No excitement today, except for leaving Indiana Dunes. Too many loud, large groups of people gather there – and the open camp area has nothing to absorb the noise. We peeked at the attached beach (of Lake Michigan) which is probably great for locals, but too crowded. Some cars had to park over a mile away!
Our drive to Wisconsin Dells was ~5 hours long. We went a little out of our way to avoid construction, downtown Chicago, and higher tolls. Driving through Illinois was one toll after another – probably 5 total. Fortunately they amounted to less than $15 (for 4 axles). The roads were in good condition, but were beyond bumpy – to the point that Greg said he was going to get sick (it is literally hard to breathe). They must be constructed with small concrete joints which create a consistently bumpy effect – maybe only for trucks towing trailers? Christopher said if we had a cow with us we’d get a hecka good milk shake (and then, a little later, we passed a trailer of cows).
Christopher finally completed his license plate game – it took forever to find North Dakota! We’re suspicious that North Dakotans don’t leave their state. As it is, he found the plate on a big rig.
Wisconsin Dells was exciting to arrive at, seeing one waterslide after another (it’s the
U.S. waterslide capital). We drove past Yogi’s Bears campground, with its large waterpark, and I wondered why we aren’t staying there. I must’ve had some sense when I was making reservations because it was crowded with uneven, small sites right along the interstate. Then we arrive at our campground – Stand Rock. We have a large, quiet, grassy site on the edge of the property (and full hookups, which we haven’t had for 11 days). Immediately I’m calculating how to stay here longer! I had to call the next 4 campgrounds, but I got it to work – so now we are staying here for 3 nights. We chickened out of Custer State Park in South Dakota because of how primitive it is. Plus its many tunnel entrances (narrow, low clearances) make it esp. difficult for a trailer to get into. (We still have 3 nights at the KOA right next to Mount Rushmore.)
Our drive to Wisconsin Dells was ~5 hours long. We went a little out of our way to avoid construction, downtown Chicago, and higher tolls. Driving through Illinois was one toll after another – probably 5 total. Fortunately they amounted to less than $15 (for 4 axles). The roads were in good condition, but were beyond bumpy – to the point that Greg said he was going to get sick (it is literally hard to breathe). They must be constructed with small concrete joints which create a consistently bumpy effect – maybe only for trucks towing trailers? Christopher said if we had a cow with us we’d get a hecka good milk shake (and then, a little later, we passed a trailer of cows).
Christopher finally completed his license plate game – it took forever to find North Dakota! We’re suspicious that North Dakotans don’t leave their state. As it is, he found the plate on a big rig.
Wisconsin Dells was exciting to arrive at, seeing one waterslide after another (it’s the
U.S. waterslide capital). We drove past Yogi’s Bears campground, with its large waterpark, and I wondered why we aren’t staying there. I must’ve had some sense when I was making reservations because it was crowded with uneven, small sites right along the interstate. Then we arrive at our campground – Stand Rock. We have a large, quiet, grassy site on the edge of the property (and full hookups, which we haven’t had for 11 days). Immediately I’m calculating how to stay here longer! I had to call the next 4 campgrounds, but I got it to work – so now we are staying here for 3 nights. We chickened out of Custer State Park in South Dakota because of how primitive it is. Plus its many tunnel entrances (narrow, low clearances) make it esp. difficult for a trailer to get into. (We still have 3 nights at the KOA right next to Mount Rushmore.)
I'm enjoying your writings so much. Have you thought of publishing a guide to successful family vacations? Carol
ReplyDeleteHey Guys! We leave tomorrow morning bright and early for Washington DC! Can hardly wait. Your trip sounds amazing and I hope we always refer to this blog when we want to go to any area of the country that you have already visited! Thanks for all your help in planning the trip. Your tips have been great and I can't wait to experience it all first hand. Looks like we're in for a bit of thunderstorm weather though....hope it doesn't dampen our plans too much!
ReplyDeleteLove, Julie and gang