The Badlands to Grand Teton National Park (Day 2)

The second stop on my adventure across the west was to end at Grand Teton National Park where all of the campgrounds are first come, first serve.  With day 2 of my journey beginning on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend I knew it was going to need to be an early morning.  So with that in mind, my morning began again before dawn.  I crawled out my tent to the pre-dawn light that is hard to describe (it is not quite dark but not quite yet light), to find bison had wandered into camp for breakfast.  The first was approximately 30-50 feet away from my tent and it was beautiful to see these majestic creatures at such peace.  After breaking camp, I attempted a few pictures, unfortunately they are quiet blurry due to the early morning light and my lack of a tripod to anchor my camera to.

With where the campground is located, you have two options to get back to the main road - continue on the dirt road through the reservation and back to the highway outside of Rapid City, SD or head back into the part and out to the interstate via Wall, SD (home of the famous Wall Drug).  I decided that since I did not get any pictures of the park the night before it would be best to head back into the park to catch the rock formations at their best in the early morning light.  I happened to run into some wildlife along the way (bison and big horn sheep).  Shortly after I shot of few pictures a huge wall of fog rolled into the park limiting vision to less than a quarter mile so it was slow going back to the interstate.

After a quick stop for breakfast and a map check in Rapid City I was off to journey across Wyoming.  When you drive through Wyoming you feel like you have landed on another world or another time in history.  The land in eastern Wyoming is sparsely populated to say the least, I think that the largest town that I passed had a 100 residents max.  It is a high plains environment with prairie grass as far as the eye can see and jutting sandstone rock formations littering the landscape.  You feel so alone and small in this place.  After a brief stop for gas and a few misc. supplies in Cody, WY, I was back on my way - this time into the Wind River Canyon area.  You travel along the river canyon and begin to see the mighty Rockies begin to form around you.  Unfortunately, my views of the mountains and foothills was short lived because I again drove into rain which turned into sleet over the mountain pass into Grand Teton National Park.  I was disappointed that once I reached the valley below the Tetons that they were awash in cloud cover preventing any pictures to be taken.

I then found my way to the Gros Venture campground, the same campground that my family had stayed at during my childhood, set-up camp and finally got to make some real food (prior to this it had been granola bars, crasins and pistachios for the past 2 days) and man was I starving.  Unfortunately, due to the crappy weather I decided to make it an early night and was lulled to sleep by the pitter-patter of rain on the roof of my tent.

The Journey from Lousiville to Badlands National Park (Day 1)

So my journey began with an early morning - a really early morning.  My alarm went off at 3:30am jolting me from my peaceful dreams letting me know that it was time to get going on my adventure.  After a quick shower (I decided this would be best since I knew that I would not be to my parents condo until Monday) and off I went.  I enjoyed clear weather all the way through Omaha and then ran into the rain.  I then spent time driving through the rain all the way through Sioux Falls.  I hoped and prayed that it would end before I got to the Badlands because I did not want to camp in the rain.

I finally reached the turn from the Badlands at approximately 8:30pm - I had now been in the car for over 15 hours and was ready to be done.  I drove to the first campground to find out that it was full, no big surprise there with it being Labor Day Weekend but I was not worried.  There is the best kept secret of the Badlands located in the back-country - Sage Creek Campground.  The positive, the campground is free - the negative, it is way off the beaten path which requires you to drive for at least 40 minutes from the entrance of the park.

So off I went into the inky blackness of the park to the campground.  Living in the city as long as I have, I have forgotten how dark it truly can get.  After I reached the campground and found a spot to put up my tent, all I could do was stare at the night sky in awe.  It has been over 5 years since I last saw the Milky Way and was amazed by how many stars there are in the sky.  No words can do justice to the majesty that is the night sky.

After 20 minutes of star gazing, I got my tent set up and climbed in exhausted and ready to fall asleep but Mother Nature had a different opinion.  Right at the moment a chorus of coyotes began yipping, barking and howling but alas I was so exhausted that even Mother Nature's chorus couldn't keep me awake.

The adventure begins...with packing!

Packing...the arduous task that comes along with travel.  Some love it, others hate it - I'm definitely one of those in-between people.  I love the excitement that comes with packing and knowing that the reason that you are packing is because you are going to be taking a trip (no matter how large or small).

For me, packing begins with a list - yes, I am one of those people.  Unfortunately, the older I have gotten the more dependent on lists I have become.  I'm afraid I would truly forget my head if it wasn't attached (or on the list).  In my younger years, I used to be able to wake up in the morning and decide "I'm going to head to the mountains for the weekend," throw some items in a bag, grab my camping tote and away I would go.  No need for planning, I knew exactly what I was going to need and where the items were.  Now - that is so not the case!  After 3 major moves in less than 10 years, my stuff is strewn between multiple boxes, totes and seems to have found its way to multiple different places (the attic, basement and back of my SUV). 

