Real Time Update

Following another spectacular day in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, the Space Shuttle is currently docked for the night in a gravel parking lot/rv park, next to the ferry terminal in St Barbe, Newfoundland.

The wind is howling outside and even though we’re parked, it’s making us rock and roll. And, did I mention that it just started raining?

Amazingly, I’ve got a great internet connection here and have managed to upload  some of my backlogged posts.

Hoping to catch the ferry to Labrador in the morning. However, if it’s too rough and nasty out there, we’ll postpone it until later in the week.

Canadians Are Nice People Too

Niagara Falls, from the Canadian side. So much water!

Day 43      July 22      part 2

Today was a big day for us, as our road trip became an international affair. We were crossing the border into Canada, via the Rainbow Bridge, to get a better look at Niagara Falls.

We were hoping we wouldn’t have any problems with customs, what with our space shuttle and our canine critters. Ends up it was all quite fast and simple.

The most complex question we were asked was, “How much beer do you have?” Uh…well, how much did we start with a couple days ago, and how much have we drunk (drinken? drank? dranked?). A short computation in my head, and I shouted….”Four. We have four beers.” At the exact same time, Mark shouted, “Twelve. We have twelve beers.” The guard waved us on through anyways.

Oh Canada!

The first thing we noticed about Canada, was how beautifully landscaped and how clean it was. Not only was it much nicer than the American side, but the Canadians also had a 2000% better view of Niagara Falls.

We were immediately smitten with Canada, and were wondering why more Americans don’t move there. We suspect it’s because Canadian immigration weeds out the weak by asking, “Can you withstand the long cold winters up here?”

The second thing we noticed about Canada, was how nice the Canadians are.

We asked a young parking attendant, where we could park the space shuttle. He gave us directions to the RV parking area, where we’d then catch the free shuttle back down to the Falls. He confirmed that, yes, we could take our dogs on the shuttle bus.

We parked where we were told, and walked to the shuttle bus stop. But when we tried to catch the shuttle bus, we were told that, most definitely, no, dogs were NOT allowed on the bus.

It was way too hot and humid to leave the dogs in the RV, so, we weren’t quite sure what to do. And then, out of the blue, a couple of guys who were working on the grounds crew, who had figured out what was going on with us and the dogs, came over, and offered to drive us down to the Falls in their work truck.

We were so grateful for their kindness! What nice guys! What nice Canadians!

After arriving in style in the Parks Department truck, we had a great time walking around with the pups. Niagara Falls, from the Canadian side, was spectacular!

Niagara Falls & tour boat

Mark @ the falls

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

To return to our RV, I waited at the Falls with the dogs, while Mark took the shuttle bus back to our RV. He then drove down and picked me up.

We completed the day with a beautiful drive to Niagara-On-The-Lake, where we dined and drank at The Irish Harp Restaurant. Our waiter was a young Irish guy, working in Canada for the summer. We tipped him well, because, as Mark pointed out, we must keep the Irish happy so that they keep producing Guinness.

Lake Niagara

 

Niagara-On-The-Lake

Beautiful flight of beer

Canadians…not afraid to have fun. Wading pool in the park in Niagara-On-The-Lake

And then we tucked in for the night, just down the road, at the Pine Ridge RV Park and Campground. Our first night in Canada!

Our first Canadian RV Park

Fiona’s first night in Canada!

The Reverse Vortex of Hilariousness

Day 43       part 1

There’s an interesting phenomenon that happens as I travel, take notes, and then blog. It’s like a “reverse vortex of hilariousness.”

And as we travel, I keep a daily notes journal so that, by time I write my blog, I can remember everything that happened. I make especially sure to write down stuff that we do, say, or see,  that Mark and I find absolutely hilarious. But, by time I get to translating my notes into a blog post, most of that stuff isn’t even funny anymore.

That, my friends, is what I call the “Reverse Vortex of Hilariousness.” It is when something that was once hilarious, becomes unfunny.

So, when you read this blog, and come across a particular post that seems not so funny, you must remember that funny shit happened, but it’s just not funny anymore.

