Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Photo Directions
Check the Picasa Album Post for the link to our Photo album...There are a few new ones up! Thanks
Greetings from Wyoming!
Day 5
Day 3 since showering…
Its 2:00 pm local time (Mountain Time).We just crossed into Wyoming from South Dakota after getting up this morning and driving out of the Badlands National Park across the Buffalo Gap National Grassland on 44 West towards Rapid City. We picked up Highway 16 West there and will take it into Yellowstone. I just checked the mileage and we are just under 400 miles out, so we may yet make it there tonight! HAHA Doug Brooks!
Alright here is yesterday’s news~
We left our roosting spot at the rest stop and headed north on I-29 and picked up 44 West. Our first stop was in Parkston for provisions and lunch. We bought groceries at the local food mart and made turkey sandwiches in the parking lot. The Westy really shines in moments like that! We stocked the ice box and cooler and set the table up and made our lunch. The next stop was Platte, where we fueled up. We had several admirers there and heard many oohs and ahhs from the old timers hanging around the gas pumps. Shortly after we pulled out of Platte, we came to the great Missouri River. There was a nice pull off that overlooked the river and we snapped a few shots there. The river was quite wide, easily as large as the Mississippi we crossed coming into Iowa. We continued driving west on 44 and before long found ourselves traveling across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where we crossed into the Mountain Time Zone. Being short of fuel, we made a pit stop at a little road side convenience store. Man it looked sketchy! There was no sign at all, and the only fuel available was 85 octane. Cricker had to leave his credit card with the Indian at the counter while we filled the tank. He was none too thrilled about that but we made out all right. A few more miles down the road we arrived in Interior, South Dakota. We left 44 and entered the Badlands National Park before 5 o’clock. It was by far the most amazing scenery we have viewed so far! The hills rise sharply out of the grassland, with eerie moonscape pinnacles and spires. They are all plaster colored and chalky looking. We bought a National Park Pass here, which gave us admission into the park and to any National Park we want to visit for a year ($80 bucks, but probably well worth it. The fee for Badlands was $15). We meandered through the park road for about 30 miles, taking in the scenery and snapping as many photos as possible. The wind suddenly came up and nearly blew the bus off the road! We were trying to set up the tripod to get a picture of both of us at the White River Valley overlook, and the wind was whipping so hard it kept blowing the camera over. We caught a lull in the gusts and got our picture though. We drove a few more miles and took a gravel road 12 miles into the park wilderness to the Sage Creek campground.
On our way in I was disgusted that there were cattle guards in the national park and fences all around the so called wilderness. I soon realized they were to keep the BISON in the park! They were everywhere… we stopped and got a quick picture of the bus with the Bison in the background. We also saw small groups of pronghorn antelope in the distance. There were a few other cars already at the campground, which was fairly primitive. No water, and only a primitive toilet there. But they were surprisingly clean, and also had hand sanitizer, which was a nice surprise. Campfires were prohibited, but we set up the stove for the first time and cooked Uncle Melvin’s prized steaks with some potatoes and carrots. It was delicious! Aunt Connie, Can you email the name of that seasoning? After dinner, we popped the camper up and hit the bed early, about 10. The stars were out and the night sky was crisp and clear. Breath taking! It was chilly during the night, and we both decided we needed to wear socks to bed! We also need to pick up a thermometer… Woke up this morning to birds chirping and the sun shining! On the way back to the main park road we saw dozens of prairie dogs frolicking around their holes.
We exited the park and picked up 44 West again and were on our way to Rapid City. After about an hour of driving, we connected with 16 West and moseyed on into the Black Hills National Forest. Mosey is the word for it because the grade was quite steep and we were poking along at a modest 48 mph. We arrived at Mount Rushmore at about 10am and walked up to the monument and snapped a few pictures. We didn’t stay long because the wind was howling and it was freezing cold. I called Grandma to say hey and sent a few pictures from my phone. The skies were blue with only a few wispy clouds. Between Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument, it started blowing snow and by the time we got parked, we could barely see the mountain! After perusing the museum and having a complimentary cup of coffee, we packed up and hit the road again. We picked up Highway 16 and drove towards the Wyoming border. We stopped in the small town of Custer, South Dakota and fueled up and made sandwiches. Getting back on the road, we cruised into Wyoming about 3:30! We tooled along Highway 16 towards I-90 and somehow Cricker blew through a school zone doing 15 over… Officer E. Robinson of the Moorcroft Police Department promptly issued us a warning. He also didn’t think we could possibly make it to Yellowstone tonight…we will see. We are now on I-90 headed towards Buffalo, Wyoming. Ill update again when we have more news. Thanks for tuning in!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Good Morning America, How Are Ya?
Good Morning!
