P.S

Lori, when you were talking about your son's jacket busting - DUCK TAPE came to mind. Surely, you being an experienced traveler must carry duck tape with you! (giggles)

Traveling safety:

When we have traveled in Europe or other "big cities" in the U.S.... I have never traveled with a purse OR a back pack. We were taught that it makes one a "traveling target". I put my money and my credit card in my front pocket, and I put my hand in my pocket when I am around crowds of people! (or, on other occasions, have put my purse UNDER my coat.) (bulky, but safe)

D.

My husband and I have never been ripped off (by the grace of God).

First, Danita, thank you for ordering a copy of "Ribbons." I hope it brings you a few enjoyable hours. Two dollars will go to UNICEF for tsunami relief, and I thank you for that, also.

Yes, yes, travelers! Duck tape, duct tape, DukTape ... whatever the package says, get yourself a roll of this stuff before you leave home. A roll of duck tape and a Swiss Army knife --- one with a pair of little scissors and a corkscrew -- can get you through just about any travel situation. You are so right about the duck tape, Danita!

I think I feel another blog post coming on... Or maybe a magazine article... "101 ways to use duck tape on the road:"

Hem your clothes; hang up your laundry; patch your tent; seal your luggage; bundle up your campfire wood; while picnicking in South Dakota, keep your tablecloth from blowing into Minnesota; seal drafty doors and window; remove lint... the list is endless!

Lori,

Can't wait to catch up with your adventures!

LOL! (101 ways to use duck tape)
Humbly, I would add:

quiet your travel partner(s)......
remove excess hair......
keep your hair out of your face (headband)..

keep "the girls in line" when a regular "bra" will not do (or you left it at home)!


giggles,
danita

(

I'll have to borrow your duck tape ideas for my article... Before I turned to writing full-time, I spent 20 years in the corporate world, some of that in training and organizational development. I used to run team training seminars, and I created exercises designed to help employees build teamwork skills. I'm picturing a little competition, in which a roomful of teams are given 15 minutes to "brainstorm with your team, and list as many uses as you can for duck tape. Winning team gets a roll for each member." (Use it to bind and gag team members who drive you crazy.)

No, I don't homeschool, but my two greatest friends do. One is in Nashville (that's Rhonda -- you'll meet her briefly in the book, and she's in an earlier post), and the other, Terry, lives in Oregon. I marvel at their hard work and dedication to educating their kids, and they've taught me great respect for something I never knew much about. I don't think I'd have the patience, and I'm in awe of those who do. Do you homeschool?

And Custer State Park. What a glorious destination. Yes, we did visit Custer on our Ribbons journey. For anyone looking for a scenic, serene, natural counterpoint to the hubbub and tourist kitsch around Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills in South Dakota, head to Custer State Park, where buffalo roam free and traffic stops until the behemoths have cleared the road. Custer info here: www.custerstatepark.info .

Having already visited the area, Danita, you probably know about the majestic scenic roads that thread through the Rushmore-Black Hills-Custer area. The Custer Wildlife Loop gives you eyefuls of buffalo and other creatures, and travelers to this area shouldn't miss driving on the Needles Scenic Byway and Iron Mountain Road. (RV drivers, be aware that there are some narrow rock arches on these roads. I didn't see anyone get stuck, but it'd be wise to check your "dimensions" before heading up onto either of these heavenly, high altitude ribbons of highway.)

We didn't stay at the park (we stayed at the Mt. Rushmore KOA -- a giant resort, really, with gobs of things to do. A little busy for my taste, but the kids absolutely loved it), but I remember seeing some gorgeous cabin complexes inside Custer: Blue Bell Resort was one. And Spokane Creek Resort on 16A just outside Custer looked nice, as well.

I envy you your buffalo-filled Memorial Day weekend. When I posted the info about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, I joked, "Don't touch the lava." In Custer, don't touch the buffalo. We learned how dangerous these guys are from a wrangler at Yellowstone. I wrote about it in the book, and I'll post the "steer clear of buffalo" excerpt in another post.

