A journal of sorts for our big trip this past spring...
March 24th, Day 1…Off we go!
March 25th, Day 2...At the end of PA, we knew we
weren't going to make it to Richmond without pushing too hard, so we decided to
find a place to park and sleep for the night. We stopped at the Flying J in
Winchester, VA (just barely over the border from W. Virginia), at about 10:30
PM. There weren't any parking spots for RVs that we could get into, but we just
pulled into a non-spot next to someone else and conked out.
The camper battery can run the heat for a while. Or until 4
am. Whichever comes first. Fortunately, it beeps like crazy when it is running
low, so we knew it was dying before it got really cold. Headed back out on the
road at 5 am, by the time we all got awake and got fuel in the truck ($3.99/gal
compared to our $4.55/gal in NY!). Arrived at our friend's at about 8:30 am,
had a good day of relaxing and playing...and we're all ready for bed now.
March 27th, Day 4…Virginia Science Museum! Our friends have a membership and had guest
passes. The lady at the desk let the
kids in for free and then I filled out a survey and got more guest passes to
leave with our friends! Nothing like a
free field trip!
March 28th, Day 5… We need to be heading south
faster. It’s quite cold (and rainy)
still here in North Carolina. List for
tomorrow at the store includes silverware. I brought one fork. That's it. I
thought we had a whole bag of plastic silverware and did intend to pick up some
cheapo stuff at Walmart when we make it to one.
Brian and I shared the one fork and the kids slurped their mac and
cheese without complaint.
March 29th, Day 6…After getting 'home' from the
very wet Asheboro zoo, Levi got absolutely soaked in a mud puddle (sorry, no
pictures). I asked him, “What on earth were you thinking? Now your coat is all
wet!” Levi says, “Mom. It’s a Rain. Coat. Raaaaiiiiiin. Cooooooaaaaaaaat.” Ha. Also, Essie’s training wheel broke on her
bike, so Brian took it off. And Hannah taught her to ride super quickly!
March 30th, Day 7…Thank you, Blacksburg, South
Carolina, for a lovely McDonald's with Playplace. Lunch, stretching of legs for
little people, submitting of homework for me...
It's a lovely day for a drive! Blue skies, a bit too windy (but we are
careful, Mom)...
April 2nd, Day 10…Georgia Aquarium with a bunch
of friends! Totally awesome, exhausting
day…and probably a once in a lifetime experience because it was pretty pricy! Worth it, though, and I’m glad we went! Sooo very glad we bought a wheelchair for
Brian, so we don’t have to worry about renting one or feel like we’re taking
one from some little old lady. It’s much
easier for us all to have fun when we’re not worried about how bad Daddy is
hurting.
April 3rd, Day 11…We arrived at Oak Mountain
State Park and our friend brought out a fantastic feast for dinner!
April 4th, Day 12…Monsoon has caused us to cancel
our plans for the Birmingham Zoo. Our
friend suggested the McWane Science Museum instead, and it was a great day
anyway! Scary parking garage with a
truck so wide and long as ours, but we did make it out. There are many uses for labor breathing…
Dinner at our friend’s house…the yummiest chicken chili ever! My kids were wild beyond reason though, and
this particular friend doesn’t have any kids, so…well, I hope she still likes
me. :D
April 5th, Day 13…On our way to Corinth, MS! The campground we booked is interesting. There is no one in charge…you pay on the
honor system using an envelope and a lockbox.
Was a nice peaceful place, though, and we’d stay there again!
April 6th, Day 14…Church with Ilyssa (Gramma
Becca had to work). Love spending time
with everyone here…and wish we never had to leave!
I have a *lot* of big school stuff
coming due. A small paper the 13th, two big hairy accounting problems the 13th
and more the 20th, the 27th, and May 2nd, a large research paper the 17th, and
a small research paper May 2nd. Getting
a little nervous about all this schoolwork and traveling…
April 7th, Day 15…Having trouble finding all the
parts they need to fix the brake issue. Bolts all stripped out. But glad my boys know what they are doing,
and that I put money in the trip budget for repairs. If we
have to be stuck, this is the best place…with family! Took Ilyssa out to dinner at a Mexican
restaurant she liked to go to with their dad.
Boy, it’s so hard to leave here…always many tears…
April 8th, Day 16…Finished up the truck repair
and headed out. Boondocked in a Texaco
parking lot in Hattiesburg, MS, then drove through New Orleans today, crossed
Lake Pontchartrain. Land of many
bridges, for sure!
April 9th, Day 17…We went to the Greenwood Gator
Farm and had our own personal tour. A
little pricy, but really great people and we all learned a lot about gators! Swamp People is filmed at this gator farm,
and the kids thought that was pretty cool.
L: These mosquitoes are as big as chickens! Hannah, can you get my big book out of the
truck?
H: No. The chicken mosquitoes...
