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Well as you can imagine, we made it safely back home. I had a few people suggest that I write a follow up on what happened when we came home. The dreaded first few days of our trip still on people's minds! How would Cruise America make up for the loss of a couple days of our vacation?

We arrived home around dinner time on the 20th and cleaned up the RV for it's return on the 21st. I swear it was cleaner that it had ever been, certainly in better shape than we recieved it. I think Marc didn't want Art (the owner of the rental agency) to have any excuse to keep the down payment we had to put on it.

Marc, Jenni and Jason returned the RVs the next day, still finding minor problems (propane tank valve trouble). When they got to the office for the return, Marc's plan was to not take any less than a 3 day refund and fortunately, Art complied. He admitted that they overlooked the tire issue and apologized. We were surprised, expecting a cranky welcome from him. And while I'm sure he was not looking forward to seeing us again, I'm impressed that he owned up to his mistakes.

So will we rent from Cruise America again? Not sure, but we will certainly know what to look for if we do.

Day Eight and Nine - Yellowstone and Grand Teton

We decided to not rush out real early to see anything today. It was going to be cold and we thought we’d mostly be in the car. So we all bundled up with our 4 layers of whatever we could find and headed out!

As we drove towards the Grand Canyon area we stopped at Gibbons Falls and took some pictures, one of the kids and one of the adults. Our children are becoming quite the photographers. Every once in a while you’ll see them whip out their iPod Touch and snap a picture.

In the Grand Canyon area, there were a couple great places to get pictures of the falls. We stopped to see the Upper Falls where there was a pretty tough trail to hike to see the Lower Falls. Most of the group went down Uncle Tom’s trail, but I opted to take the kids who didn’t want to go back to the RV. Those that went got some great pictures!

We then headed to Artist’s Point to see the Lower Falls, the most photographed site in Yellowstone (according to Jason). It was quite spectacular. I’m sure when you look at the picture you will recognize it!

The rest of the day was spent driving through the park, so much to see and just not enough time to stop at all the cool pull offs. The kids were getting a bit antsy in the RV, but we took the long way back to the campground anyway. In our drive we were stopped twice by herds of bison. I think we lost a total of 30 minutes waiting for them to clear the way. And as you can imagine, you wait for them, they could care less about your plans.

Saturday was our last day to see Yellowstone and make a quick trip to Grand Teton. We headed out early since we had a long travel day ahead of us. The drive to Gran Teton was beautiful (as was everything we saw, really). You can see the Teton mountain range as you head south out of Yellowstone. We were up high enough that there was still a ton of snow on the ground.

We did a really quick stop in Grand Teton. Stopped by Jackson Lake for some pictures and then to the Visitor Center to get out National Park stamp in the kids passports. I was looking forward to seeing Jenny Lake, so our family went there for a quick picture and look around. It was a beautiful area. I didn’t want to leave!

Once we got our pictures we headed towards Nebraska for our next stop Chimney Rock! Since Sarah did a report on the Oregon Trail we thought it would be fun to see it. It’s pretty much in the middle of no where. We came, we saw and we left the next morning.

Day Seven - Old Faithful Area

For our first full day in Yellowstone we decided to spend it in the Old Faithful area. We wanted to arrive by 10 am so the kids could do a ranger talk to help them earn their Junior Ranger badge. So in order to cover the 30 miles from our campground to Old Faithful we gave ourselves an hour and a half to get there. We needed it since we ran into 2 wildlife jams. The first being a bison taking a stroll down the road (seems to be a common occurence). Our second hang up was a bald eagle sighting. Two of them in a tree. Since this is quite rare, they pulled in a crowd, lots of photographers and gawkers. Super cool.

We were able to see Old Faithful erupt a couple times today, and each time was just amazing. It's crazy how they can so accurately predict when it will go. After a Ranger led stroll around Old Faithful we warmed up in the Old Faithful Lodge and gave the kids a chance to finish up their Junior Ranger books so they could get their badges. We then had a nice dinner at the Old Faithful Inn. To finish up the day we took a quick trip to see the bubbling mudpots.

