Scottsbluff – Robidoux (3)

Robidoux is becoming a favorite place. There is something about the landscape in this part of the country that is deeply grounding to me. I feel a sense of peace and safety here. It could well be because when we come, we are near to my Aunt Sandee, and that alone is comforting. Maybe because of the cherished time I spent here as a child, with my grandparents and extended family, it harkens to hard wired feelings of associated joy. Whatever the case, I love returning, if only briefly. Robidoux RV park is nice of course, but the favorite place aspect comes from within.

I love driving midwestern roads. They are calm and peaceful, with very little traffic. That is, as long as there is not a storm happening. The colors are as gentle as the rolling hills or vast flat prairie plains. The view stretches on for miles, unobstructed by forests or mountain peaks. You know what lies ahead of you most of the time. Towing these roads is the most relaxed I can be while moving at highway speeds.

We encountered another Alto while heading south on 85! They followed us for a while and then passed. We waved at each other, but then we found them at a gas station down the road. Sure enough, one of them is an Altoiste, and they picked up a year ago from Quebec. I 100% love that stuff. We chatted and throughly enjoyed meeting them before we each rolled on down the road.

The minute we pulled into the campground, we charged all the things with wild abandon and ran the AC. I have been regretting ordering so many USB outlets, thinking it was way overkill. Turns out now that we’ve added a few rechargeable weapons to our mosquito battle gear, it is just the right number. Everything got topped up, and I got caught up on the blog. Very satisfying.

Richard went out exploring and tried to ride up the national monument (the bluff). He was insistently thwarted by rangers saying it’s too dangerous for bicycles until they close the gates to cars. This happens before 9am or after 5pm. He harrumphed away, accepting their authority. Instead, he found some nice trails around the Platte River.

We met at Sandee’s for a delicious home cooked meal. This woman is amazing. She takes care of the entire world, no matter what challenges life keeps throwing her way. She is a ROCK and I love and admire her so much. I urged her to not go to any trouble on our account for dinner, but she loves cooking and care taking, and we gratefully accepted.

Once it was time for us to go back to Dory, all of about four blocks away, we stopped for replenishing groceries and came back with a bag of ice. The plan was to defrost the fridge because the freezer door no longer opened. This seems to need to happen about once a month. We used Jack and Lee’s fridge last time to store our food while the ice melted, but this time I wanted to try an idea that was more sustainable than bumming fridge space. We used a waterproof dry bag to hold the ice, and then put the items we were most concerned about inside. It kind of worked. I think it will work better with a larger insulated grocery bag type thing. That goes on the list for next summer.

That night, we watched a spectacular lightning show taking place at a comfortable distance from us. The strikes were continuous and lit up huge portions of the cloud cover. Because it posed no threat of coming our way, I was able to find the awesome beauty in it. Wouldn’t want to be under it though! In fact, when I left Dory to go to dinner, I did unplug and put the roof down, just in case. For the record, that made me feel better. Not that it probably mattered in terms of Dory’s safety, but it helped my peace of mind.

In the morning, Richard got to ride up to the monument. He said there were others out there, walking or biking. It’s a steep climb with a steep descent, so it was not unreasonable for the rangers to insist on non concurrent use by bikes and cars. He said it was a great ride. Upon his return, we hitched up and stopped by Aunt Sandee’s place for one last hug. I sure do wish we lived closer. Hated saying goodbye, but grateful we were able to see her on this voyage. Love you Sandee!!!

Total miles from Devil’s Tower: 245.7, 17.3 mpg, 5 hours 20 min. Site 41. Electric and water hookups. Amazingly fast cell service for both. Wifi in campground but didn’t need it. Great dump. Solar.