snowlakemike

In South Dakota, there is a tourist trap (sort of interesting) named Wall Drug. It is along I-90. Might be worth a visit if you have never been there, but I am using it as a location marker. A few miles east of Wall is Highway 240. Maybe six miles off I-90 on 240 is an entrance to the Badlands NP. Just before you get to the park..maybe a half mile..is a dirt/rock road into public lands (Bureau of Land Management). If you get to the park entrance, turn around and take the first right into the BLM land. A short drive along that road brings you to the actual "wall" that the town and tourist trap are named after. There is plenty of easy camping along the top of the wall, either North or South from the road that brought you in. This is boondocking, no nothing except an incredible view and great cost (free).

Looks like a great trip home. I am impressed with your iphone photos. I cannot seem to get the hang of it. The pictures are beautiful, keep them coming as you travel. Looks like you live in a great spot for boondocking...so you may be tempted to camp at home and save the trouble of travel.

Great trip and great pictures! Wondering how you came to notice the nut had loosened. Can't say that I have EVER checked mine. 18+ mpg ...wow. I barely get that in my gas powered 150 when not towing. Perhaps 21 alone, and 13.5 towing. Isn't it amazing, all the little spots we can find, especially when we leave the interstates and wander through this fantastic land. We love it. I am off to play with it now..getting ready for the net adventure, where ever and when ever we decide to pull out. Today, I plan to try and quieten the water pump, then check the water level in the batteries.

Maybe you are right Topgun...they are admiring our puppies..or the wife. Nah, it is the trailer!

While it was in my pre trailer days, I have been to CO many times, though in the working world, I was limited to quick visits. Estes Park is beautiful any time of year! Perched on the edge of the RMNP, it is loaded with charm. The Stanley Hotel is there, assuming it remains open. This is reportedly the hotel where Steven King was inspired to write The Shining, while not actually used in filming the movie. It was used in filming the tv version as well as Jim Carrey's Dumb and Dumber movie. Reportedly, Steven King stayed at the hotel as it closed and into the off season (by himself) and experienced a haunting in his room (#217-he drank a lot), thus inspiring his famous novel. A tour of the hotel revealed two haunted rooms, one on the second floor and one on the 4th. During the tour I noticed the second floor room (#217-famous from the movie) was vacant. I went down to the desk and booked a night in it. Can't say whether it was truly haunted or not, but each time that evening that we left the room, we returned to find The Shining playing on a tv we had never turned on. The Elk passed through town twice daily. Once early, once late. Can't remember which direction each time, but the town was right in their path and they had learned to ignore herds of human gawkers. Leadville, mentioned above, besides having interesting old buildings, is the highest city in the US (and that was before pot became legal there!). Elevation is just over 10K. You will enjoy CO, where ever you wind up. Obviously, be prepared for changingn climate conditions at the higher altitudes, especially later in Sept. I have some great camera shots of snow storms up there, both fall and spring. Perhaps my favorite town is Frisco. You might remember that I am into cycling, and Frisco is truly a hub to paved bike trails running xx miles (more than I can ride) near but seperate from auto traffic. It is the most scenic riding I ever do, though challanging from an Oxygen standpoint, requiriing frequent breaks by a MS sea level boy. My favorite ride out of Frisco is around Dillion Lake including what is called Swan Mountain. The climbs are difficult but doable. Another is the ride from Frisco to Vail Pass. That ride is a 20 mile (or so) long, slow climb. Again, doable with breaks. The ride down on both of those routes is fantastic! Enjoy your trip.

I have Blue Sky, but anytime I am at 13.2 I am the proverbial "happy camper". By the way, I notice that you claim Townsend as home. I absolutely love it there. We used to rent cabins (sometimes huge cabins for the entire extended family) off Wears Valley Road. I would always ride my bicycle through Townsend, using the fun little bike path, then up the hill to Cades Cover. The climb was a bit challenging but usually rewarded with lots of wildlife and an exhilirating downhill run at the end. With auto traffic prohibited certain days and times, I had the entire road to myself. Dang, if i didn't have so many places to visit it might be time to get back there.

For the most part, I think we take pride in being stalked. It happens a lot, people following us into rest areas. Last trip, I experienced meeting a couple who had actually followed us into a campground and spent the night there, hoping to get a peek at the Ollie. They were driving a huge ($400,000) bus and were interested in us!

Sounds fun...hey, Elizabeth! I got a lot of company coming to the house between now and the 4th. After we put things back together, I will talk to her about it. She was asking to get away again, just yesterday. Meanwhile, I got to uncover the water pump and see what is causing that awful noise every time we use water. Maybe lines vibrating...if so, hope it is somewhere I can get to them.

Beautiful work

Looking to spend five weeks or so in South Texas in Jan/Feb 2018. Will base camp near Mission, with a couple of trips out to Texas Parks. Big Bend definately on the list!

Thanks, guys, but yes, I do know it is powered and DID have the power (green light) on. We were about 30 miles from Springfield IL, with stations, and nothing. Neighbors with those masts were able to pick up several overair stations. Not terribly important to me except the wife likes to watch Jeopordy and Wheel of Fortune and a happy wife makes a happy Oddesy.

