They are shutting off the water this morning. A day too early. We decided to go into town and pick up a few groceries, do the laundry, and fill up with propane. With the cold nights we have had, we are burning through a lot more than expected.
September 26, 2018 – Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
Today we traveled from Fort Ransom to Bismark, North Dakota and camped at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. It was a self serve campground. Put your money in an envelope and pick a site. There was also a notice stating that the comfort stations and water were going to be shut down the next day. There were vault toilets still available, so we filled our holding tank with water so we would be good.
As soon as we arrived we noticed the deer. They did not care that we were there, they just roamed around the grounds and fed.
A quick trip to town for some groceries, then we returned to explore the park. We drove, then hiked to the infantry post where we saw three block houses used to watch over the land and protect the fort from invaders. We also saw a recreated local indigenous peoples village. Made with mud and wood it’s called the On-A-Slant village (because its built on the side of a hill).
Homemade burgers were on the menu for dinner, and just by chance, we happened to be able to catch the premier of Survivor – Season 37.
September 25, 2018 – Fort Ransom, North Dakota
Three months until Christmas… A travel day to Fort Ransom, North Dakota. Flat, straight roads and changes in the ecosystem. When we arrived at the state park it started to rain. We decide to go for a drive to explore the area and get a geocache until the rain stopped.
Very few people in the park tonight, so much so that when we arrived at 15:30 the park staff were already leaving for the day
September 24, 2018 – Duluth Day 2
Duluth KOA is a two day stop for us. We had a leisurely day, Geocaching, and little hiking at the Thomson trail. We also threw some housekeeping into the mix…
September 23, 2018 – Duluth KOA
Today we traveled to the Duluth area. It was the longest leg of the journey, over 700km. Fairly uneventful.
When we arrived at the Cloquet/Duluth KOA, we realized we had been there before. In fact it was in 2004 and we stayed on site 18. There was a big change though. The main building as we knew it had burned down and was replaced with a brand new one. The trees had also gt a lot bigger.
Off to find pizza for dinner. Papa Murphy’s was the highest rated in the area. We did not see the fine print though…”take and bake”. We were utterly surprised when they handed us a raw, uncooked pizza. We ended up cooking it ourselves on the BBQ
September 22, 2018 – Sault Ste Marie KOA
Today was a travel day to Sault St Marie. The weather was perfect for driving. Gas prices on the other hand were not so great. The high we saw was $1.37, the average was $1.31.
We landed at the KOA AT 16:30. Grabbed a few things from in town, then we prepared a “clear out dinner”. It consisted of everything we could not transport over the border..
We spent a quiet night, resting up for the long journey tomorrow.
September 21, 2018 – Arrowhead Provincial Park
We woke up in the night and again in the early morning to find we received a phenominal amount of rain. Our trailer was surrounded by a mout. The water drained enough so we could go outside and make breakfast. We did eat inside though, because everything was wet.
After cleaning up from breakfast we brought in the awning as we were to get high winds in the afternoon.
We set out to walk downtown Huntsviille and try to get some Bear Wear for John. They have changed their product line. Thus nothing for John, but hey we found a sweater for Stephanie.
We decided to go for a drive south toward Baysville and see where the road took us. John noticed that we would pass Bigwin Island. Previous home of the Bigwin Inn. We found the boat launch and the remains of the resort across the water in the distance. John made an inqury at the golf club and if we made such or dinner reservations, we could go to island, (It’s a private golf course community now), to see the remaining buildings and have a great meal. We have decided to come back in the spring or summer and enjoy the area.
Just as we departed Bigwig the heavens opened. On to a little town called Dorset. While having lunch i a small resturant we learned the the Bigwin boat was docked at the local dock and that the Dorset museum and a display all about the Bigwiin Inn. For those reading this, Stepahnie’s Mom Pat worked ate the Inn for at least two years in the late 1950’s. As we made our way back to the campground, we encountered all types of weather. Wind, rain, heavy wind and heavy rain. We learned later that evening that Ottawa and area encountered 3 tornados. The weather broke enough for us to explore Stubb’s Falls, a place where John used t swim during his visits to this park.
September 20, 2018 – Arrowhead Provincial Park
We woke up real early. Still on work time.
This morning we decided to head to the visitors centre. It’s been a very long time since we have been there last. It as not changed, but it’s still interesting! On our way back we checked out the Mew Lake campground.
We hooked up the trailer and left to our next stop….Arrowhead Provincial Park. Arrived in a light rain to find our site (487) still occupied. Oh well, that made us go and enjoy the beach area and have a tailgate lunch. Breaks in the rain allowed us to cook dinner and hike to the Big Bend Lookout. Awesome sights! The last time john was here was when he was bout 14 years old.
The 2018 journey begins.
Thanks to our dog sitter G, we were able to start our vacation a day early. Its been a long time since we have camped in Algonquin Park, and the first time we have stayed in the Canisby Campground. There was excellent weather fro travelling, but it started to rain when we arrived at our site (176). John did not like the sign at the park entrance to say there is a bear active in the area. After all we are i their territory. A great dinner by John and a walk to the beach in the twilight. We woke up to a soft rain and a need to adjust our sleep clocks. We were awake way too early. A walk to the beach in the rain, than back to the camper for breakfast. A quick stop at the Visitors Centre, and then on to Arrowhead Provincial Park.
A quiet day
We sat and watched everyone pack up all their soaked camping gear.
Last night we estimated about 250 kids and teens came to the site, that along with parents and grandparents. It made for very congested camp roads. We have to say this was the first time we encountered drive up trick of treating by golfcart. One honorable mention. Mom was dressed up as a queen bee, Dad as a bee keeper and in the wagon was the wee-bee. Very cute.
So today we had a chance to dry everything out. It was warm and sunny. It was a great day to read our books. It was warm enough for us to even take a swim in the pool….Refreshing.