Safety and More Adventures

Being Safe on the Road

Charlie and I want to thank you for all the comments and encouragement regarding this blog. It is great to see so many people enjoying it. We also want to let you know that we are delaying the posting by a few days just to be cautious and safe on the road. We are aware of bloggers that have had safety issues while traveling and telling their stories in a public forum and so we are hoping to avoid those types of issues in our travels. Note: Please forgive any present tense/past tense mistakes in my writing. lol Happy reading...and dreaming!

 

May 18 - Rested and Ready to GO!!

Had a great night’s sleep at Streeter Park in Aurora, Nebraska. It was so quiet and peaceful. Got up this morning and had breakfast and then did a clean-up of Lilah. One of the things I like about our Roadtrek being a small space is that you must stay on top of the clutter. “Use it and put it away” becomes the motto when traveling. So our clean-up took about 15 minutes. Gotta love that! It was nice also to move at our own pace instead of some external schedule. 

The Archway

We pulled out of Streeter Park about 10:30 am ready for the day’s adventures.  We stopped at The Archway Museum. If you have traveled I80 through this area, you will recognize this place. It spans the interstate and has a wild west fort appearance. We were met at the door by a host dressed in full out mountain man attire. Buckskins, floppy hat, walking stick. He had long white hair, long white beard and lots of wrinkles. You just knew you would hear some great stories if only you could sit with him around the campfire. 

The tour of the place takes you up and over the interstate. Your admission price gets you a set of headphones and it is a self-guided tour through the exhibits. We decided not to take the tour but instead cruise the gift shop and purchase a gift for our granddaughter. Outside there are replica structures, woven wire buffalo, and some buffalo statues. We take a few pictures and decide to move on.

 The Archway

We make another stop at Kearney for the now infamous bear spray. Our daughter will be glad to know that we have this – ya know, just in case!!

We ducked into Gothenburg to see the Pony Express station. The cabin, which was originally outside of town, was moved to the city park. It was a great little exhibit with many artifacts from the time period. The hostess was really knowledgeable and we enjoyed talking with her. The highlight was that you could send a postcard stamped with the Pony Express stamp. Of course, we couldn’t pass that up!! (Shhh, Tif don’t tell Amelia.) 

 The Pony Express Station

Next we set sail for Ogalala. Upon arriving and after a quick fuel stop, we are FINALLY off the interstate!!! Yay!! OMG, the scenery on Route 26 is amazing and the road is in great condition. Charlie says Illinois could learn a thing or two about road maintenance from Nebraska. 

Did I say mention cows?

We see thousands of cows happily grazing along the way. Well, I can only imagine that they are happy. They have these amazingly large and wide open pastures – oh, wait, maybe those are called “ranges” out here. These cows have it good! Rolling hills, lots of shade, babbling brooks…what cow wouldn’t be happy!! Oh wait, what is that big corral?? Oh no, the holding area for the “not-so-lucky” cows. Dang, this story took a switchback turn in a hurry and went crashing off the edge of the cliff!! Poor cows!! Well, at least they had a happy beginning!

Pioneers on the Move 
 

Route 26 runs along the Platt River and is part of the Oregon and Mormon Trails. We stop at several historic markers and read about the pioneers that once traveled here with the hopes of finding a better life in the West. We contemplated their struggles, fears, successes and joy. I got butterflies in my stomach thinking about the fact that at any one moment we could actually be crossing the exact spot that some pioneer had stepped on. How amazing!! There are places you can go where you can actually still see the ruts left by the wagon wheels. (We are too early in the season and they are closed.) How amazing!!

 Trail City Marker

What is that? 

Our next awe-inspiring vision comes in the form of Chimney Rock outside of Bayard, Oregon. What a strange looking rock formation!! It makes you wonder what the pioneers thought when they saw it! I think if it was me walking past it, I would have tripped many times because I would have been looking up at it and not watching where I was stepping. lol

Chimney Rock

Minatare Lake

We located the Minatare State Recreation Area on Minatare Lake and thought it sounded like a decent place to spend the night. It is north of Minatare about 7 miles on a county blacktop that seems to get narrower the closer you get to the lake. There are three camping areas; one of which is primitive. They have nice showers, electric hook-up and a dump station. The sites are level and paved. Most are reserved but we find one near the shower house and settle in. The cost was $20 for the site and $5 for a daily permit.

My only caution about the place is to look up before picking a site. There are many cottonwood trees surrounding each campsite. Can you tell I have a thing about “widow makers”?! I refuse to park directly under big hanging limbs. You know the kind that suddenly break and land on you as you sleep. Kinda freaks me out! lol We drove around the camping area twice to find just the right spot. My Charlie is a good guy for sure!!

