Day 1 - Saturday, July 15
We got up early, finished packing and loading up the van. We had packed up most of the van last night. We just needed to add the coolers, kids, and us!
We were on the road by 7:30 a.m. with an eta of 2:10 p.m. (without stops). The van (2009 Toyota Sienna) ODO was 182,875.
We had a quick stop in Osseo, WI just about 9:00 a.m. We made it into Illinois and stopped at the Belvidere Oasis at 12:25 p.m., refueled, and ate. We were back on the road at 1:17 p.m. We made it to the campground at 3:30 p.m. We went right to the bathroom. When we got back outside, it started thundering. We weren't sure how long it was going to last, so we quickly found our site and set up as quickly as we could.
I got the tent set up and had the kids get inside, then moved on to helping Marcus set up the tarp over the picnic table. We probably should have just jumped in the tent with the kids. The picnic table still got soaked, and Marcus got pretty wet by the time we had the tarp up. Also, by then, the rain had slowed down. Since the rain had almost stopped, we decided to head to the beach for a bit. We arrived at Lake View Beach at 5:22 p.m.
Unfortunately, during the short drive to the beach the van overheated. We decided to still walk on the beach for a bit. Even though it was gray and cool, the kids were still wanting to jump in the water! When we left and headed back to camp, the van overheated again.
Marcus looked at the van while I made dinner - premade, frozen sloppy joes. These were a big hit! After dinner, we decided to head back out, plus Marcus wanted to pick up engine coolant. At 8:00 p.m. we parked at Dune Ridge Parking lot. Once again the van over heated. We walked south along beach. I also walked along the road to check out the Century of Progress Historic District.
On the way back to camp Marcus purchased some engine coolant. The van overheated again on the short drive back. We were pretty stressed and looked up a mechanic. I found some, but not that many close by, and open on the weekend.
Day 2 - Sunday, July 16
We woke up stressed about the van. It didn't look like it needed radiator fluid. We had a breakfast of yogurt, granola, and coffee. I looked again to see if I could find an open mechanic. We found a mechanic that was fairly close by and close to the park. I packed up two daypacks with snacks, water, and swim suits. We drove there as soon as it opened.
The mechanic looked at the van while we all sat in the van and waited. I should have just left with the kids as soon as we got there, but we waited a bit so see what he thought. We missed the ranger led tour of Mount Baldy. I finally decided we waited long enough and the kids and I took off walking. This wasn't the best as it was a busy road. We took the long way because I was trying to avoid walking on the wrong side of the road. We couldn't cross the railroad tracks to get to the trail which I didn't realize at first. It would have been much better to just walk the wrong way the short distance. My initial plan was to take the road to the trail, the trail to Mount Baldy. But when we connected to the trail, it looked like we would have needed to get back on the busy road to get to a spot where we could get down to the beach.
Therefore, after we connected with the trail, I decided we would head back south (on the trail this time), to Central Ave, then take Central Ave to the beach. We made it to Central Ave by 9:57 a.m. they had a nice National Park sign there. We proceeded to walk down the road to the beach. Marcus texted me shortly after we got to the beach and said he was on the beach as well, but down by Mount Baldy. We played in the sand and waited for him to walk over. Then we took turns going to change into swim suits.
The kids were so excited to pay in the sand and the water. It was nice to relax a bit, but we were nervus about the van. We heard back from the shop around noon, they had fixed the van! The mechanic shop said the issue was the thermostat. We could have stayed longer, but we had so much more to see, so Marcus started walking back to the shop. The kids and I went to change, then started walking back to the shop to meet Marcus on the road. We met a park ranger at an intersection guiding traffic due to the full parking lot. We had a great time talking with a her about the park. Marcus drove up and he talked with her a bit as well.
We decided to head to The Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. We had a picnic lunch there before walking to the farm. The kids worked hard on their Junior Ranger booklets here. It was neat to check out the farm and hear about the maple syrup production. The kids were actually able to complete their Junior Ranger booklet and be sworn in as a Junior Ranger at the farm.
We knew we needed to head to the visitor center before they closed, so we headed there next, it was already 3:20 p.m. We got our family souvenir, a magnet, and headed on our way. We still wanted to check out the state park and hike the 3 Dune Challenge. We were in line for about 30 minutes to get into the state park. We were surprised to see that the parking lot for the 3 Dune Challenge was almost empty and the visitor center was closed. They didn't have any bathrooms at the trailhead with the visitor center closed, which surprised me. We started our hike about 4:30 p.m.
My kids loved this hike! They took off their shoes and did most of the hike in their bare feet. I wore my hiking books, because I didn't want to deal with the sand. The kids thought it was fun to scamper up the dunes. We finished the hike and headed back to camp.
We needed to pack up and eat dinner as we were heading to Great Smokey Mountains NP the next day. We had tacos for dinner. As we cleaned up from dinner, I packed a lunch for the next day. We packed up as much as we could, took showers, then headed to bed. I knew our next two campsites didn't have showers so it was important to shower this night.
