Gateway to the West

Today's adventures started off at precisely 8am, but due to our time traveling, dachshund carrying, travel trailer, we quickly went back to 7am.  Okay, so in reality, we crossed into Illinois and moved into the Central Time Zone.

So, has anyone ever had the desire to stop at a "roadside attraction" or "oddity" as you travel?  Today was that day for us.  Soon after entering Illinois, there were signs advertising "The Worlds Largest Wind Chimes" in a small town called Casey.  Why not stop?  We didn't know where the "World's Biggest Ball of Twine" was housed, so we might as well see this wind chime.

I was not expecting much.  Upon exiting the truck, we were greeted by a three story tall structure that looked, and sounded like, well, a three story tall wind chime.  And not only does Casey claim the record breaking wind chime, but there are three other rather large objects in town, each holding the record for being the worlds largest.  There is a giant golf tee located at the Casey Golf Course.  This thing is so big that there are plans to set it up so a person can stand on top of it to drive golf balls.  Inside the town yarn shop, there is a set of giant knitting needles, as well as a crochet hook, that would make Paul Bunyan look petite.  

If you are ever traveling through Illinois on I-70, stopping in Casey to see the roadside attractions is worthwhile. 

The "Bucket List" item of the day was driving into St. Louis to see the "Gateway Arch".  The best viewing area for taking pictures of the arch is actually in East St Louis, IL, at the Malcom Martin Memorial Park.  The park was empty when we arrived so we proceeded to take as many pictures as humanly possible of us and our fur babies.

Our final destination for the day, and our rest stop for the night, was Eisenhower State Park in Osage City, KS.  What a wonderful park!  We chose to stay here because of the natural beauty of the park, tucked away in natural, undisturbed, prairie land.   Scout, Deutsch, and India didn't care what the place looked like; they simply were ready to go for a long walk, followed by something delicious dinner.
Kansas, and much of the midwest, has endured massive amounts of rain over the last few days, and it has been devastating.  Many people have been displaced from their homes due to flooding, and the threat is not over.  The ground is so saturated here that the dachshunds have no choice but to go outside to relieve themselves in the mud.  Poor little guys.

Tomorrow brings family and visions of Wyatt Earp to mind.

Dachshunds, Start Your Engines!

Leaving Maryland on May 27, 2015

The five of us departed Maryland on 27 May, 2015, at exactly 5pm.  We wanted to leave in the afternoon, after work, in order to avoid the infamous Washington Beltway morning traffic.  Traffic was light, and all the dachshunds, Scout, Deutsch, and India, were happy to be going on vacation with us.

Driving through D.C. was a breeze, as was cruising by Frederick and Hagerstown, MD.  Our itinerary had us reaching Grantsville, MD, in time to stay overnight at the local Pilot Travel Center.  Free "lodging" is a courtesy they extend to RVers traveling the country.  Advance reservations are not an option, and unfortunately, upon arrival in Grantsville, the Pilot Travel Center was filled to capacity with those cowboys of the highway: truckers.  The truckers have parking priority, so we moved on down the highway, eventually finding our way to Morgantown, WV, where we spent the evening in a Walmart parking lot.  Walmart also extends the privilege of overnight parking to weary RVers who need to rest.

As planned, we departed for our next destination, Terre Haute, IN, promptly at 7am on May 28.  We left West Virginia and passed through Pennsylvania, only to re enter West Virginia again.  Leaving West Virginia a second time, we entered the state that is round on the ends and tall in the middle,
o-HI-o.

During a visit to one of the highway rest areas, we met another short in stature, high in personality dachshund named Kamikaze, or Kaze to his friends.  Kaze was your typical, full of love and energy dachshund; you would never know he was going blind.  (He has detached retinas.)  He seems to have adapted well to his setback.  And just a by the way, the little fellow was rescued.

