August 29, 2023

 Hi All,

Hope all is well.

I have Wi-Fi! I'm typing on a computer. So much easier'

We are in Spokane Washington. We entered Pacific time today. It's 7:30 - feel like midnight.

Our camping reservation for tonight was cancelled due to fire.  My brother, Ed helped to figure stuff out while we were on the road. The first plan was to boondock at a casino or drive a bit longer to our next stop.  We decided to stay in Spokane.  Thing is - there were no showers at our campsite in Glacier, and no electric or water or dump station.  I hadn't had a shower since Friday night and Annie's was on Saturday morning.  We found an RV resort that was $190 for the night. We opted for a Super 8 for $117.  I might catch some baseball as well as that shower. I know - all unnecessary information.

So - Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Another wow. My first hope was to see all three sections: the south, the north and Theodore's homestead. We stayed in the south. Quality vs. quantity.

We walked along the Little Missouri River. We walked through a prairie dog town. They were not welcoming. We didn't stay long. We saw and petted wild burros. We had wild horses grazing next to our campsite. We walked to the edge of the petrified forest. We witnessed an amazing sunset over the Little Missouri and the badlands. And everywhere we looked we were awe struck. 

We went into Madula to see a play. Not the hyped up musical but a one man show depicting Theodore Roosevelt. This man dd not just memorize his part. He knows Teddy Roosevelt. He started the show by asking where people were from. Then, as Theodore, he spoke about what he had done in and/or for that state. He ended it by asking for questions which he answered as Teddy would. We told a shop keeper later where we had been and he said, "Oh, then you've met Theodore Roosevelt."

We also went to a ranger talk about bats and the very visible Milky Way. I picked up some good trivia questions. Who said it: "I know of two things that are infinite; the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe."

From ND we took two days to get to Glacier NP.  I don't know how many people have told me Glacier is their favorite place ever. I can see why. Just wow.

We walked through an amazing grove of huge cedar trees. Annie wadded in I forget the name of the river but also Lake McDonald which is huge and over 300 feet deep. We took an eight-hour Red Bus Tour. I'm glad we did. If you're not going to take a hike in Glacier which is ideal, (the best way to see any park is to walk into it), this tour is a good alternative. We learned an incredible amount. Luckily, Annie wrote a lot of it down.  This woman spoke for six and a half hours. She has a 1 1/2-hour break for our lunch at Lake McDonald Lodge. It was also nice to not watch the Going to the Sun Road - just the beauty.

The wildlife we saw in Glacier was an eagle flying by us while looking at St Mary's lake and a young black bear farting around in the woods as we drove by.

I spent some time on an interstate highway today (I90), for the first time since leaving SD.  Since then, I've been driving on 60 to 70 MPH two lane roads. Some were straight and on the grasslands. Others on winding mountain roads. When we started driving around Glacier National Park to get to West Glacier, I was like, "Are you kidding me? 70 MPH?" By the time we were driving back to camp from the bus tour though, I was on it. Not with the trailer. 

Oh yes - it continues to be an awesome experience. It has not been without mishaps but that is just part of the ride. When the mishap is over, that is.

Mishaps: 

On the way up to ND I hit the brakes a bit hard at some road work. I immediately got a warning with a symbol I didn't know. Being the handy man that I am this caused zero stress. It was a sway warning. Not for the trailer but for the truck. Just 12 miles later I was at a service station. The woman at the counter explained what was going on and, just as she predicted, it reset itself when I restarted the truck.

The trip to TRNP was 390 miles instead of the predicted 300. Mostly due to a 70-mile zig at the end of the day. The temperature by that time had gone down to 92 degrees. By the time we got there we were both fried. As a matter of fact, as we were driving to the campground after arriving to the park, we saw a small herd of bison. We were both, "yeah, yeah - there's some bison." Didn't see a single one after that. We saw lots of signs of bison but no more bison.

Annie got some weird dust allergy in her eye. At first, she thought it was pink eye and our doctor in West Brookfield called in a prescription to Dickenson, ND. The drug store was just a drug store. Remember them? But that wasn't it and we stopped at a walk-in clinic somewhere in MT. Not another patient in the building. The nurse PR actioner knew her shit and we were sent to another pharmacy two towns away. This one was in a supermarket.

On the same day I got a change your oil soon warning from the truck. It was only 4000 miles after the last oil change, but we got it done in the morning anyways in Malta, MT. I have found MT people to be quite friendly. I enjoy friendly people.

