Devils Tower

Sunday - Since it is Labor Day weekend, we took off early for Devils Tower Natl’ Monument. We beat the crowds and parked right next to the beginning of the tower trail. 

Half way around the trail, this was the view away from the tower. It was pretty spectacular as well. Most people were focused on watching the climbers working their way up. 

One of the benefits of an early start is all the wildlife. We saw quite a few mule deer along the trail. 

We continued driving north and east from Devils Tower into Hulett and onto Aladdin. Both had antique stores. The general store in Aladdin boasted as being the oldest in the area. And it needed to support their huge population. 

We continued into South Dakota and the visitors center had a large granite marker claiming to be the geographical center of the U.S.  The actual location is about 20 miles away but most people wouldn’t want to drive to the location on the dirt road. 

We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant that claimed to be the best Mexican food north of Dallas. It was decent enough though I’m not sure about their claim.

After returning to the rv park, I regenerated the water softener. The actual frequency is dependent on the hardness of the water and the amount of water run through the unit. Since I don’t really have either bit of information, I just run through the regen process every couple of months. We really don’t use much water in the class C so I think it’s a reasonable guess.

Hanging Around Sundance, WY

Wednesday - We drove to Spearfish, SD, this morning as that was the closest large grocery store. In this case, Walmart. I had been to Spearfish before but nothing looked familiar. It was almost twenty years ago and, I believe, in the early Spring. 

Friday - Yesterday and today were quiet, uneventful days. Too cold to enjoy the pool and occasional showers discouraged one from sitting outside. But plus, the temperature never went above the mid-60s (°F). The only “project” was reattaching the gas filler. Just three self-tapping screws into plastic. 

Saturday - This morning, I went into Spearfish again to pick up some ingredients for tonight’s dinner. I was reminded somewhere of Cincinnati chili aka Skyline chili. It is made with quite a few different ingredients such as cocoa, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon, and served over spaghetti with a variety of optional toppings. I was missing some of the spices as well as the chocolate. 

After returning, I decided to empty and backflush the tanks. With the water meter on the flush hose, I noticed some dripping from the black tank at around 80% capacity. We may have a crack in the tank. 

Friends Kevin and Charla arrived this afternoon from North Dakota and are parked next to us. 

Sundance, WY

Monday - It was 50°F this morning, so the furnace got used again. It sure is nice not to need the generator or the A/C. We are plugged into power here, which is nice, as the batteries can get top-balanced after a bit over a week of generator charging. I rarely charge to 100% on the generator so after a bit, the individual cell voltages drift. Now they are all within a couple of millivolts of each other. 

A very relaxing day. Participated in a test session, visited the local grocery store, and spent a little time in the pool. At 74°F, it’s kind of cool to spend much time in the pool but it’s nice to lie around and dry off in the sun. 

Tuesday - We drove up to Devil’s Tower Natl’ Monument this morning. It was only about 30 miles or so and was visible from the road for most of the trip. We parked at the visitors center and it felt kind of crowded but it was nothing like when we left a few hours later. 

We walked the tower trail around the base and went counter-clockwise as recommended by a couple of YouTube videos. Less steep. It was around 1½ miles total on the non-ADA paved trail shown in the last picture. It felt hot when walking in the sun even with the temperature a very mild 72°F. 

There were quite a few groups rock climbing which made me feel old. Forty five years ago, I would’ve wanted to tackle that. Especially with the numerous routes some much easier than others. Choose your level of difficulty. 

Finished the day off at the pool when it hit 80°F.

Last Day in the NP Campground

Saturday - We almost ran out of water last night so this morning, I went into Medora to dump our tanks then picked up water here at the campground. The Medora Campground in town charges $5 to dump and they had a flush hose. That was a nice perk. Since we are headed to a full-hookup campground tomorrow, I didn’t fill the water tank up. Plus, the way it was set up, I was unable to run the water through our filter or the water softener. 

We then headed into Dickinson again as our friends are expecting a package. It hadn’t shown up yet. We did have lunch at the Grub Tub in the downtown area. Delicious and not what I would call “grub”.

