What Ana Does

The trip from Sioux Falls to the Mount Rushmore KOA was a challenging one. The wind blew the RV around on the planes and through the Badlands, and it's not a very easy vehicle to keep in a straight line on the best of circumstances.  But, how fun was it to take the family to the world famous Wall Drug! I went in 1991 as a preteen with my family and it looked pretty much the same -- from the miles and miles of roadside signs to the actual building full of the strangest and oddest stuff.  Leah got a cowboy hat (obviously) and Alice and I found gems and minerals, including a very neat pipestone necklace on a leather band. We also spent $16 on donuts ... because we were there and the line for ice cream was too long. (Don't worry, we wore our face masks while browsing around, like nearly 75% of the other customers.)  Wall Drug The campsite at Mount Rushmore was our stop for three days and the site was a popular one -- since it was so close to the monument. Hundreds of RVs and ...

RV campgrounds vary widely, depending on the state and area. Some were gravel and some had grassy spots. Some had pools and activity rooms (which were closed) and some didn't.  We did our best to pick campgrounds that broke up the drive and had some amenities. Showers were always welcome. And laundry rooms soon became key. And we read reviews and filtered compliments and negatives through our lens -- do we care about certain complaints? Did we really need good shower pressure, as long as the bathrooms were clean?  We also quickly learned that this kind of vacation was a lot of work. Cooking the evening meal was an ordeal of planning, moving supplies out of the RV, cooking, then the long task of cleaning up. It was far from the relaxing vacation we'd have preferred.  In Sioux Falls, South Dakota we were lucky to get the pool (almost) to ourselves for a few hours. And could bike to the Sioux Falls falls for lunch and to explore the park. We're so glad we brought our bikes! ...

In the world of COVID-19 and isolation we made a family decision: We still want to go on a summer vacation.  We are desperate to get out of the house. We need a break from work -- both our jobs have been super busy. We love travel. We just need a vacation. BUT we had to be thoughtful and careful. No unnecessary risks or no additional chances of exposure to the virus. So .... No airplanes. No hotels. No reliance on restaurants. No crowded spaces. It didn't leave much.  I'll spare you the discussion and research and just tell you ... we rented an RV and traveled to Colorado by way of Mount Rushmore.  Main stops along the way were gas stations and grocery stores -- so no different than the public places we're going to now. We booked RV campgrounds and planned to enjoy the outdoors, away from indoor spaces and crowds.  And we didn't post a lot of photos on social media, just to respect the decision of those who are staying home and safe. And not let anyone think we don'...

I grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, so each summer we take a road trip up to that lovely area to see my brother and family. And spend time in, and around, Lake Minnetonka. It's always trippy to see all the changes from when I grew up there. "That was just a field!" "Where did the Perkins go?" I like to pretend I remember road names and how to get where I'm going, but most of the time I'm lost. This year was fun because the girls are getting old enough to understand I was a kid once and lived in a house with my siblings -- before they were born. A concept that takes awhile to fully get. I pointed out places that hold memories for me, "girls, that's the park where I celebrated my 10th birthday!" and they responded with more oohs and ahhs then last year. Also, the boarding place was full so Benny the beagle came along with us. He did great in the car but was unfortunately noisy in the hotel room when we were gone. We had to change a few ...