# August rv trip



## NorthernRedneck

We are heading out on the road for 3 weeks in August with the camper. As it stands now our route isn't completely planned yet except for the first week.

We leave home here in Thunder bay Ontario on the north shore of lake superior and head towards sault ste marie Michigan where we'll cross into the states. Head down through Michigan and cross back into Canada in Detroit. Then spend a few days near Niagara falls before crossing into buffalo to start working our way back. We should be passing just north of Columbus Ohio heading towards Chicago. From there we'll start working our way back north towards Duluth Minnesota then onto Hibbing for the labor day racing shootout. 

After we cross back into buffalo from Niagara falls we have no real plans. Any suggestions on must see attractions for a family with 5 kids?  If I'm not mistaken a few members here might live close to that route?


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## Doc

Years ago when we took our kids to see Niagara Falls we came back to Detroit via the Canadian side.  QE Highway.   Wow the cars flew on there.   80 and 90 MPH.   Fun trip though.   

From Niagara if heading to Chicago you'll probably go through North Ohio / Cleveland.   You'll find the Cleveland Indians there if you want to take the kids to a ball game, and the Rock and Roll hall of Fame is there.   It's also worth a visit.   You play so I'd guess you would enjoy that.   

I'm 3 hours from Cleveland and 2 hours from Columbus.   I'd advise staying off I-70 if possible.  Lots of trucks an rather busy.  5 kids and an RV for 3 weeks.   You are a brave man.   Wishing you a GREAT trip.   Hope all goes well.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

If you do get near Columbus, with 5 kids I highly recommend the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. It's huge and it's hard to see the whole thing in one day. Attached to there is a waterpark called Zoombezi Bay. The kids would love that.


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## NorthernRedneck

Yes the QE is crazy. Actually any highway in southern Ontario is crazy which is why we are crossing into Michigan to head down in order to avoid the cesspool of immigrants otherwise known as Toronto. We may end up there at some point but not hauling the camper. 

It's the best way to travel with kids. All we need is a campsite to stay at and we're good. Imagine staying in a hotel every night and eating in restaurants for 3 weeks?  Much more economical this way. I'd rather use as many back roads as possible.


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## Doc

Google maps is your friend.  It will help you decide on your route.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...58946b68b15c07!8m2!3d46.4952996!4d-84.3453169


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## NorthernRedneck

Yep. I plan on relying heavily on Google maps. One bonus about travelling in canada for me is that I get in any provincial park for 20 a night due to a new law that allows people who display a handicapped pass that opportunity.


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## pirate_girl

It would be cool if you could make it to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan and do a lighthouse tour. Lots of things to do there.
Can be a bit pricey though.


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## NorthernRedneck

We'll be going right through there on the third day. We actually plan on staying there that night. With my current condition about 3 hours driving is my max. So we have it kinda planned to drive the three hours to a campground. Stay there a couple days. Then continue on. From here to Niagara falls is about 17hrs. We plan to cover that in 5 days. The longest day should be 4hrs on the first day.


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## pirate_girl

NorthernRedneck said:


> We'll be going right through there on the third day. We actually plan on staying there that night. With my current condition about 3 hours driving is my max. So we have it kinda planned to drive the three hours to a campground. Stay there a couple days. Then continue on. From here to Niagara falls is about 17hrs. We plan to cover that in 5 days. The longest day should be 4hrs on the first day.



Awesome!


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## EastTexFrank

I agree with PG.  So many RVers turn traveling in to a test of endurance, like my S-I-L.  Me???  I'm a 300 mile a day guy.  I may go a few over to get to a campground I want to stay at but not many more and sometimes it's a lot less.  RVing is supposed to be simple and relaxing, doodling along the road until you find someplace you want to park for the night ... or a few days.  No schedule, no real timetable, ultimately flexible and just enjoy the experience.

Have fun!!!!


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## NorthernRedneck

Yep. That's the mindframe we go by.


