Looking For A Lull

Being held back by the weather for a few days lit a spark under us and today we decided we would tackle both Mount Rushmore and Crazy horse in the same day.  Once again the weather stepped in and made the job pretty easy, the wind was wild and cold when we were at Rushmore and made it hard to even keep the camera up on it's tripod.  The leftover snow had the presidential trail closed so we were limited in what we could see but we did see the mountain. Crazy horse was nice as I remember it.  It is great to see the progress that has occurred in the time since I was last there. I also love the museum and the history that they present. With time left over we did eat lunch at the game lodge in Custer State park and follow that up with a ride through the loop to see the Buffalo.  It was a great day and I feel as though we actually accomplished something we had set out to do. The first Blog Video! There has been progress in the last 16 years Love this pla...

We finally arrived in Custer to a plowed out campsite and melting snow.  The temperature, although chilly was warm enough that the melting had already started.  After situating the trailer and taking the Donk for a much needed walk we explored the little town and ate some lunch, picked up provisions and returned to relax.  Not a terribly exciting day, but relaxing enough. Tatonka Statues in Custer SD

After two nights at the Jackson, MN KOA we decided that we wanted to situate ourselves closer to the black hills without going into the snowy bits so we took off to Wall, SD.  We had to leave EARLY in the morning because heavy winds were expected to move through in the afternoon and boy did they have that right.  We pulled into a reasonably priced campground in downtown Wall and not long after checking in the wind came.  The rain was blowing sideways and the trailer rocked all night.  Surprisingly, the Donk was relatively unfazed by the weather since there was not thunder. After checking the weather and seeing the forecast for 8 inches in the black hills we extended our stay one additional night. Wall is a neat little town, famous for Wall Drug, the tourist trap/drugstore that keeps it pinned to the map.  We spent a decent amount of time and money at Wall Drug and it was pretty fun.  It is also close enough to the Badlands for us to do a driving tour on...

Got up extra early and hit the road on our first leg of the adventure.  We rode all morning and arrived at Jackson MN with no issues.  After checking the weather report it looks like we aren't going to be in the black hills for a few days as the snow will be piling up before we will be able to get there and so we decided to stay at this campground for an extra night and decide if we can get closer for another day before moving on to our final destination.  I called the KOA in Custer, SD and let them know and they were fine with our plan. The Jackson KOA is nice, the people are friendly and if you happen to stay there bring the owner a bottle of hot sauce for him to add to his collection; better yet make it two so he can try one and put the other on the shelf above the check in counter. Everyone was friendly at the local eatery, grocery and hardware store.  It seems like a neat little town to live in and a fine bunch of people that call it home.  I was perfec...

We stayed overnight at the lake and in the morning hit the road to Michigan on the first leg of our adventure.  It was smooth sailing and I parked Chappy in front of Mom Tyler's and hooked up to 110 shore power so we had lights and took the time to fill the propane tanks.  The weather forecast for SD is not looking too good at the moment with a ton of snow expected in the Black hills so we may have to delay our arrival by staying a few days in MN or as close as we can get without being in the snow.  YUCK. Big Joe met up with us and we plan to leave EARLY in the morning. Chappy all hooked up and ready to go at the Lake

We took the first load of supplies out to Chappy at the campground and we are planning on staying there will all 3 dogs before starting our Michigan leg of the trip. The first morning, Sara Dog, gets dropped at the Kennel.  She is getting old and is too much for Mom Tyler to look after.  Katia tried when we did the Florida/Georgia trip, but it proved too much for her too.  Then we hit the road.  We've divided the trip into 3 parts going west. Updated map to include our Stops Ohio to Michigan (4H 27Min 291 Miles).  There we drop off Rocky Dog at Mom Tyler's and pick up Big Joe.  We will spend the night before Karen, Big Joe, The Donk and I move on. Michigan to Minnesota (9H 22Min ~650 miles)  We have booked accommodations at a fine camping establishment. Minnesota to South Dakota (7H 472 Miles)  The 7 hours here does not include the stop we are going to make in Wall SD so Big Joe can visit Wall Drug.  It is kitschy yes, but it real...

Looking at the long term weather forecast for SD.  I'm not sure I'm liking what I'm seeing: For Real? I think I've mentioned it before, but I hate cold!   We are going to make it work though.