Staying with Family

Posted on May 11, 2025 by TheJessicaness
between Big Timber and Bozeman

We start Tuesday morning in a cold and gray Hardin and stop in Big Timber to see Caleb’s mom. We met her at Lions Club Park, so I’m not dealing with a trailer in a driveway, and walked the perimeter, seeing a bunny and stepping in icy grass before walking to the IGA (local grocery store) for a 45-minute visit.

Our next stop will be in Bozeman, near Montana State University at the American Computer and Robotics Museum. We’re given a short tour of the first two exhibit rooms by Ryan, who is thrilled about their collection, some first editions, signed originals, and pieces/parts made by their founding creators to honor their place in the timeline of technology advancement.

Grant-Kohrs

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is only open for another hour when we get there. The ranger is holding a cat, a required part of the park, to maintain the accuracy of details. We say hello to the fuzzy feline, walk the perimeter and watch the deer, cross the river, and pass the hay elevator (Beaverside Haystacker) as we approach the home and barn area.

There is a calf, still timid of people, a garage with an impressive wagon collection, and a beautiful view of the mountains. With the help of another ranger, we find the return to the exit and realize we will have to come back when we have time to see more and take a guided tour of the residence. We skipped (or missed) the stops in Billings, so we got to Caleb’s sister’s house in Missoula a half day early.

view from the ranch house

I help unpack the boxes from the trailer and then go for a walk as I’m feeling overwhelmed by one dog barking and another whining. They will calm down as the evening does. I help chop veggies for corn chowder, and Jessi makes cheese and parsley biscuits while the kids hang out sometimes with us or in their rooms or outside with the chickens. Full of food and conversation, we make our way upstairs to the guest room.

Wednesday morning is coffee with Jake, printing necessary documents with Jessi’s help, and then running around town to get things in order before the hike. I got the zip code wrong on the change-of-address form, so we’ll see how that goes. I usually do it online, but it’s nice to do things in person in a town that feels small and has great customer service.

backyard swing in Missoula

We’ll get over 350 ft. of elevation on our 2.5-mile hike in Patti Canyon with Jessi before going back to the house. We repacked the car, finished emptying the trailer, and read while Jessi napped before her night shift. We make crepes with the kids, Caleb attempting a smiley face, and top them with lemon curd and Nutella, among the options available. Jake gets home late, but we’re in bed early.

We get in the car Thursday morning to finish the drive west and notice an “S” crack in the windshield, a stress fracture from the replacement done two months ago. Caleb will schedule us an appointment for Friday afternoon in Everett near his uncle’s place. We pass into Pacific Time as we cross into Idaho and walk an OHV road between blocks of sun and shade to stretch our legs and possibly see elk poo.

huckleberry milkshake in St. Regis

Washington state has some of its farm crops labeled (as seen from the road), especially the alfalfa, and a field of timothy grass, an abundant perennial grass native to most of Europe, of which I didn’t know the name. Of all the plants, these types seem to get the least of my attention. We need to get out of the car again, and Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum has a park that mentions having space for parking a trailer.

We walk over to Dawson Park and along part of the No. 9 Mine Walking Tour that explores the remnants of the most extensive coalfields in the state. It produced approximately 64 million tons of coal that powered steam ships and locomotives until 1963, ending the Northern Pacific Railway’s 77-year-long operation in Kittitas County.

No. 9 Mine Walking Tour

We stopped at Thai and Taps in Snohomish for dinner because we decided to drive through (plans of the original itinerary) to Oak Harbor and would be driving into sunset for the first time on this trip. We bring our bags in and get cozy, knowing we have a few days with Uncle Ed before we’re back on the road and taking the scenic route to Missoula.

Friday is a slow morning with coffee, watching the birds in the backyard, and a squirrel named Stubby. The afternoon is spent in Everett getting our windshield replaced while Ed keeps us company, and Aunt Lorraine stays home to make us chicken and dumplings that are delicious.

a house in Snohomish

Saturday finds us at Windjammer Park with Lorraine on her two-mile path that she incorporates into her morning walk options on the island. There is plenty of driftwood, loud seagulls, broken purple shells, gusts of wind, and two shy boxers on a walk, too. The old windmill is no more as the facilities have been upgraded.

