South Dakota's Badlands National Park

After spending a couple of days up in North Dakota Badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, it was interesting to be able to compare and contrast the experiences.  Unlike TRNP, here in South Dakota's Badlands, there is no visible source or water so the prairie is more open and dry, particularly if there are strong warm breezes and little rain.  Memorial Day would bring a little of everything in terms of  weather.

I was up and out early, around 5:30am.  During my initial drive through the park, I was fortunate to see a lot of deer and several antelope.  Later in the morning, the big horn sheep were up and around as well.  I was surprised to see a big tom turkey and his lady partner and about seven or eight decent sized youngsters out in the flats near the Pinnacles Lookout where the big horns hang out.  My initial time in the park today was intended to see what wildlife I might see at dawn and it was a nice drive through.

Check out all of these big horn sheep seen on the Pinnacles shortly after sunrise.  There were at least four ewes and eight or ten lambs seen high atop the rocks and down beneath in the valley.

I went back through towards the campground and exited the park at the Interior, SD entrance from I90.  As you go in that direction, there are a couple of interesting tourist spot call Prairie Homestead.  It is a nice depiction of what life was like in the Badlands for settlers at the turn of the 20th century.   The central attraction is the original sod home built by Mr. & Mrs. Ed Brown in 1909.  There are also several other buildings on the grounds that feature a blend of antiques and touristy type gift shop items.  Not really wanting to take the time (or spend the money) I stopped to snap a photo or two from beyond the rail fence, and kept moving on.

For folks planning a visit to this area, it is well worth the time to stop at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site at the far eastern end of the Badlands (I90 exit 131).

The new visitor center opened about two years ago, and is a vast improvement to the old "shack" that was in the parking lot of the gas station on the other side of the highway.  Visitors can learn as much from their time spent here, without having to get the limited tickets necessary to go down inside the launch facility of Delta-01 or venturing further west on I90 to see the actual missile silo at Delta-09.  Because I had done the full tour including the launch facility back in 2012, I only spent around 30 minutes touring the visitor center and viewing the educational videos they have running on continuous loop.

I wasn't going to do it, but I did make my way "to town" . . . Wall, SD home of the world famous "Wall Drug Store" which is really an overrated and high priced tourist trap.  I wasn't going to do it, but in the absence of a Walgreen's within 50 miles, I had little choice when I need to buy some nail care products and body lotion.  I mean seriously, they advertise their great donuts but who in their right mind believes a plain cake donut is worth $1.65?  I'm so glad I'm counting calories and avoiding wasteful spending of my precious allotment of 1,500 per day.

In fact, once in town, I thought a good hamburger would taste pretty darn good but I didn't want to eat at the Wall Drug Cafe.  Instead, I opted for the Cactus Cafe not really knowing what they might have for lunch.  I was very happy with the price and quality of the burger I had.

I made my way back into the park, and found a nice picnic area to park to take care of my badly damaged nails.  Who would think that camping would be so hard on your hands and fingernails?  I did a self-manicure while enjoying a lovely view.  It was very windy which made the air feel cooler than the 88F on my thermometer.

One of the worst times to plan to do photography at Badlands National Park is between the hours of about 10am and 4pm.  As the sun is higher in the sky, it really washes out the beautiful colors of the landscape, rocks and flowers.  Additionally, the animals avoid the high sun, so typically you won't see much in the way of wildlife.  When I made my way back to camp around 3pm, I was surprised to see that every tent in the campground except for one, had been blown down or collapsed in the high winds.

I spent some time at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center and in camp, until the sun got lower in the sky.  When I went back out, there were storms brewing in the distance making for beautiful contrasts.  After the thunderstorms passed through, a beautiful rainbow was seen to the east but unfortunately, there was no convenient pullout or parking area to take photos.  So for me, it was more of a spectator type of afternoon and early evening.

Adjacent to the visitor center is the Cedar Pass Lodge where they have a decent restaurant and gift shop.  This is the same place where you take care of your camping reservations/fees and can buy ice for your cooler.  Both the lodge and visitor center have free WiFi so I was able to connect with home and check work email.  I had also decided earlier in the day that if I could get a campsite at Yellowstone National Park, I would extend my trip and plan to be home by Sunday.

