Floods in South Dakota!

We watched with interest last month as much of the Dakota’s demanded constant national coverage because of the significant flooding they experienced.   As we left Mt. Rushmore, we felt a sense of urgency to get to our destination in Cedar Rapids before the angry clouds in the sky set forth their wrath.  Just as we approached the outskirts of town, the sky opened up.  Almost immediately the roads disappeared as a lake of water rose from nowhere.  We have never been so happy to see a campground sign as we pulled in and waded to the check-in.  As we rounded the corner to park, these pictures show you what Mike and Melody’s RV site looked like.  It was under water!  Once we were all settled, we could not hook up the power on the bus to the electrical pole because that could not be accomplished without standing ankle deep in water!  We called Pizza Hut, tipped the guy extra, and enjoyed a movie night together.

Mt. Rushmore

Having grown up in the shadow of Stone Mountain, I was prepared to not be too impressed with Mt. Rushmore.  I was wrong.  Stone Mountain, the world’s largest solid piece of granite, is a wonder in and of itself.  However, since it stands alone in the otherwise flat landscape of the metro Atlanta area, it can barely be seen until you park and walk in to the beautiful grand lawn.  Mt. Rushmore is a mountain among many majestic mountains.  As you drive in, you see the carving close to eye level from many different vantage points.  This makes the wonder and excitement build as you travel closer.  The detail, while every bit as grand at Stone Mountain, can be seen so close that you see the faint line of Roosevelt’s eye glasses, and the familiar curves of the Lincoln cheekbones.

 Did you know how they picked the four men whose faces grace this mountain?  It is the four presidents who, at the time, had taken the time and effort to visit South Dakota. Don’t you know the ones who did not regretted it!

Meet the Hudlow Family

Ted has three sisters.  Two older ones, then a gap, then he and Melody.  The two of them were close growing up and were sometimes called "Donnie and Marie".  Melody and her husband Mike have been married for 19 years and live in Conyers.  Mike is an electrical engineer with Jackson EMC.  They were really RV'ers long before we were and were a wealth of information when we first began.

The Teenagers

Those of you who have teen age boys will understand that, although I am sure they are really excited on the inside, evidence of their excitement is often only displayed in grunts and absent-minded nods of the head!  No, really, they are wonderful to travel with.  They sleep alot, eat alot, and come in really handy when you have heavy lifting.  

The Life of the Party

Traveling with Adam and Evan is so much fun! These two don't miss a thing and spend a lot of time with their heads hanging out the window taking it all in.

Breaker Breaker ...

Fortunately, Ted and Mike both have CB radios so we communicate with them that way.  We also track our I-Phones in real time on the computer so we can keep up with where we are.  I have an air card so every time someone comes up with a good question, no matter how trivial, I can have an answer in minutes!  Traveling has never been so easy.

Bye Bye Car!

Well, this is certainly a first!  I can't complain too much because we have towed this car over 30,000 miles, but it just refuses to go a mile further.  Actually, the transmission went out on it and just four short days before leaving on this trip we got it out of an almost month-long visit to the shop for a brand new transmission.   Unfortunately, the cap that keeps the fluid in our brand new transmission was not put on tightly enough at the service center and it leaked all the transmission fluid out during our journey to Paducah.  I have learned that an engine can't live without transmission fluid, sooooo the nice man at AAA came and towed her all the way to Evansville, Indiana.  I will have to figure out later how to get it back.  This will be the first time we have travelled without a car.  What a pain!