… and yet so close!!
Hello from the road! We woke up bright and early after a fantastic night’s sleep. We both hoped that the 6000+ feet drop in elevation and a couple of good walks would be just what we needed to promote the good zzzzz’s. Thankfully, Rick said it was the best sleep that he had in over a week, which is what he needed (and mine was excellent too). Despite our excitement to get home, we both need good rest since this is a long haul.
Again, we were packed up and on the road earlier than expected. It’s true that once you think about getting home, it is a great motivator.
Thankfully, the drive was once again uneventful. Nebraska and Iowa, along I80, are well travelled and simply a means to an end for us. We are doing a great job of keeping Rick healthy with frequent switches, lots of walking when we stop, and him taking time to have his legs up while on the couch during my turn driving. No more health issues if we can help it! We didn’t want to make any extra stops, until…
Tonight we are settled in the beautiful Tailwater West Campground, in Iowa City, Iowa. Wow, what a stunner. It’s an artificial lake formed by the Coralville Dam on the Iowa River. We are currently sitting downstream from the dam, with the opportunity to see the incoming flow of water rushing through at impressive velocity. From there it flows into a quiet area with campgrounds on each side and a lovely serene area running through it. We enjoyed walking the trails and seeing those fishing, boating and strolling with us. It’s finally warm and were have been able to enjoy several hours outside without a sweatshirt nor dodging raindrops.
We had quite the conversation this afternoon, which turned into this for dinner tonight
We are only in Iowa, but we’re hoping that this is our last night on the road. Aggressive, yes. But it can be done in a smart way if everything works in our favor. I think that we have both been thinking that it was possible to get home quicker for a few days, but we didn’t actually talk about it until he brought it up today.
We had initially planned to be rather leisurely on the return, including a 2-night stay to see Indiana Dunes National Park, but that has already been adjusted. We’re just excited to get back home. Several days ago, we decided that Indiana Dunes can wait, and that we would just focus on driving/resting/getting home.
Tomorrow’s drive was intended to take us about halfway, to Michigan City, Indiana for a one night stay. It’s on the other side of Chicagoland (ugh, dreading that) and other than dealing with Indiana roads (which are horrible), should be the toughest part of our drive from here on out. Anyhow, we decided that fueled by our favorite dinner tonight and donuts tomorrow, we might be able to make it all of the way home.
So tonight we rest and relax, getting ready for what we hope is the last leg of our journey tomorrow. If we hit any delays or are too tired, we’ll post tomorrow from Michigan City, which is waiting for us and seems to be a lovely campground. We will be sure to visit it in the future if we miss it on this adventure.
But we both hope to post a pic from our own home tomorrow night! There would be nothing better than showering and sleeping at our own home!! Wish us luck!
Leave a Reply