Our Route So Far

A Visit with the Spoon

After spending a few days in Madison, I headed South to visit an online friend, Adriane. We've talked here and there for over a year and when I set out to do my adventure with Max she offered a place to say in Central Illinois. What fun we had!

The journey started off with a major lightning storm. Since I've been through 2 so far, I thought it would be ok. That was, until I saw all of the cars huddled under the overpass with hazards on. Should I stop? Should I keep going? I kept going, with hazards on. Until, I witnessed bolts of lightning all around the car so I decided it might be a good idea to stop for a while. We stopped and observed truckers getting out of the drivers seat to take shelter in the cab. What an adventure THAT was. Come to find that there were "get in your basement for the deadly lightning and tornado watch" warnings. Yet again, we managed to get through it.

Adriane "Spooner" and I went to dinner the first night and she cooked the second night. What an amazing cook she is! I got to stay in a beautiful girl's room complete with stuffed animals, soft bed, fluffy blankets, string lights and bright walls! It was as if I was in a fairytale land. The best night sleep by far.

I didn't want to be one to overstay my welcome, but I stayed a third night. I am glad I did! We went to a concert in the park to watch the Reveren Horton Heat work his magic on stage. What a fun night! Locals didn't mind that it was cold and rainy part way through the concert. It was the first night on the trip that I actually put closed toed shoes on to enjoy a night away from a campsite. It was delightful.

Thank you Adriane for making Max and I feel so welcome in your home.

She is doing 50 mile...yes 50 mile walk next month for MS. Please take the time to read her story and donate to this cause by clicking HERE Has your state donated? If you live, or know anyone from these states, encourage them to give just $5. They are trying to get a donation from every state.

Delaware
Hawaii
Kansas
Louisiana
Minnesota
Mississippi
Nevada
New Mexico
South Dakota
Tennessee
Vermont

Here are some pictures of our visit. Thank you again! I look forward to another visit! Like, tomorrow when my U-Haul comes to your house.

Madison, Wisconsin

I love college towns. There is something about the energy of the town and the feeling of being away from parents for the first time. I loved living in a college town. In fact, two of my best friends that grew up in Los Angeles still live there.

After leaving South Dakota, I wanted to visit Minnesota and Wisconsin since I have never been to either state. I drove for about 7 hours or so and decided to stop and explore Madison, Wisconsin. I found a great little college town! Max and I stayed a few days here to explore the area. It took me down memory lane to see all of the students moving in and parents saying good bye.

Here are some pictures of the day:

Route So Far..

The Next Day...

Max and I woke up to a beautiful day after the lightning storm. We set out to to one of my favorite campsites from last year, Vermillion State Park in South Dakota. Somehow I knew the weather would cooperate this time. Well, I didn't "know" but I was hoping that it would be nice. It was.

Of course we had to stop at the world's only corn palace! It was full of corn, all right. They decorate the "palace" each year with a different corn design. Inside is a gym, concert hall, welcome center, or gift shop. Depends on the time you tour it, I suppose. If you are in the area, you have to stop just to see the "wonder" of it all.

We took it easy at the site, looking at the water and relaxing. The chipmunks were brave enough to steal Max's food as he napped. You can watch the video by clicking here.

It was a nice rest for the long drive ahead. We didn't know where we would land, but I wanted to see Minnesota and Wisconsin. Two states I have never been to.

Max barking at Max

He's not sure what to do...listening to himself talk to the buffalo on the computer.

Taking the long way

After Max and I had fun playing western dress up at Wall Drug, we were back on the road heading East. One of my favorite campsites was a little far away so I looked at a map and found a site off of a lake that seemed right off of the freeway.

We drove, and drove, and drove. I then realized that we had to drive around the entire lake to get to the campsite shown on on the map. Sixty miles later, I saw a sign that read "North lake entrance 4 miles." I was waiting for the West entrance, but at this point, I didn't care. I just wanted to get to a campsite site and relax. It's been a long driving day. After driving 4 miles on the unpaved and unmaintained road, we arrived to the end of the line.