Day 4
Day 2 of not showering
We are on the road again... Monday saw us across Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and into South Dakota! It was a long day on the road (14 Hrs! the bus is a champ!) so we are planning on taking it slower today and stop to check out the locals. We stopped for the night around 12 local time at a rest stop a few miles after Sioux City, Ia in South Dakota. The bus rolled into the parking lot and we laid the lower bunk down and drew the curtains and passed out soon thereafter. The alarm was set for 7:15, so we were up right away and pulled back onto 29 north at 9:45. Aunt Connie called to check up on us a few miles back...
The weather is a bit overcast this morning but the sun is trying to peek through. It was windy waking up so Cricker should have fun driving! We are hoping to see the Badlands today and maybe Mt. Rushmore. Its looking like we will be in Yellowstone on Wednesday Uncle Doug!! Thats the update for the morning but Ill give a recap of yesterday now...
We left the Riffey farm and picked up I- 74 and drove and drove and drove. The landscape through Indiana and Illinois seemed pretty similar...the broad flat plains and vast fields...It wasnt until we crossed the Mississippi River in the early afternoon that the scenery began to change. We picked up I-80 near Davenport, IA and soon were riding along rolling hills and dark black fields... We stopped at the World's Largest Truckstop on I-80 outside of Iowa City. (Sorry Tristan, somehow we missed the only sign for the place, I was sure there would be more than one...) We were able to Skype with Grandma and Uncle Terry in the afternoon, it is a bit noisy in the cabin area and my lappy's speakers arent so hot so we had some communication issues. It was fun to see you guys for a second though! We are cruising through Parker, South Dakota pop. 1,031 right now. Cricker snapped a pic of me updating this in front of the town sign, so I'll try to upload that. Back to yesterday... It was getting late in the evening and we needed fuel so we decided to gas up and stop at a grocery store and buy a few provisions. Stuart, Iowa doesnt have a grocery in sight of the interstate, so we ended up eating at McDonalds. A move that we both immediately regretted. Haha. We hooked up on Skype with Dad and Eric for a minute, man you guys need to get a better camera/ microphone! But Im gonna wrap it up for now.... more to come later!
Day 4
Day 2 of not showering
We are on the road again... Monday saw us across Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and into South Dakota! It was a long day on the road (14 Hrs! the bus is a champ!) so we are planning on taking it slower today and stop to check out the locals. We stopped for the night around 12 local time at a rest stop a few miles after Sioux City, Ia in South Dakota. The bus rolled into the parking lot and we laid the lower bunk down and drew the curtains and passed out soon thereafter. The alarm was set for 7:15, so we were up right away and pulled back onto 29 north at 9:45. Aunt Connie called to check up on us a few miles back...
The weather is a bit overcast this morning but the sun is trying to peek through. It was windy waking up so Cricker should have fun driving! We are hoping to see the Badlands today and maybe Mt. Rushmore. Its looking like we will be in Yellowstone on Wednesday Uncle Doug!! Thats the update for the morning but Ill give a recap of yesterday now...
We left the Riffey farm and picked up I- 74 and drove and drove and drove. The landscape through Indiana and Illinois seemed pretty similar...the broad flat plains and vast fields...It wasnt until we crossed the Mississippi River in the early afternoon that the scenery began to change. We picked up I-80 near Davenport, IA and soon were riding along rolling hills and dark black fields... We stopped at the World's Largest Truckstop on I-80 outside of Iowa City. (Sorry Tristan, somehow we missed the only sign for the place, I was sure there would be more than one...) We were able to Skype with Grandma and Uncle Terry in the afternoon, it is a bit noisy in the cabin area and my lappy's speakers arent so hot so we had some communication issues. It was fun to see you guys for a second though! We are cruising through Parker, South Dakota pop. 1,031 right now. Cricker snapped a pic of me updating this in front of the town sign, so I'll try to upload that. Back to yesterday... It was getting late in the evening and we needed fuel so we decided to gas up and stop at a grocery store and buy a few provisions. Stuart, Iowa doesnt have a grocery in sight of the interstate, so we ended up eating at McDonalds. A move that we both immediately regretted. Haha. We hooked up on Skype with Dad and Eric for a minute, man you guys need to get a better camera/ microphone! But Im gonna wrap it up for now.... more to come later!
Monday, May 11, 2009
First Road Post
Hello from the open road!
Sorry that this is the first post since leaving but we were conquering some technical issues and West Virginia mountains on Saturday. So here is the update.... After a lengthy departure process Saturday morning, we got on the road at approximately 12:20 pm. At 12:22 we realized that we left the GPS and the 230,978 AAA map books at home. It was determined that we were too far to go back, so we picked up an atlas on the West Virginia Turnpike. We arrived in Troy, Ohio for the night just before 9pm. There to greet us was a ragtag group of compadres and a blazing bonfire. We spent the night catching up with old friends and making a few new ones. Thanks to Lil Ho for the hospitality and entertainment. Sorry about the mess we left Jared!
