Wandering Dawgs

Day 12: Wildlife Sighting and Hailstorms

May 28, 2013August 24, 2017Posted in RV Parks, Wildlife, WyomingTagged Badlands, hail storm, mule deer, Peter D's, Sheridan Wyoming6 Comments

Day 12: Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2013. Midland, South Dakota to Sheridan, WY. Peter D’s RV park Site 30. 356 miles traveled.

You never know what to expect when traveling cross country – camels in a field, sudden storms, or mule deer walking through your campground. There’s never a dull moment.

We stopped at a scenic overlook on the interstate so I could get some pictures of the Badlands. There is a wonderful scenic drive through the middle of the Badlands that we enjoyed a few years ago but to save time we skipped it on this trip. A view from the interstate was the closest we would get. As I was taking pictures saw a mule deer walk by just down the hill from where I was standing.

No idea why he was there, but there was a camel in a field next to our campground in South Dakota

View of the Badlands from scenic overlook on I-90

Driving by the Badlands on I-90 in South Dakota

Mule deer at scenic overlook in South Dakota

The sky started turning black all around us and it looked like severe weather was on its way. As we were getting close to Spearfish, South Dakota the rain was coming down so hard we couldn’t see. We pulled off the road to wait out the storm. Pea size hail began pounding the roof and hood of the truck.

Hail on the truck window near Spearfish, South Dakota — Hail landed outside my window during a hailstorm near Spearfish, South Dakota.

Hailstorm near Spearfish, South Dakota — Stopped on the side of I-90 to wait out a hailstorm near Spearfish, South Dakota. There is pea size hail on the road.

It was pretty scary stuff! We stopped at a rest area in Wyoming to check out the the vent covers and skylights in the RV. There were scratches but nothing seemed to be broken. Henry inspected them later and discovered a hole in one of them he was able to patch.

We continued to see storms almost all the way to Sheridan, Wyoming. The sun came out shortly before we arrived. As we entered the RV park, piles of pea sized hail lined the side of the road. An RV across from us had all of her roof vents destroyed. We barely missed being in the middle of a second storm.

Welcome to Wyoming

Storm over the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming

Storm over the Bighorn Mountains

View of Bighorn Mountains from Peter D’s RV Park in Sheridan, WY

Mule deer walking through the campground in Sheridan, Wyoming

Peter D’s RV Park, Sheridan, WY Site 30

We were very grateful to arrive at our destination safe and sound. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and even saw some mule deer ambling across the hill in the campground.

Day 10 and 11: Traveling West on I-90

May 27, 2013May 22, 2015Posted in RV Parks, South Dakota, SunsetTagged Belvidere East KOA, Indian Tacos, Missouri River9 Comments

Days 10 and 11: Saturday, May 25, 2013 and Sunday, May 26, 2013. Welcome, Minnesota to Midland, South Dakota. KOA Belvidere East Campground, Midland, South Dakota. Site 26. 331 miles traveled. Crossed into Mountain Time.

Road weary after traveling through 10 states in 10 days, we decided to take a break from driving and spent two nights in Midland, SD.

We stopped at a rest area on I-90 near Chamberlain, SD for a scenic view of the Missouri River. There is also a museum at the rest area celebrating the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

We stopped for a few groceries at the Walmart in Mitchell, South Dakota. Mitchell is the location of The Corn Palace, a popular tourist destination for travelers in South Dakota. We have visited the Corn Palace before, so we decided to pass it by on this trip.

Bridge over the Missouri River at overlook on I-90 in South Dakota

Belvidere East KOA Site 26 at Sunset

At the dog park in South Dakota

View out the back window KOA Belvidere East, South Dakota

Sunset in South Dakota

Sunset at Belvidere East Campground

We have stayed at this RV park twice before on our western travels. It’s a very nice park with very nice, hard working owners. The wife is the cook in their small restaurant and we enjoyed our Indian tacos. Yum!

Day 9: Tourist Attractions and More Rain in Minnesota

May 26, 2013May 22, 2015Posted in Minnesota, RV Parks, Tourist AttractionsTagged Green Giant Statue, Roadside America, Spam8 Comments

Day 9: Friday, May 24, 2013. Coralville Lake, Iowa to Welcome, Minnesota with a couple of side trips. Welcome Campground, Site 10. 278 miles traveled.