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## NorthernRedneck

So we're working on a travel plan for the trip. Looks like we'll be just north of Warren Ohio for a couple nights. Anything to do or see around there?


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## pirate_girl

Haven't ever been to Warren long enough to stop and see the sights, but this might help.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g51099-Activities-Warren_Ohio.html

National Packard Museum?


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## NorthernRedneck

Thanks. We're also looking at the Joliet area as a one night stop before working up to Wisconsin Dells. Of course, itd be great to meet up with a few members along the way if you're close by.


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## NorthernRedneck

We've been watching Facebook vicariously this week as my brother is doing the same trip with his (my old) camper aside from subtle differences such as the roads taken. They ended up at Niagara falls and crossed into the states via Detroit. We'll be doing Niagara falls then into the states there. They are doing Wisconsin dells. So are we.  All this we planned more than a year ago without knowing their plans.


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## NorthernRedneck

Two weeks away and we've got quite a list of things to see and do while we're on the road. They include:

Neys provincial park for 2 nights
Sault locks in Sault Michigan. 
Niagara falls
Marine land
Dirt track racing(a few nights)
Wisconsin dells for four nights
Labor day shootout at Hibbing raceway

We'll be covering a good chunk of Ontario and 8 different states all south of the great lakes. I've always wanted to do the great lakes tour one day ever since I was old enough to drive. It only took 25 yrs. Lol

...a million dollars shy of being a millionaire.


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## NorthernRedneck

First leg of the journey. Only 230km from home. North shore of lake superior. Neys provincial park. Lots of BIG hills to climb but the Yukon held it's own despite fighting a strong sidewind the whole way. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	
















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## norscaner

Brian  ...check out   "thehouseontherock.com"  we stopped there after a visit to the dells  and on the way to Mall of America.  It is a collection of collections.  Have a safe trip.


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## NorthernRedneck

So much for the beach today. It's pouring rain. We're in a weather watch. Calling for 20-40mm of rain today. But looking at the weather map we're smack dab in the middle of a major cell coming up from Minnesota and Wisconsin and it's hopefully breaking up coming across lake superior. It was supposed to start raining 2 hours ago. Instead it just started now. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## NorthernRedneck

Since neys was a bust due to the weather we moved on. Stopped in wawa Ontario for a picture of the big Canada goose. Stopped in white river for a picture of Winnie the pooh. It's the recognized birthplace of Winnie. Now we're in Sault Michigan. 

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## NorthernRedneck

We made it to southern Ontario. We were out of cell service for two days. My wife's lg g4 died on her on the second day. So thankfully our provider had a store near where we were staying. We stayed in Sault Michigan the first night we crossed over to the dark side. The second night was in Midland. Today we hit the road early and had a VERY long day of driving. What my wife thought was a 5 hour drive turned into 9 hours. As soon as we arrived we set up the camper. Ate dinner. Then went to the races. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













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## NorthernRedneck

We are spending 4 days here in fort erie. Only a 30 minute drive to Niagara falls and marine land. So that's on the agenda today. After leaving here we'll be crossing in buffalo new york  heading for a campground in corland Ohio and staying there 2 nights. 

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## NorthernRedneck

Marineland Niagara falls 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




























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## NorthernRedneck

Since today ended up being a rest day, I found a trailer shop able to do a bearing change on the scooter lift. I noticed grease all over the rim back in Midland Michigan but at 4:30pm on Saturday couldn't do much about it till we got here. All I could do was grease it and stop every hour or so to check it. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## NorthernRedneck

We spent the afternoon in Niagara falls with our 5 kids plus one niece 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













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## NorthernRedneck

We'll be back on the road tomorrow morning heading stateside for the remainder of the trip.


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## NorthernRedneck

In Cortland Ohio for two nights then moving on to Bluffton Indiana tomorrow. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	
















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## NorthernRedneck

Made it to Bluffton Indiana. Why here?  Because it avoids Chicago and Indianapolis. And pulling about 40ft of camper and scooter on a freeway with everyone else doing 75mph is not so much fun. So we opted for a longer more relaxed route where I can hold my own at the speed limit. 

