Home Again

Of course, it's not all sunshine and rainbows when you are on the road. Mark and I have completed our Fall 2017 Adventure and I thought I should document  a few of the mishaps that occurred that I haven't mentioned. We had to make an emergency trip to the vet in Michigan's UP because Starbaby drank stagnant water and we thought she might have Lepto....she didn't....but it was pretty ironic that this poster was in the vetenarian's waiting room as we waited to see a Dr. I lost my prescription glasses somewhere in Missouri.... I never found them but had plenty of spare contacts to get me home. When we came back from a hike in Illinois we heard from fellow campers that while we were gone a hickory limb fell on the roof of our trailer and left a dent....the good news? Nothing else was damaged and Mark burned the limb for fire wood!

Other than these few hiccups, it was a Mary Poppins adventure; "Practically perfect in every way!" We are excited about being home, to touch base with family and friends, but are already planning our next exploration of the lower 48!

The Bluegrass State

Our reason for traveling to Dog Creek Campground, in Dog Run, KY, as we make our way home, was to visit Mammoth Cave National Park. This is the only National Park I had visited, that Mark had never been to. Our campground, situated right outside the park, is an Army Corps of Engineer Park and one of the nicest we've stayed in. We loved exploring the area, taking a cave tour and mountain biking in nearby Nolin Lake State Park.  One cool thing about getting to the National Park, from our campsite, was taking the free ferry across the Green River.

Eclipse

Ironically, as we were preparing to leave Illinois, we stumbled on the Eclipse Kitchen , in Makanda, IL, where we decided to go for brunch. Because our trip started in Nashville, with the 2017 Eclipse, we were surprised to discover Makanda is a small town that not only witnessed totality in 2017 but will be in the line of totality again in 2024. The mathematical odds of anyone witnessing a total solar eclipse where they live (without traveling) is approximately 3 times every 1000 years. Makanda residents will witness two in just seven years.

Bartering

Meeting people on the road has been a fun part of traveling we weren't expecting. In an effort to follow the rules in most parks these days, about not bringing firewood in from other states, (to help combat the transfer of pests that might be in the wood) we have tried to buy only as much wood as we need in each park we visit. In Illinois, we miscalculated and ran out, but Mark discovered how to barter, with a Kentucky product we had on hand, thanks to our neighbor, Mike.

Land of Lincoln

We've arrived in Illinois and continue to love taking as many back roads as we can from one place to another. I had to make Mark stop to get a picture of this barn because a big reason for starting this blog was to share pics with my mom of the places we end up. This barn picture is for you, Mom. Most of the pictures I post are made by Mark so I loved this recent picture I captured of Markie making a picture on our daily hike.

We discovered that most of the parks we wanted to visit in southern Illinois, have 20 or 25 walk in sites that you don't have to reserve (first come first serve) so this last part of the trip has been less planned and more spontaneous. We didn't know Illinois had a Little Grand Canyon and It ended up being one of our favorite hikes!

Yoga and Weights

Mark Twain State Park was so peaceful; being there mid week, we missed all the weekend campers. Mark and I took advantage of the solitude and loved the freedom of our isolated campsite. I usually do yoga in the camper, so it was fun to use our picnic table as a platform in this beautiful outdoor studio. Starbaby seemed to enjoy doing "up dog" instead of "down dog" with me. Since we don't carry any free weights with us, Mark has been filling up our water jug so he can do some of his weightlifting routine on the road too.

Show Me State

The state park we chose to visit, for our brief stay in Missouri, was Mark Twain State Park. It sits on the banks of Mark Twain Lake, near Florida, MO, where the writer was born. One of the first books that made me think, when I was growing up, was Huckleberry Finn. It was cool to see the humble beginnings of one of my favorite authors and literary figures.

We've also loved the state park's peaceful setting, hiking trails and beautiful fall colors!

Mark Twains birthplace 

Transition Days

Sometimes the translation days, traveling from one campsite to another, are pretty interesting days too. While traveling across Michigan, after battling mosquitoes in our campsite at Tahquamenon Falls, we passed this Inn that doesn't bother denying  the reality of the area but instead embraces it. Today, as we travel through the state of Iowa, I've loved  passing through Amish country and feeling like I'd been transported back in time then rounding a corner and seeing a futuristic windmill farm.