Fried Old Computer

My brain didn't fry before completing the post below. My computer did. It made a sad little ker-plop sound and wouldn't start again. It's toast. (Honey, if you're reading this, you might want to consult with the computer gods about finding a replacement for me!)

So, just a matter-of-fact message tonight. We made it to Mt. Rushmore, but so did heavy rain, thunder and lightening. We decided to camp another night in a motel, and a nice one at that. (Hubby is surely cringing.) No decent cell service, so no call home tonight. We enjoyed a fantastic ride today... the plains, the Badlands, Wall Drug, Mt. Rushmore. South Dakota Rocks! I'm liking the pampered life, but itching for a night in the tent and some respectable hiking.

Will post another progress note when possible.

Big Sky, Wide Land

I realize that I have an east coast perspective, specifically a mid-Atlantic perspective. When you live in a place where views are blocked by rolling landscapes, by trees, by buildings, and by mobs of people, most of whom are sitting in their own individual motor vehicle, you can forget just how large this country is. I mean, you can't back up and see, really SEE what is out there. Well, one thing is for sure about South Dakota, you can really see a long, long way. We saw a long, long way for mile after mile, hour after hour. And I wasn't bored in the least. On my last car trip west, I remember a conversation I had with someone at a stop somewhere on the Oklahoma prairie. The young lady wanted to know if the Pennsylvania Turnpike was lined with trees. She always heard that, and she couldn't imagine a 5-hour drive with trees all along the way. I told her that yes, for the most part, it was a green tunnel of trees. Her eyes lit up in amazement. I never thought the trees were all that interesting. She thought the prairie was one big windy bore punctuated with oil wells and grazing cattle. I think the prairie is sublime.

And I don't want to leave out Minnesota, "On the edge of the prairie," as Garrison Keillor tells us. We crossed the Mississippi at Lacross, Wisconsin early in the morning and after a ride through gorgeous farmland, the prairie opened up to us. It put me in the mood for "A Prairie Home Companion," and we listened to some saved podcasts for a while, laughing with a better understanding of Lake Wobegon's residents while looking out over the landscape they inhabit each week on the NPR airwaves.

We slipped seamlessly into South Dakota by lunch time and stopped at a rest area along I-90.

Interesting Interstate

We're not the only fuel efficient vehicle on the highway. We saw this cool looking motorcycle somewhere in Indiana. The guy was moving. I had to run the Prius up to 83 mph to catch up to him. We left the Toledo area this morning and made it to Wisconsin Dells before we refueled with just a bit over 10 gallons. And that included a quick side trip to Buchanan, Michigan and another side trip to Elgin, Illinois.

Michigan was AJ's idea. He didn't want to pass up a state that he's never been to. I haven't been there either, but it's not really along the direct route to Wyoming. We played around with the idea of taking a ferry across the big water, but paid vacation time has its limits, so we made a much shorter foray into Michigan. We detoured about 5 miles across the Michigan state line in search of a wondrous cave that AJ found in the AAA guide book. Bear Cave turned out to be a very unassuming campground. The cave apparently wasn't much of a going concern, as the property was now a private "resort", and cave tours weren't on the agenda. No biggie. We turned around and headed back down to route 90 for the next major attraction. And now AJ may honestly claim that he's been to Michigan.

Our next stop was Elgin, Illinois. Why bother with Chicago when Elgin is just up the road? AJ is a collector of watches and owns a few Elgin watches. Another AAA guidebook tip told of the Elgin Historical Society Museum. After a little electric wandering around town, we found the beautiful old school house which is now the home of this little museum. The historical society volunteer greeted us warmly, and on hearing of AJ's watch attraction, he escorted us upstairs to see their exhibit on Elgin watches. It was very interesting, and the watches on display were beautiful. I enjoyed remembering my father wearing his Elgin wristwatch, which I gave to AJ not so very long ago. We enjoyed stretching our legs at the historical society and asked the frienedly volunteer to recommend a good lunch spot. He told us about the Elgin Public House and even googled directions and a map for us. What a little gem! We enjoyed an excellent meal. The garlic potato salad was especially good.