Lake Minatare

We got another good night of sleep and wake up in the morning to rain! No matter, though, we are on the adventure of a lifetime…so we break camp and head off for Douglas, Wyoming and our first Boondockers Welcome experience!!

Here’s hoping for happy trails!

Charlie and Tammy

We are off and running!

Freedom on the Road

After some tearful goodbyes on Saturday we hopped in Lilah and hit the road.We filled up with some gas and then just by chance we saw our daughter and her family again at the stop light on the way out of town. What a wonderful surprise! We then made our way to Route 9 one last time for the next 60 days. We drove the same path I drive to work except this time we got to go right on by! Yay!! What a feeling! Freedom!!

We are really doing this!!

We are from farmland. Mostly flat. You can see the all the neighboring farms around you. Really, it feels like you can see forever. It is beautiful and I appreciate it's history.

I think about how much I love it here as we drive by. I am glad we both grew up here and that this part of the country is a part of us and who we are. Both of us are excited though to leave this flatland and see what is up ahead.

Life passes by fast!!

We pass by a cemetery and I wonder about it's occupants. Did they live their whole lives in the same town? Did they get to experience the world? Did they take the trip of their dreams? I actually had a moment of sadness for anyone that never got the chance to do something like this and then just as fast I had a moment of overwhelming gratitude that we are doing this now while we both can. Gratitude is always a great way to start of road trip!!

We make our way through Illinois and into Iowa. Did you know that the World's Biggest Truck Stop (IOWA 80) is in Wolcott, Iowa? No, we didn't stop but the place looked huge! It looked like an amusement park and if we weren't heading on down the road we would have made time for a pit stop.  I hear they have a museum, chrome shop the size of Wal-mart (which excites Charlie to no end), and even a truckers jamboree.

Brooklyn - wait - did we make a wrong turn?

We arrive at a Pilot in Brooklyn, Iowa to settle in for the night. I am amazed and amused by all the towns that have the same name across the country. Charlie and I entertain ourselves with all the "wrong turn" jokes you can think of.  The Pilot was fairly quiet with just a few trucks coming and going through the night. It should have been easy sleeping but I was too excited about our adventure to sleep too much.  So I spent much of the night people watching from behind the curtains. I love boondocking...it is a people watchers paradise!! Nobody even knows you're there...for sure anyway!

Weather is gonna be an issue!

There was a line of storms coming towards us last night but they lost strength before they got to us. Whew!! All we really got was a little rain but we were on Weatherbug frequently - how many gigabits do we have again?? LOL

Did you say Free Camping and Free WiFi?

We are currently at Historical Streeter Park in Aurora, Nebraska. Aurora is about 3 miles north off of I 80 at Exit 332. You go north through town to the stop light and then turn left and the park is on your right. The park is easy peasy to get to. They have a nice bike path and roads with easy access to ride around on. There are about 18 campsites with electric and water. They have very nice campground restrooms. Bummer - no shower! Sites aren't too long - but that doesn't matter to a Roadtrek anyway!! lol

We found this place on freecampsites.net and it is a sweet little park. The stay is free but they ask for donations. We gladly donated! Oh, and by the way, the whole town has free wifi...what a gift to a blog!!

As I write this it is storming. A nice gentle rain but thunder is rumbling. Shutting off for now as it is just too early in the trip to burn up the laptop!! hee hee

One hour later

Well, I figured out the picture thing, I hope!! If you are seeing pictures then Woo Hoo!!

I have to add a couple of thank you notes: Tiffany, our daughter, made me the cutest Dashboard Organzier. I love seeing it on the dash - it is so colorful, bright and cheery and it reminds me of her! 

She also made us a fruit hammock. Don't you just love all those hacks for small spaces!! Thank you sweetie - having these is like carrying a part of you with us!!

Also, note in the picture above, the cute little cross stitch pillow hanging above the paper towel holder. It says "May you always have a shell in your pocket and sand in your toes." My friend and colleague Darcy made this for Charlie and I. Those of you on the Roadtrek Facebook page know Darcy as the gal who just adopted Ms. Xanadu, a 2004 Chevy 190P. She is a beauty and we can't wait to take a trip together!! Thank you Darcy - we think of you every time we get in the side door and see your handiwork!!

Lastly, thank you to my sister, Cathy, for making us cookies and helping us get ready on Saturday morning! It wouldn't have gone as smoothly without you!

So for now...

we are gonna sign-off and get busy relaxing! It is still raining and it sounds so wonderful on the roof. You know that type of day...when you are working and you dream of being home with a quilt and a good book. Well, we are home and we have plenty of good books just waiting for some attention!

Charlie and Tammy

T-minus two days and counting!!

