After a relatively sleepless night (actually, it was my usual wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-stressing-over-things-that-I-can't-do-anything-about-but-can't-stop-thinking-about night I tend to have while working, but it's the first I've had since I left), I woke up early--REAL early here in the Mountain time zone; the sun comes up at about 5:15am in Malta these days. I fed the cats, listened to a bit of NPR, got everything loaded and dumped the waste tanks (I'm very proud of myself for that, and it went very well with pretty much no mess) then headed out.
Nell was in her carrier and seemed happy (no meowing anyway), but I couldn't get Puck, so I let him ride loose. He roamed about a bit, winding up at various times on my lap, on the dashboard, and trying desperately to get to my feet before I finally got tired and stopped to transfer him back to the kennel (yay for roadside monuments in Montana!). The weather was nice, not too hot and not too windy (yet for both), which is another reason I left so early.
Route 2 across Montana is in really good shape. It's a 2-lane road, but that wasn't a problem because other drivers had absolutely no problem passing me, since there was very little traffic. I did get to see a whole bunch more pronghorns (thankfully running AWAY from the road) plus cattle and such. I stopped in Fort Belknap Agency for an egg-salad sandwich and a Pepsi (which thankfully didn't spill), and then drove through various towns (and Havre, which might be a tiny city) before stopping in Chester to use the restroom and check the oil, although I had to look in the handbook to find out how to open the hood--don't cars normally have these labelled? It's a tiny little handle about where you'd expect it, but I had to really haul on it to pop the hood. The oil is fine, if filthy--I'm going to get it changed here in Lethbridge, as well as get the suspension looked at.
I stopped in Shelby to get diesel before the border. It seems bigger than I remember, but I don't think I've approached it from the west for quite a while. After fueling up and scraping as many dead bugs as possible off the windshield (I've been quite the Grim Reaper for the insect world lately) I headed north.
The wind, which hadn't been too bad, steadily got worse. Part head wind, part broadside, it made driving on the Interstate not particularly fun. The border was no problem, except for the 15-minute or so wait to get to an agent; I've almost never had more than a cursory question/answer from border guards, partly I think because I look innocent and trustworthy. OK, stop laughing. At any rate, it was after the border that the wind got really, really bad. It made the prior windy days seem like nothing. I was swerving all over the place, trying to keep it on the road, with the steering wheel turned what seemed to be an impossible amount to the left considering the rig was driving straight! But I did make it, and made it to Lethbridge to park in front of my parents' house with virtually no trouble.
I unloaded the cats (they are now in my parents' spare bedroom--Nell is still spending much time hiding under the bed (although she did eat voraciously, as usual) and Puck doesn't know why he can't go out of the bedroom--we're not letting them loose until we know that my parents' dog Pennie won't do anything untoward to them), then the things that would be harmed by hot temperatures, plus some clothes. I hope to spend some time poking around the rig, practicing things like lighting the pilot lights and such, as well as get the oil changed and the suspension checked.
I can't say when I'll be updating this; I probably won't be posting again until I head out, and I'm not sure when that will be. Stay tuned!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
The mood is not good today
May 29--Malta, MT
Today has not been the best day. Nothing dramatically has gone wrong, I don't think, but it seems like nothing really has gone right either.
I was on the road by 8am. I had moved the cat kennel closer to my seat, and found that Nell was meowing and pacing like a lion in the zoo. I stopped to get something to eat and a Pepsi after a few miles, and talked to her a bit. But a bit later, I look back since I hear much struggling and see Nell with her head partly out of the kennel! With visions of her strangling herself, I quickly head over to the side of the road--too quickly, as I wind up spilling my Pepsi all over the floor. I stop, notice that Nell has her head back in the kennel, and try in vain to mop up as much of the Pepsi as I can. Let's just say that the car has been christened. And that I didn't get much value from my large Pepsi this morning. I grab Nell (much less gently than I could have done--I was angry, and I've apologized and have tried to make it up to her--lots of cuddles and treats, and luckily she is forgiving) and stick her in the little carrier, and cover it with my jacket. Puck stays in the kennel, since he is quietly napping (as he usually does). I mop up a little more and then keep driving.
I stop in Stanley (the next big town) to check on the cats (Nell is actually quiet and seems happier--I think the RV moving scares her, but she's just fine when it stops) and drive all over hell's half acre to find a mailbox (I have something I've been meaning to mail since I left). Between the construction and the bumpy roads, the RV is bouncing all over the place, cabinets open and scatter their stuff, and I have to stop to restow. And eventually back on the road.
Where the wind is blowing something fierce. Mostly a head wind, although also to one side or another--a couple of times the RV swerves so violently I think I've blown a tire, but it's just the wind. I keep looking for some place to get food on my side of the road, but I can't find anything.
I get to Glasgow and get gas (and get diesel all over my hands--I've washed them twice and they still smell of gasoline). The roads are uneven and the rig is bouncing all over the place yet again and banging and clanking and I'm worried that I've destroyed the suspension and/or the wheels are going to fall off (so I'm irrational, sue me), and I finally pull into a McDonalds (on the wrong side of the road, of course), get a meal, and manage to get back on the road.
I was going to stop at Sleeping Buffalo Hot springs, and I did pull in, but it really looks skeevy--run down, with no other campers there, and the only cars were at the bar. Besides, it's hot, so I keep going. There's supposed to be a nice place in Malta.
I get to Malta, and manage to pull into and check into (yep) the wrong RV place. This place is small and nearly empty, and the site is tilted something fierce, but the electricity is good (for air conditioning, as it's 85 outside), I can get three TV channels (including some from Great Falls and Helena!) and the WiFi is a thing of strength and beauty. So I'm here for the night, and I hope to make it to Lethbridge tomorrow before I have a complete nervous breakdown. I plan to get the rig checked out there, to make sure all is well and hopefully reduce my stress a bit. I also find that I should not drive mutiple days without staying someplace for a couple of nights; once I get into the mountains, I suspect that will be easier. But I do want to see my parents and sister and everybody, so it's one last push tomorrow. Wish me luck! And the cats too, for having to deal with me!
Today has not been the best day. Nothing dramatically has gone wrong, I don't think, but it seems like nothing really has gone right either.
I was on the road by 8am. I had moved the cat kennel closer to my seat, and found that Nell was meowing and pacing like a lion in the zoo. I stopped to get something to eat and a Pepsi after a few miles, and talked to her a bit. But a bit later, I look back since I hear much struggling and see Nell with her head partly out of the kennel! With visions of her strangling herself, I quickly head over to the side of the road--too quickly, as I wind up spilling my Pepsi all over the floor. I stop, notice that Nell has her head back in the kennel, and try in vain to mop up as much of the Pepsi as I can. Let's just say that the car has been christened. And that I didn't get much value from my large Pepsi this morning. I grab Nell (much less gently than I could have done--I was angry, and I've apologized and have tried to make it up to her--lots of cuddles and treats, and luckily she is forgiving) and stick her in the little carrier, and cover it with my jacket. Puck stays in the kennel, since he is quietly napping (as he usually does). I mop up a little more and then keep driving.
I stop in Stanley (the next big town) to check on the cats (Nell is actually quiet and seems happier--I think the RV moving scares her, but she's just fine when it stops) and drive all over hell's half acre to find a mailbox (I have something I've been meaning to mail since I left). Between the construction and the bumpy roads, the RV is bouncing all over the place, cabinets open and scatter their stuff, and I have to stop to restow. And eventually back on the road.
Where the wind is blowing something fierce. Mostly a head wind, although also to one side or another--a couple of times the RV swerves so violently I think I've blown a tire, but it's just the wind. I keep looking for some place to get food on my side of the road, but I can't find anything.
I get to Glasgow and get gas (and get diesel all over my hands--I've washed them twice and they still smell of gasoline). The roads are uneven and the rig is bouncing all over the place yet again and banging and clanking and I'm worried that I've destroyed the suspension and/or the wheels are going to fall off (so I'm irrational, sue me), and I finally pull into a McDonalds (on the wrong side of the road, of course), get a meal, and manage to get back on the road.
I was going to stop at Sleeping Buffalo Hot springs, and I did pull in, but it really looks skeevy--run down, with no other campers there, and the only cars were at the bar. Besides, it's hot, so I keep going. There's supposed to be a nice place in Malta.
I get to Malta, and manage to pull into and check into (yep) the wrong RV place. This place is small and nearly empty, and the site is tilted something fierce, but the electricity is good (for air conditioning, as it's 85 outside), I can get three TV channels (including some from Great Falls and Helena!) and the WiFi is a thing of strength and beauty. So I'm here for the night, and I hope to make it to Lethbridge tomorrow before I have a complete nervous breakdown. I plan to get the rig checked out there, to make sure all is well and hopefully reduce my stress a bit. I also find that I should not drive mutiple days without staying someplace for a couple of nights; once I get into the mountains, I suspect that will be easier. But I do want to see my parents and sister and everybody, so it's one last push tomorrow. Wish me luck! And the cats too, for having to deal with me!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Notta lotta wifi out here!
May 26--New Ulm, MN
This morning I got up and, while it was really cloudy, it wasn't raining. Still, it was cool and damp, so I took my time getting up and getting on the road. But I got started by 7:30, so it wasn't too late (I'm still doing this up-and-down-with-the-sun thing, so I've gotten plenty of sleep).
