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Our Road Trip - Update 15th September
Here is the next excerpt to our trip.
From a sunny - 70 degrees - Windsor in Canada
Nigel and Pamala
Our Road Trip – Update 15th September, 2010
We have arrived in Canada, just over the border from Detroit. We are on our way to visit family that we haven’t seen in many a year. We should be with them tomorrow and spend a few days unless than can’t stand the sight of us and ask us to go.
It has taken us a bit longer than we expected to travel across the top of America, our first port of call was Cody, on the east of Yellowstone National Park. We did not try to visit Yellowstone again as, would you believe it, it was a Public Holiday, the last time we went it was school holidays and there wasn’t a camping pitch anywhere near, so not be outdone again, we went across the top and headed for Cody via Red Lodge, and boy, are we glad we did. We took some spectacular roads across mountain passes, what beautiful views we saw and the different terrains.
We spent a couple of days at Cody, one reason was to see if we could sort out our gas bottles, we need to change them slightly for the English regulations, but unfortunately they couldn’t help, we also went to an RV Service place to see if they could look at our generator, it’s not worked since we got the camper, they couldn’t help either. By this time most of the day had gone, but we wanted to hang around as every night in the town they have a ‘shootout’. It is held outside the Irma Hotel, which was supposed to have been built by Cody (Buffalo Bill), and named after his daughter. The shootout is done by locals for charity and was a bit of a laugh. Walmarts were our hosts for the couple of nights we stayed at Cody, looked after us pretty well. We loved this little town, Nigel even kitted himself out with some western style gear. Sad to leave it.
We then went to Rapid City – almost straight east. We stopped at a couple of places on the way again to see about getting the genny fixed and they directed us to some places in Rapid City. We camped in a forestry campsite along the way right up in the mountains, the reason we knew we were high up, we found it difficult to breathe with the high altitude, glad to get down the mountain in the morning.
Again we stayed in Walmarts carpark at Rapid City, spent the next day at some RV dealers and bought some bits and pieces we wanted for the camper plus tried to get the genny fixed, we have bought the part we need, now we need the time to fit it, but we can manage without the genny, we are only concerned that if we free camp on the way back down to Texas and it is pretty hot in the night we might need to run the genny for the airconditioning.
Other reasons for coming across the top of the USA was to visit Sturgis where they have the motorbike rally every year – it is massive, but unfortunately, it was being held while we were in Alaska, but we’ve visited the town anyway. We also wanted to go to Mount Rushmore, where there are 4 ex-presidents heads carved into the side of Mount Rushmore. We wanted to see the light show and went to visit around 6 p.m. ready for the lighting up of it at around 8 p.m. It was a really lovely experience, had a great meal there too.
We knew that from the next day we had to get a move on as we had to drive about 1700 miles across to our relatives in Canada – near Toronto. We had hoped to find a nice place to stop for a few days and unwind, but that didn’t happen. We also came a different way than originally planned, we took the most direct route we could find, which meant driving on the edge of Chicago and onto Detroit. It was all freeway, and we were going well and were hoping to get past Detroit into Canada but it was getting dark, and the traffic was horrendous, driving like that at night I was getting stressed out, so we got the sat nav (gps) out and found the nearest Wal-mart, which happened to be on 2.5 miles away. We feel like we are going home when we camp at Wal-marts, you can arrive anytime you like, leave when you like and don’t have to pay and you have supplies on your doorstep.
We headed for Detroit in the morning and programmed sat nav to take us to Windsor which is just in Canada, it said we had a ferry crossing to make, no worries, we just went where she directed us until we hit a detour which she didn’t know about. As far as she was concerned there was no alternative. We eventually got to the ferry, and had to drive through the roughest of places you could imagine to get there, all the buildings were derelict and had been burnt, not a place you want to free camp at night. When we arrived there there was quite a bit of tension inside the vehicle, quite stressed to say the least, only to find out that the ferry was for vehicles carrying hazardous materials, I said I could be quite hazardous if they wanted lol.
We found out that there was a bridge crossing and were given the directions for it, we soon started swearing at the Sat Nav (which we have named Lori), having got us into this godforsaken place. We found the bridge OK, but what a right carryon that was to get over it. We eventually arrived in Canada and wanted to find the first campsite we could to camp for the night even though it was only 1 p.m. and have a much needed cup of tea.
We found one in a leaflet we got from the visitors centre which seemed reasonable until they add all the taxes on – it has cost us $40.00 for the night – a bit different from what Wal-marts charge. But we have been able to get the washing done and catch up on a few things once again, that get left whilst travelling day after day.
This brings us to now and we are both looking forward to spending time with family – not sure what they have in store for us but I am sure we will enjoy.
So until next time – keep smiling.
