by Annie | May 29, 2010 | Travel
After cruising through the gorgeous Big Horn Mountains yesterday afternoon, we pitched our tent less than ten feet away from the roaring Leigh Creek. Any closer and our tent would have been floating in the rapids. I would easily have categorized Leigh Creek as a river, but apparently things are on a different scale out here. Call it nature’s white noise machine. A few chili cheese dogs and a quick game of Scrabble later, we retired to the tent. At 9pm, it was still light outside, but we were beat. Joe and Sofie were both snoozing soundly within seconds, while I lay tossing and turning for a bit, no doubt the result of my repeated car napping throughout the day. By 7am, nature had called, and we emerged from our mountain dew-covered tent. Next, we’re off to...
by Annie | May 28, 2010 | Travel
It was the best of naps, it was the worst of naps. You can never tell if a car nap is going to be a glorious one, in which you wake up refreshed hours later in a different state with gorgeous vistas to enjoy while you rub the remainders of sleep from your eyes, or a terrible nap, in which bits of radio commercials creep into weird dreams as you nod uncontrollably like a kid being offered a giant ice cream cone. Well abreast of the odds, I always make sure to take multiple naps to ensure I can get in at least one good nap. After waking up at 4:45am to take in the sweet sounds of a prairie creature symphony, we watched the sun rise over the Badlands. As soon as I settled into the passenger seat, I started nap number one. After a few of the more violent nods, I looked up to catch some views of deer and the awesome terrain of the big Badlands. Before I knew it, I woke up as we were parking in front of Wall Drug. After a quick round of tchotchke shopping and with bellies full of homemade donuts and 5-cent coffee, we headed out on the interstate again. Several mini naps later, I woke up on Main Street in Deadwood, SD. After a snack and some more tchotchke browsing, we returned to the car. This time, I dozed off without even realizing it and awoke to Joe shaking me vigorously to ask for directions out of the tourist trap town. We’re currently headed toward Big Horn, WY, for some...
by Annie | May 27, 2010 | Travel
Ever wonder where wind comes from? Well, wonder no more. Wind is born in Minnesota. It grows on farms and is cultivated by windmills on the side of the highway. Baby winds mature fast, as it turns out. Before its first diaper change, a wind is already out on its own. From Minnesota, the winds blow straight into South Dakota. The young prepubescent winds, still unsure of their power, are often wild, unpredictable, and unnecessarily assertive, as most young ones are. They blew the cheese slices off the sandwiches I was making for lunch and dried the windshield before I even started to squeegee. Ah, adolescence....
by Annie | May 27, 2010 | Travel
Note: Please do not read this blog entry. Rather, sing it to the tune of “On the Road Again,” by Willie Nelson. On the road again Stopped in Wheaton, now we’re drivin’ again The life we love is playing board games with our friends We’re so sad to be on the road again On the road again Finding rest stops that we’ve never known Eating junk food that may kill us very soon Our car is packed, and we’re on the road again On the road again Like an old married couple in a Jetta We’re the best of friends Insisting that our car keep running on And on On the road again Stopped in Red Wing, now we’re drivin’ again The life we love is hanging out on Michael’s dock Oh, we’re so sad to be on the road again On the road again Like an old married couple with a dog-child We’re the best of friends Insisting that our dog keep on behavin’ And sleepin’ On the road again Now we’re headed to the Badlands And we’re gonna camp for several days outside Oh, I can’t wait to sleep inside...
by Annie | May 25, 2010 | Travel
Always brake for good friends. During our layover in Wheaton, IL, the past couple of days, we’ve enjoyed some great food, good company, fun games, abnormally high temperatures, and a stray thunderstorm, along with an interesting situation or two: Back on the road...
