Winnipeg to Denver Via ND, SD, and NE

 Denver, CO

Road Trip!

Back in The USA

Well it has been a few days since the last post.  After the prime rib dinner we had packing day and I played in one last pinball tournament with the fine group in Winnipeg before heading back to the states.  

Manitoba to North Dakota

We headed south out of Winnipeg and crossed the border into North Dakota.  This crossing was much larger than the crossing we entered Canada from Minnesota.  There was a short line but soon we were back in The USA and driving in MPH and burning gallons of gas. 

At the border

On the US side there was a small rest stop so we used it.  While I waited for Donna I noticed a monolith and wondered what it commemorated.  It wasn't obvious... 

But it was obvious that it was slightly off its base.  Not a good look USA!

I enjoyed one of our Winnipeg beers at our campsite in ND.  We spent the night at Turtle River State Park.

There was a dog park so we let Francis run around and Donna tried out the bridge.

We also did a little hiking.  When we returned a lady had said we took her spot.  Turns out we did.  I had booked the site for August rather than September.  Oops!  The site host worked with us to find a new spot and we were all set.  They were super nice and went out of their way to make sure we got settled.

  North Dakota to South Dakota

The next morning we got up and I make sure we had a site at our next stop.  I had booked them at separate times so I was pretty confident everything was in order and it was.  The drive was a bit over 4 hours so we planned on making a few stops to stretch our legs.

But first morning pour over to get us started

We stopped at a rest stop in North Dakota on our drive

It was self serve

I got a state highway map

Then we stopped at Brew Hala in Fargo ND.  It's a huge warehouse with a brewery, pinball, pizza, and all sort of other things.  It even has a hotel up top.  It's new and really bringing in the crowds.

We marked off a brewery in ND and sampled a few beers and bought some to go.

We also marked off Pinball in ND.  We've now played pinball in 24 States and 2 Provinces.

We also split 2 personal pizzas for lunch.

Francis and I chilled while Donna played her pinball game.

Before we left Fargo we stopped by the Fargo  Moorhead Visitors Center.

I wanted to see the Fargo Woodchipper.  

Turns out it is a stunt double

The real prop is inside so we went in and saw it

They had props from the movie.  They are really leaning into it which is fun.

Just chipping away at the counties.

The North Dakota Walk of Fame includes Def Leppard

John Updike

And Styx!

When we hit South Dakota we swung by Mt. Rushmore.  It seemed bigger when I was a kid.  I guess we grow up and monuments don't.

Just kidding, we actually stopped by the South Dakota Welcome Center.  That was just a model of Mt. Rushmore.

South Dakota is really proud of their mountain that has been defaced with faces.  Only half of the people on the monument owned slaves.

When we got to Palisades State Park in South Dakota we set up and then split a beer that we had bought in North Dakota.

The clouds were really cool.  It looked like an AI Generated Hand with too many fingers.

Palisades State Park has cool rock structures.  We will see more tomorrow.

South Dakota to Nebraska

Today we drive to Nebraska.  It's another 4ish hour drive so we will stop along the way to stretch.  

Francis stayed warm while we packed up.

See!  More cool rocks just like I promised.

Looks like a nice place to eat lunch

This is Balancing Rock, Balancing Rock in South Dakota.  I feel like every state has a Balancing Rock.

This is the Tri State Marker Monument for South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.  It's our 2nd Tri Point.  The other was here.  

This is the real tri-point marker

After the tri-point we stopped to get doughnuts er donuts in South Dakota.

Excited!

They were delicious.  We ate half and then the other half the next day.

Another South Dakota Rest Stop.

More monument

We chose Smith Falls State Park in Nebraska for our stay tonight.  We took Francis for a walk to see the falls after setting up camp.

We were impressed by the little falls until we saw the real one.

Some nice Texans took our photo.

There was only 1 other group camping here and no host.  It was kind of spooky.

Nebraska to Denver (Colorado)

The next morning we got up and packed up and started our drive at around 9:30am.  It's a 6+ hour drive so we wanted to make a lot of stops.  We do gain an hour going from Central to Mountain Time.

Morning coffee as usual, to get us going.

Our empty foggy campsite

And that's it!  I took no other photos on our 6+ hour drive.  Oh well.  There wasn't a ton to see.  We were on Interstates most of the way.  Now we are in downtown Denver and getting set up.  We have a lot to do here so stay tuned for more photos.  If you missed Old School Meat, check it out.  We ate at an old steakhouse in Winnipeg before we left.