We entered the northeast corner of Wyoming and stopped to camp at Belle Fourche River Campground in the Devils Tower National Monument. The igneous rock formation is nearly 900 feet from base to the top. We spotted a couple of climbers on the top from our campsite. It’s definitely one of the unique structures in nature. How it formed is still being discussed, a volcanic plug being the most accepted. That the rock cooled into the geometric strands is what is interesting to see up close.

We left Devils Tower and made our way to Buffalo, WY, where I took the blacksmithing class during last year’s trip. In Gillette, WY we ran into a young guy who was doing a live webcast travel blog as we pulled into the gas station. I think he was a little excited seeing an Earthroamer because he kept telling me how awesome our vehicle is. It’s good to see others out on the road and experiencing this beautiful country.

We stopped in Buffalo to say high to my instructor and his wife. It was David’s B-day so we stayed for a great shrimp boil and some Rainier Beer (had to if you’re a Longmire fan). Buffalo is the city Durant, WY is based upon for the Longmire books and TV show. Another student blacksmith from Portland had just finished his class and was discussing which of his two new forged hammers he was sleeping with that night – it’s a blacksmith thing.

We stayed the night at the Mountain View Campground. In the morning we jumped over the Bighorn Mountains and made our way to Thermopolis for a nice afternoon soak in the hot springs.
We then made our way to the Wind River Valley near Crowheart, WY where friends own some gorgeous land along the river.

Bert and Leigh retired from the cattle business in Wisconsin, but keep some longhorns on their land as pets now.

We gathered there with friends and family of Bert and Leigh to watch the eclipse. Their place was right on the center of the totality path. One group of photographers had an impressive collection of equipment, including a quad-rotor drone with a camera.

We weren’t sure what to expect with the eclipse. I tried to shoot photos through my eclipse glasses during the transition, but that didn’t work.

We parked ourselves in one of the pastures and watched the sunlight and heat slowly go away over the hour during the transition from this….

To this…..

Because we were on the centerline we saw the totality for about 2 minutes and 20 seconds. It was very awesome, and at the same time somewhat eerie, to watch the sun disappear.

The light through the trees showed the partial coverage transition period and the crescent shape made from the sun and moon. It was amazing how after the totality that less than 1% of sunlight was again too much light to see up without glasses. I guess that is what made the totality so unique – the daylight was gone.

We stayed at Bert and Leigh’s for a few days after the eclipse. I helped Bert with a few chores and got to drive his dump truck while he picked up a few wood piles around his place that had been recently cut.
We also explored the area. We drove up Whiskey Mountain and found some petroglyphs.

And the view from near the top was beautiful. We hiked the trail at the base of the glacier-formed valley from the parking lot you can see in the photo. The largest glacier field in the lower 48 states in on the far mountain tops, covering 100s of square miles still.

The trail ran up to a series of lakes and a nice river that was cascading down the cracks in the rocks.

The views in the area were incredible.

Bert drove his truck up the adjacent hillside and the drive was a lot of fun.

The next day we did a short trip to Jackson, WY, passing the Tetons on the way.

If you have never been to Jackson, they have a town square with these huge antler entryways at each corner.

Dubois, WY, which is the next town upstream from Bert and Leigh’s place, has the National Bighorn Sheep Center. It has some great displays of the bighorn sheep from all over the world, including the four found in the US: Stone’s sheep, Desert Bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep, and Dall’s sheep – from left to right.

We took another day trip with Bert and Leigh over Union Pass, which tops out at about 9,200 feet. We drove over the pass and had a nice lunch and some good beer at the Wind River Brewing Co. in Pinedale.

We took the South Pass way back and had to stop at Farson Mercantile for the huge ice cream cones. We also drove through the mining ghost towns of South Pass City and Atlantic City.

The last two days at Bert and Leigh’s two moose decided to have breakfast on some local trees. The larger bull moose was impressive in size. The smaller bull moose must have been learning the ropes from his older grazing buddy.

It was a great time there, but we left Wyoming and headed south for Colorado and our yearly trip to the Earthroamer factory for some needed tune-up to our rig.