Here’s an example:

On Day 43, July 22, Mark and I had a discussion about how many axles we’d get charged for for driving our RV across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara. We thought it was hilarious that, if we had only one axle, we’d be a uni-axle.

See what I mean? Not really all that hilarious any more!! No need to write about that!

Sasquatch, Fast Driving, and Freakishly Large To-Go Cups

Niagara Falls, all lit up!

Day 42    July 21

On our morning dog walk in Squirrel Hill, we stopped at the drug store up the street and purchased an electric fan. This would end up being one of our finest purchases as we travelled in warmer weather.

We said goodbye to our friends, and headed out of Pittsburg. Mark had assigned me two duties….#1 was to deal with AT&T on the phone regarding our service. That was real pleasant, as you can probably imagine.

My other assigned duty, was to look for Sasquatch in the woods off the side of the highway. I thought this was a dumb thing to be assigned to, because Sasquatch lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Hello New York!

Cranberry & Mars…sounds like a candy bar

A texting area…cool…

Rest stop

I gave myself a third and final duty, and that was to keep an eye on Mark’s driving speeds. Mark had dubbed FIONA Fast In Our New Airstream, instead of Fun In Our New Airstream. I was getting tired of nagging him about his speed, but there wasn’t anyone else around to do it, so I had to.

Thinking we’ll pull up on this guy’s trailer and get a free ride

We stopped for lunch at the Applebee’s in Dunkirk-Fredonia, New York. There was a whole story there about whether we were in Dunkirk, or Fredonia, or Dunkirk-Fredonia, but I don’t remember what the story about it was.

What I do remember was the freakin’ gigantic iced tea to-go that I got on the way out. It barely fit in the cup holder, and was so heavy that I could barely hoist it up to take a sip from the straw. I did the best I could with the large iced tea, trying to avoid lifting it in such a way as to aggravate my tennis elbow.

Feeling lucky….Bought a lottery ticket at lunch

Our lucky ticket (NOT!)

Why is the info we need on the atlas, always right on the spiral binding seam?!

Our drive continued, through Buffalo, past the Peace Bridge (which takes you to Canada), and right on up to Niagara Falls. When we arrived at Niagara Falls, it was already dark out, which was fabulous, because we got to see the Falls all lit up at night. Very cool site to see!

We drove back to the KOA Niagara Falls for the night, and looked forward to the next day, when we’d cross into Canada to see the Falls from The Great White North side.

Pittsburg Is NOT The Pits

Breakfast on the porch

Day 41     July 20

After having a lovely breakfast on our friend’s front porch, it was time to run a few errands. Mike and Bev were nice enough to drive us to the big shopping area, where we hit up the pet store (doggie pill pockets for giving Trixie her thyroid pills), the drug store (high-back sand chairs to take to the Newport Folk Festival), and the sunglass store (to replace my sunglasses which were so scratched up I couldn’t see out of them).

Hangin’ out on the front porch

Cool flower in the front porch garden

The rest of the day in Pittsburg was much more interesting. We drove to the top of Mt Washington to enjoy the beautiful view of the city. And yes, Pittsburg is a beautiful city, so don’t knock it until you’ve been there!

View from Mt Washington

View from Mt Washington

View from Mt Washington

Church on Mt Washington

After Mt Washington, we drove into the city to see the Old Cork Factory (now upscale condos), and to “the strip” to grab a cup of coffee at one of Bev’s favorite cafes (it was closed…boo), and then back to Squirrel Hill for a dog walk through the fanciest of neighborhoods, and for a quiet dinner back on our friend’s front porch.

Old Cork Factory

Old Cork Factory

Old Cork Factory

On The Strip

Big chicken

Another fun day completed!

Party On, Pittsburg!

Pittsburg @ nite

Day 40   July 19

When we woke up this morning, it looked to be the beginning of a beautiful day. However, it had poured rain at night, and we’d left all of our stuff outside all night long. Beginners’ mistake.

The worst of it were the doggie blankets….all four of them soaked and now also weighing a ton. And so, that is how it came to be that we spent all morning doing laundry. In all honesty, all those dog blankets were probably in need of a good washing anyway.

