3rd Long Haul for JimH & SueZ Glacier NP +

41 Durant Ave
WP01 3101 Cart Rd, Richmond, IN 719.95
WP02 303 NE 3rd St,MO Kansas City East/Oak Grove 528.57
WP03 3720 Centennial Rd, Bismarck, ND 635.26
WP04 106 West Shore Rd St Mary/East Glacer, MT 1205.23
WP06 3305 Targhee Pass Hwy Yellowstone Park/West 957.36
WP07 27585 Sd Highway 79, Hot Springs, SD 599.33
WP09 2035 Highway 71, Jackson, MN 554.28
WP10 555 Kucirek St, Camp Inn Campout, WI 113.65 5313.63
Delivery from Camp Inn by Craig & Betsy
41 Durant Ave 1575.5 6889.13
It is September 2013 and we started our third long haul trip to some more of the National Parks out West and a visit to our fourth Camp Inn Camp Outt. We have a long days drive and arrive at the Richmond, IN - KOA just before the sun going down. Since the weather was good we were cooking in camp. While we are trying to have dinner we are entertaining three groups of visitor with lots of questions about our little trailer. When you own a camp Inn teardrop you get use to that happening. Finale we are able to finish our dinner and get things cleaned up and put away.
One of our goals this trip is to pick up some states that we have missed so far with our previous long hauls: Missouri, Kansas, & North Dakota. With that in mind tomorrow we headed for the Arch at St, Louis, MO, and then Kansas City, MO. What we did not know is there is no parking for any trailers or buses or RVs any ware near the arch when you get into St. Louis. We finally parked where we could, a lot next to a building under re-construction, not legal but nearby. We visited the Arch but didn’t stay that long because of the parking situation. Next we are on our way to East Kansas City, MO - KOA. We got into our campsite with time to spare. While checking in we asked where the best BBQ was and were told about a restaurant about 15 miles away. After setting up our campsite we went out to find the restaurant where we had a great meal. Early the next morning we got on the road and headed for the Bismarck, ND – KOA which was a long drive away. Whenever we have a long drive we get on the road early in the morning like around 5 AM. Traffic is light and I get some decent miles in before the sun comes up.
When we arrive at the campground we got set up for our overnight stay we got some ice for the coolers and cooked in camp. We set up our XM satellite radio and listened to the Red Sox during dinner and cleanup. Then we got everything ready for an early start the next morning, our plans are to visit Teddy Roosevelt, NP, South Unit’s, loop road before heading on to St. Mary’s MT – KOA on the East side of Glacier, National Park. We arrive at the park with overcast and a light rain. What we did not anticipate was the park running on Mountain Time, so we are an hour early for the Visitor Center & Gift Shop. Given a long wait or starting our loop road drive we decide to drive the loop road in a light rain. The ride through the parks lower section takes its time and is a lot longer and emptier than we expected. We did see some bison but not that many as we would have liked to have seen. Eventually we wind our way back to the Visitor Center. We spent about a half hour buying a dvd, patches & pins a hat and a t-shirt before leaving for Saint Mary’s and the East Glazier KOA.
At the campground we checked in and setup for a five night stay. After parking in our assigned campsite we have numerous campers stopping by for look at our little trailer. With all the tours we end up taking three four times our normal setup time which delay our dinner until after sun down.
This was our first multi-night stay. We planned to leave early the first thing Sunday morning to travel to West Glacier and the McDonald Lodge via the “Going to the Sun Road”. Currently the Park Service is in the middle of a 7 year repaving project, with delays during week days. So weekends are the best time because there are no construction delays. When we got to the Logan Pass visitor center there was no parking. We drove around the parking area twice and then just left because it just was not worth playing musical chairs looking for a parking spot. Since that is the high point on the road it was downhill the rest of the way to West Glacier. We stopped in at the Lake McDonald Lodge for lunch. The food is OK but there are plenty of flies. After lunch we relax by taking a short walk around before heading back. Driving the Going to the Sun Road is great for the scenery but not for the traffic. Some of the pull outs are hard to get into because some of the tourist do not pull all the way in and block more than one parking space.
