The travelers are Doug (Dad), Terssa (Mom), Joshua (son), and Leo (son). We each have our assigned spots. Doug is the driver, Terssa is the navigator, Leo is co-navigator, and Joshua is in charge of spotting animals so we arrive safely.
We left Iowa at 9;40 am driving two cars toward our daughters military base at Ellsworth, South Dakota. We managed to drop off Alexis's car and make it to Spearfish, KOA for the evening.Upon arrival Leo gave everyone five lives and we would lose a life if we do something dumb or unsafe. Joshua was the very first to lose a life for undressing in the KOA cabin with the door wide open and evening traffic rushing by. Doug lost a life for mid-night peeing where Mom has to walk to get to the restroom...just not cool!
Our friend Paul and his girlfriend Tonya came by the cabin to visit with us after they got off work. We sipped red wine and talked about all the rain that has been falling in the Rapid City, SD area. Over all a very mellow and productive first day of driving to Alaska.
The mountains that we will see today will be breath-taking but nothing compared to the beautiful mountains in Banff, BC. tomorrow. I took these pictures while Doug is driving 80 MPH down the interstate. He only stops when I say stop and that would mean our drive to Alaska would take about three weeks because I see so many things I want to capture and share with my readers.
In the morning, on our drive to Montana, the cloud formations were spectacular! We drove west as these formations were roiling up in the east behind us.
The antelope in Wyoming are everywhere. I stopped counting after the first one hundred or so. I know these look like dots but they are antelope...just more 80MPH pictures.
Look everyone I do take pictures that are still and beautiful. This robin was quite a ham and posed for several pictures. He was building a nest I think because he kept flying back and forth from the grasslands to this tree.
The boys when we arrived in Great Falls, Montana...on their phones. If you look closely Joshua is in the window on his phone inside the cabin. Doug and I are diligently trying to build a fire to roast some brauts. It rained in Great Falls, for two days prior to us arriving on June 2, 2015. The ground is saturated with water, mushy and slightly slimy. The wood which is free at this KOA is wet and building a fire seems like its going to be a job of creativity and patience.
Doug asks me to search for paper that is not wet. I managed to find two pizza boxes that someone has discarded and begin my job of ripping these up into smaller pieces. Doug finds lint from our dryer stored in our camp box and sets to work making the family triangle of tiny sticks, dryer lint, and my shredded pizza boxes. I surmise that the pepperoni grease from the pizza boxes is also helping get this fire started. The boys are still on their phones! Leo finishes up his call and goes in search of dry wood. We have the smallest of camp fires just starting to take off when he arrives back with an armful of dry wood. Great work, Son!