That was the short run down of our day. On to Sunday.
We were up early, about 10. We packed up the Westy and everyone rode down the street to Waffle House for a scrumptious breakfast of coffee, waffles, bacon egg and cheese, and such. Made a few friends in the parking lot that were oogling our ride. Returned to tree street (Spruce maybe?) and showered, wired up the power inverter, and were off in short order at 5pm. Haha not much progress today! We headed out of Troy and stopped in Pleasant Hill to visit our fave cousin, KMB. After many photos and laughs, some excellent pizza and hospitality we rolled out Ohio 36 towards Pendleton, Indiana.
Indiana----
Arrived at the residence of Papa Goat and Pink Panther at 10:53 pm. Not a light on in the house. We revved the 1800 cc powerhouse and banged on the door until Papa Goat was roused from his slumber.... The doors were flung open and we were greeted with open arms and wide smiles! When they got over the shock of seeing us, we quickly made the decision to cross town and pay a little visit to the Indiana specie of Brooks. We packed up Papa Goat and Pink Panther and pulled the same stunt, waking up a hibernating bear and Aunt Toots. The bear wasnt sure if he was dreaming or if it was real life...We proceded to the garage and pilfered through the camping provisions and picked up a Number 8 skillet and a washtub, which were greatly needed. Thanks guys! (Its awesome to have family! we are just sorry we missed the yard sale, Cricker thinks there would have been lots of trinkets we wanted...) We returned to the Riffey residence and popped the top on the bus and called it a night. We rolled out of the bunk this morning to a homemade breakfast of biscuits, sausage, and gravy! Soooo good Aunt Connie! We may not have food like that for a while....Email us any easy recipes we can use on the road! We also were gifted a coffee pot, some highly prized steaks, and untold amounts of food and water here. Many pictures were snapped and hugs shared all around. We are on the road now, leaving about 9:55. Day 1 of no showering..... More on our travels later! Some long days on the road between us and Yellowstone. Keep in touch, also we have Skype capability so hit us up @ simon.boone
Sorry that this is the first post since leaving but we were conquering some technical issues and West Virginia mountains on Saturday. So here is the update.... After a lengthy departure process Saturday morning, we got on the road at approximately 12:20 pm. At 12:22 we realized that we left the GPS and the 230,978 AAA map books at home. It was determined that we were too far to go back, so we picked up an atlas on the West Virginia Turnpike. We arrived in Troy, Ohio for the night just before 9pm. There to greet us was a ragtag group of compadres and a blazing bonfire. We spent the night catching up with old friends and making a few new ones. Thanks to Lil Ho for the hospitality and entertainment. Sorry about the mess we left Jared!
That was the short run down of our day. On to Sunday.
We were up early, about 10. We packed up the Westy and everyone rode down the street to Waffle House for a scrumptious breakfast of coffee, waffles, bacon egg and cheese, and such. Made a few friends in the parking lot that were oogling our ride. Returned to tree street (Spruce maybe?) and showered, wired up the power inverter, and were off in short order at 5pm. Haha not much progress today! We headed out of Troy and stopped in Pleasant Hill to visit our fave cousin, KMB. After many photos and laughs, some excellent pizza and hospitality we rolled out Ohio 36 towards Pendleton, Indiana.
Indiana----
Arrived at the residence of Papa Goat and Pink Panther at 10:53 pm. Not a light on in the house. We revved the 1800 cc powerhouse and banged on the door until Papa Goat was roused from his slumber.... The doors were flung open and we were greeted with open arms and wide smiles! When they got over the shock of seeing us, we quickly made the decision to cross town and pay a little visit to the Indiana specie of Brooks. We packed up Papa Goat and Pink Panther and pulled the same stunt, waking up a hibernating bear and Aunt Toots. The bear wasnt sure if he was dreaming or if it was real life...We proceded to the garage and pilfered through the camping provisions and picked up a Number 8 skillet and a washtub, which were greatly needed. Thanks guys! (Its awesome to have family! we are just sorry we missed the yard sale, Cricker thinks there would have been lots of trinkets we wanted...) We returned to the Riffey residence and popped the top on the bus and called it a night. We rolled out of the bunk this morning to a homemade breakfast of biscuits, sausage, and gravy! Soooo good Aunt Connie! We may not have food like that for a while....Email us any easy recipes we can use on the road! We also were gifted a coffee pot, some highly prized steaks, and untold amounts of food and water here. Many pictures were snapped and hugs shared all around. We are on the road now, leaving about 9:55. Day 1 of no showering..... More on our travels later! Some long days on the road between us and Yellowstone. Keep in touch, also we have Skype capability so hit us up @ simon.boone
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