The Worlds, Part 4: Getting There and Back Again

Wyoming? Why not!

We love RV travel, especially out west. So for The Worlds games, Tom meticulously planned our longest RV trip ever: 5,200 miles over 3 weeks.
 
Beautiful Spaces
 
We savored all the natural beauty, from cool evergreen forests on the Oregon coast…to spectacular peaks in Grand Teton National Park…the world’s longest floating boardwalk (just under one mile) in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho…and canyons, sagebrush, unbroken prairie skylines, buttes and mesas in places we’d never seen before.
 
Fabulous Finds
 
The Spam Museum  in Austin, Minnesota, a kitschy encounter with America’s favorite canned meat. And yes, they’re in on the joke from Monty Python’s “Viking café” skit.
 
Best hotel name  The C’mon Inn, Casper, Wyoming.
 
A combine demolition derby  In this event, advertised in Lind, Washington, farmers ram their beat-up rigs (pronounced COM-bines) and try to crush each other. Sadly, the date didn’t fit our schedule. Maybe next time.
 
Best municipal claim to fame  Out on the lone prairie in southeastern Montana, the highway marker said “Lost Springs – Population 6.”
 
Things We Learned the Hard Way
 
Fierce crosswinds are common in South Dakota; we knew this from previous RV trips. It’s no surprise that maneuvering an 11-foot-tall box requires constant wrestling with the steering wheel. But this time we discovered that the Evil Force also lurked in Minnesota, Wyoming, Montana and eastern Oregon. A semi-truck traveling in the next lane doubles the difficulty. On the bright side, Tom’s upper body strength has doubled, too. Crosswinds = CrossFit.
 
Sealed liquids (mayo, salad dressing, yogurt) don’t like repeated changes in altitude. Before opening the container, don an apron or a rain poncho.
 
When transporting a vintage rosebush in the living quarters of your rig, don’t just wrap the roots. Wrap the thorny branches, too. Duhhh! 

~~Leah Rewolinski