Near West Yellowstone, We Sat up Camp

Now the party can begin with all of the cousins together.

Each family brought their own tent/van and we were lined up in a row.  It was a perfect family vacation.  We ended up each going our own way a little bit more than I would have liked, but unless you have someone that is serious about the schedule and everyone listens to them, then this is what is going to happen.  Dad had some stress when we weren't able to make connections but we still had fun together. 

 

 

Pizza in Gillette

 Gillette may be the energy capital of the nation, but during Covid with everything shut down we just stopped by for a pizza and ate it out on the street, sitting on the curb. Oh the places we go, the places we see.

Crazy Horse Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota

 

We stopped in at the visitors center but didn't take the tour to the site.  I had never even heard about this memorial, and it is still under construction.  With our many trips back to Kansas we decided we would wait until it was further along before stopping to see it close up.

 

From the parking lot, you have a pretty good idea of how much they have left to do on it.

Devils Tower, WY

 As we were passing through Wyoming we went near Devils Tower, protruding out of the prairies near the Black Hills.  

All of these fun sites we can look at in the news or hear people talking about and we will understand better because we have seen them with our own eyes.  

 

Driving and seeing this 'tower' rising from the ground is just an amazing thing.  It is surrounded by prairie and was something totally new to me.  I had heard about it, but I don't think I had even seen a picture before seeing it in person.

Welcome to Nebraska

 

Kim did all the planning of this trip and we were just along for the ride, but what a fun, happening trip it was.  We were able to see so many interesting, quick stops along the way before we met up with the res
t of our family. 

Imagine our excitement when we found Grandma Anne Wood's sugar bowl in an antique store attached to a diner and gas station.  Of course, we purchased it, and have since the first sighting, believed it was actually hers and we just found it.

Geographic Center of the Lower 48

A perfect spot for a quick snack and to stretch our legs and give the dogs a break.  So many fun stops in their home state of Kansas.

 

Just two hours from Sterling, in Lebanon KS, is the geographic center of the lower 48 states.  It's a quick stop and a great place for a picnic before heading on down the road.

Family Vacation from Sterling to Wilson, Kansas

Seriously time for a hair dye, but I have decided to go natural so it's got to be bad sometime.

Easily the cutest, quirkiest roadside attraction we’ve visited is in Cawker City, KS, weighing tons.

 We found a huge Czech egg up in Ellsworth County, not far from where we started.  What a fun little stop highlighting their culture.

We've just gotten started and with a long road ahead, the kids didn't seem overjoyed with the stop, but we thought it was pretty fun and they were good sports about it.

Discovered the Passenger Van was a Waste of Money in Yellowstone

Our trip to Yellowstone was the first of many (reflection writing) where I firmly believed that buying the passenger van was misguided and a waste of money.  Don't get me wrong, I love the van.  I love being able to go to the back seat and fall asleep - everything about the cargo van holds true with the passenger van, except I do love the windows.

But, the main justification for buying a second van was that it would be so great to have the van filled to capacity with little excited people, sharing the experience of traveling together and enjoying the experience.   I hadn't found the third bench yet, but was still looking when I found that everyone wanted to travel as a family in their own vehicles.  

We struggled to meet up with each other at every place we went, so we quickly learned to just do our own thing.  We followed the Sant's around most often, and J and Candice usually found us.  I don't think we ever met up with Blaine until the swimming hole.

The colors were as vivid as I remembered from our trips there from Idaho Falls.  The only other time I remember going was when I was about five or six and Dad pulled the trailer up to Yellowstone.   There were only two beds in the camper, with a sling on top of the master bed, so Mom, Dad, Devon and Kelly stayed in the camper and Fenton and I made our beds on the bench seats of the car.  

In the middle of the night, a bear came into camp.  We heard him messing around, making noise, as he went through all the camping supplies left out.  My guess is that the food was stored in the car, because after we had laid back down to avoid being

spotted in the car, the bear actually come over to the car and played with the handle.  I don't remember how long it was from first watching him in the campsite to him coming over to the car, but it was a sheer terror for both of us.  Fenton must have reassured me that he couldn't get in, and I was able to calm back down enough to lay flat on the bed.  A short while later, Fenton opened his door and ran to the trailer, leaving me alone in the car, I'm sure to be eaten by the bear.  I remembered he said that the bear couldn't open the door, and I knew that he could come eat me while I was running,so I stayed put.

This trip was not nearly as dramatic as that, but it was one of the first times I realized that all of the effort I made over the years to have a close family were not working out as planned.   I was broken hearted throughout the whole trip.  Dean struggles with anxiety that has been debilitating for him.  I truly hoped it would pass but found this trip was difficult for him - and wouldn't be getting better any time soon.

