The mission: Meet inlaws in Michigan for a family reunion of sorts. Take the long way. Drive through new states. Camp, dispersed when available.
I left after the breakfast and started to head north. Google said to jump on the freeway. Drive to Oklahoma City. Stay on a freeway to St. Louis., up to Chicago, then to Grand Rapids, MI, before finally hitting non-freeway. Good gawd, BORING! So I changed up the route, avoiding freeway, stuck as much as I could to US/State highways, and even county roads. I'm retired. I wasn't in a huge hurry. What did I see? Lots, and lots, and lots of farm land, water, green, and corn fields. I also went through five new states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesooooota). I will also toss up there the U.P. of Michigan. While I can't say I visited, or explored, those states, I at least drove across them. So, boxes checked.
Day 1: Drive to La Junta, CO. I was trying to find public land to camp on, but dang it the plains are all private property. Of course, I messed up. I made a reservation at the KOA in La Junta and on the way up drove through Comanche National Grasslands, managed by the USFS. Dang it. There were designated camp sites, and I could have dispersed camp there. Next time.
Day 2: Drive to South Dakota. Stay at KOA in Mitchell, SD.
Day 3: Long drive to Minnesota. Go northeast of the charming port town of Duluth (NOT!), and camp in the forest at Fourmile Lake. Mosquitos, and more mosquitos.
Day 4: Drive into the upper peninsula of Michigan. It looked short on the map, but it took a good chunk of the day to get there. Camped in the forest at Hovey Lake.
Day 5: Drive to Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground for a rendezvous with the inlaws. I'm there four nights.
Day 9: Break camp, drive back to Minnesota and camp at Sixmile Lake in the north-central part of the state. The mosquitos were very hungry, as were the horseflies. The horseflies were quickly dispatched, but the mosquitos were never ending. The camp was also surrounded by poison ivy.
Day 10: Back on the plains. Through North Dakota, to camp in Rapid City, SD at the KOA. The original plan was to stay in the forest, but the plan changed when my sister/2 offered her place to crash. The original plan was to meet for breakfast Wednesday morning, but changed to dinner Tuesday evening so I could blast out early Wednesday morning. The KOA staged me with a shower for the next day.
Day 11: To Louisville, CO, just outside Boulder to visit and stay with my sister/2.
Day 12: Home.
The route. Detail is missing cuz I'm zoomed out on the screenshot. A few pictures coming.
I left after the breakfast and started to head north. Google said to jump on the freeway. Drive to Oklahoma City. Stay on a freeway to St. Louis., up to Chicago, then to Grand Rapids, MI, before finally hitting non-freeway. Good gawd, BORING! So I changed up the route, avoiding freeway, stuck as much as I could to US/State highways, and even county roads. I'm retired. I wasn't in a huge hurry. What did I see? Lots, and lots, and lots of farm land, water, green, and corn fields. I also went through five new states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesooooota). I will also toss up there the U.P. of Michigan. While I can't say I visited, or explored, those states, I at least drove across them. So, boxes checked.
Day 1: Drive to La Junta, CO. I was trying to find public land to camp on, but dang it the plains are all private property. Of course, I messed up. I made a reservation at the KOA in La Junta and on the way up drove through Comanche National Grasslands, managed by the USFS. Dang it. There were designated camp sites, and I could have dispersed camp there. Next time.
Day 2: Drive to South Dakota. Stay at KOA in Mitchell, SD.
Day 3: Long drive to Minnesota. Go northeast of the charming port town of Duluth (NOT!), and camp in the forest at Fourmile Lake. Mosquitos, and more mosquitos.
Day 4: Drive into the upper peninsula of Michigan. It looked short on the map, but it took a good chunk of the day to get there. Camped in the forest at Hovey Lake.
Day 5: Drive to Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground for a rendezvous with the inlaws. I'm there four nights.
Day 9: Break camp, drive back to Minnesota and camp at Sixmile Lake in the north-central part of the state. The mosquitos were very hungry, as were the horseflies. The horseflies were quickly dispatched, but the mosquitos were never ending. The camp was also surrounded by poison ivy.
Day 10: Back on the plains. Through North Dakota, to camp in Rapid City, SD at the KOA. The original plan was to stay in the forest, but the plan changed when my sister/2 offered her place to crash. The original plan was to meet for breakfast Wednesday morning, but changed to dinner Tuesday evening so I could blast out early Wednesday morning. The KOA staged me with a shower for the next day.
Day 11: To Louisville, CO, just outside Boulder to visit and stay with my sister/2.
Day 12: Home.
The route. Detail is missing cuz I'm zoomed out on the screenshot. A few pictures coming.
Last edited:
