7th Ranch RV Camp – Garryowen, MT

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We stayed at 7th Ranch RV Camp for two nights. There’s not much in the area, but it was a good location in regards to how far we needed to travel on a certain day but still be able to get a half day of work in. The property is very nice, with all the sites being pull throughs, some having water and electric only and some having full hookups. Check in and check out are both at noon, and we got there a little early as our drive didn’t take as long as we thought it would. They gave us a little bit of a hard time, which we’ve never experienced before, but still allowed us to check in as the person who had been in site A16 before us had left. The bathrooms and laundry are clean, and if we ever found ourselves in the area again, we would stay here again.

Address: 662 Reno Creek Road, Garryowen, MT 59031

Phone: (406) 638-2438

Amenities:

  • Full Hookups
  • Pull Throughs
  • Tent Sites
  • Cabins
  • Playground
  • Bathrooms with Showers
  • Laundry

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is located less than 15 minutes from 7th Ranch. I would highly recommend a visit to this historic site, even if you’re just passing through the area. From their brochure: “Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument memorializes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestral way of life. Here in the valley of the Little Bighorn River on two hot June days in 1876, more than 260 soldiers and attached personnel of the U.S. Army met defeat and death at the hands of several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. Among the dead were Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and every member of his immediate command. Although the Indians won the battle, they subsequently lost the war against the military’s efforts to end their independent, nomadic way of life.”

There’s a 20-minute orientation film that plays at regular intervals in the visitor center that is definitely worth watching to learn the history that led up to the battle, what happened during battle, and what was the result of the battle. I recommend getting to the monument right as it opens, if possible, at 8am, so that you beat the crowds and are able to explore and take in the site, which is somewhat haunting, without distractions from others.

Atop Last Stand Hill is a memorial dedicated to the 7th Cavalry. From this vantage point, you can see where ‘Custer’s Last Stand’ took place as there is a headstone marking the spot where he perished.

Adjacent to Last Stand Hill is the fantastic Indian Memorial.

After visiting Last Stand Hill and the Indian Memorial, walk along the quarter-mile Deep Ravine Trail to really get a sense of what took place on this site. Throughout the battlefield, there are white headstones marking where U.S. Army personnel died and there are red headstones marking where Indian warriors died.

After the trail, visit Custer National Cemetery, which is an onsite veterans cemetery.

If you still have time or interest at this point, drive the 4.5-mile road to the Reno-Benteen Battlefield, which was the first stage of the Battle of Bighorn. There are cell phone audio stops along the way that provide information as to what occurred at each location.

Arrowwood Cedar Shore Campground – Oacoma, SD

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We spent four nights at the campground at the Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center at Cedar Shores. The campground sits on the Missouri River in the small town of Oacoma, which is across the river from the larger city of Chamberlain. The 44 sites are all full hookup with cable, with a picnic table and fire ring at each. The best sites along the river were taken by what appeared to be seasonal campers, which is what most of the campground seemed to be. Those staying at the campground have access to the neighboring resort’s amenities, including the pool and fitness center, though six cardio machines don’t make for a ‘fitness center’ — but it was better than nothing. Our site (#36) was the most unlevel site we’ve ever had. Besides the 1.5″-2″ lip to get on the concrete pad, the site had a huge incline from front to back, and wasn’t close to being level from side to side either — definitely one of the more challenging sites to get in to.

Address: 1500 Shoreline Drive, Oacoma, SD 57365

Phone: (605) 734-5273

Amenities:

  • Full Hookups
  • Pull Throughs
  • Cable TV
  • Picnic Table and Fire Ring
  • Bathrooms
  • Laundry
  • Playground
  • Basketball Court
Our very unlevel site. We put as many levelers as would fit under the fully retracted jack and then we extended the jack as high as it would go and we were just barely level.

There really isn’t a lot to see and do in the area, but we made the best of the time we spent there even though it seemed to rain almost nonstop.