 

Picture Perfect

 Spent the day taking photos of this delightful young child of God getting ready for her baptism.  She didn't mind the photo shoot one little bit.

We just went over to the Sterling Lake and took pictures in different areas around the walking path.  What a fun spot they have in their cute little town.

I'm so very pleased with all of our grandchildr

en.  

On the Road Again,

 Time for another trip out to Kansas for a special baptism day.  We had to get their early to take pictures and make the program.  The van isn't complete yet, but it's ready to go, and gets the job done.

It seems the rain never stops this year, and we are once again on the road in the rain.  But I'm happy to be there.

 

Are you ready for the tour?  It's not complete yet, but it has everything in it that we need with the exception of the water plumbed.  That is something I don' feel comfortable doing and haven't been able to get Dean excited to help me with much of anything, with the exception of the electrical which I could not have done without him.  

Notice the solar reading light in the window getting charged for the nights possible use.  And we love having our map on the phone/Garmin in front of us.

Just a 2024 Cargo Van that could use a good paint job, topped with 400 watts of solar.

I have used every spare inch of space.  There is a hanging shelf on the back doors and wire bins to hold the clothes.  It will look much better if I hide that, so I will make thin cupboards around it.

At the bottom of the bed, we have hung a lace curtain.  It gives us enough privacy we can dress on the bed while guests are in the front of the van.  This is on the passenger side of the van, and is our vanity.  It has a little shelf above the fridge where the water sits, and can easily be used to fill the sink for dishes, for drinking water or to wash your face first thing in the morning.  

The Ikea buckets hold bathroom drawer supplies like makeup and brushes, lotion and other needed items.  The fire alarm and carbon dioxide monitors hang out of sight in the cubby and in the back are necessities like curling irons, razors and a vanity mirror.  The power isn't working yet on this side of the van, so I ran an extension cord from the inverter making power easily accessible.  Dean cut off the TV and internet cable that were just hanging loose in this area, so those two comforts are gone for good.  I wanted plumbing and have a 35 gallon tank under the bed, but that is likely to never happen.  There is a couple of wire racks hanging under the bed as well, where we store our wet weather clothes and shoes, and on the upper shelf we have games and crafts.  I plan on living in this thing.

The cupboards are unique as I used a dresser with an upper part.  I cut it off and extended it so that we could put the sink in.  There is just barely enough room for the hose to go underneath and drain.  It currently drains into a 5 gallon water jug, but hopefully will soon get converted to draining outside of the van with a lever outside.  I plan on putting a piece of molding over the top of the bottom mess so that it can hide the junk but be lifted up for easy access.  On the very top is storage for bags, spices, Voss plastic bottles of food, and a small size jar of peanut butter.  What else is needed?  The shelves above the sink hold all necessary items for quick access, like pills, salt and pepper, as well as other things that just need to be readily available. 

The bottom part of the dresser takes more space than I should have given it but I wanted something pretty to look at.  It has a silverware drawer, as well as space for all cooking items like plates, cups, containers, and pans.  The dutch oven is stored underneath, and the heater and water tank are immediately under the sink.  There are eye hooks to thread bungees on to keep everything from sliding around.  The drawers still come open even with a magnet inside, so the bottom I keep in place with a dowel through the handles and the top I have a long screw that keeps those drawers locked in place.

On the wall opposite the kitchen is the bench/bed.  We built it when Nikki was still around and thought she might go with us.  It slides out into a full size bed, and with feet underneath our bed, it allows the sleeper to stretch fully out.  Under the pillow portion, is the toilet.  It is not part of the bed, but the comforter is long enough to put over the top of it and hid it a bit.  I made a cushion that goes on top of the seat so it can be sat on as a chair, but at night we just leave it uncovered for ease of access.  Underneath the bench are 3 pull out shelves that store pantry items in water bottles so we have a little of many items.  They are kept from sliding with an eye screw and a hook.  The inverter is under the foot of the bed, not easily accessed but as easy as I could make it.

Dean installed my seat swivel but has yet to install his.  I have a small chest of drawers, probably meant to hold 8.5x11" sheets of paper, that we use to store everything else, including office supplies, dog supplies, junk drawer supplies, and simple tools and fixing supplies.  The fire extinguisher is attached to the side of the van.  There is a pop up table where I use my computer or watch tv from the swivel chair.  Between the seats should be kept clear but we seldom get that done on our trips with our dog.  There is a cubby on the step going out the sliding door where one pair of shoes each are stored.

