Category Archives: Road Trips

The Great River Road Trip 2025 – Day 1

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So not such a good night of rest… One neighboring group of campers was up chatting awfully late. I thought it would quiet down once the screaming kid went to bed. But no, they stayed up chatting until at least 1am. Didn’t help that I couldn’t get comfortable in the tent. Guess I’m getting too old for this kind of camping…

In any case, I rolled out of the tent around 7am. Had a quick breakfast then broke camp and packed up the car. Was on the way to the headwaters about 8:30. Unfortunately was cool and a bit drizzly so the top unfortunately stayed up.

The uncomfortable sleeping quarters.
Packed and ready to roll.
Along the trail to the headwaters.

I can’t really recall the last time I visited the headwaters but it’s been decades. I think the visitor center is new since my last visit. It is a truly peaceful and special place to visit. Amazing to think that the reasonably large river that flows not too far from my house starts here deep in the woods as a small quiet stream.

The marker
Happy at the Headwaters
The Mississippi Headwaters - Lake Itasca, MN
The Mississippi Headwaters – Lake Itasca, MN

And so it begins!

The Great River Road starts (or ends) by heading north out of the park. It follows a variety of county, state, and national roads (US Highways and some Interstates). As the river meanders it’s way along the route twists and turns as well. These road signs do a good job of leading the way. Unfortunately at my first intersection with US Highway 2 there was no indicator of which way to go. So I headed east towards Bemidji. I think I probably missed a fair bit of backroads but didn’t really miss it if you know what I mean. In any case, I finally spotted a sign that pointed me south onto the backroads again towards Grand Rapids. Again, my lack of planning meant I didn’t know exactly what roads I should be following…

In any case the road continued with one surprising stretch of dirt road somewhere between Grand Rapids and Brainerd. Driving south out of Brainerd I realized I somehow lost the route again. After pulling over and checking the map I was able to get back over to the correct road. From there it was on to St. Cloud and along the way the route crossed the river a couple of times. Heading south out of St. Cloud I again managed to lose the route. This time even after backtracking a few times I could not locate the route and again have to blame it on lack of planning.

At this point, since I wanted to get home to watch the Vikings play (bad choice, I know) I decided to just hop onto 94 and make a beeline for home. Made it home just after 7, in time to unload gear, get a load of laundry in and then sit down to watch the “game”. That was quite the disappointment. But, being home also meant a good night sleep in my bed instead of the uncomfortable tent.

Tomorrow the journey south begins!

The Great River Road Trip 2025 – Day 0

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So it begins, the least planned road trip I’ve ever undertaken. I’ve been considering taking this trip for a few years, ever since first seeing the signs along the roadsides around the Twin Cities. As I’ve got PTO to burn, I finally decided this was the year. However, once I started looking at the route I realized there was a lot of not so much specific things along the way. Additionally, plotting the route was a bit tedious since it is somewhat off the beaten path. Therefore I decided to more or less wing it. What’s the worst that could happen – don’t worry, that’s not foreshadowing. Or is it…?

The only reservation I’ve made for the trip is tonight in Itasca State Park as I wanted to make sure I was close to the headwaters tomorrow. That’s why I’m counting today as day 0, I’m just pre-positioning myself to start Day 1 officially at the headwaters. One could argue by driving up and down both banks of the river I technically need to count this. But on the other hand Minnesota has a long stretch of the river contained within it’s own borders and the route doesn’t actually have separate routes along each side – especially up north in the very meandering stretches. So don’t bother arguing with me – it’s day 0!

As check-in at the campground was not available until 4pm, I had a somewhat chill morning getting the last of my gear loaded into the car. I decided to drive the Solstice for the trip up to Itasca and back to Cottage Grove so being just an overnight camping trip I kept things to a minimum. Got on the road about 11am. Things were going smoothly until I approached Maple Grove on the NW corner of the Twin Cities. Some sort of construction had all but the right-hand lane closed. It took well over an hour to go perhaps five miles. Fortunately it was a beautiful day to sit on the interstate with the top down. Once I made it through that fiasco it was clear sailing all the way up to Alexandria, MN where I paused for a late lunch.

I then headed north out of Alexandria for a finally more relaxing drive up the two lane roads to Itasca. This is what top down driving is supposed to be like!

