We started our 4000 mile journey to Maine on July 1st, making a 2 week stop at our family lake place in Trout Creek, MT and visiting many cousins and aunts and uncles in Missoula. Saturday, July 17th started the next leg our journey arriving in Ellsworth, ME on Wednesday, July 28th. This sets us up for our our 3 month volunteer adventure at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park, Maine.

Billings (Saturday, July 17): We reconnected with Kris Glenn and Paul Bevacqua, friends from our time in England…forgot to get a photo 😦 As we left Billings, we stopped by Pompeys Pillar National Monument, which is significant due to Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) stopping along the Yellowstone River and signing his name on the side of a nearby sandstone pillar.

Medora, North Dakota (Sunday, July 18): Many friends recommended stopping in Medora, ND near Teddy Roosevelt NP, which we visited 2 years ago, to see their variety show, the Medora Musical. Despite the 102F temps, we went to the outdoor show that was more entertaining and tolerable than we imagined. The show was set down in a little valley, out of the direct sun. There was singing, dancing, music, guns firing and horses all on stage!

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (Tuesday, July 20): We repeated a visit from 2 years ago with England friends David and Theresa LeDuc as we camped/moochdocked in their driveway.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Wednesday, July 21): Our next stop was Madison, WI to pick up our new bicycles at Machinery Row Bicycles (more of that story below). It was quite an adventure driving into the center of Madison and find parking next to the bike store, but we did and are ready for the carriage roads and bike trails around Acadia NP. We then camped at the State Fair RV Park in Milwaukee, which was the most practical, but the ugliest RV park we have ever stayed. THEN we had an amazing visit with my first college roommate, Julie Slaviero King and her husband Wally. Great dinner!

Medina, Ohio (Thursday, July 22): Another quick overnight stop allowed us to visit Tom’s second cousin, Diane Isaac and her husband Terry. We enjoyed yet another amazing dinner with Diane and Terry! On our way home we unsuccessfully attempted to get diesel at a local quick stop, but they had a drive through shoppette…literally!

Union Dale, Pennsylvania (Friday, July 23 – Sunday, July 25): We had a little respite from driving with 3 nights just north of Scranton, PA visiting RV friends we made from last year, Dawn and Joe Scheneck. Then had a delightful afternoon with old church friends Rudy Sumpter & Jim DeCoe, followed by another afternoon with Tom’s cousin Robin and her husband Joe Yedlok.

Croton Point (on the Hudson), New York (Monday, July 26 – Tuesday, July 27): Hanging with Tom’s brother Alan and his wife Robin. We have been so blessed to be able to visit them a few times last year during Covid and they came out to Colorado for Tom’s birthday. We got to check out their new area of Mt Kisco, New York as well as stop by New Croton Dam that helps provide much of NYC’s water supply with Croton Reservoir.

Interesting adventures on the road…shit happens

After 2 hours on the road and just north of Cheyenne, WY our first potential disaster was discovered after a car passing us signaled that we needed to pull over. Our bike rack failed and allowed our bikes to fall to the ground and get dragged a hundred yards or so down I25 at 75mph. I was just thankful that a wheel hadn’t fallen off our rig! Somehow Tom managed to find new bikes for us in Madison, WI AND a new bike rack that we had sent to our friends in Chippewa Falls, WI.

THIS IS NOT our RIG, but shit happens…we saw this as we came into Bozeman, MT. There are plenty of other interesting things we see on the road.