A definite must see is the Dignity of Earth and Sky Statue at the I-90 Lewis & Clark Info Center in Chamberlain. Besides being a rest stop, there’s also a little museum dedicated to the time Lewis & Clark spent in the area. The 50-foot statue was erected in 2016 and bares a plaque with words from the sculptor, Dale Claude Lamphere, that reads, “Standing at a crossroads, Dignity echoes the interaction of earth, sky, and people. She brings to light the beauty and promise of the indigenous peoples and cultures that still thrive on this land. My intent is to have the sculpture stand as an enduring symbol of our shared belief that all here are sacred, and in a sacred place.” It’s location along I-90 makes it a perfect pitstop if driving east to west or west to east across South Dakota.

We also visited the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center, which is a nice little (free) museum that is a tribute to the Lakota Sioux people. It’s small, but informative, and gives a good glimpse into the lifestyle, both past and present, of the Lakota people. The museum can be found in Chamberlain as well.

This display referenced the close bond between a warrior and his horse, which made the difference between success in the hunt or life and death in battle. The warrior shown here is modeled after “Wind in His Hair” from Dances with Wolves. The actor wore this outfit in the film.

The last sites to see in Chamberlain are the South Dakota Hall of Fame and the adjacent South Dakota’s Veterans Park. Over 700 of South Dakota’s best and brightest have been inducted in one of 15 different categories. Notable inductees include: Tom Brokaw, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and George McGovern. Both facilities are also located right off I-90, and though we didn’t stop, the Veterans Park looks like a fantastic memorial complete with a handful of military vehicles and planes as well as a picnic area.

Conclusion: The Chamberlain/Oacoma area is more of a drive by situation, but if you’re looking for a place to stop for a night, you’ll find a few things to do to occupy your time. You’ll also find gas stations, a small grocery store, a car wash, and other such services that a traveler might need.

Lake Mitchell Campground – Mitchell, SD

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Lake Mitchell Campground is a city-run campground on Lake Mitchell in Mitchell, South Dakota. Many of the sites are pretty shallow and difficult to get in to, so I’d recommend perusing the satellite view on Google Maps to figure out what works best. While there were full hookups at our site (site 30), the water hookup was too far back for our hose to reach. We only stayed two nights, so we just filled our water cans a couple of times and filled the fresh water tank. We didn’t utilize any of the amenities, so I can’t comment on their quality.

Address: 2601 N. Main Street, Mitchell, SD 57301

Phone: (605) 995-8450

Amenities:

  • Full Hookups
  • Pull-Thru Sites
  • Restrooms with Showers
  • Laundry
  • Picnic Table and Fire Ring
  • Tent Sites
  • Lake Access
  • Camp Host
Site 30 had two concrete pads, both with hookups, so the trailer could have been parked on either one. Unfortunately, this meant we had to choose between opening our door right into our neighbor or having a sewer hookup in the middle of our site. We chose the sewer hookup.
The view of Lake Mitchell from the tent sites was very nice.
Unfortunately, the lake is having an algae issue that seems to be a longterm problem.

There’s not a whole lot to do in Mitchell, except visit the Corn Palace. They were removing last years designs while we there, so the Corn Palace was minus some corn.

If we ever drive through this part of South Dakota again, we’ll probably avoid Mitchell altogether, as the campground was just okay and there’s not much to see or do.

Hartford Beach SP – Corona, SD

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Hartford Beach State Park is located on Big Stone Lake in Corona, South Dakota. There are two campgrounds, West Campground and East Campground, within the park, and we stayed in the larger East Campground. East Campground has 57 sites, all with electric hookup. As you drive into the campground, there’s a dump station with water fill. The sites are spacious with plenty of green space. We had a tree line along one side as well as the back of our site (33E), making it feel pretty private. Sites 62E, 61E, 59E and 57E are very spread out with a lot of room between them and the even numbered sites from 66E to 76E have a peak view of the lake. Although we didn’t use them, the bathrooms and showers are nice. All South Dakota State Park “Prime” Campgrounds are $21/night, plus a $6 daily park entrance license fee. The annual park license costs $30, which is the route we took, seeing as we’ll be staying at a few more SD State Parks in the upcoming weeks. If reservations are made online, there is a $7.70 reservation fee for non-residents (all phone reservations are $2), so a weekend for a non-resident can get a little pricey.

