10/13/2020
A new day in a new state has begun. It’s always thrilling to wake up in a location that we arrived at in the dark. Where are we this time? What type of magic will the daylight reveal? This particular landing spot is South Sandusky campground at Rend Lake in Illinois. I have zero expectations, knowing next to nothing about Illinois, other than Chicago, heller. Matt’s work duties grab ahold of him right off the bat, so it is up to me to get these kids going and entertained. There are plenty of morning chores and cleanup to do, which is always the case with a late-night arrival. Of utmost importance is laying out all the wet gear from Daniel Boone. I am hoping the sun will kiss them at some point today and save us from continuing our trip with a tub of wet, mildewing clothes…. I try to involve the kids as much as possible in taking care of the RV, giving them easy tasks to help with. This is something we were working on at home as well (teamwork, cleaning up after oneself, feeling a sense of pride and ownership in your home), I thought maybe I would have more luck with a smaller, not so overwhelming space. Eeehhhh…. It’s a work in progress…. I would say they are at least starting to get the idea that we can move on to the fun stuff faster if they help. And if nothing else, they are at the age that I can put them in charge of keeping tabs on Jack while I tend to other things that need my attention.
With the AM duties done, the kids get their wheels out…. We have EVERYTHING with us… bikes, roller blades, skateboards, scooters….. We packed almost NOTHING to move across the country, but we have EVERY wheeled thing we own with us. Henry typically goes for his skateboard, Isabelle her roller blades, and Jack his scooter….. We’ve got a nice smooth road out front, but there is a wee bit of a slope to it……. So, this will be one of those where I don’t really look a whole lot, and hope for the best. It appears the road leads down to the lake, so off we go on an explore. On these excursions I generally have to hang with Jack to make sure he doesn’t get going too fast; one finger looped in the back of his shirt while I jog along beside him. I have been forced into trusting that the bigs are going to make smart decisions for their little independent selves, as they always speed off ahead of us. They are getting older and are naturally achieving a little more autonomy…. And, let’s face it, there are three of them now…… I think the fledglings get shoved out of the nest a little sooner the more kids there are in a family. I could really digress here about the struggle of parenting multiple children and the instinct to hover and protect, but the inability to do so at all times, for all kids……. At some point you must give up a little control and hope that you have guided them well enough up to this point. I mean, there really is no other way to function, you can’t possible continue to treat a seven year old the way you do a two year old, there is not physically enough of you to be everywhere at once….. and really, they shouldn’t require that. This is where my logic has led me anyway, right, or wrong I don’t know. It certainly does not ALWAYS work out for me….
Jack and I just about reach the bottom of the road when we see a mass exodus of birds rise from the shallow lake below, reminiscent of the flight of the geese back at Daniel Boone. I pause to observe, wishing I had been a little closer to see their takeoff. I realize that this must mean Henry and Isabelle have already made it down the hill and likely are the ones to have startled the poor, unsuspecting birdies. More on this later.
My admiration of the birds is ended swiftly by a frantic Isabelle racing up the hill, squawking about Henry being stuck in quicksand (why do they always refer to mud as quicksand??? So dramatic). I mean, the coffee has barely had time to hit my veins, and these kids are already requiring lifesaving? I am instantly irate. I spot Henry down the hill, knee deep in mud. He is not in immediate danger, just utterly stuck in muck. Do yall remember that we just did this at Daniel Boone? And you had better believe that we had a big ole learning moment there, discussing the consistency of the land surrounding a lake or pond… or why you shouldn’t just charge unknown territory without scrupulously assessing its condition……. Matt and I have been making a conscious effort this whole trip to approach everything as a teaching moment. There is a lot to be learned when immersed in wilderness for the majority of your waking hours. EVERYTHING seems like a threat, or a possible means of sure death that they should be warned of. I feel like I’m constantly talking at them and telling them what not to do, which isn’t generally my style. I know that they don’t like it either….but it is a matter of survival. I am really trying to bring the awareness that you must be thoughtful and mindful in your decision making… everything is a risk/benefit analysis. They need to think this way to survive.. in general. And this goes back to my point about being forced to relinquish control… I can’t expect them to be prepared if I don’t prepare them. But we have covered mud …. we definitely have covered mud…..