Here we are on the pathway that we have been dreaming of! Take off is scheduled in two days! The last three weeks have been extremely busy with work, preparations for the trip, family, and personal business to take care of. I think we are finally ready...well, almost. We actually have about 5 things on our to-do list. We sit in Lilah at some point every day and try to think of anything that we are forgetting. Really I think we just use that as an excuse to be inside our little camper van world and dream!!

Take off in two days!!

Oh my goodness, we are about to bust with excitement. As we get closer though we have begun to feel the pull at our heart strings. Our daughter, Tiffany, came by the other day for a visit and I didn't think I was gonna make it through without shedding tears at the thought of not seeing her for 60 days. We talk nearly every day on the phone, so my mind tells me that this won't be much different...but it will be since there will be many more miles between us. She is handling most of our affairs while we are gone and so we will be talking often about normal stuff, like the bills and house, so I think that will ease any longing to get back home. "I will miss my bills." said noone ever!! Yep, being reminded of all that day-to-day stuff will help me remember to be in the moment and enjoy this amazing opportunity!! (I will still miss YOU though, Tiffany!!)

What a celebration!!

This trip really is a celebration of life. We have survived my Lymphoma. A visit to the oncologist today has left us feeling secure that all is good and we can put any fears to rest! I have a sign on my bathroom mirror that says "You know all those things you always wanted to do. You should go do them." I added something to that sign about a year ago when I was diagnosed with Lymphoma. I added a line through the word "should". It now reads:

You know all those things you always wanted to do.

You should go do them.

I never want to take this life for granted. I have seriously lost interest in those things that do not make me happy or add meaning to my life or the lives of those around me. Our time here can be stripped away in an instant and wasting time with things or people that make us miserable is just not acceptable anymore. I am focused on doing the things I have always dreamed of doing and I am grateful for the friends and family I have around me that are encouraging and supportive! I love each and every one of them!

So Off We "All" Go!!!

We are carrying everyone we love with us in our travels. We will be thinking about you and talking about you as we drive and visit the most amazing places. We will be saying things like, "Ya know who would love this..." or "If only so and so was here to see this." We will contemplate. We will laugh. We will stand in awe. Best of all, you will be there with us!!!

Oh and we have a few surprises up our sleeve as well. hee hee

Tick, tick, tick and the excitement builds!!

Here's to New Beginnings

Welcome to Lessons from Lilah. This blog will serve as a location to document our travels in our new-to-us 1996 Roadtrek 210 Popular named Lilah. Her name stands for "Life is Like a Highway" with twists and turns, bends and curves, and hills and valleys. Our family has endured many challenges this last year but we have rejoiced in many victories as well. Our connection to Lilah is soulful, magical, and symbolic. Her name reflects every sorrow and every joy we have experienced, but most of all, it reflects hope about what is up ahead just around the next bend in the road.

Our next big adventure, a Pacific Northwest Tour, begins May 17th!

We have been preparing for this trip for months. We have been dreaming of the places that we will visit and the people that we will meet along the way. Our plans began with picking a tentative route. I say "tentative" because we want the road to take us on a free-spirited journey rather than us forcing a route on ourselves. Of course, as a recovering Type A personality, I have to remind myself often of the pleasures that are certain to be found in the no-definite-plans type of lifestyle.We have made no reservations and have no set dates to be anywhere with the exception of a Boondockers Welcome stay in Wyoming on our third night out. My trip notebook is filled with information on roads, boondocking sites, campgrounds, national parks, a few roadside attractions, and the names of wonderful people that we have met online that have offered encouragement, advice, and even the occasional place to stay.

Once we had our route, we had to think about all the things that one must consider when traveling for an extended time in a small, somewhat aged, although much loved motorhome. Things like tune-ups, tires, fluids, batteries and the like became the topics of conversation. It was a good distraction as the snow settled in and our trip seemed light years away.

Thoughts about inside modifications came next. How can we make the most of the space we have available? Maybe a cabinet here, a shelf there, a basket in that spot. We spent a lot of time sitting in Lilah thinking about how we would use the space. We even took a few small road trips for practice! lol A seat was removed, cabinets were built and installed and various storage items were added.We are three weeks away from leaving and for the most part Lilah is ready. She is definitely liveable, comfortable and quaint!

A small one page list of to-do's is all that is left. There are groceries to buy, medications to refill and legalities to finalize. We have arranged for the care of our sticks and bricks for the duration of our trip. All those little things that you do in life on a day-to-day basis have been thought through...or at least we think they have. I am sure there will be things we have forgotten but we have a supportive family and good lines of communication should something need taken care of while we are out on the road.

So for now I leave you with this thought: Life goes by way too fast! Make the most of it by doing things that bring you joy and never lose hope!

Charlie and Tammy