So the big excitement for the day! It snowed, and not just a few flakes, but enough to drastically reduce visibility. It was super cold and windy, but it wasn't enough to deter us from checking out the sights. I think tomorrow will be a bit warmer (not much). Either way, we're ready for whatever happens!

Day Six - Yellowstone - Mammoth Springs and Norris Geyser Basin

We finally arrived at Yellowstone around lunchtime. Everyone was pretty excited. Since we were coming in from the north we decided to hit the north end areas for the day. So we were off to Mammoth Springs.

We were expecting it to be pretty cold, but were pleasantly surprised when we got there. We checked out the visitor center, got the kids set up with their junior ranger books, watched a movie about the park and then headed out to do some walking around. There was a nice boardwalk in place so you could easily walk around and see the hot springs. The kids were a bit put off by the smell of sulfur, but had a great time checking out the hot steam. On our way back to the RV it started to rain, we quickly made it back without getting too wet.

On our way to the campground we decided to stop by Norris Geyser Basin to see the geysers and hot springs there. It was beautiful. Words just can’t describe it.

During our travels through Yellowstone we came across those famous back ups when people either stop to take pictures or a bisen is taking a stroll down the road. There’s generally only one way through the park and it’s a two lane road most of the time with very little shoulder, so it backs up quick. So far we have seen bison and elk. Hoping to catch a glimpse of some other animals too. The great thing is the kids are less concerned with their iPods and having a great time looking out the window. And the back ups are all part of the fun. It usually means something interesting is coming up and so far we haven’t been disappointed

Day Five - Devil's Tower and Little Big Horn National Battlefield

We had a crazy long and packed day ahead of us, a lot of driving on backroads and two lane highways. Fortunately the roads were a bit more straight than the previous day’s drive. We had hour upon hour of nothing but fields and blue sky, with the occasional house or farm here and there. All I could think was thank God we didn’t have our tire mishap out here. Who knows how long it would have taken to get help.

Before we left the Mt. Rushmore area, we stopped at a little winery to see what the locals have to offer. We picked up a couple bottles of some Rhubarb/Raspberry wine to bring back home. The winery had a fun name, Red Ass Winery, which was why we stopped, just couldn’t pass that one up! It was actually a very nice place to try a few small samples and even get a bite to eat. We didn’t stay long since we had some road to cover.

We made it to Devil’s Tower by lunchtime. We took some pictures, had lunch and then moved on. It is quite a sight, totally worth the drive. The rock formations are truly unique. Plus, it has a great Native American legend that goes with it.

American Indian legends tell of six Lakota Sioux girls who were picking flowers when they were chased by bears. Feeling sorry for them, the Great Spirit raised the ground beneath the girls. The bears tried to climb the rock, but fell off, leaving their scratch marks on the sides. (from Wikipedia.com)

Our next stop was Little Big Horn National Battlefield. We got there at the end of the day and managed to see a video showing how the Indians overtook General Custer and his troops. I’m not much of a history buff, but the kids really seemed to like this stop. We looked around the museum and walked around the grounds. There were grave markers all over indicating where soldiers fell in battle. Anne was impressed that there was a place to honor the horses that died in battle as well.

To end our day we decided to stop somewhere quick to get a bite to eat so we could enjoy the evening at the campground. We were quickly disappointed that this place didn’t have firepits. Who ever heard of a campground without firepits! It was getting chilly so we sat out with blankets to talk over the plan for Yellowstone while the kids were sleeping.

In our planning, we discovered one thing we weren’t prepared for – SNOW! Yes, you read that right, they are predicting snow for Friday. Now we knew it was going be colder at Yellowstone than anywhere else on our trip (we were expecting highs of 60-65 and lows in the 40s), but I as not prepared for snow. Let’s hope weather.com is wrong on that one!

Day Four - Wind Cave and Mt. Rushmore

Our trip to Wind Cave was amazing, we drove through Custer State Park, which has to be one of the most scenic state parks I have been to. On the drive in you could see all kinds of wildlife and the most beautiful landscapes. As we were heading through, we came across a bucking buffalo that looked like it was nearly going to ram our RV. Kind of scary actually. We liked the more docile ones better, the ones who could care less that you were driving through their backyard.