Henry made it a fairly good ways out into the sludge before realizing he was sinking. This is unfortunate, because you can be assured, I am not the least bit interested in getting myself in the same mucky situation. I come down the hill cussing under my breath and just immediately lay into him. “What were you thinking?”” Didn’t you learn last time?” “Are you expecting me to come get stuck with you?” “you can just kiss your cowboy boots bye, those are goners” Of course this makes him cry…. I really can be such a jerk sometimes…. but come on, this is dumb. Time to formulate a game plan. I start by putting Isabelle in charge of Jack, who is clearly eager to get himself stuck in the mud as well. I also have crazy ass Timber with me (I’m a glutton for punishment), so I’ve been dealing with her howling and thrashing about on the leash this whole time. Tie her to a tree. I figure at this point Henry has had enough time to sit with the result of his poor decision making. By some stroke of sheer luck, there is a piece of old dock/boardwalk on the mud not too far from where Henry is. I get a long stick and maneuver my way out to this half sunken wooden structure and hold it out to him. Once he has grabbed hold, I slide him out of his pit, across the mud and onto the planks with me. The boots definitely stay in their permanent sunken location. He cannot bear to leave them behind, so now he is laid out on his stomach across the mud trying to dig them out. JEEBERS……. I’m still just drilling him about how not smart this whole thing was, bla, bla, bla. Let’s move on.
Isabelle is scarred. She does not do well with people being in precarious situations, such as the one Henry just found himself in. She’s got a touch of the anxiety and is much more risk adverse than her brother. But good, that will serve her well. Hopefully, she will rub off on Henry throughout the course of their youth. She’s not scared, I would never describe her as that, just more calculated. They speed off back to camp to handle Henry’s mud situation….and probably more to just get away from my chastising. The bottom of this road makes a loop, and is a perfect circular racetrack. Jack decides to do a couple laps on his scooter, and I take a moment to examine the birds that flew off and have now settled back in the shallow water/bog. What… wait, what is.. that? … are those swans??? No, not swans… but it can’t be… why the hell are there PELICANS here? Hold on, where are we? I have to pull up my mental map of the U.S. and try to refresh myself on where we are again…. No, we are not in coastal NC anymore, yes, I think we are in Illinois… very southern Illinois… very much in the Midwest….. Are pelicans lake birds in the Midwest? This is a new thing for me. And not JUST pelicans… seagulls too!!!???? And a TON of them. The pelicans are stark white and huge, not like any pelican I’ve ever seen before…..they are so lovely! Did they stray from Lake Michigan? I think I’ve heard of that being more like an ocean… but still, Pelicans? And we are 100s of miles away from Lake Michigan….. You truly never know what kind of magic you are going to wake up to! (I will add, that after some minimal research, these are American white pelicans, and they are likely on a migratory path to Mexico/Central America. These white pelicans reside more inland; in lakes and rivers….unlike their brown pelican relatives that inhabit the coast. I read on one website that in some cultures they are thought to be a symbol of peace and good fortune. How lucky for us to catch them on their journey!)
By the time Jack is done with his loops, he is not at all interested in scooting back to camp, and wants me to carry him. Instead I make him get back on his scooter, and rig up Timber to pull him (with my guidance of course) back up the hill. By the time we reach camp, Isabelle and Henry are heading back down the road to the lake. Soo… back we go. This trip produces a much nicer result. The three amigos take to quietly free ranging at the edge of the woods, peacefully occupying themselves for the next 1.5 hours. Amen, Halleuljah! They start collecting these gigantic walnuts, leaves, and other random forest debris to make squirrel salads; a favorite Isabelle activity since she was little. Our camp is close enough that they are able to run back and forth and get things to add to their projects. You know how kids are when they get on an idea… they just add, and add, and add to it…. meanwhile I just enjoy the sunshine.
There is a moment when Jack is playing in the grass, Isabelle is up at the Shadow Cruiser getting something, and Henry is on his bike doing laps around the racetrack. From up top the road, I see an elderly gentleman heading in our direction on his moped. He looks so precious in his denim overalls, perched atop his little tiny motorcycle thing. My guess is he is somewhere around 70. Well I am thinking he has just come down to take a look at the lake, but instead, he starts doing laps!!! I can’t believe it, this grandpa came down here to show Henry up on his mini moto. I think it’s the best thing my eyes have ever seen. The guy doesn’t say anything, never really makes eye contact, laps Henry a couple times, and then drives off into the distance. Henry looks so perplexed…… and I love this man forever.