Highway 35, up the east side of the Mississippi through Wisconsin, is really quite lovely. There are bluffs on both sides of the wide river, along with islands and channels in the river, and the scenery is just beautiful. The towns along the way tend to spring up when there's a stream running into the river so there's a flat spot, although some of them just build their way up the bluffs (I don't think any of the small towns is more than a block or two deep away from the highway, simply because the hill is there). About an hour or so into the trip, I feel something furry on my leg--and it's Puck! He and Nell have managed a jailbreak from the kennel (they really, really hate being confined in the kennel, but it's safer that way). He wants to get down by my feet but is easily dissuaded, and I pull over as soon as I can. I grab him and Nell and put them back into the kennel, and fasten the zipper with a clip so Nell can't open it (though I know she tries, and has only managed to dump the kennel, complete with her, Puck, and the litter box, face-first onto the floor). I should figure out a way for them to ride not in the kennel, but I'm not sure loose is the answer either.
By the time I get to LaCrosse, it's raining. I take a quick route across the river up to Winona and back over, and it's stopped! Wonderful timing here.
I'm headed for Pepin, where Laura Ingalls was born. When I get there, I find the actual homestead was up in the hills, so up we go. Twisty windy county road, to a roadside rest with a small log cabin and a picnic shelter. The Big Woods no longer surrounds the Little House; it's almost all cleared and either plowed or pasture. Rather hilly area, and I tried to get into the cabin but it was locked. So I headed back and across the river to head toward Walnut Grove.
I got on Highway 60 and stayed on it for most of the rest of the day, unfortunately. The first part was nice: hilly and scenic and wooded. About the time the plains took over, the road surface deteriorated to what may well be the worst road I've ever driven on (and that's saying something). The concrete was broken and patched, and the patches were patched, and yet there were still potholes in the surface. I drove fast, thinking it was better to get through it as quickly as possible, except that it never ended! It was bang/thump/boom for more than half an hour, and everytime I got to a cross road I thought it would get better, and it didn't! I think I lost a few years of life on that road, and I have to say that if that didn't break the rig, then I have no fear of the Alaskan highway. None. It can't be worse than that stretch of road.
By the end of the Road of Doom, I was exhausted. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to find campgrounds here. I was looking for ones in my guide books, and there weren't really any. Many of the little towns would have municipal campgrounds, but they were hard to find and/or skeevy, so I kept going.
I finally stopped at a state park in New Ulm. I had to go through the town then up an incredibly steep hill; the RV had to downshift THREE TIMES to get up it. After that, the windy road into the campground was no problem. I got a nice spot (well, I changed spots once to one I thought would be better, which wasn't, really) and was so tired that I almost fell asleep at 6pm. I managed to stay awake for a while 'nother hour and a half or so, before crashing. I did manage a small walk first. This park had been developed by the CCC during the depression, and had a number of cool buildings. It also had a swimming hole, with water pumped in from the river, that just looked like an ad for water-borne diseases to me. Not appetizing at all. And then it started to rain again. Hence the crasing.
May 27--Pierre, SD
I woke up this morning relatively late--just before 7am. It was sort of dripping much of the night, not really raining, but probably condensation off of the trees. It was quite cloudy, and a bit breezy. I had found an alternate route off of the hill, which was much less steep, and headed west.
I stopped in Sleepy Eye (yes, there is such a place) to buy a few supplies (bananas, tortillas, cheese, and Pepsi!) and a chicken salad sandwich for breakfast. It was raining on and off, and drizzling the rest of the time, but the road here is pretty flat, so it's not a problem. An indicator of how harsh winter must be here: at either end of all these little towns are signs and barriers to close the road when necessary. It must be a bit unnerving to be basically stranded in one of these little towns, cut off from everything for the duration of the storm and maybe a bit after. I guess we're t5he same with hurricanes, but there is just NOTHING in between towns here.
I got to Walnut Grove around 10am. Most of the town in this plains part of the country seem to be built in river/stream valleys, and Walnut Grove is built on Plum Creek. I stopped at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and got to go through the exhibits (some interesting history stuff and a lot of crap) before the school groups arrived. I also got to drive north a mile or so to near the actual dugout site; I didn't go there, since it was raining harder and the dugout is on a dirt road that I didn't trust, but it's apparently just a dent in the bank, so I don't think I missed much.
I then got back on the increasingly flat road and drove to De Smet, South Dakota. This is where Laura and her family lived for most of the books (from "On the shores of silver lake" onward). The downtown looks like the downtown of a lot of these small midwestern towns, but I stopped at the city hall and got a map. I walked a bit, to see where Pa Ingalls had a store, and the Wilders did too; I saw the house that Pa built for everyone to live in, and I also saw the house where everyone stayed the first winter they lived there. I also went to the graveyard south and west of town, and saw where Pa, Ma, Mary, Carrie, Grace, and Laura and Almanzo's baby boy who died were buried. It's a nice little town, and a lovely cemetery, up on a ridge.
Then it was off, driving more west. Flatter, drier, and once I got about 30 miles west of De Smet, the sun came out! I'm now in Pierre, on the banks of the Missouri, in a city park that has spaces for RVs to park (alas, no showers). I walked around a bit and went to a grocery (no sandwiches, alas again) and wound up grabbing dinner at what might be the slowest fast food place since the Great Falls Taco Bell; it took me about 15 minutes to get my food. I'm now back, almost ready to go to sleep (I should drink a lot of water first--I was dehydrated to begin with, and it really is drier here).
Tomorrow, it's north. Hopefully to the Highline, but we'll see.
The cats, by the way, continue to be fine. Nell saw what might have been her first close-up squirrel this morning at the state park, and immediately went into "Kill! KILL!" mode, which was amusing to watch. She doesn't have enough of a chance to play "great hunter", which is rather sad. She's also found the warmest place to sleep: up in the front of the overhead bunk, between me and the carpeted front wall, usually surrounded by the blanket. Puck is just fine as well; he has a nick on his ear from something (probably Nell getting pissed at him), and he still doesn't quite understand how to sleep best when it's cold (Nell burrows under the covers, but he resists that and just curls up against me, which isn't the warmest way).
I really, really hope that all the people here with their radios go away when it gets dark. There's a boatramp nearby, and a lot of these boats must have MONSTER sound systems, judging by the rap. Way to ruin a lovely river ride, guys!
May 28--Minot, ND
Well, the river actually wasn't that pretty. After a good night's sleep I was woken up by Puck around 6:45, and I got dressed and took a little walk. The river is a bit stagnant where we were, and was decorated with at least one large dead fish. I found out later why: the water district people have decided to not release water in case of a dry summer, so the dammed lakes are all full to the brim and beyond, but the Missouri river at Pierre is a bit starved. Oh well.
I headed out around 8am. I decided to see what would happen if I didn't pen up the cats. It didn't work out too well. Both Nell and Puck were disconcerted and wouldn't settle down--I had thought Puck at least would stay where he was (napping in the front of the bunk) but after some miles he tried desperately to get under my feet. I kept grabbing him by whatever was available and hauling him out, but he decided eventually that his happy place was wedged in the drivers side footwell of the door, which meant I couldn't use my door. Nell, it turns out, hid under the couch, which of course means that she couldn't get out from under there by herself. After half an hour or so, I gave up and put them both back in the kennel. Since they managed to tip the kennel over twice during the day's drive, I'm going to put it on the floor near the front. I don't think they'd enjoy being able to look out; they seem to want to hide!
I took the scenic route up around Lake Oahe, where I saw lots of pheasants (there are pheasants everywhere here) plus a couple of pronghorn! Not much traffic, so I could take it easy. I drove the rest of the way up to Mobridge, enjoying the sunny but not too hot day.
At Mobridge I got gas and decided to go up the west side of the lake. Again, not the best decision. There was construction which kept me waiting for almost half an hour to cross the bridge, and the road once I got on it was also rough and not well taken care of. I didn't have much of a chance to enjoy the scenery because I was too busy trying to stay on the road! I crossed the river again at Bismarck and headed north to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
This is a big center affiliated with the Fort Mandan reconstruction nearby. The exhibits were good, but I did like a collection of watercolors by an artist who traveled to the area in 1835 or so, right before smallpox pretty much eradicated the Plains Indians around here. Very pretty, and rather fascinating. I also took this as an opportunity to see how well the RV would sit with the windows open--in fact, I found that I had forgotten to close one of my bunk windows, and it had been open all day! Luckily I could close it just fine when I discovered that (I had also left my suction-cup thermometer on a side window when I left, which I grabbed when I caged the cats--it was still there--quite a suction cup!). The rig stayed pretty cool, even though it was in full sun, at least in part I suspect because of the brisk wind that was blowing directl into the open windows. Well, we use what we can!
I'm in a campground in Minot. It's in a valley and has some trees; I may go for a walk in a bit, after I feed the cats. I actually ate three meals today, which I don't think I've done since I left home, and I can use the exercise. I also need to drink water--it is indeed drier here, and I don't need to be dehydrated.
This morning I got up and, while it was really cloudy, it wasn't raining. Still, it was cool and damp, so I took my time getting up and getting on the road. But I got started by 7:30, so it wasn't too late (I'm still doing this up-and-down-with-the-sun thing, so I've gotten plenty of sleep).
