A blood bath...

Last night was awesome if you like thunderstorms. 

We spent the night in St. Cloud, MN in a really nice campground, but didn't have much time there before we were in for the night...and what a night!

HUGE thunderstorms!!!  It wasn't a rain shower, it was a DELUGE!  You know how soothing it is to have the sound of rain on a tin roof?  Well, think of it hitting a tin box like a sandblaster - felt like we were under seige!  Flashes of light, crashing ever 25 seconds, and then the thought that we were sitting in a metal box with trees all around...hmmm...good thing I wasn't still wearing my aluminum foil helmet to get cell phone reception. 

The dogs weren't too crazy about it - that's for sure. 

We spent half the night cuddling on the floor with them, and to keep Julio calm, it helps when I sing a lullaby.  I know that's sappy - but it's true.  He especially likes the songs from The Sound of Music, but about the third time through "My Favorite Things" I had to switch to my old folk song repretoire - which means I  break out Joan Baez.  After a couple of choruses of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and I was ready to run screaming into the night with a Confederate Flag. 

Anyway, we made it through the night and woke up to that incredible smell in the air when everything's been thoroughly washed with a good drenching,. 

We headed out earlier than usual this morning and were on the road by 6:30 a.m.  Don unhooked the power, water and sewer and we jumped in and hauled butt.  We hadn't done any of the awning/pens/astro-turf stuff so it really was a breeze to break camp.  We didn't even get dressed and drove about 150 miles in our jammies!!

THEN we decided if we were going to get out with the dogs on a potty break - we'd better get dressed. 

But about the blood bath...

If we were to have a visitor to our humble abode...they would think we'd had a shoot-out!  Everywhere you look there are blood splatters on the walls, the blinds, the ceiling, floors...

It's those damn mosquitos again!!!  Gotta question though...HOW can a little bitty bug carry that much BLOOD!!!  I was using hydrogen proxide to get all the blood off the blinds and walls - but if a forensics team ever came in here they'd swear it was the hideout of a serial killer!!! 

So this evening, we went almost 500 miles today and we've stopped in Modera, North Dakota.  It's at a campground that's back into the hills...past the Cowboy Hall of Fame...don't ask. 

It really is restful and beautiful, very laid back and there's an elderly couple at the clubhouse singing old cowboy songs, very Willy Nelson-ish.  There's also something about being near these painted canyons and seeing the grasses on the plains waving in the breeze...

Can't help but drive through this country and think how incredible it is to be able to travel from one end of it to the other and not be stopped and asked for your "papers" or passport...and other than the toll roads - it's all pretty much free!

Free...what a cool concept - huh?  :o) 

Tomorrow we head out for Montana...remembering out eastbound trek - we're looking forward to it being a much better trip westbound.

We'll keep you posted!