I followed the Missouri River south back into South Dakota to check out the eastern part of the state. My first stop was the site of the memorials and graves of Sacajawea and Sitting Bull in Mobridge. They’re only about 100 ft or so apart overlooking the river in a lovely, secluded spot. The only …
Continue reading “South Dakota: a Little House to some big falls”
After my detour around the big rainstorm, I arrived at the Shadehill Reservoir close to the state line where I camped for a few days to regroup and relax. The water wasn’t the best swimming (lots of algae) but I went in anyway, and between that and being a hot sweaty mess this was great …
Continue reading “North Dakota: Theodore Roosevelt Park and more”
Driving east from Rapid City I was treated to one of the most well known rest stop roadside attractions out there- Wall Drug! This reminded me of South of the Border on the east coast with an old west theme rather than a Mexican theme. The billboards for this place range from Montana to Minnesota, …
My first day crossing from the Black Hills of Wyoming into those of South Dakota was jam packed with sights. After finding my intended route blocked off for a parade (don’t worry, we’ll get back to this), I took a longer and less scenic route to Mount Rushmore via highway rather than byway, but also …
I dipped back into northeastern Wyoming, past many horses and fields and ended up outside Lovell and camped at a beautiful spot overlooking a river and at the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains. I was treated to a lovely sunset and the remote dark skies allowed me to spot the comet for a moment …
Continue reading “Wyoming: Medicine Wheel and Devil’s Tower”
The road to Glacier Park from Idaho took me through Missoula, where I spent a day caching up on things like laundry and grocery shopping, and decided to stay over for a night in an actual motel since there were many cheap ones and I could shower (and dye my hair which was in dire …
I was super excited to go back to Glacier National Park, despite the fact that the famed Going to the Sun Road was only open for 15 miles and there was only one entrance on the west side of the park open because the eastern entrances, which all lie on reservation land and the tribe …
Well, I’ve had the van for a year now, so I was due for some repairs and issues, so of course they all came in a bundle. First off, my sink drain, which I’d fixed once before a month or two ago, came off the sink basin. Perhaps the heat and and all the bumpy …
From Yellowstone I headed as far west as I’ve gone in the van so far, into Idaho for a few more days. My first foray into the Gem State earlier on had been stunning and I was excited to go see more and maybe even eat a potato. Okay, spoiler alert, but I did not …
Continue reading “Idaho: Craters of the Moon, the Sawtooths, and up the Salmon”
I left the Tetons reluctantly, heading north through the National Forest in hopes of stumbling upon a campsite in the stretch between Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks. I was unsuccessful, but stubborn (perhaps persistent is a nicer word, but perhaps less accurate) and thus continued on the rutted, dirt and gravel forest service roads across …
The Van is Go