Having never been in North Dakota, neither of us knew what to expect. From watching Fargo we envisioned crazed folks with wood chippers and a snow blown country all year long. Therefore, we took the bypass around Fargo (lol) to get to our first stop. We camped at Jorgens Hollow Campground in the Sheyenne National Grasslands. It was a beautiful spot and the campground was new, free and nearly empty. Two other campsites were occupied: one by a couple that could be the wood chipper kind of folk, and another couple from Seattle who pulled out an accordion and played in the evening campfire – a first for us.

It was nice to finally bust out of the tree-clogged highways we have been traveling in east of the Mississippi River and in northern Minnesota to once again get to some gorgeous wide open spaces across North Dakota. We took the back roads across the state and saw some interesting things, like this farm implement display on the horizon – “harvesters in waiting”.

What totally surprised us along our drive was that one of the biggest export crops grown in North Dakota is sunflowers. We’ve never seen acres and acres of sunflower plants before. What an amazing sight.

We made our way to the southern unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The geology was a cross between the Badlands and the Painted Desert, very beautiful. The campground was full in the southern unit mostly because it was right next to a freeway and easily accessed. The Ranger said the northern unit, about 60 miles north, was never full so we went there instead to camp at Juniper Campground.

The northern unit was wrapped around the Little Missouri River and while similar to the southern unit, it was greener from the river. Also the bison in the park were very plentiful.

Pam and I went for an evening stroll to a nearby rock formation. In the evening dusk we were surprised by the bats heading out for an evening meal from their roost in the thin cracks in the rock wall.

We explored the park the next day and found some gorgeous overlooks down the river valley.

The bison are pretty happy just grazing around the park. Here was a huge bull just lounging by the road.

We left North Dakota with a new appreciation for the beauty of the state and headed into South Dakota. There was something of note on our map that was kind of off the beaten path so we had to take it. The road out there was fun to drive through the ranches of northwest South Dakota.

What was out there was the geographical center of the US (including Alaska and Hawaii). It’s marked with a lone US flag and a US Geological marker in the huge field.

After feeling very centered, we headed into Wyoming and our next adventure.

Our travels three years ago took us through Minnesota on our way to the UP of Michigan and points further east. We camped only once in Minnesota during that trip along the St Croix River, which we thought would be a very good place to revisit on a future trip.

This visit to Minnesota had several objectives rather than being just a pass-through state as before, most importantly to attend Sarah and Doug’s wedding.

We continued up the Mississippi River from Iowa to Red Wing, MN where we stopped at a Duluth Clothing Store outlet, next to the Red Wing Shoe Store, two of my favorite places. It was a nice day when we went inside, but the rain was blowing by the window horizontally when we went to leave. It was an unexpected cloud burst that was reminiscent of an Arizona monsoon in its intensity and duration. Ten minutes later is was a nice day again.

We camped the night at St Croix Bluffs Regional Park, just SW of Minneapolis on the St Croix River, so we could run some errands around town the next day. We had the oil changed on the truck and did some needed shopping. Aveda was started in this area so Pam got her hair cut for the wedding. Although, I didn’t mind the wild and wavy look she had going every morning.

We camped the next couple of days a few miles north of Stillwater, MN on the St Croix River at William O’Brian State Park. The park had a nice hiking trail along the river and through the park.

Our camp spot was nice too, even though we weren’t there very long due to errands and meeting up with folks. We met up with one of Pam’s high school classmates and her future husband for dinner at their place. The steaks, corn and beer were great. Greg had a high-temp steak searing attachment to his grill that made me envious.

We crossed the river one day into Wisconsin to check out the falls at Willow River State Park. It was a nice lunch spot and 4 mile hike to the falls and back.

The wedding of Clark and Jill’s daughter was beautiful, performed in the old Catholic church in Stillwater. You can see the steeple of the church in this picture reaching above the trees. We explored the area prior to wedding and found that Stillwater was the territorial capitol of Minnesota in its early days and a booming logging community. Picture the entire St Croix River jammed with the white pine logs that flowed down these shores.

We could have just camped in the riverfront parking lots, but we parked in the driveway of the VRBO house other Phoenix friends had rented in town for the wedding. That worked out better since we were supplied with food, beverages and campfire wood for some enjoyable meals and evening fires.

