On The Road Again

     As Laura said this last couple of days have been a little rough with the dog issue but things are settling down. Aiden wants hourly updates on what the dogs are doing and Jacob wants to remove himself from the conversation so he doesn’t have to think about it. I on the other hand keep going back and forth with myself, this was the right move but wait, and we could have made it work! Laura told me if I continued to argue with myself out loud that I would be committed somewhere in North Dakota. The dogs are going to be much happier at the retriever club than stuck on a leash for the next year.

     On a lighter note, we made it from Missoula to Billings Montana and stayed at Cabela’s, which was a little noisy at first but the earplugs helped. I think we are getting this boon-docking thing down for the most part. Last night we were in Bismarck North Dakota at the Wal-Mart and it felt like 110 degrees but the subset was nice.

     And of course since it was hot, the boys took the opportunity to strip off clothing and run around half naked. LOL you can see Brigitta on the floor dying of heat exhaustion and really wishing that she was left in Montana.

     We stopped at Theodor Roosevelt National Park on the way here and were surprised at how beautiful that area was since most of what we had seen of North Dakota was less than spectacular. We came across several prairie dog towns and Laura attempted several times to catch one for the fifth wheel.

     
                There she goes, I caught it on camera and then a car came to foil her plans.

     While driving in the park Laura jumped out and got within 3 feet of a buffalo to get this dang picture, some people just never read the warning signs all over the parking lot, LOL Just Kidding.  The herd was right in the middle of the road and the bison was right next to the truck door. We were so taken by the bison that we failed to realized, we were in a giant red truck that may set them off at any moment causing a massive stampede. I don't care what Laura says, I am pretty damn funny on this blog too, she isn't the only comedic genius. 

                            We were also able to see a herd of wild horses at distance,  

                                  this is something that Laura and I had never seen.

     Jacob and Aiden were able to complete their requirements for their Junior Ranger Badges, which gives them a total of three so far. We didn’t stop in Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons because I think we are going to hit all the western parks next year. 

     We are in Leech Lake Minnesota and it is HOT HOT HOT, Its the humidity that is getting us. Its also been quite some time since I have seen bugs of this size and been around mosquito's that are immune to any off products. Tomorrow should be real interesting.

Bismarck ND and Theodore Roosevelt

     WOW! Last night was SUPER hot in ND! Okay, it was really only 87 degrees BUT 50% humidity made it feel like closer to a thousand and I was not prepared! We boondocked at a Walmart so no power which of course means no air conditioning! Thank goodness walmart attire was appropriate, no one even blinked as I waltzed around in my moo-moo and head scarf soaked in icewater! REALLY pretty....

   We had to have all the windows open which was totally fortuitous as it made it possible to hear each and every stripe the parking lot stripers (not strippers) put down all night long! Did you know they use a generator to power the air compressors that paint? YUP! LOOOOOONG night! Grrrrrrrr…..psssssst……grrrrrrrr….. All. Night. Long. But Big Daddy put in some ear plugs and got some sleep while I played night guard, he is the driver after all. The good news is that it really underscored how much Molly and Shadow would have HATED the last couple days in the heat, the parking lots and the constant travel in this tiny space. So each day we are feeling more and more like we made a good choice.

Hmmm, walmart parking lot or more of this?

While in North Dakota we came across The Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I was totally blown away by the beauty and each time we visit a national park I am more and more grateful to Teddy Roosevelt for all his work to save our natural spaces. He came to this place in the North Dakota Badlands to soothe his soul after he lost his wife and Mother on the same day. We followed suit and used the day to soak in the glory of the surroundings and soothe our hearts. We encountered more Bison than I ever have in Yellowstone. 

And I have "seeing wild horses" on my bucket list and we got to see them too! Magical!!!!It really brought out the 9 year old in me, I wanted to start collecting pony stickers all over again. 

Some of you may know I fully intend to own a Prairie dog (or Fairy dog as Aiden says) at some point. They have HUGE prairie dog towns here, they were AWESOME! I am rabid about those little guys! Last night I made plans to sneak into the park under the cover of darkness with a shovel and a bag and git maself one of them thar critters. Sadly, Alan hid the truck keys and I think, as we were still hooked up to the fifth wheel, the family would have caught on. I'll have to wait until Texas where it's legal to own one. Or will I??????

 

 Theodore Roosevelt said we must “learn to read the wonder book of nature,” and I think we are teaching the kids, and reminding ourselves of how to do just that. We spent a long time talking about being a steward of the earth and how we can follow TR’s example and help protect the land. (Minus the stealing Prairie dogs part....) We spent the day marveling at the geologic wonders of petrified trees and cannonball corrations, hoodos and the muddy waters of the park. We read something saying the “tonic of wilderness healed and changed Roosevelt.” We feel healed and changed too, go on out there and connect with nature peeps! Onto Minnesota!

L.

Heartbreak hotel.....

“Sometimes the hardest things and the right things are the same….”

      

 We had a wonderful time in Missoula. My incredible friends had us over to their home and we had a great dinner, time to chat and I had a little too much fun and had to go home early! But we loved seeing them all and there were tons of kids, the boys had a fabulous time and kept asking to go back all weekend. I fully intended to have a bunch of the Missoula Crew over to the campsight for s’mores but as things sometimes do, life intervened.

     Since the start of planning for this trip we have fretted about the dogs. Molly and Shadow are incredibly well behaved but even at that they are big dogs. And they are family, we got Molly 9 years ago as a puppy and Shadow a year later. The moment I saw Molly at the rescue house I knew she was the one for me. She was the same red color as my childhood dog, Lewie. She was goofy and smooshy and all mine. I had waited three years for her and I loved her onsite. The rescue brought Shadow to our home a year later when we knew that we needed a friend for Molly as we were expecting Aiden. As soon as Shadow met Jacob, we knew it was meant to be. She wouldn’t go down the stairs with her big puppy feet for anyone but him. They have been inseparable ever since.

      We know that being a good pet owner means putting the needs of your pet first, and we can do that on the road for the most part. It’s do-able but it also means we give up a lot of what we wanted to do with the kids to meet the dog’s needs. And packing them into small spaces day after day was clearly wearing on them. So after a day on the lake, in which they splashed and swam and played until they dropped, we had the conversation, AGAIN. And this time the focus became the quality of life for a dog in Mt. My parents are part of a “retriever club” that in essence creates a little piece of heaven on earth for dogs like Molly and Shadow. As we pulled out of Missoula today, we left with heavy hearts, swollen eyes and two less dogs. Two members of the family that we love enough to do the right thing for. Trying to nurse my own broken heart and watching the kids grieve last night while clutching the dogs to their chests was torture. Watching Jacob cry himself to sleep with one arm around Shadow was one of the worst experiances of my parenting life. But he understands why.  Aiden, not so much. For now they are with my parents but there is a wonderful woman who just lost her own Molly that goes to the club each day. And there is a family who is looking for a hunting dog, ready to bring out Shadow’s inner hunter, and she would see my Dad each weekend they hunt. Splitting them up feels like a betrayal and gives me the most angst but I am trusting that things are working out the way they need to, and I’ll see them both at the Rainbow Bridge at the end and tell them how very grateful I am to them for their love and companionship. The boys are being given the impression that the dogs are going to stay with my parents and we will fill them in on the full story once they are placed in loving homes.
Today is not a happy day for the Traveling Hamilton’s. We are nursing our heartbreak but pushing forward in the knowledge we have done what is best for those we love.

I apologize for any errors in this, I can’t bring myself to re-read it for mistakes at this point. More, happier, news from the road soon!

L.