Aaah, the joys of being a teacher. Summers off, national holidays off and the opportunity to see the world on a budget.
After some long phone calls to the family back in Chicagoland last night, and some added input from Kevin, I made a draft plan for my May-July trip. The Chicagoland part will be easy, it will just be a matter of WHEN I leave the area there for my round trip "out of the way" return trip to Arizona via South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. I will stay in northwestern Indiana for as long as Erin and Ethan need me. I'm doing this trip to Indiana because of them. Once I know Erin is settled into her new motherhood, I'll feel comforted enough to move on.
The van will have to come out of hibernation beforehand obviously so he'll be my cost for next month. For now, the SUV is more fun to drive in our mountains and on dirt roads.
I will leave Indiana/Chicagoland sometime in late June for Madison, WI. I've always wanted to experience that college town, walk the capital street and enjoy its brewpubs. You can't beat Wisconsin when it comes to great beers and cheeses...and expanded waistlines. The town's 200 miles to the NW from my step mom's house in Crown Point, IN. That's an easy day trip. If Eric and I can make Madison a weekend trip before my departure, I will cancel Madison and drive due west from Chicagoland to Sioux City, Iowa. This is where my northwestward loop will officially begin.
From the Missouri river there I will be following the waterway as much as possible, driving the route Lewis and Clark took in 1804 as much as possible, but stopping at Indian Reservations to observe additional history and enjoying those Midwestern towns as much as possible.
A few years ago Kevin and I both read the great travelogue "Out West" by Dayton Duncan. Written in the early 1980s, Dayton drove the route the two adventurers completed, with added insight to the modern world. Not only did he meet the local townsfolk along the way, he also met Native Americans with whom he shared late night conversations over beer or whatnot. It's in my opinion one of the top ten American travelogues. (Another great book is "Blue Highways" by William Least Halfmoon.) Dayton's experiences in South Dakota were enough to get me on the road years ago.
The last time I was in South Dakota was sometime in the last century when I was a mere 12 years old. We had vacationed in South Dakota's Black Hills and stayed at an Air Force Base nearby. Although I plan on using military bases as cheap overnight stays, my focus will be more on the Native American historical sites and old battlefields. South Dakota with its high prairies and red badlands in its west are worthy of its own trip.
http://www.amazon.com/Out-West-American-Journey-Along/dp/0140083626
I will continue along the river to the towns of Yankton, IA, Chamberlain, IA and then Pierre, SD. I will move on toward Bismarck, ND, Williston, ND and westward toward Great Falls, MT. Here is where I'll spend at least an entire day at the Lewis and Clark library.
Western Montana will be my big focus, exploring the mining towns of Helena, Butte, Bozeman and Missoula (where of course I'll have beer at the Big Sky brewery and experience the college town). Lewis and Clark spent a lot of time in western Montana and on their return trip in 1806 took a slightly different route returning to St Louis.
Reliving history (both of the settlers and the Native Americans), hiking trails, discovering the northern wilderness and of course good micro beer will be my impetus for this trip.
I will most likely get on Highway 191 in Yellowstone National Park and drive that route back to Douglas, AZ. http://www.usends.com/mapguy/MapPgs/mapx91.htm
I could easily spend an entire month in western Montana but school starts up again on 2 August for me. (College starts two weeks later) Weather will play a factor but I do plan on being back in Arizona by the start of August. I'll be road weary by then anyway.
Would I rather do this trip with Kevin? Hell yes. Montana is his dream, too. I'll be missing him a lot along the way, especially when I'm at the contentious battle sites where the Natives fought valiantly against their overpowering adversaries. However, one sees and experiences more as a solo traveler, without the whines and whimpers of a second person doubting your stamina, drive or ambition. And besides, I've never been lonely on the road: there are too many other people already on it!
I haven't decided which dog will go with me. Sara went with me to South Carolina back in 2005 but she's slowing down now and I don't think she could handle those ten-mile hikes in the wilderness. However, when it comes to personal protection she can not be beat. I will have to convince Carol to allow her in the house in Indiana, though.
The mileage will be around 3700 miles, 5400 for the entire round trip. (It's the cost of gasoline that will be the biggest expense...) Once I get to Sioux City I don't plan on driving more than 100 miles a day. The rest will be for exploration and discovery and working on my travel blog. (I'll have a new blog by then anyway as this one's running out of MB)
There will be other factors that may postpone or alter this trip. I talked with Eric last night and he seems to be wanting to move to Los Angeles with his band mate Derek. Just a few weeks ago it was Boston, MA. I'd be delighted to have him "next door" in California but, as a mom, moving to LA as a young man is risky. I will be too worried about Eric making it on his own there. The Angelinos will eat him alive. Truly only the strong survive in that town.