So the first step for me in planning this trip, as stated above, was to create my list and then go on the wild goose chase throughout my home to find all of my stuff.  Nothing seemed to be where it was supposed to be, but alas, everything was found (or purchased new).  Let me tell you, I don't know what we did in the past with Amazon.com and Backcountry.com when planning outdoor adventures.  Clothes, tools, necessities, etc. all at my finger tips with 2 days shipping - AWESOME! (okay, enough product placement).

Once all my items were discovered or purchased, it was time to pack the SUV.  This is an art I learned from my mother and it has become one of the most valuable skills in my toolbox.  The car is packed and I am ready to roll - I'll check in soon with more from my misadventures across the west.

Adventure Time

Welcome back everyone (that includes me as well) - I seem to have taken quite the hiatus from my blog but what better time to get back into the swing of things when planning to take a much needed vacation.

Since my relocation to Louisville (and the job change that came with it) and the somewhat permanent nature of our stay (yeah for Quinn getting the tenure track position at IUS!) I have had the luxury of being able to take vacation at any time throughout the year.  As many of you know, this has not been the case in the past.  My vacations had to be planned around the busy seasons in retail and unfortunately, fall equals back to school which prevented me from being able to take time away from the store.

So this past winter, I determined that I wanted to go out west in the fall, coinciding with the week that my parents have at our condo in Big Sky, MT.  I hemmed and hawed about flying to Minneapolis and riding out with my family or taking a massive solo road trip for the ages.  I finally determined that the road trip was the best option and began planning.  Initially, I wanted to take it with Hayley (my sister) but she was going to use this trip as well to introduce Hannah to the places she loved the most so that was out because what I had planned and she had planned did not mesh the best.

I figured then, what the heck, I would try to hit as many of my favorite places as well and share my misadventures along the way.  So hold on to your hats and enjoy the ride - the next 12 days are going to be one heck of an adventure!

Our first winter outside of the Sunshine State

  After spending 7 years in Miami I've forgotten what real winter is like.  I've been spoiled by palm trees, sandy beaches and 80 degree weather from November to April while the rest of the US is buried beneath snow and ice.  Don't get me wrong, winter was my favorite season before I moved to the sunshine state and I have missed the cold, snow and most of all winter activities.  I lived all year for my trip to Montana, counting down the days until it was cold smoke and tram laps for 7 glorious days.

  Then Quinn and I moved north to Louisville - well, I guess north is all relative to where we were.  I was so excited to finally be moving where there was going to be seasons.  Oh how I had missed the change that happens when summer ends and fall begins.  The crispness in the air, the fall colors emerging as the leaves change and the feel of winter coming.  But here in Louisville the coming of winter brings the dread of school and office closures, snow that cripples the city because they are ill-prepared for the weather and the most destructive of all - ice and freezing rain.

  Yesterday Louisville experienced one of these dreaded ice storms.  Now, as I stated earlier, I come from the Midwest where winter weather is part of life for many months out of the year, so a little snow and ice does not frighten me.  So when I went to work in the morning, I did not anticipate the day ending with an announcement from the mayor advising the city to close all non-essential businesses early.  Since my office was considered non-essential, it was a 2pm early release from the office to work the remainder of the day from home.

  The storm began with blowing snow which turned into freezing rain, which I will admit, can be extremely dangerous when one does not know how to drive on roads coated with ice and sleet.  Many individuals in the city lost power, thank God that we were not one of them seeing as our house does not have the best insulation - we may have froze to death.  But what we woke up to was absolutely beautiful.  The trees were covered in a layer of ice that made it seem as if the world had stopped turning for a moment.  Everything seemed to be, for a lack of a better term, frozen in time.

  My only regret of this storm was that I did not plan ahead and get some quality photos of the beauty that was evident in the aftermath of this storm - I will not make that mistake again.

New Year, New Location, New Chapter

  As I sit here watching the Super Bowl and reading the Pioneer Woman blog, I've decided to start blogging again.  As many of you know, Quinn and I relocated from Miami, FL to Louisville, KY for Quinn's visiting position at IUS.  This was a HUGE change for us after living in Miami for 7+ years but it has been great for us thus far.  But let's start at the beginning of the move.

  The decision to move was made in March of 2013 when Quinn and I were out in Big Sky, MT for our annual Gallion/Dauer family vacation.  Quinn was offered the opportunity to return to IUS for a second term as a Visiting Lecturer in History.  Since no other job offers were made, we decided it would be best for him to accept the opportunity and stay at IUS.  The only downfall of that decision was that Quinn and I would spend another year apart and let's be honest, I'd already spent enough years apart from my academic husband.  So, we made the decision that I would move to Louisville, KY with Quinn in the fall before he started his second year with IUS.

  When we got back from vacation, I told my supervisor at American Girl that at the end of the summer I would be leaving and moving to Louisville to be with Quinn.  I have to admit, I was totally terrified to tell her because I didn't know how she would respond.  But as soon as I told her, she admitted to me that she knew that it would only be a matter of time before I moved on to be closer to Quinn.  And with that announcement, my search for employment in Louisville began.

