And back to the west we go

After a month in Wisconsin I was ready to head west.

Don't get me wrong - it was great getting together with family and friends, and meeting Hunter, the newest member of the clan - but the humidity, heat, and mosquitoes eventually got to me.  I headed west on I-90.

The humidity in Blue Earth MN was just as bad as in Wisconsin although the mosquitoes were not quite as thick.  A free camp (with electric!) in the city park / fairgrounds was nice, but I didn't get much sleep again.  A KOA in Presho SD was much drier, even when a thunderstorm rolled through.  I was able to relax outside for a while before the storm hit without mosquitoes trying to suck all the blood out of me.  I slept a little better, except during the 2nd thunderstorm sometime during the night.

Then I got to the Black Hills.  Motorcycles everywhere, plus a few million more in trailers.  This was just a couple days before the big Sturgis Rally started.  I got off the interstate at Spearfish and wandered up Spearfish Canyon.  Truly beautiful.  I was so happy cruising up the canyon at 35 with the windows down I forgot I have a camera...

My first choice for camp had a water tank (for cattle) added since I was last there, so that was out.  I wandered around for a couple hours before I found something I liked.  It wasn't much but I was in need of some R & R.  I eyeballed the trees, checked the compass, and concluded I'd have at least 2-3 hours of full sun the next day to charge my batteries.  I ate supper, sipped a couple beers, and went to bed - and promptly slept for over 9 hours!  I must have been tired...

I had a little surprise the next day.  The winds and topography combined to put a row of small clouds just above me, almost in line with the sun's path.  I got less than an hour of sun on my panels, while the sky was mostly clear all around me.  I stayed 2 nights anyway.  I have good batteries. 

From there I went up into the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming.  Most forest service roads were marked "no camping" and the campgrounds were all full (and awful close together).  I finally found a spot not taken because it was not so good.  And then the cattle came through while I was eating...  I named it "bad camp" on my GPS.  At 8600 feet it was cold that night.  I left the next morning before the cattle came back. 

And that brings me to Columbus MT just off I-90 again.  Its a city park with free camping.  It isn't much to write home about, but it is free.  Tomorrow it will be more droning down the interstate towards western Montana, unless I change my mind.

We had a good storm while I was in Madison.  It flooded the street in front of Pat's building, so Dorothy and I had to go cross-country through a couple of parking lots to get out.  When we got back to the campground we saw our neighbor's tent on the ground and they were gone - probably to a motel.

Our rental car in Madison - Dorothy wouldn't let me drive it!

Black Hills camp

Columbus MT camp