Minot

After dry camping for a week we needed to stop to empty our tanks, do some laundry and hit a grocery store.  Minot seemed like a good stopping spot.

We found a beautiful park in the middle of the city where we could take a bit of a hike over the hills of this part of the country.  It was a lovely walk on an overcast, warm, windy day.  And you know me, I had to take pictures of prairie flowers.

Lewis & Clark State Park

Moving on we traveled a short distance to this the Lewis & Clark State Park just outside of Williston. Fort Buford, a 1885 trading post on the Missouri River, is a total reproduction of the original based on sketches of one of the soldiers stationed there.  The original fort was torn apart and used to build other forts and stations along the river such as Union Fort.   Fur traders used to stop here to trade with the local Indians, re-provision and then move on.

Union Fort has a few buildings still standing and some reproductions just to show how a military fort would have been laid out and how the buildings would be used for housing and officers quarters, etc.

Enchanted Highway

Just outside Medora is a county highway lined with giant metal sculptures.  Every 2-5 miles a different vignettes appeared. Deer, giant grasshoppers, fish, pheasants, a farm family and a knight fighting a giant dragon would cause us to pause, snap a picture or two and then move on.  It was a long drive that we don’t want to repeat anytime soon.

We also paused to take in the beauty of the Painted Canyon, a part of the National park.

TR National Park

Theodore Roosevelt also known by the locals as ‘TR’, lived hunted and raised cattle in this area.  In honor and memory of this great president the park was named for him.

We have a reserved site inside the park in the Cottonwood Campground and as we were driving the 6 miles to the campground from the town of Medora we encountered our first sighting of buffalo.  I should have said the first of many sightings, including one within spitting distance behind our RV.

Our first full day in the National Park we drove the loop road taking in all the beautiful sites of the Bad Lands of North Dakota along the Little Missouri River.  Rain kept us in the campground that afternoon. We drove into the town of Medora on the edge of the park that evening for dinner and a show.  Medora is like a mini Branson with lots of shops, bars, restaurants and musical shows.  For dinner that night we enjoyed dining on prime rib before learning all about TR through a lecture presented by a character actor of President Roosevelt himself.

As a young man TR enjoyed hunting and was intent on bagging a trophy bison.  During that expedition he fell in love with the North Dakota Territory and returned there often.  But when he lost his wife in childbirth and his mother on the same day, he found solace in the wilderness.  Eventually he bought cattle, started a ranch and then was called back to Boston where he cared for his daughter and got involved in politics.  He would return many times to North Dakota and eventually declared it a National Park along with many other parks in the United States. Of course he covered the war in Cuba and how a stuffed bear became known and Teddy’s Bear then a TeddyBear.

The next night I was so excited to go to the Musical Show of Medora held on an open air stage and amphitheater under clear skies and an almost full moon. The back drop of an old west Medora moved often to reveal the beautiful hills behind the stage and to allow horsed and a truck to go past.  It was a moving show with some familiar tunes, patriotic productions and songs relating to only Medora. 

Bismarck

Time to move on.  We have a reservation in a national park with three days before we need to be there so we stopped in Bismarck, the capital of ND.

Of course, when you are in a capital you must stop to visit the state capital building. North Dakota joined the Union in 1889.  The current building was constructed in 1934 after the original building burned down.  Due to financial constraints they opted to build an Art-Deco style skyscraper of 20 stories.  We could see this building from almost anywhere in the city! 

Local and other marble are used in the decor of the main floor and second floor.  The Tower elevator doors are decorated with bronze  sculptures.  The first floor hallway was a tribute to famous North Dakotans and the second flood held the legislative chambers and Supreme Court.  From the 18th floor we had a 360* view of the city.

Next door to the capitol building is the ND Heritage Center and State Museum where they have a collection of dinosaur bones, a gallery dedicated to the earliest peoples of ND, some from over 13,000 years ago. Elsewhere in the museum was the more recent history of ND. 

In downtown we walked around a 1909 Northern Pacific steam locomotive and the Church of the Bread of Life built in 1880. This Episcopal Church held the first non-catholic service in the city.  The site also held a building which served as officers quarters for Camp Hancock infantry post from 1872 -1877.  Both buildings were moved here from other sites.

We also took an afternoon tour of Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park located on the west side of The Missouri River.  The most interesting feature of the park are the earth lodges once used by the Mandan Native Americans.  Using the rings on the tree trunks used in making the mud lodges, it has been determined that On-the-Slant Village was occupied from1650-1750.  When Lewis and Clark expedition came through in 1804 the village was already in ruins and the Mandan had move about 60 miles up river.  It is thought that over 75 lodges made up the village.