So we pulled in around 5pm after driving since 10am. Then found a local track holding races. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













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## NorthernRedneck

Indiana is behind us. We just crossed into Illinois. Tomorrow we will be at Wisconsin Dell's for 3 nights. 

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## NorthernRedneck

We arrived in Wisconsin dells yesterday around 2pm. The kids knew a bit about the place but not much. Their eyes about popped out of their heads when we arrived. A person would go broke here trying to do everything. Today we will do noahs ark water park. The missus mentioned something about zip lining tomorrow along with the duck boat tour. We'll see. 

Last night we took them to an indoor theme park to play games and unwind 

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## NorthernRedneck

We had a fairly busy but relaxed day that started with a duck boat tour. Then we stopped by the Whitehouse where I met the president. The lovely missus and 4 of the kids tried our a rope climbing obstacle course in the afternoon. 

On a side note, I'm smiling in the pictures but I'm hurting. On the driving days,  I'm almost in tears from the burning pain in my back and have to stop every hour to stretch. So a 3 hour drive ends up taking all day. We hit the road tomorrow headed north with our final stop of hibbing Minnesota which is only a 5-6hour drive normally but I have to do it in 2 days. So tomorrow will be a campground about halfway from here to Duluth Minnesota. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	

























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## NorthernRedneck

Made it to shell lake Wisconsin. Very nice campground. We'll be back at some point. Only about 5hrs from home. But we aren't going home till Monday. Tomorrow we travel past Duluth Minnesota and set our sights on hibbing an hour past. This will be the labor day dirt track shootout. 2 days of solid dirt track racing. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













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## NorthernRedneck

So we've hit a snag in our route planning. After leaving Hibbing, we planned originally to head due east and join up with hwy 61 from Duluth to the border. Turns out an oversized transport hit an old train bridge that went over the highway. No eta on when it will be open again. The only detour is 17 miles of unmaintained bush road. That's not happening. So after hibbing we may have to head north and cross back into Canada at Fort frances. That ads another 2-3hours of driving. It already takes twice as long to drive any distance as I have to stop so often to give my back a rest. Lifting my arms to hold the steering wheel puts a great amount of strain on the muscles surrounding the area where my back broke. 

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## NorthernRedneck

No Wi-Fi the past 4 days. Made it home. I'm exhausted. They managed to get the road open in record time. We had a great time at the races and also toured the hull rust mine and museum. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	
















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## NorthernRedneck

Just a side note on the last few pictures. The big scoop in the last picture was one of only 6 ever built and a prototype of the ones that built the Panama canal. 

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## Doc

NorthernRedneck said:


> Just a side note on the last few pictures. The big scoop in the last picture was one of only 6 ever built and a prototype of the ones that built the Panama canal.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk


Good pics!!!!   
Where was that museum?


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## NorthernRedneck

That is in Hibbing Minnesota. One of the largest iron ore mines in north America that's been in operation for over 100 years. 

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## NorthernRedneck

We're at it again. We didn't plan a trip in 2018 for various reasons. This year, we are going to make up for it. We're in preliminary talks of planning a big ole rv trip to the east coast. The first weekend in August is the 2 day music festival in Duluth Minnesota we go to. This year we will bring the kids then continue on from there through Wisconsin, back into Ontario over to Ottawa then along the st Lawrence river through Quebec new Brunswick and prince Edward island over to nova Scotia. Go big or stay home. Plans are to be gone the whole month of August. That'll give us relaxing 4 hour days of driving with time to sight see along the way. Any recomendations for things to do or see along the way is appreciated. The only thing that we have slated is the festival at the beginning and a couple days in Wisconsin dells on the way back. Other than that it's an open book. Old Quebec city is also on the list. We'll do mostly Canada on the way there then cross into Maine and take the states back. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Canadian eh!!!


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## EastTexFrank

That looks like an interesting trip.  How many miles is it?  It looks like a long way.  

