For Such A Time as These Amenities

One thing traveling has taught me is that the Lord really knew what he was doing when he had me be born in this time. I kept staring out the window at the scenery as we drove across South Dakota and trying to imagine doing it by covered wagon, or living in a log cabin without central heat and air, or being a pioneer woman canning food for the winter. Nope. I would have eaten my own toes by November. I was meant for the easy life.

I got the same feeling when we toured Mt. Rushmore.

Can you imagine something like this happening today? We’d have congressional hearings for a decade just to decide which President got to be in front.

The museum said that 400 workers helped create the memorial and that they worked 14 years and had to walk up 700 steps to get to the top. I got tired walking to the gift shop.

After our history lesson, we decided to visit another iconic place – Devil’s Tower.

You may remember the movie? It was too scary for me to watch, but I remember the mashed potato scene.

 

We did not see any aliens, although people in RV parks might be confused for some, present company INCLUDED. We opted to stay at a KOA at the base of the tower and it was perfect.

Except for the rain and the fog and the other camper, we had a great view!

Tomorrow, more from the road. And by road, I mean another campground with heat, electricity, water, laundry services, and hot showers.

 

Day Three – What We’ve Learned So Far

We are adjusting to life on the road in a big way. I’ve already learned how to wash dishes in cold water, how to sleep in a full-size bed with a full-size man and dog, and how to use the toilet in a bathroom the size of a broom closet while swaying back and forth down the interstate. We will be pros by the time we get back.

JD has learned that stealing WIFI is not as easy as it looks.

 

He also found out that our RV gets between 6 and 10 miles per gallon which, according to him, is not a lot. Teen Tyre and I explained that it’s all about the SMILES per gallon. He took that about as well as you probably imagine.

Teen Tyre has learned that her parents know very little about RV life. Or about anything actually, and seems to find that HYSTERICAL.

 

Teen Tyre is at her best when traveling. Maybe it has something to do with A) If she gets an attitude we can leave her a verrry long way from home, and B) She gets to lay around and not do schoolwork – a teenager’s dream!

BC has learned that he LOVES camping, but he HATES the drive between campgrounds. Perhaps it’s because the whole RV sounds like it’s coming apart as we drive, but he will stand at the front between the bucket seats for HOURS and just stare back into the RV.

Tomorrow we head further into the great wild. Who knows what we’ll learn?? Maybe even something useful like how to turn on our heater so Teen Tyre can stop sleeping in a hat and two pairs of socks.

 

RV Rescue Unit

Yesterday’s blowout put us a day behind and cost us a bunch of money in tires, but it wasn’t a total waste – we saved a life!

The day before we left, a stray kitten wandered onto our property. We gave it a can of salmon, which everyone knows is how you get rid of a cat, and went to bed. Surprisingly, it was still there the next day. We tried to catch the kitten, but it refused to hang out this us, so we bid it adieu. I was worried that it would starve while we were gone or get eaten by a coyote, but what could we do??

Once the blowout sent us back home, Teen Tyre and I knew that we’d been given a second chance. While she befriended the cat with more food and cat toys, I went and bought a kitty carrier.

 

On the one hand, we betrayed its trust by snatching it and shoving it into a cage. On the other hand, it is now set for life.

JD LOVES cats and he was thrilled with the idea of driving with one for several hours, but what could we do??  Since my mom has never met a stray that she wouldn’t take in and our trip was going right by her house, it was only natural that we would show up, shove it out the door, and keep on trucking.

By the time we got the tires, the kitten and my mom squared away, we were too tired to drive far. We decided to test our RV skills for the first time at Percy Priest Lake. Also, to test our marriage.

By the time we got to the campground, it was pitch black and raining, and we needed to back into the site. Guess who got to stand out in the rain to help make sure we didn’t hit a tree or the next door camper? I’m sure they enjoyed hearing JD yell, “I can’t see you in the mirror!” and me politely tell him, “I CAN”T SEE YOU OR YOUR MIRROR.”

All’s well that ends well and we somehow managed to set up without killing anyone or each other.

I’m going to call day two of the Most Epic Road Trip EVAH a success. At least for us. I’m not sure how the kitten, my mom, or the other campers at Percy Priest Lake feel, but what can we do??

Road Life

And so it begins. You know my friend, Mantamy? She’s the one that convinced a non-flyer/non-traveler to go to India, and almost got me eaten by a shark. At this point, I’m not sure why I even let her speak in my presence, but a few months ago she said,

You know what you should do? You should rent an RV and drive out to see us – in Seattle!

I just laughed. Do you know how expensive it would be to RENT an RV? Instead, we BOUGHT an RV.

 

This is Millie Falcon. It’s short for Millenium Falcon, which is what JD and Teen Tyre say is a really, top-notch famous spaceship. Since this is obviously a top-of-the-line RV, it fit.

The interior came standard in Pink Velour, but we decided to upgrade her a bit. We had the interior painted and then recovered every surface that we could find.

 

 

Once that was done, we were ready to pack her and hit the road. By pack her, I mean go to WalMart and Target 172 times and buy everything they stock because it’s like having a second fricking house except there’s no closets or storage. If you’re looking for bins in the Atlanta area, you’re out of luck.

Finally, it was time to get underway. YAY!

We made it ten minutes before having a blowout.

After searching for a while we finally found a WalMart that could put the spare on for us, then we headed back home to regroup. Tomorrow, we’re heading out on the road for the MOST EPIC ROAD TRIP EVAH, part two, this time with four brand new tires.

Teen Tyre is finding the whole adventure super fun as you can probably tell.