July 26, 2013

One year Anniversary (July 31, 2012-July 31, 2013)

Our First Month On The Road

I remember how thrilling it was to walk through our bricks and sticks house for the last time checking to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything.

 I actually had mixed emotions-I was just a little sad as I looked around at the now empty house, seeing in my minds’ eye all the things, now long gone either sold or donated, that had made this house a home. 

Once I walked out the door for the last time I stopped looking back and concentrated on what was ahead of us.  We had places to go, things to do and people to meet.

Monte pulled out of the side drive-way and I followed in my car.  We had considered selling my car but didn’t for a few reasons.

1-The re-sale value on a 2003 Eclipse would have been low.

2-Gas for my car would be less expensive than for the diesel for the truck and we would be able to use my car to go off exploring.

3-Being that we were going to be together 24-7, having our own vehicles would give us a little alone time.  (Don’t get me wrong-Monte is my best friend and I love spending time with him but everyone needs a little ME time once in a while.

Our very first night was spent at the Tallahassee RV Park.  Monte took care of the outside while I got the inside set up.  We were exhausted so we didn’t even take a walk around the park.

 

 

 

  

We chose Tallahassee as our first stop so that we could visit with Monte’s daughter Melissa and our grandson, Timmy.  After lunch it was time to say goodbye as we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us to Carrabelle Beach.   

 

 

 

 

 

We had vouchers for a two night stay courtesy of Lazy Days where we purchased our rig.

 

 

 

  

 

It was raining when we arrived so Monte got to experience setting up in the rain.  But it didn’t last long and we had great weather the remainder of our stay at the resort. 

 

 

  

Carrabelle Beach

We walked the half mile down the road and toured the Crooked River Lighthouse. 

We had asked a few people for restaurant recommendations

 and almost all of them suggested Marker 30--To be kind I have eaten in better restaurants.

 

After leaving Carrabelle Beach we had another new experience in Dothan, AL—staying overnight at Camping World.   The folks there were very nice as they pointed out where the overnight parking spots were located.   We were surprised to see that there were actual hook-ups with water and electric and a dump station at the exit. 

We purchased a couple of items and toured the historic district known for its murals.  Unfortunately, our experience also included an infestation of ants in the basement that required emptying and spraying the entire compartment.  Luckily the ants were confined to the basement.

We also found out another disadvantage of staying in a parking lot---light pouring through the shower skylight from the bright spot lights around the property.

We spent the next night at the Camping World in Calera, AL. 

The Summit Mall is set on beautifully landscaped grounds with spectacular views.  We used one of the gift cards (Starbucks) we had received from well wishers at our going away party. 

We also had to install a new lock after I broke the key off in the old lock. 

Our biggest challenge of the month occurred on the highway on our way to Nashville when, as I was following Monte, tire tread hit my windshield.  The loose tread had come from our rig. 

 

We limped into a small town and called AAA and were told that the closest station was over an hour away and the tech was already on another call so it was going to be a long wait.  As we sat in the truck waiting it began to pour.   We found out later on that it hadn’t rained in that area for months.  Timing is everything!

                                                                          Are we having fun yet?

Travis, the guy from AAA only had a floor jack and was unable to raise the R V.  Luckily Monte had a bottle jack that did the trick. 

We headed for the Camping World in Nashville arriving early evening.  They were closed so we spent the night in the parking lot-first time without hook-ups. 

When the Camping World opened in the morning we found out they wouldn’t have an opening in the service department to check out the damage for another 3 days.  We called the next closest Camping World in Bowling Green who told us to come on
in. 

But first, we drove to the closest Goodyear Tire place and purchased 4 brand new tires.  The tires that had come with the rig were also Goodyear tires but they were made in China and according to the Goodyear salesman were not rated for the rig’s weight.  So, less than one week into our journey, we had a $2,000 expense we hadn’t budgeted for.  The lessons were coming fast and furious!

We were in and out of the Bowling Green Camping World within a couple of hours with a price tag of only $84 to repair the torn membrane.