Near Carlos, MN

The combination of my somewhat late departure and the unexpected traffic delays got me into the park a bit later than expected – around 6:30. Was a bit nervous as I pulled in as a few raindrops started landing on the car, but it turned into nothing so no real worries. Got checked in and setup camp which wasn’t much more than my tent and sleeping bag, etc. Again the lack of planning for this trip included not bringing any food aside from some snacks. I had seen a place a few miles back from the park entrance and headed there for dinner. Had a nice walleye dinner! Then it was back to the campground in the dark by now and crawled into the tent for a nice night of rest.

The real adventure begins tomorrow!

EclipseTrip2017 – Day 3/4; homeward

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Shortly after the total eclipse concluded it was time to hit the road.  Watching the moon continue its path across the sun is somewhat anti-climatic and not all that exciting.  My plan was to retrace my route and spend the night in Council Bluffs, IA where I had a reservation at a Hampton Inn.  I was in my car and queued up to leave at 12:10 p.m.

It would take an hour to travel about 100 yards out of the field that I had spent the night in.  It took another hour to complete the 1.2 miles out of Glendo.  There is only one path ultimately leading out of Glendo onto I-25 and all of the thousands of people in the area had to make it through this funnel.  To further exacerbate the issue the vast majority of the people were from the Denver area (or Colorado in general) and needed to head south.  The interstate was already moving at a crawl with people coming out of Casper so it was difficult for anyone to move.

My original plan was to take I-25 south back to I-80 to take me across Nebraska.  I would have actually joined up with US-26 which I had taken from Scotts Bluff yesterday.  That maybe 20 mile stretch could have taken hours based on this report.  When reaching the Interstate entrance I therefore decided to abandon that plan and would instead take I-25 North, then take Wyoming Highway 59 to Gillette where I could pick up I-90 and head east across South Dakota.  I think I made the right choice as I made my way north, the southbound lanes were bumper to bumper, stop and go, for 14 miles with steady traffic coming out of Casper for the 28 miles until I exited onto Hwy 59.  Yikes!

I was now completely winging it.  Should I stop somewhere and camp or get a hotel, or just keep driving.  I considered stopping in the Black Hills, but it was only about 6 p.m. and that would mean not getting home until late on Tuesday.  I kept driving.  Was going strong all the way to Sioux Falls which I reached about 1 a.m.  Made it another two hours, to Blue Earth, when I decided I had to stop and rest.  Pulled into a rest area and got settled into the back seat.  Didn’t sleep real well, but must have got a little bit as my alarm woke me at 6 a.m.  I felt considerably better and got behind the wheel again – only two hours to go.

Stopped in Faribault for some breakfast and to also make sure I didn’t end up in morning rush hour traffic.  After breakfast it was back on the road for the final hour.  Pulled into my driveway a little after 9 a.m.  What a trip!  Have to say I’d do it all over again!

EclipseTrip2017 – TOTALITY

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The eclipse would play out as follows:

(C1) – Contact 1; Start of Partial Eclipse; 10:24 a.m.

(C2) – Contact 2;  Start of Total Eclipse;  11:45 a.m.

Max – 11:46 a.m.

(C3) – Contact 3;  End of Total Eclipse;  11:47 a.m.

(C4) – Contact 3; End of Partial Eclipse;  1:12 p.m.

The total event would therefore last for about 2 hours and 45 minutes with the main event, TOTALITY, lasting for nearly 2 and half minutes.

The eclipse started right on time – isn’t science cool!  The partial eclipse begins very slowly, taking a peek every five minutes or so, the motion of the moon is barely perceptible and takes about 20 minutes before a sizeable chunk of the sun becomes obscured.  Until the sun is about half covered there isn’t really anything noticeable to the naked eye.  But from this point on, it slowly starts to get darker.  As more of the sun is obscured the one really noticeable item is the shadows.  Normally, shadows are somewhat fuzzy as the light comes from all directions.  As the crescent sun narrows, the light comes from mainly one direction and the shadows become very crisp and makes the environment appear almost artificial.

As the crescent sun shrinks to nothing the speed becomes apparent and you can actually see the moon overtaking the sun.  The darkness begins to deepen and without the sun’s rays beating down the temperature drops noticeably.  And then…

Darkness!

Now it’s safe to remove the solar viewing glasses and look upon a view that is otherworldly.  This is not normal.  Stars appear.  Planets appear.  In daytime.  Turning around three hundred sixty degrees it is sunrise and sunset simultaneously all around.  In the sky there is a hole where the sun existed moments ago.  Extending from this hole is the glowing atmosphere of our life-supporting star.  It is absolutely beautiful and

AMAZING!  AWESOME!  STUNNING!  BREATH-TAKING!

