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.

July 10-12

Umm, just so we're clear, I do NOT condone clicking on the overseas brides ads! The rest, knock yourself out!
Also,  it would REALLY help if you could send me an email so I can send you a link to the updates, rather than the subscribe button. That one will be deleted soon so that we can track traffic to the sight.
Send it to me at fulltimenomads@gmail.com.
Those that sent it, thanks! I'll be taking down the subscribe feed soon so you won't get doubled up on.

And in other news.....
July 10-12

We are stopped at a KOA in Dillon, MT. It’s one of our favorite places.  After Montana, spending money on KOA’s will be a luxury so we are loving every minute of this! Alan and I found ourselves high fiving over getting 9 cable channels! We love that the kids have access to a great pool and wonderful playground, they’ve already made two new friends.

     Alan’s inner social butterfly has emerged! Today he filled me in on seemingly the entire life story of the current KOA owner AND had a conversation with the family next to us. The latter conversation yielded the most AMAZING blueberry scones and cookies as they are here training to open their very own Great Harvest Bakery and restaurant! (Great Harvest started right here in Dillon, MT!) So each day they come home and dole out the goodies! Clearly a minor set-back in our attempt to limit gluten…. Very kind!

     We are getting into a nice rhythm. Alan and I get up first and make coffee, walk the dogs while the boys sleep in and that way we get a little alone time. We set up our plans for the day and revel in how amazingly blessed we are to share this life together. We do our day, usually some networking online, some writing on an in progress E-book  and looking for jobs here and there. Some research about what to teach or where to go next, then walk the dogs at lunch again, this time with the boys. Jacob and I lay down and read a bit and then nap, yep, it’s tough to be me! Then we have some time to fish, swim, hike or explore depending on the weather. Cleaning the camper never seems to end but we are learning where things go slowly but surely. Then dinner and then another walk with the dogs. Clearly, some of that will change when “school” starts in September but for now it’s so nice to slow down. Silly things like having time to sew a couple buttons on clothing and mend a seam, things I haven’t had time to do in years! I love having time to do whatever it is that we want to do, pool? Sure! Fishing? Sure! Reading? Sure! Love it!  It feels so freeing and like I finally have time to focus on the boys rather than trying to work around them.

Things are rolling right along!

     Well Well, here we are in Dillon MT, I have done 4 days of fishing and Laura and the kids have spent time in the pool. I tried to stay in Utah and Idaho but it was too hot for my princess so we came straight here. I have caught some great Brown Trout and White Fish here on the Beaver head River which runs right through the KOA. I have caught 25 fish a day and have no pictures because Laura wouldn't stand on the bank and take pictures as I caught the fish, damn her. I have made some KOA contacts with the owner here in Dillon and got permission to hunt a beaver that was chewing down their trees. Since Bob put the hit out on the beaver he hasn't shown his buck teeth at all. I saw him the first night but since I was contracted to take him out he decided to move on. We will be in Missoula tomorrow to visit the family and on the 16th we will be headed to Minnesota/Wisconsin and Illinois. Reminder to give the blog to everyone you know and have them click on everything they can so we can pay for a meal a month, He-He. Laura figured out our AdSense and we have earned nine bucks thanks to all our friends and family, please keep it up even if you see ads for oversees brides, yes that came up for someone. We miss everyone and will add some pictures when we get a chance after our visit in Missoula.

Alan

July 1st - July 8th

     As Laura has already stated we were at the Blue Mesa Reservoir but she didn't post the boys getting the first of many Junior Ranger badges from our National Parks. We have several National Parks that we need to revisit so we can gain more stamps for our passports and badges for the hats. Each boy earned a Junior Ranger hat for earning the first badge and each boy will earn a Junior Ranger Vest when they complete 10 badges.

                                         First Badge - Curecanti National Recreation Area (Gunnison)


                                  

                                         Second Badge - Black Canyon National Park (Montrose)

     After leaving the wonderful Curecanti National Recreation Area Laura earned her driving stripes through dangerous curves, narrow construction and mind blowing down grades and she survived. I really wish you could all have seen her white knuckles the entire 3 hours.

    

     Again as Laura stated in her post, the rally was a great time, We met so many great people that were more than helpful and took us in as the step siblings they never had. I honestly wish I could travel with all these people but we have to move on our own 8 wheels for a while to get this full timing thing down. That said the boys had a wonderful time playing with all the other kids and getting their full timing legs as well. The one picture in this set was a tractor ride through the park and all the kids that wanted to could spray, any unsuspecting bystanders walking along, with water. Well Hell ya I had to get in on that action but I got more than I expected when we rounded the Full time Rally trailers and we were the ones getting wet.