Welcome to the garage.  On the right is the propane tank, and a 35 gallon water tank for storage (yet unused).  Laundry supplies go above the propane and a shelf holding crafts and games goes the length of the bed.  In the center are items we need to grab from either side.  At the back on the top shelf if the shower.  It holds all items necessary for showers, including the tote and a shower curtain which I hope to someday install in the entrance on the side.  The curtain hangs on a curtain rod that is installed in a circle and a shower head planned to be above the door so that it can be used inside or outside.  The curtain fits inside the tote where there is enough room to easily stand.  It will be dumped outside and not have a drain.  Extra water and dry food storage in a Lifetime cooler fit in the middle on the floor.  The left side stores: chairs, coats, tools, car supplies, fishing rod and fishing box.  Shovel, rake and extension cords hang on the left wall with hitch ball and other large necessary items.

 What more could a girl want?

Candice Wants to Go Camping in Her Vehicle Now Too

 With all of my excitement Candice must have caught some, because she asked us to help her convert her SUV into a camper.  That, I must confess, sounded like a challenge.  She wouldn't have any spare room, and sleeping would be a challenge but we were up for the task, and even Dean got on board when it came to actually building it.  I was more of the designer, and Candice and Dean did most of the work.  The make a pretty handy pair.

We wanted a pull out shelf where she could mix the food, and do the prep work, then replacing it with a portable stove.  The cookware and stove could be stored there.  The mattress could be put in place and left, and their clothing bags could easily be put on the floor space behind the driver and passenger seat .  We had a plan, and we went to town to put it together.

 We used good plywood and made sure it would support two bodies, and a mattress.  It is easily put in and taken out, so that they can put it in when needed.  The only thing I was worried about was the head space from the person lying in the bed to the ceiling.  I was afraid it would be very claustrophobic.

We cut some nice foam to make it totally comfortable and I know they are excited to try it out.  I hope they love it, and that they will actually use it. 

 

Nasty Eye is Making Progress

 I'll spare you the images, but my RA eye is getting better.  It is still inflamed with blood vessels going everywhere but the pie shape bloodshot is gone and the pain is better.  I am hopeful that I will be able to overcome it completely.

Salem Canyon Park, UT

 Taylor and Candice put together a fun get away to heal my broken heart and see if Dean could handle a low key get together up Salem Canyon.  What a perfect get away.  We each drove separately and we loved spending time together.  

The kids fished, and we were able to take our camp chairs and sit next to them where we could enjoy each other and visit.  We were grateful for the van where we had coats and blankets, but in the end, the rain cut the trip short. 

But it's amazing how we think things are ruined but instead the kids were very happy just moving inside out of the rain, and hanging out.  It wasn't big enough for all the adults so it didn't last long, but the attitudes were good and I really appreciated the chance to try again.  

I do love spending time with the kids, and it is never too often.  We are both so proud of what wonderful adults they have all turned out to be, and love spending as much time with them as possible.  This small group turned out to be a good idea, and although it was tough on Dean, he managed to handle it as well as could be expected.

Oregon Bucket List

 What a crazy bucket list trip.  We went through the coast, viewed either near or far all of the lighthouses but somehow I feel so empty.  Some how I feel incomplete.

Dean was happy to get back home, but it was not an immediate recovery.  Just being home wasn't enough.  It took weeks to see any sign of improvement.  

The kids were well aware of my disappointment in not being able to spend more time.  They were equally aware that Dean had given it his all to let me experience some of the locations I longed to go.

We were quite a pair.  Me having looked forward to being able to leave, to travel, to enjoy my surrounds for well over 10 years.

He spent at least that same amount of time, looking forward to retiring and being able to putter around the yard and do the things he wanted to do there.  

We had not planned for this great divide we found ourselves in.

 

Looking back, there wasn't much joy in his face

I should have seen it sooner.  He wasn't joyful in Oregon either, and the whole trip seemed to be just more than he could bear.  I was broken hearted.  I had waited to do this since early 1990's when I dreamd big to try and heal my emotional hurt.  I was ready to leave and travel and all he wanted was to go home and be left alone.  How did we get to this place?  Would he be able to heal quickly, that we could find a happy medium.  

I was ready to lock up the house for 4-6 month, if not year round to go out on the road and see the county.  I had put all of these years into converting the cargo van into a camper that would meet our needs without breaking the bank.  All of our bills were paid and we could afford the gas to travel while being careful to cook meals in the van, and go cheaply.  I thought that not spending any more than just staying home plus a little gas would make it so Dean would be on board.  He was not.

