June 28th, 2022

We purchased a seven day pass to spend time in Custer State Park during our visit to the Black Hills. This is a spectacular park where you can take a drive through the hills and prairie and you are certain to spot some of the park’s resident bison, pronghorn, deer, elk, big horn sheep and a huge variety of birds.

On our first visit to Custer State Park we took the wildlife loop road and parts of the Iron Mountain Road and the Peter Norbeck Scenic byway. We saved the Needles Highway for our trip to Mount Rushmore later in the week. Wait until you see those pictures!

In the park, we were able to get up close and personal with a group of what we thought were prairie dogs, but a ranger told us they were likely yellow bellied marmots. You decide!

We also saw a couple of bison laying in a field as we drove by, but the big herds were quite a distance away.

You have probably heard news stories recently about bison goring visitors to state parks. These happen when idiot people get FAR too close to these 2000 pound beasts. We stayed in our car when we were anywhere near them.

Did you know that these beautiful animals can run far faster than the fastest Olympic runners? Can you imagine 2000 furry pounds of muscle and horns charging at you?

One other magical thing we saw in Custer State Park was Mt Coolidge Lookout. We would have missed this beautiful sight if not for our navigator from GyPSy Guide.

The Mt. Coolidge Lookout starts with a narrow, windy, gravel road that takes you to 6024 elevation. It is BARELY big enough for two vehicles to pass without one of them careening down the mountain.

The mountain is home to several cell towers. They don’t take away from the view and I’m sure the rent helps pay the park’s bills!

We did a second drive through Custer State Park a couple of days later on our way to Mount Rushmore. That post will be coming soon!

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June 28th, 2022

No matter how much you research your journey before you leave, nothing beats having a navigator with you who knows the region like they have lived there their whole lives.

I searched sites and grabbed every single tourist magazine I could find. I have piles of pages for each of the excursions we have planned. And then we found our navigator.

We downloaded a new app today called GyPSy Guide. I’ll write a longer post about it in the next couple days. For now, know that we would have missed many of the wonderful things we saw without our GyPSy Guide.

We started our day with a drive through Spearfish Canyon. We started at Chris’ Campground where we parked Honey for the next week or so.

We took 14-A through gorgeous landscape. Our first stop was Bridal Veil Falls. With two daughters planning to get married in the next several months, this seemed like a stop we were required to make.

Bridal Veil Falls drops 60 feet and was flowing beautifully when we stopped.

Next we stopped at Roughlock Falls. There is a great place to park the beast (Tim’s truck.) Reba loved checking out the falls’ many levels and she even got to dip her toes and her knees and her haunches in the chilly water. We learned that Roughlock Falls was likely named because pioneers who were traveling through the area had to “roughlock” their wheels to keep them from turning as they lowered their wagons over the drops.

Our navigator told us to be sure to go up a dirt road just outside of Roughlock Falls to see the site where they filmed Dances With Wolves. They had just sprayed the dirt and we thought, good, that will keep the dust down. Little did we know that the substance they sprayed turned the dirt into a substance resembling a mushy concrete after several hours in the sun. A separate post on our truck and dog wash adventures later!

Reba and I got out to explore the Dances with Wolves filming site. Tim waited in the truck. I encouraged Reba to cool off in the creek by stepping in the water myself and promptly sunk in the mud halfway up my calf. I managed to get myself and the dog of this quicksand like mud while keeping my phone safe and dry. No pictures of this particular adventure because Tim was blissfully playing Words with Friends in the truck.

We decided to spend our afternoon at Custer State Park since this is one of the parks that is pretty dog friendly and there are bison roaming free there!

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June 21-22, 2022

This campground was just a two night stop over on our way to the Badlands, but we would definitely come here again for a longer visit.

The customer service here is incredible. I know it seems like such a little thing, but they have an little ice cream store next to the check in area that serves big, beautiful soft serve cones for TWO DOLLARS! These days it is such a delight to be surprised by something costing significantly less than you thought it would.

I know it’s silly, but it made my day.

Neshonoc Lakeside Campground is a beautiful campground on a bluff overlooking, you guessed it, Lake Neshonoc in Salem, Wisconsin.

There are two sections to the park. One side is filled with beautifully maintained tiny homes/RVs that stay on site all year round and are used seasonally. Reba and I took a walk through the neighborhood and it was a delight. We saw neighbors gathering for parties, driving their carts around with fixings for happy hour. There were tons of dog friends for Reba to meet.

The rest of the park is a more traditional RV park with short term campers. The sites are well maintained, large and have full-hookups. We stayed on a site on the second tier of the bluff and looked over the lake. Sunset was incredible.

I rented a kayak and spent an hour on the lake. The winds tested my skill and endurance for sure!

We also took a trip into La Crosse to check out their riverwalk. They could learn a thing or two from Milwaukee’s riverwalk. It was pretty, but there were no riverside cafes and very few facilities. They did have a really interesting garden that featured little vignettes of gardens from around the world.

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June 24th, 2022

For the most part the campgrounds we have stayed at were at least “fine” but the times I have kicked myself for the booking were when we were in a campground marked “easy interstate access.”

Like the real estate codes “cozy” that means REALLY small, “easy interstate access,” means you are sleeping with the semis.