In the “it’s a small world” story category we talked with Clark’s niece and her husband at the brunch the day after the wedding. Turns out we had also talked to them at the campground in Fairbanks, Alaska two years ago when we were both camped there. We didn’t know it at the time that they were related to Clark, but they recognized the Roamer at the wedding and then we both realized we had met. Small World.

We camped at Rice Creek Campground, just north of Minneapolis after the wedding festivities were over and folks began to head home. The next morning we met up with Kirk, who flew in from Phoenix and we all headed for International Fall, MN. There we crossed over to Ft Francis, Ontario to get a CANPASS, which would allow us to cross into Canada over water and not at a regular border patrol station. Our Global Entry cards, which we both just recently obtained, allowed us to do the same to get back into the US.

We needed the CANPASS because we met up with Kathy and David and boated to their island on the Canadian side of Rainy Lake. The island has been in her family since the 1930s and is just north of Nowhere Island, so it really is “north of nowhere”.

We kayaked around the many islands in the area. It was good to be on the water and away from the mosquitoes, which were ever-present.

Kathy and David have two miniature schnauzers. Zoey discovered minnows in the shallows. It was tough to get her back onto the kayak after that new discovery.

We celebrated Pam’s birthday while on the island with a cake that Kathy baked using wild blueberries from the island to spell out “happy b-day”. As you can see by the candles she is now 8 and some.

David and Kathy had “fish taco night” with some cousins just before we arrived, using fresh caught bass and walleye from the lake. He attempted to land some more for another taco night, but only caught several northern pike during our stay.

There was a lot to see on the islands. Hidden in a back bay of one island was a nice beaver lodge. While I like beavers, all of the folks I’ve run into that had beavers on their property tell of the rapid and total destruction they do to the local trees to build their projects and eat. Maybe there are trainable beavers out there somewhere.

The lake was glacier formed and the remaining granite rock varies in depth along the lake. The water is dark due to its mineral content so the rocks appear from the depths much quicker than boaters would like. The prop refurbishing guy has a full time job in the summer on Rainy Lake. Here was one such rock outcropping that broke the surface this time of year marked with a prop and shaft.

There is also a rock outcropping that some artist back in the 1930s took bent steel rods, props and cement to create Mermaid Rock. There are also many stories that go along with the mermaid that only the locals can tell.

After leaving Rainy Lake, we headed into Voyageurs National Park for a brief visit because you really need a boat the truly appreciate the park. The visitor center was very good, and I was amazed how far snow mobiles have come from this vintage 1964 Arctic Cat.

As we headed out of Minnesota on our way to the North Dakota grasslands, we stopped for lunch at Itasca State Park. It is a beautiful park with great trails and lakes, and unknown to us when we stopped, Lake Itasca – the headwaters of the Mississippi River. From here the Mississippi River flows 2552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.

Our stay in Minnesota was awesome and we hope to return.

We left Pennsylvania and headed west through West Virginia into southern Ohio. We camped at Stroud’s Run State Park, had a nice campfire and relaxed in the near empty campground. What we have learned in our travels is that you only really need to make reservations for Friday and Saturday night, unless you are going to a National Park. There is always going to be an opening for mid-week camping, even in the summertime.

We were intrigued by the National Road exhibit at Fort Necessity and decided to turn north and drive on the historic route as far as we could. We reconnected with Route 40 in Zanesville, OH, which also has a Zane Grey Museum. Although the museum was named for Zane Grey it housed three distinct topics under the one roof. It had a section dedicated to its famous hometown boy Zane Grey, but also had nice exhibits on the National Road and the local Ohio pottery.

The section on the National Road has some very interesting dioramas that depict the history of the road from the initial clearing of the forests, to the toll houses being set to recover some of the cost for its upkeep, and the towns that popped up to provide the travelers moving west with whatever they needed.

They had a Calistoga wagon there, which was the 18-wheeler of its time. In the glass case were the horse’s harnesses that had the brass bells on top. While looking ornamental, they actually had an important function of being used to pay for repairs along the way due to the price of brass. It’s where the saying “I’ll be there with bells on” came from – meaning a good trip where you didn’t need any repairs.

