TO OUR TRAVEL FOLLOWERS
Latest Update: 7/3/2023
Well, it looks like the day has finally come for a trailer trip across the US. COVID lockdown occurred one week before we had planned to leave in 2020. Three years later, COVID is better and it’s time to go before we are too old.
In preparation for the trip, I checked the trailer brakes and wheel bearings and discovered a problem with one of the brakes. Parts are on order and the date we leave will be determined by completion of the work.
4/13/2023 – The brakes have been repaired, the axles lubed, the roof sealed, the truck washed, and we are en route to Oklahoma City. Since we have already visited 33 National Parks (mostly in the west), we wanted to see more of the central and eastern US. The plan is to hit as many National Parks as we can. In addition, there’s a lot to see in between. The current plan is for approximately two and a half months on the road.
The map below shows the proposed route. The purple stars represent where we are at the time of posting new information and where we camped.
We made it 30 miles out of town and had tire problems. Back to San Jose for a couple of days to get two new tires.
4/15/2023 – Let’s try this again. We’re on the road to Oklahoma City. The plan is to drive “straight thru” to Oklahoma City.
We drove for about 10.5 hours and spent the first night in a Walmart parking lot in Kingman, Arizona.
Observations:
- San Luis Reservoir is full!!
- There are lots of wildflowers in California. Mainly yellow, pale green, and orange.
The next day we drive 11.5 hours and stayed behind a historic Route 66 Mexican Restaurant in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, the Silver Moon Cafe. For interest, we had a cheeseburger at the restaurant for dinner.
Observations:
- Snow on the ground in Flagstaff, Arizona. Who knew Arizona had such high mountains?
- Arizona needs a lot of road repairs. Potholes everywhere.
- Gas is getting cheaper as we drive East. The price dropped approximately $1 per gallon when we left California.
- Lots of trucks driving 75 MPH and extremely long trains.
4/17/2023 – News flash! An hour and a half out of Santa Rosa we had a spring break on our trailer suspension. Fortunately, we were close to a repair shop and could safely drive there. The repair took 1.5 hours and we were back on the road. While waiting for the work to be done, the owner asked where we were from and Nancy said California. He said I guess we need to talk about politics. We really got an ear full.
Late in the afternoon, we arrived at Wanderlust Crossings RV Park in Weatherford, OK.
Observations:
- Apparently, the potholes were worse than we thought.
- Lots of wind in North Texas and Oklahoma.
- There are underground tornado shelters spread around the RV park. Two are located right outside of our RV site.
Oklahoma City
4/18/2023 –
National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City – Just as we arrived, a large school bus showed up with about 75 kids. Once inside we simply went in the opposite direction of the children. The museum was very well done. They covered the history of cowboys, clothing, toys, movies, sculptures, and paintings. A lot of fond memories of playing cowboys and indians when we were young. Back in the 1950s, a majority of TV shows were Westerns. Today I doubt the kids know much about the Western movement at all.
Will Rogers Museum outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma – It was interesting to hear all of the things he did, from professional lassoing to vaudeville performer, author, columnist, and actor, among other things. He still holds some Guinness Book records for lassoing. Will Rodgers – “Never met a man I didn’t like.”
While driving we had several experiences with Turnpikes. They needed cash and we didn’t always have the correct amount. Also, you don’t want to go the wrong direction or you’ll have to drive a long way to turn around. Ha.
We spent the night in a city park on the Arkansas River in Gore, Oklahoma. It was very quiet and we were the only people in the park. Seemed a little sketchy but we got a good night’s sleep.
4/19/2023 –
Crater of Diamonds State Park – People pay to dig in an open field and look for diamonds and other gems. Every time someone finds out we are from California they want to talk politics.
Hot Springs National Park –
This was our 35th National Park. Driving the trailer around Hot Springs, Arkansas was stressful and challenging.
Back in a Walmart parking lot outside of Little Rock, Arkansas.
The winds have died down somewhat but it did get to 86 degF today.
Memphis
4/20/2023 –
Drove to Memphis and now camping for two nights at an RV park on the Mississippi River. Barges passed up the river as we set up camp. Spent the afternoon at Graceland. Now it’s time for vodka tonics.
Heard that tornados hit Oklahoma City with some reports of 2″ hail stones. Fortunately, we haven’t seen any of this. The weather has been good but we are expecting rain tonight.
4/21/2023 –
After a major thunderstorm in the night, we woke up to calm and drizzle. The day was spent on a tour of Memphis and Sun Studio. While driving in a fancy tour vehicle, the tour guide spoke about the musical history of Memphis and sang relative songs as we drove.
At the end of the tour, we went to Sun Studio, where many artists got their start. Sun Studio was the first rock and roll music studio. This is where Elvis Presley recorded his first song, That’s All Right.
Other artists like Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Feathers, Ray Harris, Warren Smith, Charlie Rich, and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded here.
The day ended with a trip to the Bass Pro at the Pyramid which includes a hotel on the 2nd and 3rd floors that wraps around the entire structure. It’s a 537,000 sq ft shop. https://www.memphistravel.com/attractions-activities/bass-pro-shops-pyramid
Tupelo
4/22/2023 – Left Memphis, Tennessee, and headed for Tupelo, Mississippi to see Elvis Presley’s birthplace. Nancy and I aren’t huge Elvis fans but it has been interesting to see how he evolved from a poor young boy to a rock icon.
Leaving Tupelo we headed up the Natchez Trace Parkway toward Nashville. The Natchez Trace is a path from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee used by Indians for thousands of years and more recently by traders until the middle of the 1800s. For more information, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Natchez-Trace-Parkway.
We ended up staying at a small county park on the Tenessee River. It was very quiet and relaxing. The weather has changed and it’s now cold. We had to use the electric heater at night to take off the chill.
The next day we drove the rest of the Natchez Trace Parkway into Nashville.
Nashville
4/24/2023 – We took a guided tour of the downtown area and the homes of the stars. It sounded a little crazy but was actually a lot of fun since the owner/guide was an old comedian that was born and raised in Nashville. Lots of interesting facts, jokes, and laughs.
After the tour, we drove to Franklin, Tennessee to visit the Lotz House and see Civil War historical sites. While on a Lotz House tour, we found that the Lotz family left Tennessee after the war and moved to San Jose, Ca. They are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Who knew?
4/25/2023 – We decided to take the Hop-on Hop-off Bus to see more of downtown Nashville. After spending 45 minutes looking for a parking space, we finally ended up in a parking garage in The Gulch. It was a little tight getting a truck in but I didn’t scrape any sides.
The bus showed us more of the city and we decided to tour the Ryman Auditorium. It was an iconic venue where many famous performers played. Small and intimate with good seating for everyone.
A mile walk back to the parking garage allowed us to see more of the city, up close.
4/26/2023 – Quilting day
Two hours northwest of Nashville is Paducah, Kentucky, and the National Quilting Museum. This was a quilting exhibit more than a museum. Lots of beautiful quilts but nothing about the history of quilting.
After an hour of looking around, Nancy went to Hancock’s of Paducah, apparently a famous quilting and fabric store. It was overwhelming, with too many bolts of fabric and not enough time to absorb. The store was crowded with people and small shopping carts. No discounts. The fabric was high quality and high cost.
Mammoth Caves
4/27/2023 – The rain came in just as we were leaving Nashville for Mammoth Caves. Perfect timing and a nice drive in the light rain.
We set up camp and went to the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center to get information about the park and possibly take a cave tour. The only tour available was a one-hour hike into the caves. Since the caves are dry, there are no stalactites or stalagmites. The caves were formed millions of years ago when an ocean receded and dissolved the limestone underground. Mammoth Caves are the longest cave system in the world. https://www.doi.gov/blog/mammoth-cave-explore-worlds-longest-cave#:~:text=Mammoth%20Cave%20was%20created%20by,a%20vast%20system%20of%20caves.