Highway 35, up the east side of the Mississippi through Wisconsin, is really quite lovely. There are bluffs on both sides of the wide river, along with islands and channels in the river, and the scenery is just beautiful. The towns along the way tend to spring up when there's a stream running into the river so there's a flat spot, although some of them just build their way up the bluffs (I don't think any of the small towns is more than a block or two deep away from the highway, simply because the hill is there). About an hour or so into the trip, I feel something furry on my leg--and it's Puck! He and Nell have managed a jailbreak from the kennel (they really, really hate being confined in the kennel, but it's safer that way). He wants to get down by my feet but is easily dissuaded, and I pull over as soon as I can. I grab him and Nell and put them back into the kennel, and fasten the zipper with a clip so Nell can't open it (though I know she tries, and has only managed to dump the kennel, complete with her, Puck, and the litter box, face-first onto the floor). I should figure out a way for them to ride not in the kennel, but I'm not sure loose is the answer either.
By the time I get to LaCrosse, it's raining. I take a quick route across the river up to Winona and back over, and it's stopped! Wonderful timing here.
I'm headed for Pepin, where Laura Ingalls was born. When I get there, I find the actual homestead was up in the hills, so up we go. Twisty windy county road, to a roadside rest with a small log cabin and a picnic shelter. The Big Woods no longer surrounds the Little House; it's almost all cleared and either plowed or pasture. Rather hilly area, and I tried to get into the cabin but it was locked. So I headed back and across the river to head toward Walnut Grove.
I got on Highway 60 and stayed on it for most of the rest of the day, unfortunately. The first part was nice: hilly and scenic and wooded. About the time the plains took over, the road surface deteriorated to what may well be the worst road I've ever driven on (and that's saying something). The concrete was broken and patched, and the patches were patched, and yet there were still potholes in the surface. I drove fast, thinking it was better to get through it as quickly as possible, except that it never ended! It was bang/thump/boom for more than half an hour, and everytime I got to a cross road I thought it would get better, and it didn't! I think I lost a few years of life on that road, and I have to say that if that didn't break the rig, then I have no fear of the Alaskan highway. None. It can't be worse than that stretch of road.
By the end of the Road of Doom, I was exhausted. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to find campgrounds here. I was looking for ones in my guide books, and there weren't really any. Many of the little towns would have municipal campgrounds, but they were hard to find and/or skeevy, so I kept going.
I finally stopped at a state park in New Ulm. I had to go through the town then up an incredibly steep hill; the RV had to downshift THREE TIMES to get up it. After that, the windy road into the campground was no problem. I got a nice spot (well, I changed spots once to one I thought would be better, which wasn't, really) and was so tired that I almost fell asleep at 6pm. I managed to stay awake for a while 'nother hour and a half or so, before crashing. I did manage a small walk first. This park had been developed by the CCC during the depression, and had a number of cool buildings. It also had a swimming hole, with water pumped in from the river, that just looked like an ad for water-borne diseases to me. Not appetizing at all. And then it started to rain again. Hence the crasing.
May 27--Pierre, SD
I woke up this morning relatively late--just before 7am. It was sort of dripping much of the night, not really raining, but probably condensation off of the trees. It was quite cloudy, and a bit breezy. I had found an alternate route off of the hill, which was much less steep, and headed west.
I stopped in Sleepy Eye (yes, there is such a place) to buy a few supplies (bananas, tortillas, cheese, and Pepsi!) and a chicken salad sandwich for breakfast. It was raining on and off, and drizzling the rest of the time, but the road here is pretty flat, so it's not a problem. An indicator of how harsh winter must be here: at either end of all these little towns are signs and barriers to close the road when necessary. It must be a bit unnerving to be basically stranded in one of these little towns, cut off from everything for the duration of the storm and maybe a bit after. I guess we're t5he same with hurricanes, but there is just NOTHING in between towns here.
I got to Walnut Grove around 10am. Most of the town in this plains part of the country seem to be built in river/stream valleys, and Walnut Grove is built on Plum Creek. I stopped at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and got to go through the exhibits (some interesting history stuff and a lot of crap) before the school groups arrived. I also got to drive north a mile or so to near the actual dugout site; I didn't go there, since it was raining harder and the dugout is on a dirt road that I didn't trust, but it's apparently just a dent in the bank, so I don't think I missed much.
I then got back on the increasingly flat road and drove to De Smet, South Dakota. This is where Laura and her family lived for most of the books (from "On the shores of silver lake" onward). The downtown looks like the downtown of a lot of these small midwestern towns, but I stopped at the city hall and got a map. I walked a bit, to see where Pa Ingalls had a store, and the Wilders did too; I saw the house that Pa built for everyone to live in, and I also saw the house where everyone stayed the first winter they lived there. I also went to the graveyard south and west of town, and saw where Pa, Ma, Mary, Carrie, Grace, and Laura and Almanzo's baby boy who died were buried. It's a nice little town, and a lovely cemetery, up on a ridge.
Then it was off, driving more west. Flatter, drier, and once I got about 30 miles west of De Smet, the sun came out! I'm now in Pierre, on the banks of the Missouri, in a city park that has spaces for RVs to park (alas, no showers). I walked around a bit and went to a grocery (no sandwiches, alas again) and wound up grabbing dinner at what might be the slowest fast food place since the Great Falls Taco Bell; it took me about 15 minutes to get my food. I'm now back, almost ready to go to sleep (I should drink a lot of water first--I was dehydrated to begin with, and it really is drier here).
Tomorrow, it's north. Hopefully to the Highline, but we'll see.
The cats, by the way, continue to be fine. Nell saw what might have been her first close-up squirrel this morning at the state park, and immediately went into "Kill! KILL!" mode, which was amusing to watch. She doesn't have enough of a chance to play "great hunter", which is rather sad. She's also found the warmest place to sleep: up in the front of the overhead bunk, between me and the carpeted front wall, usually surrounded by the blanket. Puck is just fine as well; he has a nick on his ear from something (probably Nell getting pissed at him), and he still doesn't quite understand how to sleep best when it's cold (Nell burrows under the covers, but he resists that and just curls up against me, which isn't the warmest way).
I really, really hope that all the people here with their radios go away when it gets dark. There's a boatramp nearby, and a lot of these boats must have MONSTER sound systems, judging by the rap. Way to ruin a lovely river ride, guys!
May 28--Minot, ND
Well, the river actually wasn't that pretty. After a good night's sleep I was woken up by Puck around 6:45, and I got dressed and took a little walk. The river is a bit stagnant where we were, and was decorated with at least one large dead fish. I found out later why: the water district people have decided to not release water in case of a dry summer, so the dammed lakes are all full to the brim and beyond, but the Missouri river at Pierre is a bit starved. Oh well.
I headed out around 8am. I decided to see what would happen if I didn't pen up the cats. It didn't work out too well. Both Nell and Puck were disconcerted and wouldn't settle down--I had thought Puck at least would stay where he was (napping in the front of the bunk) but after some miles he tried desperately to get under my feet. I kept grabbing him by whatever was available and hauling him out, but he decided eventually that his happy place was wedged in the drivers side footwell of the door, which meant I couldn't use my door. Nell, it turns out, hid under the couch, which of course means that she couldn't get out from under there by herself. After half an hour or so, I gave up and put them both back in the kennel. Since they managed to tip the kennel over twice during the day's drive, I'm going to put it on the floor near the front. I don't think they'd enjoy being able to look out; they seem to want to hide!
I took the scenic route up around Lake Oahe, where I saw lots of pheasants (there are pheasants everywhere here) plus a couple of pronghorn! Not much traffic, so I could take it easy. I drove the rest of the way up to Mobridge, enjoying the sunny but not too hot day.
At Mobridge I got gas and decided to go up the west side of the lake. Again, not the best decision. There was construction which kept me waiting for almost half an hour to cross the bridge, and the road once I got on it was also rough and not well taken care of. I didn't have much of a chance to enjoy the scenery because I was too busy trying to stay on the road! I crossed the river again at Bismarck and headed north to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
This is a big center affiliated with the Fort Mandan reconstruction nearby. The exhibits were good, but I did like a collection of watercolors by an artist who traveled to the area in 1835 or so, right before smallpox pretty much eradicated the Plains Indians around here. Very pretty, and rather fascinating. I also took this as an opportunity to see how well the RV would sit with the windows open--in fact, I found that I had forgotten to close one of my bunk windows, and it had been open all day! Luckily I could close it just fine when I discovered that (I had also left my suction-cup thermometer on a side window when I left, which I grabbed when I caged the cats--it was still there--quite a suction cup!). The rig stayed pretty cool, even though it was in full sun, at least in part I suspect because of the brisk wind that was blowing directl into the open windows. Well, we use what we can!
I'm in a campground in Minot. It's in a valley and has some trees; I may go for a walk in a bit, after I feed the cats. I actually ate three meals today, which I don't think I've done since I left home, and I can use the exercise. I also need to drink water--it is indeed drier here, and I don't need to be dehydrated.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Of Mormons, starship captains, and phantom baseball players
May 25--Prairie du Chien, WI
Yesterday I woke early to the sound of rain on the roof. And when you're sleeping in an overcab bunk in an RV, the roof is about a foot above your head, and the rain tends to hit with a resounding thunk. I got us out and on the road by about 7:30, and headed the scenic route to Nauvoo, IL.