In another part of the park is the house, barracks and horse barn used by the American Army under the command of George R.Custer circa 1875.  We got there too late to tour the home but we could peek in the windows.

Now on to the national park.

St. Cloud

We left Garfield nine days ago and drove a whopping 60 miles to St. Cloud. We already need work done on the coach.  One job was installing tire sensors on the towed pickup truck that will be monitored in the RV, this we knew would happen. The other was checking the alignment and balancing the front wheels.  This need was discovered on our 60 mile drive.

Due to some medical issues, Amazon deliveries and mail delivery we stayed in St. Cloud longer than anticipated.  But we made good use of the time by riding our bikes on a couple of Rails-to-Trails (one was the Lake Wobegone Trail) and some nice walks along the river and in a prairie. We also found some nice places to dine including an authentic Irish pub.

Garfield and Alexandria

For the past week we have been moving into our new coach while also trying to learn how everything works.  The really hard part of the move is trying to figure out where to put everything as the drawers, cabinets and compartments are all so different from our old rig. John had to puzzle out how to load the storage compartments and I am trying to organize my kitchen.

But we are also struggling to learn how to run the control panel which  turns everything off and on and I mean EVERYTHING!  Not only is there a main panel, each ‘room’ has its own panel too.

There must be a hundred lights to turn off and on, day and night shades for all the windows, water systems, heating and A/C, power from solar to generator, floor heat, vent fans, and  TV. I have to relearn how to use the microwave & dishwasher, John has to relearn how to use the coach’s driving and computer system.

But it wasn’t all work.  We also checked out the museum in Alexandria and a winery and brewery. A Mendards trip was necessary several times and of course stocking up the frig and pantry.

Summer Travels Begin

We are off on a new adventure but first we will pick up our new RV in Garfield, MN.

On June 1st John opted to take US Hwy 65 as far north as we could then we joined up with I-35.  We spent one night on the road in a small campground near the Iowa border then drove on into Garfield which is north and west of the Twin Cities, near Alexandria. We ordered our new coach through Steinbring Motorcoach and that is a story for another day.

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This is the first time we have personally seen our new RV, a Newmar New Aire.  Isn’t she pretty?

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Pinedale and Fremont Lake

July 14,2025

Pinedale WY where we stayed a week on Fremont Lake.  The lake is so inviting but very cold.  We didn’t have the energy to get the kayak out so we walked the state park roads for exercise.  That could have been a good 3 miles if we did it all at once.  We did take a hike up the mountain which just about did us in but Pam always finds the beauty in the forest and hidden streams. 

The annual Rendezvous of Mountain Men and Native Americans at the Mountain Man Museum drew us in although we are not that interested in that lifestyle.  As with any event of this type there are always rows of vendors, food trucks and street entertainment.  Saturday, when we were going to leave the area, the Green River Rendezvous Parade was scheduled.  After dinner one night we scouted the side streets to find a place to park the RV where we could scoot out of town and not get caught in the traffic as  the parade route was along the highway through the middle of town.

 We are used to parades starting with loud police sirens and ending with all the horses and buggies.  But in Pinedale the start of the parade was very quiet with the Native Americans and mountain men walking together followed by the various veterans groups, then horses, wagons and floats.  The last groups were the first responders with sirens and water guns and Smokey the Bear on top of the fire truck!

Time to move on - Goodbye Pinedale.

The Short Summer Adventure Begins

July 7, 2025

The adventure really began in Springfield Missouri on June 27 with a wedding and family reunion.  Our nephew, Rudd married Kayla in a beautiful ceremony and then the fun family reunion began!  All of Pam’s brother’s and sister’s families (missing 2 spouses) 35 in all, came together for five days of activities and family time together.  We floated on the James River, explored Fantastic Caverns, went swimming, cooled off in the Bass Pro museum, roasted marshmallows, played in the yard, created a movie, and just had fun together.

It was hard saying goodbye!  John and I then headed west via Kansas City with a short stop to enjoy the Harry S. Truman home and Presidential Library.  We traveled west through Cheyenne where we stopped to explore the city and enjoy a nice dinner and then bypass Laramie and on to Pinedale.

Floating Islands

We rode in a boat along a canal surrounded by the reeds that the island people use to create their floating homes.  Titicaca is pronounced ‘Tee tee ha ha’ and means Great Puma in Quechuan.  The lake is 60% in Peru and 40% in Bolivia.  The name comes from it shape which resembles a leaping puma.

