We only had a short stay, but we did our best to pack in as much as we could to see the State Capitol in Pierre and the other local sights. We arrived mid-afternoon and after setting up, we drove out to the Oahe Dam which forms the Oahe Lake on the Missouri River.
The Oahe Dam is one of the largest rolled earthen dams in the world! Constructed by the Corps of Engineers from 1948-1961, President John F. Kennedy officially dedicated the first two power generators in 1962. The dam forms Oahe Lake which covers 370,000 acres and reaches a depth of 205 feet. It is a sight to behold!
On our second and only full day in town, we played tourist to downtown Pierre, SD where we visited the Capitol Complex to include the Veterans’ Memorial. We also saw several bronze statues of former SD Governors and visited the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center. The Heritage Center, among other things, is also home to the “Verendrye Plate” which has a story of its own. Originally buried on a hill very near our campground, it was placed on site in 1743 to denote the land as being claimed on behalf of France by the Verendrye brothers. Discovered by some high school youngsters in 1913, it is now part of SD history and is housed in the Heritage Center. The center was quite enlightening on the history and growth of the state and is worth a visit if you are in the area!
As we said . . .only a quick stop, but very interesting and educational!
On a closing note, the River View RV Park was a jewel of a camp! A barebones campground as far as geography – all gravel, no trees – the view perched high on the riverbank is unbeatable! The owner, Lila, was a phenomenal hostess and was all about making you welcome. A small, family run operation, but they were constantly ensuring the guests were entertained or informed on all the things to see and do in the area. I would stay here again in a heartbeat!
Our stay in Wall, SD can be summarized by two primary activities – 1) visiting Wall Drug; 2) driving through the Badlands National Park. For Wall, SD (population 699) there is not much else to do. A perfect stopover to see the Badlands, we stayed at the appropriately named “Sleepy Hollow Campground and RV Park.” A no frills camping experience, but more than adequate full-service camp with room for big rigs. Even on the edge of town, it was still only about a 5-minute walk to the remarkable Wall Drug and the rest of the one Main Street!
Wall Drug is an entity of its own and has a very interesting history starting as a “free ice water” stop in 1931. More info included in the link and it is worth a read. If you need / want food, clothing or a souvenir from the area, you WILL find it at Wall Drug! We were sure to enjoy the homemade ice cream and what a treat! Real cream is used in the making of this popular dessert, and it was available at the Soda Fountain! Also on the grounds was a Hall of Photos that represented Wall through the ages going back to the frontier days. Frontier history buffs would spend hours here! It was really a great small town with a couple of other restaurants, a couple of gas stations, and a requisite Harley-Davidson store!
We also visited the Badlands National Park and witnessed some of the most spectacular landscape in the country! Along the approximately 35-mile drive you are witness to undulating prairies right next to some incredible cliffs and valleys of a variety of colors and shapes! Truly an amazing site to see and one we are grateful for having experienced. It is high on the list for a re-visit!
We did make one other side trip the “Minuteman Missile National Historic Site” along the trip to the Badlands. Conveniently located at the start or end of the Badlands, depending on which way you drive the route, (we did it once each way!) the Center was another great snapshot in history about the Cold War. The visitors’ center is worth the stop and according to literature you could also set up a tour of the missile launch facility near the center. We did not do that but did drive by the launch facility and former site of the Minuteman missile silos.
During our stay we also rode jackalopes and broncos, saw an 80-foot dinosaur, fed prairie dogs, and had a sighting of Bigfoot! We met some great Park Rangers and saw a variety of local wildlife to cap off a great stop on our American tour. The last noteworthy mention is that this is where we wondered about our decision to go north for the summer with multiple days in the triple digits topping out at 108 F! Ugh!!
One of what is sure to be a highlight of our travels was Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. A bucket list item for both of us, we were not disappointed in the memorial or the twilight service we participated in while there. We only had a short stay on this stop due to campground availability, but we made the most of it! Ironically, this area had the most RV campgrounds per square mile than anything we have seen to date!