When we returned, I fired up the generator after adding about a cup of oil to the engine. We have been using the generator a lot on this trip. No A/C needed as the high is a very pleasant 71°F. I did use the furnace this morning as the overnight low was in the mid-40s (°F). No complaints from me. 

I set up the JPC-12 antenna this afternoon so Kevin could see how simple it is to set up and tune. 

Sunday - We headed out around 10 from the National Park heading south into South Dakota then towards Wyoming. We filled up in Belfield, ND, as I was curious how much gas we used running the generator. We put in 33 gal and had driven 144 miles. This comes out to about 15 gallons running the generator for 7 days. Not too bad considering how much it was run due to the high temperatures. 

This is at our next stop. It is a welcome sight even though it is on the cool side. The water temperature is in the mid-80s and the air temperature is 75°F. This would’ve been great a couple of days ago. 

We are between Spearfish, SD, and Devils Tower. After all of the dry camping or no hookups, this is a nice break. 

Theodore Roosevelt Natl’ Park North

Friday - This morning, we went to the other half of the National Park which was about an hour north. The two parts are not connected. It was added to the national park system several years after the southern section. 

One of our first stops were the cannonball concretions. These were created by mineral deposited by seeping water filling gaps in the sedimentary layers.

We then headed to a nature walk right across the street. We did need to wait for the bison in the first picture to stroll on by. 

It was just over a mile but it provided some nice views of the Little Missouri River. 

The Oxbow Viewpoint was the end of the road. This viewpoint structure was built by the CCC and overlooks the bend in the river where it was forced east by a glacier moraine during the last ice age. 

I think I like the views offered in the northern part of the park. Fewer people and a more rugged landscape. Plus, it seems to have more trees and grassland. 

Painted Canyon

Thursday - Clouds came in while we were watching the sunset yesterday evening. And it seems to have cooled things down. Today’s high is forecast to be over 20°F cooler! The generator and A/C ran all afternoon and into the evening until quiet hours. And, it was still very warm. I hope we are done with those temperatures!

The SoS this morning was 60% and that was after breakfast (microwave) and the ice maker and StarLink running all night. Plus, a modest 6amp battery charger was plugged in to add some power to Kevin & Charla’s rig. I’ll run the generator for a couple of hours in the morning and later in the afternoon. 

Thursday - We stopped at the Painted Canyon visitor center a short distance east from Medora. Nice view into the park and the parking lot was also a large rest area on I-94. 

We continued on into Dickinson, the nearest town large enough by

Medora, ND

Wednesday - This morning, we visited the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora. This town was established by Teddy Roosevelt and its current claim to fame is a live musical/stage show. It’s pretty expensive, so we are passing on seeing it. There are a lot of tourist facilities, though only one gas station and no grocery store. 

This is the sunset picture I took last night. The colors were cool (actually warm) and the clouds added something. 

At 2pm, it's 100°F outside. The generator and A/C are running and it's still 85°F inside the RV. Not a whole lot of insulation in this RV. We really didn't expect it to be this hot in North Dakota and, fortunately, it's not supposed to last very long. By the weekend it should be back in the 70s (°F). Even tomorrow, the high is forecast to be 20° cooler!

Theodore Roosevelt Natl’ Park

Tuesday - Today is more than a bit warm. The original plan was to go to the northern part of Theodore Roosevelt Natl' Park but Kevin had a dead battery on the RV. After charging the battery for a while with the generator, we measured the current draw of some devices. The main draw was the 12V compressor refrigerator. He has a conversion similar to class A, but it has two compressors. One for the refrigerator and a second one for the freezer. The peak draw is 16amps @ 12VDC. The average would be maybe 10-12amps on a hot day like today. So overnight, it would consume 120-140 ah from his 200 ah lithium battery. To aggravate the problem, the converter isn't optimized for lithium batteries so it stops charging at 13.6V instead of 14.6V. This results in a SOC of maybe 80% or ~160 ah. If StarLink was left running overnight, that is pretty much the entire battery.

But tomorrow’s temperature looks absolutely miserable. At least the humidity isn’t high. 

Later - We headed to an overlook in the evening to try to get some sunset pictures. I was planning to bring a tripod for a time-lapse but forgot. But still, a nice sunset .

