#48 – Coveys Great Adventure – August 2018 – MI, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, MT

#48 – August 2018 – MI, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, MT

I thought July would be hard to beat, but not so. This month we visited six states and stayed in twelve campgrounds, counting a couple of Walmarts.

The only plans we had after Canada were to see Chicago and visit Mark and Nicole Tuggle. Looking at the map one night in Ontario, we realized that it wouldn’t be much of a detour to swing through Indianapolis to visit Kayeanne’s cousin Terry. A couple of phone calls and emails later we had a plan: Dearborn – Indianapolis – Chicago – Nekoosa MI – TBD, and that’s what we did.

We crossed the border near Detroit on August 1 and drove right by the city to the Wayne County Fairgrounds RV Park. It’s about half way between Dearborn and Ann Arbor, but more importantly just 20 minutes from the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation (drum roll, please), a place I’ve wanted to see for 30 years. The Museum itself is very large, especially when you include the 80-acre Greenfield Village complex. We only had one day so we passed up the Village and focused on the Museum, which included a tour of the River Rouge F150 pickup truck assembly line! Just driving through part of the River Rouge complex was fascinating.

I had a great time, and Kayeanne enjoyed it, too. You could spend a couple of days in the museum if you toured every exhibit and read all the plaques. I’m not sure what some of the exhibits had to do with “American Innovation” but that aside it was certainly worth the time and money. The plant tour alone was worth the price of admission. Since we had visited the Corning Glass Museum in May, we almost walked by the glass section. That would have been a mistake. While nowhere near the scale of the Corning, it was worth seeing. We also enjoyed the display of large steam engines, generators and really large machines that actually came from Ford plants. We didn’t go to the Village, maybe next trip.

Kayeanne hadn’t seen Terry in several years. Indianapolis isn’t a “destination” so there weren’t many RV parks to chose from. The Indianapolis KOA is actually 30 miles outside of the city in Greenfield, IN. It was a typical KOA: clean, lots of kids, hyper-friendly staff, lots of rules and expensive.

We met Terry at a nice restaurant on a lake not far from his place. We had a wonderful time talking about family, jobs (he worked in the auto industry for many years), places we’d been and wanted to see. What with one thing and another, we whiled away several hours. I hope we can get together more often.

Somewhat lacking in ambiance....

One of Kayeanne’s must-do destinations for this trip was Chicago. I was fully on-board with that, but there are logistics issues. The closest RV parks to downtown are at least 1.5 hours each way by train, making for very long days. That simply isn’t feasible with the dogs. There is only one alternative, but it isn’t for the faint-hearted. The truck marshaling yard for the McCormick Place Convention Center let’s RVs boondock when there is no big event being held. The good news is that it is right downtown beside Lake Shore Blvd, just across from Lake Michigan. The bad news is that it is a huge concrete parking lot surrounded by highways and train tracks. It has NO amenities whatsoever, but it sure is close to the city. We spent three nights there, a little tense but without incident. We discovered the lovely park that runs for miles along the lake and walked the dogs there twice a day, some compensation for being shut up in the coach all day.

Good martini

We made the mistake of driving into the city after we arrived the first day to have a drink in the bar on the 92nd floor of the Hancock Building. Parking cost $35 for two hours, actually more than the bar bill. The next day we walked over to the Convention Center and took the train to the Loop. That was a bit pricey and it didn’t run very often during non-rush hour. Then we tried Lyft and became immediate converts. Yes, it’s a little more expensive than the train but it is sooo much more pleasant and convenient. All of the drivers were polite, knowledgeable and knew the city very well. We’re hooked.

I asked Mark Tuggle for a list of must-see places in Chicago and at the top of his list was the architectural river cruise. He was right, it was the hi-point of our visit. Chicago is filled with iconic buildings, many with interesting stories. Most of them are on or adjacent to the Chicago River. We really enjoyed the tour, especially the commentary by the docent from the Chicago Architecture Center.

Small lot? No problem

Given our time constraints we decided to pick one museum and choose the Chicago History Museum. It was pretty disappointing because it’s geared more towards kids than adults. I was also determined to have a real Chicago hot-dog, but the local place recommended by the Museum was pretty lousy. Mark assures me that what I had wasn’t a true Chi dog.

On the other hand, we had a great lunch at the Broken English Taco Pub. Darts and Guinness and tacos: who'd a thunk it? And reasonable prices, too. It’s a fun place catering to the business district lunch crowd, but I’ll bet they do a huge after-work business.

The Chicago we visited is a far cry from the one that is unfortunately experiencing such awful violence. We walked all over the downtown and waterfront areas and never felt any concern for our safety. On the contrary, the people were all friendly and often went out of their way to be helpful. The city was also very clean, cleaner than any we could remember. We'll be back, someday.

Neighbors at Lake Farm Park

Kayeanne was born in Madison, Wisconsin, but had never visited the city as a child or adult.  Lake Farm County Park campground ticked all the boxes: it was close to town, had big sites with power and water, and was very reasonably priced. It proved to be a good base. We spent four days exploring the city and its surroundings.

We both liked Madison. It’s a very approachable city, easy to get around as long as the university isn’t in session. The neighborhoods around the lakes are quite attractive. I’ll bet it is a real challenge to get around in winter when the snow piles up and the student housing fills up. We also spent a couple of days doing laundry, cleaning the coach and generally getting caught up after so much traveling.

Local museums are some of our favorite places to visit, and we found a great one in Stoughton. These places are always a labor of love and source of great pride. The staff people are often as or more interesting than the museum itself.

There was no way we were visiting Wisconsin without going to Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's home and school. We have visited several FLW sites since touring Taliesin West in Arizona a couple of years ago, including Falling Waters in PA and the University of Southern Florida campus, so we were really looking forward to seeing it. Despite calling ahead and being assured that they had ample parking for big RV's, the visit almost ended badly. Fortunately, I didn't take their

word for it and walked the parking lots and driveways before turning in. No way that it was going to work. We parked across the street in a spot that really was big enough.

To me, the most striking thing about FLW designs is the extraordinary level of detail he gave to every aspect of the site, the structure itself and even the furnishings and decor. Every color and texture is intentional, every sight line is carefully planned, and no fitting,

corner or joint is left to chance. I'm not sure how livable these houses are, because nothing is allowed to impinge on the vision of his design, including comfort and utility. That said, I'd love to try it. Everywhere you look is so interesting, everything you touch has a purpose for being in that exact place. Don't miss it if you are anywhere near the area.

We’ve been trying to get together with Mark and Nicole Tuggle for a few years. Mark and I worked together for over 15 years but hadn’t seen each other for five years. Nicole rightly blames me for getting him into motorcycles but despite that, they warmly welcomed us to their lake house in Nekoosa, WI. We had hoped to boondock in their driveway, but we would have had a real fight getting in and out while adding even more scratches to Ripley. Luckily, Wilderness County Park was a few miles away and had lots of sites available.

It was great to see Mark again and to get to know Nicole. “Good hosts” is an understatement when describing how nicely they treated us. We had a great time enjoying the lake, visiting a local brewery, eating Nicole’s great cooking and generally just hanging out together.
Sharing a common interest in drinking wine always bodes well, too. The dogs all got along, too! I even got to ride a motorcycle for a few minutes, the first time in over four years. A great time with good friends that I hope to repeat as soon as we can. Hey guys, remember it is much warmer in Arizona in February....

It was hard to pull ourselves away, but the calendar kept nudging us to keep moving west. We stopped overnight at Camp Walmart in Albert Lea, Minnesota (a new state!) because we were determined to see one of this state's claims to fame: the Spam Museum! I can't tell you how much we (I) were looking forward to this. Mark was right, it was the high point of the hour or so that we spent there. Who knew that there was so much history to this lowly canned treat. It's even been featured on Broadway and helped win WW ll.


South Dakota surprised both of us: it was pretty attractive. I think we expected sun-blasted tundra, but got rolling green fields, hills and river valleys. It wasn’t even too hot, which the natives seemed a little giddy about.

Sioux Falls is a small, attractive city with a strong sense of civic pride. It was clear that folks are pretty happy with their town and it showed. Falls Park runs right through the center of town. Several waterfalls, bridges, lots of grass and shade make it a well-used and loved area for locals of all ages. Big Sioux Campground turned out to be a great place, too. 

After a couple of days we pulled in the slides and headed west to the Badlands. On Mark’s recommendation we stopped at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. Those of us old enough to remember “duck and cover” may experience a disturbing case of deja vu. Over 400 Minuteman ll ICBM’s were housed in silos near here. The exhibits are fascinating; don’t miss the film. They also offer a tour of the last remaining silo, but that requires reservations weeks in advance. Next time we plan to come through this area, I will certainly make the silo tour a priority.