L: If you die, can I have the top bunk?
I have a feeling this will be a new family joke. The mosquitos here are seriously nuts. And bug spray attracts them!
April 10th, Day 18...relaxed at the campground
all morning. Now hooking up and heading out...Orange, TX, here we come! One awesome thing about camping...when you
buy ice cream, it must be eaten before you move on. Kids loved their lunch!
Also, that moment when you're in Walmart and see someone you
know out of the corner of you eye. And
then realize that you are 26+ hours from home and you don't know anyone here.
Thankfully, before shouting out, "Oh, hey!"
April 11th, Day 19…We went to Botanical Gardens
in Orange with our friends. Wonderful
day…took a tour boat ride on Adam’s Bayou.
It’s so nice when everyone in the family has a friend all at one time…and
it’s like we’ve all known each other forever!
April 13th, Day 21…Church with friends (HUGE
church!!).Their daughter was baptized today, which was neat! We had a picnic in
the park with her family…on a very windy, but not raining (yet) day. Many tears
from my girls when it was time to part ways. Goodbyes are not a fun part of
this trip. Heading out in the morning…
Brian dropped me off at McDonald's for 4 hours to get my
schoolwork done. Yay for free internet!
April 14th, Day 21…Decided we were too close to
the ocean to miss it! We didn’t stay
long (about 90 minutes?) because a storm was moving in and we were hoping to
make it all the way up to Dallas today, but I’m glad we made the effort! We found an open beach on High Island,
TX. Brian told the kids not to get dirty
or wet, but was quickly reminded that dirty and wet are exactly what usually
happen at the beach. Our time was
short, but wonderful! The storm chased
us from behind and our leaving the beach was good timing, too!
Pulled into a campground after hours
and knew immediately this was not the campground for us. This is our longest
stay and there is NOTHING for kids to do. No playground. No free grass to run
and play. No water of any sort (pool is not open for season). It's packed,
though we didn't see anyone outside at all and it was only 7:00 (very odd for a
campground). We came in after hours, but I'm going to see what we can do in the
office tomorrow...all of the other ones have been great, though. If we're stuck
with this one, we'll make do, I guess...
We are within walking distance of SuperTarget. That was a plus. J
April 15th, Day 22…We left the terrible city
campground without normal camping type people.
Most expensive sleep of this trip…they kept our deposit, but did let us
out of our reservation for the week. And
found the very best, family friendly campground…Wagon Master RV Park in Sanger,
TX. They didn’t actually have any spots
open, but they gave us a great deal on an electric/water only site in front of
the maintenance building. They also have
super internet, which will be handy since I have a paper due this week. Fantastic views of a big, big North
Texas sky…working alpaca farm, a lovely pool, great facilities, and plenty of
room for the kids to ride their bikes!
April 16th, Day 23…Speaking of bikes…Esther’s
just pretty much fell apart today. So we went and got another one. Glad our budget has a little wiggle room…
Hung out with friends in
Dallas today. A little disappointed that
we know so many people here but it looks like we’ll only get to meet one
family. It doesn’t look like we’ll get
to see Granny, either, because she lives with Brian’s aunt and uncle, who are
refusing to let us see her, for some unknown reason.
April 17th, Day 24…We met two fulltime RV
families today! One is a missionary
family with 6 kids (7th on the way) and the other is a claims
adjuster with AllState. So cool!
April 18th, Day 25… It was, overall, a good day.
I mean, we didn't expect the Granny part to end well at this point. The Dallas Zoo was great (except parking, but
it is a holiday weekend…). The mister stations were awesome and the splash
river thing came at just the right point in the day.
I
am injured. Right before we went in, I busted my knuckle hard on the truck.
Yeah, black and blue and very tender. Not even sure how I managed that. Then in
the zoo, Levi went off his rocker (he had gluten yesterday…ugh) and I was
trying to calm him down when he bashed his head into mine so hard it moved my
teeth. The bone below my eye hurts, but Brian can't see swelling. It it feels swollen on the inside, but I don’t
think anything is broken. Eh. We’re at the
halfway point of our trip. Could have been a better day. But it could have been worse. We went to Whattaburger for the first time
ever…and hopefully not the last! YUM!
We are not
going to see Granny at all. Stupid
family drama. So very sad…she was the
whole reason we started planning this trip. L I wish I could explain it, but I don’t
understand it at all…
April 19th, Day 26…I ventured out to the store
(Target) all by myself, near a large city, driving the big honking truck. My first trip anywhere ALONE in 26 days. I took my sweet time and in the end, had all
of the goodies I needed for Easter, including a new Crockpot to make dinner in,
since I left mine at home. It was broken
and I did need a new one anyway!
