On the Road with LT. Dan (IA-ND)

 91625 - 91925 Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota 

On the road heading NW through the Chicago freeways and into Iowa. LT Dan was excited to ride shotgun but after he figured out we were not just going down the street, he relaxed and settled in for a long ride. There was some congestion around the Chicago that slowed us down a bit, so we finally pulled into Pikes Peak State Park just across the the point where the Wisconsin river meets the Mississippi river in Iowa.  Far away from the big city, the park is located atop a hill overlooking the two rivers. We arrived late, took a quick walk and settled in for the night. We were up with the dawn and made our way out to explore the park and quickly found the impressive overlook. 

The interpretation marker states: "Across this impressive gorge of the Mississippi River is the mouth of the Wisconsin River. The steeply notched valleys of both rivers are carved into sedimentary bedrock which underlies the level, plateau-like uplands and forms the abrupt, picturesque bluffs along the valley margins.. The layered rocks originated as loose sediment on sea floors 450 to 550 million years ago, and over time hardened into strata dominated by dolomite and sandstone. Fossil remains of marine life are seen in rocks throughout the area".  

After breakfast we hit the road again keeping to the quite and steady pace of the country highways stopping frequently at roadside parks and gas stations. You see LT. Dan went all day before he peed and I wanted to make sure he had plenty of opportunity to go.  Our next stop was Chippewa County Park Minnesota about 2 hours northwest of Minneapolis.  No great rivers here, just a small county park nestled between to small lakes.  We arrived early enough to enjoy long walk around the park and quiet afternoon. This is a small park with only 7 sites, there was only 3 other campers when we were there. Followed our normal routine in the morning. I was able to top off on water before we headed out on a raining drive into North Dakota.  

We stopped at Petco, cause that is where the pets go, in Fargo. I wanted the full experience of taking a dog in a pet store. LT. Dan picked out some treats and new gear. We also got a new 💩 bag holder cause I ran over the one Pete gave me. It rained pretty hard most the morning and past noon, but let up in the afternoon when we arrived at our boon-docking spot at Mckenzie Slough Wildlife Management Area. Basically a open lot next to hay fields. This area is open to public hunting and overnight parking is allowed. 

We were all by our selves and we had all this open area to walk and play ball.  It stayed cloudy and cool throughout the evening. I woke up before sunrise and there was another Van parked, but they left before the sun came up. I tried to get Dan to go out for a pee, but he does not like the dark. I discovered he is not a morning dog.  Although it was not raining it was clear that rain was on its way, so I thought we better get out of here before the dirt road got too muddy, as it was already pretty sloshy driving. 

We got out okay and stopped at a nearby rest area for the necessary and the 2 caches. That done, we headed out to the Enchanted Highway , a stretch of highway that has large metal sculptures made by Gary Greff , I heard about it from the Built to go podcast with Jeff Wagg. I saw that it was right on our way, so I put it in the route. Un fortunately and as previously mentioned, it was raining. but we were still able to enjoy seeing all the sculptures.  I was surprised that we completed the route before noon. So we stopped in town, gassed up, had a bit of a walk and made lunch, leaving enough time to make it to Wyoming and the Devil's Tower campground. This concludes this post, thanks for visiting. Leave a comment below. 

👀📸 LT.Dan On the road IA-ND 📸👀

 

Picking up Lieutenant Dan

 091525 - Crown Point Indiana 

I arrived at noon, Lieutenant Dan was in the back yard with Rosie. They were very excited to meet a new human and jumped up to greet me. Pete & Sam Summer, was very welcoming and soon I met 5 of their 6 kids and 2 of the many cats and all 4 dogs. 

I went to a local grocery store to stock up for LT. Dan and my trip to Washington.  The rest of the day went by quickly and I was able to set my first to stops, Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa and Chippewa County Park in Minnesota.  I slept in the driveway and had a breakfast as the kids jumped on the school bus. Pete and Sam provided all the pet supplies and gave me many helpful tips. I feel so fortunate to meet such an energetic family. I wish you all the best!   LT and I left about 10am.  

CO-KS-MO-IL 2025

 091125 - 091525 

Leaving the Four Corners heading Northeast, the sun was covered with clouds that extended getting darker on the horizon. The rain started shortly after driving through main street Cortez as I entered the Mesa Verde National Park. The weather app showed rain all the way to through the mountain range to Alamosa. I stopped several times because it was raining so hard and it was still raining when I pulled into Del Norte Town Park. There was a fifth wheel already set up, so I pulled into the opposite parking space. Later a small trailer pulled in leaving room for only one more. Light rain continued through the night which kept any park activity to a minimum.  I used the very convenient dump station on my way out, not bad for free overnight parking.  

I left a little early because I want to spend some time at the UFO Watchtower just a few miles away.  The place was deserted at 9am so I made my way straight to the geocache which was a real easy find among the UFO displays. It was just a box mounted on a pole surrounded by keys. The rest of the Watchtower was kind of corny but hats off the Lady that created a place to watch for UFO for $5 per person or alien. Apparently there is camping here, but I didn't see where? Learn l more at her un-secure website  http://theoriginalufowatchtower.com/  I dropped a $5 bill in the payment slot and went to find the other geocaches in the area.  A couple o park and grabs later I was heading east towards Kansas. 

I fueled up near Walsenburg CO on I25, but instead of taking the the interstate north then east, I stayed on the more scenic farm routes.  I stopped Smokey Hill Trail Marker, a roadside monument near Cheyenne Wells CO. Found the geocache and made some lunch. Refreshed, I continued on a NE course through the small towns, crossing into Kansas. I arrived at Atwood Lake Campground at about 1600 which was not a campground. It looked like a Permanent RV parking lot with no open spaces. I took off towards plan B, highway 36 to Smith Center roadside park, a 2 hour drive east, but the Campendium App shows Sappa Park Campground only 30 minutes east, so I checked it out. It was after dark before I was able to park right on the grass next to a electrical box with #1 on it. I tried to call the number on the sign, no answer, but I did find another sign that there is a payment box by the restrooms. I never found the restrooms, but I had a nice

overnight under a starry night.  

In the morning I booked a site 67 at Wallace State Park in Missouri then got back on highway 36 east for 349 miles. The drive was flat and steady 65 mph, down to 35 mph moving through the small farm towns then back to 65. I made good time and arrived at 1500, plenty of time to get settled before dark. The was no one else in this area of the campground, probably because it was dry camping, no hookups, perfect for an overnight.  

I'm scheduled to pick up Lieutenant Dan in Crown Point Indiana on Friday so I wanted to stay Thursday night close by so I booked Kankakee River State Park, Chippewa campground in Illinois.  This will only be a hour drive in the morning. Gives me enough time to have breakfast and take a shower before I leave.  It was after dark when I finally found my space in a big park and just a few other campers. In the morning I discovered the park did not have showers, just pit toilets. Normally I would not care, but I booked this place because I wanted to shower before I go to crown point. So, I rigged up my outside shower and got ready to go pick up Lieutenant Dan.  Thanks for reading my post, leave a comment if you have one. 

👀 📸 CO-KS-MO-IL 2025  📸 👀