We learned of the lighting ceremony (read about it) and planned our first day around that. Having arrived mid-afternoon, we had several hours to wait until sunset, so we back-tracked on our drive in where we passed three brewing companies as we drove through town. Staying in character, we headed back to our first stop at the “Firehouse Brewery – Smokejumper Station.” The big discovery upon arrival and taking our customary seat at the bar was to learn they also produce their own wine! Their main store is in Rapid City and Smokejumper Station is their expansion store. Oh by the way – food here was also outstanding! I sampled a flight of beers, Tina took on the task of a wine tasting . . . we both ate!! I will also mention that their Syrah Reserve is a rightful award winner and we had to walk out with a bottle!! Saving it for a special occasion – like a stop where the temperature doesn’t hit triple digits and we can find a nice ribeye for less that $15/lb!! My guess is that will happen about the same time we find diesel for less than $5/gal! Lung capacity is small, so not holding my breath!
I digress. Shortly down the road and still on the way to Mt. Rushmore, was a place called “Sick and Twisted”, which – are you ready – also had wine tasting! They do not grow or produce their own wine, but team with a company called “Naughty Wines.” I will resist listing the names of the wines, but according to Tina, they were also tasty! I stuck with my beer and was happy with the choices! The gift store motif and items for sale were interesting to say the least and I will leave the rest to your imagination. It is not called “Sick and Twisted” for no reason!
We headed out to catch the monument in daylight. Not hard to do since the drive from camp was less than 10 miles! Our dilly dally at the craft breweries / wineries took much of the time, but we still had plenty of time to spare!
The monument is well done with an outdoor “hall” of flags from all 50 states and the U.S. Territories. The walk leads to a grand balcony facing the stone of Mt. Rushmore depicting the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The monument is a testament of the times each of the former Presidents represented in the history of our country. The evening culminated in a short presentation by one of the park rangers exuding patriotism and pride in country. The presentation was followed by a 30-minute video talking about the making of the monument and reiterating the meaning behind the President’s chosen for the memorial. The ceremony ended with the singing of the national anthem as the monument was lighted. Lastly, military and veterans were invited on stage where they participated in the lowering and folding of the U.S. flag. Very patriotic . . . very heartwarming . . .very much worthwhile! An awesome bucket list check in the block!
The next and last full day was a drive through the “Needles” and a visit to the nearby town and State Park of Custer, SD. The “Needles Drive” in the Custer State Park was absolutely indescribable! And navigating a large pickup truck through the tiny manmade tunnels carved into the stone mountains was a seat cushion sucking experience! The entire drive involved passing through three of these tunnels. I only slightly scratched one mirror on the last pass! Can’t even tell unless I told you where to look! :0)
After the drive, we stopped by another recommended place called “Burger and Bun Co” for their famous hamburgers. We were not disappointed, but we agreed that the smash burgers at Wedgewood still hold the top spot! I will add, that if any of our Grand Design Rally camping buddies remember the gas station burgers – Bun Co does top that! 😉
We also enjoyed walking around the quaint little town enjoying “Gold Rush Days” and seeing all of the traffic from attendees of the national “Three-Wheeler Rally” and a Corvette rally in the area. And for the rest of the bikers, there was plenty of traffic leading up to the Annual Rally at Sturgis in a couple of weeks!
The last stop for the day in Custer was the “Mt. Rushmore Brewing Company.” Another great spot and some great logos and sayings! Service was great and thankfully, we had already eaten as they had a great appetizer and food menu! We resisted and were able to stop with only a wee tasting of beer!
We finished our trip at the KOA breakfast hot spot for ‘all you can eat’ pancakes for only $3.50! Quite an operation and there were plenty of other offerings to include eggs, sausage and of course – BACON!! By the time we were done, the $3.50 pancakes were $25!
Speaking of KOA, this was a corporate camp and was definitely a resort! It was a large set up in and among the hills and offered horseback riding, ATV rentals, choice of 3 pools and a couple of eateries. Great spot – very popular – not cheap!
Of note, I am not kidding when I say there must be another 20 or more campgrounds in this area. Not all are equal or course and we checked out a few as we drove around. Some we would visit – some we would not! Wish we took better notes and if we find anything regarding recommendations, we will add them!
After our wonderful introduction to North Dakota around Fargo, we headed west to the state Capitol in Bismarck. We traveled on a Sunday and arrived early afternoon, so it gave us time to explore the Capitol area without the normal workday traffic. We managed a few exterior photos and saw the ND Heritage Center and the ND Veteran’s Memorial. Packed in quite a bit for a short afternoon!
