From the Road to Home

South Dakota

A Two-Day Journey North

From Franklin, NC, we drove for two days to Watertown, SD. The first leg was a long, 760-mile drive to Galesburg, IL, where we stayed at the Best Western Prairie Inn. The weather was perfect for driving, and we crossed four state borders: Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois.

We arrived at the BW hotel in Galesburg, Illinois, almost twelve hours after locking the door in Franklin, TN. We microwaved and ate the leftovers we brought, and after a quick shower, we crawled into bed for a good night’s sleep.
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Back with Family and Friends

The next day, we were again early risers. After a quick breakfast, we left the hotel around 7:30 am. After a smooth drive crossing the state borders of Iowa and South Dakota, we arrived, as expected, in Watertown, SD, around 5 pm. 

It felt great to see and hug the kids and “grand-pets” again after over four months. After months of traveling, we finally took the time to celebrate being home and reconnect with our family and friends. The road could wait.

A Long Way Home

  • May 8, 2022
  • ∼ 100 mi
  • ∼ 1.5 hrs

And about a week later, after checking in at Sioux Falls Airport at 7 am, we landed, via O’Hare Chicago, at Schiphol the following morning at 9 am! We were ready to be home, but unfortunately, it took a while to get off the plane and retrieve our suitcases. 

  • May 8/9, 2022
  • ∼ 500 mi
  • ∼ 4100 mi
  • ∼ 26 hrs
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  • May 9, 2022
  • ∼ 21 mi
  • ∼ 8 mi
  • ∼ 1 hr
However, we had a smooth transfer by train and bus and were back in Nieuwegein within an hour. We were glad to be home, and our pet companion was as well. Like us, he was jetlagged and tired. However, I must give credit where credit is due: Hemmes once again proved to be a fantastic travel partner!