It turns out the rig handles very well in the rain. I had changed the windshield wiper blades, and they worked well as well. Still, the scenery was pretty--maybe more so, with a bit of mist. Missouri may be hilly, but when I crossed over the river to Illinois it flattened out quickly. I took the smaller roads up through lots of small towns (which tend to be a few houses, a church, maybe a gas station/convenience store, and probably some grain elevators), although it was good to know that most of the stations offered diesel. I haven't had any problems as of yet finding diesel when I need it, and I'm still going by the Western rule: you get to half a tank, you fill up. This still allows me to go about 300 miles, which is turning out to be just a bit less than a full day's run for me in this rig. I'm still getting wonderful MPG--around 19 or so. Can't hardly argue with that!
The road to Nauvoo runs at river level, and was quite pretty (even if I did have someone ahead of me who was driving even more slowly than I do!). The town itself was where Joseph Smith and the rest of the Mormons set up shop (literally) after being forced out of other places and right before moving to Utah (Joseph Smith was lynched while in jail near Nauvoo, and everyone up and left after that--can't hardly blame them). The town site itself is pretty empty, with some original houses still scattered here and there. I went to the visitor's center, which was full of young enthusiastic Mormon missionaries who were willing to talk my ear off, if I let them. I looked at the exhibits (not many), grabbed a pamphlet or two, and then headed back to the rig. I drove to the Joseph Smith homestead and got to see his grave, which wasn't quite as overdone as I had expected. If it hadn't been raining, this might have been a nice place to sit for a while--there are lots of things to do, and everything is free, as long as you don't mind a bit of prostlytizing (spell?) with your fun.
I headed back across the river (on a bridge with an 8-ton limit--my rig is about 5.5 tons, which didn't stop me from worrying) and then continued north through Iowa through the rain. I'd noticed something while looking at the map last night: Riverside, Iowa, is celebrating itself as the future birthplace of Jim Kirk from "Star Trek". So I made a quick detour and got to see the town's not-quite-trademark-infringement copy of the Enterprise, although I couldn't find the stone celebrating this "fact". Then I ate at A&W--yum!
The rain stopped just past Riverside, but then the wind started. Again strong, again broadside to the rig, again blowing me all over the road. Grr. I headed north and west, to the Field of Dreams. Yep, where they filmed the movie. The site is off a small road (although well signposted) and is free, although I did give a donation. The field itself seems small, and it really loses something without the corn (needless to say, the corn isn't really grown yet, although it is planted). There are actually quite a few houses nearby, and the field itself was full of young couples with kids, tossing balls around. I sat for a while and walked around, and then headed out yet again.
The RV is quite nice, but it sure seems top-heavy and sways like crazy if the road is uneven. Going out of the parking lot, there was some serious sway that caused some books to fall out of the cabinets (I need to get better latches) and land on the cat crate. No damage, but I think it convinced the cats that, while the RV is fine, travelling isn't (Nell spent a lot of time yesterday meowing piteously after I put her in the crate, and Puck has been known to mutter a bit himself about things).
This is when I started looking for a campground. It seems that the majority of the campgrounds in this part of the world are actually mini-trailer parks, and many don't have transient spaces or are rather skeevy. I pulled into three campgrounds in three different towns before I just decided to go to one that was listed in my campbook. I crossed the river yet again to Prairie du Chien, and then found that the campground wasn't posted. Luckily I found the road it was one, and found that this was also a semi-permanent campground. It does have a good-sized transient area, under some trees, and I was so tired that it didn't much matter at this point--at least the long-term trailers look nice. The wind picked up, and it started to rain again, but I slept quite well. It got down to about 60 degrees, and about 62 inside, which is delightful, although it does make sleeping a bit trickier, since when it's get cold then both cats want to curl up as close to me as possible, and that makes it hard for me to change positions. Oh well!
This morning it's cloudy but not raining yet; I'm listening to NPR over the computer, and should probably go catch the cats so I can get ready to go. Heading north and then west today--it's Laura Ingalls day(s)!
Yesterday I woke early to the sound of rain on the roof. And when you're sleeping in an overcab bunk in an RV, the roof is about a foot above your head, and the rain tends to hit with a resounding thunk. I got us out and on the road by about 7:30, and headed the scenic route to Nauvoo, IL.
It turns out the rig handles very well in the rain. I had changed the windshield wiper blades, and they worked well as well. Still, the scenery was pretty--maybe more so, with a bit of mist. Missouri may be hilly, but when I crossed over the river to Illinois it flattened out quickly. I took the smaller roads up through lots of small towns (which tend to be a few houses, a church, maybe a gas station/convenience store, and probably some grain elevators), although it was good to know that most of the stations offered diesel. I haven't had any problems as of yet finding diesel when I need it, and I'm still going by the Western rule: you get to half a tank, you fill up. This still allows me to go about 300 miles, which is turning out to be just a bit less than a full day's run for me in this rig. I'm still getting wonderful MPG--around 19 or so. Can't hardly argue with that!
The road to Nauvoo runs at river level, and was quite pretty (even if I did have someone ahead of me who was driving even more slowly than I do!). The town itself was where Joseph Smith and the rest of the Mormons set up shop (literally) after being forced out of other places and right before moving to Utah (Joseph Smith was lynched while in jail near Nauvoo, and everyone up and left after that--can't hardly blame them). The town site itself is pretty empty, with some original houses still scattered here and there. I went to the visitor's center, which was full of young enthusiastic Mormon missionaries who were willing to talk my ear off, if I let them. I looked at the exhibits (not many), grabbed a pamphlet or two, and then headed back to the rig. I drove to the Joseph Smith homestead and got to see his grave, which wasn't quite as overdone as I had expected. If it hadn't been raining, this might have been a nice place to sit for a while--there are lots of things to do, and everything is free, as long as you don't mind a bit of prostlytizing (spell?) with your fun.
I headed back across the river (on a bridge with an 8-ton limit--my rig is about 5.5 tons, which didn't stop me from worrying) and then continued north through Iowa through the rain. I'd noticed something while looking at the map last night: Riverside, Iowa, is celebrating itself as the future birthplace of Jim Kirk from "Star Trek". So I made a quick detour and got to see the town's not-quite-trademark-infringement copy of the Enterprise, although I couldn't find the stone celebrating this "fact". Then I ate at A&W--yum!
The rain stopped just past Riverside, but then the wind started. Again strong, again broadside to the rig, again blowing me all over the road. Grr. I headed north and west, to the Field of Dreams. Yep, where they filmed the movie. The site is off a small road (although well signposted) and is free, although I did give a donation. The field itself seems small, and it really loses something without the corn (needless to say, the corn isn't really grown yet, although it is planted). There are actually quite a few houses nearby, and the field itself was full of young couples with kids, tossing balls around. I sat for a while and walked around, and then headed out yet again.
The RV is quite nice, but it sure seems top-heavy and sways like crazy if the road is uneven. Going out of the parking lot, there was some serious sway that caused some books to fall out of the cabinets (I need to get better latches) and land on the cat crate. No damage, but I think it convinced the cats that, while the RV is fine, travelling isn't (Nell spent a lot of time yesterday meowing piteously after I put her in the crate, and Puck has been known to mutter a bit himself about things).
This is when I started looking for a campground. It seems that the majority of the campgrounds in this part of the world are actually mini-trailer parks, and many don't have transient spaces or are rather skeevy. I pulled into three campgrounds in three different towns before I just decided to go to one that was listed in my campbook. I crossed the river yet again to Prairie du Chien, and then found that the campground wasn't posted. Luckily I found the road it was one, and found that this was also a semi-permanent campground. It does have a good-sized transient area, under some trees, and I was so tired that it didn't much matter at this point--at least the long-term trailers look nice. The wind picked up, and it started to rain again, but I slept quite well. It got down to about 60 degrees, and about 62 inside, which is delightful, although it does make sleeping a bit trickier, since when it's get cold then both cats want to curl up as close to me as possible, and that makes it hard for me to change positions. Oh well!
This morning it's cloudy but not raining yet; I'm listening to NPR over the computer, and should probably go catch the cats so I can get ready to go. Heading north and then west today--it's Laura Ingalls day(s)!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Hot Hilly Hannibal
May 23-24--Hannibal, MO
Yesterday I walked to town, which was quite a trip. I had to walk up a good-sized hill, then down even farther, then up and down a bridge before I got to downtown. Still, if it hadn't been so hot (it's been sunny and hot since I began), it wouldn't have been bad. I walked to Main Street, which is where the Twain on Main things are.
It's basically a street fair; lining the street were tents selling items as well as food. The buildings are general early-20th century small-town structures, although once you get away from Main a lot of buildings are dilapidated (which is true for all the buildings here--many are in great shop, and just as many are falling apart or not taken care of). Most every building downtown has some sort of Twain connection, although there's also the "official" Twain residence, which since I didn't want to pay to get in, I didn't see. I did eventually eat at the Mark Twain Dinette; I got the buffet, which wasn't worth it. The salad bar wasn't bad (although the ranch dressing was lumpy!), but the hot dishes were disappointing. The beef was good, but the catfish came complete with fins and tail and backbone, and had very little meat, while the ribs were rather fatty. Even the veggies were weird, but at least the apple dumplings were good. I still ate quite a bit, which was a problem since I did want to do see the Molly Brown house.
