Laramie, WY - Lusk, WY - Custer, SD - Plankinton, SD - Correctionville, IA - Hudson, IA - Iowa City, IA - Utica, IL - Winamac, IN

 August 18 - September 2, 2026

Tuesday, August 18 we stayed one night at a Harvest Host location in Laramie, WY.  Quadra Dangle started out as Gray's Gables, Laramie's original recreation center.  The building was designed and built by employees of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1928 for use as an athletic club.  In May 1929 there were more than 500 members, the largest membership of any athletic club in the Union Pacific system.  They had use of the golf course, tennis courts, gym, rifle range, and clubhouse.  In 1949 the log building was purchased by the Quadra Dangle Society, a square dance club.  They were the successful buyer because they would carry on the tradition of clean recreation by "prohibiting drinking and rowdyism" on the property.  They now hold classes and three or more dances a month.  The gentleman that showed us around was very informative.

The inside.  Notice the beams; they look the same as some railroad bridges.

Our next stop was BJ's Campground in Lusk, WY for one night.

It was 50 amp full hookups for $50.78 per night.  It was great for the one night we needed.

From there we went to Custer's Gulch RV Park in Custer, SD for five nights.  I can't believe we didn't take a picture the five days we were there.  It was a very nice quiet campground with 50 amp full hookups for $70.40 per night.  A lot of the campgrounds in the Black Hills are right on a busy road, but this one is set back so there wasn't any traffic noise.  Definitely a good choice.

We took the one room tour of Wind Cave.  It was only 30 minutes and there weren't any stairs to climb or places to duck.  We had been in other caves so this was just right.

The campground is right outside the west entrance of Custer State Park.  We got the seven day pass so were able to go in and out.  These pictures are from different days.  One evening we saw pronghorn and no bison, the other we went a little earlier and saw both.

We drove up to the Mt. Coolidge Fire Tower and Lookout.  This is the view to the west...

...and to the east.  The fire tower is no longer in operation but they have a lot of towers up there.  God's creation is so beautiful!

We had been in the Black Hills two years ago and seen a lot, so just took it easy this time and stayed around Custer.

On the way to our next campground we stopped at the rest area where they have the Dignity statue.  A lot of quilters stop there to take a picture because of the quilt she is holding.

Our stop that night was at Hill's RV Park and Campground in Plankinton, SD.  We had 50 amp and water for $30 cash per night with the Passport America discount.  It was far enough from the interstate to be fairly quiet.

On the way to our next stop we stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.  I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed, but now we've seen it.

Murals on the side of the building, all made of corn (12 naturally cross-pollinated colors, not painted or dyed), grain, or other native grasses.

The arena inside.

Our next overnight on Wednesday, August 26 was Little Sioux Park in Correctionville, IA.  It was 50 amp full hookups for $34.00 per night.  On a weekday there weren't many people there and was quiet.  We could have stayed longer if I'd known.

Thursday, August 27 we stayed at a Harvest Host in Hudson, IA.  It was a dairy farm (no cow smell) and they gave tours but we were too late to catch one.  They did have a store and we bought some milk and cheese.  It was nice and quiet there.

Friday, August 28 we arrived at West Overlook Campground in Iowa City, IA for three nights.  It was 30 amp electric only for $13.00 per night with the senior pass.  We had a beautiful site but were so busy we didn't take a picture of the campground.

We went there so we could visit with Ron and Terrie Ames, friends from our Montana group.  They were great tour guides and showed us so much.  They fed us a nice dinner Friday night, and fed us again on Sunday!

First we went to see the movie site from Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA.  The house...

...and the barn.

They had some games in progress.

A quote from the movie.

From there we went to the Fenelon Place Elevator in Dubuque.  It is the world's steepest, shortest scenic railway, 296 feet in length, elevating passengers 189 feet from Fourth Street to Fenelon Place.  Dubuque is Ron's hometown and he showed us so many interesting things.

In 1882 Dubuque was shut down from noon to 1:30 when everyone went home for dinner.  But it took 30 minutes to drive the 2-1/2 blocks, as the crow flys, by horse and carriage to the top of the hill where some people lived and back down, leaving only 30 minutes for dinner.  The first cable car was privately operated in 1882.  In 1884 it burned and was rebuilt, opening to the public, only to burn again in 1893.  It was rebuilt again but there was another fire in 1962.  In 1977 the cars were completely rebuilt.  After 84 years the original gear drive was replaced by a modern gearbox with a DC motor, and upgraded to a DC motor in 2015.  It looked and felt a little rickety but we got up and down with no problems.

Looking up.

Looking down.

View of Dubuque from the top.

The locks from Eagle Point Park.  This was a beautiful old park that had an early 1920-30s vibe to it.

Ron and Terrie

From there we went to the Shot Tower.  It was built in 1856 to make lead shot.

After we went to Julien Dubuque's grave.  If you click on the photo below you can read about him and what he did.

We topped off the evening by going to Bluff Lake Catfish Farm for dinner.  They have a different fried fish each night and Saturday was haddock.  Everyone said it was very good.

Waterfall on the pond.  Yes, there are catfish in the pond and you can feed them.

Pretty sunset on the way home.  We had a wonderful time with Ron and Terrie and they are so welcoming.  Thanks!

On Monday, August 31 we crossed into Illinois.

Our stay that night was at Starved Rock Family Campground.  It was 50 amp full hookups for $54.50 with our Good Sam discount.  It was very near the interstate so pretty noisy, but with full hookups I could get the much needed laundry done.  They do charge if you arrive before the check-in time.

