Travel Journal

October 2005

Travel Route:

On October 8th we began our travels again. Renée had developed another case of Bronchitis but rather than delaying our travels again, she decided to rough it out. Maybe it would just stay behind in Fort Wayne. At high noon we rolled out of Michael’s driveway northward to Michigan through Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, stopping to spend the night in the Manistee National Forest on Nichols Lake, south of a the small town called Bitely. The campground was thinly populated, even though it was a holiday weekend. We left around 11:15 AM the next morning, traveling for most of the afternoon through the National Park and late in the afternoon we arrived at the Mackinac Bridge that connects the Upper Peninsula to the rest of Michigan. The toll fee was $5.00: a bargain compared to the rates in New England! With Lake Michigan on the left and Lake Huron on the right as we crossed, the view was spectacular.

Photos of Mackinac Bridge

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After crossing the bridge we took US Route 2 west along Lake Michigan. US 2 is the northernmost federal highway ending on the West Coast north of Seattle.

Hunger pangs caused us to stop in the small town of Naubinway. Although it was buffet style, the choices were few and bland. At least it was filling. We then drove a bit further and in Engadine we spent the night beside the town park behind the fire station. The following morning we left around 9:45 AM, driving to Manistique where we finally found a pharmacy. Renée’s bronchitis was in full bloom and she needed constant doses of Dayquil and Nyquil. We continued along US 2 as it left the edge of Lake Michigan, continuing westward through seemingly unending forests and small towns. After the dining experience of the evening before, we had prepared a picnic meal that we consumed in a rest area between Crystal Fall and Iron River. After this enjoyable meal we drove to Lake Marion in the Ottawa National Forest where we spent the night.

Photos from Lake Marion in Ottawa National Forest (Northern Michigan).

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On the following day we drove only a short distance after leaving Michigan and entered Wisconsin. In Saxon we stopped at a campground with full hookups. The water had been turned off since they already had frost so we filled our fresh water tanks at the campground entrance. We spent two days there so Renée could rest, sleep and try to finally get rid of the Bronchitis and recuperate. The campground was great for Lobo since there were lots of woods, fields and nearby paths for walking. On October 13^th at 10:45 AM we left Saxon, driving through the beautifully forested Indian Reservations to Lake Superior. At Superior, Wisconsin we crossed the bridge to Duluth, Minnesota where the St Louis River enters Lake Superior. At least that is what the signs said. The fog (smog?) was so bad that we could barely see past the bridge. Except for a large smokestack on the Minnesota side, we didn’t see much. Leaving the “civilized” areas we continued on US 2. That afternoon we noticed a small sign on a bridge stating that the small stream under it was the Mississippi River. It is amazing that such a small water flow will become the mighty Mississippi a few hundred miles further south. As we drove through the Leech Lake Indian Reservation we stopped at a roadside stand where a Chippewa Indian was selling freshly smoked fish. Renée claims he was quite a handsome man but didn’t take any pictures to prove it. He sure knows how to smoke a fish, though. It was delicious.

At Lake Winnibigoshi we stayed at Camp Winni where we had the entire campground to ourselves.

Birch trees on the way to Camp Winni:

A few more birch tress in Minnesota:

(Birch and aspens are plentiful and a beautiful sight in the northern forests of the US)

On the following day, as we arrived back in “civilization”, it was a beautiful sunny day and in Bagley, Minnesota we stopped for a lunch of Buffalo burgers, onion rings and deep fried cauliflower.

In the western part of Minnesota the forests came to an end and the prairie began. Around 4:30 PM we crossed into North Dakota at Grand Forks. 13 miles west of Grand Forks is the Air Force Base of the same name. Our experiences have shown that the military complexes tend to have excellent facilities for camping. Their full hookups were $12 per night but since Chuck has a “Golden Access” Card we received a 50% discount. With such prices, we decided to spend several days, do the laundry, shop in the commissary, etc. When pulling the RV, we get around 7-8 mpg and diesel fuel was running around $3.65 to $3.75 a gallon. A rest period would also give the budget a chance to recuperate.

