The Sweet Life of Sierra Sugar: October 2014

Send tumbly right over.

How many of you remember playing Red Rover in elementary school? You would wait for the other side to call your name and then run as fast as you could to try and break through their held hands. If you broke through you went back to your team. If you didn't break through you had to join the team that called your name.

Driving down the highway in southern Colorado I finally saw a live tumbleweed.

Being sick when you're over the road sucks!

To be fair I doubt being sick at anytime is on anyone's list of top fun things. But when you are traveling it is even worse. All you want is a dark room, a soft pillow, a comfortable bed, and lots of quiet. Instead you are in a big truck traveling 70mph down bumpy interstate roads, up and down mountains, and often crazy traffic. Now imagine all that motion on top of four great big air pillows! The cab of our truck sits on these, "air ride", it helps cushion the jarring from the road. But when you are laying down in the sleeper on a spring mattress it feels like being bounced around on a trampoline. Fun.

Ok, so I want to know what is up with women in public bathrooms! Sorry guys if this embarrasses you or falls under TMI. But seriously girls, help me out here.

As someone who suffers from "stage fright" I always try to pick a bathroom stall that is not right next to someone else. Heck, even at home I hesitate and struggle if someone is right outside the door, or even in the next room. In public facilities it isn't always possible to be completely alone in the restroom, or even have empty stalls on either side of you, especially if there is a waiting line. But it never fails. The ladies room can be totally empty when I go in. Then someone will come in and pick the stall next to me. Now I'm not talking small two or three stall tinkle rooms. I mean the big ones with lots of little privacy rooms. I have tried picking the stalls on either far end and various stalls in the middle. Yet every single time someone will come in and sit right next to me.

Come on ladies! Seriously, are we that potty codependant? Give a girl some piddle room please?

~sierra

This morning we woke up at the foot of the Black Hills, in South Dakota in a little town called Wall. There isn't much in Wall besides an Ace Hardware, a small local grocery store, a few small hotels, and of course the historical Main Street with Wall Drug. Wall Drug was started by a young couple in 1931. A family run drug store complete with soda fountain. After struggling for 5 years they came up with a sales gimmick to draw in weary travelers.... free ice water. And it worked. Wall Drug today takes up a full city block filled with memorabilia, trinkets, gifts, and an incredible collection of authentic photos and paintings chronoling the settlement of the Badlands and Midwest. Ice water is still free. A cup of coffee is only 5cents. Plus they serve delicious homemade old fashioned cake style donuts. Yum!!!

After a brisk walk down 4 blocks in the chilly morning winds, he and I rambled around Wall Drug enjoying the walk through history, the beautiful arts and crafts, stunning black hills gold jewlery, and yes even hokey tourist displays and gifts. We sat and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee and a donut before walking hand in hand back up Main Street. Ahhh, such is life in a peaceful small town. A brief stop a the little grocery for dinner provisions, then back to the truck and modern day.

It was a nice relaxing break from the road. And now on to what is sure to be more breath taking views of the Badlands and Black Hills. Hopeefully next time I will have pictures to share of the scenery.

~sierra

If you've ever watched any futuristic science fiction movies there seems to be a few common themes for the cities featured in the story. One of which is that the cities are in levels, a physical representation of the old-fashioned caste system.

The ground levels are naturally the oldest. Built first, they are the foundation of the city. Here you find your working class; the poor, the struggling, and the outcasts.

Moving vertical up through the city you find the blue collar workers, the middle class, the everyday common citizen. The chools, hospitals, and other community service buildings are also usually in these areas.

At the very top of the city, the highest levels, the tallest buildings you find the wealthy. These are the city leaders, both electorials and financial. These are the newest buildings with clean designs free of the rubble and crowding of the lower levels.

Ok, you say. We all know this, you think. So why take the time to explain it? Why? Because traveling through the very real modern-day Kansas City was like traveling through one of these science fiction cities.

The past couple of days we've traveled through Kansas, Wyoming, and down in to Utah. Looking out on the plains to a horizon many miles away is a lot looking out across the ocean. It's harvest time, and the lyrics "amber waves of grain" come to life before my eyes. Then later, some nearly 9000 feet above sea level in Wyoming looking out from the top of a mountain and seeing the beauty of the world below spread out in
uncountable miles of glorious beauty was a moment I will never forget.

It was early morning, the sun barely in the sky. As we came around the curve and up over the hill, I couldn't believe my eyes. Through the mist and rain, clouds rested against the mountain sides. The wind rustled the multi-colored leaves and the clouds stretched like pulled cotton clinging to the tree tops. Down into a valley another curve in the road was balanced between a steep drop to our right and sheer rock cliffs to our left. Every few yards cool mountain water raced from rock crevices cascading onto an old railcar resting on its iron tracks which hugged the rugged curves of this Tennessee mountain.

And there was no place to pull over to capture this picturesque scene which seemed straight from some old Hollywood movie. Even if there had been the slanting rain would have made digital capture near impossible. But the memory will forever be burned in my mind.

And of course his smile at watching my excitement and reactions.

Breath caught finally and conversation ensued. We were going by Lookout Mountain, the top of which allows a spectacular view over multiple states. I vaguely remember going with my parents when I was young, 9 or 10 maybe. The last time he was there was with grandparents when he was around 13.

Seventy three inches. That is the total length of our new "home."

Along with new living space I am also learning a whole new language and lifestyle. Being on the road is a culture unto itself. Lifestyle changes, storage challenges for small living, CB radio lingo, trucker jargon, and more are all part of this modern-day gypsy lifestyle.

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