I'll close this blog entry with several of the landscape photos that I took throughout this day.  Sometimes the most interesting thing to photograph is the sky!  (P.S.  Today's mileage was 165.)

Sunday - A Transition Day of Audibles

When originally planning for this trip, it was my hope to be able to extend into Wyoming, at least enough to be able to visit Devils Tower National Monument in NE Wyoming.  If the weather was good, I was also interested in pushing even further west to Yellowstone National Park.  This would be the decision day, as how I would schedule things would seemingly impact whether I would head to Devils Tower en route to Badlands National Park in South Dakota (a 90 minute "out of the way" detour) or if I would add it to my trip from Badlands NP to Yellowstone (about a 45 minute detour, sort of on the way).

I decided that I would venture west from Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Park into Montana and then south into Wyoming to Devils Tower.  What a fortuitous decision.

I was up and on the road by 6:00am.  I visited the nice bathrooms in the picnic area adjacent to the campground.  There were flushing toilets and plenty of space to navigate getting washed up and
dressed.  After spending about 15 minutes inside, I stepped out to a huge bison just 15 or 20 yards away.  I carefully made my way to the van, just as he decided he wanted to move closer to check things out in the parking lot.  Check out this photo . . . yes he was that close to the van!  And with that . . . time to go.

Using TOOTS for the first time in a couple of days, it was helpful to have her navigate the route from Medora, ND down to Devils Tower.  The routing would have me entering Montana and then heading due south on MT Hwy 7 and then on to MT Hwy 323.  Highways 7 and 323 intersect in the little town of Wilbaux. Ironically, when I was leaving my campsite, I decided I really didn't feel like another morning of Rice Krispees or yogurt, thinking maybe I would find a little cowboy diner for breakfast somewhere along the way.

As I left the interstate highway, I used TOOTS for find me some dining options.  When Palace Cafe in Wilbaux popped up, I decided that if they were open, I'd stop and check it out.  I was surprised and very happy that at 7am, they were indeed open!  The town was desolate, not a single car on the street.  But the sign in the window said "OPEN" so I parked and entered.  As I opened the front door into the main foyer area, I could hear the voices of several women.  That was an immediate reassurance, since sometimes as a single female traveler, walking into some places can be a bit uncomfortable.

Once inside the restaurant, I was greeted with a large smile and "howdy" from a middle aged woman . . . I guessed her to be about my age.  The ladies behind the counter and in the kitchen were much younger, probably in their 20's or 30's.  I assumed the first was the owner and mother; the other two daughters or neices. I couldn't have been more wrong!

Before I ordered the older women began a conversation with me, and eventually sat down across from me in the bright retro red and white vinyl upholstered booth.  Her name was Rose, which seemed totally appropriate . . . she looked like a Rose to me.  One of the younger gals came to take my order while we continued to chat about travel and the places we'd been in our lives.  When my breakfast arrived, my new found friend said "well time for me to move on, thanks for being so nice to me."

When I completed my meal and got up to pay, I asked my server how long Rose had owned the cafe.  She chuckled and said "Oh she doesn't own this place, we do" (as she motioned to the other young lady in the kitchen).  "Rose is one of our regulars and sometimes is more of a nuisance than pleasure around here."  Too bad I thought, as I totally enjoyed my time with Rose, learning about the little town of Wilbaux and places to check out along my day's travel.  My meal?  It was already a distant memory and at $6.95 was an outstanding, filling meal.  (I saved more than half of my ham for dinner that evening.)  But the highlight of this meal, was my friend Rose!

Once back on the road, it was like a cross of Billy Crystal's movie "City Slickers" and the song "Home on the Range" as I drove through the vast open range ranch lands that are Montana.  And yes, I saw deer and antelope as well as cowboys moving their cattle from one end of their ranch to the other where ranchers were waiting with large livestock trailers presumably take their purchased cattle to their own grazing pastures.