Ed is making us waffles as we walk in the door. I could get used to being closer to family who keeps me moving, talking, and eating. Ed will stay and grill meat for the family’s late lunch we have planned at 3 pm, while Caleb and I walk over to his Aunt Jamie’s to talk with her and husband Kevin, and pet Zoey, their shih-tzu, and just one of their four dogs.

a dragonfly on Ed’s shed

She will bring me a little squeaky ball to throw for a while, and then show me her polka dot slipper toy. Back at the house, I get to meet Jamie’s oldest son, Donald (maybe 30 years old), and his girlfriend of four years, Brandie. He’s a welder, and she’s a diesel mechanic. He asked her, “Can I get your number so I can send you memes?”

The eight of us will move from a circle of chairs in the sun to around the fire until the 99% illuminated moon is high over the trees. We mostly talk about military life with 84 years among five of us, then travel, and good times spent in the woods. The latest night yet, but we’re making memories.

Deception Pass

Sunday is Mother’s Day, so while the moms spend the day with one of their sons each, we will explore the hills of Deception Pass. We see groups of Chrysomelinae (broad-bodied leaf beetle) congregating on some perennial herbs as we work up a sweat over varying terrain. We have moments of solitude, as most other spectators have gathered on the beach to watch the water eddy from a more eye-level view.

We return to the house, let the rain pass, and then walk the neighborhood. I cuddle on the couch with a white fluffy blanket, and after reading for a while with just the sound of the clock in the kitchen, I remember that I haven’t written in a few days, and have some pictures to share.

broad-bodied leaf beetle
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Driving the Width of Two South Dakotas

Posted on May 5, 2025 by TheJessicaness
Big Badlands Overlook

Apparently, I looked the part as the hotel clerk commented as much when we arrived around 6 pm. But I’m getting ahead of myself. We started in Kennebec, South Dakota, this morning, just minutes behind the sun, clocking in for its short shift here. I didn’t get much reading done last night, but it was the first time on the trip. I must finish the book before the hike as I now debate bringing it.

moccasins in museum

Some hiker opinions state that newbies have time to read because they’re still getting their trail legs. After that, it’s just more walking (and writing for me); unless my dad is reading this, in which case there will be no words notating my daily snacks and mileage. And definitely, no pictures. The day greets us with yellow and green rolling hills and surprises us with varying-sized groups of antelope.

I point them out every time. The first four are seen staring at a group (part of a herd) of cows who are returning the long looks. I know this can’t be their introductory encounter, but weirder things have happened, and either way, I think it’s adorable. We pass into Mountain Time, which gives us another hour to continue our drive west.

We come into Badlands National Park from the NE entrance and remember the time we camped here and woke up to snow in our tent. We went and bought snow chains and returned so we could see the park in daylight. Now, we gawk at the scenery before us while I chomp away at breakfast. I could get used to this, minus the trailer, and Caleb is already making plans to come back.

This is one of the many reasons our relationship is so strong. We love a lot of the same things, and Caleb makes sure to feed me first. There are plenty of Western Meadowlarks making use of their surroundings, as is the tiny Common millipede that crawls through boulders (pebbles to us humans). I’m on the lookout for deer. I remember seeing a herd last time, but we are in luck today.

We had been discussing wagon travel on the way to the park, wondering what this landscape was to them. Turns out, it was a real struggle to find a passage through, and wealthier homesteaders in the 1920s packed a shovel to dig their Model Ts out of wet weather conditions. Only one viewing area from the part of the park we covered wasn’t trailer-friendly. We still had to limit our stops, or we would easily spend the day here.

Next to a large pull-out, a bison is sitting on the grass until I pull up and pet him. Just kidding, please do not do that or put them in your trailer. They are just fine being photographed from your car as you can’t remember how far away you’re supposed to be, but you feel too close already. The car behind us was lucky enough to have him walk across the road in front of their car.

entrance to Petrified Forest

One bison was going to join the other two. There are more scattered across the park, but without my zoom lens, I wouldn’t get to see them as closely. The visitor center showed people flying bighorn sheep in from Colorado. The park can accommodate up to 300, and we got to meet two of them, one named C3, so we assume its partner was named PO after the famous humanoid robot. Seeing one is rare, so seeing two is spectacular.

I was able to stop on the road twice so we could watch and listen to the prairie dogs bounce and bark among their burrows. The Yellow Mounds are windy, and the mud is like gravel, so it’s easier to ascend and faster to fall. The bird calls echo, and the colors radiate, but the resupply boxes won’t deliver themselves. We’re out of the park too soon.

selenite rose

Part of me agrees that parks should have no development at all or only be partially accessible by shuttle, but I realize how limiting that is and that it would have made today’s visit impossible. Everyone should have a chance to explore nature and access its beauty when they have the time. I appreciate still being able to feel like the only ones here as other parks have lotteries and lines, which dulls the enjoyment, or at least delays it.