Margaret Tobin was born here and lived here until she was nearly 20. The house she was born in is up a hill, which with a full stomach was quite fun walking up to. I had to sit in the yard and pant a while before I went in. It's a very nice house on the outside (they've fixed it up at least twice), but very small. A bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a room that probably held livestock, for around 7 people. There was lots to read, which I enjoyed; she was quite literate for someone who probably didn't get a lot of formal schooling. And, by the way, the Broadway musical got most everything wrong--another illusion shattered!
I then waddled back down the hill and sat by the river a while. I walked to the Tom and Huck statue, near Twain's house, and then along the river. There's lots of levees here, for pretty good reasons. The openings in the levees are sealed with big steel plugs, basically, which sit next to the spots where they made be needed. The town flooded big time in 1973, and somewhat less so (mostly due to the enhanced levees) in 1993. Still, there are plaques everywhere showing the high water levels for the various floods, and some of them are quite high.
Then I walked home, which was really long and hot. I neglected to walk up to Lovers Leap, mostly because it looked really, really high (and apparently is--there's a race every year called the "Hannibal Cannibal", where people run from town to the cave then up Lovers Leap and back, which tends to "eat people alive"). When I got back it was rather warm in the RV; I don't trust the electric here and didn't want to leave the rig shut up with the cats inside, so I left some windows open (remember, it's in the shade). Still, it got hot, so I turned on the A/C, drank a lot of water, and relaxed and read the rest of the day.
Today I did laundry first thing (I do tend to do laundry first thing on Sunday, and for commercial machines these did really well). Then I decided to slack and took the trolley back to town. The trolley ride itself was fascinating, if only for the fact that I never would have known how steep the hills are around here. That trolley went up, down, and practically sideways along roads that were terrifying in good conditions--I'd hate to have to drive them in snow or ice! There's a couple of mansions around here, at least one of which is perched rather precariously on a ridge (although since it's been there for years, I suspect it's safe).
When I got back downtown I ate street fair food: a catfish sandwich (VERY good), a pulled pork sandwich (also good), a roasted ear of corn (so tasty!) and Pepsi (there's Pepsi everywhere here--there must be a bottler nearby or something). I also watched a Mark Twain impersonator tell stories, petted an alpaca, sat on the riverbank for a while, and also watched people get dunked in a dunk tank (hey, don't let my love of Broadway musicals fool you, I'm not highbrow). Then onto the trolley and back home, where I read some more. I'm almost ready to stop reading now, although I'm sure I'll be doing more tonight. The rig wasn't as hot today, by the way; there were lots of high clouds filtering the sun, and also there was a breeze for the first time--it's amazing how quickly a breeze can cool things down, and how good it feels.
The cats are just fine. They love getting on the upper bunk and looking out the windows, although when I was outside fiddling around the rig Puck got in the window and kept meowing at me; I don't know if he wanted to come out or for me to come in! Nell hasn't burrowed into the couch since that first time, even with lots of exciting things going on outside.
I'm also getting lots of comments on the rig. It's funny; I'm right by the main road, and if people talk there I can hear them, and I've startled people twice by saying hi to them out the window!
I'm leaving tomorrow and heading north; maybe to Nauvoo, and then up toward Wisconsin. It's actually supposed to rain tomorrow; that storm that's been raining all over the south is headed here, where it will combine with another storm coming through the Dakotas. Nothing severe, but I don't think I'll have to worry about the sun for a bit. And I guess I'll find out how the rig handles rain!
(yes, I intend to get pictures on here at some point--just not right now)
Yesterday I walked to town, which was quite a trip. I had to walk up a good-sized hill, then down even farther, then up and down a bridge before I got to downtown. Still, if it hadn't been so hot (it's been sunny and hot since I began), it wouldn't have been bad. I walked to Main Street, which is where the Twain on Main things are.
It's basically a street fair; lining the street were tents selling items as well as food. The buildings are general early-20th century small-town structures, although once you get away from Main a lot of buildings are dilapidated (which is true for all the buildings here--many are in great shop, and just as many are falling apart or not taken care of). Most every building downtown has some sort of Twain connection, although there's also the "official" Twain residence, which since I didn't want to pay to get in, I didn't see. I did eventually eat at the Mark Twain Dinette; I got the buffet, which wasn't worth it. The salad bar wasn't bad (although the ranch dressing was lumpy!), but the hot dishes were disappointing. The beef was good, but the catfish came complete with fins and tail and backbone, and had very little meat, while the ribs were rather fatty. Even the veggies were weird, but at least the apple dumplings were good. I still ate quite a bit, which was a problem since I did want to do see the Molly Brown house.
Margaret Tobin was born here and lived here until she was nearly 20. The house she was born in is up a hill, which with a full stomach was quite fun walking up to. I had to sit in the yard and pant a while before I went in. It's a very nice house on the outside (they've fixed it up at least twice), but very small. A bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a room that probably held livestock, for around 7 people. There was lots to read, which I enjoyed; she was quite literate for someone who probably didn't get a lot of formal schooling. And, by the way, the Broadway musical got most everything wrong--another illusion shattered!
I then waddled back down the hill and sat by the river a while. I walked to the Tom and Huck statue, near Twain's house, and then along the river. There's lots of levees here, for pretty good reasons. The openings in the levees are sealed with big steel plugs, basically, which sit next to the spots where they made be needed. The town flooded big time in 1973, and somewhat less so (mostly due to the enhanced levees) in 1993. Still, there are plaques everywhere showing the high water levels for the various floods, and some of them are quite high.
Then I walked home, which was really long and hot. I neglected to walk up to Lovers Leap, mostly because it looked really, really high (and apparently is--there's a race every year called the "Hannibal Cannibal", where people run from town to the cave then up Lovers Leap and back, which tends to "eat people alive"). When I got back it was rather warm in the RV; I don't trust the electric here and didn't want to leave the rig shut up with the cats inside, so I left some windows open (remember, it's in the shade). Still, it got hot, so I turned on the A/C, drank a lot of water, and relaxed and read the rest of the day.
Today I did laundry first thing (I do tend to do laundry first thing on Sunday, and for commercial machines these did really well). Then I decided to slack and took the trolley back to town. The trolley ride itself was fascinating, if only for the fact that I never would have known how steep the hills are around here. That trolley went up, down, and practically sideways along roads that were terrifying in good conditions--I'd hate to have to drive them in snow or ice! There's a couple of mansions around here, at least one of which is perched rather precariously on a ridge (although since it's been there for years, I suspect it's safe).
When I got back downtown I ate street fair food: a catfish sandwich (VERY good), a pulled pork sandwich (also good), a roasted ear of corn (so tasty!) and Pepsi (there's Pepsi everywhere here--there must be a bottler nearby or something). I also watched a Mark Twain impersonator tell stories, petted an alpaca, sat on the riverbank for a while, and also watched people get dunked in a dunk tank (hey, don't let my love of Broadway musicals fool you, I'm not highbrow). Then onto the trolley and back home, where I read some more. I'm almost ready to stop reading now, although I'm sure I'll be doing more tonight. The rig wasn't as hot today, by the way; there were lots of high clouds filtering the sun, and also there was a breeze for the first time--it's amazing how quickly a breeze can cool things down, and how good it feels.
The cats are just fine. They love getting on the upper bunk and looking out the windows, although when I was outside fiddling around the rig Puck got in the window and kept meowing at me; I don't know if he wanted to come out or for me to come in! Nell hasn't burrowed into the couch since that first time, even with lots of exciting things going on outside.
I'm also getting lots of comments on the rig. It's funny; I'm right by the main road, and if people talk there I can hear them, and I've startled people twice by saying hi to them out the window!
I'm leaving tomorrow and heading north; maybe to Nauvoo, and then up toward Wisconsin. It's actually supposed to rain tomorrow; that storm that's been raining all over the south is headed here, where it will combine with another storm coming through the Dakotas. Nothing severe, but I don't think I'll have to worry about the sun for a bit. And I guess I'll find out how the rig handles rain!
(yes, I intend to get pictures on here at some point--just not right now)
Friday, May 22, 2009
Spelunking
May 22--Hannibal, MO
I slept well again last night, although it was rather warm to begin with, and then I had to rearrange myself around the cats a couple of times--I can't just shove them off the bed now, after all. When I woke up I got to read and relax a while, before going out to take a cave tour.
The Mark TWain cave is literally a stone's-throw from my campsite, and I got to go on a tour with only about nine other people, as opposed to going with a bunch of schoolkids. Well, we had two kids in our group who never learned to talk quietly when on a tour, and I had to shush them a couple of times when they were just yammering on and we couldn't hear the guide. I'm not sure what the grandparents thought, but then again I didn't care much. Our guide droned a bit, and had a limp that was so pronounced I wasn't sure he was going to make it to the end of the tour. I did try to take some pictures, although I'm not sure how well they'll turn out. I'll post them as soon as I figure out how to do so--I just tried and it didn't work, and I'll try again later when I'm not as tired.
I got through the tour and went back to the RV to see how the cats were doing. Puck was fine, but I couldn't see Nell anywhere, which worried me a bit, until I discovered that she had managed to get behind the couch again. I let her loose and then sat with them a while (reading, so it wasn't a huge sacrifice) then I wandered back down to see the other tourist traps nearby. It turns out the giant tourist trap across the street, Sawyer's Landing, is closed, so I had to make do with the candle shop (which did have some cool candles) and a gem shop, the highlight of which was a sluice where kids could pan through dirt that had been preloaded with some cheaper gems. The kids had a great time, and it did look like fun. I also got to chat for a while with the proprietor before the kids descended, who was a nice guy.
