Split Rock Park

Split Rock Park - Wide angle view of the area near the dam

Today seems like “do everything interesting in Garretson, South Dakota” day but it wasn’t really by plan. As it often happens, I was freestyle cruising Google Maps and came across a couple parks not far away from camp. So I headed just a couple miles down the road and first stopped at Split Rock Park. … Read more

Palisades State Park

Palisades State Park - Views of Split Rock Creek looking downstream from the cliffs above

My first out-of-state camping stop on this journey was at Palisades State Park in Garretson, South Dakota. I arrived well after dark and mostly just went to sleep, but the next morning I did some quick exploring. There are a couple trails here the run along the Split Rock Creek. I considered hiking them but … Read more

Welcome to Minnesota Sign

Welcome to Minnesota sign

One of the quirks of road-tripping is encountering all the fun little oddities along the way. State welcome signs fall into that category for me. Just north on IA-60 (which turns to MN-60) from Hawkeye Point at the intersection of 100th Street in the town of Bigelow you’ll find one of the “Minnesota Welcomes You” … Read more

Hawkeye Point

Hawkeye Point – View from silo platform

Heading west across southern Minnesota on I-90 there isn’t much to see or do other than enjoying the peaceful rolling hills and seemingly endless farm fields. To break up the monotony, I took a small detour south back across the Iowa border and headed to a small town named Sibley to visit Hawkeye Point, the … Read more

2024 October Western Road Trip Start

Kenosha County Drive Start - Late start but decent sunset

Welcome to the start of my 2024 road trip that spans almost the entire month of October. I’ve basically taken no vacation this year and had nothing in specific in mind this year, so figured what better to do than become a willing nomad in search of some good old fashioned American road trip adventure. … Read more