patsaricas222
Observer
Here is some background about me and how we are able to make this trip across America. My name is Joe and I am a travel nurse. I have been an ER Nurse for several years now. I have always had exposure to the medical community. My birth father was a doctor, and my mother is a pharmacist. At 16 I started at CVS as a pharmacy tech and stayed with that until I joined the Air Force at 19 and became a Medic. During my time in service I was able to complete my BSN (nursing degree). In college I met my bride to be Shontae while living in West Virginia. In 2011 Shontae was a school teacher in West Virginia who was at her rope's end and needed a change. Her best friend who introduced us to each other had this awesome job that allowed her to work from home, and this gave Shontae an idea. One day Shontae came home and said "hey babe why don't you become a travel nurse and I work from home while we travel the country?" Well that idea prompted us to get rid of almost all of our belongings. With the help of our families, using their garages for storage for whatever we couldn't part with, we have been traveling the country since January 2013.
We started traveling close to home in Silver Spring, Maryland to get our bearings on what we did and did not need for the road. It was in Maryland that I had to make a heartbreaking decision. I had to part ways with my 2004 TJ Wrangler that was outfitted with a Metalclock Body, winch, and 35" BFG KM2's, OME suspension, Garvin roof rack… I traded the beloved Jeep in for a brand new 2012 Nissan Frontier SV King Cab 4x4. Let me tell you this truck has been great for the road. We use every inch of space right now and it drives so smooth, like a dream. After Maryland we moved to Milwaukee, WI from April to June 2013. We initially did not have a camper shell on the truck and had our belongings tied down with a tarp. Well several tarps because they got ripped to shreds because of the wind. So in Milwaukee we got a Leer 100XL camper shell.
Wisconsin Photos Above
Milwaukee was great and if you like beer and baseball this is the town for you. In Milwaukee we realized how nice people are in the Midwest. Coming from the East Coast and originally being from Brooklyn, NY we were not used to everybody, and I mean everybody being ridiculously nice. We went to several baseball games and a lot of restaurants. The food and beer there was amazing. We took a short trip to visit Ann Arbor, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois. In Chicago we went to a White Sox’s game and while standing in line this sweet lady came up to us and gave us free tickets 17 rows up along the 3rd baseline that her company gives her for every game. During the game her conversation was welcome, and I’ve said it before, “People in the Midwest are super nice.” In Milwaukee, we learned how to fly fish at a beginner class at Orvis. I was hooked. There was this local park less than a half a mile away from where we were staying and I was there all the time cleaning house with my hand me down fly rod. We later took “Orvis fly fishing 201” at the Highland rod and gun club near Kettle Moraine State Park. There we met one of the most generous people we have ever met. The owner of this rod and gun club proceeded to gather up some pheasant sausage from his huge walk in freezer, gathered up his 7 dogs, and invited us to his home for dinner with the wife and kids. From there we went to a baseball game that he has reserved seats and tables at. And when we thought the night was over, he took us out for Mexican food and margaritas. This man would not let us pay for one drink. It was amazing. Later he gave us an open invitation to call him up to gain access to some 1000+ acres in North Dakota. He and his family were gems of people. After a short stay in Milwaukee we took an assignment in Casper, WY. On our way out west we stopped at a few national parks.
On our way to Wyoming, we almost got blew off the road by 3 tornadoes crossing through South Dakota, and eventually arrived in Badlands NP. I recently got into photography and we had plans to take photographs of Badlands in the warm light of the sunrise the following day. Due to our run in with tornadoes we decided to stay in a hotel rather than tent camp for the night. That morning we learned a little fact that 90% of South Dakota is in one time zone and the other 10% which Badlands resides in is in another. So while waiting an extra hour in the Frontier in the dark I decided that at sunrise I would propose to Shontae. Well I did just that, and with not another soul in the park yet we became engaged. There the first person we met was a photographer named Joe Kopp from Missouri. Joe was very nice and gave use great information. After driving through Badlands, and visiting Mt Rushmore we stayed the night in Rapid City, SD. We later met up with Joe in Rapid City for a beer where he told us about Custer State Park, the Needles Highway, and Lake Sylvan. Thank goodness he did because we had a great encounter with a huge heard of buffalo, and saw one of the best sunrises at Lake Sylvan. By the way Lake Sylvan is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth. The next morning we made our way up to Devil's Tower on our way to Casper, WY.