April 20th, Day 27…Happy Easter! We drove back into Dallas to go to church
with our friends (and almost ran out of fuel on the way there…oops!). After church, she gave us a package my mom
and sister had mailed to her…perfect timing, as we were really missing
home. I don’t think we have ever missed
a major holiday at home. We were invited
to have dinner with our friends, but decided to do our own thing at the camper
instead. I made scalloped potatoes and
ham in the crockpot, fruit/pudding salad that Gramma Becca introduced us to in
MS, and corn mushroom bake in the oven.
It came together pretty well, especially considering our tanks were full
so we couldn’t dump anything down the drain.
After dinner, Brian occupied the kids while I hid clues for a treasure
hunt. The clues led them all over the campground,
for a good workout, and ended with a basket for the whole family in the pool
area. Just as we were finishing up, the
heavens let loose with a good ol’ Texas downpour.
April 21st, Day 28…Headed for my honey’s
hometown! Texarkana, TX! We were coming in just as storms were, and
Noah actually spotted some rotation in the clouds unlike anything we see at
home, but not quite a tornado, either.
We’ll be parking the camper at Brian’s cousin’s house. His cousin is the same age as his mom, so she’s
more of an aunt, really. The kids will
call her Aunt Cris.
April 22nd, Day 29… We went absolutely NOWHERE
today. Lovely! Met Brian's Aunt Laura. Cris
and I stayed up late and chatted. She's good people and I'm glad to finally
meet her and her family!
April 23rd, Day 30… Today, Cris took the girls
and I to Hobby Lobby (scrapbooking supplies for the girls to do with Aunt Cris),
Walmart, and Salvation Army (more books for Levi!). We also met Brian's cousin,
Billy and his son, Trey. I am told Billy behaved better than he usually does.
Hearing all kinds of stories...but what happens in Texas, stays in Texas,
right?
It's hot as summer in NY here. Will be hard to leave in a couple days. Hate leaving family, even family we just met!
April 24
th, Day 31…Met Brian’s cousin LaDonna,
and her husband and kids.
Wish we lived
closer…the kids had so much fun together! <3 p="">
April 25th, Day 32…Heading toward a tiny town
near Bentonville, AR (aka Walmart headquarters). Beautiful drive through Oauchita National Park. Arrived at my friend’s house to find it the
perfect place for kids to run wild and free.
Everyone got good and filthy!
April 26th, Day 33…Went
to the March of Dimes walk in Little Rock, AR.
My friend we are visiting had two preemies (28 weeks and 25 weeks), and
then a third baby who went full term!
Celebrating life…and remembering those who didn’t make it. Afterward, we went to the Little Rock
Zoo. Hot as blazes today…and I got
pretty red and toasty!
April 27th, Day 34…Tornado day. We went to church with our friends, knowing
big storms were moving in, and move in they did…shortly after we got home from
church. Thankfully, our friends are
super experienced with this kind of thing, and the dad/husband is a trained
first responder and search and rescue volunteer. We put the kids down to bed inside and
watched the waves of storms roll through.
We didn’t get hit, but Mayflower, AR did…only about 1.5 hours away.
Got terrible news in email
today. A friend at home has lost their
first baby, at birth. So very sad…and we
are so far away. Awful, just awful.
April 28th, Day 35…What. A. Day. We should have split this into two driving
days. Oops. Ended up being 9 hours in the truck, including 2 fuel/pee stops, 1
extra pee stop/mountain overlook, and stopping for dinner. Route 7 through Arkansas/Missouri is an
AMAZING scenic route (Ozark National Park). However, signs that read
"crooked and steep road for the next 53 miles". Well, they didn't
lie! And about 20 feet of guardrails for that 53 miles. Momma needed a Valium.
THEN...we cleared that and found cross-winds. More than a bit scary, especially
on a dumb bridge. Glad Brian knows what he is doing...and that God kept us
safe. Blue skies, no tornado threat
today!
This campground (Lost Valley Lake Resort, Owensville, MO) is
A.Maz.Ing. Seriously. We're not going to be able to do everything in just 3 days.
But we will get to meet a friend and her three kids! We definitely need to come back to this
campground when Hannah is old enough to go on a trail ride (10, with an adult
along on the ride, 14 to go on your own).
May 1st, Day 38…Having a rough, emotional day.
And fuel issues. We think we got bad fuel at our last stop (not a truck
stop...). Services for my friend’s baby
are today, which we obviously can't be there for. This is the very hardest part of being so far
from home. Sometimes, eyes are meant to
leak, as we mourn with those who mourn...
Finally parked in my friend’s driveway in Lebanon, IL…a nice break from
campgrounds for a bit! Celebrated good
internet by writing my very last (ever!) college paper. Kind of can’t believe I survived these 7+
weeks of school on the road!