I came back, and Nell wasn't under the couch! She's getting better and better all the time, although she still scares easily. Heck, it's only been a couple of days, she's entitled. It turns out that there was lots of see right around my campsite, as the electrical company was here fixing some overloaded wiring that my RV was hooked to (oops!) and string some more wire to other sites that had no electricity (including to the sunny one I was supposed to be in, but they haven't told me to move, and since that outlet they just put in has to handle two sites, I'm not going to move even if they ask me; this site is shaded enough that I don't need the A/C, and I'd rather not rely on electricity to keep the cats alive when the electricity has been shown to be unreliable). Some people across the way have a two-year-younger version of the same rig I have, and we traded stories.
Then I read some more, watched some TV, and got on the Internet, whereupon when I'm done I plan to shower, maybe eat something (I've not been hungry hardly at all since I started this trip; I'm not sure if it's nerves or if it's just my body going back to equilibrium after the massive eating I did last school year--at any rate, I'm just drinking lots of water and going with it) and read some more before I go to sleep. Ah, the exciting life! I do plan to actually leave the campground tomorrow, so hopefully it will be more interesting. And try to get the pictures working, darn it--they're pretty cool!
I slept well again last night, although it was rather warm to begin with, and then I had to rearrange myself around the cats a couple of times--I can't just shove them off the bed now, after all. When I woke up I got to read and relax a while, before going out to take a cave tour.
The Mark TWain cave is literally a stone's-throw from my campsite, and I got to go on a tour with only about nine other people, as opposed to going with a bunch of schoolkids. Well, we had two kids in our group who never learned to talk quietly when on a tour, and I had to shush them a couple of times when they were just yammering on and we couldn't hear the guide. I'm not sure what the grandparents thought, but then again I didn't care much. Our guide droned a bit, and had a limp that was so pronounced I wasn't sure he was going to make it to the end of the tour. I did try to take some pictures, although I'm not sure how well they'll turn out. I'll post them as soon as I figure out how to do so--I just tried and it didn't work, and I'll try again later when I'm not as tired.
I got through the tour and went back to the RV to see how the cats were doing. Puck was fine, but I couldn't see Nell anywhere, which worried me a bit, until I discovered that she had managed to get behind the couch again. I let her loose and then sat with them a while (reading, so it wasn't a huge sacrifice) then I wandered back down to see the other tourist traps nearby. It turns out the giant tourist trap across the street, Sawyer's Landing, is closed, so I had to make do with the candle shop (which did have some cool candles) and a gem shop, the highlight of which was a sluice where kids could pan through dirt that had been preloaded with some cheaper gems. The kids had a great time, and it did look like fun. I also got to chat for a while with the proprietor before the kids descended, who was a nice guy.
I came back, and Nell wasn't under the couch! She's getting better and better all the time, although she still scares easily. Heck, it's only been a couple of days, she's entitled. It turns out that there was lots of see right around my campsite, as the electrical company was here fixing some overloaded wiring that my RV was hooked to (oops!) and string some more wire to other sites that had no electricity (including to the sunny one I was supposed to be in, but they haven't told me to move, and since that outlet they just put in has to handle two sites, I'm not going to move even if they ask me; this site is shaded enough that I don't need the A/C, and I'd rather not rely on electricity to keep the cats alive when the electricity has been shown to be unreliable). Some people across the way have a two-year-younger version of the same rig I have, and we traded stories.
Then I read some more, watched some TV, and got on the Internet, whereupon when I'm done I plan to shower, maybe eat something (I've not been hungry hardly at all since I started this trip; I'm not sure if it's nerves or if it's just my body going back to equilibrium after the massive eating I did last school year--at any rate, I'm just drinking lots of water and going with it) and read some more before I go to sleep. Ah, the exciting life! I do plan to actually leave the campground tomorrow, so hopefully it will be more interesting. And try to get the pictures working, darn it--they're pretty cool!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Looking for Shoeless Joe Hardy . . .
May 21--Hannibal, MO
I slept really well last night, even with cats going up and down and such. I may well need to get a board or something to put under the bunk, though; there's a cut-out part (to make it easier for people to get to the driving seats, though I'm short enough that I can just leave the bed down all the time) that sags a bit when I put my weight on it. This is a bit disconcerting, so a board might be a good idea. I woke up again around 7am, and futzed on the computer trying to find a place to stay. It's Memorial Day weekend, and everything is pretty much full. I considered lots of different options until I called a place that told me last night that they were full, and now they had a space! So I loaded up and started driving around 9:30.
I took the Interstate to St. Louis, then took various bypasses to Highway 79. The Interstate was in much better shape than it was in Alabama, although there were still some jouncy sections, and thank God that there were no left merges! I drove up Highway 79, through tiny towns and along a railroad track, lots of grain elevators and such--I know I'm in the Midwest because I heard a farm report! The road was narrow and windy and up-and-down, and it was rather interesting at times in the rig (which tends to sway alarmingly at times--it's a bit taller than I'm used to, although I've tried not to make it too top-heavy). I knew the Mississippi was over to the right, although I couldn't see it until Clarksville. On the left were bluffs that the road occasionally drove over (and a bit through--lots of sedimentary rocks here).
I missed the campground and had to turn around in Hannibal itself to get here. It's located on the grounds of the cave that Mark Twain used in "Tom Sawyer", and I plan to take a tour of the cave tomorrow. I was given a small spot in the very front that wasn't used often, and I found out why: the electric wasn't working. Since it was hot I was worried about the cats overheating more than anything else, and after having a maintenance guy work on the electric with no success, they finally sent me across the drive to one of their "emergency" spots (they keep it open in case of emergency, and the maintenance guy said that no electric counted as an emergency!). It's a nicer spot: shadier (right under a big tree), wider and flatter. And some really good WiFi, hence this post.
I'm completely exhausted, so I suspect it's going to be a shower and then an early night (then again, they all have been!). I plan to do little or nothing tomorrow but relax (and explore the cave), as the town is having Mark Twain Days this weekend, with a street fair and parades and suchlike, which I'll do Saturday and probably Sunday. I'm here until Monday, since I figure I'll be better able to find campspots after the holiday weekend is over.
I'm finding it amusing that parked next to my mini-motorhome is a conversion bus (which if it isn't actually twice as long as my baby, is close), pulling a full-sized SUV complete with bikes on the back. It's a study in contrasts: we're the alpha and omega of motor homes!
I slept really well last night, even with cats going up and down and such. I may well need to get a board or something to put under the bunk, though; there's a cut-out part (to make it easier for people to get to the driving seats, though I'm short enough that I can just leave the bed down all the time) that sags a bit when I put my weight on it. This is a bit disconcerting, so a board might be a good idea. I woke up again around 7am, and futzed on the computer trying to find a place to stay. It's Memorial Day weekend, and everything is pretty much full. I considered lots of different options until I called a place that told me last night that they were full, and now they had a space! So I loaded up and started driving around 9:30.
I took the Interstate to St. Louis, then took various bypasses to Highway 79. The Interstate was in much better shape than it was in Alabama, although there were still some jouncy sections, and thank God that there were no left merges! I drove up Highway 79, through tiny towns and along a railroad track, lots of grain elevators and such--I know I'm in the Midwest because I heard a farm report! The road was narrow and windy and up-and-down, and it was rather interesting at times in the rig (which tends to sway alarmingly at times--it's a bit taller than I'm used to, although I've tried not to make it too top-heavy). I knew the Mississippi was over to the right, although I couldn't see it until Clarksville. On the left were bluffs that the road occasionally drove over (and a bit through--lots of sedimentary rocks here).
I missed the campground and had to turn around in Hannibal itself to get here. It's located on the grounds of the cave that Mark Twain used in "Tom Sawyer", and I plan to take a tour of the cave tomorrow. I was given a small spot in the very front that wasn't used often, and I found out why: the electric wasn't working. Since it was hot I was worried about the cats overheating more than anything else, and after having a maintenance guy work on the electric with no success, they finally sent me across the drive to one of their "emergency" spots (they keep it open in case of emergency, and the maintenance guy said that no electric counted as an emergency!). It's a nicer spot: shadier (right under a big tree), wider and flatter. And some really good WiFi, hence this post.
I'm completely exhausted, so I suspect it's going to be a shower and then an early night (then again, they all have been!). I plan to do little or nothing tomorrow but relax (and explore the cave), as the town is having Mark Twain Days this weekend, with a street fair and parades and suchlike, which I'll do Saturday and probably Sunday. I'm here until Monday, since I figure I'll be better able to find campspots after the holiday weekend is over.
I'm finding it amusing that parked next to my mini-motorhome is a conversion bus (which if it isn't actually twice as long as my baby, is close), pulling a full-sized SUV complete with bikes on the back. It's a study in contrasts: we're the alpha and omega of motor homes!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
And we're off!
May 19—Jasper, AL
I made it! It was kind of dicey there for a minute, but I made it!
I apparently spent so much time relaxing yesterday that I didn’t get enough done, and wound up basically finishing up from 6am to 10am this morning. Which included finding out that the el cheapo bike rack I bought didn’t fit my bike, so no bike this trip. Oh well.