The day ended with a rootbeer freeze and hot fudge Sunday.
The next day we drove around the park including a car ferry across The Green River. We drove all over Cave City looking for a grocery store with milk and hoagie rolls. After striking out are asked a minimart attendant and she suggested Dollar General. We ended up with 2% milk (instead of non-fat) and hamburger buns (instead of hoagie rolls) for French dip sandwiches.
We finished the day on the computer and phone, getting campsites for Memorial Day weekend and some of the other difficult times. On single-stop nights along the way, we may stay at more Walmarts.
Cumberland Gap
4/29/2023 – Left Mammoth Cave area and drove to the Cumberland Gap. We had planned to visit a Kentucky distillery but it turned out this was a weekend and all of the distillery tours were booked. We routed across Kentucky and saved an hour of driving time, not stopping at Maker’s Mark Distillery.
On the way, the F150 navigation system took us on a single-lane country road for about 12 miles. We passed locals working on their property but fortunately never encountered any other vehicles on the road. What an experience!
The Cumberland Gap National Historic Park Wilderness Campground is more like camping than most of the previous RV parks. It even has 110V service.
4/30/2023 – Spent the day around Cumberland Gap. Drove to Pinnacle Overlook and did a little hiking. Toured around the city of Cumberland Gap.
Back at camp, we spent three hours working on booking future camping spots. Still fighting to find camping in northern Virginia. We’ll be there in a couple of weeks.
For the past five nights, we have been camping in campgrounds with no cell reception so we haven’t been able to update the website.
Great Smoky Mountains
5/1/2023 – Arrived at the Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains. On the way, we passed through Pigeon Forge expecting to see Dollywood. Instead, we saw at least 50 other theme parks/attractions and major food establishments. (Look online for some strange examples)
After arriving at the campground, we spent the afternoon driving the Cades Cove one-way loop to the visitor’s center. The speed limit was 25 MPH but every time someone was an animal they stopped in the middle of the road and held up traffic. We thought we were in Yellowstone.
Elkmont is a dry campground with no cell service. We’ll be here for three days. For communications, we’ll need to go out of the park and into a nearby town.
The second day was spent driving to Clingman’s Dome and hiking 0.5 miles uphill to the top. When we left camp, it was 45 degF but an hour later when we arrived at Clingman’s Dome Visitor Center (6643 ft elevation) it was 39 degF. The wind was blowing and there was snow on the ground from a few days earlier. At camp the trees were green but at Clingman’s Dome, the deciduous trees hadn’t started leafing. In general, 60 – 70 % of the trees are deciduous so when they are leafing it’s really thick and beautiful.
On the way back to camp we stopped at the Foothills of the Smokies Quilt Shop so Nancy could explore.
Drinks around a campfire (our first of the trip) completed the day.
The Biltmore Estates
5/4/2023 – It was a short drive from the Great Smoky Mountains to Asheville, North Carolina where the Biltmore Estates are located. Along the way we continued to see thick trees, but very few pine trees. Most of the trees were leafy and bright green.
After arriving in Asheville and setting up camp we went into the city to do laundry. Even though the population is around 95,000, we never really saw a city. The streets are not like a planned city, they aren’t laid out N-S and E-W. Instead, there are meandering roads that aren’t perpendicular or parallel. With trees everywhere, we never saw any heavily populated areas. In addition, the traffic seemed to be bad every afternoon. I think the problem is the lack of roads into and out of densely populated areas. Everyone has to take the same streets to get to the freeways. That being said, I’m not going to drive around to find the downtown area.
The Biltmore House is the largest private home in the US. In 1888 George Vanderbilt purchased 125,000 acres of land in Asheville. Today, the 8,000-acre estate is a National Historic Landmark. The house has 250 rooms surrounded by gardens. Our house tour was scheduled for 1:15 pm so we arrived about 9:30 am and started touring the gardens and grounds surrounding the house. By the time we finished touring the grounds, we were tired and hadn’t started the house tour. With lots of stairs, it was a real challenge. The house was amazing in its architecture as well as the appointments.
Congaree National Park
5/6/2023 – We’re not sure why this is a National Park but since it is, we needed to get a stamp in our passport book. We arrived around noon, had lunch, and then went on the boardwalk trail. To give you an idea of the sights, at the Biltmore, we took a couple of hundred pictures while at Congaree we took about five pictures. This is a wetland habitat. We saw hundreds of caterpillars, a couple of turtles, a few squirrels, and a few birds. The weather was nice but most of the plants hadn’t bloomed yet. The best thing was, no mosquitoes.
Tonight, we are staying at a Walmart in Hope Mills, North Carolina. We treated ourselves to Pizza Hut takeout for dinner. Now we’ll watch the Warriors/Lakers playoff game. How could it be any better?
Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown
5/7/2023 – As we arrived at the campground near Williamsburg we noticed the rear bumper of the trailer was about to fall off. Apparently, all of the bouncing on the highways caused one of the mounting brackets to break off and this allowed the bumper to hang down at about a 30-degree angle. Since the rear bumper had two batteries and a large toolbox, this could have been disastrous. I spent the next several hours moving the batteries to the front of the trailer and moving the toolbox to the bed of the truck. Fortunately, one of the permanent campers was a welder so he fixed the broken mount and the trailer was back in good shape. What a mess!
While the trailer was being repaired, Nancy and I went to see Colonial Williamsburg. It was a long day so we broke it up by coming back to the trailer for lunch. By noon, the trailer had already been repaired. Yeah!!
Walking around Williamsburg was very interesting. Guides were dressed in period costumes and very informative. By the end of the day, we had walked more than 15,000 steps and we realized how little we knew about colonial times.
Day two was spent at Jamestown in the morning and Yorktown in the afternoon. Another long day of walking around Jamestown, and driving the Yorktown battlefields. There’s so much to see in this area, you really can’t do it justice in only two days. I’m sure we could have spent four days and still felt we missed some things.
Back at camp, we prepared for leaving in the morning, booked a future campground for the Gettysburg area, and loaded pictures into the computer. I’m trying to stay up with pictures so it won’t take too much time to complete the website after we get home in July. I guess that’s wishful thinking.
Appomattox Courthouse
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and James Monroe’s Highlands
5/11/2023 was a day for presidential education. Most of the day was spent at Monticello, touring the house and the grounds. Thomas Jefferson was an amazing person. In addition to learning about his accomplishments, we learned a lot about slavery. As a plantation owner, Jefferson was always in debt. His father died when he was 14 and he inherited the land and indentured servants. Even though he fought against slavery, he wasn’t able to release his slaves because he didn’t have the money to buy their freedom. When he dies he was broke.
After seeing the opulence of Monticello it was humbling to see James Monroe’s Highlands. It was a small house and property about 1.5 miles from Monticello. Thomas Jefferson actually asked Jame Monroe to build in the neighborhood so he would have someone intellectual to speak with.
New River Gorge National Park
5/12/2023 – While planning the US trip I spent a lot of time trying to route to pick up all of the places we wanted to see without going too wild. One of the major goals was to see National Parks. Today we spent 6 hours driving to West Virginia to spend 4 hours in one of the newest National Parks. The New River Gorge is actually one of the oldest rivers in the US. “New” is the name of the river and has nothing to do with the age of the park. It was a long day but we did have a good time, and ended the drive with McDonald’s ice cream.
Shenandoah National Park
5/13/2023 – We packed up in a very slight rain this morning and headed out for Shenandoah National Park. On the way, we stopped at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, Virginia. He was born in this house where his father was a minister. Even though he only spent a few years in Virginia, he always called this his home. It’s believed he did this since Virginia was well-known for key politicians and presidents. As we left town, the rain started.
