Wi-Fi...Finally!!

So, here we are. Back in civilization!! To all of you who have been checking our blog each day and leaving comments... thanks! I know I said I'd try to blog each day but it's tough when you are way up in the back country. More about that later but for now, here is what we've been up to over the last five days.

I know, seeing someone else's vacation pictures and hearing about their travels can often be a little dull. The nice thing about this blog is that you can just fast forward through the boring stuff and read what you want to. If I think a particular part is a little boring myself, I may take some liberties and just make stuff up to make it more exciting. Then you can decide for yourself which is true and which is fiction... that'll be fun right?
So anyway, we woke up the other morning in a bath tub filled with ice and we had scars where our kidneys used to be... you know, things like that. I'll just throw in a little urban legend to make it fun from time to time. (Bambi wanted me to add that the mohawk is true, not urban legend!!)

So, here we go...


Day one (Tuesday, 8/19/08)

We stayed the night at my parent's house in Edgerton and left at about 7:45 for Sioux Falls where we had breakfast with my brother Kyle (It was hard to leave Edgerton because our parents treat us so well - we were well fed!!). Kyle and I have a tradition of country fried steak at Perkins - good stuff. Kyle brought us our computer and we hung out for a while before he had to go to work for the day (must be nice!! - just a little inside joke).

From Sioux Falls, we intended to just blow straight across SD and wind up at Sheridan WY for the night. However, as we were approaching the Black Hills, Bambi and I were talking about our childhood trips to the area and both decided that it had been a very long time since we'd been to Mt. Rushmore. I go to Sturgis every year and usually drive within viewing distance of the monument, but we don't stop there. So, we decided that since we have no reservations or schedule, we should stop and check it out. On our way to the park, we stopped in Keystone, SD. It's a great little tourist town just outside the park. We walked the boardwalk and ate at a sidewalk cafe on the main street. We had a corndog and a buffalo burger (knowing Bambi's preference for only eating cows and chickens - preferably from Hyvee, you can guess who ate what. The national park has changed a lot since I was a kid... not the monument of course, but the visitors' area has been improved a lot. There is even a hiking trail that takes you right up to the base of the mountain for an upclose look. Then, Bambi and I decided to get off the trail and follow a clue we found in an obscure book written by Thomas Jefferson that we found under a loose board in our local library. We read the clue which took us on a little known trail where we found ourselves on top of the monument. We took a reading from the sun and matched it up to a code found by taking the 5th letter of every paragraph of the US constitution and it led us to a boulder which didn't seem like it should be there. We pushed the boulder aside and found a secret tunnel carved way down into the rock. We found old torches hanging on the wall and lit them to find an old stairway that descended way down into the mountain. We followed it and when we came into a clearing in the cave, we couldn't believe our eyes. We lit a huge, ancient chandelier which lit a chamber the size of a high school gym. What do you know, it was filled with ancient treasure - gold, rubies, and the dead sea scrolls... no, wait a minute... that was the movie National Treasure II. We just followed the designated path and went back to the visitors' center where I probably used the bathroom.

(I'm writing this in an Albertson's grocery store which I'll talk more about later, but I'm running low on battery and there is nowhere to plug in. I'll charge the battery and write more later.)



I'm back... and now I'm writing outside a Smith's grocery store, also in Jackson Hole, WY.

Anyway, I'll write about the grocery stores more later - they actually do play a significant role in our trip so far!! (oooooooohhhhhh--suspense!!)

Back to South Dakota: After seeing the Black Hills, we decided to stay off the interstate. The only problem I had with that plan is that I really wanted to go to Spearfish to eat at the Taco Bell. The story behind that is this: When I was with my dad and brother on our Sturgis trip a few weeks ago, Kyle, Matt (a friend of ours) and I peeled off from the group one night to stay in Sturgis a little later. After leaving, we were all hungry and decided we'd drive back to Spearfish near the hotel to eat at Taco Bell. However, as luck would have it, my motorcycle quit about a mile from our hotel (luckily). Kyle rode back to the hotel and got my dad's tow rope and towed me back to the hotel which was an interesting ride to say the least on a motorcycle!! Luckily, the problem just turned out to be a loose connection on the battery and my dad had us up and running the next morning. Anyway, I jumped on my dad's Honda and the three of us took off for Taco Bell - getting there just about 3 minutes after they closed. Talk about disappointment. Anyway, I didn't want that Taco Bell to get the best of me so I wanted to go on this trip - most people probably don't hold out Taco Bell as a vacation destination but you have to understand, Kyle and I love us some Taco Bell!!

