The aim is to explore USA’s northern states, indulge in fantasies of the Wild West and learn about American Indians.
I want to see Yellowstone, the Badlands and some of Wild West towns; I want to visit Portland and Minneapolis where my dear friends live; I want to hike, camp and swim.
I know to head West, dip my feet into the Pacific and loop back.
My rough route, mapped on Google Maps, clocks in at a 10,000km drive. I suspect it will be more.
I buy a Road Atlas and familiarize myself with the states, roughly filing away the names of cities and parks I’ll be heading towards.
I buy a SatNav (which I rarely end up using.)
I learn how to change a car tire.
I end up driving 14,098km in 10 weeks, not that the numbers matter when I think of all the adventures had.
The Trip
Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota
I leave Toronto, and head to Chicago, IL via a lunch-stop in Madison, WI. The 850 km drive consists of only two highways. It’s an easy ride.
A few relaxing days are spent on walking, drinking coffee, people watching and laughing along with Second City in Chicago, storing up energy to partake in one of the biggest music festivals in the world, Summerfest in Milwaukee.
It’s a two week festival, but the three days spent here ready me for a lovely and relaxing few days in Minneapolis, Minnesota with my very good friend, J, whom I met on a previous adventure in England. J and I drive up Superior’s North Shore and enjoy the wild North Woods. I explore the towns in the Iron Ridge, including Ely, take an elevator ride 1/2 mile underground and wander around Dorset where a 4 year old mayor rules the town with a smile.
North Dakota
I drive into North Dakota and am greeted by a billboard – it is a picture of an empty road; the slogan declares that this is what rush hour looks like. It’s a beautiful and traffic-free drive – the state’s main interstate lazily meanders through fields of green and oil country, rising and falling hills and buttes, the wide blue sky always accompanying me. I camp in the quiet and rugged North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I see bison, hike and enjoy an angry storm before making the 60 mile drive south to Medora and the park’s South Unit. I perfectly act the part of a tourist while there, and love every moment of it.
Montana and Idaho
In Montana’s Billings and Bozeman‘s I find local diners where my cups of coffee are constantly being refilled. In Butte I learn about what was once the world’s richest mountain.
Arriving in Idaho I am greeted by a road sign that informs me of the curves and turns for the next 99 miles of road – smile slapped on my face I drive along Hwy 12 and camp in the lush Clearwater National Forest and Hell’s Gate.
Washington and Oregon
If you like easy yet stunning roads, littered with amazing scenery, the drive from Clearwater National Forest along the Columbia River to Portland is one I recommend. Portland is a short drive away from Oregon’s playful West Coast where I dip my feet in the freezing Pacific, enjoy whale watching, and early morning walks through the mist.
Having made it to the West Coast, I start my drive back East. My lungs are happy to have had their share of salty sea air, my hair is coarse from the salty mist, and I leave the coast in bliss, driving towards Central Oregon’s outdoor playground, otherwise known as Bend and Sisters. I hike in the Deschutes National Forest which is dotted with evidence of volcanic eruptions, swim in the lakes left over from the passing glaciers and drive along the Cascade Lakes Highway.
Wyoming
Wyoming is like no place on Earth. Driving into Wyoming, the Grand Teton Pass rolls and curves up the mountain, then gently descends, welcoming me to a flat valley, home of Jackson Hole. The spectacular Grand Tetons majestically rise to the East.
I get up early to secure a campsite, to stay safe I pack bear spray and enjoy the hikes. When it gets too hot, I dip into one of the many crystal lakes that dot the park, then head north to Yellowstone where I can’t get enough of the erupting geysers, the beautiful sunrises that burn off the morning mist and the water that rushes through the canyon.
I’m already impressed with Wyoming but it keeps on showing off.
In Cody I am treated to the Wild West, tales of Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane, beer at the famous Irma Hotel and a walk through cabins where bullet holes can be found, made during some saloon fight or robbery.
Bighorn Canyon is as amazing as the Grand Canyon; the drive through the Bighorn Mountains is steep, and a visit to the The Medicine Wheel is humbling.
In Sturgis, the annual motorcycle rally is in full swing, and the Harleys’ purrs and roars can be heard all over Deadwood and Sturgis which is now home to thousands of motorcycle fans, who also spread their cheer at Devil’s Tower National Monument.
South Dakota
When I think it can’t get any better I get the chance to put my driving skills to the test on the aptly named Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway, driving in the Black Hills and Custer State Park, learning how to turn a mountain into a sculpture at Mt. Rushmore and visiting the nearby Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park where the Rangers turn off all the lights and let us linger in the darkness for a while.
Before leaving the state, I have an adventure at the Badlands National Park and become a full-fledged tourist by visiting the Wall Drug General Store in Wall.
Minnesota, again
I’ve heard a lot about State and County Fairs and am eager to experience the belly-ache when I stuff myself silly with fried food – that’s why I attend the Minnesota State Fair where I learn that you can get anything on a stick. My friend, J, hosts me again, allowing me the use of a bicycle so that I can explore the city when I’m not at the fair.
Michigan
The Painted Rocks National Lakeshore is incredible. Lake Superior hangs under the sky, big as the sea, and on a windy day, just as rowdy. The sand dunes decorate the shore, as do jagged rocks. There are miles of hiking along the shore, many of which I hike.
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is an excellent place to admire the Great Lakes – Lake Superior rages to the North, Lake Huron lies to the East and Lake Michigan floats to the South, all a deep blue from away, crystal clear up close.
I pay the $4.oo toll to cross the Mackinac Bridge, driving as slowly as possible, head swerving from left to right, first seeing Lake Huron, then Lake Michigan, then back again.
It’s been grand.