Theodore Roosevelt Natl’ Park

Sunday - It was windy and pouring rain this morning when we left the HH location but the rain ended as we headed west. We stopped just short of the national park yesterday as we did not have a campsite reserved. Some friends, Kevin and Charla, were about 30 min ahead and did have a reservation. They worked with a camp host and found an ideal site. Basically, two sites sharing some common space. 

No hookups of any kind so generator use is almost guaranteed. Water is available but no dump station. 

Monday - This morning, we drove the scenic drive and encountered a small herd of bison on and around the road stopping traffic. Further down the road was a small group of wild horses. Too far off the road for a picture. 

We then hiked the coal vein trail near the end of the road. There was an underground fire and once the coal was burned, the ground collapsed forming depressions. These stairs lead down to the bottom of one of the depressions. The fire is still smoldering in some areas with steam visible under some conditions. 

This tree looked very photogenic and was located near the end of the trail. By the time we finished the hike, it was already in the 80s (°F). By mid-afternoon, it was 88°F. The generator ran all morning as the SoC was at only 33% this morning. We ran the A/C blower last night as it was pretty warm. 

StarLink is working really well here. Probably a lower population density than other locations we’ve been. It’s kind of interesting that there are trees to the west but StarLink isn’t looking in that direction according to the app.

Jamestown, ND - HH

Saturday - An even shorter travel day to the North American Bison Discovery Center previously known as the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown, ND. It is also a Harvest Host site though their parking lot is far from level. 

It was a relatively small museum and described the slaughter of the herds by American “tourists” and the slow process of building the population back. 

They have a large sculpture of a bison visible from the highway for taking selfies. All in all, not a lot here but it’s good for an overnight stop on our way to Theodore Roosevelt Natl’ Park. 

Moorhead, MN - HH

Friday - A relatively short travel day to Moorhead, MN, just east of Fargo, ND. We are staying at a Harvest Host location. They have a fairly level, gravel lot a short distance from the brewery. 

The pizza was good. A nice, thin crispy crust based on a Cuban sandwich with pulled pork and pickles. We sat with another HH couple from PA on their way to the Canadian Rockies. Their first long trip. It was a nice visit. 

Tomorrow is another short travel day to another HH location. 

Saturday - °F 

Annandale, MN

Tuesday - We are back at the county park near Annandale, MN, about 30 min south of St. Cloud. This is the same park we were at last week but had to leave before the weekend crowds arrived on Friday. Right now, it’s pretty empty. I think school starts this week so last weekend was sort of a “last hurrah”. We will be here for several days before heading west towards North Dakota on Friday. 

Today’s high was 78°F and the low tomorrow morning will be in the upper 50s (°F). The smoke from the Canadian fires kept our windows closed and A/C running. The propane tank was near “E” (actually about 3/16) but only took 7.4 gal which leads me to believe that there is still over 2 gal in the tank when the gauge claims that it’s almost empty. Good to know.

Wednesday - After dinner, family came down to the lake to go paddle boarding. I think they have much better balance than I ever had. They make it look easy. 

I thought I had run the fresh water tank almost empty but when I filled it up this morning, it only took 30 gallons before overflowing out the gravity fill. The “meter (panel with 3 leds)” indicated empty and the spec sheet for the RV claims 40 gal. I should’ve kept the pump running it until no more water came out of the faucets. Next time. We will be dry camping for a while after this county park. 

St. Cloud, MN

 

Monday - This morning, we visited the QuarryPark and Nature Preserve in Waite Park located southwest of St. Cloud, MN. It is an old quarry with ponds as deep as 165 feet. There were people swimming and fishing in the ponds. It looks like the quarry produced granite. Be

The ponds were clear and dark. Divers also use the ponds as there were signs explaining what dive flags are. Rock climbing also is an authorized activity. 

We also visited the Munsinger Clemens Botanical Gardens in St. Cloud. We then headed to the airport to drop off my brother. Lots of traffic as we got near the airport. 

Tomorrow, we head back to the county park for a couple more days.

