RV Summer
Chapter 5
Everything was stored away. Alexis was pressing buttons and Rick was sitting behind the wheel grumbling. Alexis was grinning since she could guess why. Apparently the only 2 living beings in this RV were herself and Dixie.
Dixie was happy for 3 reasons really. One, she was a naturally happy puppy. Two, she had met another puppy and had gotten to play with it a little. Third was that she was right where she wanted to be. In Alexis's lap.
"We're all set, Dad. How did you do this time?" All she got was a glare from him. "Sorry, but it wasn't my fault." She had been denied access. She just hoped he hadn't lost too much.
"Where to now?" was all she got. She began flipping through her binder.
"12620 Highway 244, Hill City, South Dakota." Alexis put her binder away and started petting Dixie.
"South Dakota. Ooo, Mount Rushmore. Are we going to see Mount Rushmore?" Rick looked at Alexis for a clue.
"Wait and see, just wait and see." Alexis tried to hide her grin.
"GPS says 11 hours. Have you got a plan for that? We hit more construction and it'll be closer to 13," Rick questioned her since so far their chances of not hitting construction was proving to be pretty bad.
"Have a little faith, Dad." Alexis thought she had everything under control. "Just stop somewhere so we can have lunch."
Rick went with it and began driving.
Alexis glanced at her dad. "How are you enjoying your room?" She loved her space. It was far better than her old one.
"It's amazing! I'm starting to wonder if the white walls was such a good thing, though. Not that we had a choice. But the bed is nice and big and there's lots of space. …How's yours?" They had slept in their new RV for a little while so they had a chance to get used to it and decided if there were things they didn't like and could fix for next time.
"It's great! I have lots of closet space, my own TV with a built-in DVD player and it's really comfortable." She didn't even mind climbing up and down at all. "Even Dixie likes it. Did I tell you that I woke up once and found her sleeping on my throat. Her little belly was right over my throat. She didn't even wake up when I moved her." Alexis was smiling since it was so cute and she was going to remember that forever.
"What are you going to do when she reaches 50 pounds?" She was just a puppy now, but eventually she was going to be a full grown dog.
"We'll move to your bed. You can have mine," Alexis teased him since she couldn't resist.
Rick teased her right back. "Just as soon as you buy the RV instead of just riding in it."
"You can take it out of my allowance," Alexis fought back, still teasing.
He rolled his eyes. "At that rate you'll be 60 years old."
"Well since according to you I'm not getting married until I'm 30 that sounds about right." Alexis was more fighting back now than teasing since they were starting to reach sensitive ground here.
"And don't you forget it. You're also going to be a virgin until you're 30," Rick reminded her. Suddenly an orange fish cracker hit his head and landed in his lap.
"It's not up to you," Alexis told him and threw 2 more crackers to reinforce her point.
Rick knew this day was coming. She was growing up and already reached her sweet 16. Too damn fast to his way of thinking. She'd already been on a few dates but she'd never dated the same guy twice. Rick was hoping that his gun cleaning when 2 of them had shown up had something to do with that.
Two more orange fish landed in his lap.
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They had stopped for lunch at a Subway shop and had subs, chips, and a soda each.
"26014 478th Avenue, Brandon, South Dakota," Alexis said before they left their lunch spot. "This is our stop before we get to the main site," she explained and couldn't help but grin since she knew her dad was going to love this.
It meant getting off the Interstate before they reached Sioux Falls and immediately they hit construction.
"We're cursed I know it!" Rick was done with construction. This time it was just a new bridge that was being constructed and it only slowed everyone down a little.
"NO WAY!" Rick saw the sign and tuned to look at his daughter to make sure. "Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park! The best daughter EVER!" He was going to raise her allowance for this.
Alexis pulled out her binder and went over everything. "Corn maze when in season, jumping pillow, pedal and golf cart rental, heated swimming pool and spa, indoor theatre, mini golf, volleyball, basketball, air conditioned general store, Yogi Bear gifts and souvenirs, camper supplies, firewood and ice, laundromat, free Wi-Fi, propane, dump station, free hot showers, picnic area, picnic table and fire ring."
"How long are we staying?" Rick thought one night wasn't going to be near enough time.
"Two nights and 3 days. Hopefully that's long enough for you." Actually given her dad's penchant for find a way to have fun, especially at a place like this she might end up wishing they stayed longer.
They had pull-thrus that were almost twice as long as they were and normal full site connections save for a waste connection. They would need to use the dump site on their way out.
Rick wasted no time in getting their bicycles out so that they could find out just where everything was and naturally she found him peddling to the Yogi Bear gift store first thing.
She had to admit that this place had everything Yogi. Rick had a problem though. He had an armful of stuff that he couldn't resist and yet all he had was a bicycle.
"Stay right here. I'm going to go get the car." Rick left Alexis standing our front with an armful of stuff and her bike as her dad peddled away.
"I knew I was going to regret this." But she was smiling since her dad was happy again after losing she didn't want to know how much at the blackjack table without her.