I chucked the last of the garbage and dropped off my keys at 10am, then went off to the local gas station to fill up. I never knew before that not every pump in a gas station that offers diesel, has diesel. They tend to be at the end of the rows, and I had to drive around a bit to find one. I’m VERY glad that this rig has a back-up camera; it’s a lifesaver—what on earth were all those people doing filling up at 10am on a Tuesday?!? I filled up (and yes, diesel was cheaper than regular gas—it’s a trend that seem to be holding, at least so far) and headed out.
I’d decided to take the scenic route, since I didn’t plan on driving very fast, and meandered my way up to Alabama. The wind was rather spectacular: between a big high-pressure area to the north and a possibly-tropical low pressure area to the south, I had winds that varied between headwind and broadside at up to 30mpg. Let me tell you, when I come out from some woods to a farmer field, the rig swerves like crazy. Another reason not to go too fast, although fast enough so that if the tropical thing did show up, I’d be long gone.
I managed to stick to mostly-two-lane roads up until Montgomery, and then switched to the interstate. I hate the interstate. Terrible road surface, people driving like maniacs, just awful. Birmingham was spectacular in its awfulness: concrete road surface (which meant that I spent a lot of time bouncing up in the air around the joints—imagine a motor home, even a small one, BOUNCING UP IN THE AIR), lots of noise, inability to get into the lane I needed—the best was when I went from I-65 to I-20 to get to route 78, and had to cross three lanes of near-rush-hour traffic in less than a mile to get to the exit. Give me two-lanes anytime!
I filled up at Birmingham (my first tank got me 17.3 mpg, which I figure isn’t bad given that a third of it was interstate at relatively-high speed), then came here to Sleepy Holler RV Park and Revival Camp. At least, I think it may be a revival camp; there’s a church on-site and the office is paved with religious stuff. It was also “fun” driving up the very steep narrow dirt road to get to the office; I am SO glad that I have a small rig! It’s pretty quiet; there is a country road a stones-throw from my site, but it’s still probably quieter than my old apartment. I’ve got most everything put away, but I have to make my bed yet. I’m hoping the cats will be able to get to the bunk—there’s not an easy way for them to jump, and I doubt they can use the ladder.
Ah yes, the cats. Nell has known that something is up for a while; she’s been looking very suspiciously at me since the boxes appeared, and she wouldn’t let me near her until I would make it clear that I wasn’t going to grab her. When I was ready to load them, I trapped them in the bedroom while I set up their fabric-crate in the dinette seat (where it fit quite nicely!). I decided to load Nell via the plastic crate, and had to corner her behind the toilet in the bathroom. I give her credit though: once she realized that crating was inevitable, she went in on her own. She did not, however, get out, and I had to disassemble the crate to get her in the kennel. Puck I just grabbed and carried out and stuck him in. They rode pretty well; Puck did meow a few times in Birmingham, I suspect as a result of the rough ride, and since I was also a bit vocal at the time I didn’t much blame him. I let them out when I got to the campsite (after blocking the footwell of the driver’s seat to make sure Puck didn’t get under the hood somehow), and both left the kennel fairly quickly. I thought Nell was adapting much faster than she did to the trailer, until I realized that she had crawled UNDER the fabric kennel in order to hide. She just doesn’t like the idea that people can see her and be all around her; she’s not secure yet. Puck is also a bit insecure, but not nearly as much—he’s much more of a “dog” than she is. Both ate and are using the litter boxes (one in the kennel, one in the passenger’s seat footwell) nicely.
Well, I’m going to go shower (not using mine yet, as I haven’t had a chance to sanitize the water system and I’m too damn tired to do it now—besides, I don’t much trust rural well water) and maybe see if I can get anything on the TV once I finish listening to NPR. Such civilization!
Hope all is well with y’all.
May 20—Perryburg, MO
I didn’t sleep all that well last night, I suspect for a couple of reasons. First, it had been a stressful day and I was still a bit wired. Also, it was the first night in the new rig, and I needed to get used to the new mattress (harder than my memory foam, and not completely level) and it smelled a bit of chemicals (I’m not sure if it was from the commercial dryer I had washed the linen in, or if the RV place had cleaned and/or Simonized the bed—the smell seemed to get better with time). I was also a bit worried about how the cats would react. Nell figured out how to get up to the overhead bunk: she hurled herself bodily from the dinette to the bed, a combination high/long jump. She was also smart enough to figure out that the way to get down was to jump onto the couch and not onto the hard floor or back onto the dinette. Puck took longer to figure this out; I woke up at 12:30 to pee (yay indoor toilet!) and he was curled up into a little ball on the couch—I’m wondering if he even knew I was still in the rig! He also didn’t really want to wake up, which worried me (y’all know me, I live to worry) so I poked him a few times to make sure he was awake. He then managed to clamber up to the bunk, going from the couch to a rolled sleeping bag I used as a cushion to the extra dinette cushion I have leaning against the bunk to the bunk itself. He also figured out how to get down; I was afraid that he’d jump somewhere other than the couch, but he didn’t. So I spent much of the rest of the night rearranging myself around Nell, who was under the covers (which served a double purpose: she kept warm (it got down to 55 inside the rig last night) and she can’t see out, which she likes when travelling as she’s still insecure) and Puck arranging himself around some portion of my anatomy. Ah well. I did sleep better toward the end of the night (which is always true—I also had some weird dreams: I don’t really know Adam Lambert, do I?) and woke up at the late (for me) time of 7am.
I wanted to get on the road rather quickly, so I fed the cats and then got everything together and left around 8am. I had to bribe Nell out of the bed with some of Puck’s uneaten food; she really wanted to stay under the covers, and if I weren’t afraid she might either get motion sick in my bed or decide to come out in the middle of a bad road section, I might have let her.
On the way back to the highway, I stopped at a Winn Dixie to buy some supplies, most notably Scott toilet paper (RV septics don’t like nice thick toilet paper—they like stuff that dissolves when it hits the water—but there’s no toilet paper holder in the bath!). I then picked up the stuff I hadn’t stowed properly (which was now all over the floor, including a pint or so of water—oops!) and continued on Highway 78.
Remember yesterday when I talked about Birmingham roads? I found something worse! Still in Alabama (I now know why there are churches everywhere here: people are so pleased at surviving the drive that they want to thank God IMMEDIATELY), on Highway 78: they were paving the right lane, so they had us all go into the left lane. Except we didn’t have the entire left lane; they had added a wee little paved shoulder to the left side, and the trucks and I were balanced precariously between hitting the dividing drums in the middle of our lane or going into the ditch (which, since it was really steep, I assumed would result in my rolling the RV). Add in the wind still blowing hard, and it was a lovely few miles of driving. White-knuckle, freaking out the whole way, lots of fun. I don’t know how much room I actually had on the right side, since I was afraid to look into my right-side mirror, but I was on the edge on the left. I hate Alabama roads, I really do. I did, however, make it without a problem (and it made me really glad I had bought myself a Pepsi!).
Around the Alabama/Mississippi border the Appalachian foothills that I’d been in since Birmingham vanished, and the land got quite flat and pretty much stayed that way (with the occasional rolling hill). I didn’t stop to see the Elvis stuff in Tupelo; it turned out to be a “just keep driving” day. Not much to see, really, though. I drove up Hwy 45 to Jackson, then 412 to I-155, then up I-55. The Mississippi is really high; lots of flooding in the low-lying fields around the river. I even saw a couple of cars trapped on a high place on a levee, with the road ahead and behind washed out (who knows for how long). My weather continues nice, sunny and warm (maybe too warm; I had to turn on the AC this afternoon after crossing the Mississippi, and while it did cool down the rig nicely (I was more worried about the cats than myself) it sure did hammer the mileage! I got nearly 19 mpg the second tank, but I doubt I’ll get anywhere near that this time), and the godforsaken wind may well have died down.
I’m in a campground between Cape Girardeau and Ste. Genevieve. It used to be a KOA, and like most it’s within sight of the interstate—in fact, I can see it from where I sit now at the dinette typing. Blah. But beggers can’t be choosers; I’m exhausted, there aren’t that many campgrounds around here, and I ain’t moving. Maybe I’ll just pretend that it’s white noise to help me sleep! I know I won’t go swimming; the pool is a rather unappetizing shade of green. And hopefully the guys who just got out their ATV will stop driving it around soon (they just ran it into a small swing set—never a dull moment!).
I made it! It was kind of dicey there for a minute, but I made it!
I apparently spent so much time relaxing yesterday that I didn’t get enough done, and wound up basically finishing up from 6am to 10am this morning. Which included finding out that the el cheapo bike rack I bought didn’t fit my bike, so no bike this trip. Oh well.
I chucked the last of the garbage and dropped off my keys at 10am, then went off to the local gas station to fill up. I never knew before that not every pump in a gas station that offers diesel, has diesel. They tend to be at the end of the rows, and I had to drive around a bit to find one. I’m VERY glad that this rig has a back-up camera; it’s a lifesaver—what on earth were all those people doing filling up at 10am on a Tuesday?!? I filled up (and yes, diesel was cheaper than regular gas—it’s a trend that seem to be holding, at least so far) and headed out.