Unfortunately, the satellite internet connection did not connect. Chuck believes it was because of the spot beam of the satellite where our signal is transmitted and received. There is an area from Minnesota to Washington State where the signal is exceptionally weak. Renée doubted Chuck’s explanation, but time would tell after we got further south again. We took a laptop to the base library every day and hooked to their WiFi so we could get email and an internet connection. During the first four days there we made a few shopping trips off the base to Grand Forks. In an upscale “Bar and Grill” we had the day’s special of a $3.99 hamburger with fries. It actually tasted quite good and the fries were excellent. It convinced us that our taste buds haven’t changed that much over the years. Rather, the quality of food has worsened! To top it off, we had a American-brewed wheat beer that was quite good. After we arrived back to the campsite, we were struck by the beauty of the moon rising. (Click here)

We telephoned a lot with Michael while there and it was during this time that he received the word from his ex that if all of the court proceedings were to halt, she would agree that he would have sole custody of one child and her, the other. He refused to separate them and a few days later she agreed that he would have sole custody of both children. The 17^th was his birthday and for him, it was quite a present! All that is left is for the paperwork to be processed through the courts.

As we began preparing for our departure from Grand Forks, Chuck was flushing the tanks and forgot to turn off the water, causing an overflow into the storage compartment underneath. We had to delay our departure for another day while we ran every heater and fan around us until we dried out everything.

On the 19^th we left around 2 PM, heading west-southwest. In Devils Lake we left US 2 and headed south. At the Spirit Lake Indian reservation, we stopped at the old Fort Totten that was turned into an Indian boarding school before it became a State Historic Site in 1960 (http://www.state.nd.us/hist/totten/totten.htm ). We also took a few photos (Please click here). A little north of New Rockford, North Dakota on US 281 we crossed the continental divide. South of New Rockford, US 281 is called “The Old West Trail“ and near Carrington on ND 200 West we saw our first Buffalo herd:

It was getting late and as we passed through McClusky, North Dakota we saw a small sign indicating that a camping area was on a side road. Since it was almost dark, we turned in and found that camping spots were available alongside the town playground/park. There were water and electric hookups with a nearby dump station. A sign in front of the park instructed us that the honor system was in effect and to please deposit $10 in the small black box. It was such a cold night that the water had been turned off but we had plenty of water in our tanks. We wrote a check and a note thanking them for their hospitality. More small towns could learn and profit from this gesture.

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The next morning was sunny and cold. After breakfast and a walk with Lobo, the weather turned cloudy and windy. We left at 11:15, traveling through flatland and prairie until Washburn, where it began to get hilly. Here we entered the Mountain Time zone. We traveled along the Missouri river (please click) until we intersected with US 85, turning south toward I-94. Between Belfield, ND and the Montana state line we passed through an interesting hill region (please click). The odometer read 25874 as we crossed the Montana state line (please click). The landscape again became flatlands and prairies until we neared Glendive, Montana where it again became hilly. In Glendive we stopped at the Green Valley camp ground where the owner/caretaker was a cat lover. Lobo wanted to spend the entire time outside protecting us from the wandering cats. We left at 11:40 AM the next day, heading west on I-94 to Miles City, Montana where we took MT-59 toward Wyoming (please click). In Wyoming it became WY-59. Here we saw our second Buffalo herd. A pair of young bulls put on a show for us as we tried to take photos.

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The drive to Gillette, Wyoming was through the prairie with a few hills and occasionally an oil rig. Shortly before Gillette is a large open coal mine. Extremely long trains transport the coal from this mine and we continued to see the trains for the next couple of states we passed through. The night of October 21^st we spent in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Gillette, Wyoming where we once again were able to get a satellite internet connection. (Chuck was right!) The only nearby restaurant was Perkins, where we had a so-so meal with not even so-so service. The following morning was cold and cloudy. It even looked like snow was coming, but by the time we left around 12:15, the sun had come out. Perhaps it was just coincidental, but we had the impression that the people were somewhat aggressive. We even saw two men almost get into a fight because one blocked the other’s way and didn’t apologize.