Anyway, we skipped Spearfish on this trip to take Highway 16 up through the NE corner of Wyoming which was really cool. Very desolate piece of highway, except for the hundreds and hundreds of antelope we saw along the way. We finally ended up in a little town called Moorcroft near I90 which was supposed to have a state park nearby. We left the town thinking it was only a mile or two. After several miles, we realized we must have missed a turn or something (our GPS didn't have the campground listed or it would have been no problem!!) and we were soon to run out of gas. We turned around and went back to Moorcroft for fuel and just barely made it... I mean, that baby was empty. We got directions and found out that we HAD missed our turn and were headed back to Devil's Tower. We would have run out of gas for sure and I don't think that Bambi can push the truck with the trailer connected!! Don't laugh, she's small but she's scrappy. Anyway, we did finally find our campground and it was really cool. Except for the fact that it has no running water or electricity... no problem right? Except for our air mattress is about 3 feet thick and was not yet blown up. I figured I could probably blow it up myself because I'm a triathlete!! Bambi says it could be because I'm full of hot air or BS... you decide. We were fortunate to flag down a ranger driving past and he said we could go to the shop near the ranger station and use a power outlet on the side of the building which saved the day. The next day, when we woke up we found out just how beautiful this park was. It's called Keyhole State Park on a reservoir and our campground was actually a very narrow peninsula with water all around us. Very cool spot to camp and only $12/night!!! We spent our first night in the trailer and slept very well as the temperatures were quite mild - I'll talk about weather more in the next days' blogs (oooooohhhhh more suspense!!). Gotta keep you comin' back for more right?

It's late and that about sums up the first day of our trip. Next stop... Cooke City, Montana.

Camping

This past weekend, Bambi and I spent 3 fun days camping with some of her family. Along for the weekend were Roger and Gloria (Bambi's parents) along with her brother Craig, and his wife Shelley and their three sons Ashton, Derek, and Kade.

The weather forecast was not so good but it ended up being a really fantastic weekend. It never rained and the temperatures were just great. It was a nice "dry run" for us too because we got to get out some of our camping equipment and give it a try. Naturally, we didn't have a lot of stuff along... you know like food! Fortunately for us, Gloria and Shelley came well stocked and were generous in sharing all of their great meals with us. As much as we like to camp, we just usually go out to eat but getting to partake in some really great camping food was just awesome.

We got in some fishing, played some tennis with Derek, and even went as a group to a local winery and got to take the tour and do some sampling which was really fun.

This picture is of Bambi and I taking a canoe ride at sunset. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous and the lake was so calm, we hardly wanted to quit. It was a feeling we had as the weekend wrapped up too as none of us were really ready to go home yet.

Bambi and I are ready to begin our official 'Adventurequest' tomorrow morning. We spent this evening packing up the truck and trailer and I even got a last minute haircut. You know, I've been training with my Landshark buddies who all have varying degrees of short haircuts. Keith and the godfather are shaved clean and Eric's hair is pretty short too. So, we figured what the heck and Bambi gave me a mohawk. Yes, that's right... a mohawk. We figured as long as we are out ambling around the country with no responsibilty, I might as well get a funky haircut. We decided that it would be symbolic of our trip - it's all about fun. And, it's homage to team landshark!!

Tomorrow morning, we leave for our trip with our first stop in Sioux Falls to have breakfast with my brother Kyle. I'm looking forward to seeing him again before we go and he is also bringing us our new laptop that we bought so that we can continue this blog. We purchased the computer last week, but had to have some things done to it to get it ready for the trip and Kyle was nice enough to pick it up for us and bring it along tomorrow.

From there, we intend to travel on to Sheridan, Wyoming. It is West of the Black Hills of SD and well on the way to our first destination of Yellowstone National Park. We hope to be able to camp in or around Yellowstone and will probably spend 1-2 days in the area if we can. I'm really hoping to be able to get in some biking in or around the park as well. From there, we'll likely head north into Montana to Glacier and up to Canada.

We hope that all is well with those of you who are reading this and want to say thank you once again to everyone who is commenting in the blog and emailing us to keep us up to date on your lives as well.

An evening with friends

Today, Bambi and I got to spend the whole day together which was fun. We began the day by driving to Sioux Falls. Well, "began the day" is a bit of a stretch because I actually slept in again today. So I should say, Bambi and I began late this morning by driving to Sioux Falls!! We took a little stroll down memory lane by going to where we got our wedding rings and had them cleaned and checked out. They said they were ok and that we could stay married so that was good news!

