Next stop was Ogallala, Nebraska. In its day, it was for cattle and the railroad. Today, it’s not so well off, but it’s trying to make a comeback. I did find the replacement storage tub for our travel grill that I’d been looking for all over the west! Notice the smoky background in the photos.

From Ogallala we drove to the northwest corner of Nebraska and Fort Robinson State Park. On the way, again following the wagon trails, we stopped by Ash Hollow State Historical Park. The settlers going west were very, very tough!! Fort Robinson is a keeper. Great camping, very interesting historic grounds, lots of hiking, and although in the middle of nowhere, a good stop for a few days, plenty to do.

We next travel to Lander, Wyoming to visit Bill and Karen and meet Bruce and Ann. Bill and Karen have a beautiful cabin in Sinks Canyon, their retreat from San Luis Obispo. We hiked, checked out ghost towns, and explored the very interesting town of Lander. 

Next we traveled through Montana, visited Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and stayed near Three Forks where three rivers come together to start the mighty Missouri River. Next we stayed in a small campground near Clinton, Montana. Again great hiking along fishing streams. 

Our next destination was the Elks Club in Coeur d Alene, where the smoke from fires around the region was intense. Then Clarkston, Washington, across the Snake River from Lewiston, Idaho. On the drive, the huge wheat fields were amazing! The stay in Clarkston on the Snake River was pleasant after all the smoke, with good bicycle riding along the River to Hells Gate, the beginning of Hells Canyon. 

After Clarkston, we traveled parallel to Hell’s Canyon (and the Snake River) to Lake Cascade, staying in the small town of Cascade for a couple of nights. Another beautiful stop on our adventure. Lastly we motored to Winnemucca, Nevada, then the Elks Club in Tracy, California and home. Lots of beautiful back roads and amazing landscapes. 

We can’t wait for 2022 adventures!

After a few days at Buffalo River, we moved on the John and Teri’s house on Crookneck Lake in northern Minnesota, a beautiful house right on the lake. The loons were incredible to watch and listen to. It was a wonderful week on the lake, and miraculously no mosquitoes!

Next on the itinerary was Faribault, where we both grew up. We still have lots of family in the area and so it was a busy time. Steve installed a 30 amp outlet for us at his farm, it made the heat and humidity tolerable. Still no mosquitoes! Yea! We enjoyed the downtown of Faribault that has been renovated in the past few years. Also, there is an extensive trail system along the rivers and old rail lines that run through the town and area. 

From Faribault we traveled to the southwest Minnesota to Lanesboro. This part of the state is noted for the bicycle trails along former railroads, Rails to Trails. There are great little towns along the trails, reinvigorated by the bikeways, and world famous pie!

After two days of bicycling, we went west across the southern part of the state. We saw corn, beans, and wind generators, and did I say corn and beans? As in much of our trip we tried to avoid interstates, but did spend a little time on Interstate 90, not too bad. Then we cut across the corner of Iowa to get to Lewis and Clark SP, on the Iowa/Nebraska border. It was a beautiful park but with the heat index above 105 degrees, it was hard to do much beyond short hikes.

Then onward to Eugene Mahoney State Park on the west side of Omaha, NE, where we met our old friends from college, Jane and Brad. It’s amazing that even after many years, it seems like only yesterday we last saw them. 

For our post-COVID-19 trip (before Omicron), we traveled back to Minnesota to visit our relatives, first John and Teri at Crookneck Lake in Northern Minnesota and then to Faribault in Southern part of the state. We left California at the end of June, the west has been too hot so we were looking for cooler weather!

Our first stop was Angela’s house in Sparks, NV, and then on to Ely, NV, on Highway 50, “The Loneliest Road in America”. It’s actually a great road, smooth pavement, shoulders, and very little traffic! The KOA in Ely is good and we meet a group of Airstreams heading east to an event.

From Ely, our “real” stop was Deer Creek SP near Heber City, UT. It’s located on a reservoir with beautiful views and hiking in the mountains nearby.

Next we traveled north to Fort Bridger, Wyoming. A small town on the historic Lincoln Highway and served as crossroads for the Oregon/California trails, Mormon Trail, Pony Express, and Transcontinental Railroad. At onetime it was a busy place, now peaceful and very interesting. We stayed on a very comfortable RV park as you can see on the photos.

From Fort Bridger our path took us to a small town in Wyoming, Kaycee to stay in a small RV park on a farm/ranch. On the way, we stopped by Independence Rock on the old Oregon Trail, on other historic park of our trip. Kaycee was not a memorable place, but there were few places near there to stay.

The next day we were off to Devil’s Tower National Monument, also in Wyoming. We avoided the interstate and found great roads without traffic. People in oncoming cars and trucks actually waved and smiled! We stayed at the KOA at Devil’s Tower and were treated to amazing views of the Tower, it’s hard to believe that the KOA was so close.

Next we went northeast to North Dakota and to Cross Ranch SP, north of Bismarck. Again we enjoyed the backroads on the trip. A lot less stress than battling trucks on the interstates. Cross Ranch SP is on the Missouri River, a natural section of the river. The park is located in the trees, very peaceful.

From North Dakota, we ventured into Minnesota and stayed in Buffalo River SP. I’m sure you noticed that we are staying at small, out of the way places. With so many people traveling, these destinations are fun to explore. Buffalo River SP is on the prairie and they are restoring much of the lands around the developed areas in the park.