Our Two Year Anniversary

Today marks two years since we pulled out of that driveway in Denham Springs, LA, leaving behind the world as we knew it. So early this morning we piled the dogs into the back of the Saturn and headed on down the road with a plan to drive the Needles Highway, the Wildlife Loop Road, both inside Custer State Park, and Iron Mountain Road, all scenic routes just south of Mount Rushmore. After almost five hours on the road, we decided to pass on the last leg of the trip and save it for another day.

The Needles Highway is perhaps some of the most beautiful scenery either of us has ever seen. We spent over 2 hours navigating 14 miles of this 20 mile drive, driving slowly and taking advantage of the many turnouts and scenic views. It was truly an enjoyable morning. Some have questioned why we would spend a week outside of Rapid City, SD, and today was a perfect example of our thought process. Unlike many of the others on the road this morning who were rushing to complete the drive, check it off their list, and move on to their next destination, we were able to linger, reflect, and enjoy the sights and sounds surrounding us. We were also able to put off a drive down Iron Mountain Road until tomorrow as we were starting to tire and definitely didn’t want to rush through what we have been told is one of the most amazing roads in the country.

We continue to marvel at the things that we see as each one seems to inspire us in some way. We are at the beginning of what we call our National Park Tour of the West. In the last 7 days we have driven the Badlands Loop Road and marveled at the beauty of what is basically a vast wasteland, while almost expecting John Wayne to appear in one of the canyons. Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Wind Cave, and now Custer State Park have wowed us with each and every turn. (More on all of these places later.) A part of us thinks that it can’t get any better, but then we are proven wrong by the next stop along the journey.

We have found that generally one week is the perfect amount of time to spend in any area that we visit. Any longer and we get a bit antsy. A few exceptions are our visits to St. Louis and our visits to see family. We must admit that after spending 5 months in Orlando, when May 1 rolled around, we were definitely ready to move on.

So we are still out here and enjoying every minute. We are now 3,214 miles into our 9,668 mile 2009 NP Tour. The neat part is that except for the Grand Canyon the next 4,139 miles take us on roads we have never traveled and to places we have never been. We’re not really sure how it can be any better.

TWO YEARS BY THE NUMBERS
17,633 Saturn miles
17,579 RV miles
10,612 feet highest elevation
2,343 gallons of diesel
1,787 monthly health insurance premium (increase of $215 started 5/09)
559 longest 1 day drive
141 most consecutive days in one place
106 highest temperature
60 National Parks/Monuments Cancellations (in our National Parks Passport book)
51 campgrounds
47 National Parks/Monuments visited
45 cost of our C2C campground membership (best investment we have ever made)
35 annual maintenance fee for our campground membership
27 states traveled in
24 states spent the night in
23 Saturn mpg
18 lowest temperature
18 family members visited
10 Sweet Adelines choruses visited
8 RV mpg
8 Missouri Tigers football games
5 St. Louis Cardinals baseball games
4 MLB parks
3 nights spent in Wal-Mart parking lots
3 ferry rides
2 ferry rides that included the RV
2 states of residence
2 countries visited
2 shuttle launches
2 nights spent in Camping World parking lots
2 fish caught
1 State Parks stayed in
1 College Football Bowl game
1 St. Louis Rams football game

BEST/WORST- 6/19/08

National Park
Picking the best National Park is a tough one. We are going to go with Shenandoah Valley for its sheer beauty and solitude, and Gettysburg for its significance and the most humbling experience. There really isn't a "worst" National Park. Updated 6/19/09: Badlands National Park has to rank as one of the best. We still have not found a bad one.
Campground
The Fiesta Key KOA in Long Key, FL, with its view out the front window of the Gulf and sunsets is hard to beat. Shiloh's RV & Travel Resort in Monroe, LA, was by far the worst. Updated 6/19/09: Hart Ranch in Rapid City, SD, and Pine Island RV Resort in Jay, OK, are two of the best. Although Shiloh is still the worst, Frosty Acres Resort in Schenectady, NY, comes close.
Location
Long Key, FL, and Front Royal, VA, were equally enjoyable. No need to rush, no traffic, just the time to spend as you like. See Monroe, LA, for the worst. Updated 6/19/09: Add Rapid City, SD, to the list of best.
Restaurant
If you ever make it to Titusville, FL, the Dixie Crossroads is the place to eat. If you ever make it to DeFuniak Springs, FL, Bo's Family Country Cafe is a place of last resort. Updated 6/19/09: No change
Pizza
Lombardo's in St. Louis, MO, is hard to beat. Think it has something to do with the cheese! Buck's in Denham Springs, LA, leaves a lot to be desired. Updated 6/19/09: No change.
Roads
Georgia and Texas seem to consistently have the best roads. Louisiana is the worst with New Jersey not far behind. Updated 6/19/09: Illinois and Minnesota have joined the ranks of bad roads. Although we are beginning to realize our federal highways are all in need of repair.
Wal-Mart
The best Wal-Mart was in Front Royal, VA, and had only been open a few days when we visited. The worst is in Berlin, NJ, and we can understand why Russ' sister is not big on Wal-Marts! Updated 6/19/09: With Wal-Mart being our choice for basic staples, we do see a lot of them. Almost all of the newer ones are very nice, and one we visited outside Columbus, OH, is now #1.
Supermarket
The Schnuck's in Eureka, MO, was great. We have never been to a Piggly Wiggly that is worth the price of admission. Updated 6/19/09: No change
Bakery
Tellico Grains Bakery in Tellico Plains, TN, was fantastic. As far as the worst, is there really a bad bakery?? Updated 6/19/09: We have stayed away from bakeries!
Moment
Another tough one. Watching the shuttle launch, seeing the Milky Way from the Keys, and a big black bear on the Appalachian Trail. The worst moment....was that the awning?!?! Updated 6/19/09: Niagara Falls and Walt Disney World at Christmas can be added to the best, and the awning still ranks as the worst.

A FEW THINGS WE'VE LEARNED
1) A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.
2) There are 10,000 species of spiders, and most have visited us.
3) Gnats do not taste good.
4) The average person standing on any street corner of any city or town in this country has more common sense than the entire U.S. Congress combined.
5) There are as many varieties of camping vehicles as there are people out doing it.
Updated 6/19/09:
6) Our house batteries are important…take good care of them.
7) Anything under 32 degrees Fahrenheit is cold.
8) We will again watch fuel prices rise throughout the summer.
9) We have more fear coming down the mountain than we did going up.
10) Financial experts/advisors are pretty much worthless. Once they get your money, they never recommend selling. They seem to use the same pitch as the market continues to plummet, “All my big clients are buying because we are near the bottom.”