During the course of the next week we stayed at Singing Hills RV Park in Cave City, KY so we could tour Mammoth Cave National Park located a few miles away, ate at Cracker Barrel, stayed at the Camping World in Greenwood, IN were we had our first tornado warning and explored the beautiful city of Indianapolis.

Singing Hills RV Park, Cave City, KY 

Greenwood, IN

 

The next five days were spent in Elkhart, IN at the Mor/Ryde factory were we had an appointment to have work done on the rig that included an independent suspension, disc brakes, hydraulic disc brake controller, had the brake control module replaced, and installation of a 3 inch lift kit on the truck hitch.     

 

After being frustrated at having to take the basement apart every time he looked for a particular item, Monte opted to have a slide out drawer installed in the basement.  HE LOVES IT.

Elkhart, IN 

Museum of American Art

 

 

We toured the Keystone factory and got to see how our model rig is built.

Before leaving the area we stopped at an RV parts discount store to purchase a propane tank regulator and ended up spending $750 on a generator that normally would have cost $1,000  (that ended up being more hassle than it was worth-more details at a later post ). 

On our way to Minnesota we got separated for a few hours going through Chicago.  I try to stay directly behind Monte so that I can help assist him by blocking traffic if he needs to change lanes.  But we hit rush hour traffic and cars got between us so when he exited the highway I couldn’t get over in time to do so also. 
We both have a GPS in our vehicles.
Monte’s unit is specifically made for an RV and is supposed to keep him from going on roads he shouldn’t be on especially ones that have overpasses with low clearances.  (It doesn’t always keep us out of trouble-that is also a story for a later post.)

The road that I ended up on going through Chicago was not a road that would be good for the rig so it was a good thing that Monte hadn’t been following me.

We caught up with each other a few hours later but I have to admit I didn’t like being separated from him.

We spent the night at a Camping World in DeForest, WI. 

They grow their moths big here. 

The dump station is located on the side of the building-When using it we blocked the road leading to the service bay.  The pull handle on the gray tank came off in Monte's hand--oops we were supposed to be gone before the service area opened up at 8am and now we are blocking the entrance.  Luckily it was an easy fix and we only blocked the entrance for a few minutes before we were on our way.

 

Mid August had us in a cute little RV park in Welcome, MN called Checkers Campground.

We attended the County Fair where we tasted a deep fried oreo for the first time

 (AND ONLY TIME-IT WAS GROSS!) 

Monte liked the big farm machines. 

And of course the funnel cake!

 

Iowa

On to South Dakota

Falls Park, Sioux Falls, SD

Fuddruckers 

Wall Drug is a collection of shops and eateries.  We stayed at the nearby Sleepy Hollow Campground because it was close to the entrance to the Badlands.

 

On the road to Mt. Rushmore

Custer State Park close encounter 

Crazy Horse

 After paying our $20 admittance fee we went into the visitor’s center and watched a film showing the making of the Crazy Horse Monument.  After the film we “tagged” along on a private tour led by a guide so we got detailed info about the different artifacts on display. 

Gordon Stockade

 The Gordon Stockade is located just of Hwy 14A right before you reach the west entrance of Custer State Park. The original stockade was built by the Gordon Party in December of 1874.

Twenty-eight people left Sioux City, Iowa in October of 1874 headed to the Black Hills in search of gold. They reached the Black Hills in December. Being in the Black Hills at that time was illegal, as it violated the Fort Laramie Treaty. They spent the first three weeks building the stockade for protection.

The stockade was discovered by the US Cavalry in 1875 and the party members were taken to Fort Laramie. They were not charged with any crimes and many of them ended up back in the Black Hills searching for gold.

Devils Tower

We saw an announcement for a Ranger-led hike.  We ended up with a private hike as we were the only ones who showed up--SCORE! 

This couple come once a year to perform and we just happen to be there at the right time.   They played several instruments, sang and narrated the settling of the west. 