South Dakota (Badlands, Lake Sylvian, Custer State Park)
Wyoming (Devils Tower)
Traveling from Wisconsin to Wyoming Above
We started traveling close to home in Silver Spring, Maryland to get our bearings on what we did and did not need for the road. It was in Maryland that I had to make a heartbreaking decision. I had to part ways with my 2004 TJ Wrangler that was outfitted with a Metalclock Body, winch, and 35" BFG KM2's, OME suspension, Garvin roof rack… I traded the beloved Jeep in for a brand new 2012 Nissan Frontier SV King Cab 4x4. Let me tell you this truck has been great for the road. We use every inch of space right now and it drives so smooth, like a dream. After Maryland we moved to Milwaukee, WI from April to June 2013. We initially did not have a camper shell on the truck and had our belongings tied down with a tarp. Well several tarps because they got ripped to shreds because of the wind. So in Milwaukee we got a Leer 100XL camper shell.
Wisconsin Photos Above
Milwaukee was great and if you like beer and baseball this is the town for you. In Milwaukee we realized how nice people are in the Midwest. Coming from the East Coast and originally being from Brooklyn, NY we were not used to everybody, and I mean everybody being ridiculously nice. We went to several baseball games and a lot of restaurants. The food and beer there was amazing. We took a short trip to visit Ann Arbor, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois. In Chicago we went to a White Sox’s game and while standing in line this sweet lady came up to us and gave us free tickets 17 rows up along the 3rd baseline that her company gives her for every game. During the game her conversation was welcome, and I’ve said it before, “People in the Midwest are super nice.” In Milwaukee, we learned how to fly fish at a beginner class at Orvis. I was hooked. There was this local park less than a half a mile away from where we were staying and I was there all the time cleaning house with my hand me down fly rod. We later took “Orvis fly fishing 201” at the Highland rod and gun club near Kettle Moraine State Park. There we met one of the most generous people we have ever met. The owner of this rod and gun club proceeded to gather up some pheasant sausage from his huge walk in freezer, gathered up his 7 dogs, and invited us to his home for dinner with the wife and kids. From there we went to a baseball game that he has reserved seats and tables at. And when we thought the night was over, he took us out for Mexican food and margaritas. This man would not let us pay for one drink. It was amazing. Later he gave us an open invitation to call him up to gain access to some 1000+ acres in North Dakota. He and his family were gems of people. After a short stay in Milwaukee we took an assignment in Casper, WY. On our way out west we stopped at a few national parks.
On our way to Wyoming, we almost got blew off the road by 3 tornadoes crossing through South Dakota, and eventually arrived in Badlands NP. I recently got into photography and we had plans to take photographs of Badlands in the warm light of the sunrise the following day. Due to our run in with tornadoes we decided to stay in a hotel rather than tent camp for the night. That morning we learned a little fact that 90% of South Dakota is in one time zone and the other 10% which Badlands resides in is in another. So while waiting an extra hour in the Frontier in the dark I decided that at sunrise I would propose to Shontae. Well I did just that, and with not another soul in the park yet we became engaged. There the first person we met was a photographer named Joe Kopp from Missouri. Joe was very nice and gave use great information. After driving through Badlands, and visiting Mt Rushmore we stayed the night in Rapid City, SD. We later met up with Joe in Rapid City for a beer where he told us about Custer State Park, the Needles Highway, and Lake Sylvan. Thank goodness he did because we had a great encounter with a huge heard of buffalo, and saw one of the best sunrises at Lake Sylvan. By the way Lake Sylvan is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth. The next morning we made our way up to Devil's Tower on our way to Casper, WY.
South Dakota (Badlands, Lake Sylvian, Custer State Park)
Wyoming (Devils Tower)
Traveling from Wisconsin to Wyoming Above
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