Author: tophatpat

B.A., Political Science, NIU, 1971 Business owner, TopHat Chimney Service, 1978-1992 General Manager, Spokane Fireplace & Patio, 1992-2008 Ironman Canada, 2010 Ironman Coeur d'Alene, 2011 School Bus Nomad, 8000 miles through western states, 1974 Travel Trailer Nomad, 10,000 miles through Gulf south, 2015-2016 Travel Trailer Nomad, 6,000 miles so far western states, 2016
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October 11, Tuesday, Day 5

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.

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October 10, Monday, Day 4

Lake Vermillion Recreation Area, Canistota, South Dakota, 288 mile jump

We are pushing the pace to hit the continental divide at the end of the week when the forecast includes no temps below freezing and warm days. It is my hope to spend two days in the Black Hills to do some sight seeing and relax. Today, we drove 288 miles across southern Minnesota; the eastern side was glaciated; rolling hills gave expansive vistas full of the colors of fall and the harvest. The western half flattened out quite a bit shortening the sight lines, but the farmers were busy combining the crops and hauling them off. The skies were mostly clear with some high thin clouds.

The biggest surprise was the wind generator farms across that western side; they were ubiquitous. And, the power companies were busy building gigantic power poles to move the power across the state. I am glad to see renewable resources being exploited; let’s keep the carbon in the ground!

Penny and I are getting back into the traveling groove. The summer was very busy with a visit to the new grand daughter, Mira, in Seattle, and Casey and Nick’s wedding in Chicago. But, those were brief interludes punctuating two massive renovations to Penny’s house. We bit off a bit more than we could chew. We finished each and they turned out great, but we had to bust our butts to pull that off! Now the love of our rolling apartment and the adventure ahead lets us forget, and admire, those difficult days.

We wanted to tour Yellowstone, the Tetons, and Glacier on the way to Spokane and Seattle, but that was impacted by the landlord business. There will be other Septembers to make that trip. Penny was philosophical about it; she knew how much I wanted to get back to Spokane and Seattle family and friends, so she said she was all in on getting that done.

It’s 2000 miles of driving to Spokane; we are trying to do jumps of 300 miles a day which is more than last year. The other difference is we are moving daily; that is literally unsettling. We just don’t want to the bad weather to prevent a safe crossing. We would have to turn left and go a long way south to cross the divide.

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October 9, Sunday, Day 3

Whitewater SP, St Charles, MN, 327 mile jump

Up early, Penny did Tai Chi outdoors and I did my meditation and readings. We found a campsite in Minnesota near a town large enough to have an NPR station that would be broadcasting the debate. The drive up here was absolutely stunning; the fall colors were so brilliant, especially in the La Crosse area crossing the Mississippi. The limestone bluffs were amazing!

Arriving at Whitewater State Park was a very nice surprise. We got our bikes out for a short trip around the park. A river runs though the canyon in which the park is located and many of the sites are on the river; trees surround the sites and paved roads keep the dust down.

The radio signal is great and it’s time for the debate. Good night!

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October 8, Saturday, Day 2

Mom with first great grand baby, Taylor

Blackhawk RV Resort, Milton, WI, 109 mile jump

Casey rode to work with Nick to Lake Forest, since it is not far from the campground; we wanted to do some errands on the way to Lake Forest without hauling the trailer along. We did get diesel, photos made at Walgreens, and breakfast as well as Casey. We then picked up the Ship and headed to Rockford, Illinois to visit my 91 year old mother.

We had a nice visit with Mom, but were alarmed that she is again in pain, this time in her leg. She is cognitively sharp, emotionally upbeat, and has gained weight since her hip replacement almost two years ago. She lives at home with my sister, Margaret, who has moved in as her caregiver.

Casey wanted to catch the 4:20 pm bus back to Chicago, so we said our goodbyes to Mom and left with heavy hearts, hoping we’d see her again.

Penny and I planned to stay at Rock Cut State Park (SP) but we were surprised to find them full. We did not realize it was a three day weekend due to Columbus day. As a result, we googled a private resort in Milton, Wisconsin and drove up there in about 40 minutes. We had a large, grassy, treeless, flat site that we backed into and did not have to unhook the trailer. We setup quickly and sat down to an evening of relaxation and lively conversation. We even got a glimpse of the International Space Station (ISS)!

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October 7, Friday, Day 1

Camp Reinberg, Palatine, IL, 326 mile jump from Grand Rapids, Michigan

This year we left October 7, and headed into Chicago to have dinner with my son-in-law and my daughter, Nick and Casey. We brought our camper to a Cook County Forest Preserve at which we stayed for their recent wedding. I was shocked to find it would take over an hour to get from there to the Lincoln Square neighborhood (near Wrigley Field), but we fought our way through rush hour and had a great meal with them followed by a stroll around the Square. The drive home at 9pm was a lot less stressful!

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This cardinal visited our campsite on both occasions. Some say a visit by a cardinal is a good omen.

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A Prelude

Last year we didn’t get on the road until October 12 (Columbus Day) and decided not to risk the western route for fear of snow in the Rockies. To avoid that this year, we had planned to leave Grand Rapids two days after Labor Day, September 7. However, our tenant gave notice that he was vacating his apartment at the end of September, so we had to stay in order to find new tenants, clean and repair the apartment, and get the new tenants familiarized with their new home.

And, we have decided on a new name for the camper trailer, ITLDO. It will be called the Companion Ship, nick name: Ship.