There are over 100 floating islands made from the Papara reeds and their root balls.  Each Island is 5 to 8 meters thick and floats over 40 feet of water.  We stepped onto one island which was very spongy feeling and checked out their homes.  Lunch was on a large island in the middle of the lake and took about a hour and a half long boat ride.  This island is 5 miles long and 3 miles wide and is home to 4,000 people.

Travel Day to Lago Titicaca

We left Cusco, flew to Lima and then flew to Juliaca where we drove for an hour to Puno.  Tula will be our guide in Puna but Carlos is still with us.

Lake Titicaca is located on a high plateau at 12,600 feet high and is the largest lake in South America and possibly the world. Tula told us a lot about the culture of the region on our hour long drive from the airport to our hotel.  Most of the people in this are are Quechua or Amara and speak only their languages with maybe some Spanish.  Many rivers and springs feed the lake but only one river drains the lake.

Cusco Day Two

The plaza near our hotel was filled with people, not only going to church but celebrating the Holy day with music and dancing.

Our first stop was at an indoor market which was also filled with people.  Carlo gave us 30 minutes to shop which was nearly enough time according to us women but the men appreciated the time limit.

Nearby was the local cemetery and this is one that I have never seen the likes of before.  It was row after row of five story tall mausoleums.  Each level held a space for a coffin and a small window where artifacts, pictures and flowers were placed to commemorate their loved one.  The cemetery holds over 50,000 burial vaults.

A modern and uplifting experience followed with a cooking class for all of us.  We donned chef’s coats and then an apron, took our place at the table and learned how to prepare an authentic Pisco Sour (John may tell you that I am not allowed to shake a shaker of liquor). As this was on the top floor we went outside to enjoy our drinks and enjoy the view. They then handed us a very large and very sharp knife to slice trout for trout carpaccio.  So good.  The main course was stir fried vegetables, bacon and sauce served on a bed of lettuce.  We all had so much fun and the men discovered they could prepare a fine meal.

Our guide Carlos far right. 

The afternoon was spent napping, shopping and enjoying a beautiful day.  Our farewell dinner was next door to the hotel in a museum where we had a very fine meal.

Cusco History and Culture

Cusco sits at about 11,600 feet elevation and has a population of 400,000.  

The main plaza. Our hotel was 2 blocks away in a restored convent. 

Our first stop of the day is at a Temple Fortress built by the Incans named Saqsaywaman and pronounced ‘sexy woman’.  It was built not just to protect the area but to intimidate their enemies.  Most of the stones have been removed to build houses and buildings in the city but what remains are massive stones.  It boggles the mind as to how they could have moved them from the quarry that was 32 miles away.

Nearby was a Llama farm where we could see the differences in the camelids that resided there.  There were llamas, alpacas, guanacos (also spelled huanacos), and vicuñas.  The vicuñas are wild and cannot be tamed while the others were very friendly.  We also saw condors and were blessed by an authentic shaman.

In the town we visited the Basilica de la Cathedral that was built in the 1500s.  We were not allowed to take pictures but suffice it to say it was very beautiful with many silver and gold covered apses.  One Jesus statue wore a skirt.  The Incas viewed Jesus as a god who represented male and female.

Our next stop was at a convent for monks and nuns that was built over the Temple of the Sun Incan religious site.  Again no photos allowed  but I found it interesting that a religious building was placed over a religious site.  The Spaniards arrived in 1534 and found that all the walls of the temple were covered in gold.  It took 8 years to melt all the gold and send it back to Spain.

Machu Picchu Day 2

We were up at 5 and ready to enter the ruins at 6 am. We visited the lower sections of the city where more homes were located.  A few were for nobles as witnessed by the finer stone masonry.  We saw a tomb under a huge stone, a two story home and a small temple area.  We knew it was a temple because it had three steps up to the alter that pointed east.  Each step represented the Condor which represents the heavens, the puma that is the earth, and a snake that goes to the underworld.

A green tent located in the center of the main plaza covered an excavation of a toppled monoliths that was knocked down so that a dignitary could land his helicopter on the plaza in 1978.

The last temple we saw was of the condor.  Two massive stones rose up from the ground to look like the wings of a condor while a large stone was imbedded in the ground along with a small stone head to represent the Condor landing.

We were back at the hotel for breakfast at 8:30 am then lounged around the hotel for the remainder of the day when we got back on the train and rode to Cusco.