Day 1

Last night was a long one. I was exhausted from working 6 days last week. 10-12 hour days Monday through Friday and a wedding party to get ready yesterday morning, as well as attending the ceremony and reception. There was still much to do when I got home around 9pm. I thought I would crash hard, but…

The absence of the dogs was absolutely noticeable. Turkey dropped them off yesterday at the kennel where they’re being boarded. Cash usually sleeps on my legs or right up next to me. Bane goes from the floor to the bed about 4 times a night. It was too quiet. I couldn’t get comfortable, I kept worrying about them. I had to get up a few times to pace the house and chug some water because my legs were restless. My body was exhausted but my mind wasn’t. I finally drifted off sometime around 1:30am. A black, dreamless sleep.

Turkey’s alarm went off too soon at 5am. My stomach was in knots. Today we drive from our home in Pontoon Beach, IL to our first stop in Kansas. About an 8 hour trip; the first of many long drives over the next 18 days with the camper.

—-

We’re about 2 and a half hours out from our campsite. Kansas is mighty pretty in my honest opinion. I always hear people say the drive through Kansas is boring and miserable. Going any direction in Illinois is the most boring drive ever, so I’ll take Kansas and it’s rolling hills and open sky any day!

The gas stops are quite frequent; every 2 and a half hours. (Towing 1,500lbs is NOT so cheap apparently. 😂) Luckily we are not driving every single day on this road trip.

Yesterday Turkey picked up some Jimmy John’s bread at $2 a loaf each (we got two) and he made some sandwiches for the drive today with some deli meat and cheese we had at home. That’s been a great money saver thus far – not having to buy snacks or stop for food. (I did have to buy a coffee today, but I am actually happier with gas station coffee than I am with the typically more expensive Starbucks!)

—-

We have been listening to “Jurassic Park” by Michael Crichton on Audible. It has made the drive go very quickly!

At this point we have one more gas stop to make, making it stop 3 – not including the first fill up we did before we left town this morning. We’re an hour and 25 minutes from stopping for the day. We’ve made pretty great time. We left the house at 6:50am and will be checked in to our campsite around 3:30pm. Tomorrow we only have about a 5 and a half hour drive.

—-

Well. We only have 5 hours left of our 14+ hour audiobook. Perfect for tomorrow’s drive.

We’ve finally arrived at our first destination! WaKeeney, KS.

(You can find this cute map here!)

We set the camper up, swam in the pool for a bit and while Turkey napped in the sun, I took a long shower to wash the road weariness off of me. Now we shall grill, chill and I’m gonna hit the ZzzQuil for a good night’s sleep for the next stretch!

Today went great. The trailer pulled perfectly and since we got our catalytic converter replaced and 4 brand new tires on the Subaru, it’s chugging along wonderfully.

Tomorrow we continue western bound.

Catch up soon!

J