We had such a great time last year on our first XC trip we decided to do it again this fall! Our route was to places we missed on our first XC trip, along the northern part of the country west to Montana, then south through Wyoming and Colorado, and back east through Texas, and Arkansas, coming back into Georgia through Fort Payne, Alabama.
After a quick stop in Virginia to visit our grandchildren, we drove the Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah Valley. The views were beautiful, we could only imagine how they would look when the leaves were turning colors.
Michigan kept us busy for a while. First stop was Frankenmuth, a great German “like” town with lots to do. Of course, a visit to Bronner’s CHRISTMAS Wonderland was in order after eating tons of German food! We took the coastal road along Lake Huron north to Alpena, where Susan took a stained glass class, and Dick found his favorite ice cream ever in Walmart – COCONUT MACAROON! We had to have eaten 5 half gallons, at least! Continuing on to Mackinaw City, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge to the north peninsula of Michigan, passing the Sault Ste. Marie locks. The northern shore of Michigan along Lake Superior was pretty desolate, full of cliffs, forests, and sandy beaches.
We traveled a short distance through Wisconsin to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the birthplace of Judy Garland. Her ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz movie were in the museum there. Just a short distance away was Lake Itasca, the Mississippi River Headwaters. Pretty cool to think it all starts up there!
North Dakota surprised us a bit. Fargo was much smaller than we thought and there really isn’t much there. On the recommendation of a fellow camper, we stopped in Medora to see the Medora Musical at the outdoor theater. It was a cool show to watch with the mountains in the background, but sure was corny!
Heading further north into Canada, Calgary, Banff National Park, and Lake Louise was our next stop. The scenery here cannot be beat! The snow covered mountains and turquoise blue lakes are picturesque perfect! We entered the US back through Whitefish, Montana. Another one of our favorite places near Glacier National Park. Could not avoid Yellowstone National Park again on our way to Jackson, WY. Yellowstone was the only place we duplicated from our first XC trip last fall. Jackson was interesting, the elk antler arches were very cool! This ski town was a little touristy, but we were glad we stopped here.
Probably our most favorite small town in Wyoming, maybe of our entire trip, was Cheyenne. The HUGE painted cowboy boots all over town were beautiful! We actually went hunting for more to see how they were painted.
Of course when in Colorado Springs, must visits are the US Air Force Academy, Pikes Peak, and Garden of the Gods. We did all three and loved them all. Leaving Colorado through Pueblo, we were not impressed at all with that town. Probably the cheesiest place we visited was South Fork Ranch just north of Dallas, TX. Remember, who shot JR? How could we not make a quick stop when we were passing right by?
The nicest campground we stopped at was a COE campground, in Mississippi near the Sardis Lake Dam. Beautiful and so well kept! Our least favorite campground was along the Mississippi River. So loud with all the barges traveling up and down, and buggy with all the mosquitos. It was interesting though watching the water levels and comparing them to the high levels recorded in previous years.
Our last stop was Helena, Arkansas where we met friends of ours from Georgia to attend a jazz festival. Although it was a rainy day, the music, food, and company were fun! The two months flew by so fast we vowed to do this again…but next time with a brand new fifth wheel!
