Ethel takes a trip

08/09/2024

The Black Hills of South Dakota are just amazing and one of our favorite spots so far on this journey.

08/09/2024

More views from our campsite

08/09/2024

Our camping slot was backed up to a babbling stream that was so clear and so cold.

08/09/2024

Bright and early the next day, we decamped and continued west. Our next destination was Keystone, South Dakota. Our campsite was a quaint little placed called Kemp’s Kamp.

This place is family-owned and had just opened for the season when we arrived in mid-May. It is very close to so many attractions in the area and Keystone is a place well worth visiting. It has shops, restaurants, bars, and many other things to explore.
Keystone would have to wait until tomorrow. Once we arrived, checked in, and set up camp, we were road weary and hungry. I had laundry to do, and this site had a neat little laundry on the premises. Ethel needed her walk, and we needed to relax and enjoy some adult beverages. The campsite was so charming and the weather was perfect for sitting out and just enjoy being outside the confines of the truck. It was a long day of traveling.

08/09/2024

If you go:
• Try to stay at the Luverne Campground. It’s a small operation and they do not have a website, at least they didn’t when we were there. You can Google them and find them on the web. The physical address is 803 W. Edgehill St., Luverne, MN 56156; phone number (507) 920-6998. I communicated with the owners via email with speedy responses. Their email address is: [email protected]
• Bring your swimming gear; if the weather is warm, the lake is an easy walk from the campsites.
• On Tuesdays around 2, there is a food truck there that specializes in specialty meats like brats, ribs, BBQ. We left early Tuesday morning, so didn’t get to experience this event. The locals love it though and it is very popular.
• There are no laundry services, but the town is so charming and clean that I am sure you can find something to accommodate your laundry needs.
• There is a nutcracker museum. That’s right…nutcrackers, the kind you see at Christmas. It is acclaimed as something worthy of visiting. We didn’t have the time to fully explore the town.
• Fast food places are near and I am sure the same is true for local restaurants and cafes ; again, we didn’t really explore the town.
• Sioux Falls is worth the short drive. The park is beautiful, there is no admission fee, and it is a great place to have a picnic, so bring a lunch.
• Luverne and Sioux Falls were both happy accidents. We were looking for a one-night stop over and ended staying an extra night to visit the falls. For me, this is what road trips are all about.

08/09/2024

Here is Ethel standing at the commemorative statue in Falls Park. She may look like she’s smiling, but by this time she had hiked the entire park and was ready for a nap…I think all three of us were beat and ready to head back to the campsite

08/09/2024

Sioux. Falls is a short drive from our campground in Minnesota. It made for the perfect day trip for our last day before breaking camp and heading to Keystone, South Dakota.

08/09/2024

The next day, she was rested and ready to tour Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

08/09/2024

By this point, we had been on the road for just about 6 days and the Minnesota weather was perfect for napping.

04/06/2024

04/06/2024

Ethel has been a bit busy and hasn't updated her page. She still has plenty to tell and show about last year's trip to the mountains. Since then, though, she's been to the beach and to Broken Bow so stay tuned.

02/01/2024

In the same parking lot was a BBQ place and we had had enough burgers to last a while. It was a beautiful day and Ethel and I sat outside while Robert went in to order lunch. Ethel so charmed the waitress, that she brought Ethel a bowl of ice cold water. My girl loves her water as cold as possible. She will even eat ice given the opportunity. She then settled and napped while Robert and I enjoyed some pretty good food. I had the BBQ chicken sandwich and he had the brisket sandwich. We were still in Wisconsin, so we, of course, ordered fried cheese curds. While these were amazing, Liquid Johnnys in Milwaukee wins the prize.

02/01/2024

At lunch time we found ourselves nearing the Minnesota boarder…we needed gas and food. We exited off the interstate and drove into the town of Lake Delton, Wisconsin. Ethel needed to stretch all four of her legs, and she needed water.

02/01/2024

We were fed, fueled up, and ready to continue our journey West when it occurred to both Robert and I that we had not bought any cheese or cheese products in a state known for some of the best cheese in the country. No joke, as we are pulling out the restaurant parking lot, we spot The Famous Market Cheese Shop directly across the street. Keep in mind, we are towing a 25 foot camper, so maneuvering through city traffic isn’t always easy much less finding a parking spot big enough to accommodate the truck and the camper. We decided to take the chance and luck was on our side. There was more than enough place to park the camper. Robert went in and purchased so much cheese, I am sure we will be eating cheese all summer long. He bought string cheese, aged white cheddar, smoke cheeses, and several types of summer sausage, another commodity Wisconsin is known for.

Ok, I think we are finally ready to bid farewell to Wisconsin and continue our journey. We made reservations in the small town of Luverne, Minnesota.