Los Angeles just isn't a nice town. It's not even pretty. It's smoggy, congested and full of rude locals. I'd rather see Eric settle down in San Diego or Monterey, or even points north like Chico. But Eric wants to make it big in LA.
Eric and Derek (sounds like a comedy duo) already know they are welcome here. Even if they take a week or a month to relax in Arizona, they could stay here and relax before they hit California. Perhaps they'll like Tucson better anyway than Los Angeles. With the many Californians emigrating to Arizona I wouldn't be surprised.
So...I have a LOT ahead of me. I still have to focus on my courses here. I have to hope that Kevin will be OK on his own for two months. We have both been talking about exploring Montana together and this trip will be a reconnoitering trip for our joint trip the following year. In 2010 Kevin will have three weeks paid vacation. It won't be too much longer afterthat when Little Ethan will be with us for those summer adventures.
After some long phone calls to the family back in Chicagoland last night, and some added input from Kevin, I made a draft plan for my May-July trip. The Chicagoland part will be easy, it will just be a matter of WHEN I leave the area there for my round trip "out of the way" return trip to Arizona via South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. I will stay in northwestern Indiana for as long as Erin and Ethan need me. I'm doing this trip to Indiana because of them. Once I know Erin is settled into her new motherhood, I'll feel comforted enough to move on.
The van will have to come out of hibernation beforehand obviously so he'll be my cost for next month. For now, the SUV is more fun to drive in our mountains and on dirt roads.
I will leave Indiana/Chicagoland sometime in late June for Madison, WI. I've always wanted to experience that college town, walk the capital street and enjoy its brewpubs. You can't beat Wisconsin when it comes to great beers and cheeses...and expanded waistlines. The town's 200 miles to the NW from my step mom's house in Crown Point, IN. That's an easy day trip. If Eric and I can make Madison a weekend trip before my departure, I will cancel Madison and drive due west from Chicagoland to Sioux City, Iowa. This is where my northwestward loop will officially begin.
From the Missouri river there I will be following the waterway as much as possible, driving the route Lewis and Clark took in 1804 as much as possible, but stopping at Indian Reservations to observe additional history and enjoying those Midwestern towns as much as possible.
A few years ago Kevin and I both read the great travelogue "Out West" by Dayton Duncan. Written in the early 1980s, Dayton drove the route the two adventurers completed, with added insight to the modern world. Not only did he meet the local townsfolk along the way, he also met Native Americans with whom he shared late night conversations over beer or whatnot. It's in my opinion one of the top ten American travelogues. (Another great book is "Blue Highways" by William Least Halfmoon.) Dayton's experiences in South Dakota were enough to get me on the road years ago.
The last time I was in South Dakota was sometime in the last century when I was a mere 12 years old. We had vacationed in South Dakota's Black Hills and stayed at an Air Force Base nearby. Although I plan on using military bases as cheap overnight stays, my focus will be more on the Native American historical sites and old battlefields. South Dakota with its high prairies and red badlands in its west are worthy of its own trip.
http://www.amazon.com/Out-West-American-Journey-Along/dp/0140083626
I will continue along the river to the towns of Yankton, IA, Chamberlain, IA and then Pierre, SD. I will move on toward Bismarck, ND, Williston, ND and westward toward Great Falls, MT. Here is where I'll spend at least an entire day at the Lewis and Clark library.
Western Montana will be my big focus, exploring the mining towns of Helena, Butte, Bozeman and Missoula (where of course I'll have beer at the Big Sky brewery and experience the college town). Lewis and Clark spent a lot of time in western Montana and on their return trip in 1806 took a slightly different route returning to St Louis.
Reliving history (both of the settlers and the Native Americans), hiking trails, discovering the northern wilderness and of course good micro beer will be my impetus for this trip.
I will most likely get on Highway 191 in Yellowstone National Park and drive that route back to Douglas, AZ. http://www.usends.com/mapguy/MapPgs/mapx91.htm
I could easily spend an entire month in western Montana but school starts up again on 2 August for me. (College starts two weeks later) Weather will play a factor but I do plan on being back in Arizona by the start of August. I'll be road weary by then anyway.
Would I rather do this trip with Kevin? Hell yes. Montana is his dream, too. I'll be missing him a lot along the way, especially when I'm at the contentious battle sites where the Natives fought valiantly against their overpowering adversaries. However, one sees and experiences more as a solo traveler, without the whines and whimpers of a second person doubting your stamina, drive or ambition. And besides, I've never been lonely on the road: there are too many other people already on it!