The people running the place were nice, however, they were closed for an hour right in the middle of check-in time. So after driving nearly six hours we showed up to a closed office, nobody answering the phones and an RV already parked in the spot we were assigned. Because we could not reach anyone we had no idea if we were going to have a spot for the night. Grrr…

I’m usually the calm one of our traveling couple, but this time Tim had to talk me off the cab of the truck.

When they opened an hour after we arrived, and I let them know that we had been waiting an hour and were very worried, they simply said, “didn’t you get our E Mail?” Um, nope. No E mail. And couldn’t you simply answer your emergency line if you were going to close in the middle of the day?

They assigned us a new spot in the corner which, while large was extremely difficult to back into and backed up to Interstate 20 where the semis serenaded us all night long. (Hey truckers, jake brakes at midnight don’t make you cool and you don’t need them in the middle of Sioux Falls.)

If you must stay here for a one night stop over, ask for a pull through in the parking lot. I know that sounds horrible, but it’s an easy set up and at least you are a few hundred yards from the interstate.

Lesson learned, finally! Sometimes I can be thick headed.

If it says easy interstate access, read the bad reviews and look to see if you are going to be literally parked on the interstate shoulder.

Onward – to the Badlands!

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June 15th, 2022

One of the very best parts of living in an RV and traveling the US is that when someone you love needs you, you can just hitch up and GO!

Our daughter Emily is marrying her fiancé Alex this fall and the wedding will be in the backyard of their beautiful new-to-them home in Illinois.

We were headed to Milwaukee for an event this weekend already, but Emily called about ten days ago to ask if we could change our plans and come to her house instead and help get the yard ready and help her with some other wedding plans.

We have weeded and mulched and planted and shopped and spent wonderful days with Emily and Alex and we are so very fortunate to be able to be here for another week before we head out again.

Alex is a very accomplished cook and has rewarded our work with some amazing meals. Many of the ingredients come directly from their garden that is already producing lettuces, cucumbers and some squash.

And of course Reba has had the chance to catch up with her best pal Puff, although she was a bit dismayed that he has grown to more than twice her size in the past three months!

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June 3, 2022

We loved our visit to the Smoky Mountains and I’m so glad that we chose to spend a day at Dollywood.

Tim and I are both well past our roller coaster years so we wondered if Dollywood would be worth the price of tickets if we didn’t do the rides.

Tickets are about 20-30% less than a day at a Disney park. Tim got a discount because he’s an old guy. We got tickets for the day for just over $150 for both of us. Parking put us back $25.

We went on a day that was a little overcast and that probably helped keep the crowds down. We had little trouble parking and did not have to wait in a line anywhere in the park. Even those who were riding the coasters had very short waiting times.

We walked into the park grounds and got right into our first show, the Kingdom Heirs. This southern gospel group has performed at Dollywood since 1977 when the park was known as Silver Dollar City.

The 35 minute show was a great way to start our day! Because this show was inside, I didn’t shoot a video, but you can hear some of their music here.

https://youtube.com/channel/UC_u5NxElJqGafiy7O1jxnXg

After the Kingdom Heirs show we started a stroll through Dolly’s beautiful park.

Tim loves trains, so we were sure to ride the Dollywood Express. This train is pulled by a 110 ton coal fired steam engine. In 20 minutes you enjoy a five mile trip through the park and the surrounding mountain area.

And then there was the Dollywood FOOD! We had lunch at Aunt Granny’s which is an all you can eat home style restaurant. Our waitress was adorable and kept checking back to see if we needed more of anything. We tried, but we could not even eat everything she brought to the table when we arrived! Fried chicken and fried catfish (yes the diet was on pause this day) cornbread pudding, southern green beans, carrots, biscuits, greens, mac and cheese and sweet tea!

There were country music shows around nearly every corner. Each one was outstanding.

Of course there are the obligatory character pictures. Who cares if I’m 60 and not six?

We got to see Dolly’s RV too! She had a 45 foot Class A, and boy is it class-A!

And – on your way out, you walk through the Dollywood shop of course! I texted our daughters jokingly to ask if they wanted a Dolly hat or T Shirt as we got on the tram to our truck, but they were not joking – I had to beg my way back into the park so I could drop $100 on shirts and a Jolene hat!

Whether you are 6, 16 or 60+ or anywhere in between, I recommend a trip to Dollywood!

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June 2, 2022

Wish this peaceful little river was in your backyard?

It could be if you stop by “It’s Not the Coffee” in Townsend, Tennessee. Townsend is a fun little town just southwest of the bustle of Pigeon Forge.

Townsend’s beautiful river-walk, while right along highway 321, features convenient parking areas, picnic tables and barely hidden paths that lead you through the trees to areas you can wade in Little River. The crisp bite of the water and the rustle of the leaves mask all the road noise and you are transported. Until your dog jumps over you and splashes and the river meets your entire wardrobe.

Reba and I made a few treks into the river along our walk and as we got to about the two mile mark, we came across this sign and decided to grab a drink before we headed back.

Wait! What is that? Riverside tables?

http://itsnotthecoffee.com/

It’s not just riverside tables either. They rent out their ENTIRE riverside backyard to you! For $15 Tim and Reba and I could spend a half a day pretending we had a riverside cottage. The owner, Sabrina, told us to just grab a chair and drag it into the river and enjoy. She didn’t have to ask me (or Reba) twice!

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