On The Road Again

Hello! No fear--we haven't been gobbled up by the bears, moose, or even the prairie dogs we saw out West. Unbeknownst to us, we were going to have six days without electricity and then the days after that where the campsite did provide electricity, there was very little to no wifi to upload posts to the blog. Luckily for you, I'll be posting from here on out in the comfort of an air conditioned house to share the photos and stories from our amazing trip :) Enjoy! The VonderHesses #elevenontheroad

The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page. - Saint Augustine Each time I looked out the window it was a shock to see how beautiful it all was. Pulling into the KOA we were shocked at the sound of the cicadas. It was deafening! What we experienced in Cincinnati this summer was nothing compared to this. They must have been a different breed of cicada all together. These had a pasty-white color to them with brown markings made to look like big eyes. Also, they didn't go to sleep like our pleasant, friendly cicadas.  We went to bed with the air conditioning not working. Remember how I told you how hot it was at the Badlands? The heat didn't go away when the sun went down. Luckily we have windows that open and Mark and Michelle had fans we could use.  The next morning we added another problem to our list: the awning wouldn't retract.  When we bought the RV it came with a file folder filled with information and trouble shooting tips, b

The morning started with more royal treatment -- Joan's mom, Gloria, was at the stove with made-to-order pancakes! The options were: blueberries, m&ms, coconut, pecans, Heath bar crunch, walnuts, and chocolate chips. The KOA campgrounds we're staying at have pancake breakfasts, too, but I'm doubtful they'll be anywhere near the ones Gloria Beaner cooked up! After breakfast the boys felt they weren't done with their job and went back out to the barn to take care of the pigeon business. The adults got to explore more of the farm and learn about what they do each day. Sadly, Michelle's dream of living the Little House on the Prairie life was dashed--this is hard work! The bug carnage is a serious issue--guts and blood splattered all over the front. After a lunch of burgers we headed out about 1:10pm going toward the Badlands. The first scenic stop we got to we were blown away by both the heat (105 degrees) and the wind! Crazy heat doesn't

Our first campsite of the trip was a first for the Hess Family: camping in the parking lot of a Walmart in Des Moines. Reading about other people's experiences traveling in an RV we learned that there are places that allow you to sleep overnight for free! It seemed silly to get a campsite where we arrive at midnight and then leave a few short hours later. Michelle called ahead to the manager of the Walmart, who was happy to have us! (Calling ahead was recommended.) We weren't alone! There were probably ten - fifteen RVs, campers, and semis camping out for the night. The next morning having Walmart so close was useful. Kevin was able to get shaving supplies and Drew forgot his swimsuit so they were able to pick one up for him. On the outskirts of the parking lot was a Burger King where we pick up breakfast and got back on the road! Another beauiful, sunny day on I-80, where the highway is lined with windmills. About an hour and a half on the road and we see a sign saying the

"There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it." - Charles Dudley Warner Kevin had meetings to attend in the morning before we could get on the road. This made for a semi-laid back morning. We're used to waking up before dawn to start traveling so it was nice to have some extra time to straighten up the house, prep the food we're bringing and, much to Kevbo's chagrin, pack more items ;) The Vonder Meulens The Hesses We left by 2:26pm according to Chuck and this was unplanned perfect timing. We missed rush hour in all the cities we went through and were able to make it to Des Moines, Iowa, by midnight. This was probably pushing it but it set us up good for Saturday, so we'll have more time to spend in Sioux Falls. By the end of the night all the kids were curled up somewhere comfortably and Kev and I were listening to the soothing sounds of Tool to keep us awake. But the trip was more than going from here to there, s