An Ode to Yellow Springs, OH

I feel like I've written about a lot of gratitude between Chad and I during this journey, but I'm not sure we've ever felt more grateful than making it to the wide and flat roads of Ohio. There is really something about fighting for your life on the windy roads of West Virginia then transitioning to a 4-lane highway with shoulders and rumble strips that makes your heart sing.

We packed up the Smile Wagon on a chilly WV night, ready to roll out in the morning after the fog burned off. We were laying in bed reminiscing on our time: "Remember when we biked 25 miles? Or the time we had a cookie dough blizzard for dinner?" Then we started hearing a scratching noise on the roof. Chad was convinced that there was something INSIDE the roof of the RV and I was ready to sell it. Absolutely not. I draw the line at ants. If you read our previous post, you know that I didn't take the trash to the dumpster because I forgot that wildlife exists, so the wildlife found the trash and were having snack time at 11 pm. Crisis averted.

Chad so beautifully planned this haul: we had 2 nights in Ohio, 1 night in Indiana, and 2 nights in Wisconsin. A true Midwestern road trip. I hope you're not thinking, "How boring!", because the minute you hit road construction in Indiana, I assure you, there will be no room in your thoughts for boredom. In fact, you'll probably be thinking that everything in your RV will be shattered because of how bumpy the roads are. Thankfully we only had one picture frame casualty from these bumps.

We're getting pretty good at driving the Smile Wagon, filling up on diesel and DEF, and making sure everything is locked (see previous post again about the door flying open on the road). Also, in case you needed another reason to visit your local Cracker Barrel, know that they have parking specifically for RVs.

Chad and I love AirBnB. In fact, I wish AirBnB would sponsor us (and Facebook Marketplace, but y'all know that already.) The haters (both of our dads) will say that hotels are better because the coffee is always hot and you don't have to make your own breakfast, but I say just have Chad make the coffee and breakfast, you know what I mean?

The only AirBnB we have ever stayed at multiple times is located in Yellow Springs, Ohio from our multiple road trips between Kansas and Maine. And to our luck, they've recently added an RV spot that's big enough for our gal! YAY. We parked the Smile Wagon right next to the pin of bison and headed into the nearby town of Yellow Springs, Ohio, an unspoken gem in this country.

Yellow Springs??? No way. YES WAY! As if parking next to a pin of BISON wasn't cool enough, there's more: Little Free Libraries on multiple street corners, nature preserves, bike trails, food trucks, margaritas on tap, and good vibes only. Yellow Springs is the perfect stop on your next road trip between the Midwest and East Coast. Make sure to stay at Green Plains Cabin. You're welcome.

After nearly ripping a side off the Wagon (also see last post), we said a reluctant goodbye to Yellow Springs and headed for Indiana Dunes National Park, which is a new park in the system! It did not disappoint, and we are still cleaning sand out of our shoes.

After a night in Indiana, we made our way to Wisconsin, where we Harvest Hosted at a par 3 golf course. I'm happy to report that I lost fewer balls than Chad and made two 25-foot putts. Everything else about my golf game was a disaster. Chad, while he lost more balls, actually played a great game. Important information from this stay: we learned our lesson with the battery and didn't drain it! Bonus lesson: we will now check for local sports games so we don't arrive to a packed neighborhood bar in the middle of said game.

Our last stop was just outside of Eau Claire, WI with Eileen, a gal who opens her property to RVers near and far. We are leaving her place with some great memories and some sweet corn. My oh my, we sure do love those Midwest sunsets. And that Midwest willingness to share any and all of the following: garden crops, questionable stories about getting married, desserts, rescuing dogs (Tink pictured below), and political musings.

Finally, we made it to Minneapolis! Our first order of business was heading to Trader Joe's, where we went wild at the cheese cooler.

We'll be here for a while for my first audition rotation, and Chad will be dentist-ing and caddying. Here's hoping we have some extra time to adventure and nothing else breaks on the Smile Wagon!!!