Immediately after a somber and grateful goodbye to my father, he headed back south with the Smart car in tow. Feeling the weight of defeat once again, we diverted north and traveled the insane climb and descent of Yellowstone. This was a feat in and of itself, and we found ourselves suddenly quite grateful that the additional vehicle was not weighing us down on every ascent, and pushing us down on every descent.
Shocking 11% or higher grades like I had never seen on paths that twisted in ways I would previously had assumed illegal forced us to drive on our lowest gear with my foot still on the breaks, reminding me for a couple of hours just how heavy our vehicle actually was. To add insult to injury, the scene was immaculate when I had short opportunities to stare off into infinity off the side of a mountain. Wildlife charted our course and stopped traffic frequently, much to our delight. Our girls were not as pleased as we were, especially when we were amazed by a MASSIVE herd of buffalo that completely stopped traffic for some time.
Finally finding the bottom, we hopped onto a highway and had some deep sighs of relief as the road flattened and followed against the current of a wonderful river. I set the vehicle into cruise control and enjoyed the passing clouds, rays of sunlight, and the river nearby. This was our very first day of travel.
Although I am not good at documenting the less interesting places, I recall we stayed overnight at a truck stop somewhere further east in Montana. We did this many times during this stint. Lowe’s, Cracker Barrels, rest stops, and truck stops were home to us many nights even before this stretch of travel, and they still are our go to’s for traveling. It rained. Every. Day. After we left Yellowstone. On this first first night in a truck stop, we were alarmed to find water practically gushing from the old satellite on the roof with an access point in the RV. I had curiously interacted with it earlier that day, rotating and messing with it to see how it behaved. I apparently opened it up enough for an alarming amount of water to pass through. It took us a minute of panic to figure out it wasn’t a HUGE deal, but that we shouldn’t be messing with ancient technology beyond our understanding.
So we continued east and monitored it during rain and have since found no further issues. At a random point, somewhere in either North Dakota or maybe Minnesota, I heard a particular clunk that made me jump. Going 65 miles per hour on a two lane highway, a truck was actively passing me in the oncoming traffic lane, and I assumed he smacked me with his mirror or something. As I continued to scan the mirror for damage on the side of the vehicle, I realized that the window I was peering out of was rapidly lowering. I was not interacting with the controls for the window. Not knowing what to do, I grabbed the window with one hand while I held the wheel. After driving like that for a minute, we accepted defeat and the let the window sink fully into the door, irretrievable in this state.
At this point we were fortunate that the rain had stopped or I might have had a meltdown. We pulled into a filthy truck stop in a mud lot and I began to take apart the door. A quick inspection did not teach me much, as I did not have the time or tools needed to fully dissect the door, but got enough off to see the mechanism and how it worked. After actuating and playing with it for fifteen or so minutes, I realized something had broken off on the inside, and the metal cord had spooled itself within the motor, destroying the mechanism and locking the window in the down position. With little choice, we cut the cord so we could properly close the window.
Knowing the window would simply fall back down, we grabbed our broom and swiffer sweeper handles. The swiffer handle was the champion here, we cut a section of the top to allow the window to sit in the loop and taped it on to the door. I can report success with no issues two months after this incident!
After several days on the road, unshowered, eating sandwiches and chips, drinking coffee and water, we arrived at a close friends house. The hospitality was something we have never truly experienced before. Upon arrival we were introduced to new friends during a party they were hosting. A surprisingly large accommodation of food and water was given to us to the point we had to refuse more! Hannah and I took the afternoon to chat for a while before entertaining our pups as the sun and party settled. We were treated to an amazing steak dinner with THE WORKS, potatoes, corn, bread rolls, and amazing company. We were almost put to tears by how welcomed and loved we felt. We ended the night with an amazing outdoor shower in the warm Wisconsin summer air.
Staying the next full day, we enjoyed the leftover steak with some eggs, pancakes, again THE WORKS, and planned to be lazy. We enjoyed lounging in the pool and received much needed and appreciated hair cuts. Later in the afternoon, we rode bikes through the overgrown parts of the property and enjoyed the nature in the area. Being rural, we saw many properties with cattle and the like, much to our delight.
We enjoyed yet another great evening with music and a large fire. I almost couldn’t believe it when I caught my first glimpse of green light out of the corner of my eye. “Fireflies” I told Hannah in absolute awe. Not a lot, they weren’t quite in season yet. But for the first time in my life I could finally see them. In wonder, Hannah and I observed together for the first time the glory that is the flying, dancing lights, and I am reminded how beautiful and wonderful the planet Earth is. This became a constant staple for us in the coming months.
The next morning, lots of hugs and gratitude was exchanged as we prepared for the remainder of our trip to Pennsylvania. With an invitation back in the winter, Hannah and I dreamed of a week or two of a snowy captivating get away. I am much more keen on being trapped in the warmth of a home for weeks than she is; there is something about being warm and cozy near a furnace or fire and looking out into a peaceful snowy wasteland to me. I am also more of a hermit than she is. We are forever extremely grateful for the good food, good times, good company, and amazing hospitality.
Having shared our woes with our friends, we confidently and triumphantly said the remainder of the trip would be fine. And it was! We were surprised at the increase in humidity the further east we got. Paired with the heat, it damn near kicked our asses. We have gotten a bit more used to it now, but Ohio really shocked us. Passing through to Pennsylvania, we were blown away by how green it was. Now don’t get me wrong, we lived in Oregon our whole lives. I know green. But as Oregon passes into the summer, the evergreens are the only things that stay green. The grass yellows, browns, and dies. The leaves fall and leave brown trees naked and exposed. There is beauty to that as well.
But the grass was a deeper green than I have ever seen before. Even now, middle of summer, we see green everywhere. The trees tower and overwhelm you everywhere you look, dominating the countryside with their empowering presence. The bushes fluffy and wild, like oversized green pom poms. The neighborhoods, lacking irrigation systems, practically glowed in the sunlight with the deep green hues.
We enjoyed a month of rest and recoup at a family friends lodging, having to get creative to ensure our 30 amp RV electric could manage to stay powered and keep cool on a 20 amp circuit from the house. Three separate cables: one for the internet, one for my computer, and one for everything else. As time went on, it became clear our air conditioner was having a really difficult time (it never worked well to begin). During the month, it struggled more and more, blowing the 20 amp breaker with less and less electrical devices running. Eventually it was the only thing running and it was still blowing the breaker. Some research told us that we should start with the easy cheap fix and replace the capacitor. So in the middle of a heat dome in Pennsylvania, I hopped onto the roof and sweated through my shirt as the nearby neighbors observed from their backyard pool. Another success when I turned the AC back on and we enjoyed what little reprieve it could bring us once again.
We rented a car for the art show in the city of Pittsburgh, and enjoyed exploring more of the area. We found a Handles ice cream shop in Ohio, an unexpected surprise and favorite of mine from where I grew up. We searched a few antique stores and scored some really amazing deals on extra frames and fun mediums for Hannah to do art with, caught a matinee, and returned the vehicle.
We spent the remainder of the month working. Hannah has created lots of new pieces in preparation for the art show in Buffalo (CHECK THEM OUT, ITS HER BEST WORK YET), and I started a new video game project that I hope to continue and share details about when I have more to show. For now, we are exploring the state of New York and will have details about that in the coming weeks, so stick around to find out more!
Thanks for reading about our adventures and woes! We have many other stories on this website if you are invested and interested. Follow us on our linked social medias to stay up to date and get the finer details of our ongoing adventures! Enjoying the adventure? Buy us a coffee using the attached link, this money goes a ridiculously long way helping us keep our gas tank and pantry full. Thanks again!
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