Nomad Adventures

On Thursday we headed out for what was supposed to be a grand biking adventure- on a trail to Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook and Fairy Falls. When we arrived at the parking lot it was quite crowded but we managed to snag a spot, only to find that I had not brought my e-bike key along. So after a lot of self-recrimination we switched gears and decided to hike. Grand Prismatic hot spring is iconically beautiful- it’s the image on many of the t-shirts and other promotional items sold in the park. And for good reason; it’s the largest of its kind on this continent and its colors are striking. Fairy Falls was a long hike but the trails were great, with little to trip you up!

On Friday we spent the day around the campground, doing laundry and getting directions for the next day travel where we would be unlikely to have internet service and map access. It was a quiet day with a few bike trips and a notable encounter with a bison who stood between my campsite and the laundry building. I wasn’t foolish enough to pose for a selfie – sorry!

I think my favorite parts of Yellowstone NP were the canyon area with its stunning scenery and the geothermal features like Grand Prismatic. I enjoyed listening to the ranger talks at Fishing bridge, and meeting a park ranger with 51 years in the service. Folks working at Yellowstone all seem very committed to their work of preserving the park and know what a privilege it is to be part of this sacred, amazing place.

On Wednesday, 6/28 we headed off on a road trip to see another area of the park we hadn’t seen before. We went north on the Grand Loop Road to catch the northern loop section to Mammoth. Along the way we stopped at Roaring mountain (which was strangely quiet!), Obsidian Cliff and Sheepeater Cliff, that had some interesting shaped hexagonal rocks. At Mammoth Hot Springs I walked for ages along the boardwalks and paths with the hot springs travertine terraces. Coming home we stopped at the petrified tree and Tower Falls. It was a fully packed day!

Tuesday 6/27 we headed out early to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to see some amazing sights! There’s not much to say as the pictures really say more than I ever could about how stunning this place is.

On Monday 6/26, we decided to have more of a low-key type of day, since we had been doing so much truck-traveling. So we loaded up the e-bikes for a trail riding adventure. One of the rangers had let us know about the trail to Natural Bridge, which was open to biking. Our handy tour guide app had also let us know of a beautiful drive around Gull Point which ended at the start of Natural Bridge trail.

We had the best time on that ride. The views of Yellowstone Lake were so beautiful. At the end of the bike trail, Natural Bridge trail went switchbacking several hundred feet up so you could actually walk across the bridge. It was a little scary since it was such a long way down. Apparently I didn’t look very graceful since Ray gave me grief for climbing with a water bottle in my hand. I guess that’s bad form when one should keep both hands handy for climbing!

Rain came in the afternoon as seems to be the pattern here. Mornings crisp with skies sunny and afternoon thunderstorms. We heard from a ranger that we might see bears in the late afternoon heading toward the east entrance from Fishing Bridge (where our campground is), so we headed off in search of them late in the day.

No luck hunting for bear today, but maybe tomorrow!

We actually arrived Saturday evening, 6/24, after a grueling 400+ mile trip, some of which was on county roads that we worried would devolve into gravel one-lanes. But all was well by the time we found our campsite at the RV park at Fishing Bridge inside the east entrance of the park.

So our first actual park day was Sunday 6/25, and we headed off on a road trip to see Old Faithful. We are using a tour app that follows our route on GPS and notifies us in advance of important sights and gives us some historical and geological context.

Since the day was really sunny, it wasn’t safe to leave Olive in the car. She got to see Old Faithful erupt with us, but was prohibited from going into Old Faithful Inn – the largest log structure in the world. We got some great pictures!

So says the motto for Chaos Travel Inc, the tour agency we jokingly refer to as our booking agency when we do our own travel planning. We had adventure in spades in Spearfish Canyon SD 2 days ago when we encountered a major damaging hailstorm through the canyon.

We booked an RV park in Spearfish SD so I could establish residence there which allows me to vote, take advantage of no retirement income tax and lower our insurance costs. To establish residency as a nomad, you have to stay one night in SD and have a residential address, which our mailing service gives us. So we went off to the DMV appointment in Sturgis in the morning and spent the remainder of the day exploring Deadwood, the former goldmine in Lead, and the beautiful drive through Spearfish Canyon.

Beautiful, that is, until a crazy thunderstorm came through and pummeled our truck and everything else in its path. We pulled over for at least half an hour then drove on – through washouts covering the roads and almost no visibility. I had never before been through a storm like that – it was relentless. Being in the truck was like being on the inside of a drum – so loud you couldn’t hear each other talk.

When returned to the RV park we found that we had hail damage on the truck and the camper vent covers had all cracked, letting in water. Ray was able to tape up the covers so we could hit the road the following day on our longest single-day trek so far – 400+ miles to Yellowstone.

Our poor (new!) truck. What an adventure!

Yesterday we left Teddy Roosevelt NP after 2 nights staying at the beautiful Cottonwood Campground in the park. It was a primitive park with no hookups, so it was our first time boondocking. We were glad there was potable water there for our tanks, but we used as little water as possible. We actually have 2 generators- a gas-powered one and a solar one. Between them and our onboard batteries, there was little disruption to our normal lifestyle.

