Skipping the free pancake breakfast at the campground, Cin and I packed up, put on our jeans and t-shirts (yeah, I wore the Angel’s Chop Shop t-shirt like a goofball) and drove Westward to Sturgis with only one day left for the rally. We thought we were in South Dakota, but it turned out we [...]
day 9 of the august 2004 trip: grabbin’ wyoming by the big horns
For it being a Friday the 13th we lucked out with the showers. The laundry & shower facility at Grant Village doesn’t have timers on their water lines. Even though a person can get plenty clean in less than five minutes (I can even shave my gams without a nick) there’s something luxurious about knowing [...]
day 8 of the august 2004 trip: the natural wonders of icecreamstone
It must be the fresh air! We slept very very hard, and bounded up in the morning. By now (Thursday, August 12) we were extremely comfortable with the camper as home. It always feels like a homey little vehicle, but now we have rituals and habits and all sorts of quirky behaviors that confirm this [...]
day 7 of the august 2004 trip: onto the tetons
Ahhh, mornin’ at the Flyin’ J. These gas & go joints are great. A fill-up, a couple of cold Red Bulls, a couple of odds & ends purchases, and we were on our way just in time to hit rush hour traffic through Salt Lake City. Thankfully there was a commuter lane and we blew [...]
day 6 of the august 2004 trip: where there’s a whim, there’s a highway
Oh please. Please please please. Overnight I must have called upon every deity begging for my calf muscles to relax. My right calf was a rock. A solid, aching rock. I must have hit on the right amount of pleading, deep breathing, and stretches because the muscle gave in and I slept happily. Apparently the [...]
day 5 of the august 2004 trip: don’t underestimate the grand canyon
Why get up to watch the sunrise, when I could roll over and groan into the pillow, “We can see the light coming through the poptop window.” It took a breakfast of champions (Beddar Cheddars and cold baked beans!) to get us outta bed. While cleaning up a couple of kids walking their dog came [...]
day 4 of the august 2004 trip: prepare to meet thy awe
August 8th just happens to be Cindy’s birthday. Well, might as well go to the Grand Canyon then. The Kaibab CampeRVillage looked completely different in sunlight. We didn’t realize it was fairly packed. The two closest neighbors were pretty quiet, so we didn’t really notice when we backed in to site #12. A very nice [...]
day 3 of the august 2004 trip: rocks fall and so can people
Woke up in time to enjoy the sunrise on the 7th. A substantial breakfast on the picnic table using the Coleman Road Trip kept the van clean and kept us under the clear sky. A raven came by for company and talked up a storm. We don’t speak bird so I’m not sure what the [...]
day 2 of the august 2004 trip: driving 70 on 70
Good morning to the second day of the trip, Friday August 6! The Kearney NE rest stop looked entirely different in the daylight. It is clean and pleasant and there’s a cool sculpture behind the building. Without my glasses it appeared as if large sheets of metal were artfully jammed into the ground and pronounced [...]
day 1 of the august 2004 trip: had to escape, the city was sticky and cruel
After a series of false starts with such reassuring premises such as, “I forgot my sandals” and “I forgot to uhmmm, go…” we finally hit the road late Thursday evening, August 5. It was actually a bit of a shock to be on the road, since for a moment I truly believed Laverne and Shirley [...]