While totality approaches the crowd was very excited.  Lots of cheering and hooting and hollering.  As totality occurred there was a tremendous cheer.  It takes a few moments to then remember it’s safe to look with the naked eye.  So as people take off the glasses there are gasps and oohs and ahhs followed by silence and then quiet whispers as if in a moment of reverence.  Then the voices return with the joy and excitement of the moment.

And then it’s over.  As suddenly as darkness overtook us the light reappears as the moon continues its path across the sun.  The world begins to return to normal.  The partial eclipse will continue for over an hour but we’ve seen this all before.  Time to pack it up and head for home.

I have seen a partial solar eclipse and an annular solar eclipse previously.  While these are fascinating in their own rights, they pale in comparison to totality.  If you should think seeing the sun obscured by 90% or 95% or 97% is good enough, I can tell you that you’re mistaken.  Someone recently put like this:  a 97% eclipse is like driving 300 miles to get to the beach and then turning around 6 miles from your destination because it’s “close enough”.  You must see Totality to truly experience an eclipse.

EclipseTrip2017 – Day 3

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Today’s the day!

So there are two down sides to the location that I ended up at overnight.  One – there are train tracks just to the west of the town and there is a constant flow of trains coming out of the Thunder Basin (Coal Creek Mine).  My neighbor heard that they come through every 20 minutes – not sure if they were that frequent but whatever, they blow their horns coming through town.  All.  Night.  Long…  Two, there is only one route to the interstate and I’ve no idea how many thousands of people saw the great opportunity I did yesterday…

Of course, the most important points are that the path of the eclipse will go directly overhead and provide 2 minutes 28 seconds of totality and the weather is forecast as clear.  So I’ll accept the down sides happily!

Anyway, I rolled out of my tent shortly after sunrise at about 6.  The weather forecast had not failed me.  There were some light clouds visible to the east with the rising sun, but otherwise overhead and to the west was nothing but clear blue sky.  Made some coffee and oatmeal and got a little reading in while waiting for the event to begin.

Sunrise

Sunrise over Glendo, WY

 

EclipseTrip2017 – Day 2

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Well it ended up raining a good bit overnight. The constant pattering on the tent made it hard to get to sleep. Woke up about 6:30, broke camp, showered and opted for the buffet breakfast at the camp kitchen vs. cooking something myself. Was on the road about 8:30.

Plan was to drive to Casper, WY and find someplace to stay. I planned a stop at Scotts Bluff which is a National Monument to the pioneers on the Oregon Trail. It was one of the best known landmarks in the area. I drove to the top and stretched my legs on the short trail. Then back in the car.

I had been mulling over what to do for the evening; park at a rest stop, or go to a late movie and perhaps park at a Wal-Mart when I passed Glendo, WY and saw a little tent city. I stopped at a rest area about 15 miles north where a bunch of people had already setup camp as well as another little tent city a short distance down the hill. I checked the map and the path of totality goes right over Glendo and the forecast looks good there as well. So I called another audible and abandoned the Casper option.

I drove back down the interstate to Glendo and got a spot for the night. 20 bucks to just sleep in the car, 50 bucks to pitch a tent. I’m sleeping in my tent. Was all settled in about 5 pm. Should be able to get some sleep tonight and be ready for the big event in the morning. And staying here means an hour less driving tomorrow!

Now time to make some dinner!

EclipseTrip2017 – Day 1

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After monitoring the weather for the Great American Eclipse of 2017, I called an audible and decided to head towards Casper, WY. My original plan was to be near southern Illinois or southeast Missouri where the greatest duration of totality will occur, however the forecast for that area looks to be cloudy and/or rainy – less than ideal for eclipse viewing of course.

The weather in Casper looks to be perfect so this morning I loaded up the car, after returning from a business trip about midnight, and headed out about 10:30. I’m driving the Edge instead of the Solstice on this trip as I may be forced to sleep in the back tomorrow night. Hotels and campgrounds are booked for hundreds of miles around Casper. Such are the hazards of winging things for such an historic event. Only hope for a campsite is a forest service campground which is small and first come first served.

I made it is far as the Grand Island KOA in Nebraska where I last spent a night in 2012 on another eclipse related trip. The path of totality will actually pass directly over this campground, however the forecast calls for clouds – no good, so I’ll be moving on in the morning.

