My eyes opened in a panic as I tried to decide if I was being hit by a tornado as the wind howled outside, shaking my house on wheels. Perhaps worst of all, I was incredibly cold and couldn’t figure out why. This was my first real night in “Ethel the Wonder Truck”, the affectionate name given to the 2002 Toyota 4Runner I had recently converted to a high-speed camper van. You may think this is a crazy way to plan a trip, but I assure you the journey didn’t start out with me shivering in gale. Instead, it started in the heat and humidity of a Florida summer.
After putting the finishing touches on Ethel, which included neatly organizing electrical wiring, installing some final LEDs, and securing a couple scuba tanks, a last minute decision was made to bring a little blanket for my bed. While it was hot as hell in Florida, I thought, “self, maybe it will be colder someplace else.” I had no idea just how cold I would be once I drove out of the southeastern United States on my cross-country adventure to the Pacific Northwest. This brings me back to my current predicament. Incredible wind, rain, and shivering cold.
Ethel was parked atop a large bluff in the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. After a truly amazing day exploring the park which includes giant sandstone bluffs which seamless fade into a sea of grass, I had decided to just park and go to sleep (one of the great benefits of having a camper van). Being from Florida, I was expecting a hot night and had left all windows cracked for airflow and comfort. As the sun set, off to sleep I went. No more than a few hours later, the weather turned and this Floridian was given a front row seat the harsh and fast weather of this part of the country. The temperature had dropped 20 degrees and Ethel was absolutely shaking back and forth from the gale. There was nothing to do but find the one blanket I had decided to bring, wrap myself up in a shivering cocoon and wait.
Luckily, the storm passed quickly, and I awoke in the morning to a mother and baby bighorn sheep gently grazing just outside my door. Admittedly, I was already using the facilities outside when I noticed them, but they didn’t seem to mind me peeing, and I didn’t mind them not minding. As I carefully made my way back to the car, I made a mental note to look out the car before I exited the safety of Ethel…a move I would later be grateful for when I came face to face with a large male Bison in Gardiner Montana just 6 months later.
Overall, this park is way better than you’d think. As you approach, it just doesn’t seem like it can live up to the hype. I assure you, it does. Just seeing the incredible rock formations and taking a stroll through the sandstone spires can make you feel like you’re on another planet. After the stroll here, I continued to Idaho where I again experienced just how cold a Floridian can get when they don’t know how to dress for chilly nights. But hey, it’s adventure and always worth it.
