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.