When he came back with the car he had at least come back with their propane bottle so that they could fill it up and put it back in place.
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"Best daughter ever." Rick was still happy and kissed her head on the way to his room with all of his stuff.
"We need the car tomorrow." She knew her dad had a lot of little kid in him but Jellystone was really meant for actual little kids. Not big kids-at-heart so she had a plan for tomorrow.
"Oh." Rick couldn't think of a reason to leave this place. It was Jellystone!
"Put on your swimsuit and grab a towel; it's only 5 miles from here." Alexis gave him a hint.
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"26767 466th Ave, Sioux Falls, SD" Alexis gave him an address for the GPS in the mini. Dixie was fed, had water, had peed and pooped, and while she didn't like being left behind, Alexis didn't have a choice. No dogs allowed.
"Wild Water West Waterpark!" Rick was all smiles even if he had guessed it.
They soon found Tornado Alley. A 55 foot circular slide with a hole in the middle that dumped you into a pool. A 65 foot tower that you had to climb up to that had 4 different slides off of it. Wave Pool, Lazy Tube River, Caribbean Falls, bumper boats. And just when Rick thought he had had enough he found out that they had a go kart ride. So they sat in go karts in wet swimsuits and went around the track before going home.
Rick wrapped his arms around his daughter just as they get out of the car and hugged her. "Best daughter ever." Alexis smiled and felt tears starting.
He wasn't even mad when they found 2 pee spots and 1 poop on the floor. They had been gone hours and Dixie just couldn't hold it that long.
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"12620 Highway 244, Hill City, South Dakota." Rick needed to put the first address back in the GPS so they could continue their summer vacation.
They were down to 4 hours so they were there by lunch.
Rick read the sign as they turned in. "MOUNT RUSHMORE KOA AT PALMER GULCH. I knew it! Mount Rushmore here we come." He had never been there before but that was kind of the point of going on summer vacations in an RV, to go places and see things they'd never seen before.
Alexis pulled out her binder and listed everything this place had to offer. "Two heated swimming pools, another bounce pillow, car rental, catering chuck wagon dinner show, climbing wall, fishing, free shuttle to Mount Rushmore, a water slide, hot tub and sauna, mini golf, dog park, propane, picnic table, fire ring, and free Wi-Fi."
They saw the pool and hot tub right out front just before the office. There was even parking to check-in for long rigs like them. They were given a brochure and had bought some firewood for later. They also saw 2 restaurants.
Alexis had the map. "Space number 569. Turn left…, now turn right. We should be the fifth one on the left. Space 569, Dad." Alexis saw it. They'd learned the maximum allowed was 90 feet and while they came close they didn't exceed that number.
It was a pull-thru so leaving was easy. Alexis let Dixie out and walked her around while Rick pressed buttons and pulled everything out for them to use.
They decided to make their own lunch instead of going to 1 of the 2 restaurants. They also had a car so they didn't need the shuttle.
"Three nights and 4 days here then we move on," Alexis told him. They'd bought tickets for the chuck wagon dinner show tonight so lunch was light and simple.
"Pool, mini golf, or jumping pillow?" Alexis watched him grin at her. She rolled her eyes. "I'm hitting the pool. Have fun, Dad." She went into her space and closed the pocket door after Dixie joined her; she changed into a swimsuit. When she came out her dad was already gone. "You're lucky you're a dog, Dixie." Alexis picked her up and kissed her before leaving her behind. She took out her bicycle and headed for 1 of the 2 pools.
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This open-air show takes place in a remote mountain meadow. You'll ride to the show on a horse-drawn covered wagon or via horseback where you'll enjoy a Real Cowboy music show performed by local waddies and ranchers! Watch a real dough-boxer grill Dakota grown beef steaks over an aspen-wood camp fire and taste dutch-oven side dishes prepared right out of the chuck-box.
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"Mount Rushmore, here we come!" Rick called out loudly after getting the car out and making sure Dixie was good to be left behind though they both expected to find something for Alexis to clean up when they got back. They planned on being gone for hours.
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Enjoy the Black Hills on horseback! Several different trail rides are available for riders of all skill levels. Scenic rides are available through the Black Elk Wilderness Area and the Norbeck Wildlife Refuge.
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Explore the trails of South Dakota's Black Hills with a UTV Rental. Miles of great forest service trails are right out our back door for your entire family to enjoy. Pack a cooler, some snacks, and embark on a Black Hills Adventure.
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Alexis was sitting on the floor playing with Dixie since over the last 3 days she'd been left behind in the RV all alone. And while she hadn't been destructive she hadn't been able to hold it and had given them things for Alexis to clean up when they got back.
Rick was cooking dinner. He had chosen to make his famous spaghetti with homemade meat sauce. "So what's next on your list of places?" he asked while stirring the sauce.
"If you mean RV parks that are big enough for us and give us a reason to be there, nothing until Washington state and Oregon. Even Yellowstone can't handle our size." She had come up with a problem just about now in her list of places to go.
