RV Parks
STW3 Hop 2: West Yellowstone MT to Ennis MT
75 miles via US 20, ID 87 and US 287. Cumulative tow miles: 189. Truck miles: 155. Cumulative truck miles: 289. More than any other hop, this one felt like an emergency. It snowed 2″ last night, with the temperature dropping to 30 degrees. The forecast for tonight in West Yellowstone is for a low … Continue reading
STW3 Hop 1: Wapiti WY to West Yellowstone MT
134 miles via US 20 and US 191. This was a short and simple (navigation-wise) hop that would have been even shorter and simpler had we not made a detour to see Old Faithful. Which, as it turned out, we didn’t see. Let me explain. We originally planned to see Old Faithful on a day … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 9: Garryowen MT to Wapiti WY
197 miles via I-90, US 212, US 310, MT 72 and US 14/16/20 with stops in Billings MT and Laurel MT. Cumulative tow miles: 1624. Truck miles: 237. Cumulative truck miles: 2166. This hop was unusual in that we made two stops, not for refueling but for shopping. The first stop was at the Cracker … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 8: Medora ND to Garryowen MT
278 miles via I-94, MT 47 and I-90 with a refueling stop in Forsyth MT. Cumulative tow miles: 1427. Truck miles: 351. Cumulative truck miles: 1929. This was an easy hop in terms of navigation, a fast hop in terms of average speed and a long trip in terms of clock time (almost 4.5 hours). … Continue reading
STW Hop 7: Spearfish SD to Medora ND
212 miles via US 85 and I-94. Cumulative tow miles: 1149. Truck miles: 316. Cumulative truck miles: 1578. This was a straight shot north through some very desolate landscape. If it wasn’t for one construction site where we were stopped for a minute, we would have made the trip non-stop. The purpose of the hop … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 6: Rapid City SD to Spearfish SD
.61 miles via US 16, I-90 and US 85. Cumulative tow miles: 939. Truck miles: 144. Cumulative truck miles: 1262. This was a short hop – just over an hour – to get to Spearfish, from which we will do a loop tomorrow touring Deadwood, Lead and Sturgis. It was an easy hop, mostly on … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 5: Interior SD to Rapid City SD
87 miles via US 44 and US 16. Cumulative tow miles: 878. Truck miles: 163. Cumulative truck miles: 1118. This was a “bonus hop” – a hop that was added to our original plan. I had planned to spend 3 nights in Spearfish SD, using one of the days to visit Mt Rushmore. But when … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 4: Mitchell SD to Interior SD
217 miles via I-90, SD 244, SD 370 and SD 44. Cumulative tow miles: 791. Truck miles: 227. Cumulative truck miles: 955. This hop revealed the full drama of the South Dakota landscape. The first 80 miles, from Mitchell to the Missouri River, was flat and boring. Then, suddenly, a big dip to the river … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 3: Fairmont MN to Mitchell SD
192 miles via I-90. Cumulative tow miles: 574. Truck miles: 207. Cumulative truck miles: 728. It doesn’t get any simpler than this: get on I-90, go almost 200 miles, get off. A straight shot west. Boring, but very efficient. No stops whatsoever, until we got close to the destination and got lost for about a … Continue reading
STW2 Hop 2: Oelwein IA to Fairmont MN
202 miles via IA 281, US 218, US 18, I-35 and I-90. Cumulative tow miles: 382. Truck miles: 341. Cumulative truck miles: 521. Another easy trip through beautiful farmland, with a couple of Amish buggies at the start. Nice day, flat terrain, a good audio book (Every 15 Minutes by Lisa Scottoline) to listen to… … Continue reading