July 23 - Gettysburg National Park

Winter asked us if we wanted to go to Gettysburg National Park. So I made a camping reservation at Round Top Campground and here we go. 

After we set up, we drove to the Visitor’s Center to make our plans to explore the park. We decided to start the audio tour. We used the NPS app to hear the history at each stop. 

The Eternal Peace Memorial. 

From atop the Oakridge Observation Tower

These two photos were taken atop the small tower. We stopped at Stop 6 and went back to the RV for dinner. 

Day 2 

Continued the audio tour at Stop 7, the Large Tower 

Then on to Little Big Top. We walked around some and then listened to a ranger tell the history in more detail. The next 7 pictures are all at Little Round Top. 

Lunch at the Upper Crust for wood-fired pizza. 

A couple more stops on the audio tour before heading to the Visitor’s Center to listen to the Cyclorama. The painting was first brought to the US in 1913 and was restored and became part of the new Visitor’s Center in 2008. It is a 360 degree depiction of the battle of Gettysburg. Next was the museum. Winter has been here several times and she said she sees new things each time she comes. 

On the way back to the RV, we stopped at the Pennsylvania memorial. 

Winter and I walked up to the top of the memorial on the spiral staircase. Shuff took our picture. 

The last thing we’ll do today is listen to a program at the cemetery. 

A very moving way to end a very thought provoking  day. 

July 10 - Wooster OH - Lincoln Way Vineyards

Last Harvest Host for awhile. We’ve had our share of great wines on our trip to California and back. Unfortunately this one isn’t high on our list of want to return. The venue is nice though and their business is family-owned. Met the son and father and enjoyed talking with them. 

The most wonderful part of my day was spent talking or chatting with each of our kids and a friends as they wished me Happy Birthday. Arlo FaceTimed me. I need to get better at getting a picture when he does this and to get it when he first sees me and focuses!!  Haha. 

Thanks all for news and for thinking of me. 

July 9 - Morocco, IN - Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife

Since we didn’t want to drive close to Chicago and we didn’t want to go on any toll roads, we looked for a campground on the border of Illinois and Indiana, way south of Chicago and I-80. 

We crossed the mighty Mississippi. It was wide and the water had run over the banks in places because of the amount of rain they’ve had. The houses or buildings that were close to the river’s edge had about 1-2’ of water covering them. 

After a lot of searching, Bill found Willow Slough Campground. The pictures looked really nice and making be able to do some kayaking. 

After driving on narrow roads that didn’t have a center line for probably 30 minutes, we began to wonder if we had inputted the address correctly. Finally pulled into the campground. No one around. We are the only ones here. Lenny and Banjo had a great time exploring without a leash. Lots of smells. Unfortunately there won’t be any kayaking. The water on lake or slough is very low, plus it’s raining. 

It rained all day and all night. On the road early. 

July 8 - Potosi Brewery - Potosi, WI

I said it before that the Passport America book has led us to some interesting and educational places. Today, we stopped at Effigy Mounds on the border of Iowa and Wisconsin. The mounds are sacred burial grounds for indigenous peoples. Several of the mounds are in the shape of animals. 

Along with our Passport America book, we also use Harvest Hosts to find new places. Tonight we are staying at Potosi Brewery in Potosi, WI. Potosi is another small town but the brewery area is huge. It’s been in operation since 1892. We enjoyed their beer and filled up a growler. 

Another great Harvest Host we would come back to if/when we are in the area again. However, we’ve decided we won’t come this way at this time of the year again because the mosquitoes seem to really like us!!

July 7 - Lake Park, IA - Silver Lake Campground

Another Passport America stop at Pipestone National Monument in Pipestone, MN. Another great spot to learn about the indigenous people who dug red rock in quarries to make pipes used in prayer and ceremony. This tradition continues today.

While we were there, they had people demonstrating how the indigenous people used the tools to make their pipes. 

This is an example of a quarry with the red rock

A great stop but had to get on our way to our campground in Lake Park, IA, Silver Lake Campground. It’s a city park in the middle of town right on Silver Lake. They’ve had torrential rains here last week. You can tell because the ground is soft where we needed to drive to our site. 

There were white pelicans on the lake. 

While we were here Shan sent us a pic of Arlo beating the heat. It’s around 100 degrees in Nevada City!!

Our temperatures have been in the 70s, low 80s and cools off at night. 

Sunset over the lake was pretty. 

July 6 - Mina Lake, Aberdeen, MN

Even though we would have a longer than usual day of driving, we decided to use our Passport of America book to find another national site. We left  Williston, ND and drove toward Knife River Indian Village National Historical site in Stanton, North Dakota, continuing on the path Lewis and Clark took. Knife River’s visitor’s center was interesting and educational exploration of the Northern Plains Indians on the Upper Missouri. Among other things, I learned they made a bull boat from a buffalo to cross the large rivers. 

We arrived at Mina Lake Recreational Park without a reservation. This wasn’t a good plan on our part since it was the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Luckily there were a couple open sites because it had rained a lot on the Fourth and 5th. 

Since we arrived around 6 pm, we decided not to get the kayaks out. 

July 5 - Fort Buford State Park, Williston, ND

As we drove to our next destination, we saw fields of canola growing and came upon this decoration at a roundabout. 

Sometimes we decide on a route based on what our Passport Book of National sites tells us. That’s what we did today. 

We left Saco Montana (mainly because the mosquitoes kept us inside) and drove about 4 hours to visit the Fort Union Trading Post in Williston, North Dakota. Fort Union Trading Post was the most important trading post on the upper Missouri River for 39 years, longer than any other post on the frontier. It was the center of a peaceful economic and social exchange between Plains Indians and white cultures. 

We decided to stay at Fort Buford State Park, which is at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. When we arrived, there was a wedding at the visitors center. They told us we could stay for the wedding but we chose not to. Quite an interesting place for a wedding. 

The mosquitoes weren’t as bad here as previously but there were still some buzzing around. 

Drove into Williston and just happened on a brewery, the Twisted Knuckle. We enjoyed tasting several different kinds, especially the In A Pickle Beer. You’re supposed to have it with tomato juice. 

You could definitely smell the pickle in it and taste it. 

Tomorrow we’ll continue moving south and east to pick up yet one more national site. 

July 4 - Saco, MT, nowhere

Before we left Big Sky Deli, this beautiful rainbow appeared. 

Driving to our next destination, we can see why they call this Big Sky. There’s a lot of it. 

Driving on Route 2, we saw fields of canola 

Do you remember when I said we try to find new places to camp, which means we never know what we’re getting. Well, for the first time we used Hipcamp app and found Heritage Farm in Saco, MT. It really is in the middle of nowhere. Would have been a great place to camp and explore the area but the mosquitoes were hungry. Guess there haven’t been many humans to bite so they decided to get all the blood they could from us!

As you might be able to see there’s no one around us and we are on top of small hills. 

Even though there was rain off and on, we saw a pretty setting sun. 

We were going to stay here through the weekend since we didn’t have reservations for the 4th but we are going to drive to North Dakota and hope we leave the mosquitoes behind.