We drove further to South Dakota (please click) to the Angostura Reservoir Recreation Area. There was only one spot with Electric, water and sewer. But we only need one!. Except for the occasional overnighter, we had the campground to ourselves for six days. The first night was extremely cold and the following morning we had to thaw out the pipes outside. Chuck then prepared us for the next several days by insulating the water line and ensuring nothing would be damaged if it froze again. Renée spent the first day washing clothes. That evening we had bratwurst on the grill and the following morning we went to Mount Rushmore. On the way we again saw a Buffalo herd. This time they were quite near (Please click) and (one more time). In the Mount Rushmore parking lot we received a greeting from one of the residents:

Picture from Mount Rushmore:

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We were quite worn out from the long trek around Rushmore and the walk with Lobo afterwards, but we nevertheless managed to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial on the same day (http://www.crazyhorse.org/ ). It isn’t quite finished yet (please click) but when finished should look like this (on a larger scale): (please click). In Custer, SD we had supper at the Dark Horse Restaurant and for the first time had Elk Steak. It tasted quite good but we would have expected it to taste more like venison. From the 100 different varieties of beer available, we chose Erdinger Hefeweizen, and they were sold out! We both saved a small piece of the Elk steak for Lobo, which he thought was quite tasty.

On October 25th, we stayed at the campground all day, Renée baked a loaf of bread and Chuck worked on refining the satellite set up for German TV. In the evening we drove to Oelrichs. There was not much to see there except for a beautiful sunset, which we could have witnessed just as well at the campground. We normally try to take a different route back when we go somewhere, so we traveled on an unpaved road through the middle of the prairie on the return trip to the campsite. The following day we drove to the other camping sites around the Reservoir to check them out and then went shopping in Hot Springs. The grocery prices were extremely high and we only bought what was absolutely necessary. We then drove around the town. There are many buildings made of the local sandstone and are very interesting (http://www.hotsprings-sd.com/city_county.htm ). The local police station was very unusual:

Across the street and down the block was the local jail. It was a larger structure with a barbed-wire fence all around it. There was a small exercise yard for the prisoners and in this yard was a young Indian woman dressed in black and white striped prison garb. Renée waved and the woman waved back. It was an unusual sight but also kind of sad so we didn’t take any pictures.

In town we stopped at a Mexican restaurant and had lunch. Renée had Chiles Rellenos and Chuck had a Chimichanga. The food had an authentic taste and was quite enjoyable. After lunch we visited the Mammoth Site Museum (ß please click). The museum is actually built over the site of the fossil find and the pit containing the fossils can be viewed in the pit as they are being uncovered (please click).

The following day Chuck slept late but in the afternoon we drove to Keystone which turned out to be a typical tourist trap for those that had visited Mount Rushmore and still needed to get rid of some of their money. We didn’t stay long and drove further toward Rapid City. On the way we passed the film set from “Dances with Wolves” with Kevin Costner. In Rapid City we realized that Ellsworth Air Force Base was nearby so we drove there and bought a few necessities at the commissary. We arrived back at Angostura Camp site quite late.

The following day we had to leave Angostura before 4 PM and spent the day packing. The weather was warm but the sky was cloudy and it was a little windy. We drove south on US 385 crossing into Nebraska (ß please click) and spent the night in Chadron at Wal-Mart. The following morning we crossed Pine Ridge, traveling along the Union Pacific railroad toward Alliance. The long trains full of coal coming from Wyoming dominated the landscape on one side while prairie, planted fields and cattle were on the other. Sugar beets are also grown here and they were piled 25-30 feet high. In Bridgeport we left US 385, turning onto US 26, to the Chimney Rock Pioneer Crossing Campground (ß please click). The campground was built and run by a rancher couple and this time of the year it is empty and the “Trading Post” is closed but the campground is open. Since we did not need the bath and shower facilities, the rancher only charged us $12 a night for Electric, water and sewer. The first night it took a while to get accustomed to the coal trains passing by about a half mile away, blowing their horn as they crossed the intersection. This was also the night that we switched from daylight to standard time.

Here are a few photos of Chimney Rock (The Indians had named it Elk Penis but the pioneers couldn’t accept the translation and chose another name for it!)

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Chimney Rock Website (ß please click)

On Sunday we visited the Chimney Rock Museum, and then drove to Scottsbluff to find some anti-diarrhea medicine. We all needed it, including Lobo. Monday was Halloween but we had no Trick-or-Treaters. Chuck had an earache and spent most of the day in bed. Renée spent most of the day working on the German version of this web page and that is how October ended.

Odometer at Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 8^th, 2005: 24100 Miles

Odometer on October 31^st, 2005 in Nebraska: 26989 Miles

Distance traveled: 2889 Miles

To be continued next month …………………..

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