Day 3 - Monday, July 17
We had a long drive planned for this day, over 9 hours without stops to Smokemont Campground in Great Smokey Mountains NP. We made coffee and packed up camp, then we were on our way. I had made muffins at home so we could have a quick breakfast of muffins and dried fruit in the van. We stopped around 1:30 p.m. to eat lunch at the Midway Rest Area for lunch and bathroom break.
Not too long after we got back on the road T had to use the bathroom. So we stopped on the outskirts of Richmond, KY. As soon as we pulled off the interstate, the van overheated again. We pulled into the gas station, and went to the bathroom. We tried the van again, instant overheating. So we looked up the nearest mechanic and called them. We drove the 5 miles to their shop. It was close to 3:00 p.m. by the time we made it there.
We hung out in their lobby for a long time while they diagnosed the van. They said the van needed a new radiator, and new hoses. So we agreed to have them fix the van. I went online and made reservations for Days Inn, a motel I could see from their shop. They suggested We actually stay at the Super 8, so I canceled our reservations and changed it for the Super 8.
I then went into the van to pull out a few things we would need for the night. I didn't want to grab too much because we were walking to the hotel. We walked to the hotel, and got checked into the room around 5:00 p.m. I have to say the two gentlemen working there were very kind to us.
The room was really large, which was great. We had two double beds, and a rollout double bed. The room also had a big open space which was great for the kids. We killed some time, in the room before going for dinner. We had asked about restaurants, and they suggested the Mexican restaurant across the street, El Charro Texano Tacos. It was good, and we enjoyed our meal.
After dinner, I went on a little walk. I didn't go far because I didn't get a good vibe from what I was seeing. I stopped in Dairy Queen on the way back and picked up treats for everyone. We just hung out in the room the rest of the night, then took showers before going to bed. We were getting more stressed out at this point, trying to think about what we were going to do. Thankfully the kids we mostly fine, and thought it was exciting to stay in a hotel.
Day 4 - Tuesday, July 18
We woke up, and killed time in the room before heading down for breakfast. We ate, then headed back up to the room. The kids were getting antsy, but we didn't really see a place to bring them to outside that would be appropriate. So, we continued to stay in the room. Finally, we packed up just before 11:00 a.m. (check out time), and walked to the mechanics. I'm sure we looked like a mess with the three kids and random bags. A lady driving by asked Marcus if we needed a ride somewhere. Once again we were in their lobby waiting it out. I was grateful they at least had a big lobby space and a TV so the kids could be distracted. At this point, Marcus and I were stressed out, and we were tired of waiting around.
Around 12:15 a.m. we were getting hungry, so I walked with the kids to McDonald's while Marcus stayed in the lobby with our stuff. The area we were in was really odd and poor sidewalks. They were really narrow, not all on one side, so we had to keep crossing the street to be on the sidewalk. This made it hard to walk with the kids.
After we ate, we walked back to the shop. Marcus then walked to Subway to eat. We were still waiting to hear from them. They took it out for a few test drives. Finally, they said it was good to go. We were on the road at 3:51 p.m. Our ETA for the park campground was 6:56 p.m., but we were happy to be on the road again. We were very anxious to continue our trip and be on our way.
Unfortunately, we made it 60 miles to London, KY. T had to go to the bathroom. As soon as we got off the interstate, the van was overheating again.
We called the shop in Richmond, they said they wouldn't be able to stay open for us, and that they most likely wouldn't be able to fix it the next day due to staff being out. They did refund all labor costs. We also called AAA this time. We really picked through the van while waiting. Trying to grab a bit more food, and cloths.
We had the van dropped off, then we got dropped off at the Red Roof Inn. We checked in, and settled into our room. Marcus had looked at the hotels and had picked this one because it had a pool. We took the kids swimming, then ordered pizza to the room. Then watched TV until we fell asleep. This was turning into a very stressful trip!
Day 5 - Wednesday, July 19
I got up and checked out breakfast. There wasn't a lot of food. I stayed out of the room for a long time to let the rest of the family sleep. Finally I went back in. I had found a laundromat and we had a lot of dirty cloths. So I grabbed the dirty laundry bag and walked the mile to the laundromat. While there, I looked at purchasing a vehicle on Carvana, I looked at the nearest train station (a long ways away), I looked at rental cars (there wasn't anything within 1.5 hours of us that would hold us and our gear). Can you tell we were getting extra stressed out now?
I walked back to the hotel, and Marcus walked to the mechanics. This hotel was really nice. The staff were amazing, and there was a large green space with a pavilion with a table an chairs under it. I had us checked out at 11:00 a.m. because I just didn't know what the day would hold. I asked if they would hold our bags for us, and they did. We just played in the grass area while we waited. Marcus came back, and it wasn't looking good. They were looking at a few different things, but they said they thought the van might be totaled. We went to White Castle for lunch. We only had three restaurants in walking distance, White Castle, Arby's and KFC. There were more options across the interstate but that was where the laundromat was and there wasn't any sidewalks, and the road was really busy. So there was no way I was going to walk my 3 kids on that road.