I'm one of those lazy campers.  I never drive more than 5 or 6 hours a day.  That usually translates in to 300 - 350 miles.  I like to get set up in daylight and sit, have a beer and watch the sun set.  We usually spend a couple of days at each stop.  Get in and set up, find some place to go the next day and haul out the day after.  It keeps everything nice and relaxed until we reach our destination park where we spend however long we want to stay.  Same on the way home.

We've got a couple of trips planned for this year.  Going down to Fredericksburg in the Hill Country in the spring, probably in March.  We've got our month long Colorado trip booked for September/October.  We're talking about making a return trip to Fort Yargo in Georgia in the RV probably at the end of June or July.  We're planning a long, non RV trip to the Pacific North-West and Canada in May.  I may try to fit in a week long trip somewhere before the end of the year.  That should be enough traveling for two old people but we do love RV camping.


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## NorthernRedneck

Sounds like you have a few good trips planned as well. I plan on 4-5 hours a day driving with a few days rest in between.  My back can't handle more than that. We also plan on staying away from the divided highways where everyone is going 75 mph. Roughly 1800 miles one way. Probably over 2k factoring in detours and such. 

My dads family was originally from nova Scotia. We also want to do Cape breton. I'm estimating a week and a bit each way. I've been that way before but not in 25 years. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## EastTexFrank

2000 miles one way!!!!  Now that's a trip.  One of these days, before I die, I'd like to take off on a 3 month trip like that.  Just dawdle along with no particular timetable and see where we end up.  Never seem to be able to do it.  Always have to come home for some reason or another. 

Unlike you, I like freeways and major highways.  Our rig is 12' 9" high and chugging along backcountry roads scare me.  I'm afraid that a low hanging branch, or even worse, the ol' 11' 8" bridge will rip the roof off.  Those backroads are the reason we tow the car.  



More power to you.  I hope that you have a great time and a memorable trip.


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## NorthernRedneck

Thanks. You too. 

The main reason I personally like staying off the freeway is hauling a 33ft camper on the freeway at around 60mph with everyone else flying by at 75mph causes the trailer to start whipping around behind causing the dreaded death wobble. And I have a 12000 hitch setup with the weight distribution bars and anti sway shock. But I think I may have solved that problem. The last time I towed the camper with the SUV, I think the hitch was set too high taking the weight off the back of the vehicle and shifting it toward the rear of the trailer. I'm going to tryi lowering the hitch one hole on the adjustable shaft to bring the front of the trailer down. 

With the weight distribution bars, I can almost lift the rear tires off the ground.  Yes, it takes the weight off the vehicle but you don't want too much weight off as it becomes unstable. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## NorthernRedneck

Here's the rough draft of the planned route. That's also not taking into consideration the fact that the camper is a 60 mile drive from the city and it's a 4hr drive to Duluth Minnesota. Also, if we want to do Cape breton and prince Edward island that'll add more mileage. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Canadian eh!!!


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## EastTexFrank

My S-I-L had somewhat the same problem when she had her trailer.  With her it was weight distribution.  She had 'way too much weight (stuff) packed and stored in the rear of the trailer.

I understand what you say about driving on the freeway.  Our last Class "C" was a nightmare at anything approaching 60 mph.  It got pushed and pulled all over the place by passing semis and box trucks.  Any bumps or irregularities in the road and the front end and steering would go light.  If both happened at the same time … Jeez!!!  After 5 or 6 hours you were a mental and physical wreck.  The new one is like a rock.  It's a pleasure to drive. 

I'm still in awe at your planned trip.  The longest we've ever done in 12 years of RVing is 1200 miles.


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## NorthernRedneck

Yes. The dreaded death wobble. I'll try adjusting the hitch. It has the adjustable shaft with 6 different settings. I'm thinking that lowering one notch and using the bars to level up will transfer some weight forward and provide more stability. 

