we can have a grilled lunch tomorrow.

We got to the campground at 4:10 p.m. It's 69 degrees, sunny, and a 14 mph sustained wind. There is rain headed in our direction, but it may fall apart before it reaches us.

Boy did I miss that one. About the time the charcoal started getting hot, the bottom fell out! Cooked dinner with George Forman. Still, it was great!

Supposed to be down in the 30's here tonight!

Finished "Alice's Tulips" and will start "The Shack" tonight if I can get it away from David.

Hoping David Archuleta is going home on AI tonight. He probably won't and it will be the two David's next week. Sorry to see Marissa and Tony go on DWTS, but it was time.

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 2 - Did I mention I don't like storms???

Beginning Mileage - 71231
Ending Mileage - 71702

St. Louis, MO to Gretna, NE

We'd spent the night with the heat on as it turned cool! It also got stormy at daybreak. We got up at 5:00 a.m. and got ready to pull out by 7:00 a.m. About that time, a severe thunderstorm warning for St. Louis was issued. Really strange clouds were overhead with lots of wind. WICKED LIGHTNING! We ran into some rain, but no hail. I will admit I was scared! I just knew the Airstream was a HUGE lightning rod!

Headed toward Columbia, MO, a Ford pickup passed us with a vanity tag that read "FLIP99." Unless you're a NASCAR fan, you wouldn't understand. That's Carl Edwards number (99), he drives a FORD for Roush/Fenway Racing and when he wins he does a backflip off the car door. Columbia, MO is his hometown.

We also passed a Dodge Raider. I don't recall ever seeing one of these. Strange looking vehicle!

It's springtime here again. While the redbuds bloomed in Alabama, they're just now blooming here in Missouri. It's beautiful here, but the pollen counts are probably through the roof! LOL

Since the storm passed, it's been extremely windy and cloudy. I kept looking for the storm spotters to be everywhere. David and I had watched several stories on TV about a guy who built a TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle). IMAX is using his footage he shoots for another film. It looks like a tank! David kept teasing me it was on an overpass, about to pass us, etc. I just knew we'd pass a truck with Doppler Radar on it....didn't happen, though! LOL

A little later, a truck did pass us with STORM SOLUTIONS MIDWEST on it. It was pulling a beautiful silver chopper. We wondered if that's how they chase tornadoes or get away from them!

1:00 p.m. and time for lunch. Did some shopping at Wal-Mart, got fuel and headed back to the road by 2:00 p.m.

Got to Iowa at 3:22 p.m. ROUGH ROAD!

Got to Nebraska at 4:40 p.m.

It's 59 degrees, 20 mph winds and cloudy. Heat's back on! I didn't bring enough winter clothes for my summer vacation! LOL

Light dinner and out with the dog walking in the park.

Reading: Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas. Bought The Shack at Wal-Mart to read.

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 1 - On the road with James Spann!

It can now be revealed that James Spann of ABC 33/40 will be with us on our 8 week adventure. He's excited about the prospects of seeing the last of the great 48!

Starting Mileage for the day: 70,712
Ending Mileage for the day: 71,231
Total trip day 1: 519 miles

We pulled out at 6:00 a.m., sunny, and in the '50's. After a stop for air in the tires and quick McDonald's , we headed up the road to St. Louis.

At 9:00 a.m. we made it to Tennessee. Going into Nashville, we saw a billboard for a new website: www.loansforthewealthy.com. Check it out!

We got to Kentucky at 11:30 a.m. and had a nice lunch at the rest area. The couple parked next to us were headed to Alaska pulling a pop-up camper.

Noon and back on the road. Here's where the fun begins! We stopped for fuel at Oak Grove, KY. Gas was $3.66 a gallon.

At 2:00 p.m. we crossed the Ohio River into Illinois. We stopped at a rest area in Rend Lake and had a momentary scare. There was a HUGE hole in the parking lot where the trucks and RV's go. Fortunately we could park and not go through the hole. We were eating lunch and heard a great KABOOM! The first thing I thought was someone had hit our RV! Turned out it was an 18 wheeler who didn't slow for the hole.

Chrissy rides well....if you can call sleeping most of the day riding well. She has a little plastic bowl on the transmission hump. When she wants water, she pulls the bowl up on the seat. I keep a bottle of water to pour into her bowl and then pour the leftover bowl water back into the bottle.

I mentioned to David I was thirsty and he offered me a bottle of water....yes, that bottle. Fortunately, I realized it before I shared the bottle with Chrissy!

5:00 p.m. and we're in Missouri...but wait! The campground is in Illinois and right below us under the bridge! Ever tried turning a 3/4 ton pickup with a 31' trailer behind in in St. Louis rush hour?

5:10 p.m. back to Illinois and in the campground!

I COOKED DINNER! I know what will be a shock to some of you, but we had red beans and rice with smoked sausage.

6:00 p.m. we watched the local news: It's 69 degrees and windy! This was the wettest year on record for St. Louis and the Mississippi is one foot below flood stage. They are 9" above normal in rainfall for the year and more is expected tomorrow, along with severe storms.

Just before dark and Dancing with the Stars, we took James' picture under the Arch in St. Louis. We were all going to watch Dancing with the Stars, but David was tired and went to bed early. I watched it all and then read for awhile. I think Tony and Marissa are going home.....

Leftovers: Cost of the campsite - $36.95 with AAA discount. Finished reading Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas.

Getting up early to drive about 500 miles again tomorrow!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Getting ready to go!

It's been crazy trying to get ready to go, celebrate our 21st Anniversary, visits from kids and grandkids for Mother's Day, and get my mother to my sister's house in Georgia. It'll all get done...sometime!

The current plan is to pull out at 6:00 a.m. on Monday morning headed for St. Louis, MO. That's the current plan....never know what happens when you try to leave.

I really hope some of you who read our blog will be able to join us along the road. Here's the itinerary--subject to some change:

St. Louis, MO
Omaha, NE
Mitchell, SD
Wall, SD
Hill City, SD
Buffalo, WY (subject to traveling on to Thermopolis, WY. Depends on the mountains.)
Jackson Hole, WY (Grand Tetons)
Yellowstone National Park
Heise Hot Springs, ID
Boise, ID
Pendleton, OR
Portland, OR
Mt. St. Helens, WA
Otis, OR
Coos Bay, OR
Crater Lake, OR
Redding, CA
Manteca, CA
Yosemite, CA
Big Sur, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Huntington Beach, CA
Barstow, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Page, AZ
Gallup, NM
Albuquerque, NM
Amarillo, TX
Oklahoma City, OK
Conway, AR
Mountain View, AR
Home - July 5

Keep us in your prayers! I'll be posting gas prices on the front page of the blog. Filled my car up this morning. Who knows? That $3.530 gas I bought today, might be worth some REAL money in July! LOL

I've decided to keep secret the TV personality who's going with us. I'll post his picture with us after we get to St. Louis.

If you have any advice for us, please leave comments on the blog!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)