#took twice as long to get back because road work + detours + google maps fuckery while trying to find a gas station

[raeathnos]

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#yall im having a wild time lately #Saturday was really good- grandma is doing better so I ended up going to the beach for the day after all #had a really good day; I saw a bald eagle and dolphins + found a huge whelk and the bay sunset was beautiful #had the ride home from hell tho #took twice as long to get back because road work + detours + google maps fuckery while trying to find a gas station #we also almost hit a deer and like I live in PA who hasn’t almost hit a deer #but I have never been so close #he leaped out in front of us on the highway and froze #my husband was driving and omg reaction time #he slammed the brakes and I was like there’s no way #either we’re hitting the deer or the car behind us is hitting us or both #we stopped just a couple feet away from it #luckiest deer alive- he snapped out of it and looked at my husband then looked at me and then ran off #shoutout to the car behind us too- they swerved and did not hit us #but yeah he was a big buck and def would have not only totaled my car but gone through the windshield on the passenger side where I was #we got very lucky and so did he #but now I’m sick and I feel like crap #which perfect timing because we have a huge visit tomorrow and the stockroom is a mess #i was dying today cause I gotta lift all the furniture and shit #I literally came home and passed out for five hours and I still feel like I could just go right back to sleep #also I had a video interview last week and they said they wanted to bring me in for an in person interview #and like it’s at a really good company and it pays well and has good benefits #but now I havent heard back #so like watch me get ghosted again 🙃 #I emailed them today so hopefully I hear back but I’m not holding my breath #I need everything to not be so much for a bit #Saturday was good but now things are crazy again

[littlehammies]

Day 8 - July 27, 2020

Today we left Black Hills and started our journey to the heart of the trip - Wyoming. It’s a much shorter leg than the last one, but still about 5 hours. Oliver and I both took Dramamine and it seemed to work well. We took a slight detour off the main road to check out Devils Tower. The drive up was really pretty with red rocks and cliffs intermixed with green grassy pastures. It’s crazy to see because you come around the corner and this massive rock, Devils Tower, is protruding up out of the landscape. It looks like a natural skyscraper - a symmetrical cylinder rock mountain. At the base of the tower was the Devils Tower Trading Post shop where we stopped. The store was full of souvenirs and biker paraphernalia. We got some food and sat at the tables outside. Right next to us was a few longhorn bulls roaming around and some bison. Tilly barked and definitely caught the attention of the bull. I wondered if it would charge at the tiny wooden fence. All over the store were alien themed things. We were very confused and didn’t get the alien reference. Back in the car, I Googled it and it was the centerpiece of the old movie Close Encounters where the mothership lands on top of the Devils Tower rock. Apparently, people travel from all over to see if they can spot ufos. Leo got an alien stuffed toy and Oliver got a slingshot.

Back down to the main road and across Wyoming we went. After an hour or so of the grassy pastures, we saw something appear in the distance. The sky began to take a shape in front of us along the horizon. Through the clouds we saw it - Bighorn Mountains, sister range of the Rocky Mountains and positioned in between Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone. Just like we didn’t expect the Black Hills of Mt Rushmore, we honestly had no clue that this was coming. To us, it was just a little green patch on the map in our plan for Leg 4 of the trip. In front of us was a wall of snow capped mountains that reached into the sky. While beautiful, we wondered how the heck we were going to get through it. Seeing other trucks and RVs doing it brought a little comfort, along with the GPS elevation and grade markers to help prepare. So we entered the Bighorn Forest. Big Papa was definitely struggling up the inclines. Hearing the motor roar as we climbed at about 30mph with hazard lights on was stressful. I felt like at any moment the RV was going to conk out with some loud bang and smoke. It was hard to reconcile the fear with the peaceful natural beauty that none of us have experienced before. I thought Black Hills was a pretty park, but this is about 10 times bigger and more expansive than that. There was so much to look at from the trees and rocks to flowing rapids and deer. Coming down the hills were equally, if not more, terrifying. We tried to keep the speed on the way down, but also had to account for the curves that made the RV rock side to side. The kids didn’t seem phased by much of anything so that’s good. It sure felt like a white knuckle rollercoaster ride that took us about 2 hours to get through.

We stopped twice at pull off spots to take in the view. At one stop, we decided to let out the 800lbs of water in the tank that was likely adding to the engine struggle. The air up there was clean and the temperature dropped from 85 down to 70. It was literally the most pleasant place. We wished we could just pitch the tent right there and stay. On the way out of the mountains, the decent took us on a few 180 degree turns to go down. The rock was carved out on both sides of us with walls of 2.8 billion year old dolomite and limestone. An unreal sight that we haven’t really even absorbed yet.

Out of the Bighorn Mountains, we were able to breathe a little easier as the road flattened out again. This was short lived however, because our next challenge was about an hour ahead. Despite the unassuming blip on the radar forecast, we were coming up on a storm cell that would really test us. It looked like we were going to be out in front of the actual storm, but we caught the tail end. The landscape had completely changed in the few miles outside the lush mountains. Now, we saw endless small hills of dead grass and dirt. It was crazy to see such a drastic change. Anyway, Brian looked up and was wondering what this brown fog was in front of us. It was different then the dark storm cloud to our left. The visibility quickly dissipated as we entered a cloud of dust. This must be a normal occurrence here because no other car even slowed down. Back to the white knuckles again. Brian had to keep the RV steady as wind tried to knock us off the road. This was a road with oncoming traffic which added to the complexity. At one point, tumbleweeds were rolling past us faster than we were driving. Finally, we made it past the storm and the sky opened up to more mountains in the distance with the sun starting to go down behind them - Yellowstone. We had been in the car much longer than the 5 hours we expected to be, but everyone did a much better job than the previous legs. I think we are getting used to being on the road finally. Brian deserves some sort of award for his driving. I’m not sure how he maneuvered through all the challenges today, but he did it, while whistling.

We arrived in Cody, WY just in time for the Rodeo. We literally parked the RV, turned on the ac for Tilly, grabbed shoes and got in the truck within 5 mins. The Cody Rodeo was a few miles away and we couldn’t wait. The kids skipped around outside as we scanned our tickets and got in to find some seats. The place was perfect for social distancing because it’s outside with overhangs covering the seating. The stadium was about the size of a large high school football stadium. The view was great as the rodeo is positioned right at the base of two mountains. We arrived just as the sun was setting over the mountains. The rodeo was so much fun. They did a great job with constant entertainment. It was a well choreographed show with blasting music for each rider and a variety of events. My favorite was the cowgirls who raced horses around barrels. Everyone cheered for them to go faster as the DJ cut to some fast music. Leo loved dancing with his crazy moves that even caught attention of the rodeo clown who pointed at him. It was a great way to let loose after a long day of travel.

Wyoming has been more than we could have imagined - and we are only halfway through it.