October 10 – 21, 2016
After our ‘climax of colors’ and marathon trip to Copper Harbor, we made our way southwest, repeating some states (WI & MN), and seeing more new states – SD & NE. What a wide range of terrain, people and energy we felt as we moseyed our way back to warmer and sunnier climates. We wanted to “high tail it out of there” before the possibility of a “sudden winter storm hits Upper Peninsula” forecast is given.
Leaving Copper Harbor, we went back to Ontonagon for a couple of nights to prepare for the long journey home, catch up on laundry, and stock up on essentials. The morning we left Ontonagon it had rained in the wee hours of the morning, still raining actually, as we got ready to hook up the camper to truck. The fog had settled in making the air heavy with emotion, hugging the trees and obscuring our reality. No matter… a little rain and fog are not enough to keep us from heading southwest. It was nice to be wandering again: how far can we get tonight; where will we camp, how many nights do we stay put in the same campground, what’s the weather like? There is a fair amount of planning that goes on before we leave a site.
It is 7am as we are pulling out, it is still dark, not midnight dark – yet, dark enough for the headlights to automatically turn on. We don’t normally drive when it’s dark, especially pulling Rosalita, our pull behind RV. We headed through Michigan, Wisconsin, and then into Minnesota, wow, 3 states in one day… On the map, I had planned to stop sooner than MN, but the miles just flew by.
We settled in New London (MN) at Sibly State Park beside Andrews Lake. 
We stayed for 2 nights because it was a nice spot and the weather was decent. One afternoon I took a bike ride through an interpretative trail and experienced fall. Autumn is my favorite season, by far! Some colors still hung in the leaves, except for the ones making a crackling carpet at my feet, piling up and waiting to be scattered everywhere. The pathless path…
We decided to take a daytrip into the town of Willmar, a few miles down the road. Willmar is a university town, filled with energy, coffee shops, parks, lakes, – a town with a lot to offer. Patti found the library – we parked the truck and Patti went inside to catch up on the news of the town and the world: “A very nice library”, P delighted in reporting! While she did that… I took my bike out of the back of the truck and took a spin around the town, snapping pics along the way. It seems like a clean, prosperous town with well-maintained buildings and yards.
We discovered a wonderful coffee shop, “LuLu Beans”, for Patti’s coffee fix and I ordered a Chai Latte (after of course my morning addiction, Earl Grey Tea); and we shared a light lunch. Cute, busy, crowded with life and wonderful energy. Lovely little town, a place to contemplate for a month or so in the fall…???
There was a place called “Jazz and Java” that we stopped into for coffee before we found LuLu Beans and it was actually not a coffee shop but an open forum for music. We were invited back for the evening’s music and we thought we would attend, but alas, the lure of a campfire beside the lake won out – cozy, warm and quiet.
The next morning we headed south and west into South Dakota to Lake Vermillion State Park, just outside of Sioux Falls, SD. Since it was Friday night the campground was mostly full, so we couldn’t spend a second night in our spot. We left the next morning. The winds whipped up in the evening so no campfire this night.
October 15, 2016
Since we had to hook-up anyway, we decided to move on further down the road. As we drove, the winds progressed to 30mph with gusts around 40 for most of the drive. It was a side wind reducing our gas mileage in half. We decided to camp early since it was a pain to drive in this much wind pulling the RV.
We were going to camp at Merritt Reservoir, but we learned they were having heavy levels of blue/green algae in the water with advisories against swimming and fishing. We opted to camp in an independent campground, Fishberry, in Valentine, NE for the night, just to be safe.
Somewhere between Lake Vermillion in SD and Valentine, NE I received a gift from the universe, a spider bite or a wasp sting on my left hand. By nightfall, my hand was half swollen, by morning my whole hand and just above my wrist was all swollen. Needless to say, we were going nowhere for a day or two.
With the help of homeopathics, Reiki and a plaster of baking soda/meat tenderizer (which really helped take care of the burning heat, pain and itching) I was able to keep the swelling to the localized area of my hand. After nursing my hand for days, we were able to leave after the 4th night. Who would have thought that a tiny insect could put me down for 4 days??? If I can’t drive we stay put, as I am the primary driver – and Patti is the primary Co-Pilot!
October 19, 2016
We pulled out of Valentine, NE and headed toward North Platte, NE. As this was the night of the debate debacle #3, Patti wanted to get a motel room with a television so we could watch the last presidential debate. We drove around for about ½ hour looking for a motel that had space for the truck and RV to park. We finally happened upon a small motel, The Husker Inn, which had parking on the street right outside the motel, so we could keep an eye on our ride.
We went up to the office and there was a note on the door saying someone would be back at 4pm, please call…. We called the phone number and the woman said we could look at room 33, it was open, and if we wanted to stay for the night we could have that room. The room was marvelous – king-sized bed, perfectly clean, a fridge and microwave… and a very nice size TV. The owner, Linda, said we could wait in the room and as it was soooooo nice to be out of the RV, we took her up on her offer. She was back at the motel precisely at 4:00pm and we checked in officially.
After we were ‘booked in’ for room 33, she brought out a small tray with sweet potato biscuits, chocolate cake and some fruit for us to take to our room. 
Patti had asked for an extra blanket and when Linda brought the blanket she also brought 2 cups of hot tea. Linda is from South Korea and has been in this country for 30 years and is a very friendly and thoughtful person. We enjoyed her company, stories and her motel very much.
Husker Inn has lots of small flower gardens, sitting areas and even a water fountain in the courtyard. It was so delightful and pleasant on the eyes. We get to meet so many wonderful and gracious people in our wanderings and we are truly blessed in finding the right place at the right time. In the morning when we were preparing to leave, Linda brought us 2 breakfast ‘to-go’ cups filled with grits, an egg and some fruit on top. What bounty! If you are ever in North Platte, NE and need a motel for the night, please stop in at The Husker Inn, enjoy your stay and say “Hello” to Linda for us.
October 20, 2016
The next morning we traveled west to Colorado where we would spend the night in Ft. Morgan, CO and then return to Aguilar, CO to VOTE. We stayed at an independent campground, Silver Spurs just off the highway. It was a nice little spot right along side the South Platte River. After we settled in, I took out my bike and enjoyed a nice ride along the river and unwound from the drive. The campground was ok, but they did not have any bathrooms or showers, which is an important comfort, for us, to have on the road.
October 21, 2016
From Ft. Morgan we took the back roads, avoiding I-25 (on a Friday), at all costs. It was a pleasant drive through Brush, Last Chance, Limon, La Junta, Trinidad, and into Aguilar, CO. We will spend a few days here, VOTE, see friends and then head out to Ojo Caliente, NM for a soak in the hot springs to wash off the dust of the trail: and then wander on to Phoenix, AZ.
Rambling scenes from Ojo Caliente…
