The 2017 adventure began on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. Eastern target destination – Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota; western destination on the return leg – Oregon for the August 21, 2017 full solar eclipse. Actually, we were almost two weeks “late” in leaving on this trip, as our scheduled departure date was Friday, July 7, 2017. However, as often happens to the plans of humans, life got in the way. So, after getting our beloved brother-in-law out of the hospital and home; assuring ourselves that precious, valued neighbors would be semi-OK until we returned, and a quick trip back to Ohio by Nancy to get an update on the well-being of her older sister, we were off!
Well…..sort of….In June, as conscientious travelers, we completed the major preparations of getting truck and trailer serviced, and adding a few touches to the trailer to improve operation and convenience. We were ready to hit the road as planned. With the advent of the above-mentioned life events, we forgot to pack and provision the trailer until the last day. Actually, we didn’t forget. We just pushed it to the background and then severely underestimated the time it would take. Imagine that!
Nancy returned from Ohio Sunday. Monday was rest and recuperation day. Tuesday was Oh, My God reality awareness day. And Wednesday resulted in feverish and frantic packing and scurrying. We left….three hours later than planned.
As usual, Nancy had completed a tremendous amount of detailed planning for our trip – routes, daily destinations, reservations, and scenic highlights not to be missed, etc. The life events derailed the early plans. Consequently, day one was a run to Best Western Boomtown in Verdi outside Reno. Day Two pushed us hard to Elko Nevada and the Gold Country Inn and Casino. Day three and four found us at Massacre Rock State Park in Idaho. Day five and six has us in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming still trying to catch up to our original itinerary in order to meet unmovable reservations at Mt. Rushmore. Along the way, both at night and on the road, Nancy was canceling and modifying reservations, finding us new accommodations during the height of the tourist season, and tracking Waze and a few other favorite apps to keep us moving effectively and efficiently. Fran was simply driving and doing the stevedore work at camp. Paddington was just taking in the view from the backseat.
Our two motels were just that – places to stay on the road. Of note was the size of our Gold Country room and its in-room amenities; and the staff at Gold Country, the employees of which were probably the best at genuine customer service that we have ever experienced. A little blackjack at Red Lion across the street from Gold Country paid for both our stays! Elko afforded us the opportunity to visit an RV repair place to get some new “screw cover” material. (Ours had become dislodged and was flapping wildly in the wind as we scooted down the freeway causing a quick pull-over and the use of a pair of shears to cut it free.) As is usual with RV places, the staff there took the time to help us and show Fran how to replace the lost “cover”. Off we went again.
On our way to Massacre State Park, thanks to Nancy’s diligent monitoring of Waze, we avoided a three-hour wait on I-84 west of Twin Falls, caused by three accidents one to two miles apart. The Interstate was closed completely in both directions. Waze sent us off on a frontage road allowing us to smoothly bypass the mess. We arrived at Massacre State Park in Idaho safe and sound on Friday, July 21, 2017.