I was so in awe of this, I stopped and took several photos and about 30 seconds of video.  The cattle were very loud, vocalizing their displeasure as they were herded together, cows and calves, being pushed further and further down the range until they were all corralled into a very small area where they would be segregated for transport.

I couldn't help to be feel a little sorry for them, although I also recognized the reality that this is prime beef ranching country.  And as someone who does enjoy a good prime rib or t-bone steak, cattle are raised, bought and sold, and eventually taken to auction as part of the American food supply.  I wiped a tear from my cheek as I thought about the calves that may become my next veal parm supper.


This would seemingly be a day that offered more surprises along the way.  South of the cowboy experience, I came upon the Medicine Rocks State Park.  I remembered that Rose had mentioned it being a nice spot to stop and take photos.  I'm so glad that she did, as from the highway, it was a nondescript enough place, that I'm sure I would have just blasted on down the road, never giving it a second thought.  Big mistake that would have been.

I pulled off the road and approached the entrance which included a drop pay box.  After paying my $3 entrance fee, I proceeded on.  There were about 10 or 12 camping spots throughout the park, as well as very nice picnic areas and vault toilets.  I stopped at several points to read the large signs telling the story of the Native Americans who called this area home.  I also learned that Teddy Roosevelt was also a traveler who wrote about his time among the Natives.  Many of the people of the plains considered these sacred grounds as well as a meeting point because of the unique large rock formations.  Considering how vast and flat the land is there, it was truly amazing to see them rising from the grasslands.

By this time, it was closing in on noontime . . . and I thought I was never going to make it to Badlands National Park by nightfall. I felt the pressure of time, but only for about five minutes.  I then reminded myself that I'm on a slow journey to experience the fresh air and openness of the west and had nowhere I really must be and certainly not by some arbitrary time.

My travels would continue on into Wyoming as I noticed the air temperature had been climbing all morning.  Back in the Medicine Rocks State Park, it was very windy, a warm breeze from the south.  Approaching the road that would take me to Devils Tower National Monument, I also encountered a fair amount of traffic.  ARGH . . . PEOPLE!!!  After all, it was Memorial Day Weekend . . . and this is the year of the National Park Service's Centennial Celebration.

I stopped along the way to take some photos of Devils Tower off in the distance.  The 200 million year old rock formation, much like those at Medicine Rocks, is seemingly out of place as you look across the Wyoming landscape.  Rising 1,280 feet above the Belle Fourche River, Devils Tower became the first US National Monument in 1906 when President Theodore Roosevelt so declared.  The tower itself is roughly 870 feet tall (base to summit) and is a mecca for rock climbers from around the world

At the entrance, there was about a line of about ten cars, which was a foreshadowing of what folks could expect inside the park.  The main parking lot near the visitor center was full, with people doing loops around in hopes of finding a parking space.  I eventually lucked out, but the 90+ degree temps kept me from wanting to do much on the grounds.  One of the benefits of the blazing hot sun was the fresh pine smell as the sap was being baked out of the tall pines. I just love that smell!

Back at the van, I decided it was probably a good time to make a sandwich before getting back on the road.  David had made some hard boiled eggs and I still have two left which were probably reaching the end of their shelf life in my cooler.  So it was egg salad (on sun baked toast) with an orange and some pretzel rings.

The rest of the day's drive was pretty much as planned and on schedule. I did make an impromptu stop at the Vore Buffalo Jump Historical Site, an archeological goldmine where tens of thousands of buffalo were hunted and slaughtered by the Native Americans between 1500 AD and 1800 AD.  Located at the Wyoming/South Dakota state line in the town of Beulah, WY, the actual exhibit center was not yet open for the season.  Place on the National List of Historic Places, there are plans to continue to excavate the site and develop a larger educational center once funding has been secured.

I arrived at the Wall, SD exit off I90 at around 5:00pm.  I gassed up the van and bought my nightly supply of ice for the cooler and headed into Badlands National Park.  Near the entrance at Pinnacles Overlook there were several young big horn sheep grazing near the road.  When I noticed there were some folks up on top of a hillside looking into the cliffs, I was intrigued enough to park the van and make the short hike up with them.  Across the way, there was a female ewe and a small group of newborns.  She had them tucked safely out of view and beyond reach of predators like coyotes and  bobcats.  (What I would give to see a bobcat in the wild!)

