We are four days away from embarking on our second cross-country trip. This one will, like the first, include Tillamook OR as a stop, but, unlike the first trip (the Great Trip West or GTW), this time Tillamook will be the final destination. The route is designed to hit many of the states that we have not yet visited: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington – 12 states, leaving just 4 of the lower 48 unvisited. The towing distance will be nearly 4200 miles over 22 hops and 60 days.
The trip is organized into 3 segments.
STW Segment 1
STW Segment 1
The first segment is from Oakham MA to Madison WI. About 1400 miles over 7 hops and 27 days. Things we will see and do include:
- Genealogical research in the Albany area.
- A short visit to the beautiful Thousand Islands region of upstate New York.
- Three days in the Niagara Falls area.
- Two days near Mayfield OH where I hope to find some ancestor headstones.
- A few days in the Detroit area where, among other things, we will visit Greenfield Village.
- Two days near the Indiana Dunes.
- Eight days in my hometown, Madison WI. We will attend my 50th high school reunion (yes, I am that old), see some relatives and friends and probably spend a day in the Wisconsin Dells.
STW Segment 2
STW Segment 2
About 1650 miles from Madison WI to West Yellowstone MT over 9 hops and 20 days. Highlights:
- A visit to the Field of Dreams movie site in Iowa.
- A possible side trip to New Ulm MN, the setting of New in Town, one of Jett’s favorite movies. However, the movie was not actually filmed there, so it probably won’t happen.
- Badlands National Park.
- Mount Rushmore National Monument.
- Sturgis SD, home of the nation’s greatest biker rally.
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
- Yellowstone National Park.
STW Segment 3
STW Segment 3
The third and final segment of the STW is about 1100 miles over 6 hops and 13 days. Highlights:
- Glacier National Park.
- Coeur d’Alene ID. We are told that this is a charming town.
- Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
- Tillamook. Cheese and family. We will get to meet my sister’s first grandchild.
It will be an interesting trip full of sights we have never seen. It will be a lot of driving, with a 13-year-old truck. But the truck has been operating beautifully and it should do fine. I will keep my fingers crossed and my camera ready.