Address: 13672 Hartford Beach Road, Corona, SD 57227

Phone Number: (605) 432-6374

Amenities:

  • Electric Hookup
  • Dump Station
  • Water Fill
  • Restrooms with Showers
  • Vault Toilets
  • Playground
  • Cabins (Open Year-Round)
  • Picnic Table
  • Fire Ring
We had a nice tree line both along one side and along the back of site 33E.
Looking from front to back of site 33E.

The park’s amenities include a boat ramp, beach, fish cleaning station, fishing pole checkout, disc golf course, playground, picnic shelters and hiking trails.

Many campers were there to take advantage of fishing on the lake.
The disc golf course was both beautiful and challenging.
Hole 3 had a nice view of the lake. Equipment is available at the park entrance station.

If we’re ever in the area again, we’ll definitely revisit Hartford Beach State Park!

Minneapolis Southwest KOA

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We decided to stay at the Minneapolis Southwest KOA on somewhat short notice. We had previously been staying at Minneopa State Park in Mankato, but were going to have to move from our site with electric hookup to a site without electric, as there were no electric sites available for the weekend. It was very hot and we were unsure of the park’s rules regarding generator use, so as we had to hitch up to move anyway, we decided we’d just move to a different park with hookups.

Both Travis and I felt the KOA had a creepy vibe — we’re just not sure why. The clientele was less than desirable, but that’s often the case on weekends at campgrounds like this. Whatever the reason was, we were happy to have full hookups.

We didn’t utilize any of the amenities except for filling our propane, so I can’t really comment on those. I can say that our spot was pretty tight, barely fitting our 28′ Airstream and Ford F-150. The ‘streets’ were even tighter and maneuvering within the campground was a little difficult, especially for big rigs.

Address: 3315 W. 166th Street, Jordan, MN 55352

Phone: (952) 492-6440

Amenities:

  • Full Hookups
  • Pull Throughs
  • Store
  • Indoor Pool
  • Restrooms with Showers
  • Laundry
  • Playground
  • Basketball, Volleyball, Horseshoes
  • Cabins
  • Propane Fill
  • Dog Park
  • Mini Golf
The streets were snug, especially when people parked their tow vehicles along the side.
We probably had abut a foot to spare at the end of our pull-through.
It was nice to have a little grass area out the door so we didn’t have to walk anywhere to let Max out before bed.

Red Fox Campground at Minneopa SP

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We stayed at Red Fox Campground in Minneopa State Park in Mankato, Minnesota for three nights. The campground consists of two loops: A Loop has 34 sites and B Loop also has 34, six with electric hookups. The campground itself is very primitive, offering few amenities. However, the sites are very private, as you are in a heavily wooded area. We stayed here because we were visiting family in Mankato and there weren’t a lot of options in the area. We stayed from May 29 – June 1 and both the mosquitos and ticks were out in full force. When reserving online, there’s a $10 reservation fee in addition to the $29/night rate, plus a daily $7 park entrance fee (unless you have a MN State Parks pass). We paid a total of $118, or $39.33/night, which is too much for what you get, especially since we couldn’t enjoy being outside due to the bugs.

Address: 54497 Gadwall Road, Mankato, MN 56001

Phone: (507) 389-5464

Amenities:

  • 68 sites
  • Six sites with electric
  • A Loop has a restroom with showers
  • B Loop has one cabin for rent
  • Water fill is available in both loops
  • Dump station, though not within the campground
Site B12, as well as all of the other sites, was extremely private
We enjoyed the views out the panoramic windows!

The park is small and in two parts. One area has the park office, a picnic area, and the Minneopa Falls waterfall. The other area is home to a bison enclosure (which you can drive through), the historic Seppmann Mill sandstone windmill, and the campground. There is a hiking trail near the Falls, but it’s currently closed because it’s washed out. There seemed to be some hiking trails throughout the park, but because of previously mentioned mosquitos and ticks, we didn’t take advantage of them. We did a very quick exploration of the park (because, mosquitos) including driving through the buffalo enclosure (we saw them from a distance), a drive by of the windmill, and a visit to the Falls.