We’ve been to Mount Rushmore twice, so we’ve been near Wall, South Dakota, before, but with the number of billboards a hundred miles away, we know it’s a tourist attraction and an overflow entertainment space for passing bikers during the annual rally. We magically miss that traffic hazard on our random trips across, though I know bikers come from states away to celebrate their hobby, transportation, and lifestyle.

a fallen, petrified tree

We take a quick glance, grab a tray loaded with a week’s worth of sugar on it, and once most of that is gone, we can walk back to the car or possibly push it for a minute. Caleb’s hands are still healing, and oddly, the better-looking scar and mess of dead skin is the more sore of the two. It’s a short drive to our next stop in Piedmont and our first gravel road.

I take the turn slowly and park at the bottom of the hill. There’s a sign that offers rides up the steep 1/4 mile incline, but on our way back down, the kid on the golf cart leaves us in a puff of dust. We need to stretch our legs anyway. Past the Elk Creek Resort is the Petrified Forest of the Black Hills, not to be confused with a similar lot of trees turned to stone in northeast Arizona.

We are handed a laminated map and shown to the theater where the tour starts. After the film, you push on the double doors and squeeze through to the museum full of many beautiful rocks in their ore and -ite forms with a wall of slices so you can get a better look at their back-lit details. Once done oohing over those, step outside and aah at the fresh scent of nature.

We missed stop one (admiring the wrong view), and then, taking our time, we inspected the other 23 marker stops as the last one is seen from a bridge. Some tree parts are in their original location, one even partially excavated, and others were gathered from the forest for viewing along this path. If we had another day, I would have taken the unmapped trail and spent an afternoon stone spotting at 3600 feet.

We had planned on stopping in Sturgis at the Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame, but sadly, and also, fortunately, it was closed, and we were on our way through Wyoming, all 20 miles of it. On the other side awaited Montana, full of sheep and antelope. We stayed ahead of the rain clouds for most of the afternoon, but they caught up to us after a stop in Broadus.

We talked with the clerk at a gas station there about incidents on the local roads (meaning any highway in the state), including black ice and deer, and her returning here after 30 years of living in Vegas. It will get down to 43°F as we drive to Hardin, just 120 miles past our planned stop for the night. This should save us a paid night as we will be within reach of family tomorrow.

entrance to Elk Creek Resort

So, I drive us through the rain, and the car slows going up so many hills. Any average mpg gained in SD is lost to the steep climbs, and these are the small ones. Two dogs bound across the road, just like deer would, so I slow as Caleb believes there’s more waiting to ambush us and continue on when I spot them. Perhaps they were doing some off-season hunting of their own.

I circle our long load, not unfamiliar here, around the hotel and park close to the lobby. The clerk greets us by saying how tired we look, thanks. We’re offered access to the mini-fridge with cold drinks and pointed to which side our room is on. I parked on the opposite side, where there are longer spots, and watched a truck pull in and bump the rear of another.

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Honey Sioux Falls Corn

Posted on May 4, 2025 by TheJessicaness
Hitchcock Nature Center

It took me a while to write about yesterday, and I stayed up past bedtime to get it done. I could smell the laundry soap on my towels and pillows, a scent that will be rare once I’m hiking on the PCT for days at a time, finding post offices and businesses willing to hold my resupply boxes of food and send me back to the sweaty wilderness.

Caleb goes out to the car for our hoodies as we forget that it’s no longer hot and humid but a cool 49°F at this latitude. We are leaving at our usual wake time this morning. I had planned a stop at sunrise, but the wildlife area has dirt roads, so we took a minute to get our PCT permits ready to print. It’s exciting to see it with the rules and regulations and a space to count children and livestock traveling with.

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

The foggy morning is alluring. I want to sit by the covered picnic tables and watch the sun move the clouds: thick and thin, bright and gray, in low fields and over the road; and be captivated by the bald eagle as it flies about. There is no shoulder-stopping for us as I don’t want to risk the trailer, though it wouldn’t matter. I have this issue every time I travel. I just want to see and do it all, but I know that’s not an option.

I see the car parked in front of a deer that hasn’t been hit multiple times yet, and Caleb confirms it’s because they just collided. I’m sorry for the animal and the inconvenienced people, but as we see a motorcycle going the other way, perhaps it worked out for the best. We debated stopping at Hitchcock Nature Center until we saw the “RV” on the exit sign and turned. I’m getting better at towing, so much so that Caleb thinks I should do it more often.