The rest of our road trip today was all about making miles. I know that many people think that such a lengthy car trip is excruciatingly dull. I suppose it depends on the attitudes of the occupants of the car. Listening to "All Things Considered" on NPR from Chicago to the Wisconsin state line prompted some stimulating conversation between mother and son. We marveled at the beauty of the countryside, and took some silly videos as we drove, interviewing each other and wondering who would ever want to watch our amateur productions. We did see some evidence of the recent flooding. Low lying farmlands were still swampy in areas. We saw quite a few dead deer on the side of the road, likely forced up onto the highway by the water.

We stopped somewhere past Wisconsin Dells and filled the Prius and decided to look for a place to stay for the night. We made it to the Minnesota border and still the Prius is registering a full tank. How cool is that? I can feel myself falling in love with this car. In fact, I don't even think that it's ugly anymore! Tomorrow will probably be a camping night for us, and it looks like it snowed about 4 inches in Yellowstone again. there's still much more to come, and I can't wait for the next leg of our adventure.

Go West, Young Man (with your mother)

A lot has happened since my last update. It's been a long time, and a lot has happened on Monkey Island. The Princeling has returned to to the island after a year at Millersville University. One year down and some more to go. He's not one to keep to a tight academic schedule. Middle Monkey has left the island for good. He's now under the protection of his bio parents again, even if only from a distance. But Baby Monkey is still here. He's had quite the year. He finished high school with his usual excellent performance. That alone would have made his parents proud, but he has decided to attend Temple University in the fall. Mom is smiling her double-legacy smile. And finally, he completed his Eagle Scout requirements and then turned 18 the very next day. This calls for a special celebration trip far away from Monkey Island. With gas prices soaring, we decided to take a road trip to Yellowstone National Park.

The travel gods aligned and Behold! The hybrid vehicle! Our new Toyota Prius was delivered on Saturday, and today we put over 500 miles on it. It's comfortable, it's fun, it's loaded with camping gear, and it's VERY fuel efficent. We've driven roughly from Philadelphia to Toledo, Ohio on 15 gallons of gas. Today we've averaged 43 mpg, and that included climbing over the Allegheny Mountains. Not too shabby. We're enjoying in the ride.

On day 1 of our trip across the country, we decided to take some time to visit the Flight 93 Memorial near Sommerset, PA. It was a sobering experience. The National Park Service has set up a temporary memorial staffed by volunteers, and we learned that 150,000 people vist each year. On a gray and windy Tuesday afternoon there were quite a few people visiting. Even as I drove down the tiny country road to the gravel parking lot overlooking the crash site, I was surprised by my emotions. It's hard to describe what I felt. It was just a rush of memories of that day. There were tears in my eyes. The site is green and beautiful now, seven years after that horrible day. But the memorials placed near the parking area are poignant. Most are items simply left by visitors. A large fence-like structure collects all sorts of notes, small statues, and seemingly random bits and pieces. But knowing how I was feeling, I knew that every item had meaning to the person who left it there. In this place of shattered lives, there is a very strong feeling of connectedness, a feeling that pulls us close to all of the victims who died in the lush green field below the memorial.

I was struck by the quiet of the place. There were perhaps 15 people visiting while we were there. The wind was blowing strongly through the little valley. Flags were flapping loudly with lines and metal clips banging against metal flag poles. It was quite noisy and yet silent at the same time. Despite the noise of the wind, no one spoke above a whisper in this quiet place. As I walked by the memorials, I thought about what happened that day and how the world has changed. I felt connected to the passengers and crew of Flight 93, and I felt connected to the people visiting there today. I wanted to leave a bit of myself there. I decided to leave a red rosary that I had made and was carrying with me. I placed it with a small statue of the Blessed Mother and prayed a silent prayer.

Tomorrow we'll continue west. A lot has changed in 7 years. I'll think about that, I'm sure. But I'll also travel with a sense of awe at all that is here and now. Road trips are awesome. They connect us to the land we pass through, to the people we meet. It's a good feeling. I like it.