Our goal today, was to reach Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where we would visit our friends Bev and Mike in Squirrel Hill. It was a pretty uneventful drive, unless you count a Gumby & Pokey mid-day tip-over.

We did pass an interesting road sign along the way….”Lordstown,” which was marked as an “Exit Only” exit off the toll road. The irony did not go unnoticed, and we had a great big laugh over that one.

Our arrival at Bev and Mike’s was just in time to get the Space Shuttle situated in their driveway (our home for the next two nights), say hello, walk the dogs, and then hop in their car to go to a party out in Coraopolis. Perfect timing, no?!

Bev & Mike’s cat welcomes us to Pittsburg

Bev and Mike welcome us to Pittsburg

It seemed like it took forever to get to the party, but that was probably ‘cause we’d just spent a good part of the day driving! Or maybe because Coraopolis is kind of “out there.” But when we arrived, what a treat! It was an “Island” theme party, complete with a steel drum band for entertainment.

Party in Coraopolis

The band

Welcome to Pittsburg!

Louisville Hot Browns & The Airstreams!

** I believe I inadvertently left out Day #36….so, here it is…out of order…

Selfie w/ a cool Airstream

Day 36      July 15

When in Louisville, one must do the obvious…..go to Churchill Downs, and, eat a Louisville Hot Brown.

We began the day with a visit to Churchill Downs & the Kentucky Derby Museum.  The 360 degree film that’s shown in the museum theatre was fabulous, so be sure to watch it if you go there! And be sure to gawk at how tiny the jockey’s outfits are that are on display. We’re talkin’ about some tiny peeps!

Willie Shoemaker @ Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

When we had finished going through the museum, and taking the mini tour of the track, we ate lunch in the cafe. At the instruction of Mark’s cousin Susanne, we ordered the Louisville Hot Brown. She told us that, while in Louisville, we HAD to have one. It’s a tradition kind of thing, an epic food thingy that we had to try.

We obliged Susanne, and ordered the Louisville Hot Brown. All I can say is, once is enough. That is one mass of heart attack inducing food that I do NOT ever need to have again. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted good, but, holy moly…just NOT good for ya! Bread, turkey, bacon, and massive amounts of cheese.

The delicious, heart-attack-inducing, Louisville Hot Brown

Besides the Louisville Hot Brown, the other thrill of the day was seeing our first Ikea of the entire trip! We are total Ikea junkies, and were thrilled to see one as we drove through Westchester, Ohio in the afternoon. Didn’t need anything, so we didn’t stop in. But we felt at peace, knowing that one was right there!

Our ultimate destination on this day, was Jackson Center, Ohio at the Airstream mothership! We’d made a service appointment months ago, knowing that we’d be going through Ohio. And the day had finally arrived. Well, the day would arrive tomorrow, but we finally arrived there, happy that’d we’d made it on time!

Hello Ohio!

Hello Airstream Mothership!

Fiona, docked for the night at the Airstream Terraport.

 

We had a fun time looking at the amazing collection of classic Airstream trailers on the property.  A way cool site to see!

Wally Byam’s old Airstream

 

Old Airstream

Lots of old Airstreams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Found an ATM machine in the town of Jackson Center.

 

Real Time Update

This morning, we left Meat Cove, in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and headed south on the Cabot Trail (roadway). We stopped for a lunch break and to jump in the ocean at Ingonish Beach. The water was cold, but refreshing on such a hot day!

We arrived late this afternoon at an RV park in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. We’ve been mega-busy since we got here…washed the Space Shuttle, washed the dogs, did laundry, and got a hot shower. In the morning, we’ll be taking the 6-hour ferry ride from Sydney, to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland!

I can not tell you how excited we are to be going to Newfoundland tomorrow!! Especially looking forward to being “screeched in” when we get to St John’s. You’ll have to do your own research, or just keep checking back here, to find out what that means!!

 

Life Is A Roller Coaster! A Surprise Discovery!

Crazy people are riding this thing.

Day 39 July 18

Up early today, and into the Airstream service center we went….again!

This morning was just a short visit to fix one last item, and to settle our bill. The service manager was more than happy to deduct the cost of my guitar from our bill. I think he was also happy that it wasn’t a really expensive guitar, and that in the end, we still owed them money.