We traveled around the south unit of the park, visiting the prairie dog towns and driving between the scenic trails and lookouts. It did rain overnight while we were there, which made the wildflowers bloom. It was such a peaceful place to be. At one stop, a fellow traveler mentioned using his Merlin app to identify the birds by their song, which made me realize I had downloaded that app and never used it. So he showed me how to record the songs and how the app identifies the birds. The first time I tried it I was amazed to see there were 7 different birds singing in that spot. So cool!

We did see interesting critters too – the bison, wild horses and prairie dogs were the best.

The park is in Medora ND, and there is a show in town with an actor playing Teddy Roosevelt and talking about his life. I happened to catch him after a show and he was gracious enough to let me get a picture.

All in all, I would go back to this park anytime. I loved the views – the badlands are so very beautiful.

After 9 nights in Minnesota, we headed out yesterday to North Dakota. After 7 nights at a private campground on Kabetogama Lake we drove west to Detroit Lakes MN where we stayed in a golfing RV park with all the luxuries. It had a nice pool, laundry facilities and even a hot tub.

What struck me most about Minnesota, apart from the wild vastness of the lakes and islands, the eagles and abundant fish, was the people. A friendlier, more polite groups of folks I never have met. Riding bikes in International Falls drivers would back away from the intersections just to let us pass. Everyone waved. Everyone greeted us with a “hello” or a “good morning.” And in Detroit Lakes, a campground neighbor brought us over some dessert hobo pies and told us a bit of her life story.

I’m used to Midwest polite. Michiganders are a friendly group of folks too, but Minnesotans elevated it to an art form. It was really great to spend a week among them and I hope to carry some of that forward in my travels as we keep heading west.

Yesterday was our last full day at Voyageurs NP. I treated myself to a private tour by boat from Larry’s water taxi service. Like other destinations in the park, the Rock Gardens have to be visited by boat. Larry told me it was an experience unlike anything else, and he was right. These sculptures take up a terraced hill and were all made with hand tools in the 1960’s. In its heyday there were tens of thousands of lilies that also beautified the terrace. The Park is trying to restore it to its former glory, but they have limited resources to get it done.

The boat ride continued and Larry showed me an eagle’s nest that was close enough for a picture! Because Voyageurs is such a healthy ecosystem, eagles here have twin hatchlings that both survive, unlike what is typical elsewhere. Same is true for black bears here; one bear momma had 4 cubs that all survived. Wolves are also in the park.

Larry explained a bit of the unique geology of the area – these huge lakes were carved out by the glaciers as they passed by, leaving rocks churned up that are some of the oldest on the planet – 2 billion years old. And he mentioned that all the trees and grass – all the living plants on the 200+ islands in Kabetogama Lake survive with no soil, only 6 inches of needles and moss lie on top of the rocks. A straight-line wind storm blew through last year, and it toppled over some mature trees, leaving the roots visible, along with that scant 6 inches they were anchored in.

Voyageurs is a park that’s meant to be experienced from the water. It is one of the least visited parks, and is meant to allow one to step back in time and have a unique opportunity to camp on an island of one’s own. It’s also an international dark sky park, where the northern lights can be seen when the conditions are right.

I can’t help feeling that I missed out on a bit of this park, camping as we did on the mainland, and missing the dark night sky. (It was not very clear because of the Canadian wildfire smog.) And although Ray won’t want to return (he hated the mosquitoes, flies and ticks, although they weren’t bad while we were there), I may have to come back and stake out my own island one day and experience more of what Voyageurs has to offer. I certainly gained a deeper appreciation of the history and the nature of Voyageurs NP.

The last several days have been very active ones as we seek to experience all we can of this beautiful park. Wednesday we went to the Ash River Visitor Center to get an additional stamp for the passport book, and since it was a cool day we were able to leave Olive in the truck and take a nice hike along Blind Ash Trail. The trail was only a few miles long but it was hard going with all the roots trying to trip us and the uneven rocky trail. We were pretty tired after that, so spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing some trip planning for campground stops later in our journey.

Yesterday we drove back up to International Falls and took the recreational trail out toward the Visitor Center. It is a 12 mile trail that has some nice sections but also some sections where it runs along the shoulder of the road. It isn’t well marked so we were glad to have stopped at the Visitor’s Bureau for a map. (They also gave us some great swag!) Unfortunately it was a bit sunny and hot for Olive in the pull-behind cart, so we only went about halfway on that trail. It was interesting, though, to see across Rainy River to Canada so close on the other side. We took a break in the little village of Rainier where there was a distillery / restaurant with great walleye sandwiches.

Today when we got up we noticed the lake was like glass. That is the first time it’s been smooth since we arrived. So Ray unpacked the kayaks and we had a great paddle on Kabetogama Lake. I even saw loons – which was so cool for me.

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to an afternoon tour on the north side of the lake. Maybe I’ll even get to see one of the little islands that you can camp on or stay at on a houseboat. That sounds like a great adventure for next time!