We ended up checking back into the hotel. We would spend time outside, then go hang out in the room for a bit before repeating that. We had KFC for dinner at the pavilion, then we went inside to swim before bed.
Day 6 - Thursday, July 20
Marcus and I woke up super stressed out. I kept trying to look at rental cars and ways we could get to larger cities. The closest car I found was over an hour away, and it was only an economy car, so it couldn't get us (and all of our camping gear) home.
We eat some of the mixed nuts, dried fruit, and granola we had for breakfast. Then we check out again, leaving our luggage at the front desk while we hang out on the lawn. The manager was really nice a brought outside games for the kids to use. Marcus once again walked to the mechanic shop. Marcus drove back with the van at 11:50 a.m. We were so happy to see our van again, I almost cried! We had a quick picnic lunch now that we had our coolers back! Unfortunately, some of our food was going bad, it ended up being a small lunch.
The news with the van was grim. They replaced the water pump, but they weren't sure it would fix the problem. If it didn't fix the problem, they thought it might be the head gasket, which would mean the van was done. We decided to head home, only stopping in big cities in case we had any issues.
We drove right to Lexington, KY, which was about 75 miles away, and stopped to go to the bathroom and fill up on gas. So far, no overheating. We decide to keep heading home. Next potential stop is Louisville, KY 80 miles away. We turn the car on and get right on the interstate. As soon as we get on the onramp, the van overheats again. The next exit was 6 miles away, and the van temp leveled out when we get to it. We make the decision to get to Louisville and drive straight to a dealership. I look up dealerships while we drive, and try to find the ones closest to the interstate. We find a dealership we want to go to, it's about 2.5 miles from the interstate. We get off the interstate around 3:25 p.m. As soon as we got off the interstate the van temperature starts rising. We just hope we can get it to the dealership without stopping.
Those 2.5 miles were so seemed to take so long. I was worried that at any minute we'd be on the side of the road and need to call to get a tow, delaying us getting to the dealership. It was getting later in the day, and I knew car buying takes time.
We got to the dealership and started talking with the sales guy. They only had one minivan, and it wasn't a brand and model we wanted (it's known to have a shorter life then the Toyota Sienna that we had). Marcus has been wanting a truck for a while, and had one in mind, which is why we went to this dealership. They didn't have the truck he wanted either. There were some other trucks for us to look at. We were a bit limited in what we could buy because we needed it to fit us, and all of our gear. Unless we were going to figure out a way to ship gear home. Also, with the van dead, we needed a vehicle that would be able to take us on our family adventures, so really needed to be able to fit all of our stuff anyway.
We found a truck that we liked, and drove it around a bit. We decided to move forward with the truck, a 2020 Dodge Ram. We got started on the paperwork, which always takes so much time. They also said that they would look at the van to see about the trade in value. I was surprised, but grateful that they offered us anything. Especially with how much we've put into it in the last year, not to mention this trip.
We finish all of the paperwork and start the process of emptying the van and loading the truck. This was quite an ordeal. Not only had we been on a trip for several days, we had some haphazard unpack, and packing the last several days so thing things were a mess!
Van end of life miles: 184,006
Left: us heading out of town the first day. Middle: Saying goodbye to the van. Right: On the road again, this time in the Ram.
After we finish at the dealership, we went across the street to eat at McDonald's and decide what to do. At this point, we've cried, laughed, have been really stressed, and I'd had a headache for most of the trip. It was also now 7:15 p.m. and we were exhausted, and hungry. While we were eating, Marcus and I discussed what to do. Home was at least 12.5 hours away, and we didn't want any more hotel nights so we talked about driving though the night to get home.
Our first two nights in Great Smokey Mountains we supposed to be at Smokemont Campground. We already missed both those nights. This night, we were supposed to have switched to Elkmont Campground. That was 5 hours away. I told Marcus to decide as I didn't have it in me. Marcus decided we would push on, and continue our trip. So on the interstate we went on our way to GSMNP. We drove all of the way we had just gone earlier in the morning, and kept going. It felt good when we finally made it past London, KY again.
And on we drove. The kids took turns falling asleep. We tried to keep stops as quick as we could, and kept pressing on. We drove through Pigeon Forge and then Gatlinburg around midnight. It was crazy to see for the first time when it was night, and so bright!
We arrived at the campground, and everything was so dark. We heard rushing water, but we couldn't see the water from the Ram. It was an eerie feeling, especially with the mist all around. We arrived at our campsite at 12:30 a.m. I quickly set up the tent, sleeping bags and pads. Marcus started working on getting our gear stored. We got the kids to bed then finished securing our gear. We were all in our sleeping bags by 1:15 a.m. and promptly fell asleep. It was a very long day!
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