With the Airstream mothership visit complete, we only had one more deadline to meet…we just had to get to Newport, Rhode Island by July 24th.

In our quest to find a campground farther east in Ohio that evening, we accidentally wandered into Sandusky and Cedar Point Amusement Park. It wasn’t until we were through the parking entrance gate, that we realized fully where we were.

Wooohooooo….there they go

We’d seen this place on a documentary about roller coasters. Cedar Point Amusement Park is chock full of amazing roller coasters. The have the tallest coaster, the fastest coaster, the tallest wooden coaster, and probably other well known ones as well. I fear roller coasters, but coaster lovers from around the world pilgrimage to this place, and I could see why!

Another crazy ride for crazy people.

There’s an RV park right there, at Cedar Point. It’s practically inside the amusement park itself. You can see and hear the coasters from the RV park office. It’s all very fun and exciting, to see and feel the crazy, happy vibe there. Unfortunately for us, on that Saturday night, the RV park was completely booked.

Had we even realized the treasure of Americana that we were entering, we would have figured out ahead of time that the RV park would be booked up. We were bummed that we couldn’t stay the night, but were also pretty happy to have caught a small glimpse of the amusement park. A cool site to see, even if only for 15 minutes.

A Tragic Event @ The Airstream Mothership

The Mothership. Jackson Center, Ohio

Day 38      July 17

This would be Day #2 at the Airstream factory service center. We were having some warranty repairs done, as well as having a couple things tweaked especially for us.

Just like the day before, we brought Fiona into the service center at 7:00 am….and sat and waited. Today was better though, ‘cause we spent more time hanging out with the people we’d met the day before, who were also there having service done on their trailers and motorhomes.

Besides the hanging out and socializing, two amazing things took place on this day. One good. One bad.

Good things first….I got to go on the daily 2:00 factory tour, while Mark stayed in the lobby with the dogs. The tour was really cool. Airstreams are, for the most part, hand built. It was inspiring to see all the craftsmanship that goes into building an Airstream trailer. They are shiny things of great beauty!

Start of the factory tour!

Testing for water-tightness.

(Side note…the only photos allowed on the tour are at the start of entering the factory, and of the water testing.)

And then the bad…the tragic event….That evening, while camped once again at the terra-port with some of our new friends, I discovered that the service guys had completely broken the neck of my guitar into two pieces! WTF???!!!

A musical tragedy

They had had to empty everything out of the back of our motorhome, in order to do some electrical work. And somehow, they must have either stepped on my guitar (it was in a soft case), or put something heavy on top of it, and blammo…disaster! You’d think, either way, they would have noticed. Go figure.

Well, I was pretty bummed about my newfound lack of a guitar to play. But I was also relieved that it was just a cheap travel guitar. So, no expletives were flying, and no steam was coming out of my ears, and no verbal threats were issued.

I had another beer, and would deal with the guitar in the morning.

Great beer with Airstream trailer on the label.

Fiona Goes Home…The Airstream Mothership

Mark and Trixie, lounging in the Airstream service center lounge.

Day 37      July 16

We woke up early, and registered at the Airstream service center at 7:00 am for our service appointment. Fiona was whisked away to a service bay. She seemed almost happy to be home, surrounded by her kin.

And then….we sat and waited.

The Airstream mothership is kind of in the middle of nowhere, although the people who live in Jackson Center probably wouldn’t like to hear that. Our “nowhere,” is their hometown. I should show more respect!

We spent all day hanging out in the service center lobby. I wasn’t feeling great, so I spent part of the day horizontal on a couch, snuggled up with Trixie. Mark got a break when he left to take the daily 2:00 factory tour.

There were a number of other Airstreamers hanging out, just like us. At the beginning of the day, we all kept to ourselves. All of us were trying to work on our computers. But, as we all discovered how bad the internet connection was, one by one, we came up for air and actually started talking to each other…just like in the olden days…the pre-stranger-danger era…the pre-computer-addict-era.

At 4:00, we drove Fiona out of the service bay, and back to the Airstream terra-port for the evening. She’d need another day’s work done on her, so we’d have to repeat the same routine the next day.