May 4th, Day 41…Had a great few days with a
friend in Lebanon, IL, just over the border/river from St. Louis, MO. We went to the City Museum one day, which was
absolutely a.maz.ing! Best place
ever! Also went to the Arch…which I’m
kind of ashamed to admit I knew nothing about history-wise before now. The kids earned their first Jr. Ranger badges
at the Museum of Westward Expansion, and I’m sure I learned more than they
did. This visit was way too short…so
much to do and not nearly enough time just hanging out with our friends!
May 5
th, Day 42…We encountered a boy (10ish?) and his mom at a
truck stop. I don't know their names. It appeared mom had picked him up from
school to take him somewhere, but she really had all their stuff packed in the
back of the truck and covered up. He discovered it at the truck stop and
refused to get in with her. He was on the phone with his dad and trying to tell
him where they were so he could come get him. She called the police and they
were in process of sorting it out while we were there.
My heart was heavy for them when we left.
Longest, hottest travel
day.
Had some fuel trouble and had to
replace a little black box under the hood, thankfully warrantied because we just
bought it in February.
Pulled into
Little Farm on the River, Rising Sun, IN, just in time to go to bed.
We’ll be here for two days while we visit the
Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY.
Kids
are free this year, with adult ticket purchase, and since Noah counts as an
adult for this purpose, we basically have a BOGO deal…plus all tickets are good
for two full days!
May 6th, Day 43…So...the fuel issue was not fixed
by the replacement of the warrantied box. Boo. There are a couple of other possibilities,
but we are going to try to get home before addressing those. A bit scary, but God continues to keep us
safe! This trip is a lesson in trusting
God. So many things are out of our
control.
May 8th, Day 45…We boondocked at Cabela’s in
Columbus, OH. Had to run the generator
half the night to keep the food cold, the first time we have used it on this
trip. It was a little unnerving being
alone in a huge parking lot in a city, but at about midnight, another camper
pulled in. Strangers, sure, but it
definitely felt safer after that.
May 9th, Day 46…Pulled into Pittsburgh KOA for
their BOGO Mother’s Day weekend special!
Place is packed, as we knew it would be.
It’s a little weird to be around so many weekend campers…we have
definitely passed that designation now.
May 10th, Day 47…It’s been kind of a grumpy
day. This campground is packed and it
has rained off and on all day. We did
get to visit my friend and her kids near Pittsburgh, and even went to a
playground despite the gloomy weather.
We’re all tired of moving so
often. According to my trip notes, we
have stayed in 19 different locations.
Time to reevaluate why we decided to do this…and came up with the
following list…
1. To see some people we haven't
met yet, visit some really cool places, and have some good times with family
who live too far away. Accomplished, except for Granny.
2. To finish a trip way longer than anything we have ever
done before, and see whether we still want to do a waaaay longer one. Yep. We
*can* do it! It's not all fun and games, but we do like it. A lot.
3.
To learn some about what full-time RVing is like. It's different than vacation.
This trip has leaned a lot more toward vacation side than I anticipated, with
the things we had planned and probably a little too much go-go-go at times.
Longer stays will help with this, I think, and seeing people will not be as
much a focus as it has been this time around. More downtime, more routine, more
schoolwork...
As far as our goals...we've done well and learned A
LOT. When we roll in our driveway Wednesday (God willing), we will have done
what we set out to do. I'm pretty happy with that.
May 11th, Day 48…Mother’s
Day! Noah and Hannah worked hard to make
us breakfast bagels while we pretended to still be sleeping. The girls had made beautiful cards with Aunt
Cris in Texas, and Hannah had managed to squirrel away some Whoppers
somehow. Combined with some fresh
wildflowers…it was a good day. J Pulling out this afternoon to head a little
closer to home!
May 12th, Day 49…We visited a longtime friend and
family in middle of nowhere Western PA.
She practically has a zoo…horses, chickens, goats, dogs, guinea pigs,
rabbits, and who knows what else. The
kids were in animal heaven, and I’m very sure Hannah could live there with no
trouble at all.
Right about bedtime, there
was a tornado warning, which we knew about only because it came across Brian’s
phone. However, with no internet, we had
no way to track the storm. This
campground has no staff on premises overnight, and I presume no tornado
siren. Extremely unnerving, but we
(obviously) made it through the night just fine.
When we left the
Jefferson, OH campground, we found the dump station already completely full, so
we got to take our “crap” with us.
Crazy, since there was really no one else camping there and it’s very
early in the camping season for the Northeast.
This place has serious drainage/high water table issues…for sure we won’t
come back here. I believe this is the
only campground on this trip that I wouldn’t return to, so that’s not bad!
May 13th, Day 50…Aunt Kathy’s house near
Rochester, NY. The little kids and I
slept in the house. Brian and Noah
braved the hours of thunder and lightning in the camper. Being with family feels almost like home…but
tomorrow night, my own bed!!
May 14th, Day 51…heading home! Driving my van is going to feel like driving
a smart car!