We drove up and noticed a couple camping. A woman came up to me to ask if I had matches to light their fire. We chatted for a while and I told her that I was relieved to have another camper at the site with me. Truth was, I had no idea where I was...but I wasn't going to let on.

Apparently, this is a local spot. There were no facilities, just a turn around at the end of the road, which was the lake. Max and I loved it there. We had a ton of space, neighbors nearby, and best of all...it was FREE!

After taking a few photographs and setting up camp, we decided to relax and look out to the lake. It was a beautiful day, but we were exhausted from the drive.

I heard noises in the distance. Sounded like a thunderstorm over the mountains. No biggie, we went through this in Wyoming and it passed in the distance. It will be the same this time.

I waived to my neighbor camper as they went off on a hike.

The wind picked up. The rumbling got louder. I'm safe. I'm with locals. They know the area, we will be fine, I thought.

I watched them come back, except this time, they were running back.

The day turned dark...fast. It started raining. I threw everything in the tent and sat in it thinking I would wait it out. The lightning was more frequent and bright. I got out of the tent to watch for a while. I know it's going to pass. We will be fine.

All of a sudden, I see their truck pull up next to me standing in the darkness and I hear the woman's voice call out to me. "Are you going to be ok?" she asked. I said, "yes, it's just going to pass over, right?" She said, "NO, it's coming right towards us! We live close by so we're just going to go home." Suddenly, the fear set in. I said, "ok, we'll be fine."

I watched them leave until I could no longer see their brake lights in the distance. The rain went from drops to what seemed like rain "patties." The lightning hit. This time, I saw it. Not just the brightness of the light, but the actual bolt. And another.

"We need to get outta here, Max!" I grabbed him, threw him in the kennel and threw that in the car, picked up everything in the tent in one swoop and shoved it in the back window of the car. I tried to do a speed "pull and fold" with the tent stakes and threw them in the back. At the same time, I didn't have a flashlight since I could see everything as light as day each time it hit. Visions of horror movies popped in my head where someone would appear right in front of you when lightning hit. Adrenaline was rushing...

As soon as everything was shoved in the car, we were on our way. The first mile of the unpaved, unmaintained road was uphill and full of mud. My car started sliding sideways in the mud as I tried to escape. I slowed down, put in low gear and hoped for the best.

I made it to a paved road and went the opposite way I came. The rain was hitting me from the side and it looked as if rain was coming up from the ground. We drove through the storm listening to thunder cracks and squinting each time a lightning bolt hit. Fifty miles later we found a town and a motel.

Of course the morning greeted us with a beautiful day. We were thankful to be safe and off to the next campsite.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture this night in pictures.

Beware: Lakes on a map might not always be as close as they appear to be.

A Wall Drug Adventure

If you are driving on highway 90 in South Dakota going East or West, you will see several billboards for different items at Wall Drug.

Free Ice Water, 5 Cent Coffee (which is free for Veterans..AND a they get a free donut), old time pictures, etc.

Well, there you have it. Let's do all three!

Max and I decided it was worth a stop. The ice water was cold, the coffee was really 5 cents and yes, we dressed up for a couple of old time photos. Of course I had to be the "traditional bar lady"..or something like that, but I really wanted to be Annie Oakley! She looked like she had way more fun.

I went in and said, "can I get a picture of me with a dog as a man and a woman?" After a long pause the young woman said..."uh, yeah..ok, sure." So, off I went and told Max what we were going to do and he was game. He was pretty patient with the whole set up as he was being outfitted wearing a bandanna and cowboy hat. He even looked at the camera which he never does with me. He now heads in the other direction when I get the camera out. For one good shot of Max, I take about 50.

It was fun. I was laughing the entire time. Of course not when I was the "serious cowgirl holding a terrier with a cowboy hat on." I think we just robbed a bank. Look at all of that cash in the back! Didn't all of the classic western shots include a dog with a hat on? I think they did. So, it's pretty authentic.

After a few good laughs, we continued on our journey. Only to find a seemingly perfect campsite, not so perfect.
Details soon...

Chipmunk steals Max's food

Our route so far...