I’d decided to take the scenic route, since I didn’t plan on driving very fast, and meandered my way up to Alabama. The wind was rather spectacular: between a big high-pressure area to the north and a possibly-tropical low pressure area to the south, I had winds that varied between headwind and broadside at up to 30mpg. Let me tell you, when I come out from some woods to a farmer field, the rig swerves like crazy. Another reason not to go too fast, although fast enough so that if the tropical thing did show up, I’d be long gone.
I managed to stick to mostly-two-lane roads up until Montgomery, and then switched to the interstate. I hate the interstate. Terrible road surface, people driving like maniacs, just awful. Birmingham was spectacular in its awfulness: concrete road surface (which meant that I spent a lot of time bouncing up in the air around the joints—imagine a motor home, even a small one, BOUNCING UP IN THE AIR), lots of noise, inability to get into the lane I needed—the best was when I went from I-65 to I-20 to get to route 78, and had to cross three lanes of near-rush-hour traffic in less than a mile to get to the exit. Give me two-lanes anytime!
I filled up at Birmingham (my first tank got me 17.3 mpg, which I figure isn’t bad given that a third of it was interstate at relatively-high speed), then came here to Sleepy Holler RV Park and Revival Camp. At least, I think it may be a revival camp; there’s a church on-site and the office is paved with religious stuff. It was also “fun” driving up the very steep narrow dirt road to get to the office; I am SO glad that I have a small rig! It’s pretty quiet; there is a country road a stones-throw from my site, but it’s still probably quieter than my old apartment. I’ve got most everything put away, but I have to make my bed yet. I’m hoping the cats will be able to get to the bunk—there’s not an easy way for them to jump, and I doubt they can use the ladder.
Ah yes, the cats. Nell has known that something is up for a while; she’s been looking very suspiciously at me since the boxes appeared, and she wouldn’t let me near her until I would make it clear that I wasn’t going to grab her. When I was ready to load them, I trapped them in the bedroom while I set up their fabric-crate in the dinette seat (where it fit quite nicely!). I decided to load Nell via the plastic crate, and had to corner her behind the toilet in the bathroom. I give her credit though: once she realized that crating was inevitable, she went in on her own. She did not, however, get out, and I had to disassemble the crate to get her in the kennel. Puck I just grabbed and carried out and stuck him in. They rode pretty well; Puck did meow a few times in Birmingham, I suspect as a result of the rough ride, and since I was also a bit vocal at the time I didn’t much blame him. I let them out when I got to the campsite (after blocking the footwell of the driver’s seat to make sure Puck didn’t get under the hood somehow), and both left the kennel fairly quickly. I thought Nell was adapting much faster than she did to the trailer, until I realized that she had crawled UNDER the fabric kennel in order to hide. She just doesn’t like the idea that people can see her and be all around her; she’s not secure yet. Puck is also a bit insecure, but not nearly as much—he’s much more of a “dog” than she is. Both ate and are using the litter boxes (one in the kennel, one in the passenger’s seat footwell) nicely.
Well, I’m going to go shower (not using mine yet, as I haven’t had a chance to sanitize the water system and I’m too damn tired to do it now—besides, I don’t much trust rural well water) and maybe see if I can get anything on the TV once I finish listening to NPR. Such civilization!
Hope all is well with y’all.
May 20—Perryburg, MO
I didn’t sleep all that well last night, I suspect for a couple of reasons. First, it had been a stressful day and I was still a bit wired. Also, it was the first night in the new rig, and I needed to get used to the new mattress (harder than my memory foam, and not completely level) and it smelled a bit of chemicals (I’m not sure if it was from the commercial dryer I had washed the linen in, or if the RV place had cleaned and/or Simonized the bed—the smell seemed to get better with time). I was also a bit worried about how the cats would react. Nell figured out how to get up to the overhead bunk: she hurled herself bodily from the dinette to the bed, a combination high/long jump. She was also smart enough to figure out that the way to get down was to jump onto the couch and not onto the hard floor or back onto the dinette. Puck took longer to figure this out; I woke up at 12:30 to pee (yay indoor toilet!) and he was curled up into a little ball on the couch—I’m wondering if he even knew I was still in the rig! He also didn’t really want to wake up, which worried me (y’all know me, I live to worry) so I poked him a few times to make sure he was awake. He then managed to clamber up to the bunk, going from the couch to a rolled sleeping bag I used as a cushion to the extra dinette cushion I have leaning against the bunk to the bunk itself. He also figured out how to get down; I was afraid that he’d jump somewhere other than the couch, but he didn’t. So I spent much of the rest of the night rearranging myself around Nell, who was under the covers (which served a double purpose: she kept warm (it got down to 55 inside the rig last night) and she can’t see out, which she likes when travelling as she’s still insecure) and Puck arranging himself around some portion of my anatomy. Ah well. I did sleep better toward the end of the night (which is always true—I also had some weird dreams: I don’t really know Adam Lambert, do I?) and woke up at the late (for me) time of 7am.
I wanted to get on the road rather quickly, so I fed the cats and then got everything together and left around 8am. I had to bribe Nell out of the bed with some of Puck’s uneaten food; she really wanted to stay under the covers, and if I weren’t afraid she might either get motion sick in my bed or decide to come out in the middle of a bad road section, I might have let her.
On the way back to the highway, I stopped at a Winn Dixie to buy some supplies, most notably Scott toilet paper (RV septics don’t like nice thick toilet paper—they like stuff that dissolves when it hits the water—but there’s no toilet paper holder in the bath!). I then picked up the stuff I hadn’t stowed properly (which was now all over the floor, including a pint or so of water—oops!) and continued on Highway 78.
Remember yesterday when I talked about Birmingham roads? I found something worse! Still in Alabama (I now know why there are churches everywhere here: people are so pleased at surviving the drive that they want to thank God IMMEDIATELY), on Highway 78: they were paving the right lane, so they had us all go into the left lane. Except we didn’t have the entire left lane; they had added a wee little paved shoulder to the left side, and the trucks and I were balanced precariously between hitting the dividing drums in the middle of our lane or going into the ditch (which, since it was really steep, I assumed would result in my rolling the RV). Add in the wind still blowing hard, and it was a lovely few miles of driving. White-knuckle, freaking out the whole way, lots of fun. I don’t know how much room I actually had on the right side, since I was afraid to look into my right-side mirror, but I was on the edge on the left. I hate Alabama roads, I really do. I did, however, make it without a problem (and it made me really glad I had bought myself a Pepsi!).
Around the Alabama/Mississippi border the Appalachian foothills that I’d been in since Birmingham vanished, and the land got quite flat and pretty much stayed that way (with the occasional rolling hill). I didn’t stop to see the Elvis stuff in Tupelo; it turned out to be a “just keep driving” day. Not much to see, really, though. I drove up Hwy 45 to Jackson, then 412 to I-155, then up I-55. The Mississippi is really high; lots of flooding in the low-lying fields around the river. I even saw a couple of cars trapped on a high place on a levee, with the road ahead and behind washed out (who knows for how long). My weather continues nice, sunny and warm (maybe too warm; I had to turn on the AC this afternoon after crossing the Mississippi, and while it did cool down the rig nicely (I was more worried about the cats than myself) it sure did hammer the mileage! I got nearly 19 mpg the second tank, but I doubt I’ll get anywhere near that this time), and the godforsaken wind may well have died down.
I’m in a campground between Cape Girardeau and Ste. Genevieve. It used to be a KOA, and like most it’s within sight of the interstate—in fact, I can see it from where I sit now at the dinette typing. Blah. But beggers can’t be choosers; I’m exhausted, there aren’t that many campgrounds around here, and I ain’t moving. Maybe I’ll just pretend that it’s white noise to help me sleep! I know I won’t go swimming; the pool is a rather unappetizing shade of green. And hopefully the guys who just got out their ATV will stop driving it around soon (they just ran it into a small swing set—never a dull moment!).
Monday, May 18, 2009
Not so fast!
I've decided to leave tomorrow instead of today, so that I can take my time and make sure that all the tasks I need to are finished properly instead of rushed. Also, I can be a bit calmer than I have been the past week or so. Besides, a front came through last night and now it's cold! Well, it's 62 degrees, but that feel quite cold, particularly with the wind. So I'm going to alternately relax (and hopefully finish "A Beautiful Mind") and pack the RV and clean. I may have to voluntarily put on a shirt with sleeves!
The cats, by the way, are both confused and active, which is an interesting combination. They've been chasing one another all over the place, and wanting attention and are HUNGRY! It must be the weather change, because all three of us woke up this morning more hungry than usual. I can't wait until I get north into weather like this all the time.
Tune in tomorrow for the actual trip!
The cats, by the way, are both confused and active, which is an interesting combination. They've been chasing one another all over the place, and wanting attention and are HUNGRY! It must be the weather change, because all three of us woke up this morning more hungry than usual. I can't wait until I get north into weather like this all the time.
Tune in tomorrow for the actual trip!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Welcome to my new world!
I've recently decided to have my second mid-life crisis (no, I didn't quit my job this time), and bought a lightly-used 2006 Winnebago View RV. 24 feet long, diesel engine, plenty of room for me and the cats, and relatively easy to drive. I'm moving out of my current apartment, putting irreplaceable items in storage (well, that I do have in common with my first crisis), and will be taking off for northern climes Monday, assuming I finish packing and moving.
Which I'd better do, since the electric is going off here Tuesday. Nothing like a deadline!
Which I'd better do, since the electric is going off here Tuesday. Nothing like a deadline!
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