The Badlands National Park was another one of Kayeanne’s must-see places on this trip. Not as spectacular as Bryce or Zion, it is nonetheless well worth seeing. We stayed right in the park at Cedar Lodge Campground, which is not up to the NPS’ usual standards but we made do.

They're everywhere!

If you don’t mind driving 30 miles on a maintained dirt and gravel road, the 80 mile circle of the whole park is certainly worth doing. Many exotic and varied rock formations interspersed with wild flowers, “painted desert” landscapes and extensive wildlife made for an interesting day trip. Be sure to see the prairie dog town. Take lots of water, there isn’t any available once you leave the Lodge, and one Kodak moment after another will make it a long day.

Kayeanne really wanted to visit the Black Hills region. Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills and the Crazy Horse Monument promised to fill several days. Then Kayeanne’s brother, Grant, who we had visited in Florida in April called. He was in Yellowstone on his way east. Grant was moving from Florida to Cape Cod via California. A little schedule massage and we met for dinner in Keystone, SD. Who said this is a big country?

Aside from the Black Hills not actually being black, nothing disappointed us about this area.  I now understand why Harley riders flock to Sturgis every year: the roads in must have been designed by motorcyclists. I really want to come back with a bike. Simply driving around is worth being here.

The Black Hills in any color are beautiful and Mt. Rushmore is all it is touted to be, but Crazy Horse is way above the four presidents in scale and presence. Not to run down Rushmore, but those images were created explicitly to draw tourists and built to a budget. Crazy Horse, by contrast, has a vision and a passion that just leaps off the stone as soon as you see it. The audacity and the sheer scale and astounding. I hope I live long enough to see it completed.

Creekside Mountain Resort in Hill City turned out to be a small, immaculate family-run RV park a couple of miles outside of a neat town. Our site came with acres of grass that the dogs really enjoyed. The park’s back gate opened onto the George S. Mickelson Trail, a 100 mile long biking and hiking path on an old narrow gauge railroad bed. Every morning we walked a couple of miles through trees, along fields and over streams. That’s a great way to start the day.

Hill City is a good place to stay to visit all of the Black Hills attractions. It is also the location of the South Dakota State Railroad Museum. SDSRM is a small but quite interesting museum that we really enjoyed. The railroads were the key to opening the West to development, especially areas like the Black Hills where mining and logging were the primary economic drivers. The museum is clearly a well-loved local institution and worth a visit.

Just outside of town is the South Dakota Civilian Conservation Corp Museum. You wouldn’t think one room in the city information center would be very interesting, but you’d be wrong. For those who don't recall it, the CCC was a remarkable organization created during the Great Depression to provide jobs for millions of unemployed young men. It only lasted for nine years before WW ll eliminated the need for it, but accomplished so much during that brief period.

Wall art is everywhere in Rapid City

We hadn’t planned to spend any time in Rapid City, but when I put out one of the awnings the day we arrived at Creekside the canvas ripped wide open. We could live without the shade, but that same panel is the slide topper, too. Given how much trouble we have had with slide leaks even with the toppers intact, it immediately became a priority to get it fixed. Luckily, Black Hills Tent and Awning was able to get right to it. While they were working on it we toured Rapid City, visited the Museum of Geology at the SD School of Mines, the Black Hills Gold Jewelry Factory and shopped at the Prairie Edge Trading Co. and Gallery, a very unique store/museum/art gallery where Kayeanne found her birthday present, a lovely jacket.  Rapid City is an attractive, interesting small city that we would be happy to revisit.

Despite Custer State Park and the town of Custer being just up the road, the actual battle took place 300 miles west in what is now Garryowen, Montana.  The 7^th Ranch RV Park lived up to its ratings and we spent four pleasant days there visiting the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument, driving around the area and making a day trip/shopping run to Billings.

Any place where many people have died, especially in a battle, seems to take on a unique aura. While the number of dead were nothing like the scale of Gettysburg, Little Big Horn had a similar feeling for me. Maybe it’s the graves, but I think its more than that. Ghosts? Probably not, but there is something about so much fear and rage and dying that imbues these places with a unique presence. The site itself covers many acres and the museum does a good job detailing the events that took place. The guided tours are given exclusively by Crow Indians, the victors of the battle, but the losers of the war. It was a special experience to hear our guide speak so familiarly of the people on both sides that day, but especially of his direct ancestors who actually took part. The battle was only 150 years ago, just a few generations, and the Crow oral history tradition certainly keeps it alive. Great tour, don’t miss it if you visit this area.

More soon,

Bob