We arrived at our campground in Front Royal, Virginia, at the north end of the Shenandoah Valley. It’s been raining since we arrived, but it’s dry, warm, and humid inside. We’ll be here for four nights (three days). Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and the weather is supposed to be nice so we’re planning to do the Skyline Drive in the National Park.
Today is our 51st anniversary so Nancy and I are going out for Mexican dinner tonight. https://www.ranchonuevollc.com/menu I’ll let you know how it was, later.
The Mexican Dinner was great. They had a carved wooden mariachi band so it looked pretty good and they didn’t play so loud that we couldn’t talk. Ha. The only downside was we ate too much and I ordered a Big Boy Modelo beer.
5/14/2023 – For Mother’s Day, we drove in the Shenandoah National Park. Starting at the North Visitor Center we drove about 75 miles south on Skyline Road. A park ranger told us which overlooks were the best so we only stopped at about 15 points instead of every overlook. Needless to say, after seeing about five views from the mountains into the valleys, they all started to look the same.
Rather than take the highway back to camp, we decided to drive through some small towns in the Shenandoah Valley. These are two-lane roads with a 55 mph speed limit. It seems way too fast for the area.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon
5/15/2023 – We spent the whole day at Mount Vernon. It was an amazing day. We had a mansion tour at 11:15 am so we arrived early and walked around the gardens. Washington’s family has had 2500 acres since the 1600s. George was a businessman so he did well working the wheat business, selling fish, and making whiskey. He was the largest whiskey producer in the US at one point. To this day they are still making and selling whiskey.
We spent the whole day walking around. By 4:00 pm we were beaten.
The drive into Mount Vernon was uncrowded in the morning but the drive back took an extra hour due to a major traffic jam. Rush hour outside Washington, DC is wild. I’m just glad we weren’t towing the trailer.
Air and Space Museum
5/16/2023 – Got up early to go to the Ford dealer to get an oil change and tire rotation. It appears they have never seen a catalytic converter anti-theft plate so it took them an extra hour to change the oil.
We spent the day at the Smithsonian Institution Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Air and Space Museum. This is a Museum in Chantilly, VA rather than Washington, DC. The museum covered the history of air and space flight. A few of the key items were
- Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay
- Space Shuttle Discovery
- Mothership model from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
In addition, we saw Japanese kamikaze planes, a pontoon airplane that folded up and stored in a tube for launch from a submarine, and a display of the history of airplane engines.
After three hours of walking, we were ready to go back to the trailer. We stopped at Costco for a rotisserie chicken and cheap gas ( $3.15) on the way.
5/17/2023 – Since the drive today was fairly short, we took our time getting up and going.
The first stop was Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. We spent three hours touring the town and learning about John Brown, who took over the National Armory and tried to incite a slave rebellion. John Brown was captured, convicted, and hung, which started more people to think about the emancipation of slaves.
Harper’s Ferry is unique in that it is at the confluence of West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland, where the Shenandoah River merges with the Potomac.
Leaving Harper’s Ferry we drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
During the day we drove from Virginia to West Virginia, back to Virginia, to Maryland, and then to Pennsylvania.
Tomorrow it’s time for Gettysburg.
Gettysburg
5/18/2023 – Gettysburg was great. We started the day with an 8:15 am film at the National Park Visitor Center followed by a cyclorama presentation of the three-day battle. At 10:00 am we had a two-hour guided tour in downtown Gettysburg. The presenter was an actor and historian who explained what life was like during the battle, from his perspective.
After the two-hour walking tour, we drove back to the National Park for a two-hour guided bus tour of the battlefield.
Nancy and I both agree we have a better understanding of the Civil War and some of the politics of the era.
On the way back to camp we stopped at the Eisenhower farm. Apparently, this was the only house Eisenhower owned when he was president. It was his opportunity to get away from DC and relax. He also used it as a place to meet foreign dignitaries.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
5/19/2023 – The drive to our campsite was only a couple of hours so we did some grocery shopping on the way. As we passed Hershey we talked about the fun we had touring the Hershey factory in Oakdale, California when the kids were young.
After setting up camp we decided, why not drive back to Hershey in the afternoon? It was fun to do but the factory was not at all like the one was in Oakdale. The Hershey Chocolate World is a massive theme park with a Disney-like ride for the tour. There were thousands of teenagers, lots of buses, and crowds. After taking the tour ride we each received one Halloween-size Hershey mini-bar. I was tempted to buy some chocolate but Nancy talked me out of it.
5/20/2023 – Exploring the Lancaster area. Here are some thoughts for the day:
- we mapped out GPS coordinates for 27 covered bridges and ended up seeing 12 of them
- lots of driving on small country roads
- big houses with massive lawns
- farms everywhere with big silos
- horse and buggy on 55 mph two-lane roads
- interesting small towns and villages
- Amish men and women working. Men plowing fields with horse-drawn plows and women in full dresses with a white head covering doing gardening.
- laundry hanging out to dry
- Wilbur Chocolate Store
- Amish farm markets and greenhouses
- beautiful pink rhododendrons and dogwood trees
Philadelphia
5/21/2023 – It was Sunday and the drive into Philadelphia was easy with very little traffic. Pennsylvania drivers are wild. The speed limit was typically 55 mph and everyone drove 70. Even though I had a radar detector I tried to not go more than 10 mph over the limit.
We parked in the Old City at the Independence Visitor Center. The price was high but it was convenient. We saw the Betsy Ross House, Elfreth’s Alley, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, the Benjamin Franklin Museum, and the Liberty Bell Center. We had timed entry tickets for Independence Hall but had to wait in line to see the Liberty Bell. By the time we finished looking at the Liberty Bell, we were tired and had sore feet.
We had planned to visit the Museum of the American Revolution but the day was running out and we were dead tired.
By the way, for lunch, we had Philadelphia cheese steak sandwiches at Campo’s Philly Cheesesteaks. in the “Old City” since 1947.
Brandywine Valley
5/22/2023 – The Brandywine Valley runs from Southern Pennsylvania down to Wilmington, Delaware. We had visions of seeing lots of sights but in the end, only had time for Longwood Gardens and the Hagley Museum. We had wanted to tour one of the du Pont homes but unfortunately, both possibilities were closed on Mondays.
It seems almost everything in this area was influenced by the du Pont family in some way. E.I. du Pont came to the US and started a gunpowder factory in 1802. As the du Pont fortune grew, the family put money into protecting local trees and creating gardens. It seems the family was always interested in nature and flora.
Longwood Gardens was started by Pierre S. du Pont in 1906 when he bought a farm to protect the old trees that were going to be cut down. Over time this evolved to 1077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows. In addition to the conservatory with a 10,010 pipe organ, they have multiple water fountains with the main fountain consisting of 1,719 jets controlled to dance to music.
Hagley Museum is another duPont project. The museum consists of 235 acres with the E.I. du Pont home, the first office of the company, the powder yard where gunpowder was produced, and a museum of inventors, which contains over 120 patent models.
The day was completed by driving the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway.
Acadia National Park
Hancock Shaker Village
5/27/2023 – While heading West toward New York, we stopped at the Hancock Shaker Village. Since we arrived a couple of hours before they opened, Nancy and I played dice while waiting.
I wasn’t expecting much but after spending three hours at the Shaker Village, I was really impressed. The Amish people didn’t use technology, however, the Shakers were open to anything that would help them be more efficient. They were credited with innovations in house construction, furniture manufacturing, farming, and engineering. They had a full machine shop where everything was powered by water turbines.
We learned about the Shaker lifestyle, the good and the bad. They were governed by the three C’s: confession, celibacy, and community. Unfortunately, the second C was probably their downfall. Without allowing procreation, their numbers faded.