 Walmart Camping in Billings, MT

We spent a week at Yellowstone National Park

 

We stayed the first night just outside of Yellowstone in the town of Gardiner, MT because we needed to get caught up on laundry.  We took a ride into the campground to scope out a spot for the next few days because the campground is a first come first served camp. 

As we entered the camp, Monte noticed a Cambridge RV that had a jeep in the site.  It turned out to be Howard and Linda Payne.  At that time they had been full-timing for seven years.  Howard posts a journal that I have been following and although I hadn't met them at that point yet I already felt like I knew them well.  In fact it is was their rally that we were scheduled to attend in Oregon the following month.  Monte had met them back in January at the Tampa RV Show.  I was in AZ at the time and didn’t get a chance to meet them then.  They graciously invited us to stay for dinner-Homemade Chile.  YUM! 

When we arrived at Old Faithful and had to drive around the parking lot a few times before finding an empty spot to park.  We started walking towards the visitor center when Monte noticed a big crowd sitting on benches.  He said he thought that maybe they were waiting for Old Faithful to erupt so we decided to check it out.  Sure enough within 5 minutes it blew.  It only lasted a couple of minutes but it was quite impressive.  We walked around the path looking at all the different hot springs.  The colors were amazing.

 

Mammoth Springs Campground 

 

This elk got her leg caught in the tent support--

The guy inside, a biker, told us later that he was scared s---less!

We decided to travel towards the Northeast entrance of the park towards Cooke City, WY.  We kept going, stopping at a few National Forest Campgrounds along the way.  We saw the sign for Cody and made a spur of the moment decision to drive there.  It was over 60 miles from when we exited the park until Cody but it took almost three hours because at many areas the speed limit was only 20MPH.  We also stopped at quite a few overlooks along the way.  The sights were truly breathtaking.

The first time we saw bison it was such a thrill BUT after the forth or fifth time being delayed while waiting for the herd to cross the road it got real old.

Monte noticed a sign that stated just ahead was the Buffalo Bill Dam.  Even though it was getting late we decided to stop.  Since 9/11 no cars are permitted up near the visitor center so they provide a shuttle service for free.  We timed it just right as the cart driver was dropping off passengers in the parking lot.  It was a neat place to visit and we would have liked to stay longer but were concerned about the time.  On the way back to the parking lot the cart driver told us we had a 5 and a half hour drive back to Mammoth Springs Campground.  I laughed because I thought he was joking.  Then when we got back to the car I looked at the map that indicates the driving distances and oh my goodness, he wasn’t kidding! 

 

We followed Linda and Howard the short distance to the parking lot at the Boiling River and it was approximately a ¼ mile walk to the access point.  There was a sign posting several restrictions, one of which was not bathing allowed.  Bummer-I had brought my shampoo with me and had planned on washing my hair. We took off our outer clothes in the cold (Brrr), put on our swim shoes and slowly made our way over the rocks in to the water.  It is a weird sensation when first entering the water because there is a flow of very hot water that mixes with the very cold water so at part of the river one part of your body is cold and one part hot.  When you finally find the “sweet spot” where the mix is perfect, it is awesome.  It was so refreshing that we stayed

almost 2 hours.  

 

 

We pulled over to see why everyone else had pulled over-It was a mother bear and two cubs- 

 

 

 

 Linda and Howard came for dinner.  I made pasta with two types of toppings, shrimp scampi and red sauce with sausage.  We also had garlic toast.  It was the first time I used the oven.  Linda was very helpful, explaining how it is important to really let the oven heat up before putting anything in it and also to recognize by sound when the oven is ready.  Linda made coffee and baked a delicious cake for dessert.  She even brought ice cream to go on top.  YUM. 

We ended up putting over 600 miles on my car during or time at Yellowstone.  We were glad that we hadn't sold the car because we would have put all that mileage on the truck.
The week we spent at Yellowstone was our first real experience of not being plugged in for so many consecutive days.  We had purchased a generator but it quit working after one day!  To keep our batteries charged we had to run the truck for a while each day.  We had SOOOO much to learn!

It had been an exciting and sometimes frustrating first month getting just a small taste of what was in store for us in our new life over the coming year.