Hi Ho! Hi Ho! On the Road We Go!

I’m calling this the Third Time’s the Charm Trip because this is the third time that we are attempting to take this trip around the U.S.

Our first attempt was in the summer of 2013 when our Dalmatian, Simon, had seizures while we were in Wisconsin. After being diagnosed with epilepsy, we returned home to get Simon’s seizures under control.

Our second attempt was in the spring of 2015. I should have called this the three strikes and you’re out trip! We decided to take this trip without the pooches. During an overnight stop in North Carolina, our motor home was hit by lightning which destroyed an inverter and burned out electronic panels. Next, back on the home front, our Dalmatian, Simon ate a sock and had to have major surgery. The last straw was in Port Charlotte, FL when a microburst tore through the motor home resort where we were staying and our secured awning was ripped off the side of the motor home and tossed onto the roof. Three strikes and we headed home!

So here we are in 2016 with both of the dogs heading across the U.S.A. We began our trip with a couple of days in Lake Placid, NY. We enjoyed the area, its Olympic history, and plan to return again next summer.

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 From there we made our way to Illinois where we visited with our friends, Marsha and Art. We made lots of one night stops for the better part of a week and finally needed to stay in one place for a couple of days. We decided to stay in the La Crosse, Wisconsin area. According to local historians, when settlers arrived in the area, they saw Native Americans playing a game with a ball and a stick with a leather pouch, they named the game Lacrosse and gave their city the same name. We took a Segway tour of the city by the Mississippi River. The tour lasted two hours and took us through parks along the Mississippi River, bike paths and foot trails through marsh lands and back into the historic area of the city. We also drove up to Grandad Bluff which is a mesa that overlooks the city. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Minnesota and Iowa.

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We are currently visiting Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The geology of the park is incredible. It reminds me of Bryce Canyon.  We also visited the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site where we learned about all of the missile silos and missiles that existed during the Cold War era.

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Rosey and Simon have been fantastic travelers. Rosey is a pro at traveling and Simon has picked up on our routines and seems to be very comfortable with life on the road. They enjoy their walks and Simon has learned how to play with his Frisbee while on a long leash. When we get on the road in the morning, Rosey stretches out on the couch and Simon lies down on the floor between the two of us. Within five minutes, the two of them are asleep.

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Today we arrived at Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.