12. Going Home

Day 34 - Tuesday, August 22, 2000

Up at 6:30 AM. Slept well, and the altitude of 4,500' did not bother me. We were on the road by 9:00 AM. Temperature was 70F, up from the night's low of 64F. Took SR 66 east to I 25, then I 25 north to Cheyenne, WY - a rather monotonous drive. Then I 80 to and through Nebraska - boring driving through essentially flat farm country. Through Omaha and into Iowa. I 80 then became a bit attractive, rolling green hills, neat farms and fields.

Camped at the beautiful Lake Anita State Park, where $12 got me water, electricity, picnic table, fire ring and access to the brand new bathhouse, which was superclean, well designed, and definitely worthy of two stars. The second bathhouse is, at best, OK.

With Antje taking the wheel from time to time to allow me to nap, drove 660 miles and we were on the road for 9 1/2 hours. Bought gasoline at $1.649/gal and averaged only 14.2 mpg.

Day 35 - Wednesday, August 23, 2000

Up at 6:30 AM, the poodles' body clocks were still on Mountain Time, so I got to wake them up for a change. Enjoyed a long shower in the fabulous bathhouse. It had rained during the night - which lowered the temperature to 70F but raised the humidity. The new air conditioner helped make the cabin comfortable.

On the road by 9:15 AM, continued on I 80. Even the pleasantly peaceful scenery of Iowa became boring after a while, was glad Antje took over the driving while I got a mid-morning nap. Illinois is more monotonous than Iowa, but not as bad as Nebraska. Antje drove to the outskirts of Chicago while I napped. Once on the Indiana turnpike, I slept again while she drove. The Indiana turnpike is about as boring as the drive through Illinois. Continued on into Ohio, off at exit 13 for the Harrison Lake State park.

The park is quite large and well maintained. The camping area is divided into three sections: No pets, pets optional, and pets mandatory. We selected the "pets mandatory" area - seems to me that people who travel in RVs with pets are especially considerate neighbors. There was a good large area for letting the dogs run free.

The paved sites are horizontally level, but vertically tilted. $1 extra charge for the dogs on top of $15 for electricity, picnic table and fire ring. Bring your own water. Small comfort stations without showers and hot water are scattered all over, but the main bathhouse offers good hot showers.

We drove 595 miles, were on the road for 10 hours. Bought gasoline in Iowa at $ 1.429/gal, averaged 14.6 mpg on the last tank.

Day 36 - Thursday, August 24, 2000

10 hours of driving to get us home. The Ohio turnpike is boring, but there is less construction work eastbound than westbound. It gets a bit scenic around the Cleveland area. I 80 through Pennsylvania has many scenic vistas, but it's a long drive (about 330 miles). The last 45 miles in New Jersey passed quickly, and we were home by 7 PM.

Drove 590 miles in 10 hours. Bought gasoline in Ohio for $1.469/gal, PA for $ 1.519, and topped off when I got home - also $ 1.519. Averaged 16 mpg.

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Statistics

Traveled 11,385 miles over 36 days. Burned 732 gallons of gasoline, at a total cost of $1,215. Averaged 15.5 miles per gallon. Spent 28 nights in campgrounds at a total cost of $473.

Antje and I hope that you have enjoyed this journal and your virtual trip with us. Why not send me an e-mail and I'll be happy to let you know whenever a new or modified journal (section) has been uploaded. Just make sure that I always have a valid e-mail address for you.

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