End of the Oddesy. I think I have finally named this trailer, almost a year and two epic Oddesy type adventures later. We are currently loosely following the Great River Trail through IL, Ky, and now into eternal northern TN. Only 160 miles to home and the end of this adventure. No pictures the past two day, driving in the rain and not much really to photograph. The Oddesy has performed well, on this cruise, with only minimal issues. We hit a lot of rough roads over the way and two screws backed out of the overhead mirrored doors while neither collapsed completely, thank God, I did have to find a kitchen utensil to sub for a very small screwdriver. I can't think of another thing that went wrong with the Ollie. 6,000 miles of bouncing and it all held together. We plan to arrive home tomorrow afternoon. Lots to do there before our next Oddesy in August. A simple four day trip to explore the total eclipse of the sun. If any of you pass through North MS, please honor is with a visit. Mike and Elizaeth

So THAT is what those switches do?

I have it on #64, and just yesterday was marveling at how useless it is. I was parked at a site in Southern Il. The antennae picked up nothing, even though campers around me could pick up multiple over air stations with their antennae. I would not buy it.

Reed and Karen i had never even considered a boat ramp parking area. Not sure I would be comfortable, however, remembering my wayward youth and the groups of us parked at Sardis or Arkabutla Lake on those very ramps being stupid.

Tripus Interruptus. Elizabeth came down with a severely upset stomach (my bacon?) so we laid over an extra day near Rapid City. Took some of the time to work on trip planning for the next week. That was when, on Allstays, I found a BLM campsite just South of Wall Drugs off 205. We are there now, camped atop a wall, or what the old Tarzan called an escarpment. I am about ten foot from a drop off of....maybe 200 feet, overlooking the plains below. I can see for miles. We'll overnight here tonight, then head east in the morning. We plan to hit Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa before heading home. Will try to upload a couple of iPhone pics...but they really do not show the depth.

<p style="text-align: left;">Back in the land of gallons, miles, and one color currency, there is not much to report. Driving down #85 from Canada I have seen a few nice vistas, but as was said above, nothing to compare with Wyoming or Montana's parks.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">I did find lodging difficult tonight. Drove into two campgrounds, checked with several others but with no luck. At one municipal park site, some 5th wheel jerk was taking three sites by parking crooked in the center.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Anyway, we are ending up at Sweet Crude Travel Center, a truck stop on #85. Price is certainly good! They serve good food at a reasonable cost as well. So I am well fed on a fat wallet. We don't mind truck stop noise at all. It is sort of like white noise and doesn't disturb such sound sleepers. Only issue is a dirt lot and all the dust when a truck moves upwind.</p>

Well, well, we survived Glacier unscathed. Closest we got to a grizzly was on one of the trails off Going to the Sun Rd. A smallish female (if any griz is small), she was about 75 feet away rooting in the ground for something. We camped in the park with no hookups at all. The solar array performed admirably, despite one day of mostly clouds and late afternoon storms. We are in Saskatchewan tonight, turning the corner South tomorrow. Not sure where we are going, but will start with the Dakotas.

Thanks for the suggestion on Bear Spray. I will look for some at the outfitter. It occurs to me that it might prove to be a good non lethal defense weapon at the Ollie door some night We are relaxed now using wifi for likely the last time in several days. We have 3 nights at Glacier then hope to move up into Alberta, turn right to Sach, then right again into the Dakotas. Will post comments and pics as I can.

We DO have that interagency senior pass and use it often. Best $10 I ever spent. Sadly, we left Yellowstone this morning. We are overnighting in nowhere Montana planning to hit the Glacier National Park sometime tomorrow. Most of the later pics at Yellowstone were beyond what this phone can do we did see hundreds of bison, dozens of elk, five mountain goats and two black bears we missed the wolves somehow here is a pic from the east entrance

Difficult posting or reading right now. We have zero co nectivity inside Yellowstone with at&t. Verizon customers seem to do fine. Life is good. We are in Cody right now, having left the park to reprovision and check voicemails. Can't believe the beauty of this land. Yellowstone Lake is beyond words. Wildlife is everywhere. Cycling is great even in Cody my connection is weak, so am limiting upload to a couple of pics (second try)

Thanks for the tips, John We cannot make Washington State this trip but have it and Oregan in mind for our next Western Adventure. We do plan time in Montana this trip, at least five days, mostly up at Glacier Park. Elizabeth and I both have the senior pass. They save us a ton of money. Idaho has been so gorgeous, I hate to leave. I am going to investigate the NE gate for leaving Yellowstone in a few days. Btw, cycling is my fav thing. Mainly road, but trails are great too will keep your drive in mind next trip.

Moving day again as we head through West Yellowstone, Montana, back into WY, to camp inside the park for 3 nights. FYI, there is lots and lots of available camping in the National Forests along Idaho #20. Weather is great this season, cool nights in the low 40's and beautiful days in the 70's. Spotted a moose feeding her calf yesterday.

Karen, when we came across the pass, the first road to the left was barricaded with a road closed sign.

Thanks for the pic. We hope to make it up that way before we retire from active retirement. Today is THE day we have been hoping for. We are out in our Ollie in an extended trip and finally in territory neither of us has visited before. Idaho is a brand new state for us. It is early morning and we all remain here through tonight before moving to Yellowstone tomorrow (more new territory). Anyway, Idaho is beautiful; and bacon is involved-Oliver, never before has a boy wanted more!