Inner Bedouin Day 1 -- We Learn by Doing

Since I'm on leave this Fall, I decided to drive out to Seattle with the 'kids' and visit with my family while I write.  Jaime has never been to Seattle, so I offered to cover all costs if she would co-pilot.  We're driving a travel trailer that we camp in at night.  Jaime's husband didn't quite get the idea of driving around with your 'house' hooked to your car, until someone made an analogy to Bedouins.  They subsequently observed that we were simply getting in touch with our inner Bedouin, which gave us our trip name.

Wiley and Lemur. ride in the Jeep with us during the day, and are adorable.   Either snuggled up between us on the arm rest, sitting on a box to watch the world go by, or trying by every stealth means possible to get Jaime to let them lay in the foot well between her feet/under her seat.

Day 1 did not go down as a particularly good start.  It's been a learning experience, should be a pro by the time we get there.   The first day we were delayed because I slept thru my alarm and Jaime didn't have the heart to wake me up.   Then, when I finally got my lazy arse out of bed and we were hooking up the trailer, we realized that the cable that controlled the lights and brakes was sliced.  Must've happened when I was practicing backing up and turning. So, I called one of my new pals in the RVing business and asked if he could sneak us in right away to rewire it.   He did and off we went.

Right into Chicago traffic, even tho we went 80 to 39 up to 90.  That was fun, for the first real time driving the travel trailer.  I had no feeling in my hands about halfway thru it.

Finaly we turned onto 39.  At one point I thought it has started raining hard, then realized that in reality we were committing bug genocide.  Unreal number of flying insects on that road, it was not fun cleaning up afterwards.

We had considered  stopping at the worlds largest museum dedicated to angels, and/or Circus World and the International Clown Hall of Fame - but the soul-sucking properties of highway 39 hot the better of us.

We finally pulled into the KOA Jaime found us, but well after the office closed.  They had left us a great space.  Setting up the camper at midnight with a flashlight while those flying insects we didn't manage to kill on 39 took out their revenge was 'fun', but the camper was quite comfy.

Only made it as far as Madison, WI that night.  'Twas far enough.