Finger Lakes
5/28/2023 – We arrived at Cayuga Lake State Park in the middle of the Memorial Day Weekend. The campground was full, there were lots of kids around, and it was noisy. Fortunately, our campsite had a large shaded grassy area so it didn’t seem so bad. The biggest issue was the number and size of mosquitoes. We hadn’t even seen mosquitoes until a couple of days ago.
5/29/2023 – We spent the day driving around Cayuga Lake, looking at the shoreline, houses, and land. There are a lot of quaint towns with vineyards and farmland everywhere.
Ithica is at the south end of Cayuga Lake. Apparently, the same glacial events that created the finger lakes also created many waterfalls in that area. While visiting Taughannock Falls State Park to see a waterfall we discovered our New York State Park entry pass works for all other New York State Parks. We also were given a list of the best waterfalls in the area, so we started driving and hiking. After seeing three of the best waterfalls, we decided to move on.
5/30/2023 – The campground is now empty.
For today, we decided to drive around Seneca Lake, seeing Penn Yan and Watkins Glen. The number of wineries in the area is amazing. As it turns out, the first wineries were established here before California was even a state. This wine was primarily for religious purposes.
The city of Penn Yan was formed by Pennsylvania Yankies so outside people called it Penn Yan, and the name stuck.
We ate lunch in Watkins Glen State Park and then did the Gorge Trail hike. It’s only 1.5 miles one-way but has 832 stone steps. Along the way, you pass 19 waterfalls.
Leaving the State Park, we went to the Watkins Glen International Raceway. There were people driving their own cars on the track so we sat in one of the grandstands and watched.
Driving back to the campground we passed more of the 130 wineries in the Finger Lakes area.
With the temperature in the high 80s, it’s nice to be back at camp with a drink.
Niagara Falls
5/31/2023 – A short drive from the Finger Lakes and we arrived in Niagara Falls. As we pulled into the AA Royal Motel and Campground it looked a little sketchy, but the price was reasonable.
We spent the afternoon inside the trailer with the air conditioner running. It was 89 degF when we arrived but it did get cooler around 7:00 pm so we could comfortably eat outside.
After planning for a couple of hours, we decided to take the easy route and book a tour of Niagara Falls.
6/1/2023 – “Over the Falls” tours picked us up at our campsite at 8:15 am and we spent the whole day seeing the falls from Canada and the US. We took the Maid of the Mist boat ride to see the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Rainbow Falls up close and personal, from the water. In the hot weather, it was nice to be cool and wet.
Next, we toured the US side to see the falls from hiking trails and viewing platforms. On the US side, the views aren’t as good but you are closer so you feel and hear the power of the falls.
Traveling across the border, we viewed the falls from Canada. We even went to the top of the Skylon Tower to view the falls from 520 ft above street level and 775 ft from the bottom of the falls.
To end the day, the tour bus dropped us off at the AA Royal Motel and Campground at 5:30 pm where we had a vodka tonic and sat in the air-conditioned trailer.
6/2/2023 – After a long day seeing Niagara Falls, it was nice to take it easy and see a little of the area around Niagara Falls and Buffalo.
We drove along the Erie Canal while driving from the Finger Lakes to Niagara. As we discussed the canal, we realized how little we knew about it, so we drove to Lockport to see Locks 34 and 35. The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo. The present-day canal is 363 miles long, with 57 locks, and has an elevation change of 571 ft.
We decided we needed to put our feet in all of the Great Lakes, so we drove to Olcott Beach on Lake Ontario to step into the lake (very rocky shore) and have lunch.
After lunch, we drove to Hamburg Park and Beach on Lake Erie. The “beach” was small rocks so it wasn’t great to walk in the water. In fact, without a lifeguard on duty, you weren’t allowed to go swimming.
Two lakes down, three left.
Back at the trailer, it was 98 degF. Time for a cool-down drink and some time in the air conditioning.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
6/3/2023 – Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located in northeastern Ohio between Cleveland and Akron. Compared to some of the larger parks, it doesn’t have as much to offer but it is unique for the area. The Ohio and Erie Canal was opened in 1827 to connect Lake Erie with the Ohio River so goods could be transported from the east coast to the Gulf of Mexico. The canal carried freight traffic until 1861 when the train took over most of the business. From 1862 to 1913 it was used to supply water for businesses and industry. Unfortunately, 1n 1913 a flood wiped out the canal, and most of the businesses along the route. This area was never rebuilt.
The park was created in 1974 to preserve the land and some of its history.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
6/4/2023 – We drove into Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Having just seen Graceland and Nashville, this was a continuation of remembering music that formed our lives. It was really interesting to see the exhibits and listen to old songs. Music frames key times in our lives, so as we heard different songs it was fun to talk about where we were and what made a particular song memorable.
On the way back to the camp, we stopped at some of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park sites we missed yesterday.
It was cool in downtown Cleveland since it’s on Lake Erie, but when we arrived back in camp it was 85 degF in the trailer. Time for an afternoon nap.
Mackinac Island
6/5/2023 – The drive north in Michigan was good but there was a lot of road work. As we have driven on this trip we have seen a lot of road and bridge construction. I wonder how much of this is the result of the Federal Infrastructure Program.
When we arrived at Roberts Landing Campground, it was a little sketchy. The old bearded guy, Walter, who checked us in looked like he had been lost in the woods for a couple of years.
Our campsite is right on the shores of Lake Huron. It looks great but there are millions of midges (look like mosquitoes but they are a little bigger and they don’t bite). They like white objects like our trailer and the truck. The view outside is very inviting but we aren’t excited about facing the bugs.
Maybe we’ll do a campfire tomorrow night.
6/6/2023 – We took a jet water ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island. Mackinac Island is in Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Mackinac Island State Park covers most of the area. Since 1901, cars have been banned so there are lots of horses and wagons. The main city area has old mansions that are now valued in the $5M + range.
The major landmark, the Grand Hotel was opened in 1887. Today it also has an 18-hole golf course. If you want to visit the hotel they charge $10, as a reference, room rates are from $500 – $1250 per night depending on the season.
We walked the town, looked at mansions, dodged horse dung on the roads, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Gerald Ford Museum – Grand Rapids
6/7/2023 – We left the midges and raced out of camp without even dumping. The GPS took us on a mail road which turned out to be 7 miles on a dirt road. The midges were gone but now we had dust everywhere.
We arrived at the Gerald Ford Museum around 2:00 pm. For the next three hours, we learned all about President Ford. Ford’s father was abusive so his mother took him and left. Later she divorced him and married Ford. Gerald Ford was always physical and loved all kinds of sports. He played football at Michigan State and was offered two opportunities for playing in the NFL, but decided to get a law degree instead. He joined the Navy when WWII started. After the war, he served as a Congressman. Nixon offered him the VP job, and he took it. He never thought he would be President, but when Nixon resigned after Watergate, he served for the next three years.
Many things happened during his presidency. Since Nixon lied to the people, Ford needed to rebuild faith in the government. I’m sure he wasn’t necessarily liked by everyone, but I was really impressed with much of what he did.
After seeing the Ford Museum we drove to the Archival Brewery just outside of Grand Rapids. On the way we passed a car wash and decided it was time to spruce up before went to dinner. It’s amazing how the truck and trailer run better when they are clean.
We had dinner and a beer and then spent the night in the brewery parking lot. It’s better than a Walmart!
Indiana Dunes National Park
6/8/2023 – The drive to Indiana Dunes National Park was short and we got an early start so we were in good spirits when we crossed into Indiana and discovered we crossed a time zone, so we gained an hour. Since we were early, we decided to stop and do laundry.
After arriving at The Last Resort Campground, we setup camp, had lunch and went exploring.