Seppmann Mill – A sandstone windmill that ground wheat and other grains from 1864 to 1890.
Minneopa Falls – The lower falls are 40′ high
Minneopa Falls – The upper falls are 10′ high
These stairs led from the lower falls down to the trail along Minneopa Creek, but the trail was closed due to being washed out.

Neshonoc Lakeside Camp Resort – West Salem, WI

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As we drove across Wisconsin from spending some time in our hometown on the east side of the state, we needed a place to stop for a night on the west side of the state. We originally were going to attempt Veteran’s Memorial Campground in West Salem, which is a first come, first served spot that offers electricity, but after boondocking for the long Memorial Day weekend, we decided we’d rather have full hookups. We needed to empty our tanks and refill with water as the next place we were staying was electric hookup only.

I found Neshonoc on the Campendium App, and we decided to our take chances pulling into the campground on Memorial Day at 9am. In the office, I asked if they had a full hookup site available for the night and she said, “Sure, no problem!” I then asked if they had a full hookup site available right now for the night and she said, “That may be a problem.” She told me that people had definitely pulled out already that morning, she just didn’t know from what sites as they don’t have to check out when they leave. She gave me a map, told me where to look, and said to park at whatever site was open and to just let them know when we found one. Thankfully, we found a spot after driving around for a bit! We were also thankful that we were able to get parked and settled in before the rush of departing campers — the streets are narrow and don’t allow for two vehicles to pass each other which can make it difficult while you’re trying to park/leave. By noon, we had the place almost to ourselves! It was a tad less mosquitoey here and we were able to take advantage of the refreshing pool. We also appreciated the 20% they offer for veterans!

Address: N5334 Neshonoc Road, West Salem, WI 54669

Phone: (608) 786-1792

Amenities:

  • Full Hookups
  • Pull Throughs
  • Cabins
  • Tent Sites
  • Two Swimming Pools
  • Access to Lake Neshonoc
  • Basketball, Volleyball, Horseshoes
  • Laundry
  • Restrooms with Showers
  • Dump Station
  • Propane Fill
  • Boat Launch
  • Playground
Site 194 was a pull through with full hookups and a nice lake view!
Our First Time Boondocking

Our First Time Boondocking

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While in our hometown of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, we found ourselves without a place to stay for Memorial Day Weekend. Whether it was poor planning or uncertainty of what the length of our stay in the area was going to be (we had already stayed for a month at a campground), we reached out to a family friend to see if we could moochdock at their farm. Thankfully, they said yes.

We had never boondocked before, and the 90+ degree temps (with high humidity) and swarms of mosquitoes educated us very quickly as to what kind of conditions we would choose to boondock in in the future. We have a Champion 3500 watt generator with wireless remote start that saved us during the hot, hot weather. We were able to run the air conditioning continuously, though we never left the generator running unattended and instead turned the fans on and opened the windows whenever we would leave. During the hottest times, we had to refill the generator with gas every 4-5 hours, which meant it kicked off at 3am one night. Instead of getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes while trying to refill it in the dark, we opted to open the windows and use the fans instead. Our last night was a little cooler which allowed the generator to run all night — yay!!

We had filled our freshwater tank before leaving the campground and had no issues making it last the long weekend, especially since I was able to shower at my parent’s nearby cottage one day. I was going to a baptism so I needed to wash and dry my hair, which would have used a large portion of our water and forced us to turn the AC off as it can never be running when a blowdryer is being used.

We had solar panels installed by Airstream when we purchased our trailer and during the times we weren’t using the generator, we were able to depend on those to be able to continuously use our lights, fans, TVs, etc. without worrying about killing the battery.

The refrigerator ran on propane and did a good job of keeping everything cool, and while the hot water heater could have also ran on propane, we never turned it on because we really didn’t need hot showers with how hot it was outside.

Our takeaway from our first boondocking experience is that we like having electricity. We’d have no problem staying a night or two somewhere without it, but it would need to be in cooler temps.