The cave tour we took was very cool. The park system created a paved pathway through a small section of it so it was very easy to maneuver. It took us a little over an hour to walk it. The ranger talked about the rock formations and the history of it. I think most of the kids enjoyed it, until the ranger turned of the lights to show us how the man who discovered it would have seen the cave when his candle went out. With the exception of a few light up shoes, it was pitch black. I couldn’t imagine being down there with out a light!

Our next stop was Mt. Rushmore, of which Sarah was completely excited about. She did a research paper on it for a school project last year, so she knew all kinds of facts about the place. When we had finished exploring the park, she commented that she didn’t really learn anything new! Oh well, I think seeing it in person was just what she needed. It’s an amazing site.

We had plans to see the faces at night, but once again we ended our day with a storm. We managed to get dinner in before it started raining and then retreated to the RVs for the storm. Once it passed we got a glimpse of the most beautiful, full, double rainbow. The sky was quite red which gave the rainbow a more reddish color to it. I hadn’t seen anything like it before. The kids played a bit more, then we ate the cake I made in the RV (1-2-3-4 Fudge Cake!) and then it was time to get the kids in bed.

For the first time since our stay at Shabbona Lake, the adults were finally able to hang out by the fire for a while. We had some wine and conversation to catch up on!

Day Three - Badlands National Park

We made it to the Badlands at about 1 am MDT, exhausted, but thrilled to be back on track. It was quite the drive in, the moonlight shining down on the rock formations, it was so beautiful. While we wished we were able to arrive in the area at a decent hour, we got a view of the Badlands we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

The kids are loving this trip, I can't even tell you how many times they have said this is "the best trip ever." Even with the RV mess (which we are still discovering problems, but nothing like the ones we dealt with early on), they have decided that the Badlands are far more fun than Disney World. They took part in a Junior Ranger program and learned about fossils and how they are recovered. We hiked a few trails where you could pretty much climb on anything reasonably safe (if their parents let them!). The weather was perfect, warm with cool breezes and beautiful blue skies. FInally the vacation we had in mind was coming together!

After some hiking, we took a drive to the Minutemen missle site, visited the famous Wall Drug and then headed over to see some prairie dogs at the northwest side of the park. You could see off in the distance that a storm was coming in, so we drove the main road through the park to head back to the campground. It was a beautiful drive, windy roads and unimaginable views. We arrived at camp just in time, as the storm blew in just after we hooked the RV back up.

We spent the evening waiting out quite a storm. High winds (we had a tornado watch until 8pm) which rocked the RV pretty good. The kids were a bit nervous, but we passed the time playing Apples to Apples and other games. We were hoping to make it to a Night Sky Ranger talk, but the weather obviously had other plans for us. So it's off to bed for now. We have an early morning ahead of us as we make our way to Wind Cave and Mt. Rushmore.

Day Two (part 2) - A Very Long Day.

 Today was spent primarily driving once we got on our way.  We had a lot of road to cover to catch up on our reservations.  Today’s goal – Interior, South Dakota, a mere 13 hour drive from DeKalb, Illinois.  Marc and Jason are doing an awesome keeping us on the road.
 
We briefly saw quite a few things, the Mississippi River, cows, wind farms, cows, fields and, oh yeah, cows!  Occasionally we’d see an interesting rock formation (this picture is from somewhere in Wisconsin), but mostly flat land as far as the eye can see.

I have to admit, part of what I wanted to do on this trip was to see some random (tacky!) touristy places.  We were a bit bummed out to know that because of our delay, we were probably going to miss out on the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.  Well, we managed to see it at 10 pm tonight, in it’s full lit up glory.   Marc equated it to the scene in Vacation when Clark walks up to Wally World and it’s closed.  Somewhat disappointing, but at least we knew it wasn’t going to be open.  It was a quick photo op and a chance to stretch our legs.  We quickly left the scene (picture small town America high school kids cruising the strip!  Yes, much like cruising Main Street in Belleville) gassed up the RV and worked our way back to I-90.
 
Interior South Dakota or Bust!  Yawn…. We should get there by 1 am if all goes well.  We’re supposed to head into some stormy weather, hopefully it won’t be too bad.

