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South Dakota or Bust

After a month in Osburn, Idaho, it was time to hit the road again. Pulled out Saturday, June 9th.

New backup camera worked very very well to hitch up. Definitely would be easier if the front of the trailer hitch wasn’t black so I will be painting or taping it yellow. Lining up dead on center sure was easy though.

New cat travel area in my GMC Yukon worked quite well with hanging see-through security curtain to keep her out of the front area. She was free to roam and had water, food, and a litter box which she did use. That area also has it’s own air conditioning zone and controls. She enjoyed looking out the windows. Of course, she still chose to whine quite a bit but I noticed she took naps during the long drive as well this time which was nice for me. She did not try to breech the curtain so I think this is going to work for the long haul.

We hit tons of contruction going on just over the Idaho-Montana border. Several different zones of it for miles which kept narrowing down the road and shoving us over onto the other side of the highway while they worked on ours. Still the drive through Montana was quite lovely. The curves near the border were a little rough with the trailer not quite tracking behind the car but once we got out on the flat straights, maintaining 65mph was easy with no sway and cruise control.

I crossed the Continental Divide a huge sign on top of a mountain announced. Woohoo! That made me glow. My Yukon seemed to be pretty proud of itself too.

7 hours later, we pulled in late to Old West RV Park in Reed Point, Montana for the night. It only has a few rv sites so I had made a reservation for the night. Finding it was extremely easy since it is right by the freeway. Some folks may not like the noise but we are talking freeway out in the boonies with not that many cars going by and I like it close when just doing a quick stopover.

The wonderful folks who run the park, left me directions and the bathroom/shower key taped to the office door. They marked my site for me with a pink bucket I couldn’t possibly have missed. They were very nice and helpful even though I was using the Passport America card to camp for half price.

Bathrooms were clean though unusual with curtains instead of doors. Laundry room was fine. Site was level and pull through.

Be sure to fill up with gas in Big Timber or Columbus which are 20 miles away in either direction. The gas station in town is very small and has “Awaiting Gas Delivery” signs up permanently apparently. Lucky for me, I carry a 5 gal gas can which got me to Columbus just fine.

Pulled out again the next morning after breakfast, headed to Sturgis, South Dakota on I90. the road most of the way through Montana was surprisingly pretty good. Saw oil refineries in Billings and every where you go is a turnoff to go to Yellowstone. Don’t worry about missing your exit because the next says it goes there too! I was sorely tempted and would have if i weren’t on a schedule. Oh well. Next time. Going through the Crow Reservation past the Little Big Horn was pretty cool. Right after that we hit horrible bumpity bumpity road all the way through to the border and across Wyoming.

Wyoming was not much to look at and don’t even think about crossing it in winter. Every larger town there has flashing lights and gates to block I90 off during winter. Bumpity bumpity bumpity. It was 85 degrees going across too.

Hit South Dakota finally and the terrain brightened right up with green hills and trees again. Nicer road as well. Passed a Walmart in Spearfish, SD which is always a welcome sight. Every sign along the freeway points you to another must-see tourist attraction which made me start wondering if one month here was going to be enough. 😉

Pulled into the Rush-No-More Campground in Sturgis, SD around 6pm. Very nice Passport America, Good Sam, and Escapees campground with outside pool/hot tub, wireless internet, laundry, playroom with computers/pool table/foosball/free movies, covered patio for barbecues and 5pm social hour, nice helpful owners who even backed in my trailer for me, cabins, outside private showerhouse like in Osburn, lots of ATVs and cool green grass.

Did have one thing go wrong this trip. The front aluminum covering on the trailer popped its staples and was hanging open. I’m not surprised with the beating it took on the road. It’s not serious. I just have to get it to a shop to be reglued and stapled. I managed to push it back together to keep the rain out.

While here, I do not have cell phone coverage so if you want to reach me, it has to be by email or chat.

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