Just Say “NO” to Caves. The Selfie Festival

Trixie & Me. Selfie

Day 35    July 14

This morning we drove the 15 minutes back to Mammoth Cave National Park. Mark wanted to do a cave tour. I did not. I mean, I would have, had it not been underground and all. Nope, I was staying above ground!

Mammoth Cave National Park

While Mark went into the dark abyss, I took the dogs for a little hike on a nearby trail. Surprisingly, though this is a national park, they do allow dogs on the hiking trails. Extremely rare, indeed. Unfortunately, it was still pretty warm out, and Dax and Trixie didn’t feel like walking very far, so it was a short little hike. Was still nice though.

After our little hike, Dax and Trixie and I went back to the parking lot where the three of us enjoyed hanging out in the shade of a tree. There was a nice little breeze to keep us cool, and we spent the time napping and taking selfies, while we waited for Mark to return from his cave tour.

Selfie

Trixie & Me. Selfie

I photo bombed Trixie’s selfie

Dax and Me. Selfie

Dax photo bombed my selfie

Upon Mark’s return, we hit the road again. This time we were headed for Louisville, Kentucky, to visit Mark’s cousin, Susanne. It was a pretty unremarkable drive there, followed by a comfortably cool evening in the drizzling rain, in the driveway at Susanne’s house. This was the first evening in over a week, that we didn’t need the a/c. Thank goodness…it was finally cooling off!

Mark, Dax, and cousin Ryan, hanging out in the back of the Space Shuttle. Louisville, KY

Real Time Update

We’re currently in Maine, at Acadia National Park. We’ll be heading north tomorrow, aiming for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland!

Hot Diggity Dogs In Nashville!

Must be Nashville

Day 34      July  13

July 13 was a great day because we got to spend it in Nashville. 

Before hitting the downtown tourist area, we made a quick stop at the state capitol building.

Hangin’ on tight as we hit a round-a-bout

The Space Shuttle, parked in the spot reserved for the Attorney General. Whatever, dude.

State Capitol Building

And then we discovered the most awesome public farmers market, where we stocked up on all kinds of fruits and veggies.

Very cool bike stands outside the farmers market

Farmers market

This market was huge!

Beautiful produce

And more produce…

And more…lots more!

Alas, we hit the fun and funky downtown fun town. Even on a Sunday afternoon, the place was bursting with live music coming out of every bar and restaurant. So much energy in this place!

Great use of an Airstream trailer

Must be Nashville

Fun Nashville signage

The main drag

Fun and colorful signage

Cool building

It was one of those super hot and humid days again, and we had to stop frequently to water Dax and Trixie. At one point, when I could tell the pups were a little over-done we actually took them inside the Music City Center building to let them lie down on the cool tile floor and cool off in the air conditioning. Luckily there was nobody official hanging around there to tell us that dogs weren’t allowed inside.

Music City Center building

Music City Center building

Music City Center building

Music City Center building

It was really hot out, and I warned Mark NOT to go outside.

We were back were back on the road in the afternoon. We made a stop in Bowling Green, KY to see the campus at Western Kentucky University. That is one heck of a hilly campus!

The final destination of the day was Mammoth Cave National Park. By time we got there it was too late to check it out, so we went directly to a little campground nearby called Singing Hills RV Park and Campground.

Singing Hills turned out to be a little gem of a place. The owner was super nice. The park was small, well kept and quiet, and we met some really nice folks there. Best of all, it had a blazing fast internet connection!

It was still very hot outside, and we knew we’d need to run the a/c at night, so we got a site with electric and water hook-ups. With our Passport America discount, our site was only $16. A great deal and a great find!

That night I had what was, and still is, the largest skeeter I’ve ever killed. It was almost the size of a dragon fly. Huge sucker. Yuck!! Good Night Irene!

Gifts From Strangers / (gifts from new friends)

We were told to stop here…and so we did.

Day 33      July12

We were heading to Nashville next. Mark’s brother, Chuck, was working there for a handful of months, so we would detour down there to see him. Plus, neither of us had ever been to Nashville.