The kids have filled up three tubs with giant walnuts. When I say giant, these things are like the size of tennis balls….. and they want to haul them all the back to camp. Well why not. Once we return, we research what kind of tree these nuts are from, and find out that they are black walnuts….. from the highly desirable black walnut tree. Black walnut trees are used to make fancy furniture, and have many characteristics that make it some of the best wood in the biz. Kid you not, we read on one website that sizable black walnut trees have been known to go missing in the middle of the night, stolen with the use of helicopters!!! WTF!? Well, after reading about all the wonderful qualities of the black walnut tree, the kids decide they are going to try slinging some fancy black walnuts and commence to set up a full on black market black walnut sale. They make a few signs and set up their tubs at the edge of the road, attempting to lure innocent campers into their hustle. I sure applaud the entrepreneurialism, but unfortunately, I was the only customer. Wish we could get some of these back to GA!
After I get lunch together and everyone fed, Matt emerges from his Batcave. No surprise here, he is ready to start driving. I am feeling like the kids and I got a remarkably good dose of the Sandusky campground, so I comply. We pack up camp (which we are getting quite quick about) and pull away from this interesting little setting we made our temporary home. We make it about 5 minutes before realizing Henry’s fossilized cowboy boots got left back at camp… this will make the second pair of shoes to be lost on this trip…and I am totally fine with it. Never want to see them again. But, he won’t let us leave without the boots… I guess because he worked so hard to rescue them. Back to the campground we go.
Matt wants to make it through Illinois and Missouri today……a lofty goal that I don’t think I really support, but okay….. if we stop at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, I will acquiesce.
Illinois is nothing but silos, farmland, and oil fields. I enjoy watching it all roll by, but nothing to really note on this portion of the drive. Let’s fast forward to St. Louis
We watch some videos about the Gateway Arch on the way there, and everyone is totally amped to check out this portal to the West. I’ve been to St. Louis once before to compete in a gymnastics meet. I was probably 13, and I do not really recollect anything from the experience other than the meet itself. It was one of my first, after returning to the sport following an injury that resulted in a double ankle break. So, this feels like the first visit to me. Spotting the Arch on the way in to the city is super impressive; again we are slack jawed pulling up. Everyone is stoked to ride the tram to the top and check out the views. First problem arises. Where the hell do you park an RV in the city? There is literally ZERO permitted street parking around this National Park.. this is a National Park of course…. remember, we don’t have the best luck with National Parks…… We spend probably 20 minutes driving around trying to figure out what to do with the rig…. can’t fit into parking decks, no open parking lots to be seen, and the only suggestion I have read online is to park it back across the Mississippi River in the Casino Queen’s parking lot, (where several people commented they had their campers raided while they were touring the attraction)…. No thanks. So after driving in circles, we notice a little, what looks like cab lane or something of the sorts in front of the Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals. There are no noticeable “do not park here” signs, so we go for it. Absolutely premo parking after just considering canning the whole trip.
National Parks are becoming a real pain in my ass. SOLD OUT. All the trams are sold out for days….. I can get over this one a little easier than Shenandoah though. I wasn’t totally feeling the small, enclosed elevator thing with COVID and whatnot, but it is still a disappointment to everyone. Luckily there is a really wonderful museum within the park, and the Old Courthouse across the lawn to admire. This is where my kids impress me. They LOVE museums, and really do take their time with them and find them genuinely interesting. It makes me so proud that they have a sincere interest, when presented with learning opportunities. We get to read all about natives from this region, western expansion, and Thomas Jefferson’s role in opening the West. We talk more about Lewis and Clark and learn about Virginia Minor, a St. Louis suffragist that attempted to register to vote in 1872 and was denied, leading to a historical trial held in the Old St. Louis Courthouse. The old Courthouse has a lot of history, most famed for the Dred Scott Trial. This was a case that shaped our history as a nation, ultimately sparking the Civil War.
