Never Grow Up

Do you have any idea how much gear 5 women headed to the wilds of South Dakota need to stuff into one vehicle? A massive game of Tetris ensues at 6:30 am as we arrange and rearrange to get everything into the HildeVan. We have camping gear, a portable kitchen, food and drink for the whole week, our luggage, and all the random crap one brings on a road trip - just in case. And I'm not gonna lie - we're not at our sharpest this morning. I'm going on about 2 1/2 hours of sleep; Dawn even less. She and Deb posted on our Facebook link at about the same time - Deb as she was getting up and Dawn as she was going to bed! But we don't have to leave anything behind and are on the road by 7:00, a little behind schedule and a lot tired.

We broke into the cookies at 9:00. Not too bad - we lasted 2 whole hours. Isn't part of the fun of a road trip eating stuff that you normally wouldn't allow yourself? And after all, calories ingested from cookies eaten out of state don't count. Coconut Pecan was the flavor of the hour. We also have Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Walnut, and Monster Cookies. No one is going hungry on this trip!

Although we're headed for South Dakota, we have a couple stops to make on the way. We join a group of ladies who share our passion for Outlander, and if you don't know what I am talking about then RUN, not walk to your local library or book store and find out! Or check out Season 1 on Starz. Local fans organized a gathering at Sugar Clay Winery in Thurman, Iowa and we enjoy a nice lunch and glass of wine before visiting Moonstone Lavender Gardens. There we sample lavender cupcakes, cookies, and tea while learning some facts about growing lavender and chatting some more with the Outlander ladies. When I learn that deer don't care for lavender, I decide I must grow some. It looks beautiful, smells wonderful, and the deer hate it. I may be able to grow something in my flowerbed that doesn't become a deer buffet after all!

The 3-hour drive to our next stop is spent napping a little, playing Trivia, and talking talking talking. By the time we reach our destination in Yankton, South Dakota we have all reverted to our 12-year-old selves. We sing and make up new stanzas to the Diarrhea Song, giggle about sex, laugh at bathroom humor, and have a new WOD (Word of The Day): gnashing. I can't even begin to explain. We are silly and irreverent and laugh like loons! The 3-hour drive flies by.

We wind down at our cabin in Yankton. A tasty dinner of Reuben Sandwiches and Hot German Potato Salad is followed by some time around the campfire. We turn in fairly early since we didn't get much sleep last night, but I can still hear Dawn and Tiffany giggling in their room. More 12-year-old humor I suppose. Tiffany wrote 'POOP' with squeeze butter on the bread while she and Dawn were making the Reubens. "Ha Ha you're eating poop!" It's good to be able to act like a kid again! The generational differences just melt away. "You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old. ~ George Burns"

Goodnight kids!