It’s a pleasant evening here with fireflies flickering around the campsite. There are some clouds moving in and a few flashes of lighting. Forecast calls for some overnight rain but I don’t think it will be too bad.

Another 500 miles to Casper tomorrow. Hope to be on the road fairly early so I can get there, scope out a viewing location for Monday and oh yeah, find a place to sleep that doesn’t involve the car…

 There are a lot of Canadians around.

Days 12 & 13: Driving Days

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GOPR4527

The past two days have simply been driving days.  Yesterday was from Evanston, WY to Cheyenne and today took me to Omaha.  There was a bit of nice scenery coming through the mountains in WY yesterday but nothing like the sights driving I-70 through Colorado.  The only bit of mild excitement was when I ran over a chunk of tire just west of Lincoln this afternoon…

The passenger side wheel well was knocked loose and I found the marker light hanging buy it’s cabling.  I was able to pop those things back into place.  By the time I reached Omaha the tire was fairly flat.  I re-inflated it with the compressor and it seemed to be holding, but we’ll see in the morning.  If it’s low in the morning then I’ll use the sealant that I have and limp over to a tire store…

And for anyone whos ever wondered just what its like to drive across Nebraska, enjoy the following video.

Day 11: Cedar Breaks National Monument

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I departed Cedar City for Cedar Breaks National Monument which was my last planned destination in Utah.  The direct route out of town was not an option as the road was closed due to a “massive rockslide”.  So the GPS thought I should take a dirt road over the mountain – uh, no thanks.  I kept going a bit further until I found the alternate paved road.  It was a fun drive that climbs about 5000 feet in about 20 miles.

DSC_0005

The Cedar Breaks is an isolated version of the same type of formation at Bryce Canyon.  It’s a single amphitheater that is about 2500 feet deep and 3 miles across.  It’s located at just over 10,000 feet and there is still snow present as seen in the picture above.

From there I headed up to Evanston, Wyoming where I’;m spending the night.  The plan was to head to Grand Teton tomorrow.  However, I knew from the beginning that the back half of this trip was going to be a bit dicey given the time of year and the locations.  Looking at the weather for the next few days in Grand Teton shows snow/rain mix which is not a good idea with the Solstice and a trailer.  It’s also forecast to be raining at Devils Tower.  So, I’m pulling the plug on both of those and just heading for home.  Probably to Cheyenne tomorrow, then Omaha and home on Friday.

Day 10: Zion National Park

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This morning was a short drive over to Zion National Park – only about 90 miles.  I got on the road about 8:30 and after stopping to top off the tank just outside the park I hit the gate about 10:30.  Asked the ranger which campground was best.  His answer, “whichever one you can find a spot in.  They’ll likely be full in the next few minutes”.  That didn’t bode well.  Neither did all the traffic in front of me.

When planning this trip I had tried to reserve a campsite in Zion but there are only a limited number available for this.  Most are simply first come, first serve.  I was hoping that since I was arriving on a Monday, before noon, I would be OK.  There are two campgrounds in the park and as I approached the first, the sign at the entrance said “Full”.  Ditto for the second.  Uh-oh.

So I ended up at the visitor center and decided to hop the shuttle up the scenic route – no private cars allowed except during the off-season.  I got off at two stops, the first just snapped a few shots, the second took a 2 mile hike along the river to the “Narrows” where the canyon narrows to a slot.  From there it was back to the car and decision time.

DSC_0883

I have mixed feelings about Zion.  Without doubt it is one of the most beautiful parks, but it’s ridiculously crowded.  The campgrounds are in the bottom of the canyon near the visitor center and even today in late May it was very hot – hindsight I’m actually glad I couldn’t get a campsite.  The lodge rates were from $175-$200 a night – they had vacancies but I wasn’t going to pay that.  So I headed out of the park and of course all the hotels in the little town were filled.  I had decided by this time that I didn’t want to come back to Zion tomorrow as originally planned given all the crowds and the distance I’d likely have to drive.  So it was on to Cedar City which is near my next planned sight anyway – Cedar Breaks National Monument.  I put my Hilton Honors points to good use and am staying at a Hampton Inn tonight.  A nice break from the camping.  Besides it was awfully hot today…

I certainly want to come back to Zion as there are a lot of areas that I didn’t get to see and there are a number of hikes that I would like to do.  But given the crowds it seems like a visit here really needs to be in the off-season and more importantly needs to be a destination rather than a side trip as was the case this time.

Onwards!