Indiana Dunes National Park is a United States national park located in northwestern Indiana managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966 as the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and was redesignated as the nation’s 61st national park on February 2019. The park is about 15 miles long on the shores of Lake Michigan, about 45 minutes from Chicago.
The park has sand dunes, quiet woodlands, sunny prairies and lush wetlands, and is known for its plant and bird diversity. People come here for the lake, the beach, hiking, bike riding, bird watching, looking at plants, and just to get away from the city.
In 1933, A Century of Progress International Exposition, also know as the Chicago Worlds Fair was held. For the exposition, several model homes were built on the shore of Lake Michigan. One was a pink, Florida style house, and another had all glass exterior. These houses are now private residences but they are opened up one time each year for tours by park rangers.
Continuing the challenge to touch all five Great Lakes, we went to West Beach and walked in Lake Michigan. Only Lake Surerior is left.
While driving around the park we noticed the odd layout of roads. Most of the area is connected with narrow, curving roads that arean’t parallel. When you add the fact the GPS showed roads that didn’t exist, and several roads were closed for construction, we had an unique drive. When we get home it will be interesting to map out our path for the day.
One negative is the poor air quality caused by the Canadian wildfires. We started seeing this in Acadia National Park in Maine and it has gotten worse as we moved West. Hopefully it will get better as we move farther West, where the jet stream isn’t bringing the smoke South.
Preparing for tomorrow, we gassed the truck and paid $3.97/gallon, and then saw a station near our camp that was $3.67. Oh well. In general, the price of gas seems to be going up and we still have a lot of driving to do.
The best news is, THERE WERE NO BUGS TODAY!!
Door County
6/9/2023 – The drive to Door County was windy and on a major highway. We saw a large number of semi-trucks as we drove up Wisconsin but things got better as we approached Door County. Our impression was, this would be an upscale, yuppie-type environment. In reality, it was a rural area with a few small towns and lots of farms and vineyards.
Door County was named after an area in the waters called “death’s door”. They didn’t want to call it Death’s Door County so just shortened it to Door County. In a similar fashion, there was an area called Mud Bay that was changed to Moonlight Bay to attract more people.
Just for information, the East side of the peninsula is called the Lake (Michigan), and the West side is called the Bay (Green Bay).
6/10/2023 – We spent the day exploring the area. There are 102 lighthouses on Lake Michigan. We picked some of the most popular for up-close inspection. Most lighthouses are designed to alert sailors of danger but some we saw were designed to show sailors the safe direction. They had two lighthouses, the low one had a red light and the upper one had a white light. If the white light was lined up with the red, you were in a safe direction into the harbor.
Sister Bay is famous for Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant with grass roofs. Al Johnson had a friend that gave him a special birthday gift each year. It started with farm animals like a pig but then one time he gave him a goat. Al was struggling to make a profit. He put the goat on the grass roof and people flocked to the restaurant to see. The business took off and now Al has several goats that go on the roof at 11:00 am and spend the whole day up there. We had the idea to see the restaurant and eat lunch but when we arrived it was so crowded, we just stopped to take pictures of the goats.
After driving all over the peninsula looking for a place to eat lunch, we ended up at Mink River Basin Brewery for fried Michigan Lake white fish and deep-fat fried cheese curds, and of course a beer. The fish was fantastic, the cheese was okay and the beer was good.
On the way back to camp we decided to drive to Green Bay and see Lambeau Field. The weather turned on us and started raining. When we arrived, we drove through the parking lot and took pictures out the window.
That night it rained about ¾ of an inch.
Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin
6/11/2023 – Nancy and I debated whether we should stop at the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, west of Madison, Wisconsin. In the end, we paid for a house tour and really enjoyed it.
Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect with over 1000 structures designed between 1900 and 1920, including the Guggenheim Museum. He was known for the prairie style, where the building blends into the surroundings. We missed seeing Falling Water (in Mill Run, Pennsylvania), his most famous design. Taliesin was his home and architecture school. He allowed his students, with no experience, to build and work on his home design. In addition to learning architectural engineering, the student had to work on the farm doing chores.
As we toured the house, it looked unfinished. The design was unique but he didn’t focus on execution, so the finished product wasn’t perfect. From a distance, things looked good, but up close it was rustic. His favorite building material was plywood since it was strong, cheap, and easy to work. He didn’t worry about finishing the edges, he just painted them. Once he had proven a design, he would have experienced carpenters build the actual structure. In Taliesin, he had one area where he experimented with the number 3. The door knobs were placed 2/3 of the way up the door. A row of 6 windows went up from there. Key elements in the room were divisible by 3. It’s hard to explain the look, but it was unique.
Another room had an interior roofline he didn’t like. They said he redesigned and modified it over 25 times, and still didn’t like it.
By the end of the day were happy we stopped. We learned about Frank Lloyd Wright as a person as well as his style of architecture.
Herbert Hoover Museum
6/12/2023 – While in West Branch, Iowa (outside of Iowa City), we visited Herbert Hoover’s birth home and a recreation of his neighborhood. In addition, we went to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum.
Herbert Hoover was born and raised in Iowa as a Quaker. His father had a blacksmith business and his mother was a Quaker minister. The Quaker faith promoted equality and fellowship. Unfortunately, his father died when Herbert was 6 and his mother died when he was 10. Herbert and his two brothers were sent to various relatives. For about six years, Herbert worked for his uncle in Oregon and learned industriousness and responsibility. This hard life formed him into the caring person he would become.
Herbert Hoover was in the first class of students at Stanford. It was there he met his wife, Lou Henry. While Herbert was doing humanitarian work and involved in politics, Lou was involved in women’s rights and the Girl Scouts. She was the head of Girl Scouts for five years and also worked as a linguist, fluent in six languages.
Herbert Hoover was known as “The Great Humanitarian” who fed war-torn Europe during and after WW1. In 1928 he won the presidency in a landslide but when the depression hit, the public turned against him. As the president, he was blamed for the failing economy. In 1932 he was defeated by FDR.
Ironically, Harry Truman asked him to help with the global famine at the end of WW2. Much of Hoover’s reputation was regained by the time of his death.
Gateway Arch, St. Louis
6/13/2023 – We originally planned on doing a drive-by with the trailer, just to see the Gateway Arch, but after some thought, we decided to stay another day in Springfield, Illinois, and drive to St. Louis for the day. This worked out well.
When we got to the Gateway Arch National Park Visitor Center, we decided to do it all. We started with a one-hour Mississippi boat ride, passing under six of the 10 bridges that cross the river in the St. Louis metro area.
After the boat ride, we went to a theatre for a movie on the construction of the arch. There are 142 stainless-steel sections that were pre-assembled and then welded together to form the arch. Construction started in early 1962 and was completed in 1965. 900 tons of stainless steel were used. After the arch was complete, they installed two elevators in the “legs” that take people to the top for viewing.
The final part of the day was a ride to the top of the arch. Passengers load into eight pods that have five seats in each. The pods are small, cramped, and have no windows. The ride to the top is four minutes and the ride back down is three minutes. Once we got to the top, we had 10 minutes to view out the small windows, 630 feet above the city.
The day we were here, the Giants were playing the Cardinals, so we saw lots of Giants fans. On a side note, the Giants won all three games with the Cardinals this week.
Lincoln Museum
6/14/2023 – Springfield, Illinois is Lincoln country. As you drive around the city, Abraham Lincoln is everywhere. The National Park Service runs the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is run by a non-profit foundation.
The Lincoln Home National Historic Site shows you his life growing up and the personal side of Lincoln. Lincoln was raised poor, became a lawyer, and then married Mary Todd. Mary Todd came from money and Lincoln did well as a lawyer, so in 1844 they bought a house for $1500. We took a guided tour through the Lincoln house. The rooms looked gaudy with wild French wallpaper, multi-colored carpets, and bright-colored bedspreads. It hurt my eyes just to look at them. This is the only house he owned and much of the furnishings were original.
