A trend in this experience has been my angst about going farther and farther from the West Coast. I love Colorado, and I will definitely make my way back. I will just be waiting for it to get a little less muddy. I was planning to make my last stop in Colorado as I made my way towards the East. At this point, I was constantly checking the weather around the country, because storms were beginning around the Midwest and South. I knew my next stop from Colorado was to Indiana Sand Dunes, but after that stop I was conflicted.
Leaving the mountains of the Great Sand Dunes was hard, and the more into eastern Colorado I got, the more the drive began to look how I assumed my drives through Nebraska and Iowa would look. We were able to find a place to stop at Prewitt Reservoir in Akron, Colorado en route to Indiana. I stopped for a few nights to wait for the high winds to pass by. I found the home to dozens of birds who would chatter from sun up to sun down. It was also the perfect place for Dobby and I to practice going on some off-leash runs, which he is getting so good at! I’m so grateful he’s here with me.
In the middle of the night, I woke up to hear Dobby making some weird sounds when he was breathing. He tends to get allergies each season, but this sounded and looked so different in the moment. After trying different remedies that had worked for him in the past, he started to have shallow breathes that sent me into a panic. I looked up the closest emergency vet, and it was… an hour away. As I was holding Dobby in my lap and telling him as calmly as I could that he was fine and this was all going to be nothing, I sat and imagined so many people in rural parts of the country (similar to where I was) who were having to experience this with their human child. It was gut-wrenching and a reminder of the healthcare system in this country. Fellow humans needing to drive hours to access doctors in an emergency is our reality.
We arrived as quickly as I could, and they took a look at Dobby. He was able to get a shot of steroids and some allergy medications to take home, but luckily it was not anything serious. He just likes to be a little dramatic and keep me on my toes.
After seeing tornadoes on the weather tracker making their way closer to my location, I got ready to continue on toward Illinois. I breezed through Iowa in the day and stopped about 2 hours outside of Chicago at another truck stop for the night. The next morning, Dobby and I watched some Cubs fans pour out of a luxury van at the truck stop loading up on some snacks. It made me feel so close to the city! We made our way to a dog park first to let Dobby run around, then headed to the hotel I reserved for the night. I’ve noticed that cities are difficult to stay in unless I know someone that has a place I can park, so to make life a little easier for me, I decided a hotel for a night would be a nice treat so I can explore the city without any anxiety. These are instances I can imagine having a van rather than a trailer would be nice because of the discreetness, but I wouldn’t trade The Tank for the world. I was able to get checked in early and got Dobby cuddled up to some Friends on the hotel TV and a comfy bed while I checked out what Chi Town is all about.
When I’m parked somewhere for a single night I like to keep Tommy and The Tank hitched so the morning is easier and faster to leave. Because they were parked at the hotel, I decided I would use good ol’ public transportation to get around the city. The moment I started riding the train, I could feel the energy people talk about when they’re in Chicago. It’s a vibe. It reminded me of Oakland, and I was smiling ear to ear with the comfort. I was only spending one day walking around, so I hit the major tourist spots around Millennium Park while hitting the blunt. After a slice by the water, I headed back to Dobby.
First thing in the morning I needed to get my hotel waffles, which have been my favorite thing about staying at a hotel since I was a kid. After I was fueled up, it was time to drive to Indiana to the Indiana Sand Dunes! It was only about an hour away from Chicago, so the drive was nice and easy. Like I was saying before, finding dispersed camping has been more difficult the farther east I go, so I decided to book a campsite at the national park campgrounds for a few nights and wow was I happy. It was so beautiful and had a ton of room! I almost wish I could’ve held a little party with how much space it had. I set up camp as quickly as I could, but then it was time for me to BACK to Chicago so I could finally make it to a Cubs game! I didn’t care if it was going to be over 3 hours of driving for a baseball game, it would be worth it. And it was! Wrigley field, you are something special. I felt the history on the steps and in that ivy-lined wall. After the Cubs got the W, and the crowd started singing, I got chills and teary-eyed at the love we all have for the game regardless of where we come from.
Luckily, when I woke up the next morning, the rain was holding off. That meant Dobby and I could take a bike ride to the dunes and enjoy the beach. One of the biggest perks to camping at a national park campground is that you’re already in the park, no need to drive in from a dispersed spot! When Dobby and I started running down the sand dunes toward the water, I was shocked at the strength this LAKE had. As I was staring at the waves, I couldn’t believe it’s called Lake Michigan and not the Atlantic Ocean. To Dobby, sand is sand and water is water. He didn’t care, he was going to sprint around while his tongue hung out no matter what, and I joined him. We ran, played, ate lunch, and listened to the water. That night, I made a fire for the first time in a while (the rain and wind had been too gnarly to let me enjoy the flames) and enjoyed the smell of the wood burning.
Midwest, you were pretty dope and extremely friendly. I found more than I anticipated and I am grateful for it all.
After worrying about the storms going on throughout Kentucky and Tennessee, I decided to wait for the Great Smokey Mountains and make my way toward Acadia in Maine instead! I guess that means the next stop will be New York? Let’s see…
DropBox Link for Pictures: Prewitt Reservoir and Illinois and Indiana
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