Rocky Point Recreation Area, Belle Fourche, South Dakota, 390 mile jump
Today was a long day; SD is a large state, so we had to improvise to make things interesting. I bet Penny that there would be 100 billboards advertising Wall Drug before we got to Wall, SD, just north of the Badlands. She was game, so we started a tally sheet. Then, I suggested that she drive from rest stop to rest stop so she could get familiar with towing the trailer. She was up for that as well. So, I got to tally and she got experienced.
The interstate was very straight and moderately hilly; the skies were blue and the terrain changed from crop agriculture to livestock to barren land. Penny drove by the first rest stop and stopped at the second one, about 75 miles. She did great! And by the end of the day I was thankful for the break she provided. There were 93 billboards!
Not far beyond Wall, we could see the trees of the Black Hills flocked with snow and we knew that adventure was not happening either.
“Sometimes it seems God is laughing at one’s dreams; other times it seems as though she is coloring them!”
We located a state campground beyond Rapid City not far off of our route. As the temperature began to plummet, we encountered snow flurries that continued as we filled our fresh water tank at the park. It was 34F as we got situated in our site; the wind was howling. To facilitate a quick departure, we did not disconnect the trailer or even set the 4 stabilizing jacks. The forecast said the temp would drop to 27F, so concerns of water pipes freezing mounted. Just then, we noticed the trailer’s siding bent and mangled where it meets the tongue of the trailer. We had made some reinforcements to that area prior to leaving Grand Rapids. Our suspicions were that a large bump on the highway lifted the front wall of the trailer and when it came down the siding did not get back in place.
Our worries made for a restless night; in the middle of the night, I got up to wrap wool socks over two drain pipes that protrude 6” below the enclosed floor. And, I dreamt up a plan to lash the front end of the camper to the frame. So, despite 25F lows, the water pipes did not freeze. And, after the temp got back to 32F, Penny and I figured out a lashing technique and felt confident we had mitigated the lifting issue, temporarily at least. We had to disconnect the trailer to access our tools and ladders. We did not get on the road until noon.