Today was another easy day of driving, getting us to our destination of the Terre Haute, IN, KOA campground, just about a half hour after our scheduled arrival of 4pm.

Though Scout, Deutsch, and India were well behaved and traveled well today, the barking in the campground upon arrival garnered them some unwanted attention.  We asked the sheriff to feed them well and to give them some blankets to crawl under.  We said we'd be by the jailhouse around 7am the next morning to bust them out so we'd all be ready to mosey on down the road to Eisenhower State Park in Kansas.  We hope the little felons, uh, fellows, that is, slept well!

Deutsch

India

Scout 

Packing my bags early

Hi, it's India here.  In less than a week I will be getting on the road so I am going through my checklist to ensure nothing I need is left behind.  Lets run down that list:
1.  Shot records...CHECK
2.  Medications...CHECK
3.  Blankets.........CHECK
4.  Hug-A-Harness..CHECK
5.  Leash.............CHECK
6.  Food..............CHECK
7.  TREATS!!!

Did someone say TREAT?

We've planned our Cross-Country Route!

Ready to hit the road!

Hello again! We are India, Deutsch, and Scout, all dachshunds who are leading our parents across the U.S. over a 3 week period from May 27 through June 4, stopping along the way to meet everyone we can and make people aware of Coast-to-Coast Dachshund Rescue!  

   We're starting out in Maryland and will travel across the country, ending up in Oxnard, California. If you live along the way, please come out and meet us! 

Here are the dates and approximate times where we'll be. Look for the RV with the Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue magnets to find us. Our Dad and Mom are Mike and Beth, so when you talk with them, tell them you want to meet us.

Look for these magnets on the truck driving our home on wheels!

MAY 27

At 5 p.m. EDT we Depart Point Lookout State Park, Scotland Maryland

At 9:30 p.m. we'll Arrive Pilot Travel Center, Grantsville MD

MAY 28

At 7 a.m. EDT we Depart Grantsville MD VIA US-40 (National Pike) to Long Branch, PA to pick up I-70 W

By 5 p.m. EDT, we expect to Arrive in Terre Haute, IN (Terre Haute KOA Kampground, 5995 E. Sony Drive

MAY 29

At 7 a.m. EDT, we leave Terre Haute, IN via I-70, and we drive through St. Louis and Kansas City, so keep an eye out for our RV!

We'll settle for the night around 5 p.m. CDT in Eisenhower State Park, 29810 South Fairlawn Rd, Osage City, Kansas

MAY 30 - There are a couple of stops along the way today where you can look for us!

At 7 a.m. CDT We depart Eisenhower State Park Via I-35

And arrive in Wichita Kansas

- At 11 a.m. CDT we depart Wichita via US 54 W toward Dodge City KS @1100

- At 2 p.m. CDT we'll mosey into Dodge City

Look for our home on wheels with the Magnets on the truck

- After an hour, at 3 p.m. CDT we'll "Get Outta Dodge" and hit the highway.

- Finally ending around 7 p.m. CDT at the Star Of Texas RV Park And Horse Hotel 5680 TX Highway 15, Stratford, TX

MAY 31

At 7 a.m. CDT (sense a theme here?) we leave Stratford, Texas via US 54

Arrive at USA RV Park (whenever we get there!) at 2925 W Historic Highway 66, Gallup, NM (Route 66)

JUNE 1

At 11 a.m. MT we depart Gallup, NM via I-40

We arrive Goulding's Monument Valley & RV Park Campground Monument Valley, Utah (and we're staying put for 2 nights)

JUNE 3

At 7 a.m. MT we depart Monument Valley Utah for Las Vegas

We arrive Hitchin' Post RV Park 3640 Las Vegas Blvd North Las Vegas, NV

JUNE 4

At 7 a.m. MT, We're "Leaving Las Vegas" via I-15 to the I-210W to 159 to 101 (did you get all that?) and finally, we  Arrive Oxnard, CA  Naval Air Station Point Mugu