I arrived to my campsite near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center around 7:00pm.  Since I hadn't had a shower since Thursday morning before work, the first order of business talking a nice long hot shower.  Imagine my surprise to find out the showers were metered at four minutes for $1.00.  I had no idea they were pay showers for one . . . and just four minutes for a buck?  I felt like I needed a good $5 worth!  But since I only had a buck and a half in quarters and their bill changer was apparently out of coins, I made due with the four minute wash & rinse.  It did feel good!

After my shower, I did take a short ride out to see what I could see as night fell over the Badlands.  I took some photos from one of the lookouts and then headed back to camp and went to bed.

Sun Setting Over South Dakota's Badlands

I drove 475 miles today . . . saw some very interesting things and met some cool people.  It doesn't get much better than that!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Day 2 (North Unit)

The northern part of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a solid two hours from the exit point of the South Unit.  I'm told that many visitors do not make the trek to the North Unit, which is a shame.  My first "visit" to this park was a literal drive-by along I94 almost exactly 20 years ago, to the day.  My ex-husband and I were returning from the ABC Championships in Salt Lake City and rather than returning home on the same route we took out (namely I90 through South Dakota) we decided to see the northern option.  For travelers along I94, there is the Painted Canyon Visitor Center right on the highway, with easy on/off access.  That is what we did back in 1996, only taking in the vast Badlands landscape.  Again, for travelers driving cross country, this is a worthwhile stop, but for anyone with a little more time . . . a full day to explore both the North and South Units is well worth the time and effort.  (Please note, the Painted Canyon Visitor Center is open seasonally, May through October.)

I left the South Unit around 11:30am.  The drive is mostly wide open highway, which means 65-80 MPH!  Along the way you'll see oil fields with a lot of single or dual well pumps. Other than that, you'll be driving over areas with great range of view . . . for miles you can see in all directions.

For the most part, the scenery is unremarkable, so I found myself daydreaming a bit . . . wondering what it would be like to be a storm chaser when severe weather is ripe for tornadoes.

As I arrived at the entrance to the North Unit, I noted that the clouds were very dark in the distance.  I wanted to be sure to make the entire 14 mile drive through the park, so I didn't spend much time at the visitor center.

For those curious about the differences in the two units, my suggestion would be that if you're interested in wildlife, the South Unit is your better choice.  If however, you are interested in the landscape and want to be able to look at the geological formations up close, you must make the effort to visit and spend some time in the North Unit.

Here are some photos of the interesting things I got to see and learn about.  The Cannon Ball Concretions are thousands of years old, formed when deposits of minerals calcified around a core which created the ball shaped masses.  As the great plains were covered with soil they became hidden in the earth.  Over the course of time, wind and rain have eroded the surfaces to expose these large round "cannon ball" features.  Some have even broken loose, rolling down to the bottom of the hillside.

I also enjoyed getting out and walking around these formations. It was amazing how flat and level the tops of these rocks were!  The wind and rain really do sculpt the landscape.  Softer minerals are eroded out, while the stronger sediments from prehistoric times remain.  Some areas of the park have large fossil beds providing insight into the plant and animal life long before man walked the planet.


As I reached the end of the 14 mile road, the rain could be seen off to the north and east.  The skies were actually beautiful as the clouds overtook the sun, bringing vivid lightning and loud thunder.  I sat in the van just taking it all in.  Once the storm passed, I made my way back to the entrance area.

Back "home" at the Cottonwoods Campground in the South Unit, I settled into my sleeping bag around 9:00pm.  For the day, I logged 257 miles (and no bowling alleys).

Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Day 2 (South Unit)

 

Sunrise Over the Badlands

Today would be a full day in the park, covering both the South and the North Units. I also was able to spend some time in the South Unit Visitor Center, learning a bit more about Teddy Roosevelt and his time here in the northern plains of North Dakota.