Prior to becoming President, he and Mary had four children. Unfortunately, three of them died from various diseases before maturity. In 1861, the family moved to Washington DC when he became the President. They never returned to Springfield.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum focuses more on Lincoln as a politician. The exhibits were very well done, with full-scale dioramas depicting important scenes from his life. In a theater, we saw a production that was part Hollywood and part Disney, with holograms and other special effects. It was very well done.
Having been to Gettysburg and other Civil War sites, we did see some displays that were familiar. Unfortunately, we have seen so many things in the past two months, it’s starting to blur. I think this has something to do with age.
In addition to learning well-known information about Lincoln, we learned he is the only president with a patent. In 1849 he was issued a patent for a method of refloating boats that had run aground.
On the way out I saw a shirt with a Lincoln quote, “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves”.
The day ended with a trip to the Lincoln Tomb.
When we arrived back at camp, we heard someone announcing BMX racing so we drove to the BMX track just outside the park. It was fun watching all ages of racers. One of the first races we saw was kids on balance bikes. It’s hard to see how they made it around the track without pedals. There must have been 150 people, most participants, parents, and siblings.
Mark Twain
6/15/2023 – The city of Hannibal, Missouri is all about Mark Twain. Everywhere you look you see Mark Twain book references. Samuel Clemens’ parents struggled so he grew up poor. They have his boyhood home, a recreation of his neighborhood, and a museum. It was 93 degF when we arrived at the Mississippi River port of Hannibal and took a self-guided tour.
Sam’s dad failed at almost everything so they we always poor. To escape reality, Samuel Clemens started writing. He used personal friends and acquaintances from Hannibal as his characters. As his popularity grew, he traveled the world.
Missouri Star Quilt
So, after a couple of hours walking the town, we went back to the trailer for lunch, then on to Hamilton, Missouri, the home of Missouri Star Quilt.
Jenny Doan moved to Hamilton, Missouri from San Luis Obispo 15 years ago. She started with a long-arm quilting machine and soon expanded to general quilting and supplies. The business wasn’t going too well until she started a YouTube quilting channel. She currently has 12 quilt stores in Hamilton and over 2 million YouTube subscribers, including Nancy.
When we left Hannibal, we bent the trailer spare tire holder going into a parking lot with a deep entrance. While Nancy shopped in the Hamilton quilt stores, I repaired the spare tire holder.
The Battle of Lexington
6/16/2023 – As we were packing the truck for the day, we saw a fox run across the lawn near the trailer. He ran so fast; Nancy and I couldn’t even agree on the coloring. Very cool.
The Civil War Battle of Lexington, Missouri was Sept 18-20, 1861, where the Missouri militia ended up defeating the Federalists. By itself, it wasn’t a major battle but the fact there was a large house that is still standing today, makes it noteworthy.
We started the day with a personal guided tour of the Anderson house by a Missouri State Park Ranger. The Anderson house was constructed with three layers of handmade brick. At the time of the battle, the house was being used as a hospital. Today you can see the scars of battle. Where cannon balls and bullets hit the outside, you can see the damage. Where they hit windows, the damage is on the opposite walls, inside. The building was built by unskilled slave labor so the windows aren’t square and the floors aren’t level.
On Ashlynn’s advice, we went to Whataburger for lunch. The burger was okay but the chocolate shake was fantastic. The only downside was the long wait. It seemed like the staff wasn’t very interested in their jobs.
Harry Truman Library and Museum
President Truman was a farmer, war veteran, failed haberdasher, and county judge before he went to Washington as a US Senator. He was VP under FDR before Roosevelt died and he was thrown into the presidency. Truman wasn’t elected President by the people so there was a lot of talk about his ability to meet the challenge. Truman dealt with the conclusion of WW2, the recognition of Israel, and the desegregation of the Armed Forces and the Federal Government. Even though his approval ratings weren’t great, he was re-elected for a second term where he handled new international threats, the Korean War, and domestic issues. Despite leaving office with a historically low approval rating, President Truman is now considered one of America’s top Presidents.
Eisenhower Museum
6/17/2023 – We packed up in the morning and drove from Independence, Missouri to Abilene, Kansas. For the past few days, we have seen a lot of cornfields. Apparently, this area produces about 80% of the US corn and of this, approximately 50% is exported. Every few years the fields need to be rotated so they grow soybeans to put nitrogen back in the soil.
As we entered Kansas, we started seeing more prairie land. So far most of the areas are green but I think we are still early in the season. A major concern is the shortage of rain since most of the crops aren’t irrigated.
Kansas is the sunflower state but so far we haven’t seen any.
The Eisenhower Memorial consists of a Visitor Center, Boyhood Home, Museum, Library, and Place of Meditation.
The Eisenhower family lived in this home from 1898 until 1946. Today, the house contains the original furniture and items left by Mrs. Eisenhower. Apparently, this house was on the “wrong side of the tracks” so when Dwight met Mamie from the other side of town, it was a little rocky. Dwight was athletic and hard-working while Mamie was from privilege; opposites attracted.
People in Abilene told Mrs. Eisenhower that her boys wouldn’t amount to anything. In the end, all of the boys were extremely successful. Apparently, Dwight’s parents did something right.
The museum was very well done. It was a good history of WW2 and the Cold War after.
Interestingly, when we were in Gettysburg, we visited the Eisenhower farm. When he was President, he missed Abilene so much that he had a large farm home built on land similar to Kansas. This was like Camp David for the Eisenhowers.
We are now dry camping in a Kansas park on Milford Lake. It was 92 degF when we arrived, so I connected the truck and we ran the generator for a couple of hours so we could run the air conditioning. It was great. This is Saturday night so the place is hopping. Lots of kids, loud music, generators, etc. We’re leaving in the morning so we’ll just have to suffer with it for now.
Homestead National Historic Park
6/18/2023 – In 1862 the Homestead Act offered 160 acres of public land free to homesteaders. 270 million acres or 10% of the area of the United States was claimed and settled under this act. Anyone interested could select up to 160 acres for homesteading. Once registered, they had five years to improve the land if they wanted to own it. After five years, land inspectors would verify the land had been improved and a land patent would be issues. This Patent transferred the land from the federal government to the individual. Only about 40% of the homesteaders were successful.
Many questions arise about the process. The government was taking land away from the indigenous people and giving it to homesteaders. Was this right?
Homesteading changed the face of the US. People depleted natural resources and hunted animals to extinction, but there were positive and negative aspects of homesteading.
Positive:
- Poor people, freed slaves and immigrants could own land for free
- The US grew financially and more land was being occupied
- Homesteading created a need for supplies and machinery which started more businesses
- Innovations in farming took place
Negative:
- Natural resources were depleted without thinking about sustainability
- Poor farming practices caused the land to go barren. This helped to create the dust bowl in the Midwest in the 1930s.
- Indians were removed from their native lands
The majority of homesteading occurred between 1905 and 1922. The first homestead entry was granted in 1863 to Daniel Freeman. The Homestead National Historic Park is located at this site in Beatrice, Nebraska. In 1974 a homestead entry was issued to a 29-year-old Californian that wanted to live in Alaska after returning from the Vietnam War. His was the last homestead patent; issued in 1988.
My Grandmother homesteaded in North Dakota. I have pictures of her house in the middle of a rock field with no trees around. My mother and the rest of the family seem to be happy, but it was a hard life. Needless to say, they weren’t successful. Nancy and I plan to take a look at the land as it is today, just for interest.