St. Cloud Area

Tuesday - The wind picked up this morning and gusts up to 30mph are in the forecast for the rest of the week. So, begrudgingly, I took down the screen shelter. It was really nice to have but I didn’t want to deal with trying to take it down in stronger winds. It was challenging enough today. The weather app says it’s 77° right now but it feels cooler than that due to the wind. It seems to be getting rid of the smoke!

I drove down to Buffalo, MN, for a haircut and to get the Jeep washed. All of the campgrounds we’ve been to prohibit washing vehicles. It gets pretty dirty behind the RV. It was a long-ish wait to get a haircut but they always seem to do a good job at the Great Clips chain.

Wednesday - One tire on the Jeep had a slow leak for months. My son dismounted the tire and there was a pallet nail in the tread area. He installed a patch so that should eliminate that problem. I had been adding air to that tire about once per week. I had thought it was leaking from the bead or valve stem.

We spent the afternoon with family and had dinner at a local diner/bakery. 

Friday - We got a lot of rain this morning, but it's warming up and feels pretty muggy right now. We moved from the county park to Moochdock for the weekend. The campground is full over the weekend, but opens back up next week. So we will be moving back on Tuesday, though we won't have the nice site on the lake. 

Our location is nice and level, plus there is power and water and we are mostly shaded next to a large tree. I'm not sure if it's a 15amp or 20amp circuit so I have the Victron set to max shore power of 13amps. 

Annandale, MN

Monday - This is the JPC-12 portable antenna covering 40M to 6M. Unlike the ATAS-120, which I forgot to pack, needs to be manually tuned by adjusting the telescoping whip and the center loading coil. 

To tune the antenna, I picked up a NanoVNA-H4. This is a relatively inexpensive, open source vector network analyzer. Antenna tuning is just a subset of its capability. In this picture, I’m showing the SWR (standing wave ratio) for the 20m band. 

In the morning, I was receiving stations from both coasts but by early afternoon, only high power stations and they couldn’t hear me. 

Grilled chicken for dinner. Some with a balsamic glaze and some with barbecue sauce. Half of the griddle is on low (the empty side) the rest is “off” so the chicken doesn’t overcook. 

Annandale, MN

Sunday - We are back in the St. Cloud area again for the next ten days or so. It was a relatively short travel day at 200 miles with the majority on secondary roads. There was less smoke in the morning but the further we traveled into MN, the smokier it got. 

We are camped at a really nice county park with electricity and easy access to water. In other words, we fill up the water tank and use the 12V pump. We are near the lake, which is nice, but I’m not sure if we will get to enjoy the location. It is sprinkling right now and some precipitation is in the forecast for just about every day.

North Wisconsin

Friday - This morning we did some exploring with RV friends Kevin and Charla. The first stop was to get some blueberries at a u-pick farm. Huge berries compared to Alaska wild blueberries but still tasty. We didn’t pick a lot. Just enough for dessert and to add to cereal. 

Our next stop was the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. I had stopped by here yesterday on the way back from Ashland when I had the RV oil changed. It has a lot of displays and a large cupola with nice views. Or nice views if it wasn’t for all the smoke from the Canadian fires. 

There were some nice murals in the stairwell up to the cupola. A very nice visitor center. There were a number of movies and I watch one on the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was a large ore ship that was one of the 6,000 ships that sunk in Lake Superior. I hadn’t realized that it sunk in 1975. For some reason I thought it was mid-century. 

Saturday - We began at the Meteor, the last whaleback ship in the world. It is a freighter that sat low in the water with a rounded hull and designed for low drag. This is the only surviving ship of that design and the design limits the maximum size. 

It was driven by the steam engine originally powered by coal then oil. This ship was built in 1896 and was in service until 1969 when it ran aground in MI. Volunteers raised money to have the ship moved to its current location near where it was built. 

After lunch, we went on the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad. A 2 hour out and back trip along the St. Louis River. There were three cars pulled by a small diesel locomotive and completely run by volunteers. It was a nice, relaxing ride with a lot of local history. 

This is the Oliver Bridge, with the train on the upper level and cars below. This was near the southern end of the train trip. A train just happened to be on the bridge when we passed.