For a trip that size, I could potentially do longer days and make it there in 4 days. But as they say, its not the destination, it's the journey. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## NorthernRedneck

We changed our plans for the August trip. Instead, we bumped it up a couple of weeks and are leaving here july 17th heading west towards mount Rushmore. The first couple nights will be 4 hours away in dryden Ontario to spend some time with my in laws. Then 2 hours west to kenora Ontario to watch my brother race. Followed by Winnipeg Manitoba for a few days then we turn south into north Dakota working our way to south Dakota and mt Rushmore. After a few days there, we turn east and work our way towards Duluth Minnesota for a 2 day outdoor concert August long weekend before heading home. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## Melensdad

NorthernRedneck said:


> We changed our plans for the August trip. Instead, we bumped it up a couple of weeks and are leaving here july 17th heading west towards mount Rushmore. The first couple nights will be 4 hours away in dryden Ontario to spend some time with my in laws. Then 2 hours west to kenora Ontario to watch my brother race. Followed by Winnipeg Manitoba for a few days then we turn south into north Dakota working our way to south Dakota and mt Rushmore. After a few days there, we turn east and work our way towards Duluth Minnesota for a 2 day outdoor concert August long weekend before heading home.
> 
> Canadian eh!!!



We look like we are leaving on our motorcycle trip about the same time.


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## NorthernRedneck

We have all the campgrounds booked for the trip. There were a couple of small changes after the sites were booked as we decided to spend a couple nights in kenora Ontario to watch my brother race. 

So it will be a 4 hr drive to dryden for 2 nights. Then 2 hours to kenora. Followed by 2 hours to Winnipeg. Then 3 hours south into north Dakota. And so on.....

It's an easy driving trip. The longest drive is 5 hours. I've got the scooter lift ready to hook up to the camper when I get it home this weekend. But first, some preventive maintenance on the camper. I'm getting the wheel bearings repacked. It's a 2016 but we've done two big trips with it covering 10000 kms. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## NorthernRedneck

Almost ready to hit the road. Just a few things left to load then bring in the slides and hook up. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## NorthernRedneck

Lunch stop at the central time zone marker. Made it to our first destination at a provincial park. The skies opened up just as we were setting up. I got soaked. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## pirate_girl

Have a blast, Brian.
Be safe!


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## NorthernRedneck

Thanks. We're actually under another tornado watch right now. We're going to be safe but I fear for our camp and home. They are under a tornado warning meaning tornadoes are imminent. The pin is where we are. That red Blob is tracking east right towards home. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## NorthernRedneck

Well, just like the trip two years ago, it's been pouring rain the first full day being a bust. Two years ago we were in ney's provincial park with the same weather conditions. 

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## NorthernRedneck

We've arrived in Winnipeg Manitoba. Tonight will be racing again. We plan on going to a water park and and amusement park both next to the campground. We're here for 4days  then turning south to cross over to the dark side. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## NorthernRedneck

We didn't do much yesterday after arriving at the campground. Last night we attended the red river co-op speedway races. A much bigger car count with close to 60 cars. My brother was racing there and drew the pole position in his feature in a pack of 16 cars. He led the first half of the race and was walking away with it till he broke a valve and had to shut it down to save the engine. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







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## NorthernRedneck

NorthernRedneck said:


> We didn't do much yesterday after arriving at the campground. Last night we attended the red river co-op speedway races. A much bigger car count with close to 60 cars. My brother was racing there and drew the pole position in his feature in a pack of 16 cars. He led the first half of the race and was walking away with it till he broke a valve and had to shut it down to save the engine.
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I got the whole story this morning. He broke a water pump belt and started overheating. So he sacrificed the race to save the engine. 

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## NorthernRedneck

Water park today. It's next door to the campground. Tomorrow is a travel day. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










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## NorthernRedneck

We made it to devils lake ND. The campground we had booked was a disgusting turd in the middle of a field. There wasn't anyone there to check us in or direct us to a site so we left and found a nice state park near the water where we can send 2 nights. The first picture is where we stopped for lunch. We typically find a nice area to pull in and make sandwiches for the kids. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













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## Doc

Looks fantastic.