That Monday we planned to drive to Waterton Canada and take the boat trip to Goat Haunt Ranger station. Since we were looking to take the first sailing (at 10 AM) we headed North. We got to the international border and found that the crossing did not open until 9 AM, an interesting gate opening process. Once across the border we continue on into Waterton & Glacier International Peace Park. At the park entrance we stop and pay a fee, park passes from the USA are not honored in Canada. Another few minutes and we arrive in the town and park at the pier. We rushed to the office and purchased our tickets for the 10 AM boat ride to Goats Haunt which is south back into the USA. On our ride south we had a few showers from the overcast skies but we also had the weather clear and got some rainbows, even a double one. While at Goat Haunt we had a young bear wander into the area which got shushed away by the ranger to keep it away from the tourist. You only get 15 minutes before they want you back on the boat so we headed back. Our trip back was nice and smooth and we saw an eagle soring overhead. But soon we were back at the Watertown dock and our ride was over. After a Lunch in town we headed back to our campsite in the USA. When we got back we found that our quick shade had been damaged by the high winds they had while we were gone. It seems that they had reached over 45 mph and had cracked several of the joiners on the folding arms of the quick shade and landed on the back of the teardrop. We took and lifted it off the teardrop and folded it up and stowed it in its travel bag. This left us with no shelter for the rest of our stay at Glacier or any for Yellowstone, not a good deal. I tried lashing a walking stick across a damaged area and had no luck. Our next best solution was to find another shade on our way to Yellowstone after leaving East Glacier KOA. I called around and found one at the REI in Bozeman MT. So we see what it is like in a couple of days.
Since we didn’t get to spend any time at the Logan Pass Visitor Center we decided to take one of the Red Jammer tours back up to the pass because they had reserved parking for the busses. They also picked us up at the campground which makes things easy. The Jammer name comes from the past because the drivers in the past before automatic transmissions had to jam the gears to complete a shift while driving up the road. We had a really good driver who had some great stories.
One of our goals while at Glacier was to try and visit each of the Hotels inside the park. Our next visit was to the Many Glaciers area, which is north of St. Mary’s. After heading North out of ST. Mary’s, you get to the town of Babb you take a left turn and head into the park and down the road till you see the Many Glaciers Hotel. Parking here is also a problem so plan on parking in the lot above the hotel and taking the path and stairs down to the hotel. Because of the time of day we decided to get a beer and an appetizer before heading back. We now had four hotels down and one to go. Our last hotel was in East Glacier and is still serviced by train, originally the Great Northern Railroad and now by AMTRAK. This is probably the largest hotel in the park and it reminds me the most of the Yellowstone Lodge. We had gotten there in time for a late morning Brunch and we saw the Amtrak service as well. All in all a really nice visit before heading back. We planned to eat out tonight our last night in camp so we could get an early start in the morning. We headed back north to Babb and the Cattle Baron Supper Club which from the outside didn’t look that good, but the write ups made it sound interesting. Once inside it was a whole different story. It was very well done with a nice western bar downstairs and plenty of tables upstairs for dinning. It is a beef house and the food was very very good, although I have seen some reviews where some folks did not like the seasoning. Our server was great as well. The next morning we got up early and finished packing and got on the road heading to Yellowstone’s Roosevelt Gate one of the two North gates.
On the way there we made a stop in Bozeman to get a replacement for our damaged Quikshade with another model at the local REI. Once we had that settled we continued on to Yellowstone. The North gate is across the road from a small row of buildings which are part of a town. Once inside the park you are soon into the area just before the Mammoth Hot Springs area most of the tourist area was built in recent years. We did not stop on our way to the West Yellowstone KOA because we wanted to get set up in daylight. This northern section was the part of Yellowstone we did not see the last time we were here because one of the bridges was being relocated, and the drive inside the park was going to be over 200 miles. We will be back into this area later on this trip.
The West Yellowstone KOA is sort of getting ready to shut down for the season, so they put us in a space near the main building. It was cooler this time than it was when we were here a few years ago. They also had a maintenance crew working on upgrading the shower facilities and some other things. Once set up it was time to listen to the Red Sox’s via Satellite radio and sip a little wine. The next morning we had breakfast in camp, after cleanup we decided to visit the new buildings around Old Faithful. These were buildings were under construction when we were here in the park the last time. One thing is for sure they added a lot more parking area. If you want to find your car you will need to note where you have parked. We visited the gift shop and the new visitors center building and then headed for the Yellowstone hotel and the second floor veranda grabbed a bench and table where we could view the eruptions of Old Faithful. Although there is a small bar up there on the second floor it is for bottled beer only and no food, so I went downstairs to one of the restaurants for two drafts and an appetizer. Then we could relax upstairs and watch the show, while having a little something to eat.
