STW
STW2 wrapup
With our arrival at the gates of Yellowstone National Park (and with a brief foray into the park) we have completed the middle segment of the Second Trip West. Time for a wrapup. 9 hops in 16 days, 1624 tow miles, 2299 truck miles, total campground cost: $750.04 ($46.88 per night). The most expensive stops … Continue reading
Yellowstone National Park – part 1
We have been blessed with very fine weather on our STW – we have had mostly sunny, warm days. Great picture-taking days. But that is about to change. The forecast for the Yellowstone National Park area is for scattered thunderstorms today, rain tomorrow and rain and snow both Friday and Saturday. Yes, snow. There is … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 9: Garryowen MT to Wapiti WY
197 miles via I-90, US 212, US 310, MT 72 and US 14/16/20 with stops in Billings MT and Laurel MT. Cumulative tow miles: 1624. Truck miles: 237. Cumulative truck miles: 2166. This hop was unusual in that we made two stops, not for refueling but for shopping. The first stop was at the Cracker … Continue reading
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Yesterday Jett and I went a few miles up I-90 to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, site of “Custer’s Last Stand.” I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but what we found was a remarkably well-preserved battlefield with markers for the locations where soldiers’ bodies were found after the battle, plus a few … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 8: Medora ND to Garryowen MT
278 miles via I-94, MT 47 and I-90 with a refueling stop in Forsyth MT. Cumulative tow miles: 1427. Truck miles: 351. Cumulative truck miles: 1929. This was an easy hop in terms of navigation, a fast hop in terms of average speed and a long trip in terms of clock time (almost 4.5 hours). … Continue reading
Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)
I got a quick look at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit) yesterday. It was quick because we had guests coming to our RV for drinks at 5pm and because I was low on fuel. I entered the park with a plan: drive until the “low fuel” light appeared or 17 miles, whichever came first. … Continue reading
STW Hop 7: Spearfish SD to Medora ND
212 miles via US 85 and I-94. Cumulative tow miles: 1149. Truck miles: 316. Cumulative truck miles: 1578. This was a straight shot north through some very desolate landscape. If it wasn’t for one construction site where we were stopped for a minute, we would have made the trip non-stop. The purpose of the hop … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 6: Rapid City SD to Spearfish SD
.61 miles via US 16, I-90 and US 85. Cumulative tow miles: 939. Truck miles: 144. Cumulative truck miles: 1262. This was a short hop – just over an hour – to get to Spearfish, from which we will do a loop tomorrow touring Deadwood, Lead and Sturgis. It was an easy hop, mostly on … Continue reading
Badlands National Park
We drove most of SD 240 on Saturday – about 25 miles of very scenic roadway through the Badlands National Park. We ended up in Wall, home of Wall Drug, which I have already described. This is to record some of the beautiful photos that I took in the Badlands.
STW2 Hop 5: Interior SD to Rapid City SD
87 miles via US 44 and US 16. Cumulative tow miles: 878. Truck miles: 163. Cumulative truck miles: 1118. This was a “bonus hop” – a hop that was added to our original plan. I had planned to spend 3 nights in Spearfish SD, using one of the days to visit Mt Rushmore. But when … Continue reading