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## NorthernRedneck

I'll say that the last trip we took hauling the camper was with the Yukon. It did alright but speeds over 60mph were downright scary. The expedition does a much better job towing. Way more power and much more stable at higher speeds. I figure that the camper fully loaded and the scooter lift behind is somewhere around 8000lbs which was almost max on the Yukon. The expedition is rated for 9400 towing. That along with built in anti sway is allowing me to comfortably hold 70mph if needed. 

Today is a relaxing day with absolutely nothing planned. Tomorrow we head for Dickinson ND before making the final treck to mount Rushmore where we stay for 4 days. 

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## NorthernRedneck

We just pulled in to Dickinson nd. Tomorrow we move on to mount Rushmore KOA for 4 nights. We stopped at the Louis and Clark museum. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	







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## pirate_girl

Yay! Have fun Brian.


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## NorthernRedneck

Still haven't seen any buffalo. Lol. Since we're around mt Rushmore for 5 days, I want to take a few hours to drive through the badlands without the camper. Of course we are going to see the mountain. As well as crazy horse. If we feel adventurous, we may go looking for the city of gold behind the heads. Some of the kids want to go horseback riding. I may try to find a side by side to rent for a few hours to go exploring. 

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## NorthernRedneck

We left the campground around 8:30am to avoid the wind on the prairies. It was alright. Barely any wind. It was a beautiful drive. Flat farm land followed by rolling hills with outcrops of rock formations rising from the ground. Then you hit rapid city. As soon as you leave it starts climbing,and climbing, and climbing. Up to 1600 feet. Then it twists and goes down and down and down then back up again. We drove right past the monument going to the campground with the trailer in tow. We plan on going back to get a better look. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	
















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## NorthernRedneck

We went to check out crazy horse this morning. It's going to be impressive when done. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







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## NorthernRedneck

After crazy horse we tackled the needles highway. I let my wife drive so I could focus on not crapping my pants. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	
















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## NorthernRedneck

After the needles highway we drove the Custer highway 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






















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## NorthernRedneck

More 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










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## NorthernRedneck

From there, we took the old mountain highway back to mount Rushmore. Big mistake nothing but a series of sharp switchbacks going up topping out at 1960ft elevation. The trail back down was called the pigtail bridges. Picture going round and round all the way down over wooden bridges and a trail carved into the side of a mountain. By this time, I was turning 3 shades of green and looking for new fresh undies. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







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## NorthernRedneck

We finally got to mount Rushmore but couldn't stay long as the skies opened up with a heavy rain and thunderstorm. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







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## NorthernRedneck

Because the camera guy was turning green, I had to find a picture of the pigtail bridges. There was about 4 of them on the way down I'm guessing as I fought symptoms of vertigo. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## pirate_girl

Great pictures!
I've not been there since 1992?
Thanks for sharing.


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## NorthernRedneck

No problem. That's the last time I was here too. Early 90s. But back then we camped a ways away and only came up to see the heads. 

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## NorthernRedneck

One thing we didn't plan for was the change in barometric pressure at higher altitudes. The air inside all of our bags of chips expanded to the point of almost popping. My watch didn't survive the change in elevation either. Apparently the air inside expanded and cracked the glass. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







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## NorthernRedneck

Times have sure changed. I remember growing up traveling with my parents in the motorhome and always having and looking at at huge atlas of north America. We would all sit down together in the evening either outside around a campfire or inside and look at the atlas to plan the following day travel. 

Along comes the GPS. We just punch in the destination and follow the directions on a screen. One thing that is handy for traveling using a GPS is when you need to account for frequent fuel stops hauling a camper, you punch in nearest fuel and it shows you how far the closest place is. Set that as a waypoint and take it. We've encountered a few places where fuel is scarce. Because we're hauling 36 feet of trailer behind us, we have to consider that along with the fact that the expedition has a smaller fuel tank than the truck. So yes, I have a can of extra fuel strapped to the back of the camper just in case. We were 18 miles from needing it once. That's too close for me. 

