Road Trip 2021 - To Maine and Back

This morning I woke up early, extra early. I woke up at 4:30 to the sound of a semi pulling in next to me at the rest stop. Then, it was difficult to fall back asleep with the sound of their generator - plus the sound of almost every other RV's generator going too. Eventually I made it back to sleep and woke up again around 5:30. Originally, I wasn't going to get up until about 7:00 because the visitor center didn't open until 8:00 and it was only 10 minutes away. I laid in bed until 6 reading the news and looking at the weather. After I got ready and ate breakfast, I had a little extra time so I decided to use my hotspot for my laptop to do some research for the trip. I had pretty much planned the first half of the trip in detail, but not the second. I had reserved a Boondockers host for each night of the first week. However, there weren't any available in the second. Therefore, I wasn't sure where I was going to stay each night. I needed to look at Wind Cave Nati...

This morning I woke up, once again, at 6:00 a.m. I wanted to be on the road by 7:00 because it was going to be a long day of driving. According to Google maps, it was an 8-hour drive to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. However, an 8-hour drive to Google maps is more like a 12-hour drive if you include stops and the fact that I don't go 75 mph. I hit the road, and listened to some music while I finish my coffee to wake up. I stopped at a gas station on my way as a quick break. Then, I found a park somewhere in North Dakota to stop for lunch. I went for a 30-minute walk and then made a picnic lunch. Afterwards, I went and got gas and was back on the road. I finished my audiobook, Educated by Tara Westover. It was a very interesting listen. I think I want to read the book too. I definitely missed some pieces and small details with listening to it while driving. Three hours after lunch, I stopped once more at another rest stop to stretch my legs. Then, I had 2 ...

I woke up at about 7:00 a.m. at my boondocker's host in Minnesota. I got ready and left around 8:00 a.m. to arrive at the visitor center, which was an hour away, around 9:00 a.m. when it opened. I wanted to be able to ask the rangers a few questions. I wanted to know about a hike to do in the morning and then a paddle boarding route to do in the afternoon. When I arrived, there were also a few small hikes that I did at the various overlooks on the way in. There was Beaver Pond, Voyagers Forest Overlook, and another one. These were beautiful little overlooks where you get glimpses of the National Park and Rainy Lake. When I got to the visitor center, I asked them about a good hike to do in the morning and then a paddle for the afternoon. They recommended a hike that was a three mile loop that goes out to a small bay on Rainy Lake. Then, they also recommended a paddle that happens to go out to that same small bay. It would be a three mile hike and a four mile paddle. He l...

This morning, I woke up at the campsite, again at 6:00 a.m., to get ready and try and hit the road by 7:00 a.m. I got myself ready and left the campsite by about 7:00 a.m. I even saw the sunrise. Which was funny, seeing as I had just seen the sunset.  I mapped out my route and hit the road. I had another long day driving to Northern Minnesota. I stopped in Ashland, Wisconsin for a quick break to go for a small walk and stretch the legs. Then, I continued on to Duluth where I spent my lunch break. I went to the canal Point Park, which my friend Sarah had recommended to me for lunch. It was a great place to enjoy the seashore and have lunch and go for a walk. There was even a beautiful sandy beach, which tempted me to go swimming! Especially since it was hot, around 88°. However, I didn't want to be sandy or wet for the rest of my three hour drive that was remaining. So I continued on. I went north, stopping to get groceries on my way, and arrived at my Boondockers host a...

The next morning I woke up early again at 6:00 with my goal to be on the road by 7:00. I woke up, got ready, and then used their (the boondockers hosts) dump station before hitting the road. Before leaving, I also decided to check my oil, which I try to do everyday. Especially when I have really long trips ahead of me. However when I checked my oil, it said "A" - as in add, like it was empty. This definitely freaked me out. However, I didn't quite believe it. I looked up online and it was mixed responses as to why this could be or if you should check your oil warmer cold. So I decided to check my owner's manual. Every other time that I've checked my oil it's been fine and showed full. However, when I woke up this morning it was about maybe 40 degrees, high 30s. In addition diesels, take a low viscosity oil. So I was wondering if it was all kind of pooled or was two congealed on the bottom. In the owner's manual, it said to check the oil when warm. My other...

This morning I woke up at 6:00 and got myself ready to be out the door early. My goal was to be on the road by 7:00 a.m. The night before, when I met Karen, she had invited me over in the morning for a cup of coffee. As I was getting ready, she came over to my camper and said hi. As she was standing outside my camper chatting, it started to storm again, so I invited her in. We chatted for a long while about our different travels, where we had been, and where we were going. She was very kind and fun to talk to. But then I had to continue getting ready to head out to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  Although it was currently downpouring, it was my only opportunity to be able to go to Cuyahoga. Therefore, I was going to hit the road either way and do what I could. So I went on my way, although it was closer to 7:30 or 8:00. Then, as I was pulling out of the driveway and putting directions into Google maps, my phone said that I didn't have any data. This was a first and I knew in fact t...