On Tuesday, September 1 we arrived at Tippecanoe River State Park in Winamac, IN for two nights.  It's 50 amp electric only for $38.31 per night.  Being a weekday there's hardly anyone here and it's very quiet.  However, we're back in heat and humidity country and there are a lot of mosquitos here.  After being on the go we're just resting a day.

Tomorrow we'll be...

Roving on...

He has made the earth by His power,
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
 When He utters His voice,
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:
“And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
Jeremiah 10:12-13

Granby, CO - Rocky Mountain National Park

 August 11 - 17, 2026

On Tuesday, August 11 we left Central City and headed for Granby, CO.  John had taken the back panels off the sides of the 5th wheel behind the slides.  We tried to find someone to weld the aluminum but weren't able to.  I asked our friends, Vickie who lives east of Denver, if she or Mark knew of any welders in Denver.  She said they didn't but asked where we were and where we were going.  She texted a couple of possibilities, which we called, but didn't hear anything back.  We were in Fraser at the Safeway getting a few supplies and Brad's wife at BW Welding in Tabernash, less than 10 miles up the road, called and said to come and he would take a look at it.  He was able to fix the aluminum welds, as well as some steel welding on the rack on the back, in less than four hours, and the charge was very reasonable.  This was all God:  Vickie texting me about BW Welding, being only 10 miles away when they called, that he was able to fix it, and that we got to the RV park before 6:00.  God is good!  The panels are still off and will be until we can get someone to put them back on (you can't see it in the picture above).

We are at Sun Outdoors Rocky Mountains in Granby, CO.  We needed a rest and wanted to go to the Rocky Mountains so we are staying a week.  It's 50 amp full hookups with a cement patio, and is a really nice RV park.  We got the weekly rate which is $77.39 per night.  I've been burned at a couple of other Sun Outdoors properties but this one is much better.

We were watching the weather and Wednesday, August 12 it looked like it would be good, so we went into Rocky Mountain National Park.  We didn't have a timed entry but if you go in before 9am or after 2pm you don't need one.  We got to the entrance station about 8:30 and didn't have to wait in line.

For some reason RMNP has their visitor centers outside the entrance stations, so if you don't have a timed entry and you go out to the visitor center you have to wait until 2pm to get back in (even if you do have a timed entry it's only good for the two hours you got it for, so you still have to wait until after 2pm to get back in).  We stayed inside the park, although it would have been nice to see Estes Park.  

We've crossed over the Continental Divide several times, but this was one of the only places there was a sign.

Here are several pictures.

Panorama.

They're hard to see but there are some elk enjoying the sun.

The road going up and down the mountain.  There were quite a few hairpin turns.

Panorama.

Trail Ridge Road crosses from Grand Lake to Estes Park.  We stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center, which is at 11,796', and bought a couple of t-shirts (and used the flush toilets; I don't like the smelly alternatives).  We went on all the roads that didn't require going out of the park except Old Fall River Road, which was the original road, and Bear Lake Road, which required a timed entry.  We were going to do Old Fall River Road, which is a one way dirt road.  We checked with a park ranger and he said he was on it a couple of weeks ago and it was ok.  We got about 100 feet up the road and hit a pothole that neither one of us saw.  I bounced up about four inches and hit my head on the roof so we decided not to go any farther and backed out.  We headed back to the RV park.

After talking about it we decided that we wanted to go on Bear Lake Road and hike around the lake.  Bear Lake is on the east side of the park and we're on the west.  For Bear Lake Road a timed entry is required.  We watched the weather again and decided to go on Sunday, which would give us a day to rest before we got on the road again.  They release a limited number of timed entries the night before at 7pm, so I got on the computer and got one for 8-10am, which meant that we had to get to Bear Lake Road on the other side of the park before 10am.  I know I was thinking that it wouldn't be so crowded earlier, but getting up at 5:30 wasn't easy.

So on Sunday, August 16 we went back into the park and headed for Bear Lake Road.

On the way we saw this elk eating by the side of the road.

I'm so glad we decided to do this because it was beautiful!  The hike (stroll) was 0.6 miles long and we were done before I knew it.  There were a lot of people there but I wouldn't say it was overly crowded.  I can see why it's so popular.

Afterwards we drove back up the road to Sprague Lake.  It was 0.75 miles and much flatter.  It took us about the same amount of time on each hike.

Sprague Lake was pretty but not as much as Bear Lake, maybe because this is a man-made lake.  Mr. Sprague opened a lodge in 1910 and decided to make it a fishing lodge.  There wasn't a lake so he dammed a stream and made one.  The lodge operated until 1940.

On our way to Bear Lake we stopped at Moraine Park Discovery Center (they have flush toilets!).  They have a nice Nature Store gift shop run by the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.  We found their merchandise to be nicer and less expensive than the Xanterra gift shop at the Alpine Visitor Center.  There's also a Nature Store in Hidden Valley.

After both hikes were done it was lunchtime.  We remembered the view from the parking lot at the Moraine Park Discovery Center so went back there and ate our packed lunch.  This was our view.

We decided we had seen all we wanted to see and headed back to the RV park.  On the way we saw these two deer eating by the side of the road.

When we were going out the Kawuneeche entrance station on the west side of the park right before 2pm there was a long line of cars waiting to get in.

I took so many more photos but couldn't include them all here.

We've had a nice time seeing the park and relaxing here, and tomorrow we'll be...

...Roving on.


I have made the earth,
And created man on it.
I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,
And all their host I have commanded.
Isaiah 45:12