Day 9

My first sunset photo on this trip.
Beautiful.

I had a few frustrating days working on this blog trying to get the map added. A fellow blogger/traveler was kind enough to point me in the direction of Geeks on Tour who have created all kinds of cool video tutorials on how to do this stuff for those of us who are challenged. But their directions worked and I am thrilled. So, check out our map and see where we are.


We are currently in Des Moines, IA and our next stop should be in South Dakota. We have been pushing pretty hard to get to the Dakotas. Driving 5-6 hours a day and stopping to eat dinner, shower, and go to bed and do it all over again the next day. Yesterday we stopped at Illini State Park in Illinois and we were so disappointed because we had to pay to stay there and we couldn't even take a shower. Booo... We are very glad today to be in a resort campground in Des Moines...Cutty's Campground...so that we could wash dishes, shower, wash clothes, etc. We get great reception here for the internet and even decent tv without satellite. Can you believe we are doing this trip without satellite??
Yesterday we visited Amish Acres--a tourable Amish farm in Indiana and learned some new things about the Amish. Ooops! I wanted to add a photo here, but the photos are still in my camera. I'll get the hang of this yet!
Off to bed now, good nite.

Our First Day

A funny thing happened on our way out west...we didn't even make it out of Virginia on the first day! We made it just short of Charlottesville and decided it was time to stop. We were already tired from all the running around and getting ready and decided that we had driven far enough. While we are trying to squeeze in all the wonderful things on our "trip of a lifetime," we are not pre-planning or pre-registering any of our stays. This is supposed to be a "one day at a time" kind of trip so that at all times we are relaxed and non-stressed. Hmmm...I know someone that this would drive crazy...and you know who you are! Also, hmmm...we have already experienced stress...but not from lack of planning, but rather from something broken on the Rv and from a certain teenager who shall remain nameless who has decided to put forth his best effort as a typical 14 year old teenager. Enough said on that.
So, each day we are deciding approximately how far we are driving that day and then it is up to me as the navigator with cool shades to figure out where we will be staying. We are trying something new this trip...we have joined Passport America which gives us discounts at participating campgrounds, in most cases we are talking a 50% discount...that can really add up over the length of this trip. Now granted these participating campgrounds are not located everywhere (and each campground can specify their own rules) but there is a book listing by state with accompanying map of those campgrounds honoring the Passport America discount and out of the 5 campgrounds that we have stayed at so far, we have been given the discount at 3 of them. So, already we have saved as much as the cost of the membership. A good sign, I think.
So, as the navigator, I do my best to find a Passport America campground in the vicinity of where we are going...it does not always work, but right now it works more often than not. I like saving that money because otherwise we are paying full price at campgrounds that have no amenities...like swimming since it is still too early or we are paying full price and the only campers present. Why is there not an off-season rate...since clearly the end of April, especially during the weekdays is not high season. I have to tell you that Randy and I are not big fans of staying in WalMart parking lots...it is very hard to sleep comfortably not knowing whether you are in a safe area or not. However, there is a lot to be said for "FREE" night stay. We will have to try it again and see if we have a better experience than we did in Raleigh/Durham, NC. I am about to reveal something from my not pretty side and that is that it irritates me to have to pay money to pull into a campground to sleep and take a shower and move out again the next morning. I mean we are talking as much as $40. for a nothing special kind of campground. So, if we can't find a Passport America campground, then I look for a state park...they tend to be reasonably priced, however, they are often more out of the way.
Stay tuned for more of Angela's camping philosophy.

We have begun

Finally, we are on the road. We left Williamsburg Tues April 21 and for those of you who know us, you know that we have talked about this day for a year or more. Little did we know a year ago that the economy would fall through the floor and we would consider that we would not be able to make this trip happen. But finally after only a little debate, we decided to just go for it and begin this journey of a lifetime. We are looking forward to adventure and seeing and experiencing new things and trying things out of our comfort zone and really getting down and dirty with nature and trying new foods and seeing new animals and camping in as many national parks as we can...all while we have the minimal comforts of home in our 31 ft. RV. Care to come along??