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## pirate_girl

You didn't go to Wall Drug store??
Gosh, that was a regular stop for us kids when we'd go up that way on vacation.


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## NorthernRedneck

No. We hadn't heard about it. What's there?

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## pirate_girl

NorthernRedneck said:


> No. We hadn't heard about it. What's there?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk




They used to have bison burgers in the cafe.
Lots of stuff.
It's pretty famous.

http://www.walldrug.com/


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## NorthernRedneck

Thanks. We're going right through there on Tuesday on our way to fort pierre for a night. If we can find parking close enough we may check it out. 

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## pirate_girl

That's great!
The kids would love it.


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## NorthernRedneck

This morning I took the boys out on a utv ride for 3 hours. We had fun. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













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## NorthernRedneck

Someone else didn't have such a great time. This one was out at the same time as us. They slipped off the trail on a switchback and went 30 feet down a bank where they slammed into a big boulder. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







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## NorthernRedneck

Today's our last day here. We went and did tourist stuff. First we checked out and illusion place. The building is actually sloped at about a 35 degree angle to give the illusion that everything is on an angle. After that, we checked out rush mountain. It's a cave system/ theme park. Expensive but impressive. Tomorrow we head out for fort pierre south Dakota. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






















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## NorthernRedneck

Well. During the big outage, we drove, and drove, then drove some more. We're now in Duluth Minnesota only 4 hours from home. Here for a 2 day outdoor concert at the waterfront. We did stop at wall drug. What can I say about wal drug?  Humm. Meh comes to mind. Oh well. Kids were happy. 

We stayed in pierre sd that night. Then moved on to a little place on the Minnesota border. Today we moved to Duluth. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













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## NorthernRedneck

Last night we attended the city on the hill music festival. Zach Williams and skillet were headlining along with a couple of local bands. It was great. Evan, our oldest, likes skillet. Someone from the road crew came up to him and gave him a free pass to meet the band before they went on. He was excited. What an experience. His first big concert. I estimate that there were about 3000 people there. Only 30 bracelets were given to meet them. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










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## NorthernRedneck

We made it home today after being on the road since July 17th. It's about 4 hours from Duluth to here. What better sign that we're back in Canada than a flock of Canadian geese waiting for us at the border. 

We made it home relatively in one piece. I hit a bad pothole outside of Duluth that nearly tore the rear bumper off the camper. I had the scooter lift attached to it. Camper bumpers are very thin and brittle apparently. I had to use about 4 heavy duty ratchet straps to hold it from completely tearing off. The welds holding it on were broken 3/4s of the way around when I inspected it. Oh well. We made it. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













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## Melensdad

Too bad our trip dates didn't align better but other than the major pothole it sounds like you all survived reasonably well.  Glad you made it back home.


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## NorthernRedneck

Yes. I would have enjoyed meeting you guys. 

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## Doc

Looks like a great trip Brian.   
We visited Mt Rushmore last year and after driving by all the Wall drug advertisements for 50+ miles we had to stop.   Wife liked it, I had the same reaction as you.  meh.   It appeared everyone and their brother stopped there.


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## NorthernRedneck

I agree with you. I was actually wanting to do the badlands route going by there but since we had the camper attached we opted to bypass it. The badlands, from memory anyways, is nothing like the needles highway or the old mountain highway near Rushmore. I had never even heard about them so I had zero expectations. I always thought I was ok with heights until I got there. I was almost in tears and hyperventilating. 

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## pirate_girl

Wall Drug seems to be more of a kids/ woman attraction for sure, although my Grandpa loved it when we were kids.
Glad you had a great time and got home safely with your family, and memories.


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## NorthernRedneck

If nothing else, wall drug was a good place to stop and stretch the legs after we left Rushmore. 

I found this video of the iron mountain highway we drove. Very nice scenery but hard on the nerves and stomach. 

https://youtu.be/i13_Ytx5Fv0

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## NorthernRedneck

We just began plans for another rv trip in August 2020. 

