Middle Us National Parks Trip

Ramble Inn's Second Long Haul

The Midwest National Parks.​

I have been very negligent in submitting for this award as our trip was in 2019 the same year as our first Long Haul to the southwest and Texas. This trip was part of our quest to visit all the National Parks and was targeted at all the “middle” states parks.

Off we go from Seattle with a short stop in Montana on the way to our first park Teddy Roosevelt NP. For those that don’t know Teddy’s history, when he was a young man of 26, both his mother and wife both died on the same day. As part of his recovery he purchased a ranch in North Dakota as a way to get away from NYC and those memories. He was an avid outdoorsman, responsible for many of our National Parks and the start of the Forest Service. The park contains his Elkhorn Ranch and more.

From here it was off to Voyager NP in the upper parts of Minnesota. We spent two days here and hired a fishing guide to get us out on the water and catching Walleye! Amazing network of connected lakes – we even did a portage with his fishing boat – a local provides the service of loading you onto his trailer – driving across the island and launching you on the other side. Walleye is an amazingly good eating fish – Linda caught her first ever fish.

Next it was off to Necedah to have our trailer get some routine maintenance. Got to visit with Cary, Craig and the crew. Isle Royal was next on the list – an island in the middle of Lake Superior. We took the ferry from Copper Harbor on Michigan’s upper peninsula’s upper peninsula! A 3 hour ride and we left the camper in Copper Harbor at a ranger station. Spent 3 nights on the island hiking and relaxing, the third night being forced on us due to high seas that prevented the ferry from running that day.

We cruised south through Michigan’s west side along the east side of Lake Michigan to a new NP called Indian Dunes – basically across the lake from Chicago. Heavily populated but amazing dunes right on the lake. Next was our farthest progress east to Cuyahoga NP just south of Cleveland Ohio. This was a river valley that “on the edge of the wilderness” in the early 19th century and was eventually the site of the Ohio and Erie Canal allowing canal traffic to and from the Ohio river.

From Ohio we headed south through Louisville to Mammoth Caves NP in Kentucky. Very different “Dry Cave” versus Carlsbad, a wet cave, in New Mexico. From here it was off to Hot Springs NP but first we stopped in Nashville for a 2 day visit – what a special place Nashville is, so much music – it seemed like every building had a band on each level, party town for sure. We took a short side trip to the plantation of Andrew Jackson, a beautiful Greek revival home which wasn’t too far out of town.

Next up - Hot Springs and it is just that – hot water flowing out of the ground – there are fountains in town where people come and fill water bottles with this 10,000 year old water (at least that is what the scientist say it takes for surface water to make the cycle down and back up). In early 1900s several luxury bath houses were built and tourism flourished. Several of those old bath houses have been restored and are open as museums, one is actually available for you to use.

Gateway Arch in St Louis is there to represent how St Louis was the gateway to the west for the mass migration of the 19th century into the western US. It has a weird combination for transport to the top, part elevator part Ferris wheel lift to the top – amazing view of the Mississippi river and the city. A very complete museum at ground level of the history of our nations movement west.

Next was supposed to be a stop at our very first Camp Inn Camp Out but we got the call to come help with the new grandchild so off we went – straight from St Louis to Denver. The return to Seattle was quick and uneventful.

As you all know, the CI is a joy to tow and we averaged 20 mpg for the entire 6512 mile trip.

 

Sounds like a fun trip. I’ve been to many of those places.

 

The parks are such a diverse group of places. Some very focus on human history and events - some on geologic wonders. Its been fun seeing them for sure. Just finished a 3500 mile trip into California to finish off the parks there. Big surprise there was the amount of fire damage. Mt Lassen was maybe 30% burnt, Sequoia maybe 20%..... but at the same time they had a slab cut from a 2200 yr old Sequoia that showed, on average, it had been involved in a fire every 15 yrs during its life just smaller fires.

Fun little story about taking your tear drop into a big city - in the middle of the trip, we spent two nights in a Marriott in downtown San Diego (yeah - a real shower). Well driving up to the valet with the TD was fun - of course they wouldn't park it and wouldn't let me do it either. So I ended up finding a parking garage that allowed me to pull in, unhitch the trailer and put it in one stall and the car in another. They had a section blocked off for over-height vehicles that I was able to get two spots next to each other. So much is possible with a little TD.

 

Thanks for sharing. Would love to see a pic of the dunes at Indian Dunes National Park.

 

Funny the only picture I could find was this one of a walking stick - but I did post one I found on the web too.

 

Awesome trip and great report, thanks! I've been to Carlsbad Caverns, did not know the difference on Mammoth Cave...added to the list!

Anyone planning ahead, interested in geology;

There's a very neat place in South Dakota called Wind Cave, small campground, where mtn lion and bison roam.

And see

White Sands in NM for sand dunes.

And Chaco Canyon...where the spirits speak on the wind...or
Perhaps its here:
Canyon de Chelly National Monument

 

I have been told by a forestry expert that the big fires are partly caused by the suppression of little fires. He explained that normally these small fires cleanse the underbrush. Since we stop those, the underbrush is allowed to get much thicker and more dense, so when a fire does happen it is far worse, even catastrophic.

We saw something similar in the Black Hills. I remember in 1999 +/- a year, we went to Sturgis SD, and took the road to Lead. The trees were thick on both sides. The entire road was surrounded by picturesque dense woods. When we were there in 2014 +/- a beetle hand essentially denuded the mountains --- most if not all of the trees were gone. Only a few were standing but hundreds of dead standing trees.

I've had mine in and through big cities, Chicago specifically. We didn't stop, we were simply passing through and found ourselves on the surface streets. It was great being able to effectively drive anywhere I would have, even if I didn't have the trailer attached. I'd never do it again, or voluntarily, but this "go anywhere" is one of the biggest draws to small camping. I've been in a large rig and could not find a gas station big enough. That's a problem I'll never have with a TD.

Great looking trip --- The dunes park in Indiana is still listed on the Indiana web site as a state park. I'm curious why/how that happened. I hope the park improved. We went there as kids (60 miles from my childhood home) and it was not the nicest park in the world then. This was before the problems really started hitting "the region" --- drugs, gangs, violence --- the entire area around Gary became pretty unsafe.

 

Kevin - I agree - Wind Cave is the coolest National Park you never heard of! I love the story of when it was found.... a pioneer rancher heard a whistling sound - finding the source - he leaned down to the hole in the ground and the wind blew his hat off. Next day he returned with a bunch of town people and when he bent down this time, it sucked his hat into the hole. It was this tiny single opening for a huge network of caves and depending on whether there was a high pressure or low pressure over the area determined if the air was going in or out. You can spilunk in Wind Caves too.

Canyon de Chelly is an incredible Canyon - the fact the Navajo lived and thrived in the canyon for centuries is quite amazing.

We still need to visit White Sands - its the newest National Park - only a few years since being made a NP.

 

Got that one on our East coast trip (unfortunately without the TD)

Great spot and if you can stay for a few days - do a raft trip down the gorge!

 

Wow! Reminds me of the lamdvape from Last Mohican movie.
Endless Wall Trail (U.S. National Park Service)

 

The Last of the Mohicans movie was primarily shot at Chimney Rock State Park and Lake James in Western NC. They had a difficult time time with the jet contrails as the CLT arrivals go right over that area. We have attended Easter Sunrise Services at Chimney Rock and it was cold!

 

TY! Thats some pretty country!
Another added to the list out east.
Hoping to pass thru NC and SC this winter while shopping retirement RE in FL...