And if you have been reading the blog, you would know by now, it was time to explore the local breweries and see what offerings await us! We found the “Laughing Sun Brewery” that was recommended by Aaron from our previous stop in Fargo. WHAT A GREAT RECOMMENDATION!! Not only was the Laughing Sun an award-winning brewery, it is one of the best BBQ stops in the state! Yes, award winning BBQ! It was redneck heaven . . .great beer and great BBQ in one stop! If that isn’t enough – they also had Throwing Axe Lanes . . .you know, like darts – but different? Can it get any better? We aren’t sure, but we will keep looking for ya!
Another discovery near the campground, was an entrance to the bike trails in the area. Not sure how long it is in total, but it was dozens of miles – much further than my butt is designed to handle! We did take a nice 10-mile ride on a beautiful day and enjoyed it greatly!
Next day, another brewery stop. This time we visited the “DI-A-LEC-TIC Brewing Company” in Mandan, ND just across the Missouri River from Bismarck. Our timing was fortunate as we were able to meet and chat with the owners/brew masters, Dillon and Hannah, originally from Bismarck. Their story was one of many we have heard about where craft breweries started in the garage! This couple traveled around a bit for school and then worked in the food and beverage industry. Then – Dillon received a beer brew kit as a birthday gift and the rest is history! Again, more great beer and another recommended stop! I was partial to the Pinecone Graveyard IPA and the Wally Special IPA, while Tina preferred the Pear and Strawberry-Rhubarb Cider.
We visited a couple of more eateries and another brew co, but I was taught to not say anything if I had nothing good to say! 😉 Let’s just leave it at Gideon’s Brewing Co had a really nice logo (no stickers, by the way), but that was about it – to include the service!
Overall, another great stop. KOA was a Journey and still appears to be family run with work camp assistance. All gravel sites and level enough. Location near town with a small pool and bike trails. Was a good stop and would re-visit!
Since Tina is writing this edition, I’m going to start with THE BEST PART!! We went to a Rodney Atkins concert!! We had to drive an extra 85 miles away to Grand Forks, but I have been trying to get to see a Rodney Atkins concert since we returned from Singapore the summer of 2018. FINALLY, our paths were only 85 miles apart! The last year or so, I have been craving live music and Rodney Atkins is my FAVORITE! Bonus: Travis Tritt was the headliner.
We had never been to a concert like this. The concert promoter has figured out how to set up a parking lot behind a mall and it was a beautiful day, albeit a bit on the warm side! We hadn’t realized that we would be outside, and we didn’t bring chairs. Thankfully, the mall was right there AND there was a super cool sports store called Scheels. We are the proud owners of 2 new camp chairs! (Running total 9 camp chairs, 5 with us and 4 left accidentally in Sparta.)
Left to our own devices, we look for brew pubs and food! We were able to squeeze in 2 breweries and 3 Diner, Drive-ins and Dive restaurants. The first craft brewery was “Icewind,” located in Mapleton, about halfway between Fargo and Casselton. Great beer and a great place. Tina especially enjoyed the Shandy, “Summer Lovin’.
Our brewery journey continued at the Fargo Brewing Company. In addition to the great beer, we met the co-owner, Aaron Hill, who gave us a nice private tour and told us the story of his brewery. In short, a couple of college buddies just said, “What the heck! Let’s do it.” So they did, but not without trials and tribulations of learning the business from scratch and surviving the pandemic impacts. They did make it, though, and Aaron has done a great marketing job and diversifying the business (events, food, and strangely, renting space to a barbershop too).
DDD stop 1: Kroll’s Diner is an old-time diner, silver trailer façade included, nice burgers. DDD stop 2: Blackbird Wood Fire pizza, some of the best pizza we have ever had!
We plan our trips out 6 to 12 months in advance, we included this stop to Fargo as a chance to get to see our niece, Ashlyn and her fiancé Alex. AND they planned a trip to Florida. It was an important trip for them, but Ashlyn got back to Fargo in time for us to have breakfast on our last morning before leaving the area. We met at CJ’s Kitchen, the third of our Triple D stops, and the hearty breakfast was great!
Our next stop on our continental U.S. tour was the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” – Minnesota! We selected a small, family-owned campground in Monticello, MN close to our friends, Curt and Robyn Gilbert who reside in a nearby town. Other than visiting friends, we developed a short “to do” list for the area and executed it to great effect!