Falls Park

We follow a path along the road to the multi-layered viewing tower, a bit shaky at the top, and spot a few birds (goldfinch, blue jay) with the viewing binoculars as we listen to the turkeys down below. There are more trails available than I realized, and though we are prepared for multiple days, we don’t have that kind of time today. We get back on the reddish highway, I-29 N, and it has us scooching (my word) and bouncing (Caleb’s choice).

I slow down and switch lanes, but that doesn’t help. We stop at a rest area, but there is nothing we can do to change the road, so it’s back up to speed, at 60 mph, to Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center. The main gate is closed, but the trails are open. It’s a welcome respite until the picture of baby spiders keeps Caleb hiking on in the shade. He has already removed his hoodie, but I will wait until the next stop, at 70°F, to do so.

the falls

We miss the welcome sign for South Dakota, which Caleb has been diligent about ensuring we catch a passing photo of each state, so he’s forced to draw this one in. The speed increases to 80 mph, but I’m maintaining our more fuel-friendly pace, which works out for the 65 mph slowdowns when one lane is closed as I just cruise through. Only one tumbleweed will blow across our path.

Caleb chooses a different entrance for Falls Park, and I have the option to stop behind a row of cars or go across the street to an overflow area and have a space to myself. I had only planned on places to walk, so I hadn’t looked into the history of this place. Drake Polishing Works used the petrified wood from Arizona’s now national park (as of 1962) in the 1880s for table tops and picture frames and sent them down the Big Sioux River.

After the Drake building was abandoned, the stones in the Lower Falls were removed for the hydroelectric plant. Other stones were transported by prisoners and were used to help build their domicile. We climb up to the viewing tower here, too, and the park expands when you can see further. There’s another building here without people around it, so we wander into the Stockyards Ag Experience.

The woman at the desk lets me know she counted 52 visitors yesterday and has ten states colored in on her where-the-tourists-are-from map. We’re glad we could help her add another. John Morrell was the largest employer in South Dakota until 1958 and remained in the top three until 2012, supplying beef, pork, and lamb. The final heifer sale was in 2009 and marked the end of 92 years of service for the Stockyards.

Mitchell, South Dakota

Downstairs, we learn that a bee will take 154 trips from flower to its hive to produce 1 tsp of honey and that cupcakes got their name from cakes made by ingredients measured by the cup-full. The road looks endless, but we have another stop. We’re in luck that the Corn Palace is open today, and we aren’t missing an opportunity to see inside.

This year’s theme is Wonders of the World. The first palace was built in 1892 when the small town of Mitchell had something to prove. A tradition was started, and a replacement was built in 1905 that proved too small for the gathering of farmers to celebrate their harvests. A third palace was completed in 1921. Grains were missing from the decorations during WWII but rejuvenated through the designs of Oscar Howe. 

He would go on to design murals from 1948 to 1971, so there’s a second-floor exhibit dedicated to his craft, which draws some half a million tourists annually. This venue is used for basketball games, performing artists, and dance recitals. The new murals are placed each September using 12 different shades of corn and roughly 325,000 ears, along with rye and sour dock, to complete the image.

The passing view of the Missouri River is beautiful and then we return to being cooked through the windshield; Caleb chose to wear all black. The Inn manager has built his home next to his office, and we can hear his kids while we check in. He lets us know that Sundays aren’t the best for food options and Caleb finds a spot ten miles away – we’re not doing that.

Van’s Custom Culture Competition

Our room comes with a shoe tray as did last night’s. I suppose all the other times we have been through here we were camping. We also have a fly swatter, a recliner (that I’m in), and a pile of rag towels for our convenience. The a/c is aggressively loud, and Caleb says the heater in the bathroom looks like a fire hazard. I think we got a deal.

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Falling Behind in Missouri

Posted on May 3, 2025 by TheJessicaness
Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge

We were up early enough; the fridge made sure of that. The woman at the front desk last night led me to believe she had upgraded our room, but we got what we paid for minus a deluxe breakfast that I wasn’t expecting anyway. We had a few days’ worth of meals brought with us, but Caleb figured it was time for a treat, so we stopped in Chesterfield to eat and have lunch for later.