  My job search began simple enough, find positions that I would be interested in and apply.  Easy enough, right?  The downfall of the job hunt was living in Miami but looking for jobs in Louisville.  By June I was starting to get nervous that I wasn't going to have a job before we moved and it was going to be difficult to make ends meet.  Oh the woes of being an academics wife!  I would compare my early life as a professor's wife to that of a military wife - moving to locations that would not be your first choice, spending months apart while your spouse is another country and having to consistently make ends meet while your spouse is "deployed".  Toward the end of June, my luck changed and I received a call back from a recruiter for Marsh & McLennan Companies.  They wanted to hold an onsite interview in Louisville but I was not able to make the mass interview so it was going to come down to the phone interview.   Thank God that I have had so many phone interviews in the past that I had become quite the phone interview pro.  Quinn and I traveled up to Louisville to move some of the MANY boxes we had and look for a place to live (that is another entry for another date).  I had the phone interview in late June and got the call back in early July that I had gotten the job - woohoo!!!

  Unfortunately, with the new job and a start date 2 weeks before our planned move date, I was going to have to move up before Quinn.  So we packed up my SUV with as many boxes as it could possibly hold and away I went.

  I had two responsibilities once I got to Louisville - start my new job and find a place for us to live.  Well, once I got myself settled at the hotel I drug myself out into the heat (at this point my AC had died somewhere in northern FL) and started house hunting.  While driving through the neighborhoods that we had decided we wanted to live during our house hunting trip in June I saw this wonderful little house that was for rent.  So I called the number and met with the owner that night, completed the paperwork and cut the check.  Place to live - done!

  So after approximately 1 1/2 weeks in the hotel I was able to move my stuff into the house and once that was complete I boarded my flight back to Miami to complete our move.  When I arrived in Miami our friends had shown up in full force and helped Quinn pack all of our belongings into the U-Haul - thank you guys!!!!  The next morning, after very little sleep, we finished packing the truck and cleaning the apartment - thank you Kelly!!!!  After all of the last minute tasks were completed, we took our final pictures and away we went.

Quinn drove the U-Haul and I drove the Kia with both dogs - let me tell you that car is too small for both dogs to travel for 2 days straight.  We hoped and prayed for good weather but unfortunately we didn't even make it to Ft. Lauderdale before it went all downhill.  After it took us almost 6 hours to get to Orlando, we were exhausted but needed to make it out of Florida before we could stop for the night if I was going to be able to make it back to work on Monday.

  So after two full days of driving we made it Louisville and were able to unpack the majority of our stuff - the bed in particular so that we had somewhere to sleep.  And thus began our new journey in Louisville, KY.

Monday Feb. 27, 2012

Day 2 in Edinburgh began with a trip to the local Salisbury (the grocery store right around the corner from the Old Waverly) for our daily provisions and then it was off for more castle hoping.  Our first stop was to be the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the royal family's palace when visiting Edinburgh.  On our way to the palace we happened upon...none other than...The Tardis!!!  Yeah for Dr. Who!!!!

From there we headed down the Royal Mile, enjoying the many shops, pubs, restaurants, and kirk yards.  As we approached the Palace of Holyroodhouse we caught first sight of the new Scottish Parliament, a modern building that, to be honest, does not fit with the rest of Edinburgh's beautiful architecture.

From the modern Scottish Parliament we carried on to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.  Founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace is closely associated with Scotland's turbulent past, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived here between 1561 and 1567.  By far the most beautiful part of the palace was the ruins of the original abbey.

After our trip through the royal's turbulent history at Holyroodhouse it was off to see the ruins and monuments on Calton Hill (we chose a closer hike than that of Arthur's Seat).  After a short jaunt up the hill we decided to venture to the top of the Nelson Monument, where once we reached the top had an excellent view of the city but faced gale force winds.

After hiking the hill and wandering back towards our hotel we headed back up the Royal Mile to the kilt/wool museum for Mom's Scottish wool sweater.  While we wandered through the store one more time Mom decided that she needed to stop and speak with the house genealogist.  She decided to purchase the Collinson history and crest (which I'm excited to see when it comes back).  After Mom completed her purchases we then headed back to the hotel for a quick nap before the most exciting part of our trip (thus far)...THE DOUBLE DEAD TOUR!!!  We headed out of the hotel, grabbed some fish & chips take-away (what we in the states would call "to-go") and sat in front of St. Giles waiting for our tour to begin.  The tour started with a small jaunt down into the depths of the city (which were completely pitch black forcing Mom and I to use her cell phone for light).  I have to admit, it was kinda creepy wandering around in the pitch black not being able to see what was around you, but alas no one got scared.  From there we wandered into the Greyfriars Kirk yard, which supposedly housed a poltergeist (which sadly did not show his face).

Mom and I then wandered back to the hotel saying our goodbyes to the first city on our journey!!!