“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” –Theodore Roosevelt
Once we finished visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, we realized we felt complete with our road trip and weren’t interested in going out of our way to do any more sightseeing. Unfortunately we couldn’t snap our fingers and be home, so we traveled for six days straight without unhooking the trailer. We traveled through three time zones, two countries, five states, and two provinces this week!
Sunday & Monday (7/7 & 8) – Medora, ND
We arrived at the Red Trail Campground on the edge of town on Sunday afternoon. It was quite hot when we arrived, so I asked at the registration desk if they had any shady spots. The 70-ish woman behind the counter snapped that none of the full-hookup sites were shady. She also pointed out, “You only reserved July 3rd. We have people who reserve a year in advance!” Smiling, I replied that we usually reserve just a week ahead, and she relaxed a little. There are a fair number of cranky people at campground reservation desks, but they can usually be softened up a little with a smile. But some of them are too hard-core for that!
Despite being in the sun, our site was fine ($36 per night, full hookup), and they had fantastic WiFi there! That alone would have earned them a high rating in my book. After we set up, we took off for nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We were only a few miles from the park’s South Unit, so we entered the park near the South Unit Visitor Center and then took the 36-mile Scenic Loop Drive. Ordinarily you can drive the whole loop, but a large section was closed, which meant backtracking. Of course the scenery is so beautiful it’s not a hardship. Along the way there were several large prairie dog towns, so we pulled over and watched as dozens of little black-tailed prairie dogs dug in their holes, munched on grass, and peeped warnings to each other. This park was where we saw a sign that is the best we’ve seen with regard to wildlife: If wildlife change their behavior because you’re there, you’re too close. We also saw a small herd of wild horses.
There were also a number of signs warning that bison are dangerous. I had hoped to see some, as the park has a herd of about 300, but we only saw one lonely bison on a distant butte from an overlook that night. When my parents visited the park years ago, they had the good fortune to have a full herd cross the road in front of them, just as Dave and I did at Custer State Park last year.
The next day we got up early and visited the Painted Canyon Visitor Center on our way to the North Unit, which is about an hour away. It’s interesting that the park is split into three sections (with Elkhorn Ranch Unit being the third, which we did not see). The North Unit is just as beautiful as the South Unit, and we stopped often along the 14-mile Scenic Drive. There is one spot that has what they call “Cannonball Concretions,” which apparently were formed from an ancient river deposit mixing with something. Alas, the geological explanation was lost on me.
It was a bit disheartening to see people clambering around on the badlands formations here and elsewhere. Most people we have observed behave reasonably well, but there are always a few who think the rules don’t apply to them, so they trample on delicate grasses, scramble onto crumbling rocks, walk among the prairie dog holes, get too close to bison or bears, or (in the case of Petrified Forest National Park) try to pry off bits of petrified wood to take home. I was outraged at the latter and intended to say something to the people I saw doing it, but Dave encouraged me not to. As it turns out, there was a sign at the exit of that park to stop for a vehicle search. I’m imagining many people pitching pieces of petrified wood out the window!
We did see more bison, one by itself just off a hiking trail and a small herd in the distance at the River Bend overlook. But not the close encounter I had been hoping for. However, all was not lost: When we were wandering around Medora, we went into the little town theater and there was a stuffed bison in the lobby. I touched its rough curly fur, which felt just as I thought it would.
After a mediocre dinner at Badlands Pizza Parlor & Saloon, we drove out into the countryside around Medora, which is nearly as beautiful as the park itself. Imagine living in badlands country, looking out your window and seeing that every day!
The next day we hit the road, making a beeline toward Maine. We missed our dog, who is staying with my mother.
Tuesday (7/9) – Jamestown, ND
This was a travel day, much of it through heavy rain, so we were glad to pull into the Jamestown Campground ($30 with Good Sam discount; water & electric; site 15) after a visit to the local WalMart for groceries. This campground is my favorite kind: large sites with lots of trees, plus friendly owners. Another Airstream just like ours pulled in beside us later in the evening, so Dave stopped by to chat with them on the way back from the bathhouse, and I went out and joined them. They were a delightful couple from Wisconsin who were just embarking on a trip to Alaska. It was their first night on the road. We exclaimed over their sparkling clean trailer and truck, as ours are now encrusted with bug guts and grime. It’s always fun to chat with kindred spirits on the road.
Wednesday (7/10) – Brainerd, MN
This was another rainy travel day, and we are very thankful for audiobooks! We’ve been listening to Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series (British mysteries), which have kept us entertained. We alternate between these and nonfiction, the latest being Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven. We pulled into the Gull Lake Recreation Area campground around 5 p.m. ($28, electric only; site 2), and were pleasantly surprised to see how spacious and private the site was. It began pouring in earnest after we got set up, so we didn’t spend much time outside, but the leafy green views were restful to the eyes.
It’s interesting to note that the further east we go, the more humidity and mosquitoes we encounter—two things we have definitely not missed!
Thursday (7/11) – Champion, MI
This was another travel day—357 miles. We crossed into the Eastern time zone, which underscored that we were getting closer to home! We landed at Michigammie Shores Campground ($43 with a Good Sam discount; full hookup; site 15) a little after 8 p.m. The woman who worked the front desk couldn’t have been nicer (and even stayed past 8 to wait for us), and since I had asked if they had a laundry room when I called to make the reservation, she put us in a site right across from it. Perfect! It’s the little things you come to appreciate.
Friday (7/12) – Thessalon, Ontario
This travel day found us traversing the south shore of Lake Superior as we made our way across Michigan. We passed through the town of Christmas, which naturally boasted gigantic Santas along the road at various businesses. We had intended to visit the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, but there were no signs and the GPS kept wanting to take us down dirt tracks, which we dared not do with the trailer. We ended up stuck on a 14-mile gravel road named Adams Trail (see photo). Luckily the road was in good shape! But we were very happy when we finally saw asphalt, and didn't mind too much that we had missed the lakeshore.
We crossed into Canada at Sault Ste Marie. The customs agent asked us if we were carrying any guns with us. Then he asked Dave if he usually carried one. Since the answer was no on both counts, we were waved through. Interesting.
We arrived at Brownlee Lake Campground in the early evening, and were given a full hookup pull-through site (site 2) for $47 CDN. It was close to the lake and very peaceful, although the arrangement of the campground was a bit haphazard. Unfortunately, there was no WiFi.
Saturday (7/13) – Mackey, Ontario
After another long travel day, much of it in heavy rain, we arrived at the Lakeview Tent & Trailer Park. We had tried another park about 10 minutes down the road, but they were full. This one gave us a fairly level pull-through site right on the end (site 59, water & electric, no WiFi) for $32 CDN. The mosquitoes continue to be thick in this part of the world, so we didn’t venture out much between rainstorms.
We stayed on the two-lane TransCanada Highway (Hwy 17) all day, and there were some gorgeous views after the big thunderstorms passed through. We also saw a black bear cub on the side of the road, thankfully scared back to the woods by the traffic.
Sunday (7/14) – Colebrook, NH
This was our longest travel day at 10 hours. We drove through some gorgeous countryside on both sides of the border, and finally arrived at Notch View Inn & Campground at 6 p.m. ($50, full hookup). It turns out the owner is from Baltimore!
The border crossing was in the middle of nowhere on a two-lane road, so our interaction with the customs agent was friendly and casual. He said he always checks trailers anyway, but he loves Airstreams and was eager to see inside it. He didn’t poke around, just wanted to see what it was like. Once we crossed the border, we got a kick out of this sign (you may have to squint):
On to Maine (and our dog Bailey) tomorrow!