So, yeah…it was an early morning. Our trip east on I-90 started out 60° F, grey and wet. We were driving into this mess but it wasn’t too bad and the lightning put on a nice show in those grey clouds.

Eventually it cleared off and we got out of the rain and into the sunshine. It ended up in the 90s, and we could feel the humidity when we stopped for breaks often (always important to get out of the car and walk around once an hour).

In the afternoon I started to get a slight headache partially due to my stiff neck. I started dropping power and realized I never had coffee this morning so I stopped and got a small coffee. Did the trick on both problems.

It was pretty busy today on the roadways and that always has its problems with…ahem…inconsiderate drivers. It really makes me think more about taking backroads as much as I can when I travel. Today, we couldn’t do it because I had to be back tonight. I had originally thought about breaking it up and taking a different route but I drove straight through 11 hours. Have not done that in quite a while! And, the speed limit in South Dakota is 80 mph.

We got int Iowa then Missouri, both with a speed limit of 70 mph. Even at these speeds it still took those 11 hours. Our breaks were not real long so we didn’t waste any time; I wanted to make all our stops on the way there to save time going back.

Little things like that really help maximize your time with really very little to plan. I knew these National Parks were on the way and would be interesting for Addy since I had been to both places before. You don’t really have to make a plan other than to break up your trip into shorter hours over more days. That way you get the freedom the stop where you want and not be rushed.

One thing I must do is remember to pack my own coffee to take with me. I just got an AeroPress and I intended to take it with. Being that I just got it, I did not remember to take it along until I got to Mitchell. I will remember next time!

So we are back in our own beds tonight, with normal-sized pillows and hopefully not wake up with neck and back pains tomorrow.

Another adventure comes to a close. There are always more to come!

See you next time.

Shawn