It is all fascinating, tickling places deep down in my brain where this knowledge once resided…trying to elicit information learned long ago….but damn, it has been some time since the education received in my youth. I don’t feel like I have a lot to show for it….yikes, maybe I shouldn’t have partied so hard for so many years.. It is nice to get a refresher course on some of these topics. There is a movie being offered about the construction of the arch, that Isabelle insists on viewing. I know that this is likely to be a disaster, as it is approaching dinner time, and Jack has ants in his pants when it comes to screens…. So, I spend the whole time chasing him around the back of the theater trying not to disturb the other patrons. I eventually bail and we head to the gift shop to look for a sticker. We have been picking up a sticker from everywhere we visit or stay, to put on a wall in the camper. Well, this is an equally bad idea for little Jack Bays, as he wants everything he sees in this store. He zeros in on a piece of saltwater taffy and demands action. I purchase it and start to open the gosh darn thing up for him, but somehow this offends him… I guess I did it wrong?. He melts into a puddle on the ground, FULL on tantrum. Matt and the other kids emerge from the theater about this time, praise be, and its time to make our exit. I’m carrying a thrashing Jack out by his pants; everyone that works in this establishment feels the need to make some kind of comment….which I am sure they mean no harm by… but come on people… when you are observing this kind of scene, keep your mouth closed. Mom and Dad have enough to manage without having to acknowledge your snarky comment.
I’m super pleased with our visit overall though. It offered up some great learning moments and filled my historical knowledge cup up for the day. I LOVE history. As much as I struggle to recall specific facts, I love learning about the past. I always joke that one day I am going to go back to college for a degree in some faction of historical studies, really only to just enjoy the education, not because I want to do anything with it. We are feeling kind of eager to get back to the Shadow Cruiser to make sure it didn’t get hauled off or looted and are pleased to find it in its glorious location VIP to the Busch stadium. Dodged another bullet…. but, our luck is starting to run out…..
Now it is dinnertime, we are out of food, and we don’t have camping plans for the night….. unsure of how far we will get in the car. I find a Trader Joes on the outskirts of St. Louis and we head there to pick up some provisions. It was a loooonggg stop. It takes a while to get through the grocery store, then we stop somewhere else to order dinner, need to get gas, kids need to poop again….etc, etc… Its like 2 hours we are in this shopping center. Matt is still sure he wants to get to Kansas, but I am growing steadily more uncomfortable with the trajectory of the evening. I have scoped a few campgrounds out, but Matt won’t commit to a destination. Also, I can’t make same day reservations online, and it has gotten too late in the day for people to be answering phones. This is an uh oh. Matts idea is to let the kids fall asleep and we drive through a portion of the night. But then what? What about when we get tired? That is my question to him over and over. I cannot entirely fault him, it’s a good idea in theory, to try and cover some ground while the kids are asleep…..but it just doesn’t work out like that. Kids don’t just stay asleep in the car. They get uncomfortable, need to pee, wake up, FREAK OUT, cry, scream, freak out some more, wake the others up, and then maybe fall back asleep. And this is what happens for a few hours until I finally put my foot down. We are nearing a campground that I had picked out earlier in the day, but was unable to make a reservation at because of the time. I am just hoping and praying that they aren’t hardcore about closing their gates at night and that we can just ease on into an open campsite…. Nah, that’s silly right? Well at this point we don’t really have a choice. Its pushing 1:00 am and the kids are rotating freak-outs and I, myself am freaking out.
I don’t even remember the name of this one…… but we go, because we have no other options. And, of course, the gate is closed and locked. What the @#$% do we do now. This is feeling like Shenandoah all over again. I refuse to drive around anywhere else; we are going to have to find somewhere to park this camper and hope for the best. I feel so bad for the kids. They are really upset, and tired, and uncomfortable and just want to get in a bed. I have failed them again. We end up parking the rig at the dump station right outside the campground. just a minor fence separating us from safety. It is such a tease…… I just set my intention that no one disturbs us and we get at least a couple winks before we flee at the break of daylight; when our fraudulent status will be exposed to the rest of the campground. Its another painful set up with limited power, and all these damn bikes to move before anyone can assume their positions in bed. I am livid with Matt. If we could have just made a solid plan earlier in the day, we would not be in another shitty camping situation. I am at fault too. I knew better, I got too comfortable that things would just work themselves out. Stupid. I I melatonin myself, knowing I will not likely be able to turn my brain off in these uneasy circumstances. I crawl into bed with Jack and try to somehow settle into some form of sleep. It is the most awkward night of the whole trip by far. Such an unfortunate end to such an epic day. Never again I say. Stick with me though guys. EVERYTHING happens for a reason, and had this day not ended the way it did… what transpires tomorrow might never have been… stay tuned because it’s my favorite part of the journey.
Outside the Box 