"So what are we going to be doing?" Rick was still curious.
"We're going to be dry camping for a while after this. Essentially go somewhere and just stop and stay," Alexis said.
"Then it's a good thing we have solar cells and a satellite dish. We need to make sure everything's full or empty." If they were going to be on their own, they needed to be ready.
"We need to go shopping tomorrow before we leave, too. Get food and dog food and maybe fill the propane bottles," Alexis added.
"Car trip it is." It sounded to Rick like the size of the Mini was going to come in handy.
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"This fills the space below your bed, Dad. We get any more and it'll have to go on the floor and when we pull in the slides we lose space when we're on the move." Space to get around inside got smaller when the slides weren't out. Alexis was slender enough that it wasn't too bad. Her dad tended to be a little more clumsy so it was harder for him.
"What does the pad say?" Were they ready to leave?
Alexis went in search of it. "We haven't run the generator yet. The water tank's full. All of our fuel tanks still need to be filled and we need to stop at the dump station on the way out. Based on our water and waste tank sizes I'd guess that we're good for about 2 weeks or a little more before we need to find a place. The problem is that means finding a rest area on an Interstate with a dump station and a place to fill our water tank. The best RV parks that fit us are back here or in Washington state.
"There are some in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. I just rejected them for 1 reason or another. We could go to them to get what we want." They had a few options.
"Give me an address and we can get started or do you need to take Dixie out first?" Rick asked.
"Good idea. Come on, Dixie, you need to go potty." Alexis picked her up and took her outside.
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Alexis gave him an address to plug into his GPS. "PHW6+W9 St Mary, Montana."
"Do I get a hint this time?" Rick stopped short from finishing.
"Saint Mary Visitor Center. Hope you brought some hiking boots. You're going to need them."
"The GPS didn't like your address, but it does know where that visitor center's located. Wow, it says it's 13 hours from here. So with our luck it'll be even longer than that," Rick warned her.
"Stop wherever you want, Dad. For the next 2 weeks, we're on our own," Alexis said.
That was unexpected. Rick was sure she had everything all mapped out for them. Right up until it was time to go home and maybe even then.
"It sounds like fun," he offered.
"That's the plan." Alexis was happy for the next part. She had worried about exercising too much control, however her dad had gone with it so far. Now she got to sit back and let her dad make the decisions. She just hoped this was a good idea.
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They had started out on Interstate 90 but now they were on this little 2 lane road that was route 3. It wasn't even a state road so it was a little tight for them. Rick had to keep his eyes on the road and avoid taking up too much road. Like drifting into on coming traffic or having the outside tires hit gravel and end up with a puncture.
They had gone around Billings, Montana and hadn't stopped since they didn't need anything.
The first town they'd gone through after leaving Billings, which didn't even had a stop light, was a place called Acton. It was almost an if you blinked you missed it kind of town.
Next up was a town called Comanche. About an hour later came Broadview.
Another hour later and they crossed a river called Musselshell. He didn't see anywhere to stop and continued on until they came into yet another really small town called Lavina. Here they came to a T in the road and went left on State Route 12. It was a better road even if it was just 2 lanes.
Ryegate and Barber were the next small towns. Then Rick saw a sign and turned off. Alexis didn't say a thing but she knew what had his attention. It had said something about DEADMAN'S BASIN and showed a boat symbol. Not that they had a boat.
Rick saw a sign to the right that said something about a boat ramp and a campground, so he took it. Ever since he had turned onto this road it was strictly dirt.
They saw the boat ramp and even saw a few empty boat trailers. Moving on and turning left at the sign they saw a few trees and even a couple of buildings. Rick also saw a place to park where he could get back out and not block traffic so he took it.
"Here we are." It looked like this would do. After pressing a few buttons and taking Dixie outside so she could do her business they decided to take a look around.
They found that 1 of the buildings was a his and hers outhouse. "WOW!" Alexis pinched her nose closed. She supposed that if she really had to she would use it, but she didn't have to. They had a much better place.
The place did have a beach though, and Dixie got her first taste of being near water. The water just kinda lapped at the shore line so she didn't actually get wet and didn't try to. Though her nose was going a mile a minute.
Someone farther down had 3 cars and 3 tents set up in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't much green as it was. It was mostly just dirt, beach, and water. They did get a few looks but no one came to question them. It wasn't every day that a 1.45 million dollar RV with a trailer parked there.
While it wasn't planned and it wasn't green Alexis decided that she sort of liked it. It was spontaneous and she didn't have to keep Dixie on a leash. After walking around there was just those 3 cars and 1 other who also had a tent out; it looked like a young couple out camping. They had chosen the lone spot that had trees on 1 side between them and the road.
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They stayed and walked around the place until just after lunch the next day and were back on the road again. They had another 6 hours or so to reach Saint Mary, Montana, and where Alexis had planned for them to go to next.
