Our trip started off with a quick overnight stop in Philadelphia to visit with Dick and Miriam. My grandparents are very close to Dick and Miriam and it was very important to them to make this minor detour and visit. The Kline's were fantastic hosts. We had some fabulous meals and enjoyed catching up with them. The visit was very brief but we enjoyed every second of it. The next morning we set off and did some serious driving!
Originally we were going to tow my little Hyundai Elantra behind the RV. When that proved to be more expensive than driving it, we decided to take turns driving the car behind the RV. Taking turns actually turned into my mom and Brent riding in the car for the majority of the journey. Stephen and I did a few short journeys in the car but spent most of our time with the babies in the RV. Thanks for driving the car, guys!
Esme with Grandma Mardine
Noah and Grandma Mardine
The cats started the journey it their carriers as we weren't sure how they would travel. The cried and cried and finally we let them out- they were all pretty good travelers. Beans and Cow cat, especially! At one point we lost Beetlejuice and we feared that someone had accidently let him out of the RV. He is super sketchy so that would be the worst thing ever- there would be no way to coax him back. We eventually found him on top of the wall that slides out to make the RV wider. It is a blessing we found him before we tried to extend the camper- he could have been squished.
Cow cat and Noah
We stopped at a rest area on the edge of the Mississipi for lunch. It was a beautiful, hot day and it was a nice place to stop, eat and enjoy some fresh air.
Brent, Stephen and Esme playing swords by the Mississipi
The midwest was very hot so Esme and Noah- especially Noah- enjoyed sitting in front of the AC on full blast. Poor little Noah is a sweat machine!
We killed some of the time by playing yahtzee- I have no luck at that game! We did a lot of reading, napping and singing. One of the cutest memories of the trip is that it is when Esme started sining along to parts of songs. Her favorite song was the Wheels on the Bus and we sang it about 1000 times! We would sing the wheels on the bus and she would say "round round round" and "all through town." When we said "the windows on the bus go" she would say "up up down." Very cute indeed!
Our next stop was the Mitchell Corn Palace. We were too late to go inside but it was great to see the outside. Esme ad Noah enjoyed looking at the lights.
Next Stop: The Badlands. I have driven cross country several times and never knew about the Badlands! The area is very near Mount Rushmore and is absolutely STUNNING! We had fun exploring the area and absorbing the natural beauty!
From the Badlands we headed to Mount Rushmore. I have been a few times before but it never gets old! This was Stephen, Esme and Noah's first time. The weather on the East Coast and the Midwest was really hot so I didn't even think about packing anything with long sleeves. Grandma Mardine got Esme a sweatshirt to keep her warm but the smallest size available was a 3T- we made it work!!
We did the little tour with the local Ranger and looked around the gift shop. It was a nice day out! When we got back to the RV, Esme thought she would give Noah a cuddle. At first I told her not to do this (because I thought she was squishing him) but he seemed to enjoy it- he loves his big sister!
Then, Esme went night night.
We drove through Deadwood, too!
Somewhere along the journey, my little car hit 100,000 miles! Mom and Brent honked the horn and made a sign to celebrate but I was sleeping and I missed it :( I love my little car and it has been an absolute little champion. I definitely recommend Hyundai!
We finished the trip in 4 days. The last leg of the trip through Idaho and Eastern Washington was pretty uneventful but it was beautiful!
Cow Cat was a very good traveler.
The trip flew by and went reasonably smoothly. We had one scare when Grandpa went a little fast around one of the corners near Mt Rushmore (Grandma and I thought we were going to tip over!) but other than that it was pretty uneventful driving wise. Only one bird hit the RV each way (an event which made me extremely sad) and in almost exactly the same place- crossing the Mississippi!
A big thank you to everyone who helped with the move and an extra big thank you to my Mama and Grandma Mardine for helping with the cleaning and last minute packing. We LOVE You!
Thanks, Grandpa Wil, for being the skipper!
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