     The luau was allot of fun and big daddy got to wear a nice Hawaiian shirt and a shell bra and my cowboy hat, isn't that a winning combination. I think I scared some people but when they saw the 80's dancing the ladies were lining up to get some of that. No wait that was the dream that night, I just scared a bunch of people.

      We left Montrose this morning and I now feel like we are actually full timing since we are out of Colorado. I stopped in Layton Utah at the Camping World and came across free water, sewer and electric spots in back for customers. Not bad for our first night out of state and on the road by ourselves, that Laura is one heck of a co-pilot. Everyone is asleep and I need to get some rest as well, thank you all for reading this babble and please tell everyone you know to go to the blog even if they dont want to and click on all the advertising. Laura says I have to work and I think thats my ticket even though a 1000 hits is like a dollar. This is gonna be one heck of a great adventure for us.

The Rally....

Making friends as an adult is not always easy or comfortable. I like to use what I call the “Golden Retriever” approach. I generally bound haphazardly up to the unsuspecting target of my new found affection and metaphorically (usually) lick their face while wagging my tail and chanting, “Wanna be my friend? Wanna be my friend? Wanna be my friend?” I try to abstain from sniffing anyone’s butt in the process. So, it was in that vein that I approached the FullTimeFamily rally. I was not disappointed! The following interaction nicely sums up our family’s entire experience this week.

     Jema welcomed us, along with Clementine, on day one as we signed up for the rally and got our welcome packets. They were kind and funny and supportive right off the bat. As the day went on I had a chance or two to have a couple very brief interactions with Jema but heck, I know a kindred spirit when I see one! I was really hoping to have more time with her. That evening I put the kids to bed and Alan stayed out at the campfire and chatted. The next morning he told me all about the wonderful conversation he’d had with Jema and said “You would love her you should get to know her.” DUH! Later I said to her, “I am so sorry I missed the campfire last night, I would love to chat, I so want to be friends.” Her reply? “We are ALREADY friends!” And that is the reception we received all over the campsite. People were incredibly open, kind and helpful. There was a genuine openness and quick affection among the group that was seemingly void of pretense. Just good, honest, open people. Many of them were very devout in their faith, and their kindheartedness was a testament to their religion. More than once we heard things like “God will send beautiful things your way….” Or my new friend Kimberly, who set up the Rally saying “Just keep walking the walk, things will fall into place.”

     It wasn’t long before Alan was inundated with help from neighboring campers trying to decipher the plumbing issue in our shower. The boys had rigged up a bunch of parts and created a Frankenstein-esque shower faucet which thankfully solved 90% of the leaking issue. Everyone was so welcoming and forthcoming with their experiances and stories. Our new neighbors, the Livingston Family, (LivingstonFamilyAdventures.com) gave us so many great ideas on how to boondock as well as cut down on the gluten in our diets. (Notice I didn’t say cut-out, Alan needs a few more weeks to get used to that idea!) And Marci makes her own household products, she even taught a class on it while we were there! We got lots of great recipes from her, all on her website peeps!

     We talked to so many people about how to make money in so many different ways! I had no idea that most of the jobs they are doing even existed. It was amazing to see how resourceful people are and how dedicated they are to making things work for their families. They were all so supportive of us “newbies”! Many of them have been out on the road for 2 years or more.

     We got to do a trailer tour in which people opened their doors and we got to see all the different ways in which people are traveling. It really brought home to me how entrenched the idea of space and “needs” has become for us. At home, each child expects to have their own room, and bed, and desk, complete with television. On the road, there are tons of kids whose priorities are dramatically different. They are happy to share a couch or a bunk with a sibling because the whole world is their back yard. It is interesting to see our boys work through what they are used to; separate bedrooms and toys into this new way of being. Seeing how many other kids are doing it, and how much they love it, was a wonderful way to start the adventure.

      Many of them have more than two kids, and some of them stay in one place (like Breckenridge, in the WINTER!!!) for 6 months at a time and some travel from place to place as a function of their work. Many are like us, working as they go remotely. All of them mentioned the vast difference between moving every few days to staying in one place awhile and I am seeing more and more how beneficial the work camping gig in North Hampton, MA. will be.