Who says road trips have to be boring? We like to stop when there is something fun to see along our route. Sometimes we will even go out of our way to see something interesting. Today was one of those days.

We went out of our way to Austin, Minnesota to visit the Spam Museum. We learned everything there is to know about Spam! As soon as you take the Austin Exit I-90 you start to see Hormel processing plants. Signs direct you to the museum which is located right in the middle of downtown. We parked the RV on the street in front of the museum and took a tour and then had a Spam Burger for lunch at the diner outside.

You can find out everything you want to know about Spam here!

We drove out of our way to visit the Spam Museum in Austin, MN

In front of the Spam Museum

Spamburger, anyone?

Those are all cans of Spam!

Parked at the Spam Museum

After about an hour in Austin we were back on our way west on I-90. We stopped again in Blue Earth, Minnesota to visit the 55 foot tall Green Giant Statue.

Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth, MN

Henry is just a little bit taller than the boots

Beth and Blondie with the Green Giant

The rain started after we returned to the interstate. We set up the camper in the rain in Welcome, Minnesota. We heard the rain on the roof most of the night and got ready to go in a drizzle.

If you like to see unusual and fun places as you travel, Roadside America is a great resource. You can also purchase a copy of the book to carry with you in your vehicle.

Day 8: A little fun and relaxation in Iowa

May 25, 2013May 21, 2015Posted in COE Park, Iowa, Tourist Attractions, WildflowersTagged Coralville Lake, Fossils, Iowa 80, World's Largest Truck Stop1 Comment

Day 8: Thursday, May 23, 2013. Coralville Lake Dam Complex Corps of Engineers Park in Iowa City, Iowa, Lindner Point Campground, Site L2. 181 miles traveled.

After 2 days of hard driving we decided to take a break and stop around lunch time at a Corps of Engineers park on Coralville Lake in Iowa City, IA. The drive from Illinois took us across the mighty Mississippi River into Iowa. The first exit in Iowa is for Le Claire, the home of Antique Archaeology from “American Pickers”. We didn’t want to try to find it with the trailer behind us so we continued on to the World’s Largest Truckstop, the Iowa 80 in Walcott, IA. We bought diesel and wandered around the huge souvenir shop and food court. There is parking for 800 trucks with additional spaces for cars and RV’s. In addition to the shopping and food there are showers, a barber shop, a dentist, chiropractor, a movie theater, and even a self-serve dog wash!

This sign is on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. Le Claire is the location of Antique Archaeology on “American Pickers”

The MIghty Mississippi separating Illinois and Iowa

At the Iowa 80 truckstop

The World’s Largest Truck Stop

Iowa 80 – The World’s Largest Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa

A few of the trucks at the World’s Largest Truckstop. There is parking for 800 trucks.

After getting set up at our site, we took a drive to check out the dam and lake.

Lindner Point, Coralville Lake, Site L2, Iowa City, IA

View out the back window at Coralville Lake, Iowa

Canada Geese at Coralville Dam

Henry at the Coralville Dam

Water flows into the Iowa River

Fossils from the Devonian Fossil Gorge

We took a walk on the Woodpecker Trail near our campsite after dinner.

Along the Woodpecker Trail near our campsite

This interesting structure on the Woodpecker Trail was created by University of Iowa students

Created by University of Iowa students

View of Coralville Lake from Woodpecker Trail

Wildflowers on Woodpecker Trail

More Wildflowers on Woodpecker Trail

We found that there is more to Iowa than just corn fields! Ready now to continue our adventure!

For more information on each picture, you can hover your mouse over it to see a caption. Or, you can click on a picture to view them one at a time.

Day 7: Driving through Farmland

May 23, 2013June 19, 2015Posted in Illinois, RV Parks, WildflowersTagged Barn, Carlock Illiinois, Farms2 Comments

Day 7: Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Kamp Komfort RV Park, Carlock, Illinois Site 14. 383 miles traveled. Crossed into Central Time Zone.

The scenery in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois was totally different from the mountains we saw yesterday and the roads were mostly straight instead of the curvy, mountain roads. The only time we weren’t surrounded by farmland was while we were on the bypass around Dayton and while it rained on us going around Indianapolis. Many of the fields have been recently planted so we couldn’t tell what crops will be growing soon. In some places we could see then tiny sprouts jutting up through the rich, dark soil.