Upon arrival, we did our trailer set up and looked around the immediate camp area. One of the neat features was the fact that we were literally only yards from the Mississippi River. It is a very scenic location! A short transit into town revealed a micro-brewery named Nordic where we enjoyed some of the best homemade German brats and ‘kraut ever eaten! It was a great pairing to their beer!
After coordinating some schedules, we were able to meet Curt and Robyn for a picnic and music in the park at Sturges City Park in Buffalo, MN. Great food, great company and music by “Rockin’ Hollywood,” a cover band of older gentlemen singing hits from the 60s, 70s, and 80s! Afterwards, we walked a short distance to “Hayes Public House”, a Celtic themed bar to add another notch to our local craft breweries.
We eventually made it to the Gilbert’s where we enjoyed their hospitality on several occasions. Despite the morning rains, we managed to get out on their boat on Medicine Lake on two days. One was the 4th of July where we celebrated the birth of our nation with fireworks on the lake. Prior to the boat ride, Curt made some outstanding BBQ on his Green Egg. The day was a great time with friends, food, and fireworks!
Curt and Robin also introduced us to a local iconic eatery known as “Fat Nat’s” famous for their breakfasts. It is not like any other breakfast in the area or probably in the Northern region – they serve several house specials that all include the New Mexico Hatch Chili in the recipes. We favored the “Hatch Chili Huevos” and it was delicious! It was a good hash of fried potatoes, bacon, cheeses, and hatch chilis served with eggs on top! Soooooo good!!
We learned Curt and Robyn are also avid cyclists and are lucky enough to live right next to an extensive bike trail. We took them up on their offer to go for a ride (or two) to explore the area trails. Beautiful scenery and cooperative weather made for a great experience. And best of all, the trail went right by the Luce Line Brewery. Yet another local micro-brew, we felt it was our duty to stop about halfway through our ride and quench our thirst while sampling some of the local wares. Another great stop!
So as not to be derelict in our touring duties, we kidnapped the Gilbert’s and forced them into a tour guide role to visit another American icon, the “Mall of America” in Minneapolis. We could not be this close and not visit the Mall, right?!? Robyn and Tina had to sample the “stuffed to order” crème puffs at “Beard Papas.” According to all accounts, they were delicious! The highlight of our visit to the MOA was our venture in “The Escape Game” escape room. The four of us took on the challenge to find the miner’s hidden gold! We were successful with 5 minutes to spare having conquered yet another challenging puzzle. We made a great team!
Last, but not least we also discovered and enjoyed the Rustech Brewing Company in Monticello. A hidden gem in the heart of “downtown”, we literally stumbled upon it driving by one evening. Glad we found it!
We wrapped up our trip by celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary with Curt and Robyn. Not a real fancy fest – which is what we like – we revisited the Nordic Brewing Company to get some more of the brats!! Another great time and an overall outstanding stop to spend time with dear friends. We are already planning our next outing to break in the soon to be campers (Gilberts) as they await delivery of their trailer and tow vehicle. Those details in another chapter!!
This was a quick overnight stop still working our way to Elkhart. JB’s was great for beer and food and although we passed this time, he had a great selection of spirits! An obvious local hangout for many and the faces changed on our break to look around the area and get re-fueled. We did meet the owner, Jim, and chatted a bit. Good guy!
The one highlight was to find “Horrock’s Farm Market.” Not just a farmer’s market, this place had about any food item you could think you would want! In addition, they had a pizzeria, a deli, wine tasting and a beer garden – located in the garden section! How cool is that?!? Needless to say, Tina stocked up. Always love the fresh veggies!
Back at camp and after our evening beverage we retired to Serendipity and set up an outdoor theater. Too hot initially to move inside, we set up a fan and streamed a movie on the laptop! It eventually cooled off enough with the windows open to sleep, but boondocking with no power and no A/C on such a warm one was a challenge. We made it and had a good time but was not our favorite circumstance! Remember what I posted earlier about going north for the summer… 😊
Woke up to a thunderstorm and waited it out before getting on the road to our next stop only a short drive away!