As we were packing up our campsite to head out, our neighbors, Linda & Jim, came over to say goodbye. And Linda gave me the most beautiful hand crocheted trivet/pot holder that she’d made!!! She told me that, while Jim drives, she crochets these little treasures, and then she gives them to people she meets. I was so touched by her gift!

The other gift that Jim and Linda gave us, was the heads up on a little winery in Tennessee that’d we’d pass on our route to Nashville. Beachaven Winery. And we did stop there. And we did a wine tasting….you can taste as many wines as you want, and there’s no charge!! Sweet! And we bought three bottles to take with us. That was a nice little stop!

Wine tasting menu

Some of our purchases

Back on the highway to Nashville, we had a cool Fiona Look-A-Like sighting. We found ourselves driving right behind another silver Airstream Interstate, with two bikes on the back. I did a double take, ‘cause at first, I thought it was us! LOL! They obviously spotted us behind them, ‘cause as we drove past them, we were all looking over at each other and smiling and waving like crazy!!!

Me and Trixie, relaxing in the back of the space shuttle while Mark drives

Dax takes a selfie, while Mark drives

We arrived in Nashville, and met Mark’s brother at Gaylord’s Opryland. We had a nice visit with my bro-in-law, and had a look around the resort. And then, once again, retired to our campground, exhausted from the fun day we’d had!

Mark and Chuck

Cool ceiling @ Opryland

So big, it requires a big map

Inside Opryland

Where The Chatty Peeps Are

Mark @ the TVA Kentucky Dam.

Day 32     July 11

We took our usual morning dog walk, and checked out our new campground. We met some of our neighbors, and got the low-down on the area. All of the folks we met were from nearby towns. And all of the folks we met were super chatty (in a good way)…must be something in the Kentucky water.

Despite the heat and humidity, we rode our bikes to the TVA Kentucky Dam, and then over to Grand Rivers. I was sweating like a pig. Mark barely broke a sweat. Weird, ‘cause at home, Mark has to turn on the a/c at the first hint of humidity, which, in San Diego, is like negligible. And yet, in Kentucky, on this day, it was about 90% humidity. Why wasn’t he sweating?!

@ TVA Kentucky Dam

The Dam

Are all these wires necessary?

When we got to Grand Rivers, we stopped at a little ice cream/smoothie shop and got a nice cold ice slushy to cool off. Next, we hit the local bike shop, where we got the scoop on some local bike rides from the very nice and very chatty owner. Again, I wondered about the Kentucky water and the chatty peeps.

Blue slushie time!

Cooper the Wonder Dog (and bike shop mascot)

Strike a pose @ Grand Rivers

And then ride like the wind!

We rode a little further up the road, and then turned around. It was just so hot and humid, and we still had a ways to ride back to our campground. Plus, we’d left the dogs in the space shuttle with the a/c running, which is great, but, I still worried about them. We’d told the campground host that we were leaving the dogs with the a/c on, but to please call us if the electric went out at the park. But I still worried!

When we arrived back at the campground, the dogs were nice and cool and happy in the rv. And we were thoroughly exhausted from our ride. Spent the rest of the day just hanging out and talking with our nice neighbors.

Relaxing, now that their peeps are back.

Weird Road Trip Conversations & The F-Bomb

Garden of the Gods, IL

Day 31       July 10

The Crab Orchard Campground was beautiful, and we’d scored a site right on the lake. When we woke up this morning, we knew why we’d gotten such a “great” site. SKEETERS!!! The space shuttle was covered in huge skeeters. We were way too close to the stagnant water!!

Yowza!!! This wasn’t the first time we’d hi-tailed it out of a campground to escape skeeters, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

On the road

We drove through the campus of Southern Illinois University, just to see it, and then made a stop at Walmart to buy a small hand held vacuum. I don’t love Walmart, but, it made sense to buy one there. That way, if it didn’t work, or we didn’t like it, we could return it to the next Walmart in the next town. Walmart is super convenient if you’re traveling, so, while we’re traveling, I’ll just leave it at that.

Today was a great day for interesting conversation as we drove. Here’s what we covered today:

• People with big properties spend a lot of time mowing their lawns

• I like to wear skirts when I travel, because they’re comfortable, but I don’t know how to stop the bugs from flying up them.