Our third night in TRNP, (also no hookups), we were awoken to the carbon monoxide alarm at 5 AM. We had run the battery down which is needed to kick on the propane refrigerator. So, we shut the fridge off and opened up. But now I had to figure out how to hitch the trailer to the truck without the battery. The tongue jack runs off the battery. Of course, there is a piece that allows you to do it manually but, guess what, I have no idea where it is. I also have a generator but the gas in it was two years old and would not kick in. I ended up taking my jumper cables and charging the batteries with the truck. The guy who did my oil change in Malta took the old gas for me.

And - I left my credit card on the table at lunch at Lake McDonald Lodge. I know that's where I left it but they did not have it. It probably got bussed with napkins and is in the dumpster. Since there is no phone service there, I had to enlist the help of the two desk clerks to cancel the card. They dialed the number for me and handed me the phone. Then they pressed all the numbers for me requested by the telephone robot on the other end. Including my SS number.

So - there have been some mishaps; or should I say, learning experiences. But we are both loving it - loving it - loving it. Tomorrow, we head to Rainer NP. It will take two days but - unless we zig again - they are not long drive days. 

God Bless

PS The sheets in this hotel smell like fabric softener. Why do people think those chemicals smell cleaner than good old fashioned clean sheets?

August 18, 2023

 Hi All,

We are in Badlands National Park!  I have to say - we have already had a great trip and Mackinac Island was a wonderful major stop, but, for me, it all starts here. I have been so excited about this I actually get a little teary eyed yesterday while driving here on I90. True story And it wasn’t because of the death grip I had on the steering wheel to keep from getting blown off the road. It was a hard ride. But it was a beautiful ride.

Friday August 18

I had to stop writing yesterday because we had no electricity and I was running out of battery.

Let me back up. We left Big Soyuz recreation area at 7:15 AM. That’s a record for us. Unfortunately, we lost an hour when we got lost because we had to go back to the campground because I was reading about trails in the badlands and left my phone in the restroom.  I KNOW! I KNOW. Trust me, it was mentioned. More than once I think.

Anyways, we left there and went to Sioux Falls park a beautiful park in Sioux Falls South Dakota and we did a little Thrifting and went on our way. We also stopped at the famous Corn Palace. Let me just say, don’t. Just don’t I have to say that Annie would disagree. One of the Youtubers I watch, Traveling Robert, went there last year. He wasn’t impressed either. Then we got the badlands, got all set up, and went to Wall Drug. I have to admit, I thought that was going to be another waste of time, but I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong, I was done way before Annie was. But they had a lot of great.(great might be a stretch), western art. And it was just a tourist trap that I didn’t mind walking around in for a little while. It’s actually a great rags to riches story. Signs that said free ice water kept them from going bankrupt in the 1930s?  Now there are signs everywhere for wall drug. We saw our first one about 3/4 of the way through Missouri.

The badlands national park is one of those places that you can get stupid with the camera. I mean the place is so beautiful and remarkable that you look up and think you need to take a picture-  five minutes later taking another picture. It gets to be too much. I remember last year when Ed and Sue Annie and I were in the Tetons, I did a solo hike. It was an out and back. On the way back I turned around and saw this beautiful scene. I picked up my camera, and said to myself, “ you already took this exact picture.”

That being said, the badlands is a spot. We did a couple of short 1 mile out and backs  - three I guess. They were great walks loved every second, although Annie’s knee is not doing well. it’s not a major thing. It’s just going to change a couple plans. 

I forgot to mention the wind farms in Missouri. We passed a few of them. We went through one on I90 that was so big it was awesome. I want to say they were hundreds of wind mills. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

Today we drove to the Black Hills. Big Pines campground. One of the few times we are at a pirate campground on the trip. On the way here today we stopped at wind Cave national Park. I was hooking up the trailer this morning, and a woman pass by and said, “ I don’t know which way you’re going, but if you’re going west don’t take 40” That’s the way my directions read so we took 90. We ended up on a gravel road for about 18 miles. It was more interesting than anything else. We are in the mountains. When we got to wind Cave national Park, and we were told that all the tours had been canceled due to elevator repair. I said to the Ranger at the desk that I was aware of some gray trailers at the park. Three rangers immediately looked at me with concern on their face and said, “ it’s hot!”  so we came to the campground. I not sure what we’re doing tonight, but it’s going to be great.

Hope all is well. God bless.

I forgot about the prairie Homestead. We stopped at a Homestead that was successfully homesteaded as part of the homestead act of 18 whatever. That’s where all the prairie dogs were.

I also forgot to mention the sunflower farms. Acres and acres of sunflowers.

August 13, 2023

 

Sunday 8/13. 12:45

Hi all. 