Millstream Brau Haus
Amana, IA (26 Jun)
The Millstream Brau Haus, “Iowa’s Oldest Brewery”, is a great little German themed craft brewery located in one of the Colonies of Amana. Unbeknownst to us prior to our arrival, Amana, IA is composed of seven “colonies”, one of which we resided in overnight in the parking lot of our gracious hosts at Millstream. The Brau Haus also served some great German food! We sampled the giant pretzel and the Reuben Fruhlingsrolle, which was a Reuben sandwich egg roll. It was delicious and paired nicely with the Kolsch beer! Dinner that night was at the Ox Yoke Inn which we saw highlighted on some episode of a Food Network show. Their specialty was Schnitzel. Guess what we ordered? CORRECT! Needless to say, the Jaeger Schnitzel was wonderful, but even though the portion was big enough for two, it also came with half a dozen sides! The cream potatoes and fresh green beans were awesome, not to mention the rest of the sides! It was a great stop for food and drink and the parking at Millstream for the rig was more than adequate! Will be a definite re-visit if we get back in that area!
Potosi Brewing Company
Potosi, WI (27 Jun)
Our next overnight stop on the way to Indiana was at the Potosi Brewing Company in Potosi, WI. A back-up stop to our original trek, we are glad we made the change! In addition to being one of our favorite brew pubs, we learned it was also home to the National Beer Museum! What a fantastic collection of beer and beer making paraphernalia from throughout the decades of beer in the U.S! Recordings of old commercials (think Budweiser and Super Bowl), advertising flyers, cans, bottles, kegs, you name it! It is here! Admission is a nominal $5, but you get a $5 coupon you can use at the bar! What a bargain! I found the Cave Amber to be my favorite so much that we took a 4-pack with us! Another discovered gem here was finding Grant Park, a Corps of Engineers campground a couple of miles down the road. Located on the Mississippi River, it was a water/electricity camp in a pristine park. We watched the sunset on the Mississippi river while observing the camper traffic. It is a very popular campsite, but worth the visit if you reserve ahead – or you can chance it for first come, first serve sites! Another reason to re-visit and it is a stop on the “River Road.”
So, anyone familiar with Carlock, IL would ask, “Why did you come to Carlock?” That is what both the camp owner and the Postmaster asked us! Nothing against Carlock, but it is a tiny town. The truth is it just happened to be near the town of Morton where friends from college days live. We made our stop in Illinois based on visiting Mike and Rita McCarthy and family. Although a relatively short visit, we had a blast catching up after a few years hiatus on face-to-face meetings! I unfortunately missed a planned rendezvous last October, so this was a great make up plan!
Tina and Rita managed to find time for nails and shopping, and we all managed to explore – you guessed it – local breweries and eateries. That does not discount opportunities to host and be hosted for some outstanding home cooking by both parties! Mike and Rita hosted us at their home our first night in town serving some delicious tenderloin, and we had them out for some gourmet smoked burgers later in the week! Yes, I carry a small smoker on the trailer . . . duh!
Our first “drinkery” was “Little Beaver Brewery” in nearby Bloomington, owned and operated by Chad Bevers. Last name Bevers . . . Little Beaver Brewery . . . get it! And he was just as entertaining as the name of the brewery! It is another “I started in my garage” story as Chad gave us a tour of his establishment. Great set up, great beer, and an excellent food menu! I am still partial to the Kolsch and the IPAs which were quite tasty!
We all spent our last night with a couple of other friends of Mike and Rita at a bar and restaurant called “Destihl” in Normal, IL. Not a brewery, but they had a great selection of locally made brews and a great wine selection. The menu was quite good, and we all enjoyed a great meal and great conversation. The appetizers were so good, we almost passed on dinner! It was tough ending the evening after such a good visit over the few days we were there knowing Tina and I were moving on the next day. We are already looking forward to our next get together!
Kamp Komfort was a great easy on/easy off location for the highway. The sites were level and of ample size. We had a great one with a large ‘front yard!’ The owner/operators (family run campground) were excellent and great to get to know. The only negative to the camp is their water supply. Again, all adequate, but the camp is supplied by well water that is infused with a naturally produced gas that introduces quite a bit of “air” into the water system. Other than that, a good place and well run!
Our trip to Indiana was designed around the Grand Design factory tour – which we did make. It was quite educational and worth the visit! More on that later . . .
The travel day to Elkhart was short, thankfully, so we were able to get set up and start exploring the area for other things than RV factories. We were in Amish country, which provided several interesting venues in addition to some of the local craft breweries!