I haven't decided which dog will go with me. Sara went with me to South Carolina back in 2005 but she's slowing down now and I don't think she could handle those ten-mile hikes in the wilderness. However, when it comes to personal protection she can not be beat. I will have to convince Carol to allow her in the house in Indiana, though.
The mileage will be around 3700 miles, 5400 for the entire round trip. (It's the cost of gasoline that will be the biggest expense...) Once I get to Sioux City I don't plan on driving more than 100 miles a day. The rest will be for exploration and discovery and working on my travel blog. (I'll have a new blog by then anyway as this one's running out of MB)
There will be other factors that may postpone or alter this trip. I talked with Eric last night and he seems to be wanting to move to Los Angeles with his band mate Derek. Just a few weeks ago it was Boston, MA. I'd be delighted to have him "next door" in California but, as a mom, moving to LA as a young man is risky. I will be too worried about Eric making it on his own there. The Angelinos will eat him alive. Truly only the strong survive in that town.
Los Angeles just isn't a nice town. It's not even pretty. It's smoggy, congested and full of rude locals. I'd rather see Eric settle down in San Diego or Monterey, or even points north like Chico. But Eric wants to make it big in LA.
Eric and Derek (sounds like a comedy duo) already know they are welcome here. Even if they take a week or a month to relax in Arizona, they could stay here and relax before they hit California. Perhaps they'll like Tucson better anyway than Los Angeles. With the many Californians emigrating to Arizona I wouldn't be surprised.
So...I have a LOT ahead of me. I still have to focus on my courses here. I have to hope that Kevin will be OK on his own for two months. We have both been talking about exploring Montana together and this trip will be a reconnoitering trip for our joint trip the following year. In 2010 Kevin will have three weeks paid vacation. It won't be too much longer afterthat when Little Ethan will be with us for those summer adventures.
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Other things that may change my plans is the news last night that two of Mom's cousins in Germany are now suffering from cancer. I had been wanting to go with her to Germany to see her east German cousins for years now. I hope it's not too late...I've never met those men as during the Cold War they were stuck in Communist East Germany. She has always been close to both of them.
Tony from Kansas will be available. I may be able to stay at his place on my way to Indiana. I haven't seen him since September 2001. It's been years since I've been to Kansas.
As for Mark, bless him, he has moved from Lubbock to outside Crockett, TX. He now has his new home in east Texas's Piney Woods. "Bring some fire power as we have a lot of wild hogs out here" he wrote me. He continues to suffer medical issues he got while stationed in northern Iraq right after our invasion. The doctors assume he inhaled toxic chemical in such a high concentration that he's got irrepairable damage to his lungs.
I hope to get together with some of my Hoosier friends once I'm in Indiana. We like to go on long powerwalks along railtrails.
The kids are unexpectedly moving to a new house somewhere in NW Indiana. This was totally unexpected for me. I thought the house my ex was living in was a purchase, not a rental. But apparently the real owner of the house was behind on house payments and the house was foreclosed. The guys were practically evicted. If my ex was making rent payments, why didn't the owner use those payments toward the mortgage?!
Last night after work I stopped at Hasting's Books where I paged through a picture book of the Lewis and Clark trail. From what I had seen, the terrain in northeastern Montana is very flat and boring. Do I want to travel through that, or do I want to be inspired by more hallowed grounds?
Contrast that to the rolling hills further south in southern Montana where Little Big Horn and Bighorn Canyon Recreational Area are, I may divert southwest from Fort Abraham Lincoln (where Custer's eastern flank of soldiers took off from to head toward Little Bighorn) and explore that area instead.
I haven't had too much time to really research the route in detail, but what I am finding out is that most of the parks along my proposed route are national parks, and therefore do not allow dogs. It's a gross injustice, as a leashed dog does no damage, no more than a bunch of rowdy ATVers or RV campers do. If my canine partner can't accompany me along hikes in national parks, why bother paying the outrageous fees to enter a national park? I must decide whether I should risk taking a dog with me, or travel alone, much like I did last year all over Texas and therefore be able to explore more canyons or trails such as the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota which traverses the Badlands of western North Dakota.
Campgrounds at National Parks cater to RVers and not tenters like me. The campgrounds do not offer showers and cost anywhere from $15-$20 a day. That is much higher than state parks that normally charge lower raters and offer more amenities. For someone who will be on the road for at least a month in unknown territory, a hot shower every night is the only thing I'll really need.
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