Then, we went for lunch to a very fine restaurant where I used to take Bambi on dates all the time back in the day. It's a really nice little place called Taco Bell. Swanky, I know.

We then took an opportunity to go over to Best Buy and got our laptop purchased so that should be great for keeping up on this blog and email as the next weeks go on.

The highlight of the day though was getting to go to Orange City to visit our friends Matt and Kristin Mellema and their family. They have been good friends since we came to Pella and we spent 3 years together as youth leaders at Faith CRC which was a really great time. Anyway, they moved to OC late last year and we just don't get to see them nearly often enough. We got to go to their new home and go out for supper to a great restaurant in town called Blue Mountain. It was a really great place to eat and the company was fantastic.

We ended the evening back at their home which is where this picture was taken. You'll see Bambi and I, along with Matt, Kristin, Naomi and Simon. Naomi is also standing in front of her future brother or sister??? Should be exciting when the new baby arrives at their home!

So far, this has been one of the best parts of our trip... getting a chance to visit with friends and family who we just haven't gotten to see often enough.

All in all, another great day and hopefully this is just one of many future trips to better stay in touch with good friends.

Just another day in paradise...

Today was another great day in Edgerton. I spent the day doing pretty much whatever I wanted to do and nothing I didn't... that's pretty cool. We've been using this time to hang with our families. Today I washed a motorcycle, and went for a good run, but otherwise we're just hanging out with family and friends.

Tonight, Bambi invited her whole family down to Rock River Park in town for a picnic. Then we played wiffle ball which was way fun... except Bambi's team beat my team in part because Bambi caught a high fly ball that I hit, even after she bobbled it like 6 times!! We ended the night by sitting by a campfire. Trevor and I stayed out until 1am again just sitting by the fire and shooting the bull. I'm sure he'll get more sleep after I leave, but for now we're sure enjoying the chance to spend time with them all.

Thanks to everyone who has emailed us so far. We enjoy hearing updates from you as to how you are all doing! Mike and Tara, I'll say hi to everyone here on Sagratti Street. :) I have to say, I'm missing our friends in Pella a lot but still don't regret the decision. Today Bambi spent the afternoon COOKING and getting ready for the picnic!! It was great. Not that she has to cook of course - you all know our affinity for eating out. The great part was that she got the opportunity to plan a picnic outing for the family and she actually got to take the time to make the arrangements and put it all together. I think she really enjoyed herself. I can already see that this change has been very good for her. She's starting to become the Bambi that I used to know. I'll bring her back to Pella so that you all can meet her!!

Hey Eric, I just saw an ad for Ice Road Truckers!! I'll have to start watching it now. I hope my Landshark brethren are still training. I had a good run here today but I have to say it was a little disappointing when I got done and nobody was waiting at the top of the hill to cheer me to the end!! Still hoping to catch a 70.3 in Washington in September. Tomorrow, we plan to go see the Mellema family so that should be a great day!

We hope that all of you reading this are doing well and keep those e-mails coming!! I'll try to respond to them all as soon as I can.

Sturgis 08

Ok, so I know it's been a few days but I was off having a great time in Sturgis. Over the weekend, I rode cycle with my dad and brother along with 5 other guys to Sturgis for the annual motorcycle rally. We had a really great time and everyone was safe. We had some rain each day, but nothing that kept us from riding or having a great time. We made well over 1000 miles over the weekend and ate way too much... all in all a very good weekend.

The annual Sturgis trip is always a great time because of the guys who go along. It's our chance to hang out, ride bikes, eat too much, joke around and tell stories. All without any kind of schedule or committments. What a great way to spend a weekend.

Bambi stayed in Edgerton and got some quality time with her family and especially her nephews and niece. I think she's actually beginning to unwind!!

Here are a couple of pictures from my trip to Sturgis. The first one is the whole crew stopping for a quick picture... literally. We were headed home today and we could see the sky getting very dark. Lightning was striking all around us and the rain was looming so we had to stop for fuel and took the chance to put on our rain gear for the fourth time of the weekend. All was well that ended well though as we did hit rain but came through it just fine.

The second picture is of me standing in front of Lake Pactola in the Black Hills. It's a beautiful spot and was especially nice this year because the recent rains had boosted the levels of the lake back up to where they belong. The Hills were as green as any of us could remember and it was really nice to be out there.

This week, we are looking forward to just hanging out here in town but are also excited to go to Orange City to see the Mellema family. Then, this weekend we are going North into MN a ways to go camping with Bambi's family. Should be a great week.

