A couple of weeks ago over our evening cocktails, Phil and I were trying to figure out what really was making this trip work so well. The obvious things are good teamwork between us; a reliable, convenient, mode of transportation; and exhaustive pre-trip planning, thus relieving anxieties about the home front. But we decided that the really key ingredients were ziplock bags and handiwipes!
We carry multiple sizes of ziplock - and everything goes in them. They save space when things come in boxes (into a ziplock and away with the box!), and they prevent spills, leaks, and wet from touching dry. They store extra ice, film, vitamins, and are often used for marinating our evening meat! Very multifunctional!
Handiwipes - actually unscented babywipes - are always within easy reach. Dirty hands, sticky hands, cleaning cuts, wiping up stuff, cleaning the fronts of cupboards, dusting the dashboard - the list is endless, but they make daily life on the road much easier for a couple of neatniks!
We have now been on the road for 10 weeks, and it is more wonderful than we had imagined. Just think, every morning we sip our coffee and decide what our adventure will be that day.
Not everyday is exciting, but everyday is interesting-even if it is doing chores in a strange town or traveling to the next destination. Yes, we still have to do laundry, grocery shop, clean and maintain the Van (which now has a name - "The Rolling White House"!), refill prescriptions, shop for birthdays, and get pictures developed, among other things.
There is also the occasional real pain in the rear! A broken shock absorber in Yellowstone (fixed in Billings, MT) and a minor collision in Minneapolis (we were rear ended in rush hour traffic) that is still being resolved - how do you order parts that take 5-6 weeks to deliver and still keep moving?
But the adventures really do occupy most of our time. Most of the month of July was spent in eastern Wyoming and South Dakota. The Great North American RV Rally in Gillette, Wy. was a piece of Americana not to be missed. Over 6,000 RV's, all descending on this little town created a traffic jam on I-90 that went for miles in both directions, but the Rally was very well organized once everyone was settled into their "campsite". We managed to miss the other great summer traffic jam - the Harley-Davidson Rally in Sturgis, SD with over 600,000 bikers "in town" - only "town" reached 100 miles in every direction!
We loved South Dakota. We ended up spending almost two weeks there, with a quick side trip to North Dakota to see Theodore Roosevelt National Park and a stop on the way at Devil's Tower National Monument.
The gateway for "Teddy" is the little town of Medora - a nicely restored Western theme town. The real highlight there, however, is The Medora Playhouse in their Amphitheater. The production was excellent, and the setting was magical. The Park Badlands were interesting, but nothing compared to the South Dakota Badlands.
Spearfish, SD was really nice--we took a nice trip through Spearfish Canyon and on through Lead, Deadwood, and Sturgis. A Grand Day! We also enjoyed a nice weekend at Canyon Lake outside Rapid City - a much-needed respite after having been on the move most every day.
Once we rested up, we were off to the heart of the Black Hills - Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Needles Highway, Custer State Park, Hot Springs and the Mammoth Site. We really expected big crowds, but were pleasantly surprised, as we found everything easily accessible and more spectacular than we expected. Lots of Buffalo and other wildlife.
We even found time to do a little golfing - Hart Ranch in the Black Hills, and Southern Hills in Hot Springs - the #1 9-hole course in the US according to Golf Digest '97-'99.
After almost a week in the Black Hills, we were off to The Badlands (those rocks are so beautiful - especially early or late in the day), Wall Drug (another great piece of Americana-a 3 block "drugstore" with more stuff than you can imagine!), Pierre (don't mispronounce it - it is "PEER"!), Sioux Falls, and on in to Minnesota.
After a few days exploring The Twin Cities (and talking to Insurance Companies!), we headed for the Northland. Cattails! Can you say Cattails! I've never seen so many in my life! They are everywhere - around every lake, by every road, -- it should be their state flower!
As I write this, I'm sitting on a lovely screened porch in the heart of Voyageurs National Park. No roads in this park, only water (and cattails!). Kettle Falls Lodge was built in the early 1900's, long before Voyageurs was a park, and it remains true to the era. It was remodeled a bit in the mid 1980's --only 12 rooms, shared baths, and the simplicity of another time. People arrive by canoe, houseboat, pontoon boats, or any other water craft to enjoy the simple hospitality and family feel-oh, and of course, fishing. Everyone fishes in Minnesota - and the Walleye are wonderful!