As with any wildlife viewing adventure, you just never know what you may see or have time to set up for photographs.  I made my way out of the campground shortly after 5:00am and immediately saw bison along the road leading to the Scenic Loop Road.  Once on the loop road, a small group of elk ran across the road in front of me, and up into a wooded area.  It happened so fast that there was no time to stop and snap photos.

The one nice thing about being up so early is that for the most part, the only people up and out at the break of dawn are other photographers.  If you're lucky, they will have found something interesting and set up as you make your way around the park . . . providing for an opportunity for you to join in without having to look for animals AND drive.

On my drive through the park, I saw several mule deer and was able to take some photos.  I couldn't believe my eyes, however, as I cleared the curve that lead to the Boicourt Overlook.  There in the ridge were four or five photographers, all with professional DSLR equipment on tripods.  I hoped that I would be able to see and photograph whatever they were viewing. Better yet, there were several pullouts at the overlook, providing a safe place to park and set up.

There was a large band of horses with several stallions.  At first it was difficult to know which one was the alpha, but shortly after sitting back and observing, it became very clear.  This lighter bay colored stallion was battle scarred and somewhat removed from the others, with his lady friend.  As the I watched, a very large younger dark stallion bolted from right to left at a full gallop.  What ensued was pure National Geographic!  They tussled and fought for about ten minutes, with the younger horse leaving the pair to return to his harem.

After a few minutes, he returned to take on the older horse, with the same end result.  As for this day, the older horse retained his mare and the right to mate with her.

It was one of the coolest things I've personally witnessed in the wild.  I had seen photos (frankly much better than these I was able to take) . . . but to see and hear this first hand . . . it was an awesome experience!











After all of that excitement, I headed out of the South Unit of the park with a brief stop at the Visitor Center.  I watched a short film about Teddy Roosevelt and his connection to this region of the United States and took the short walking tour over to the Maltese Cross Ranch House, Roosevelt's first cabin that was originally located out south of the Town of Medora.  It has since been move to the park and fully restored.

Furnished with original items, visitors may take a peek into what was life on the ranch in the late 1800's was like.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park - My First Evening

After my visit with Dollyn, I made my way due north into Dickinson as planned.  I found the Dakota Cafe and enjoyed a good hot meal.  Part of my gameplan was to also connect and check email before going "into the wild" and off the grid for the next couple of days.  There was quite the buzz throughout the diner, people talking about the "twister in Fargo" just a short time earlier.

 (c)Lauren Knapp of the Daily Journal

I immediately thought "DRAT - I missed it" as I've been intrigued about doing a storm chasing trip either with a university or a professional meteorologist.  I'm pretty sure I will be doing such a trip next June . . . but again, I digress.

Turns out that there was a funnel cloud spotted in the sky in Fargo, and that it touched down across the river in Morehouse, MN.  Too bad I missed it by about eight hours.

After supper, I continued my final leg of the drive to Medora, ND which is the entrance to the "Southern Unit" of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  A little cowboy tourist town, I didn't spend much time there as the wildlife inside the park was really my interest.  For those interested, however, Medora does have quite a bit to offer folks visiting and interested in more than primitive camping, bizarre land formations and wildlife.

I had made campsite reservations for the Cottonwood Campground.  Nestled along the Little Missouri River, it was early enough in the season that mosquitoes were not yet a problem.  I would imagine that was the weather got warmer, a good dose of OFF would be necessary to enjoy camping there.

My site was a "tent" site since I'd be car camping (i.e., sleeping inside my van).  The choice I had made for my spot in paradise was chosen to be near the toilets (there were no showers), but unfortunately, it didn't work out so well for me.  There was a lot of tall grass between my spot and the bathroom and at night, we had several bison that roamed throughout that area.  There was NO WAY I was going to venture out in the middle of the night to go pee.

Once I knew where my site was, I wanted to make the most of the late afternoon daylight; the weather was nice with clear skies.  The park's "southern unit" has a 36 mile scenic loop road, but I didn't want to venture that far that late in the day, so I just did a short jaunt over to the Prairie Dog Town and back (about 10 miles and an hour's drive roundtrip).