I found this post from new member rockgarden in another thread and told her I'd copy it over to this forum and chat with her here. Thanks for getting in touch, rockgarden. I'll pop back and answer your questions shortly. You might want to scroll back through our discussion so far. Lots of meaty posts with good stories, tips and informtion. And thank you for the kind words, rockgarden:


posted May 11, 2005 08:29 PMMay 11, 2005 08:29 PM

Dear Lori,

I enjoyed your book so much I hated to finish it. I'll wait a few months and I'll reread it. Your book made me feel as though I know you and your family, or at least I would like to.

You mentioned KOA campsites were good, and since you were traveling with kids as I will be I was interested in them. Was there enough security? What were your children's favorite places on your trip?

I just wanted you to know that I also enjoy your blog. I would love to travel with you. You are so well informed, and you go to places that are "off the beaten track", but not without knowing them first.

Thanks for a warm and informative book.

Posts: 1 | From: New England | IP: Logged

Lori, have you ever visited Antibes? One of my favorite spots and the outdoor markets are to die for!

No, I missed Antibes when we were on the Riviera, but sounds like I'll have to make it there on the next trip. Nice was the farthest west we traveled from our base in Menton. I do plan to return to the area (I've always got a line-up of trips planned out in my head) and base myself in Marseille, and take day trips up into towns like Arles and Aix-en-Provence and the Camargue region. On that trip, I'd be sure to hit the coastal resorts like Antibes that I missed the first time around.

What kinds of things does the Antibes outdoor market sell?

I'm going to get in touch with your sister as soon as I get a spare minute. I can't wait to meet her, if only virtually for now.

Smilinize, I got an email from Laurel Smith of Mom's Minivan ( www.momsminivan.com ), and she checked out Car-i-Okie. She said it definitely looks like something she'll recommend on her site, and she thanked us for bringing it to her attention.

Moms and dads and kids in minivans everywhere may soon be crooning their way across America thanks to smilinize and her "Osmonds."

The cautionary bison tale I promised Danita as she heads for Custer State Park for Memorial Day Weekend. Excerpted from "Ribbons of Highway" --


We made our way slowly out of Yellowstone, drinking in the powerful beauty of this immense wild place, and headed for the Northeast Entrance, which would deliver us into Montana. As we drove through Lamar Valley, site of the National Park Service’s Buffalo Ranch, we saw large herds of bison, and one small herd of nine ladies from Denver who were about to embark on a five-day pack trip across the valley. The ladies, experienced riders all, had one fear: buffalo. They should have been underway already, but something literally sat in their way. I talked to the woman who’d lassoed her friends into this trip. (She’d heard about the pack tours "at the Future Farmers of America convention.") She sat on her horse, ready to ride into the wilderness, but was afraid of just one thing: "The buffalo sittin’ straight out there."

Smart to be scared. Mike and Dana had taken a trail ride from the stables near Mammoth Hot Springs and had talked a lot about the viciousness of bison and the stupidity of tourists with Justin and Erin, their wrangler and wrangler-in-training. Bison were the only animals Justin was afraid of. Every morning before starting the day’s rides, the stable sends scouts onto the trails to look for buffalo. Justin talked about the tourists who die every year from bison attacks. When we drove into Yellowstone, the ranger who checked my Golden Eagle Passport had handed us a flyer. It said to keep away from the bison, and told of the non-heeders gored and killed each year. One man tried to put his three-year-old daughter atop a buffalo for a photo. The man is dead. From Yellowstone on into Custer State Park in South Dakota, we’d see people, out of their cars, cameras poised, walking close to these wild, horned behemoths, cooing to them as if they were puppies.

As we rode through this wild country, I noticed that the middle finger of my left hand, which takes most of the steering wheel pressure, was completely callused. My trophy for nearly 8,000 miles of driving.
----

Lori,
I just love your writing. Reminds me of places I've traveled to and makes me want to go places I've not yet been.

All the gasoline companies should get together and give you a commission from every gallon of gas they sell. I'm pretty sure you're inspiring a lot of people to go traveling and we'll all be buying gasoline which will make them rich.
You could tell 'em I said so. I'm sure they will be impressed.

smile