The sun was warm and we decided for a second round of beers and another appetizer and to watch the geyser again. We did a little more walking around and visited the hotel gift shop before heading back to the car. Driving back to West Yellowstone we decided to stop and get a meal. We ended up at place we found four years earlier which had changed hands and now was a tap bar with lots of brews. We had a good time talking with the staff and getting some recommendations for other places to try. Back at the campground we set up the remote speakers and listen to the sox’s game.
The next morning after breakfast we set out to spend the day in the Norris Basin area walking around the geysers and pools there. We also found a stuffed buffalo which was not available at the Old Faithful Yellowstone gift shop; we were told that a stuffed bear was going to be the mascot next year. Now I really think they need to rethink that since most folk will still think of the buffalo as the iconic animal in the park. We were able to trade our bear for a buffalo with the small gift shop up at Norris. The geysers in the area were not that active as we would have liked, and I am sure that has something to do with the draught out west. We took another one of our days in the park to drive up to Haden Valley but did not see any buffalo this time. We also took one day a drove around the entire loop road. Although there had been a number of wildfires reported earlier during the year we didn’t see that much evidence of the burnings. Our plan for leaving Yellowstone was to head North towards Interstate 90 and then East to South Dakota. This would allow us to travel one of the least used gates North in the park.
Our goal was to arrive at Hot Springs South Dakota in Daylight and get set up for a couple of days visiting Jewel Cave and the Cave of the Winds in the Custer area. We had also planned to visit some small craft brewers in Custer SD. We took the tours at the two cave sights. Wind Cave tour was the better of the two because we could walk through more of the cave with a guide. Jewel Cave because of the time of day was much shorter and amounted to an elevator ride to a platform area with a guide who gave a short lecture. On our way back to the main road we had to pass through a prairie dog town. Back at the campground we cooked a dinner and then listened to the Red Sox on the radio. The next day after a casual breakfast we headed back toward the town of Custer looking for a brew pub for a Lunch and some craft beer. The first place we tried was closed so they could work at their brewery. The next place was just a few doors down the block and was open and was a good looking restaurant as well. Lunch was pretty good and one of the owners came over and we talked about the craft brewing business in South Dakota. Soon we were heading back we stopped for a full tank of gas on our way to the Hot Springs KOA .
The next morning we head North and East on interstate 90 till the exit for town of Wall, home to Wall Drug and the free ice water. The last time we were in this area we bypassed Wall drug because we were too early about 6 AM. This time we got parked around 8:30 AM, still early but things were opening up. We actually had some folk come over to us in the parking lot to look at our trailer. It seems they had just recently put a deposit down on a 550 Ultra. We spent the next two hours buying western shirts and hats and other stuff like a normal tourists before heading back to the car and trailer. Our next stop was just down the road at the Badlands National Park. The road Inside the park twists and turns and eventually you find your way to the only restaurant so before getting back onto the interstate we decided to get lunch. Food was not great but the service disorganized and was very slow I mean really slow but they have no competition. We also stop at their gift shop. Then it was time to get back on the road and make some miles. Our goal is to reach the KOA in Jackson Minnesota which is one of the few KOA’s I would not recommend. This is about a five street town with no real restaurant and only one gas station open limited hours even though it is right next to the interstate. It also has high winds most of the time and they tell you when you check in that if you hear the warning siren you should head over to the town hall about a half mile away. Not my favorite place to stay. The next day we are on our way to Necedah WI and the tenth annual Camp Inn Camp OOut.
We pull into the state park and find a spot that it turned out to be next to Jim & Sue from California and we are Jim & Sue from Massachusetts just to make things confusing. We continued to follow the Red Soxs over the radio and relax with some cheese and beer. We stopped by the Camp Inn factory and were asked to leave out trailer behind so they could do some work on it after the camp out. This would change our plans and force us to miss our little trailer till it was returned to us in the spring. That pretty much sums up our third long haul. Right now I have started planning our four long haul trip for next year when we visit Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon NPs and others along the way. Now all I need to do is to get some pictures ready and then post this for another pin.