Our first stop was the “Wedgewood Brewing Company” located in Middlebury, IN. A top-rated brewery for a reason, their beer and food are top notch! The Roadhouse was my favorite, while Tina opted for the Blackberry Lemonade Moonshine. Hers was more of a cocktail, but it was so good we had to buy ingredients to re-create it later! The biggest and a pleasant surprise was the food menu. Top of the list – the ‘smash burgers!’ (As a side note, we also like to sample burgers where we can.) We sought out recommendations in other cities, but to date the Wedgewood smash burgers top the list! (Author’s Note: this article is time late, and we have already had Burger and Bun Co. They ARE high on the list, but smash burgers still hold a narrow lead!)
An unknown stop of interest until we arrived was the RV / Motorhome Hall of Fame and Museum. Established in 1991, it is a creation of forward-looking RV industry leaders and enthusiasts, and later adopted by RV Life for growth and marketing. The museum is a history of motorized camping from the 1920s/1930s to present! The link will provide much more information, but it was an educational and worthwhile stop.
Another predominant presence in the area is the Amish community to include the Mennonites and Hutterites. A great place to visit to learn about the history of the Anabaptist movement in the U.S., I recommend checking out the “Menna-Hof.” It is a great education on how the different religious communities came to and spread to the areas they now occupy in America.
At least one highlight of the Amish community is their markets. We stocked up on a variety of cheeses, spices and fresh vegetables. We may have also sampled some of the locally raised protein choices in the area. All of it was great and the spice mixes will surely be put to good use in future meal preps!
Our second stop on the craft brewery tour was to “Westwind Brewing Company.” Another great beer stop, but the menu does not live up to the ‘smash burgers!” Another great sample of Pilsners and Ales and another worthy stop!
Toward the end of our stay we managed to find a great bike trail that took us all over the local area to include Krider Park. An oasis in the middle of near nowhere, the landscaping and natural vegetation was remarkable! Our afternoon was a leisurely ride was on the bike trail that oddly enough, crossed the path of the Wedgewood Brewing Co! We felt compelled to stop in for a thirst quencher. As good as the first time, we also decided to doublecheck our first assessment of the smash burgers. Happily, we both agreed that our opinion of the burgers remained top notch!
As mentioned at the intro to this article, the driving reason for our stop in Elkhart was to do a factory tour where our trailer was built. Grand Design does factory tours by appointment four days a week. We took advantage of the tour and was impressed with not only our tour guide, but the build process utilized by Grand Design. The information shared and the tour of the facility made us feel better about our choice for our home on wheels!
We stayed at the KOA Elkhart / Middlebury and were very happy with our choice. For the uninformed, this area is quite rural, but our campsite was about as centrally located to everything as you can get. We thoroughly enjoyed not only the camp, factory tour, Amish country education and the micro-breweries, but the genuine hospitality of everyone we met. Great stop and can’t wait until our next visit later in the Fall!
The “Summer Tour 2022” is officially underway! I guess to set the stage for future entries, everyone should know our entering criteria for our camping location selections. To be honest, it could be a combination of any of the following: to see friends, visit a state capital, eat at a food show restaurant, or see HGTV show locations – whatever gets us to all the states! Of course, after arriving we seek out craft breweries, wineries, pizza and hamburgers!! And yes, we look for any other point of interest! By the way, we logically chose to go north for the summer to avoid the heat. (Author note: this is a time late entry and I can tell you that strategy was a fail! We experienced far more triple digit days than we would have by staying closer to home! Ugh!)
We were fortunate enough to know former long-time residents that provided info on a couple of must sees and places to eat. Breakfast was at the “Echo” which is a local iconic American diner opened in 1945. For a relatively small place, I can tell you the food and service were great! We also did some site-seeing and ended up at the “Cock and Bull” in Glendale for lunch. Jenna was awesome and steered us in the right direction with some local (not in-house) craft beers. The one craft brewery we managed to find was “Mad Tree Brewing”. Good selection and I was partial to the Legendary Lager. Very nice on what was a hot day! The one other place of note that we did NOT get to see, was “Jungle Jim’s.” The area experienced a pretty severe storm the previous evening (yes, it was ‘fun’ riding that one out in the trailer) and the area of town where JJ’s is located still had not had the power restored!
The evening was uneventful and quiet. The camp of choice was “Winton Woods Park” a little north of the city. Roads through town getting there were a little rough, but manageable. The W. W. Park is a COE managed campground with full hook-ups and immaculately maintained. Away from the city and not near major roads made for a very quiet evening. It was also gated requiring key code entry. Nice place, inexpensive and on the re-visit list!
Camping up with the Joneses 