Day Two - One Last Repair - We Hope.

After a nice relaxing evening by the fire last night, we now have an early morning ahead of us if we want to have any chance of making it to South Dakota by the end of the day. National Tire and Battery opens at 7am, if we can get CA to ok it we can get our tires there and head out, hopefully by noon.  I won’t bore you with all the details.  We manage to get it approved and are able to get out by 11:30.

 
So lesson learned here, check out your rental company before you rent.  We are usually better about this, but this company was so much cheaper than any other that we didn’t even think twice about it.  That should have been the first clue.  Their customer service department is terrible.  Every time you call with a problem they take your number and have someone call you back.  Not once did we get an immediate answer, it always took at least 20 minutes for a return call.  While we aren’t going to let this ruin our trip, this company has certainly lost us a couple days we had planned for some hiking and sightseeing.
 
The bright side to all this?  It happened early on our trip, I can’t even imagine what we would have done if this happened on a two lane road in the mountains.  We would have been in big trouble.  I have to believe that our small (ok, huge!) setback was a blessing in disguise and that from here on out we will have a great trip.

Day One - A Rough Start

So after the first day of our trip, we’re only 45 minutes from home, camping at a Shabbona Lake State Park. It’s a great park, we’ve camped here a couple times. But it’s not South Dakota , not even close. So how did we end up here? Let me take you back to the day before we left, when the “fun” all started.

We had a few last minute questions about the RV we were renting, so Jenni gave the guy a call. Turns out that they don’t have enough working 30 ft RVs to cover the reservations for the day. The alternate plan is for one of us to take a 25 ft RV and one of us would get the 30 ft. This was clearly not going to work, so after several phone calls, we finally got word that we would get the RVs we reserved. Little did we know that this was only the beginning of a long line of problems that we were going to encounter before we even left the state.

We managed to get the RVs early on Friday, had a few problems with the refrigerators, one finally worked the other didn’t, but we were running behind so we decided to leave without it being fixed. We quickly packed and left Plainfield just before 2pm, not too far off schedule. We were finally on the road, ready to enjoy our ten-day trip out to Yellowstone and back. About 45 minutes into our trip, we blow a tire.

We were lucky to be not far from the DeKalb Oasis on I-88. Since we blew one of the dual tires in the back, we were able to drive to the Oasis where the kids could get out of the RV while we waited for the tow truck to come and change the tire. Possible 1.5-hour wait, but at least we were in a safe place and not on the side of a busy freeway.

Finally the tire guy arrives, starts working on the RV and discovers the fuel intake hose and vent tube were severed when the tire blew, so we can’t put gas in the RV. We are then directed to drive into DeKalb to get that worked on, it’s 4:50 pm and the shop closes at 5:30 pm. We’re running short on time and short on patience. At this point we realize we aren’t making it to South Dakota, so we start looking at alternate plans.

When we arrive at Motor Works, the shop manager takes a look at the RV and can’t believe that Cruise America (CA)would let us drive off the lot with these things. Our front two tires were bald (some tread in the center) and one of the back tires looked like it was starting to get dry rot. The Hans RV had 4 bad tires. Unfortunately, they can’t help us, so we have to spend the night and get it fixed in the morning. The fuel line gets fixed and we end up camping at Shabbona Lake State Park.

The kids did amazingly well. They were disappointed to not be farther along and a bit worried that we might not make it at all. I have to say it was pretty funny to end up here, where we have camped before, only a short drive from home in these huge RVs. While we didn’t get to where we were going, it was nice to finally sit and have a drink or two (or three!) by the fire.

As our new friend from DeKalb says, “Bananas happen!”

Let's Go RVing!

So after almost a year of planning we are about to embark on our very first RV trip. Since quite a few of my friends and family were interested in how this would turn out for us, I decided to attempt to keep a running blog of our adventure. So instead of packing (like I should be doing), I'm getting things prepped for what hopes to be a fun-filled account of our trip out west. Hope you enjoy keeping tabs on us for the next 10 days!

We're t-minus 37 hours and 37 minutes. Wish us luck!