The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is known for their feral horses, and I was very hopeful to be able to see them.  On my way into the park, I did drive through a small band of horses that included several very young foals.  But my exciting experience with the horses would come the next morning!

As I made my way over to the Prairie Dog Town, I found myself in the middle of a very large herd of bison.  Most were still sporting their winter fur and itching to scrape off the matted tufts.  Some were rubbing on just about anything stationary that they could find.  I'm sure it felt really good to them too.

I was surprised to not see more young calves in the herd and that it seemed the male bulls were mixed throughout the herd with the females and their young.  My prior experience with bison was that the bulls leave the herd once the calves arrive and generally wander around as singles until it's time for mating.   That said, there were some single bulls that provided some excitement in the campground later that night!

In Prairie Dog Town, I saw something moving on the hillside.  With binoculars, I could make out that it was a coyote hunting.  As night fell, photography was a challenge, but I was able to capture a few images from about 300 yards away.  This was the only coyote I would see during my two days in the park.  I was glad I had the opportunity to watch it hunt and get its fill of critters for supper!

I got back to camp around 9:00pm and pretty much went straight to bed.  As I laid in my sleeping bag, I heard quite the raucous near my van.  When I sat up, imagine my surprise to see several people out walking their dogs and scattering as two large bulls came charging down the road.

Apparently, one bull was startled by a barking dog and ducked into a campsite.  In that area was another bull who didn't appreciate the intruder, so he charged.  They were huffing and puffing, making all sorts of noise as they made their way deeper into the campground.  With the excitement over, the people and dogs returned to their RVs and campers, I laid down for the night.

Today's total mileage driven was 504.

Let the Distractions Begin!

Thought I was kidding about the bug guts?

I woke up bright and early in my Fargo campground.  I was surprised at how quickly I fell asleep and how deeply I did sleep. I woke up around 6:30am and was on the road shortly thereafter.  I didn't realize the night before that the campground was right along the Red River and with that came a big mosquito issue.  They were everywhere!  I hustled to use the bathroom and get dressed, and hit the road.  First stop, however, was going to be at the gas station to tank up and clean the windshield.

Having made it all the way to North Dakota on my first half day felt very good as that afforded me the luxury of giving into my wanderlust of distractions.  I knew I had camp reservations at Teddy Roosevelt National Park and that getting there by nightfall would be a breeze, so I let TOOTS (my Garmin GPS navigation) help me feed my need to go off the beaten path.

I must admit that initially, my thoughts turned to "I wonder what little cute vintage bowling alleys do they have here?" but after realizing they were even further apart and WAY away from I90, my desire to see bowling lanes quickly diminished.   But I did see that a search on TOOTS for historical parks & museums brought up the Knife River Indian Villages Nat'l Historic Site.

Hidatsa Indian Earth Lodge

Given my interest in the Native Americans and their culture, this was a place I was willing to venture off course to go check out.  It did not disappoint!  The visitor center featured some archeological artifacts from the Indian Villages along the Upper Missouri and Knife Rivers.  On the park grounds an earth lodge has been built by the park service, to replicate how families lived there for centuries, and as late as the 1840's.

With it being near midday, I decided to fix my lunch and enjoy the song birds singing on the prairie.  The winds were warm, but it was a very nice way to spend an afternoon taking it all in.

Back on the road, I again checked out TOOTS to see what bowling centers might be around.   As it turned out, I was going to be going right through the town of Beulah, ND where Molco Bowling Lanes were.  I say "were" because when I arrived, there was a big "FOR SALE" sign on the lot and a note on the front door providing a phone number for bowlers to call to get their personal items out from inside the center.  Sad!

Next stop on my tour of distractions was the Enchanted Highway.  This was not a surprise along my route, as I had read about these behemoth metal sculptures east of Dickinson on Trip Advisor.  Thank God they didn't have those annoying "Trip Advisor Award of Distinction" billboards along the route, as I would have probably decided they were too touristy for me.

Gary Greff is a retired schoolteacher and the artist behind the 32-mile stretch of road that branches of I94 that has seven of the completed sculptures adorning the vast prairie grassland.  I made it a point to stop at each of the seven and take photos from a variety of angles and perspectives.  My favorite was "Fisherman's Dream" which Greff completed in 2007.  His plan is to add three more pieces to the stretch of road between Regent and Gladstone.