• General discussion about Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Cathy Ireland.

• General discussion about why I won’t make sandwiches in a moving RV

• What is the proper name to call a “little person?” Is it “dwarf,” or “little person,” or…??? We are pretty sure that the term “midget” is no longer used, or is not considered to be kind.

Time flew by with such stimulating conversation. We drove south on Rt 34, and before we knew it, we were in Shawnee National Forest.

Shawnee National Forest, IL

Garden of the Gods, IL

Garden of the Gods, IL

Garden of the Gods, IL

Garden of the Gods, IL

Garden of the Gods, IL

We first explored an area called Garden of the Gods. While crouched down, walking through a tunnel in the rocks, I hit my head on the rock ceiling so hard, that I knocked myself on my ass.

You know what lesson I learned from that? Do NOT wear a hat while hiking. I was wearing a baseball cap, and the brim, essentially, blocked my upper peripheral view.

You know what other lesson I learned? That families out hiking with young kids, do NOT appreciate hearing the f-bomb while they’re out in nature.

Our next stop was a hiking area called Rim Rock. The guide book described the main hike at Rim Rock as having a “breath-taking view.”  Hmmm…no view at all, but a pretty little hike in the woods.

And then, a stop at Pounds Hallow, a local fishing and swimming hole.

Pounds Hallow, IL

Pounds Hallow, IL

Pounds Hallow, IL

Pounds Hallow, IL

We headed out on Rt 1, to Rt 146. Went through some cool little places, and pretty countryside. We also passed about a zillion deer and their little babies out galavanting where they should not be….on the dang road. And because of this, I inadvertently invented a new swear word….”Shimaran.”

“Shimaran” is what came out of my mouth when I tried to yell, “Shit, Mark, the deer are running!” I was trying to warn him that some deer were about to run in front of us. Lucky he saw the deer, ‘cause he had no clue what I had yelled and he started yelling at me, “Use your words! Use your  words!”

Ohio River. Elizabethtown, IL

Ohio River. Elizabethtown, IL

The scenic route

Elizabethtown, IL

Ohio River, IL

Early evening, we safely crossed the Kentucky state line. We had a great dinner at Patti’s 1880’s Settlement, in Grand Rivers. It’s kind of a crazy tourist trap place, but, we thought it was fun, and the dinner was delicious.

Hello Kentucky!

Dinner @ Patti’s

They serve these loaves of bread there called Flower Pot Loaves, or some such name. These are loaves of bread that are baked in, shaped like, and served in, flowerpots. Dangerous shit. We ate two whole flower pots of bread with our meal, and then still had enough wits about us to buy some fudge at the little gift shop! No wonder my pants are gettin’ tight!

We finally found, and settled in for the night at the Kentucky Dam Campground.

Don’t Mess With The Fritos, and other horror stories…

Another corn field?!

Day 30    July 9

Dax and Trixie went off to a local St. Charles dog groomer today. They were past due for baths and haircuts, and the space shuttle was starting to get just a hint of dogginess to it.

With the pups away, Mark and I were free to play for a couple hours, so we went for a bike ride on the Katy Trail.  I noticed that nobody on this trail says hello to fellow cyclists. Quite a contrast to riding on the bike trail in Boise, Idaho, where everyone said hello to the point of annoyance! After getting dissed by at least 10 other cyclists, I decided to embrace the fact that I didn’t have to be social, and I could just enjoy my ride.

In the early afternoon, after picking up the pups, we went to the service appointment we’d made at Mercedes Benz of St. Charles. Nothing was wrong, we were just due for our “Service A,” which was basically an oil change. The guys there took good care of us, and we enjoyed having a good internet connection for a couple hours.

We hit the road again, with a bag of Chili Fritos in our laps. Didn’t really dig those so much. You shouldn’t mess with Fritos. There’s just no justification or need to mess with regular Fritos. If you need some flavored junky chip snacks, try Doritos. They come in all kinds of flavors. But leave the Fritos alone!

Crossing another state line. Always thrilling. Never boring!

Mark said we were heading to Carbondale, Illinois. I told him I didn’t want to go there. He told me that when he mentioned it before, that I’d said, “OK.”  No, I had to set him straight.

