Raleigh to Anchorage

[Dave and Cindy]

Camping Spot

 

Night two of our Alaska Trek was in a friend’s driveway with great food, always an excellent choice when traveling. Night three was at our first Harvest Host’s stop. We were in Hudson, Iowa at the Hansen Dairy. This is a same family owned 155 year old farm starting their seventh generation of owners. Wow. Beautiful spot and even better people. We enjoyed a peaceful night next to a small pond & ate wonderful ice cream fresh from the dairy. We also bought milk and cheese curds that my wife pronounced “delicious.” The site  had showers in the tour building available. Nice, hot, longer shower! In the morning we took a neat tour of the dairy.

 

 

All in all an amazing stop making Harvest Hosts a great investment.

[Mike and Carol]

What a great photo!  I’m thinking about Harvest Hosts, looks like some interesting stops.  Mike

[HMD1056]

What a beautiful picture!  Maybe Iowa is Heaven after all!

[SeaDawg]

Maybe not heaven, but Iowa has a lot of beauty. I lived a half hour from Hudson for five years.

Did you see the kangaroos at the dairy?

[ScubaRx]

So that milk and cheese was from kangaroos?

[Landrover]

Camping Spot

 

Night two of our Alaska Trek was in a friend’s driveway with great food, always an excellent choice when traveling. Night three was at our first Harvest Host’s stop. We were in Hudson, Iowa at the Hansen Dairy. This is a same family owned 155 year old farm starting their seventh generation of owners. Wow. Beautiful spot and even better people. We enjoyed a peaceful night next to a small pond & ate wonderful ice cream fresh from the dairy. We also bought milk and cheese curds that my wife pronounced “delicious.” The site had showers in the tour building available. Nice, hot, longer shower! In the morning we took a neat tour of the dairy.

 

 

All in all an amazing stop making Harvest Hosts a great investment.

 

I hadn’t heard of Harvest Hosts I checked the web site Sounds Very inviting.  And your photos make it even more inviting Thanks for the Post.

[Dave and Cindy]

 

Camping Spot: Harvest Host at Valiant Vineyard in Vermillion, SD.

 

Our second Harvest Host camping site was also nice. We were at the Valiant Vineyards Winery in Vermillion, SD, Had a wine tasting with Adrianne that was free and settled on a rhubarb variety. We were set up on a secondary parking area behind a line of grape vines. We were the only ones on site, so we ran our generator a bit to charge the computers and run the microwave to heat our dinner. Otherwise a very quiet spot. Left early in the AM. HH scores again.

[Dave and Cindy]

Camping Spot: KOA at Hot Springs, SD

 

This was a good stop. We had full hook ups and most amazingly, the WIFI was strong and worked very well. After four nights of being off-grid it was good to get fully charged, fully empty and replenished with water. We were in site 17, a fairly level pull through site. The owner was on site and working which often means a better experience. Staff was very friendly and everything seemed to work well. KOA is not perfect but it seems more consistently good than the random private campgrounds which go from poor third world country appeal to polished resorts. We pay about the same or a bit more for the KOA. They provide points toward a free night which helps. It is also the best reservation system - it is one easy call.

 

No photo of this one today. We have been without WIFI for three days and I need to get more photos loaded. I do have a daily post of the trip, including lots of camping at www.twolanetouring.com

[Dave and Cindy]

The kangaroos are a clever advertising hook.

[Dave and Cindy]

Camping Spot: Badlands National Park

 

 

This is a campground in a super location that needed a bit more thought. It is essentially small loop roads that you park on the side of the road where it is “slightly” wider. When two RV’s are across from each other it is tight. Because of the rain, some sites were under water. Rest rooms were old but well kept. A few sites have electric, no water at any site. Each site had a nice picnic table with a bit of shelter. We paid about $13 a night, certainly worth the price and really nice to be in the park for early morning and late evening easy access. They take reservations but otherwise first come first serve.

[Dave and Cindy]

Camping Spot: Devil’s Tower National Monument

 

 

 

No reservations here but no issues for us arriving about 3 in the afternoon with lots of sites to choose from. We had one in loop A and from our door had an unobstructed view of the Tower. No power or water on site, restrooms on both loops. You are in a perfect place to explore the Tower. We did three trails one in the evening and two in the AM. Really special location. Loved it and only $10.

[Dave and Cindy]

Camping Spot: Friend’s Barn

 

 

Talk about unique. Because of the forecast for storms and hail our friends had us back into a barn. How cool is this. Appreciated as well when a strong storm rocked the night. Near Dickinson, ND.