The next morning we got up at 3:30 am to get the car packed and get on the road. We hoped to drive about 800 miles and spend the night in Kentucky camping with the pooch. The drive took us about 12 hours. The speed limit is 70 and there are 6 lanes the whole way so you can drive at your own pace. It’s a pretty drive with lots of beautiful scenery; mountains, jungle, and curvy roads to keep you on your toes. The dog was a freak as usual but had limited space to hide out in. We had to pack him in from the back to fit all our gear so he only had a cubbyhole in the middle of the car that we carved out for him. The satellite radio was a major bonus as was the extra driver for relief and company.
We made it to Mammoth Cave, KY around 4pm which gave us enough time to set up our pup tent and hike around. The park was virtually empty so we could enjoy the wild turkeys, deer, and other wildlife in relative solitude. We ended up hiking down a major sinkhole that was about 2 miles. The way down was fine, but the way back up was a killer. Even the dog was stopping to catch his breath. It was nice to get the blood flowing again after spending so much time in the car but we could've used less of an incline. When we got back to the tent we were all exhausted and looking forward to dinner and a campfire. We cooked up some brats and enjoyed the camp fire all the while eyeing our tent for two. Can't wait to snuggle tonight!
I’ll be the first to admit my brother has a spooning problem. On more than one occasion he has attempted and succeeded climbing into bed with Carrie and me. The first time it happened I seriously freaked out when I realized that scratching on my shoulder was my bro’s beard. “What in the H are you doing dude?!!” According to him it’s a sleep walking problem, which sounds like a likely excuse. As I am enjoying the crackling of the fire my mind continually drifts off to my I love spooning brother. I am trying to figure out if the best idea is to put the dog between us and that way Lucky, well, Lucky may get lucky. In the end we were as snug as three bugs in a rug getting no sleep at all. This was the second night in a row of sleeping on the floor and with fatty (Lucky) in there and me trying to watch my back from Captain Spooner I only caught about 3 hours of off and on sleep. By the time dawn rolled around all of us were itching to get out of the tent and reacquaint ourselves with a little man room. Man room as defined by Webster’s: No more touching each other for at least 24 hours. I am happy to report no animals were harmed or violated during this camping trip
We had 500 miles to go so we gave Lucky a couple mile walk in the morning, packed up and hit the road. Next stop was Lake Geneva, WI. The Midwest is different from the southeast in that the speed limits are lower and two lanes are apparently insufficient enough for the slow paced life. We, on the other hand were climbing the walls. There is so much truck traffic and construction! Does it ever end? It took us a good 90 minutes longer than it needed to to make our arrival in Lake Geneva. Indiana severely needs 3 lanes. Illinois and Wisconsin need to tone down their never ending construction binge. When we were 100 miles out it still took us around 2 1/2 hours to get home and after being in the car so long even the dog is going crazy trying to get out. We had to make an emergency pit stop for Lucky to relieve himself. The last thing we needed was an accident 45 minutes away from our destination. We just pulled over on the side of the road and let him do his business in some unsuspecting yard. Yup, and we are out of here!
We made it to Mammoth Cave, KY around 4pm which gave us enough time to set up our pup tent and hike around. The park was virtually empty so we could enjoy the wild turkeys, deer, and other wildlife in relative solitude. We ended up hiking down a major sinkhole that was about 2 miles. The way down was fine, but the way back up was a killer. Even the dog was stopping to catch his breath. It was nice to get the blood flowing again after spending so much time in the car but we could've used less of an incline. When we got back to the tent we were all exhausted and looking forward to dinner and a campfire. We cooked up some brats and enjoyed the camp fire all the while eyeing our tent for two. Can't wait to snuggle tonight!
I’ll be the first to admit my brother has a spooning problem. On more than one occasion he has attempted and succeeded climbing into bed with Carrie and me. The first time it happened I seriously freaked out when I realized that scratching on my shoulder was my bro’s beard. “What in the H are you doing dude?!!” According to him it’s a sleep walking problem, which sounds like a likely excuse. As I am enjoying the crackling of the fire my mind continually drifts off to my I love spooning brother. I am trying to figure out if the best idea is to put the dog between us and that way Lucky, well, Lucky may get lucky. In the end we were as snug as three bugs in a rug getting no sleep at all. This was the second night in a row of sleeping on the floor and with fatty (Lucky) in there and me trying to watch my back from Captain Spooner I only caught about 3 hours of off and on sleep. By the time dawn rolled around all of us were itching to get out of the tent and reacquaint ourselves with a little man room. Man room as defined by Webster’s: No more touching each other for at least 24 hours. I am happy to report no animals were harmed or violated during this camping trip
We had 500 miles to go so we gave Lucky a couple mile walk in the morning, packed up and hit the road. Next stop was Lake Geneva, WI. The Midwest is different from the southeast in that the speed limits are lower and two lanes are apparently insufficient enough for the slow paced life. We, on the other hand were climbing the walls. There is so much truck traffic and construction! Does it ever end? It took us a good 90 minutes longer than it needed to to make our arrival in Lake Geneva. Indiana severely needs 3 lanes. Illinois and Wisconsin need to tone down their never ending construction binge. When we were 100 miles out it still took us around 2 1/2 hours to get home and after being in the car so long even the dog is going crazy trying to get out. We had to make an emergency pit stop for Lucky to relieve himself. The last thing we needed was an accident 45 minutes away from our destination. We just pulled over on the side of the road and let him do his business in some unsuspecting yard. Yup, and we are out of here!
After arriving in LG that night we went out to dinner with the family to catch up. I had my first Friday night fish fry in a long time. They don’t use the word fry lightly. The fish was fried. They have fried potato pancakes. I know. What is that exactly? They do expect you to pour maple syrup on them. They have French fries. They had corn fritters, which is a Midwestern way of saying fried dough and they had fried coleslaw. Okay, so the coleslaw wasn’t fried. But man alive I have been here 4 hours and already I have shortened my lifespan 6 months. They did have broiled fish, which I opted for. It, and I am not exaggerating here, came out in a quarter inch of butter with 4, count em’ four, little containers of melted butter in case you wanted to do butter shots. They do love their dairy in Wisconsin. And that night, a bed. I got to sleep in an actual bed – with a mattress and everything. To date that’s 4 days, two nights on the floor and three different locations and one spooning incident for Lucky.
Here are a few pics from the road. There is Lucky blazing a trail and him in the car that I shot while driving. Do you see how he crowds you? I can't tell you how many times I said, "Lay down!!" It never worked so at this point I just let him stare out the windshield. And a picture of our campsite. I'll post Part III tomorrow.
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