On the way driving north, we needed a place for the night so we used Harvest Host to get a free spot at the Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum. This is a non-profit located in a hangar at a small airport outside of Des Moines, Iowa. The museum was formed to preserve some of the aviation history of the region. It was a hanger full of strange items from 1/5 scale RC airplanes to jet fighter bodies and cockpit glass with bullet holes in it. Anytime someone had something they didn’t want to keep; the museum would take it. The “curator” told us he had plans to do more displays but I really doubt it will happen. He has MS and is in his mid-60s. He spends all of his free time at the museum but there wasn’t any evidence of cleaning the area up. They use donations from overnight campers to keep things running.
Mall of America
6/19/2023 – We were concerned about the parking with the trailer so we thought about skipping the Mall of America. As we arrived in Minneapolis, we were surprised to find the traffic was light and there was no problem parking in the designated area. In fact, we were one of two people parked in an area of a couple of acres.
The Mall of America is huge. We arrived at lunch so we headed to the 3rd floor, where the fast-food vendors are located. It seemed like every vendor was represented and every food was available. If you wanted a restaurant meal, that was available too.
Mall of America facts:
- The largest mall in the US and possibly the largest in North America
- 6 million square feet
- 87 million square feet of retail space
- 550 stores
- Nine times the size of Yankee Stadium
- The Mall of America has its own postal zip code, 55425
- The indoor theme park covers 7 acres
- 28 rides and attractions
- Mini golf course
- $650 million to build
- It’s 1.15 miles to walk around one level
- It has the largest LEGO model in the world
- 12,750 parking spots
- Employs over 11,000 full-time workers
- 40 million visitors annually
After eating lunch, we walked around the 3rd floor just to see the central amusement rides. After finishing the lap, we were ready to leave. It was definitely something to see.
Duluth
6/19-6/20/2023 – We originally planned on just spending the night in Duluth but then decided we would add another day and get the oil changed in the truck. Unfortunately, when I went to the Ford dealer, they didn’t have an opening and wanted to keep the truck for the day. No oil change at this time.
Duluth is at the West end of Lake Superior. A large rail system connects Minnesota with Lake Superior and points East. We went to a public beach and waded in the water. This completes stepping in all five Great Lakes. The locals were sunbathing and swimming while we were wearing long-sleeved shirts and light jackets. The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping and visiting the Duluth Trading Company store. It was nice to take it easy for a day.
Unfortunately, the air quality is still bad. While we were here, there were alerts in the city telling us to stay home and limit our outside time.
Voyageurs National Park
6/21/2023 – Voyageurs National Park is at the northern tip of Minnesota. It was cool in Duluth so we dressed warmer. When we arrived at Voyageurs National Park it was hot. The park has three visitor centers that are basically boat launch ramps. The main activities are boating and tent camping. There are no drive-in campsites in Voyageurs but there are several hundred boat-in sites. It’s a beautiful area.
Leaving the park, we drove to International Falls on the Canada border. They boast of having the largest Smokey the Bear statue. Nancy snapped a picture as we drove past.
Heading southwest, we went through the city of Bemidji, Minnesota to look at Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. These statues were built in 1937 to attract passing motorists. Apparently, it’s still working.
A short distance away we were at Lake Itasca, the headwater of the Mississippi River. People were playing in the water as it flowed out of the small lake as a stream. They had a place with wooden steps on each side of the streams so people could easily walk across the Mississippi River.
The day ended at Honeyberry Farm where we dry camped for the night. We hand-picked some honeyberries and bought a couple of jars of jam in exchange for a free night camping.
Amick Homestead
6/22/2023 – During the trip planning, several people said to stop at Dairy Queen in Fargo for Dilly Bars. Nancy searched for the nearest DQ and mentioned they were advertising chicken strips and gravy. I couldn’t pass that up. After a hearty lunch, we both had chocolate Dilly Bars. They are touted as being a non-dairy desert but they tasted just like a chocolate-covered vanilla ice-cream bar. The only difference is they cost $3.50. Oh well, at least we can say we had a Dilly Bar.
My mother’s parents homesteaded in North Dakota. We have pictures of the house and family around 1918 so we wanted to see what the property looked like today. The Jamestown County Recorder helped us locate documents about my Great Grand Father and his brothers that all Homesteaded in the same area. We had thought they didn’t get land patents, but we now have records they did. Homesteading was such a hard task, it’s interesting to imagine life in those days. My mother lived about 10 miles from her high school so when she was attending, she lived in a boarding house during the week and went home on the weekends. The pictures we have of the homestead show a small wooden house in a baron field with dirt and rocks. The house looked like it was falling down but the family seemed to be happy, at least when the pictures were taken. We are so blessed today.
I used the computer and Google Earth to find my Great Grandfather’s plot and identify the roads that would take us to the property.
6/23/2023 – Marstenmoor, ND
We drove into Woodworth (a population of around 50) and saw a historical museum sign. In the museum, we found documents pertaining to the Amick family.
Using the Google Earth document I created, we drove to the land and discovered it was green and had several small lakes in the area. Some of the larger lakes showed up on the 1911 map but most of the small ponds and lakes didn’t. My mother lived there from around 1911 – 1929. The pictures were black and white so maybe what I thought was dirt and rocks could have been short prairie grass. Also, it’s possible they had some droughts or the pictures were in the fall when it was dry. In any case, the land looks nice and green today. I wish I had spoken more with my mother, about those early days in North Dakota.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park South
We drove the scenic loop, stopped at all of the turnouts, hikes a few trails, and saw
- Prairie dogs
- 2 bison
- 2 wild horses
- 1 deer
Every time a car saw a bison, it stopped in the road and jammed up traffic, just like Yellowstone National Park. Ironically, as we were leaving the park, we saw a herd of 50 or more bison just off the highway.
Back at camp, it was so windy at night that Nancy thought we might be in a tornado. Fortunately, it was just a strong wind and then rain.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park North
6/24/2023 – It was still raining in the morning but we thought the rain might stop by the time we drove to Theodore Roosevelt National Park North. The highway was closed so we had to detour and the 50-mile drive became a 90-mile drive.
We drove the scenic drive and listened to a ranger talk about Theodore Roosevelt’s life here. His experiences in North Dakota shaped his presidential life. As president he created
- 5 national parks
- 18 national monuments
- 51 bird sanctuaries
- began the national wildlife refuge system
- set aside more than 100 million acres for national forests
While driving, we encountered a small herd of bison walking down the road. Everyone just had to wait until they left before we could proceed.
The weather seems to have cleared but it’s still windy. It looks like we may have some rain in the next few days but nothing too bad, hopefully.
City of Deadwood, SD
6/25/2023 – In 1875, gold was found in Deadwood, South Dakota. The gold rush brought prosperity and problems to the town. As with other gold rush towns, the money was made by merchants selling goods to the gold miners. The town today is really active and unique. There’s a lot of history. The Mount Moriah Cemetery has the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Being close to Sturgis, you see a lot of motorcycles.
Wall Drug
Driving into Wall, SD there must be at least 100 billboards on the side of the highway. After a while you realize, this must be really big to justify the cost of advertising. In 1931, Ted Hustead bought a drug store in Wall, South Dakota. There were only 326 people in the city and he was having trouble attracting customers, so he simply offered free ice water to travelers. The hot weather attracted people and business improved. Without going over all of the details, today they can draw up to 20,000 people on a summer day. They have a restaurant that seats more than 500, a gift store, a clothing store, a jewelry store, an art gallery, and a chapel, plus the original drug store. It takes up close to two square blocks. In addition, they host activities and an outdoor play area for the kids.
Badlands National Park
6/25-26/2023 – After a bad boondocking experience earlier on the trip, Nancy was skeptical about boondocking in the Badlands. Once we arrived, it was great. The dirt road was in good condition and we had a place on the edge of a plateau that dropped off a couple of hundred feet into a ravine. It was quiet and there weren’t many people nearby.
