We loved our time in North Dakota, even though it rained nearly the entire time. We did something new today – we went out to breakfast for the 1st time this entire trip. (I did get takeout breakfast one morning the night we slept at the hotel in TN, but that doesn’t really count). We went to the Farmhouse and it was delicious. Then we scouted out our route to the Badlands like we normally do and read on the website “road not suitable for RVs”… hmm. So I called the campground, and they gave us an different route from our AAA trip-tix and GPS. Mat wanted to add air to the tires since it has been so cold the last few days. We were happy to see the tires have been holding pressure since the leak got fixed in MT. The gas station (filling up, adding air, hooking up Peggy) took longer than usual so we were on the road much later than planned, but we chalked up our morning to our “you solve enough problems, you get to go home” motivation from The Martian. Being safe and smart is still a priority, even when it’s inconvenient.

We experienced much different weather on our drive out of ND than the drive in – sunny and getting hotter. It’s like we drove from summer to winter and back into summer. How long have we been on the road? The scenery was gorgeous and I’m still not tired of this nomad life. Today was also our last long RV drive for me and the girls. Next 2 nights are in the Badlands, and then we drive only a couple hours to the Mount Rushmore area for our last 2 nights. The end is in sight and the kids are getting very excited. They are still enjoying the trip, but they are starting to think of what they need for school and which friends they can’t wait to see when they get home. I told them one of my favorite parts of traveling is the grand finale when you get to go home. It’s a fantastic feeling, and if you never leave home you never get that excitement and fresh appreciation for the ordinary day to day life.

Our late start on the road, long drive, some wind, meant late lunch and not arriving at Badlands KOA until dinner time. We unhooked Peggy in Rapid City so I could pick up a couple things and nearly caught up to Crystal since the wind slowed them down. Everyone was in good spirits getting out of the RV and exploring this great little campground. We had a fun dinner, saw the sun setting so ran over to the bridge to get a better view and missed it. Again. Mat said the problem this time was we were greedy. We should have just watched the sunset from the campsite obstructed views and all.

Tonight we decided to watch a movie over games. I pitched Night at the Museum to see Teddy Roosevelt or National Treasure 2 to see Mount Rushmore but the vote landed on Passengers. We do like space movies and this one is Katniss in space. Surprisingly, everyone stayed awake for it, even me! Another successful travel day in the books. Looking forward to visiting Badlands National Park tomorrow.

Saturday, August 21st, 2021