There's a family reunion we're going to attend  in Manitoba where we'll be bringing the camper to stay in. Since we're already in Manitoba, instead of heading south again, we want to keep heading west towards the Rockies and in particular banff as well as the Alberta badlands.


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## EastTexFrank

NorthernRedneck said:


> We just began plans for another rv trip in August 2020.
> 
> There's a family reunion we're going to attend  in Manitoba where we'll be bringing the camper to stay in. Since we're already in Manitoba, instead of heading south again, we want to keep heading west towards the Rockies and in particular banff as well as the Alberta badlands.



I'll be interested to see how that trip works out.  We've planned a car trip to that region twice but it fell through both times.  Third time lucky?  Who knows, we might make it before you guys.


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## NorthernRedneck

I've never been further west than Saskatchewan. So we figured since we have the family reunion we may as well keep heading west until we reach the rockies. 

We had talked about the east coast this summer but just found out about the reunion so that got put on hold.


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## Doc

Wow.   Banff is past Calgary and in what looks like the middle of the Rockies.  I bet there are some fantastic sites up there.   I'd never heard of Banff till today.  I even thought it was a misspelling but google maps helped ensure me you were right on.   

I've often thought of trecking to the Canadian Rockies but it would cut into my boating season ...so no plans to visit there at this point.  Looking forward to pics from that area.

Quick facts
Banff is a resort town in the province of Alberta, located within Banff National Park. The peaks of Mt. Rundle and Mt. Cascade, part of the Rocky Mountains, dominate its skyline. On Banff Avenue, the main thoroughfare, boutiques and restaurants mix with château-style hotels and souvenir shops. The surrounding 6,500 square kilometres of parkland are home to wildlife including elk and grizzly bears.


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## EastTexFrank

Doc said:


> Quick facts
> Banff is a resort town in the province of Alberta, located within Banff National Park. The peaks of Mt. Rundle and Mt. Cascade, part of the Rocky Mountains, dominate its skyline. On Banff Avenue, the main thoroughfare, boutiques and restaurants mix with château-style hotels and souvenir shops. The surrounding 6,500 square kilometres of parkland are home to wildlife including elk and grizzly bears.



And … it's named after a town in the north-east of Scotland.  Just thought that you'd like to know!


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## NorthernRedneck

Another thing we want to see is the Alberta badlands near drumheller Alberta which isn't too far north of banff.


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## NorthernRedneck

So because of covid and travel restrictions, we had to cancel the family reunion and trip to alberta for this year. The reunion is tentatively scheduled for next year but no details available yet. So we aren't waiting to plan anything. 

What we have been talking about and starting to plan is an rv trip to the east coast either traveling through the states if the border is open and things are safe enough to travel or going through Canada both ways. This will be the summer of 2021. 

We'd like to do the states one way and Canada the opposite way. But we'll see. Either way, the destination will be nova Scotia  and prince Edward Island. I haven't been there in 30 years and my wife has never been.   

Obviously lots to see and do along the way on either side of the border.


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## EastTexFrank

That sounds like a plan.  I hope you make it.

My wife wants to take the RV down to Fredericksburg, Texas in about a month.  I want to go and then again I don't.  It's a one day drive, about 350 miles but what do you do when you get there?  There will be social distancing in the campground and wearing a mask every time you go in to town, wearing a mask in restaurants, breweries and wineries except when you eat, etc., etc.  I don't think that it will be much fun.  I'm trying to wiggle my way out of it but we'll see.


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## NorthernRedneck

Yah. That would kinda suck. Different for sure. That's why we're content to do the seasonal site all summer for this year. We do every weekend the whole summer at camp. So that's been the extent of any traveling I care to do this year. Hopefully this covid is done by next summer and things open.


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## EastTexFrank

NorthernRedneck said:


> Yah. That would kinda suck. Different for sure. That's why we're content to do the seasonal site all summer for this year. We do every weekend the whole summer at camp. So that's been the extent of any traveling I care to do this year. Hopefully this covid is done by next summer and things open.


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