July 18th
We had planned for today and knew it would be a long drive from the Wisconsin Dells to just outside of Custer State Park/The Badlands. In total we drove something like 730 miles.
Jason the bus driver! He drove ALL DAY! What a guy! I offered to drive since we were on I-90 through Minnesota & it was pretty easy straight driving but the wind was blowing through the corn fields and grasslands so bad, he said he would do it. He literally was holding the steering wheel at 15 degrees because the wind was blowing so hard.
We stopped for a quick breakfast & lunch...but I never even got out of the RV. Saylor walked around a bit while I made lunch. It is very nice to not have to actually go into a rest stop/gas station to use the nasty potty!
We crossed both the Mississippi & Missouri Rivers today. There was pretty much one giant corn field that connected all of Minnesota East to West. Check out these GIANT wind turbines. Hundreds of them across Minnesota. The picture (while moving) doesn't so it justice. We drove by a field were they were storing parts of the base....at least two stories tall in it's diameter.
Then we moved onto South Dakota and saw a B-52 land at Ellsworth Air Force base. We were at least a mile away when we spotted it coming in for a landing. It was a monster in the sky. Very cool.
Ok, so I know you are thinking, what did Lily & Charlie do for 11+ hours today? Well thank goodness they spent the last four summers on the boat. They are well traveled little kids & make due. Charlie lounged on his bed (folds up into a booth) in the morning doing summer school work. He playing on the iPad for a while, Legos, pirates, I let each of them have a turn in Mama's seat (I know Nana...not sure that is legal but the seat belt was on). Charlie also watched a movie in the bedroom (inverter allows the TVs & DVD player to work). By the end of the movie, he was fast asleep & slept for over an hour. That happens when you wake everyone up at 6:30 A.M.
The above picture of Charlie on the bed shows it with the slide out in. When we are parked, we move the slide out & you can actually walk around the bed.
Miss Lily: she brought 20 books to read. She started her first book, did summer school, worked on a craft, taught part of Charlie's summer school lesson...come on we are talking about Lily. She could school me! She also had a turn in the navigator's seat. Oh my, the conversations she has with her daddy! Anything from vacations he took as a child, to his Chinese calendar the year he was born, to Charolais (white French cow), what it was like to be a poineer across the grasslands, and the relationship between time & space. Daddy said he was not quite ready for that one yet. Seriously 9 years old, lol!
The girl has been a little quiet adjusting to the new braces & expander until this afternoon.
Here we are at our destination for the next two nights. Rushmore Shadows RV Resort in South Dakota. A late dinner with burgers, beans, & a cocktail by the fire. Ready to get out and explore tomorrow.
States: Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota
2 comments:
Wow! What an adventure! Poor Saylor :( She's so precious and I'm sure she's happy just to be with her family no matter where. Thanks for blogging! I love that you used 'janky'! Hahaha! Keep safe :)
Love,
Barb
Hi, y'all! I tried to post a comment on your first day, but didn't see it on the blog. Don't know why. Am trying under this anonymous heading like Barb. Anyway, we are so thrilled that you are having a good time. We know that Charlie and Lily will always treasure memories of this trip. Mac and I really enjoyed our long trip to Maine after the trip east from CA to GA when we first got the bus. Isn't a private bathroom great?? So now you are certified Wal-Martians. I wrote a piece for Paisley Mag about our GA to CA trip, "Wal-Marting Across America!" Wish I had thought of doing a blog at the time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you every day, especially for Saylor. Much love to you all, Mac, Sam, and the pooches.
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