55 on the fly

Today was a much easier day as far as driving goes.  We had 7 hours to Rapid City, SD and the heat had cooled off to at least 90 something. Entering the Badlands.   Driving through South Dakota on I-90 is fairly easy.  Even our Garmin got to take a break from watching the road.  There are many fields of hay and you can see rolls and rolls of it along the highway.  We saw cattle but that was about it for the wildlife.  I'm sure the animals were trying to stay cool just like us.  Tomorrow it is off to Mount Rushmore.

Today we drove through four states; Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota.  Eleven hours of driving time is much too long for one day.  We saw President Obama's stimulus money at work in many places on the roads.  We also found many places that he forgot - south of Chicago being one of them.  We had a bumpy ride during that part of the trip. All in all it was a good day of traveling.  We stopped for a short lunch just into Iowa and made it quick since the heat was unbearable.  Thank goodness for air conditioning!  We had thoughts of staying overnight at a Walmart when we originally planned the trip but that changed with the weather.  We can't imagine sitting inside our little metal box on a night like this without the AC.  It was a good day to be in a moving vehicle. Much of what we saw today was corn field after corn field - oh, and some soybean fields here and there too.  These fields went on and on with quite a few wind turbines st...

We are sitting in a campground in Middlebury, Indiana.  Our plan was to boondock at a Walmart parking lot tonight but the 100 degree heat changed our plans very quickly.  We enjoyed the pool, are relaxing in the air conditioning, and planning our next day's travel in comfort.  It sure beats sitting on the asphalt and frying in that huge frying pan! First of all, Michelle was an excellent co-pilot today:)  We rolled up and down the hills of PA and then across the entire state of Ohio.  We ran into quite a thunder and lightening storm in Ohio but it didn't last too long and it was fun to watch - sort of. We are learning a lot about pulling an RV and camping.  First of all - don't forget and leave your travel coffee mugs on the counter of the RV when leaving in the morning.  Luckily one cup stayed put and the other fell into the sink!  And if you see something flapping in the wind from your RV, pull over and check it out.  Some of our weather ...

Michelle celebrated her 50th birthday in Virginia.  We all went to a beautiful winery for lunch to enjoy wine and family time.  Then we were on to Old Town Winchester to walk around the mall area.  The weather here has been unbelievable - mid 80's and a slight breeze.  This is much better than the humid and hot weather at the beginning of the week. A birthday lunch at Sunset Hills Vineyards. Enjoying time with Russ, Shauna and Jackson. Jackson was captivated by a street performer playing a guitar at Old Town Winchester. 55 On the Fly tying on the road.  

My son Russ and I fished a small mountain stream in Shenandoah National Park. We hiked in about 2 miles and then worked our way down through the woods to the stream.  We fished classic pocket water, my favorite type of fly fishing with small tumbling waterfalls, cascades and pools. The fly of the day was Walter Wiese's Clacka-Caddis, a killer fly in the Yellowstone Park area that seems to work very well here in SNP too. We caught some beautiful native brook trout and enjoyed the day together..... Here are some photos: Pocket water on a mountain stream. Nature provided the snacks... Russ working upstream. Doug (55 on the fly)  Brookie... Russ and a SNP Brook Trout Russ at the last pool of the day --- It was a great day!

Today we spent time with Russ, Shauna and Jackson.  We watched the women's soccer team win, had a great dinner - Shauna's homemade spaghetti sauce (yum) - and took a nice walk after the rainstorm.  Stella didn't have her nap and is worn out!

July 11 55 On the Fly is on vacation!  My wife Michelle and I are embarking on a nice long vacation.  We will be visiting family in Virginia and then it is on to Montana.  We will be fly fishing, hiking, reading stacks of books, and living as Gardiner residents for several weeks. July 12 We arrived in Virginia on Monday and set up the camper in a beautiful site.  This morning we sat out and watched the cows in the nearby field behind us and enjoyed the breeze before the predicted 100 degree heat kicked in.  We are spending time with our son Russ, daughter-in-law Shauna and our grandson Jackson.  This leg of our trip is for family time.  We had supper at camp, took a dip in the pool, and enjoyed our time together.