Unemployed aint so bad!!

So, I woke up this morning and realized... I have nowhere to be today!! I keep wondering if there will be a moment of panic where I wake up and realize that I've made a terrible mistake but so far... it aint bad.
Don't get us wrong. We really miss our friends in Pella - Seriously!! But I guess if a guy has to wake up unemployed, this isn't a bad way to do it. The day started by waking up because I was done sleeping - stark contrast to the usual "Beep, Beep, Beep" of that blasted alarm clock. I got up and wandered around the house for a while and it wasn't long and I could detect the smell coming from the kitchen... sure enough, mom was making a roast with mashed potatoes and all the good stuff. I got to tell you... this whole moving back in with the parents doesn't sound like such a bad proposition!!
I keep telling people we run into here that we are unemployed and Bambi says I should be saying "we're in between jobs right now." Not sure which one sounds worse but I think the best one is "we're on a sabatical." Sounds more official I guess.
It was raining when we got up today but around noon, the clouds broke and it really got nice here this afternoon. We had to wait a while because you all know, Bambi won't ride her bike when the roads are wet. So finally around 4pm all conditions were go and we got clearance for our bike ride. Bambi rode with me as far as Hatfield and then turned around. She reminded me that other than her Spirit of Racine triathlon, her only "training" was riding her bike around the mall parking lot at the hotel the night before the race. She said to go any further today would just make tomorrow sore. So she turned back but still got in about 19 miles today - a good ride. I continued on to Pipestone and back which gave me about 37 miles and it felt really great to just get out on the bike and go for a while. My landshark brothers would love this route, it's nice new tar highway and flat, flat, flat!! The kind of flat where you could just lay out in the aero bars and just go - fun.
As long as I was in Pipestone, I took the opportunity to stop at Jamie and Sandra's house (some great high school friends) and was happy to see that Sandra was home. I didn't get to see Jamie - he was at work today, but Sandra had the day off so I got to visit with her a while before heading home which was really great. I think the best part of this trip will be the fact that I can finally do things like that. Just take time to stop and see people and not be in such a hurry all the time. It's been a long time since we could just sit and talk for a while. I probably kept Sandra from getting things done this afternoon, but as usual, she's way too kind to tell me that I was imposing and we had a great time.
The ride back home was really great. The wind shifted to the North West which put it directly behind me for a good portion of the ride and it was a nice fast ride back to Edgerton.
Once home, Bambi and I got a chance to hang out with our nephews Ashton, Derek, and Kade as well as our niece Avery. We put the two little ones in strollers which Bambi and Ashton pushed and I got to just walk along and watch Derek "drift" on his bike - which is skidding the rear tire and leaving black marks on the street. It was great.
All in all, it was just the kind of day we were hoping to get while we are home. Wake up whenever, eat, ride bike, eat, play with the kids, eat, visit, eat... you get the idea. I'll need to keep up the miles on the bike or it's going to get REALLY tough for Keith and Eric to get me into that wetsuit! It's bad enough already that they argue who has to do it... I think one day they'll probably have to resort to rock, paper, scissor.
The only thing that would have made my day better is if I could have had my Landshark brethren here to ride along with us but there will still be lots of that in the future yet too.
I've had a few people post comments asking us for our email address so here it is:
rossandbambi@yahoo.com
I'm hoping tomorrow is another day just like today. Then Friday morning we get to take off for Sturgis. I'm really looking forward to that too. Like I said, so far... it aint so bad!!

And we're off...

Well, we finally did it. After about 8-9 months of planning and putting this all together, we are off. We left Pella today amidst a final flurry of activity in which we tried to pack for our trip, settle up all remaining business in town, and leave our home in show condition so that our realtor can show it any time while we are gone.
That being said, we did finally make it off on our trip. Our first stop today was Brandon SD where we had the opportunity to join my family for my brother Kyle's 30th birthday which was really great. After several years of living many hours from home, it was nice to be here for an occassion like a birthday.
Everything still feels a little sureal. I don't suppose that the whole idea that we are "unemployed" has really set in yet. I guess we just feel like we are on vacation yet. I suppose over the next few days and weeks, it will start to feel a little more real.
Bambi and I got a chance to reflect on our decision on the way home and agreed that we already miss our friends in Pella but we really do feel that this was the right choice for us.
Tomorrow we'll get a chance to go around town and see some family that we haven't seen in way too long. But first, we hope to start the day with a good bike ride... hopefully the first of many!