Our last trip out west before I was laid-off was in the summer of 2010. My mom and I wanted to go back to South Dakota again before driving to visit our elderly cousin for a week. At this time, she was in a nursing home and no longer had her apartment. She didn't care for being in the nursing home and would have rather been in her apartment. One thing she did enjoy was watching the squirrels outside her window. We were very fortunate to be able to visit her this one last time. She passed away at the age of 99 about a month after we came home. We love and miss you cousin Fern.
 

Our third trip out west was in 2009. I had three weeks vacation time at this point so my mom and I decided to add South Dakota into the mix. Some of our relatives thought it was a great idea, while others thought we were crazy for driving to South Dakota. They said there was nothing to see on the drive. They were the relatives in Minnisota. We had visited there before going to South Dakota. We spent a couple of days near the Mall of America. The Mall was kind of cool. My mom and I enjoyed the Aquarium in the mall, and my son enjoyed the amusement park. After staying in Rapid City for three days, we drove to Iowa for ou week with our elderly cousin before driving home.

Our first trip that my mom planned began at 4:30 in the morning. I had loaded my van the day before so all we had to do was get ice and start driving. My mom and I took turns at the wheel and made it into Indiana the first day. The second day we made it to Wisconsin Dells where we spent three nights and did alot of attractions. We drove to our destination in Iowa for a week after that and then began driving home.
Our second trip consisted of us driving to Niagra Falls for three days before heading to Iowa for a week. We gave ourselves two days to make it there from the Falls.

I was thinking about my blog and driving out west, so I thought I'd share how it started. I was working at a factory for quite some time and my son had never had a long vacation. My mom had been wanting to go to Iowa to visit an elderly cousin for years and didn't want to go alone. I had two weeks vacation coming to me so I told her we could drive there and stay for a week to visit. She had to plan the trip and not tell me anything about it. It was like I was running away.   More to come.

Driving through the Badlands in South Dakota was a little scary. There was a posted speed limit of 40 miles per hour, but I wouldn't go that fast. There were steep drops and from what they say it resembles the surface of the moon.

My niece called me for a ride home since we had classes at the same time, and as I was driving it happened again. We got stuck behind someone who did not know how to drive around the circle on the college property.

My mother and I went out to lunch the other day and while she was driving a suv came speeding up behind her in a 25 mile speed limit zone. The road had only the lane we were in and one lane for oncoming traffic seperated by solid double yellow lines. The person decided not to wait and passed, crossing the double yellow lines, while continuing to exceed the posted speed limit. What's wrong with this picture?  

I was driving on route 42 today and someone decided they wanted to be in my lane. I would like to remind that person that the arm on the left side of the steering wheel controls the blinkers. If you don't know how to use your blinkers or know what they are used for, maybe you shouldn't be driving.

I have to take my son to his behavior program three times a week and it's a rather long drive. Sometimes, I get tired of driving. 

The other day as I was driving, my car slid on the wet street as I started to move at a traffic light. I hate it when that happens. 

I was driving to school the other day and got stuck behind a guy at a yield sign on a circle even though there wasn't any traffic. He was just sitting there having a conversation on his cell phone.

A friend came up from Kentucky unexpectedly and surprised me. She had her friend, Michelle, with her who had never been to NJ. Michelle wanted to get gifts with NJ on them for friends back home so we went to Wildwood on Saturday. While we were driving home, we saw a bad accident site where a jeep was lying sideways against a tree.  We also got stuck in traffic because someone had hit a deer.

What is wrong with children these days? They walk, skateboard,and ride scooters in the middle of the street and won't move out of the way even though they know you are driving right behind them.

I was driving to school yesterday morning and I heard sirens going. I saw a fire engine heading my way and pulled over. The fire engine turned the same way I was going. I drove past the apartment building where the truck stopped. I didn't see any smoke or flames. I hope everyone was okay.

I was driving home on Friday from a friend's house and noticed that people were collecting for the little league at the traffic lights. As I was coming up to one of the traffic lights which was green, a girl crossed the street right in front of me without looking in my direction once.

When I was driving through Custer State Park in South Dakota I saw a herd of wild buffalo.

When I was driving through Bear Country in South Dakota, the bears were holding up traffic at a gate leading into their section of the park by crossing to and fro in front of the vehicles acting like sentries.

It amazes me that many people do not know how to drive around a circle or a round about if you'd rather call it that. Everyday when I am out driving I see people either stopping at a yeild sign even when there isn't any traffic coming or just going when there is traffic as if they have the right of way.

What is it with the warm weather? All the crazy driver's are coming out. While driving yesterday I got stuck behind someone going 30-35 miles per hour in a 55 mile speed zone and almost missed being able to get off the highway at the exit I needed to take.

I miss going on road trips with my mom and my son. We were taking two to three week vacations before I was laid-off. We would head out west to visit family and stop other places also. We drove as far west as Custer, South Dakota. It was driving through Bear Country, near Rapid City, S.D., that I found out even an automatic transmission van will roll backwards on a steep hill.

My mom has a '64 Studibaker that she takes out for a drive around town for the maintenance and I go along for the ride. We were driving around today and we were stopped by three turkeys standing in the middle of the street. One of the turkeys kept fluffing their feathers and the three of them refused to get out of the way. I even yelled out the window at them and mom honked the horn. That only made them gobble at us. The turkeys finally moved out of the way so we could drive by after about five minutes.

My mom wanted to go out for lunch yesterday, and as she was driving I noticed a helicopter hovering nearby and pointed it out. We were wondering why the helicopter was there when my mom saw that the train was also stopped. Unfortunately, someone was hit by the train.

I was driving to school the other day and I thought I forgot a textbook that I needed, so I turned around and headed home. I ran into the house looking for my book and didn't see it. My mom suggested to check the car again, and whoops, there it was.

Driving home

My mother and I were driving home from Walmart on Saturday. We were in the left lane, which was about to merge, going the speed limit when someone decided to speed and pass us on the right. Someone needs to go back to driver's education.2/12/12

While I was driving to the unemployment office after a class yesterday, an ambulance with it's lights and sirens going was coming towards me in oncoming traffic. I pulled over to the side of the road, like you are supposed to, along with all the other cars with the exception of the one directly behind me. This person actually passed me as the ambulance was also passing. 2/15/12