Decisions

When I left Dryden, Ontario I wasn't sure whether I would drive across Canada or swing south back into the United States.  My next date was in Montana, so I could go either way.   When I crossed into Canada two things happened that helped make my decision.  #1, I turned my phone off because I don't have service in Canada without it costing a bunch of money.  #2, my car navigator doesn't have much data for Canada.    I'd been using these two tools extensively to make decisions about where to travel and where to camp.   I have an app on my phone called 'All Stay', which lists campgrounds and RV parks as well as other resources useful to travelers.   Without my phone I no longer had that information.    Not having the navigator made it harder to find my way through towns, but I'm pretty good with maps, so this one wasn't so critical.    I ended up driving west across Ontario and into Manitoba.  

On this trip I've tried to get at least one Geocache in each state, and province I traveled through.   In Manitoba I stopped along the highway and trudged through some wet grass to find the cache.  When I got back to the car I spotted a tick crawling on my pants.  Later in the day I felt one on my foot, and disposed of it.  That evening I found another one crawling on me, and then one on my bed covers.    I was pretty twitchy for a couple days!!!

I turned south just before I got to Winnepeg, and cross back into the US on the eastern edge of North Dakota.  

North Dakota was really beautiful.   Lush green, wildflowers and lots and lots of wetlands.   I imagine June is the prettiest time of year.

In one little town I encountered a BIG Biker Rally, where the main road was closed off and I had to detour around it.   I'd been seeing lots of motorcycles on the road all morning, and this explained why!

There were major rain squalls all around me, between bouts of sunshine

I only got caught in a squall once, but it was a doozy

In Kansas I came across the geographic center of the contiguous United States.  In North Dakota I came across the geographic center of the United States (including Hawaii and Alaska).   This is your geography lesson for the day!

I kept driving west on Hwy 2 across North Dakota until I got to the tiny town of Towner. My 'All Stay' app told me there was free camping in the city park, with electrical hook-ups.   After 11 hours of driving I was ready to stop, and this looked like a good opportunity.   It took me a few minutes to figure out that it was true, free camping in the city park.   I pulled in, parked, plugged in and went to explore a bit.    While I was setting up camp, a motorcycle drove by a couple times with a child on the back.  The second time the kid waved and yelled that she/he LOVED my little camper.    I went into a store and bought something to drink, told the clerk how wonderful it was that they invited people to camp in the city park.  He lit up and said he'd tell 'her' I said so.    I walked up and down the 4-5 blocks that made up town.   Most of the storefronts were empty.  This little town clearly is struggling economically, yet most people who drove by me waved and smiled.   I felt very welcome.  Although I was the only camper in the park, and I'm sure everyone in this tiny town knew I was camping there, it felt very safe.    It was like the town was happily hosting me for the night.   So if you ever find yourself driving on Hwy 2 in North Dakota, look out for Towner.... stop in, spend some money and enjoy these wonderful people.

I left them a good donation!

I got up early and continued on west through North Dakota.  My destination was Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Unit.    It was a much shorter driving day and I arrived at the Park early enough to explore.   Right off the bat I encountered buffalo quite close to the road.    The campground was lovely, right along the Missouri River, with lots of trees.  I drove the road through the North Unit, to the end.  There were many places to stop and explore, beautiful grasslands, and overlooks into the canyon.    Many buffalo were grazing on the grasslands.   It wasn't the most spectacular park I've been to, but it was diverse, quiet and very nice.

I left early in the morning and the ground fog was very cool.  I was taking a picture of the sunrise when I looked over and saw this guy watching me.   I got back in the car without much hesitation!

Onward toward the mountains.