We drove around the Badlands loop and saw many interesting geological formations. In some cases, it’s similar to Bryce National Park, with hoodoos and various colored rocks. Ironically, the ground was green in many places since this spring had so much rain. It really doesn’t seem so “bad”.
At night I got out my camera to do a little astrophotography. Unfortunately, the moon was still up so I would have needed to wait until after midnight to get a dark sky. The stars were great to look at anyway.
We had originally planned for two nights of boondocking but the weather forecast predicted a storm with rain and golf ball-sized hail, so we moved to a RV park in Wall. In the end, there was a lot of wind, but no storm. Oh well, we slept better knowing we were on solid ground.
Wind Cave National Park
6/27/2023 – Wind Cave was the first National Park to protect a cave system in the US. It was also one of the earliest National Parks. Above ground, all you see is a prairie and a few trees. Early explorers in the area found a hole in the ground that blew a cold breeze. In 1890 a family moved to the cave from Iowa and started offering cave tours. Their teenage son spent a lot of time with a candle and a ball of string and started mapping the cave. He kept a journal of his discoveries. He named rooms and passageways and drew the first map of the cave. Today they have mapped more than 150 miles of the cave system with some lakes as deep as 400 feet below the surface. The entire system is contained in a one-square-mile cube of earth.
They offer three different guided tours with the difference being the number of stairs. The first had 150 stairs going down and back up. The second had 300 stairs, mainly down. And the third had 450 stairs. The last two, go deep into the system and then use an elevator to get back to the top. Since we are adventurers, we decided on the 300-stair tour. The tour was about 90 minutes with steep paths, uneven surfaces, low overhead areas, some wet ground, and of course 300 stairs. It was great. In general, this is a dry cave system so you don’t see stalactites and stalagmites. Instead, they have Boxwork, which isn’t seen in most caves. Nancy’s legs are still recovering.
After going underground, we drove around the prairies and saw bison, pronghorns, prairie dogs, a fox, deer, and bighorn sheep.
Mount Rushmore
6/28/2023 – The main attraction in the Black Hills is Mount Rushmore, with the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. It’s always been on our bucket list.
Due to the large number of cars, they have an underground parking structure. Ironically, Mount Rushmore is free but you have to pay for parking. We rented the self-guided audio tour so we got the basic background and some in-depth details. It’s amazing to see, but hard to imagine the work it took. There was only one sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. The work was done by men with skills in hand labor and rock demolition. Work started in 1931, during the Depression. It continued until October 1941. Gutzon died on March 6, 1941, so his son took over for the completion. Over 400 men worked on the project.
Every year, nearly 3 million people visit Mount Rushmore. It’s hard to explain the feeling when you see it up close.
Crazy Horse Memorial
In 1939, Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was invited to the Black Hills by Chief Henry Standing Bear to carve a statue of Crazy Horse. Korczak accepted, got married, and had 10 children who took part in the dream of Crazy Horse. This is not a US government project so it didn’t have the funding. Consequently, it has been in work for 75 years and is only partially complete. They depend on donations and site admission fees for funding.
The site has a large building with a museum, art gallery, gift store, and café. It’s nicely done but you can tell they are tight on money. The monument is a long way from the visitor center so you need to take a bus to get closer if you like. I suspect this project will still be going on for another 100 years unless someone gives them the money to hire more workers.
Throughout the day the clouds continued to form. When we arrived back at camp, we found our spare trailer tire had burst and blew the tire cover off on the ground. Apparently, when the spare tire dragged on the ground while parking in Hannibal, MO, the tire was damaged. It wasn’t obvious at the time. During the heat of the day in the Black Hills camp, the tire burst. We drove to a tire store in Grand Rapids to get it replaced.
By the time we were back at camp, the sky was dark. We started doing laundry in the rain. It was stormy and rainy, but fortunately, the predicted hail storm never hit us. We just had lightning, thunder, and lots of rain.
Custer State Park
6/29/2023 – In the early 1800s over 60 million bison roamed the open grassland of the American West. By 1900 there were less than 1000 bison in the United States. Custer State Park was founded in 1912 by Governor Peter Norbeck as a game sanctuary to bring wildlife back to South Dakota. In 1914, 36 bison were purchased and moved to the park. The herd grew to about 2400 when in 1966 they had an auction to reduce the herd size. Today they manage the herd at 1000 – 1500 depending on the environmental conditions. Excess animals are moved to other areas, sold to private buyers, hunted, and sold for meat.
While driving around the park we saw large herds of bison, sometimes just walking down the roads and blocking traffic.
The park has several drives you can take to see different scenery.
Iron Mountain Road
- 17 miles
- 314 curves
- 14 switchbacks
- 3 pigtails with beautiful wood bridges
- 3 single lane tunnels
- 2 splits
- 4 presidents – a view of Mount Rushmore in the distance
- Driving time 45 to 60 minutes
Needles Highway
- 14 miles
- Drive through pine and spruce forests
- Meadows surrounded by birch and aspen
- Needle-like granite formations
- Drive time 45 to 60 minutes
- Peter Norbeck marked the entire course on foot and by horseback
Wildlife Loop Road
- 18 miles
- Open grasslands
- Pine-speckled hills
- Much of the park’s wildlife lives here
- Driving time is about 45 minutes
The diversity of the park was amazing. In addition to the scenery, there are multiple lodges, lakes, hiking trails, and campgrounds. While driving through the area we saw many animals including
- Bison
- Bighorn sheep
- Birds
- Pronghorns
- Burros
- Prairie dogs
- Deer
The day began with sunshine and blue skies but by midday, the clouds were moving in. We did get a dry lunch in a picnic area but it rained on and off for at least three hours after we left. I guess that’s why everything is so green now.
Heading for Home
6/30/2023 – We left the Black Hills and headed West into Wyoming. South Dakota was green but Wyoming is browner. On the way, it rained as we drove over the Bighorn Mountains. At 9,600 feet elevation, it was 54 degF and there was fresh snow on the peaks around us. As we arrived at a Cody, Wyoming boondocking site it was back to 84 degF.
7/1/2023 – The trip through Yellowstone was good. It brought back a lot of memories from prior trips. We had thought about stopping at some of the sites but all of them were crowded and there was no way we could park a truck and trailer. We drove from the East entrance to the West entrance. As we exited the park there was a line of traffic entering that extended from the middle of Yellowstone Village to the West entrance kiosks, two lanes wide and ½ mile long. Everyone was coming for the holiday week.
We arrived in Ashton, Idaho at Nancy’s brother’s house after lunch. Gary bought this house a few years ago after selling a house in California. The house is on a hill with a front door view of The Grand Tetons and a backdoor view over potato fields and Henry’s Fork River, known for good fly fishing. After showing us around the house and his massive storage building, a storm came in and we had lightning, wind, and heavy rain. We brought in pizza for dinner and talked for several hours. It was nice to see Nancy and her brother catching up about old times.
7/2/2023 – After a hearty breakfast of sausage and waffles we went on a 4-wheeler ride down the hill to the Henry’s Fork River. There were lots of guided fly fishing boats and people rafting. It’s really a nice area for outdoor adventure.
One last night in a Walmart and we’re heading for home.
7/3/2023 – We stopped in Truckee at the cabin to see how it weathered the severe winter snow. In general, everything looked good except for some minor water damage from an ice dam over the kitchen. It looks like I need to add some more roof heating strips to prevent ice dams on that side of the roof, just like I did on the front entry roof.
On the ride into Concord, the air conditioning stopped working when it was 101 degF outside. We stopped at McDonald’s for an ice cream cone. When we go back in the truck, the air conditioning was working fine.
We arrived back at the house around 6:00 pm. What an adventure, but it’s nice to be back home!!!