I felt like I had made the trip a bad one by getting the eye problem and not being as fun as I could have been.  But with everything locked down, there wasn't much that could be done around that.  We would just travel home, let him rest and then we would have to take trips that only lasted a few weeks at a time and then I could let him rest at home in between.  Of course, I was still going to figure out a way up to Alaska this summer or next, and an upper New York trip where we could do all of the Sweet genealogy and find Amos.  It would just have to be postponed for a month or two.  Possibly next year.
 

Benson State Recreation Area

 We bypassed Portland with no regrets and found a different waterfall that we could see from the road.  We had tried to find a waterfall Dean was interested in but we couldn't see it from the road, and it would have been closed anyway.  Happening upon the Benson waterfall was a nice bonus for us.  We couldn't stop but got a nice picture from a distance.

 

We drove all day, and when it was night we didn't see any great spots to pull into so we finally took an exit in the middle of nowhere and drove on a dirt road until we were in an area we could see a distance in both directions and pulled over to sleep for the night.  

Vancover, WA was just a blip

 

We didn't even stop in Vancover, but took a picture as we were driving through.  I don't even remember who took the picture, but I was driving.  So depending on where this view is from the window will determine if I took it out the drivers window or if Dean was up long enough to take it out of his.

 

 

Washington, Here We Come

 

The bridge is one of the longest I have driven on, others being in lower California.  It always unnerves me a bit knowing I'm driving over the ocean and if something happens I doubt I could get away from the falling debris, escape the van, and swim to safety.  But, alas, we made it with no problems at all.

We stopped just inside of Washington, at a beautiful little rest stop.  It was filling up quickly so we found a spot and settled down for the evening and night.  What a beautiful view we had of the green of Washington and the Pacific ocean.

 

 Sadly, this is the day that Dean said he had had enough traveling and needed to go home.  We made it into Washington and I had hoped to go up the coast further and maybe make it to the top before turning for home.  His anxiety had gotten the best of him and he was grumpy and tired.  It was frustrating to not be able to go out and enjoy a great meal, but rather just cook in the van and drive and see sites from a distance.

We decided to head into Washington, toward home, and see a famous waterfall. I don't know exactly what happened but we couldn't see it from the road and, of course, it was closed, so this too was a bust.

We drove as far as Moulton, WA, and then got out and stretched out legs.

The joy was gone for Dean.  He was now existing instead of embracing.  He had gone quiet and wanted to do more sleeping than driving, which was fine with me.  I was over my eye problem enough that driving was not a problem for me.

However, the stress of watching him struggle so much and not knowing what to do to help him was a bit overwhelming.  I had thought that seeing new country and feeling the fresh air and getting a little exercise would help with the anxiety but it was as if the trip over the bridge broke something in him.  He was just done.

Astoria, OR

 

We made it to Astoria, and what a beautiful area it is.  Astoria is linked to Washington with a huge bridge but we wanted to spend a little time in the city before crossing into Washington. 

Some of the very best reasons for coming to Astoria were completely out of our reach.  Food was out, visiting the sites was out, as seeing the National Historic Parks and State parks alike.  

About the only thing that was available to us was to drive up to the Astoria Column and drive around the hill, seeing the country from all directions.  It is beautiful and a place that can't be missed.  Imagine being able to go inside and seeing from that distance.  I just had to tell myself they wouldn't be able to see any better, because it would be foggy up there.  I was grateful for what we were able to see from our little walk and from the windows of the van.

We really didn't go downtown as everything was closed, but I later thought we should have.  We could have looked into the windows of the shops and stores and got a little taste of what their city had to offer.

Instead we took pictures and decided to make our way into Washington, where we would spend the night at a rest stop that had room for us.  Then we would travel further up the coast from there. I got the joy of driving over the bridge, which always makes me a little uneasy.

Seaside, OR

 Finally we came to a town where we have plenty of places to park and plenty of places to walk.  They have long paths where we could get all of the walking we could handle very easily.  They had blocks of path along the beach, with entrances here and there, and a few places where you could sit and rest.  There were more people out here, and I don't remember whether they ordered from local shops or if they brought their own food, but they were sitting in the dining area and enjoying the day.  This little area was as full as any place we saw on the trip.

What a fun little town.  I could see myself living there for month at a time during the warm summer.  It as warm enough we didn't need our jackets but still cold enough we didn't want to walk down to the water where the mists would get us chilled to the bone.

Instead we spent our time on the paths and there were enough people out we had to park a couple of block away from the spot we entered the path.