 

Just read your travelogue from Sept. 2013. Great stories and photos! It was fun to hear about your adventures!

Diane

 

Jim and Sue-PM me with your address and I'll send your pin. Kathy (kathybob)

 

Good morning looking forward to seeing your 550 when you have it. You will really enjoy it. One of the things that is nice is you will see photos during its construction and you will get a photo CD when you pick it up. Do you do much camping locally. There is a gathering in September at Mi-Te-Jo you might want to consider which is open to anyone who camps. Have a good 4th of July.


JimH &SueZ

 

Hi Jim,

I didn't realize when I talked to you at CICO that you were on the return leg from a North West trip.
And I thought I was doing well fitting in a 10 day week for CICO with 3 days in U.P. Michigan after
a spring two week pickup trip via KC (non camping @Mom's), Memphis, Florida, and DC.

It sounds like you and Sue had a great trip. You even went by where I grew up (Kansas City)
inspiration for my trailer OZ. I am familiar with driving from KC to relatives in Sioux Falls, Kimball
and Deadwood(>1 day) SD. Bismark North Dakota WOULD be a long day's drive !!!

I camped with parents and family in Glacier 40 years ago when Grinell Glacier was bigger. I hope to get
up to the park with my kids and grand kids in the next couple of years. I doubt I will try to accompany my
oldest daughter's family when they do the John Muir trail hike from Yosemite to Mt Whitney (211+ mi).

I won't be able to make it to the Burlington VT Beer Festival this July, but I did spend a 4
day weekend June 19th at Elmore SP northeast of Stow with my oldest and her family.
We ate dinner one night at the Farmhouse in Burlington and I had my first Gose style beer.
The last time I had a salty beer was when I salted a Miller after a day on construction my college summers.

I got to meet Diane and Michael (birder526) and they are nice friendly folks,
but what would you expect for future Camp-Inn owners...
Maybe see you at MiTeJo this September depending on my sister's stemcell transplant schedule.

 

Hi! I hope we do get to meet and we can show you our 550! CI got our deposit so it does seem real now! When and where is the September camp out? Thanks! Diane

 

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the nice comments! It was so nice to meet you too! Hope to see you soon. Best wishes for your sister's surgery. Hope it is a success.
Diane

 

Hi, Diane. The CI-CO (Camp-Inn Camp-Outt) is typically the last full weekend in September, which would make it September 26, 27, 28. Super-organized Betsey will post information about it soon, I'm sure. It is a lot of fun; this will be our 3rd year and we always plan it around a trip which includes family visiting in Michigan. Many folks show up a day or more ahead of the actual event. Hope we'll see you there. Kathy

 

Kathy and Bob,

Thanks for the preliminary info! It sounds like a great time and we'd love to meet members of this CI community! I have to wait a bit to see what my work schedule will be, but next year, when I retire, this won't be an issue!

Look forward to meeting you too!

Diane