Welcome back to another edition to Travel Tuesday! Between staying in Nebraska for a week, finishing my homework in a Bass Pro Shop, driving through Iowa for the first time ever, and finishing with a 14-hour long drive back to Bloomington, IN where I stayed the night in the Walmart parking lot. Despite all that, Travel Tuesdays are about the places, campgrounds, driveways, venues, or street roads I’ve slept on as well as a few smaller adventures I dealt with…and man do I have some for you. None of the places I stayed this past week I found through an app, sometimes a google search can suffice. Like I said before I am not that old, so I am still on a tight budget. While in Nebraska, I was able to stay with a close friend, so my stay was free. However, I had to find a place to put my RV because there was zero chance there would be street parking to fit my vehicle. I was lucky enough to find a storage place about 15 minutes away that was open and had room for me. I worked my way there and met the lady who runs the place. We talked about how I’d be here only a week and made it clear I wanted to pay for a month since that’s the way storage places usually work, but she was kind enough to charge me ten dollars for the whole exchange. I thanked her and moved on in. Nebraska was full of fun. I visited several pumpkin patches and orchards. I was able to get a taste of a more stable, scheduled life and I will say I missed it a little. Many people who travel like me understand that you’re willing to move away from the comfort of a house and the comfort of family and friends around. It made me more excited to return home to Bloomington, Indiana and be with my roommates in my own house. Staying in Nebraska also allowed me to play around with a lot of photography. I experimented with night-time long exposure photography which produced some really cool results. Since I was situated in Montana the whole summer, a lot of my photography was landscape based and while a city and the architecture is cool, it was even better getting to photograph the nightlife that I missed. It also gave me the ability to really focus on learning from others that are experts in long exposure photography like Trevor Sherwin. A few lessons...After leaving Nebraska, I focused on two things: 1.) Don’t lose my keys (again) and 2.) Don’t lock myself out (again). I struggled a tad making my way to and through Colorado. At one point, I found myself in the middle of nowhere Wyoming at a cute little RV camp. I was there with just one other camping family and settled in nicely and watched the sunset over all the flat fields. I woke up and tried to leave before I realized I couldn’t find my keys. I looked for an hour before I called the owner of the campground to notify them, I didn’t think I would be able to leave before the intended checkout time. They were overly understanding of the situation and allowed me to stay as long as needed. I’d stay again just because of how understanding they were. You can find there information here. I had spares, but my friend had them in her car and had left much earlier in the season. I sent an emergency text to her to ship them on the off chance I couldn’t find mine. Not wanting to bother the campground directors or my friend, I called a locksmith and paid $240 for two new keys. When I say middle-of-nowhere Wyoming, I mean he drove an hour and forty-five-minute drive to reach me. He got a really good yelp review and tip. Off chance you’re in Wyoming and need a locksmith, this is your guy. I didn’t make it much further into Colorado before I messed up again. I traveled to Colorado Springs to meet with some freshman friends of mine who attend The Air Force Academy. They pulled up to the Walmart I was parked in and with being as excited as I was, I rushed out and slammed the door shut so the cat wouldn’t get out. Unfortunately, my keys were not with me. I hugged them before panicking, realizing I may be out even more money. With stores closing, I called my nearest locksmith for a quote. That quote was $200 over my $0 budget. I tried picking the lock, coaxing my cat to unlock it from my drivers’ side door (it almost worked) before I realized one of my friends was small enough to fit through the only unlocked window. Twice is enough and I’ve learned my lesson. Travel Tuesday's Adventure RecommendationWhen I arrived in Bloomington at around 1 am, I just went to bed. I had a long list of chores, one of those to find where I was going to put the RV for the week. While I was not there long, I wasn’t able to find a friend with an open driveway to store it, so I was on my own. I woke up the next morning and that was first on the list, I couldn’t stay in the Walmart much longer. I called and googled to no end finding numbers out of service or places that were much to far out of my budget. I branched outside of just Bloomington and found the answer to my prayers in Martinsville, Indiana.
After finding a place that looked secure enough, I called and confirmed I could stay. For a small $80, I get to come and go as I please to a place that is technically not even open yet. When I called, the lady on the phone mentioned they’re newly opened and don’t even have their signs yet. They asked me what my situation was, and I told them, and they resonated with it because their daughter is a solo female traveler too and they understand how hard it can be. You can find all their information here. I got so lucky between the two storage places I kept the RV at, and I am super thankful that there are still some good people out there just wanting to help out when they can. It reminds me that I should be doing the same and encourage those around me to do the same. What have you been doing lately to help out? Let me know below!
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About ErynnErynn is originally from Indiana and is a student at Indiana University - South Bend. While pursing her degree, she is working as a raft guide during summers and spends the rest of the year traveling in her RV alongside her adventure cat, Poe. Her goal? To promote a lifestyle around the outdoors and to disconnect from the comforts of daily life. My Blogosphere |