Nigel and Pamala
Here is the next excerpt to our trip.
From a sunny - 70 degrees - Windsor in Canada
Nigel and Pamala
Our Road Trip – Update 15th September, 2010
We have arrived in Canada, just over the border from Detroit. We are on our way to visit family that we haven’t seen in many a year. We should be with them tomorrow and spend a few days unless than can’t stand the sight of us and ask us to go.
It has taken us a bit longer than we expected to travel across the top of America, our first port of call was Cody, on the east of Yellowstone National Park. We did not try to visit Yellowstone again as, would you believe it, it was a Public Holiday, the last time we went it was school holidays and there wasn’t a camping pitch anywhere near, so not be outdone again, we went across the top and headed for Cody via Red Lodge, and boy, are we glad we did. We took some spectacular roads across mountain passes, what beautiful views we saw and the different terrains.
We spent a couple of days at Cody, one reason was to see if we could sort out our gas bottles, we need to change them slightly for the English regulations, but unfortunately they couldn’t help, we also went to an RV Service place to see if they could look at our generator, it’s not worked since we got the camper, they couldn’t help either. By this time most of the day had gone, but we wanted to hang around as every night in the town they have a ‘shootout’. It is held outside the Irma Hotel, which was supposed to have been built by Cody (Buffalo Bill), and named after his daughter. The shootout is done by locals for charity and was a bit of a laugh. Walmarts were our hosts for the couple of nights we stayed at Cody, looked after us pretty well. We loved this little town, Nigel even kitted himself out with some western style gear. Sad to leave it.
We then went to Rapid City – almost straight east. We stopped at a couple of places on the way again to see about getting the genny fixed and they directed us to some places in Rapid City. We camped in a forestry campsite along the way right up in the mountains, the reason we knew we were high up, we found it difficult to breathe with the high altitude, glad to get down the mountain in the morning.
Again we stayed in Walmarts carpark at Rapid City, spent the next day at some RV dealers and bought some bits and pieces we wanted for the camper plus tried to get the genny fixed, we have bought the part we need, now we need the time to fit it, but we can manage without the genny, we are only concerned that if we free camp on the way back down to Texas and it is pretty hot in the night we might need to run the genny for the airconditioning.
Other reasons for coming across the top of the USA was to visit Sturgis where they have the motorbike rally every year – it is massive, but unfortunately, it was being held while we were in Alaska, but we’ve visited the town anyway. We also wanted to go to Mount Rushmore, where there are 4 ex-presidents heads carved into the side of Mount Rushmore. We wanted to see the light show and went to visit around 6 p.m. ready for the lighting up of it at around 8 p.m. It was a really lovely experience, had a great meal there too.
We knew that from the next day we had to get a move on as we had to drive about 1700 miles across to our relatives in Canada – near Toronto. We had hoped to find a nice place to stop for a few days and unwind, but that didn’t happen. We also came a different way than originally planned, we took the most direct route we could find, which meant driving on the edge of Chicago and onto Detroit. It was all freeway, and we were going well and were hoping to get past Detroit into Canada but it was getting dark, and the traffic was horrendous, driving like that at night I was getting stressed out, so we got the sat nav (gps) out and found the nearest Wal-mart, which happened to be on 2.5 miles away. We feel like we are going home when we camp at Wal-marts, you can arrive anytime you like, leave when you like and don’t have to pay and you have supplies on your doorstep.
We headed for Detroit in the morning and programmed sat nav to take us to Windsor which is just in Canada, it said we had a ferry crossing to make, no worries, we just went where she directed us until we hit a detour which she didn’t know about. As far as she was concerned there was no alternative. We eventually got to the ferry, and had to drive through the roughest of places you could imagine to get there, all the buildings were derelict and had been burnt, not a place you want to free camp at night. When we arrived there there was quite a bit of tension inside the vehicle, quite stressed to say the least, only to find out that the ferry was for vehicles carrying hazardous materials, I said I could be quite hazardous if they wanted lol.
We found out that there was a bridge crossing and were given the directions for it, we soon started swearing at the Sat Nav (which we have named Lori), having got us into this godforsaken place. We found the bridge OK, but what a right carryon that was to get over it. We eventually arrived in Canada and wanted to find the first campsite we could to camp for the night even though it was only 1 p.m. and have a much needed cup of tea.
We found one in a leaflet we got from the visitors centre which seemed reasonable until they add all the taxes on – it has cost us $40.00 for the night – a bit different from what Wal-marts charge. But we have been able to get the washing done and catch up on a few things once again, that get left whilst travelling day after day.
This brings us to now and we are both looking forward to spending time with family – not sure what they have in store for us but I am sure we will enjoy.
So until next time – keep smiling.
Nigel and Pamala