      We left today and I must admit, it was hard. We have so much gratitude for these amazing families. They embraced us, helped us, and taught us so much in a week! And most importantly, knowing they are all out there too has created a safety net that we know we can rely on. Can’t wait to meet some of our new friends up in Minnesota and the next rally is in April!

None of them say goodbye, they all say see you soon, safe travels. We have met a wonderful group and now we are off to Utah! It’s HOT~!!!

Stay tuned, as soon as I get a picture of the “Butterfly Bus” I’ll send it, a rolling public art piece and we got to be a part of it, FANTASTIC!

L.

Taylor Reservoir and Blue Mesa

June 28th

     WOW, I picked a great campground right here on the Taylor Reservoir with the view below. This site was a little more expensive due to the electric hookup but for this view I think it’s worth it. The boys and I went fishing one last time with Dad and Cyndi below the dam and Jacob caught his first fish with absolutely no help from my Dad and I. A 16 inch Brown Trout that had the most beautiful coloring and of course we didn’t have Laura or a camera with us. I was able to land a 24 inch Rainbow Trout that had me almost running back and forth across the river and was finally netted by Jacob after 15 minutes. Again no camera but I had two witnesses to it so I am ok with my great fishing prowess. For anyone looking at great camping there are three campgrounds along the Taylor River and one here at the reservoir, some with electric and some first come, first serve.

     The last thing I wanted to mention tonight was that so far on our short time on the road a cable harness on the big slide broke off and I had to rig it back, the air conditioner has issues, the shower all of a sudden started to leak and the water pump needed a new fuse today. I have heard that things break when you are full time but this is ridiculous.

 June 29^th

     So we went down to the lake this morning and were rained out just after setting up our area up. Laura was in a bathing suit and the temperature dropped about 15 degrees and they all got cold along with Molly, who has a new short haircut and isn’t used to being cold. I wish we had the camera (once again) since she was shivering. The nice part about our little rainstorm is that the truck and trailer were cleaned of all the pollen that had built up over the last week, which was causing all of us to have allergies.

June 30^th

    My turn! I am posting a picture of the water in the shower, you can see, crystal clear, it ain’t! So, I am going four days with just sponge bathing, a definite first. Alan is betting that I’ll break down and take a brown water shower, I’m not so sure… 

Spending our grocery money on water was NOT in the plan but I don't care how many times this goes through the Brita, it's not going in our bodies!

     Yesterday we set up the “sun” shade in the rain and tried to wait it out, enjoying the quick bursts of sunshine between clouds. 

But after an hour or so it became apparent we were fighting a loosing battle and spending more time in the truck than on the beach. To stave off the boredom, (no electronics in the car unless it’s an hour or more trip,) the boys came up with a great new game, which combined mathematics and word play. After the first round consisting of the words Butt and Head, we changed some of the vocabulary and overall they were quite creative. I never caught on to the scoring part but they seemed to.  We headed home and had our first indoor day consisting of popcorn and westerns and a quick nap. We all survived!

     One would think that after setting up our beach day in the rain yesterday we wouldn’t be foolish enough to try it again, and yet… today we were there for a good hour before the clouds rolled in. Aiden befriended a dead fish he named Elliot…. We worry about him some days. They had a great time using sticks to rocket “Elliot” back to his watery grave over and over. Boys. Home again home again and I am off, to brave the brown shower. Miss K from Duck dynasty would be so proud… AND I am making antelope kabobs tonight- Jack!

     

July 1, 2013

     We moved to a campsite on the north end of Blue Mesa reservoir. It’s not very shaded but it’s got electric and our little air conditioner is doing it’s best. We got the boys both National Parks Passports and they have been doing some academic work in the junior Parks Rangers booklets. Tomorrow they will be sworn in as Junior Park Rangers and get their first pins. In other news, I am loving my new electric skillet that allows me to keep the indoor heat to a bare minimum and also do non-grilling outside! YAY! Why did I not have this before???? Hoping to grill up a nice trout or two tomorrow if the fishing goes well. Julie’s Dad, Don raised us on fresh lake trout and mac and cheese up at Glacier Park. Now my kids just assume you can only have mac and cheese with fresh fish, the funny traditions we carry into adult hood. We have had VERY limited internet on this leg of the journey, won’t invest in satellite coverage until we are working online. Once we are further East I don’t think it will be as much as an issue. We’ll be more accessible soon! Two days till the Rally! Wahoo!