“I did not! I said, I don’t want to freakin’ go to Carbondale. That’s me. Saying “OK,” that’s so not me. I would never just say “OK.” But saying F-No…that would have been me”

And so it went. And so did we…to Carbondale, via Rt 3, The Great River Road. We never saw a river though. Just lots of nice countryside and corn fields and cows.

Turn left! Turn Left!

I spotted some beautiful white cows in a field, and I wondered…If I was going to buy a couple cows, would I buy two white ones, two black ones, or one of each? Don’t even get me started about the multi-colored ones.

As we drove, a song came on the radio that I decided was the perfect travel song. Don’t know who sang it or what it was called, but the words were, “Roll in to town, Step off the bus, Wipe off the “where you came from” dust.” Perfect!

And, we rolled right into Carbondale, Illinois and then parked ourselves for the night at the Crab Orchard Campground.

Crab Orchard Campground

Crab Orchard Campground

St Charles to St Louis…An All-Saints Kind of Day

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Day 29    July 8

We had a fine morning exploring Frenchtown, in St. Charles, MO. Pioneer Park, brunch at the Bike Stop Cafe, and coffee at Picasso’s. In one of the little shops, I found a great birthday present for our friend, Banjo Bob. It’s now July 23rd (it was when I wrote this post), and I have yet to ship it off to him.

The Bike Stop Cafe. Obviously, a bike shop and cafe in St Charles

Trixie Doggie. Another roll in the grass. St Charles

 

Mark and Dax. Checking out the river front. St Charles

Frenchtown. St Charles

Original state capitol building. Frenchtown. St Charles

Frenchtown. St Charles

Lewis & Clark & their dog Seaman. St Charles

We drove to St. Louis in the afternoon to have a look at the Gateway Arch. I’d seen it from the highway many years ago. It’s much more interesting up close!  So many cool angles from which to take photos, although, in a square photo format, it was impossible to fit the whole thing in one shot.

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Daxie Doggie. Hangin’ out by the Gateway Arch

I had no desire to go up to the top of the Arch. Mark’s done that before, many many years ago, and he had no desire to do it again either! Apparently it’s super claustrophobic! And honestly, that thing was built back around 1964 or 1965. It’s like a freakin’ antique. Would you really want to be riding up in that contraption??!!

It was still 95 degrees outside, but the humidity had subsided, which made for much more comfortable sightseeing. Even the dogs seemed comfortable.

We had a nice look around, the dogs had a good roll-a-round in the grass, and we called it a day!

Skeeters and Heat, Oh My!!

That’s us!

Day 28      July 7

Another hot and buggy morning. We walked the dogs and got the heck out of the campground at Jacomo Lake, before the skeeters hauled us away.

Mark and Dax on a very quick morning walk @ Jacomo Lake

Jacomo Lake Campground

We took Rt 50 east, towards Jefferson City, the capitol of Missouri. We would have enjoyed walking around, as it looked like a nice old city, but alas, it was too freakin’ hot and humid. It was 96 degrees out, and felt like it was 126 degrees (just my estimation, based on the amount of sweat I was producing!).

Jefferson City. Where all the governmental magic happens

On the road

Corn…on the road

We took Rt 19, and detoured over to Hermann. Hermann was a cute old town, and, again, we would have enjoyed walking around, had it not been sweltering hot outside. The place looked almost like a ghost town, due to the lack of anyone out on the streets. Too darn HOT!!

Hermann

Hermann

Hermann

Not to sound too whiney about the heat, because we still thoroughly enjoyed driving about and having a look at all of these nice places. But, when it gets that hot and humid, we also have to be super mindful of the dogs. After all, they’re 9.5 years old, and are wearing black fur coats. So, it’s a double whammy. They can’t be out in the hot sun very long, and it’s too hot to leave them in the RV. Just the nature of the beast when travelling with our best friends!

A highway sighting..

St. Charles, MO was our final destination of the day. We pulled in to the Sundermeier RV Park just as it started to drizzle, and just as the temperatures began to drop…finally!! By time we went to sleep, it was a nice cool 83 degrees. Everything is relative!