Graham Cave

It was 56°F when we stepped outside, and I was glad to have my hoodie readily available to put on. I dropped the room key on the front desk after ringing the bell but promptly left to get on the two-lane road where we would spend the majority of our day. My cheddar biscuits seemed like the baker had replaced the flour with cheese, and thanks to the kids in the booth next to us, we also got stickers.

waterfall

Our first planned stop is Graham Cave State Park, where no tour guide is needed. We walked back to the visitor’s center, which is only open when a ranger is available, and he happened to drive by and offer to let us in. This park is one of only three in the state that has sandstone glades and was once owned by his family before being donated, making the amenities free to the public.

Atlantic camas

There are at least one hundred dead ladybugs on the window sill and one very excited puppy at the trailhead. Before reaching the 10,000-year-old cave, I spot a bunny in the bushes. Once below the 20 feet of accessible overhang (the rest fenced off to keep out collectors), I see an American robin chick peeking at me from its nest. We see a variety of purple flowers, British teeth mushrooms, and a Cookie Monster tree.

Loess Bluff NWR

We stopped just outside the exit as Caleb forgot to put our next park in the GPS. I attempt to wave off the homeowner, letting him know we’re ok, but he walks towards us anyway. We are saved from the conversation by an approaching van. There is a semi-truck being loaded onto a tow truck on Hwy 40 E, and it has traffic stopped for at least four miles, to the point that kids are playing with a ball on the road while they wait.

Eagle Pool

It wasn’t until we got to Stephens Lake Park that I noticed we were behind schedule, arriving an hour after I had us leaving, so we compromised and walked half the park instead of the perimeter. I got to see a swarm of bees working on a new hive in the same tree as a wool sower gall (with wasp larvae inside) and a bunch of fox squirrels running around. It’s a nice park on a beautiful day, and there is art, ponds, and a birthday party setting up, but I feel rushed knowing we have mileage to meet.

stairs in shadow

The road has perceivably no turns as we drive over 200 miles to Loess Bluff NWR, where the temperature is 66°F and I can take my hoodie off. I had planned on stopping at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, but again, we were late, and the parking situation seemed impossible, so we bypassed it for a park with a driving tour. Caleb couldn’t confirm if it was a dirt road, though, so we gladly enjoyed a hike with a view.

view from Hamburg Inn & Suites

We had the parking lot to ourselves under sunny skies that we only got once we reached the city of over 400,000 residents. We enjoyed the climb (the stretch it provided) and the quiet with only birds rustling through the tall grass. Back on the road, there’s a new sign: state law – buckle up – phone down. The radio mutes the word “chains,” and the clouds look the wispy opposite of Bob Ross’s happy ones.

blue building

I had started to drift in thought while Caleb continued to update our directions and find a place for the night. We have been driving past the planned points, but tonight, we will settle in the middle as I start to get tired of towing and ready to eat. I ring the bell and find the desk clerk cutting up a red pepper. He takes what info he needs while letting me know that the Peonies Festival used to run this place when they were shipped via train, mail order only.

outside the library

When flowers and trains stopped being cool (someone else’s lame opinion), the town shifted to popcorn and now supplies 52% of all microwaveable bags across the US. The corn-based festival is in September, and people are already booking rooms, so we have something to return for. On the table is a list of local attractions and less than a block away offers a “fried egg” sundae, so of course we go.

lovely dual-light lantern lamps

They closed hours ago and will be closed tomorrow. We walk a while so we can see the closed and dusty shops, one with plants growing thick in the window. The theater offers movies on weekends for $4. I peek in the window and do the same at the library. This town is adorable, but my hunger is grabbing my attention. We return to the room with a mat for shoes and a mirror that lights up. I’ll put my feet up while Caleb boils water.

P.S. I found a tiny tick (possibly 2 – 3mm) on me that has now moved on.

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Tennessee Roads Body Count

Posted on May 2, 2025 by TheJessicaness
part of the curtain wall

Caleb tries the pancake maker machine (two griddles with a glass viewing window) after we load the car in a lot that smells like horse manure. I’m not usually one to look at so many carcasses and try to avoid them, but it seems to turn into a road game like license plate bingo or cloud-shape spotting as we continue to see so many armadillos, averaging one almost every three miles.

We won’t count all day, just on the short drive to Stones River National Battlefield, and I am glad to see a curious box turtle on the rumble strip that has yet to be unalived and looks to be going back to the trees. This park has a few spots to stop at, and Caleb chooses the Fortress Rosecrans so we can see the 1,400 ft. long curtain wall. This defense structure had over 14,000 ft. of earthwork walls in 1863.