Right now we are sitting on a beach on Lake superior. We came looking for Lake superior on route 64 N. We were given a detour so we turned right and drove about 12 miles to a stop sign where it said end of detour, so we took a left and here we are. Lake superior, we learned today, is larger than the other four great lakes combine plus another Lake Michigan so it’s kind of big. It is of course the largest lake in the world. And we all know when the October winds come early there’s going to be trouble. 

Annie took a dip in Lake Superior. Crazy lady. I’m wearing a flannel. 

We spent another day in Mackinac Island since I last wrote. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who didn’t enjoy the visit to Mackinac Island. I did enjoy it. But I have to admit that I could feel the money vacuum going after my wallet before we got off the boat. Actually, this is a little weird, but my favorite time on Mackinac Island was breakfast at a place called chuckwagon’s. These four people that were working that diner were dancing up a storm. I’m gonna say that they sat about 75 people and was packed and they cranked it , it was really quite a show to watch. 

People watching on that day was also a lot of fun. I also have to say that the grand hotel is indeed something special. It was worth the 20 bucks for the two of us to walk around. The attention to detail there is really something special.

Yesterday, we drove to Gogebig State Park. It was a long day driving, When we finally arrived at the park, and got to our campsite, the people that were supposed to be been gone for hours previous we’re still packing. We finally got into our spot about 7 o’clock eastern time. We had just passed the timeline so it was 6 o’clock real time. We were in bed by  9 o’clock real time. We did get two free bundles of wood out of the deal.

We missed mass today because by the time we got to the church we were back in eastern time so we were an hour late.

Monday 8/14

Today we drove through Wisconsin in the rain. The rain was no big deal but, at times, the wind was tossing the trailer around like a toy ballon. The ride today was 370 miles. Tomorrow should be more like 250 and almost all of it is on I90 so we should make descent time. We didn’t today. 

Right now we are at Whirewater State Park in MN. This park is nice!  The sit is the nicest so far. It’s cloud covered now but seems to be clearing so when I step outside in the middle of the night to stare at a tree the stars might be out. If so, it will be the coolest night sky I’ve seen in years. 

Tomorrow We’re off to Big Sious Recreation Area in SD. The ranger here got excited when I told him that. I hope we make good time tomorrow. 

Hope all is well out there in the real world. Peace out and God bless.

She got all the way in

Not my thing

Loved it so much I Yelped them 

August 10, 2023

 Howdy All. We are having a marvelous time. I want to share it when I have energy at the end of the day. 

The first leg: 8/6 - 8/10

First the drive
The drive has been pretty uneventful. Cleveland was ugly, but we did it at 2:30 in the afternoon so it could’ve been a lot worse. If the roads are any indication, the taxes in Ohio are very low, but we got through it.

Mackinac bridge was very windy, narrow and long didn’t notice any beauty until I got over it.

The sites:

We seen some great sites already. Our stops up until now have been mainly just to get to where we’re going, but on the contrary, they have been beautiful spots Harbor State, Park in Ohio was gorgeous right on Lake Erie. Then Bay City State Park in Michigan on Lake Huron was also beautiful. We had a a long walk on the beach with a boardwalk along the lagoon. We seen woodpeckers, cranes, blue heron, gray, heron, and ducks. At the Ohio state park the week before they had a program for kids to determine what type of ducks the decoys were that they placed all around the pond. I got fooled and took about three pictures before realizing it. We got a good laugh. That’s the second time that’s happened to me.

Yesterday we traveled two streets state park in Michigan just over the Mackinac bridge. That did not work out so we had to find a different place. On the way to try to look for another state park we saw a sign that said Lakeside RV park next left. we took that left and follow the dirt road down the hill till it ran into a field. Consequently, I needed to back the trailer up about 50 yards turn it around and pull back out at which time we noticed the covered up for sale sign. We ended up at a very nice KOA . The woman there how to do a dance to get me a spot but we’re good. 

Today, we spent the day in Mackinac Island. We are staying here for the evening at sunset condominiums. It’s a nice spot right on the lake. We are going to witness a credible sunset in about a half an hour.

We rented a horse and buggy to ride around the island for an hour. It was a Christmas present for Annie. We got lost. A woman came with an electric bike to show us the right way. It was fun. Well, it was a great experience.

After these first four days, we are more excited about this trip stand. We were to start with with every stop seeing something great it’s going to be a incredible trip.

Fake ducks

I didn’t mention the National Woman’s Rights Historical Museum  AMAZING WOMEN! AMAZING 

If Annie can get in the water, she gets in the water  

 Additional photos from 8/29.