Being from Arizona, we wondered what this area had to do with Zane Grey. Turns out he was born in Zanesville, where his mother was a Zane, and the town was named after her great-grandfather, a Revolutionary War patriot. His name was Pearl Zane Grey, which he shortened to P. Zane Grey and then to just Zane Grey. He had a baseball scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania and may have turned pro if it had not been for Cy Young. Due to Cy Young they moved the pitcher’s mound back 10 feet and Zane’s curve ball was rendered unless. Instead he started as a dentist, following his father, but then left that to become the writer we all know today. His wife, Dolly, had a lot to do with his success and was there to pick him up from his failures.

As we drove north to Zanesville we passed through Roseville and other small towns noted for their pottery, including Stoneware. The National Road made it possible for these goods to be shipped back to the east and even overseas, which lead to the pottery’s fame. Many of the local brands were there to admire.

Heading west on Route 40 is a great drive. It parallels I-70 for those that want to get there faster, but the National Road passes through some beautiful farms dominated by corn and soybeans.

In Dayton we met up with a grade school friend of mine that I had not seen since 6th grade, Carmen. We were Homeacre Elementary School grads, where our 1st through 4th grade class had seven boys and 23 girls. We both still remembered the square dancing and plays we had in Ms Raisley’s 4th grade class – lol.

We camped at Buck Creek State Park, a campground we had stayed at on our previous trip through this area 3 years ago. As we were enjoying our evening campfire, a boy came over and warned us of the raccoons. Sure enough, a raccoon came right out of the woods not too long after and tried to climb our stairs into the Roamer before scurrying off back into the woods.

The next day we stopped at the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm for a nice lunch break and a hike. The farm had a lot of animals including a pair of beautiful Belgium draft horses and this curious pig.

The hike was through a densely forested area with water everywhere. We both miss the western vegetation where you can actually see what’s on the ground and in any direction for more than 30 feet. Everything in the East seems to be too overgrown for our outdoor adventure liking.

We camped the night at Whitewater Memorial State Park, our first camp spot in Indiana! We picked out a spot in a quiet loop. Two families showed up later with seven kids between 1 and 12. We had fun watching the bike races, training wheels included, around our loop into the night.

We ran some errands in Indianapolis the next day that also included a stop at a local REI store, getting a tip on a great place to camp for the night, Shades State Park in western Indiana. However, it was Saturday night and the park was full, so we’ll have to hit that one the next time we drive through these parts. We continued westward into Illinois and ended up camping at Kickapoo State Recreational Area.

We continued on the National Road to Springfield, Illinois and the home of Abraham Lincoln. He and Mary Lincoln raised their 3 boys there prior to leaving for Washington, DC and the White House. It was originally a smaller single story home that grew with his successful law practice and the family to its current size.

We crossed the Mississippi River again heading west into Iowa and camped the night at Wakonda State Park. We had a nice spot next to the pond that we shared with 4 Canada geese and some evening bats that were graciously reducing the local mosquito population.

Much of the drive was through corn fields, where the advantage we have with the Roamer is that you are sitting up high enough to see over the mature stalks.

As we were driving up through the farms along the Mississippi River in Iowa we spotted a sign that pointed the way to the “Field of Dreams Movie Set” – had to stop. The house, field and even the corn was exactly as it was in the movie. It was a little spooky walking out deep into the cornfield .

We camped the night at Pike Peak State Park, which was right on the hills overlooking the river. We hiked a trail along the bluff to get a good view, but there were too many trees blocking the vista. Pam slipped on the vegetation clogged trail and landed on a rock to produce a beautiful multi-colored bruise below her knee for the upcoming wedding. Luckily the colors went well with her dress.

The next day we hiked Effigy Mounds National Monument. The trails were much better and the overlook actually did provide a beautiful view of the Mississippi River Valley.

The mounds were similar to the burial mounds we saw along the Natchez Trace Trail in Mississippi earlier in this trip. Here they covered the bluffs overlooking the river and were in recognizable shapes when seen from above, this one being the Great Bear Mound.

We crossed into Minnesota and the next part of our trip.