2023 Schwieterman Summer Adventure Series - the Intro

Short Stories: Schwieterman Summer Adventure Series - 2023 (Part 1 – The Intro)

A little history. . .

Last summer, our family embarked on an adventure across the country in a rented Class C motorhome to attend a family wedding in Big Sur. The typical family would travel via airplane from Ohio to California, but our family is anything but typical! Our trachie was born with an extensive list of medical conditions, one of which is a hyperinflated left lung, meaning air travel is not an option for us. We briefly looked into travel on the rail, but ultimately decided, since we are already a camping family, that travel in an RV was the way to go.

We loved our trip so much that we decided to embark on another travel adventure this year, after all, there is a lot to see in our beautiful country. We did learn some lessons from our previous trip across the country and made some adjustments that better suited our family. First, we ditched the rented Class C since the overage fees for mileage and generator use are a small fortune. This year, we decided to pull our own travel trailer. The amount we saved by not renting an RV far exceeded the minor inconvenience of having to actually stop the coach for the kids’ bathroom breaks. Our own travel trailer provided much more room and that homey feeling since it was our own camper, which is already stocked with our dishes, storage, and a multitude of trach and ventilator supplies.

Second, we purchased a battery generator which allows us to run our daughter’s ventilator and humidification chamber for six hours and can be recharged by either electric or solar power. Our trip this year had two nights boondocking (no electricity), so the generator really came in handy.

This year, we decided our destination would be Yellowstone National Park. We chose to travel via I-90 (as opposed to I-80) to see some new sites this time around. I spent hours upon hours researching our destinations along the route, every minute of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Itinerary planning rivals my passion for writing! I'm thinking of making a career change!

To reserve our spot in Yellowstone, I needed to book six months in advance, which meant I began planning our adventure incredibly far in advance. Which also means I have been “patiently” waiting to actually enjoy the vacation I had spent numerous hours planning.  

After months of waiting, our departure was finally upon us! Our plan was to leave in the evening and get through Chicago before retiring for the night at a rest stop or travel plaza. ~ Goal accomplished. We made our way to the travel plaza in Belvidere, IL where we were serenaded throughout the night by the sounds of thunder, rain, wind that rocked our camper, and truck engines. Truck stop sleeping is not ideal! Of course, it didn’t help that even at midnight, the temperature was still in the 80s. We left Ohio in the midst of a heat wave! Unfortunately, the sweltering heat wasn’t limited to Ohio, it would be present for our first adventure as well. Next stop: Wisconsin Dells.

Let our summer adventure begin!!