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

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

Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail – Lansing to Potosi (2024)

Dugway Road Overhang - Bro Flexing for The 'Gram

Hanging out with some Toyota friends again for a weekend of camping and southwest Wisconsin (and Iowa) gravel road exploration on the Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail, or TWAT for short. Basically a repeat of some points from 2023 but this time I’m too lazy to break apart in separate posts for the locations. Shout out … Read more

Tigerton OHV August ’23

Tigerton OHV Park & Campground - Connor on the trail

Joined up with my local group of TacomaWorld hooligans for a weekend of camping, off-roading, and other shenanigans. We generally prefer the riverside sites for seclusion and because they are just generally great sites. This particular weekend we had quite a large group – I think ultimately the count was 19 total. To keep the … Read more

WI June ’23 Off-Roading

WI June ’23 Off-Roading

Joined up with some friends from the Tacoma World forums for a quick weekend trip. Started by camping near Mountain, WI in the National Forest. Weather was excellent and bugs were not bad at all for this time of year. Didn’t take too many photos because we were just enjoying the drive. Tried to sneak … Read more

Baxter’s Hollow Rapids

Baxter's Hollow Rapids

Darkness was setting in as I reached the final stop on the weekend’s adventure. I had not expected water levels on Otter Creek to be flowing quite so well at Baxter’s Hollow, but I frantically scrambled to get some photos before I was completely out of light. So after driving to the end of Stones … Read more

Wisconsin River Overland Tour

Wisconsin River Overland Tour - Tacoma glamor shots

Leaving Wyalusing and heading home, a few of us decided to take an alternate route called the Wisconsin River Overland Tour, or WROT for short. It was shared to us by a TacomaWorld forum member but was un-verified by anyone in our group, and there isn’t much info about it online. A couple of the … Read more

Big Springs Nature Park

Big Springs Nature Park - Guttenberg, Iowa

My final destination for the day was at Big Springs Nature Park in Guttenberg, Iowa. From Hazel Green, Wisconsin I followed IA-3 and US-52 along what they call the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. The drive itself is pretty fun and shows the Iowa side along the Mississippi but often times goes inland. Either … Read more

Wisconsin Historical Marker: The Point of Beginning

Historical Marker 172: Point of Beginning

After leaving Potosi, I continued on the Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail heading south. Nearly this entire section is on pavement and much is running through farmlands – still scenic if you like rural midwestern scenery, but nothing epic to write home about. Thankfully the sun rays and partially cloudy skies made up for otherwise dull … Read more