Lytle Creek

It was built by 40,000 men in 130 days, between the Union Army and their “contrabands,” who were newly freed and paid for their labor. Today, it looks more peaceful and provides a home for turkeys and American giant millipedes. The name seems fitting, and I squat and watch all the tiny legs forming v’s and then fanning out in quick succession. Caleb is impressed with the little guy’s ability to move so many appendages with such grace.

Admiring Lytle Creek, I’m stung by the first mosquito of the trip. I’m sure there will be more, but the temperature is in the 60s here, and the encounters are too few to require bug repellent just yet. In the gift shop, they have recipe books, raccoon earrings, and a sticker of Lincoln’s hat. I was looking around while waiting for my turn for the park stamp and then put Stones River next to Shiloh’s spot.

Dunbar Cave State Park

I laughed it off. I will just switch them instead of buying a sticker to cover it up. I can add this story to the one where I put the stamp upside-down, which I let the rangers know is helping to create memories. They engage with us, and I let them know we’re here to stretch our legs. Our trailer rental determines our travel time. Otherwise, I’d have spent the day exploring and learning more about the importance of this place and the battle’s effect on the Civil War.

Caleb is reading the website for Dunbar Cave before our arrival. We continue to get lucky that each stop seems to have space for at least one vehicle towing a trailer. He wants me to know that we might not see the cave, something I was already prepared for – more for tour timing issues than it being closed because the woman at the front desk could barely handle that responsibility. 

cave entrance

We walk the Short Loop as we are told by a local man who has been coming here for 30 years that the Recovery Trail is where the dead cedars lie and it’s more a workout than a stroll under the canopy we find ourselves. We part ways, and I tell Caleb that the friendly and sweaty man reminds me of Uncle Ed. We cross paths with a Kentucky flat millipede and many fallen blossoms from the Tulip tree, the state tree of IN, KY, and TN.

Dunbar Cave’s cooling entrance allowed it to be extravagant. The first dance floor was packed with sawdust in 1844. The cave became a resort in 1879, and a wooden dance floor was added in 1891, which was replaced with concrete in 1916. As air-conditioning grew, the resort closed in 1971, and the only dancing inside today is by the Carolina wrens who nest in the corners provided by the construction over a century ago.

open road

We didn’t plan on stopping in Kentucky, but after 40-plus miles of the jerkiest road (Hwy 24), we needed a break to look for a chiropractor and check the trailer’s contents. I haven’t been doing the 70 mph speed limit because the trailer says 55, but I was forced to go even slower to accommodate the bumps at a more reasonable aggression than to worry about the rain and the possibilities that presents.

It’s quite the upper-body workout to maintain such weight at such speeds in these conditions, and I joke that perhaps too much bourbon was consumed while someone was “repairing” this road. I will make a similar comment about the state of our boxes when I see them disheveled as if they had been partying all night. Caleb shoves them around and tightens their safety net so we can get back on the road.

Big Rocky Hollow Trail

I’m glad we set so many days to get across as we hit a slowdown that would take us 30 minutes to drive the five miles to the Illinois border. It will be another half hour until we reach Ferne Clyffe State Park with a few spots to accommodate our length. We are interested in the waterfall and grateful for the wide and absorbent path that led us to it, along with an old man and his 10yo dog Ruby.

On our return trip, we passed a large family, three women who smelled like a bingo hall in the 80s (smoke, carpet, and desperation), and a couple dressed in wedding garb with two photographers. There’s a tricky water crossing, so I’m guessing the bride will wait to put on her nice shoes until safely in front of the perfect backdrop, which some of these rocks would do beautifully.

waterfall

There’s a church by the park with a sign: Duct tape is good, but 3 nails fixed everything! Driving through Carbondale, I noticed giant dog paws painted on the lanes. I’d look up why, but we got in late (on time) tonight, and it’s getting close to bedtime. I had us going to one or the other O’Fallon, but Caleb will find us a place in Red Bud so we can avoid going through another large city.

I feel a sense of renewed energy when I see the sun hit a field of flowers, especially after a day of driving under gray skies. I might’ve kept going had it not been time to eat, and then it would have been too dark to continue, so we stopped and got a new hitch to raise the trailer and more straps (one that’s not torn in half) to fix the contents situation.  The Kaleb working there says his other job spelled his name Kalub, which looks phonetically correct.

inspiration

Back down the road, I checked us in while Caleb switched the hitches. The carpet is lush, and we’re at the back, away from the road, so it’s very quiet. Caleb makes me dinner while I write. There’s a paper towel dispenser on the wall of our motel and a glass dish in the bathroom with cotton balls and swabs. We could fit another bed in here, but one will be enough.

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