Being well south of where I needed to be, I figured heading up through Dickinson and having dinner there would be a good game plan.  I had picked up a Restaurant.com dining certificate for the Dakota Cafe which I assumed would probably be a truck stop diner.  I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Once again, as I was driving the backroads I checked in with TOOTS to see about bowling centers.  To my amazement, she found "Bowling Alley Camp" in New England, ND.  What a strange name; one worthy of looking into just to see what it was.  When I pulled up to the address, I saw a large sign that read CAFE.  No mention of bowling, no little bowling pins or balls . . . just CAFE.

I parked and went inside, not really knowing what to expect.  A nice lady and a somewhat younger man greeted me with big "HELLO's" and smiles.  I asked if they had bowling lanes and she quickly responded "Well yes, but they aren't open for bowling now."  That led to a 15 minute conversation about how she and her husband had bought the cafe and while they knew about the lanes, hadn't really had time to get them fixed up for bowling since buying the place last November.

She was nice enough to take me back to their little six lanes of storage to see what they had.  She proudly told me "those are real maple lanes, not those synthetics!"  She allowed me to rummage around the ball rack and showed me their huge 22 gallon trashcan of rental shoes.  They asked if I wanted to roll a few frames, but I took a pass.  I did snap some photos though, as I knew I would have to share THIS experience with my friend Eric from Nebraska.  If you are out and about in North Dakota, I would encourage you to stop in Dollyn's Cafe!

And So The Journey Begins

My big road trip would begin on Thursday, May 26th after putting in about a half day at the office.  With our midyear board meeting scheduled for early June, I needed to be sure to have all of my work done before leaving town . . . or plan to be back as scheduled on Wednesday, June 1st.  Fortunately things went very smoothly for me that week and I was able to hit the road around 1:30pm.  This was especially good since I was going to be at least a day ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend travelers heading to Wisconsin's Northwoods in RV's with their boats and other motorized toys.

David had prepared his van for the trip, getting my bedroll and sleeping area set up, the night before.  So I took it to work as I planned on leaving from the office, since it is west of our house and in the direction to drive to Minnesota and points beyond.

No road trip in Wisconsin is complete without a train!

The early part of the drive was nothing too special.  Usually for me, it's about getting settled in for the long cruise.  Don't get me wrong, Wisconsin is really a beautiful state . . . as is Minnesota.  But having done a lot of rural driving in Wisconsin visiting bowling centers, I was looking forward to a change in scenery.

I found my mind racing through all of the checklists that should have been reviewed BEFORE I started my drive.  BCAW board meeting agenda packet complete? YES!  Follow-up calls made before checking out of the office?  YES!  OOPS not so fast . . . missed one!  (Sent a text to Bob in my office so that I could take care of it before going off the grid the next day.)

St Croix River Lanes - a vintage 4 laner in Gordon, WI

It was really nice to get out after work on Thursday.  As I headed towards the Mississippi River along I94, I toyed with making a stop or two along WI Hwy 29 to visit with a couple of non-member bowling center owners.  GASP!  What was I thinking???  I'm road tripping to checkout and recharge, not make center visits.  Besides, a lot of the smaller centers in rural Northern Wisconsin typically close for the summer.  Any detour, even 15 or 20 miles off the interstate, could be a grand waste of time.  I kept focused and moving north and westward!

As night fell over Minnesota, the bugs were out in force.  They sounded like bb's hitting my windshield and hood driving in the dark.  The bug carnage on the windshield, front bumper and side mirrors was gross!  There is no other word for the amount of blood n guts covering the front end of the van.

Having made it to Fargo by 11:00pm, I called it a night.  I found a campsite at the Lindenwood Community Park Campground.  It was really too dark to figure out the lay of the park, so I just registered at the night dropbox and parked in the front parking lot near the entrance.  I figured that was as good as anywhere.

Total miles for the day was 588.

Driving into the sunset in Minnesota