Hello all! We’re back at it, in another state, beginning our current contracts and 3 more months in a area. We decided to take a two week hiatus because we had to drive from South Dakota back to the East Coast. I wanted to spend a little time with friends and family in between without feeling rushed during our visits. We stayed at my Gran’s while we were in Virginia, and we were able to see most of my family at her place.

The drive from SD took 4 days. We made a couple of pit stops to see some big landmarks on the way. The first stop was the Dignity of Earth and Sky statue in Chamberlain SD, which is a site to see! We arrived late that night, it’s right off interstate 90, and at 50ft she’s a site to see. The statue is at a rest stop, and it isn’t open for overnight parking. Gwyn and I had to leave and come back the next morning. At night, her blanket is lit up, and very pretty, but during the day she was phenomenal. Dignity overlooks the Missouri River and was dedicated for SD’s 125th anniversary as a state. Native American women from Rapid City were models for the statue. It honors the Lakota and Dakota people who are indigenous to SD.

We also made a pit stop at the Gateway Arch in St Louis Missouri. We were only at this stop a short while, since parking can be a bit tough for the campervan. I was driving my car separately since we’re both working. My anxiety was through the roof attempting to park roadside. So I found a garage. Gwyn on the other hand was okay parking the van, where I was in a bit of a hurry to get out of the traffic. It was a cool site, and I’m really glad we stopped to see it.

I didn’t get to explore the museum since we had the pups and it was a very hot day. I stayed outside in the shade with them. Gwyn did go check out some of the information inside and grabbed a brochure for us. We did find out that it is the smallest national park in the US. It’s known as the Gateway to the West. It’s one of the largest man-made monuments in the Western Hemisphere.

After we got back to VA, we spent about a week with my family and friends. We ran errands and got some of the big stuff taken care of. Then, we headed to NJ to spend time with her family. We didn’t sit still very long. We never do. We packed and drove to Toronto with Gwyn’s mom and the pups. We spent the next two days with her Tita’s and her cousin. Her cousin showed us around Toronto one of the days we were staying with the family. I would have liked to spend a couple extra days in Canada, but if we visit again, we’ll have more time to explore.

On the way back to NJ we stopped at Thousand Islands (who knew the dressing was created there?), and went into an observation tower right near the boarder.

The trip was whirlwind, but it seems like it always is! I have been able to explore and see places I never imagines I would visit. I have honestly become completely exhausted along the way, but I know I have been incredibly lucky.

I can’t wait to see what New England holds for the fall season!

Over and Out,

Whit

Rose and Gwyn posing at the Gateway Arch