Our spot was a little difficult to get into due to uneven ground, trees, and driving through field grass, but we did it!
We had nice view of Lake Winnebago which we shared with the neighboring cows.
Moo.
We determined it’d be much easier to pull the trailer out of it’s spot with a tractor. For the last night, we were parked in a flat, gravel area so we could hookup and hit the road by 6am the next morning.

Breezy Hill Campground – Fond du Lac, WI

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After an aggressive travel schedule/route that began in Arizona, we made it to our hometown of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin on April 24th.  There aren’t a lot of options within the city for places to stay with a travel trailer, so we opted for Breezy Hill Campground, which is located right outside of the city. There are obvious indicators of its formal life as a KOA, such as the distinct cabins and bright yellow benches, but Breezy Hill is in its fifth season as a privately owned, family run campground. When we pulled into Breezy Hill, they were less than a week out from a spring snow storm that left four inches on the ground. While there was very little snow left, it was quite wet throughout — and it remained that way during most of our month-long stay as it rained at least every other day. The campground is very well maintained and has a lot of amenities that cater to families. At least a third of the 144 sites are for seasonal (aka permanent) trailers and there are six sites that are year round with heated water so you don’t end up with frozen pipes. While busy on the weekends, the weekdays were very quiet, as there were usually only about a half dozen other sites occupied, including seasonals.

Address: N4177 Cearns Lane, Fond du Lac, WI 54937

Phone: (920) 477-2300

Amenities:

  • Full Hookups
  • Pull Throughs
  • Year Round Sites
  • Cabins
  • Tent Sites
  • Arcade
  • Playground
  • Swimming Pool
  • Hot Tub
  • Store
  • Restrooms with Showers
  • Laundry
  • Fishing Ponds
  • Swimming Pond
  • Snack Shack
  • Picnic Tables
  • Fire Rings
  • Dump Station
  • Propane Fill
  • Volleyball, Basketball, HI-Ball, Teather Ball
Our site (#135) was a nice, long pull through across from the swimming pond.
Breezy Hills is in the country, surrounded by farmland, allowing for beautiful sunsets and lots of stargazing.
There weren’t a lot of nights we were able to have a fire due to all of the rain, but we took advantage when we could.
During our stay, there was a Kansas City Barbecue Association sanctioned BBQ contest held at Breezy Hill — and it was fantastic!
Kelley Country Creamery is right up the road from Breezy Hill. They sell their award-winning ice cream as well as cheese curds and other such Wisconsin fare.
Making an Airstream a Home

Making an Airstream a Home

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When we decided to purchase an Airstream, we chose to purchase new as opposed to renovating an old one. Actually, renovating wasn’t even a discussion, for many reasons: 1) We didn’t have the time to renovate; 2) We didn’t have the space to renovate; 3) We didn’t have the skills to renovate; and 4) We legitimately love the clean, modern interiors of the new Airstreams, especially the Internationals. The only drawback of purchasing new, as far as interior design goes, is that the new trailers don’t have the homey feel of the renovated ones. Over the past few months, we’ve been making sure to add personal touches to make our Airstream feel like home. We recently made some modifications to our International Signature that add comfort and warmth to the clean, modern feel.

The Dinette – BEFORE
The Dinette – AFTER

As you can see from the above photos, we changed out the curtains and table, as well as added sconces to the puck lights above the table.

We had the curtains made by Carey Boland of AirDrapes. The four panels with tiebacks for the dinette area in a 27FB cost $780. See the closeup below to see the beautiful herringbone pattern.

As we are currently in our home town, we looked to two family businesses to get the table made. My mom’s cousins own Smith Builders, and they had their cabinet guy make the table ($50). My uncle owns Wirtz Painting, and he stained and sealed the table for us ($50). It’s possible we got family discounts, so don’t quote us on the price. We absolutely love the new table! The color matches the dark finish of the cabinets perfectly.

We purchased the telescoping pedestal ($438) from Silver Trailer Supply, though I wouldn’t recommend ordering from them as we had a few issues. We really didn’t care for the flip-up table leg on the old table as it didn’t feel very stable, and the table even collapsed once while towing. The telescoping pedestal is easy to use with air-powered height adjustment and comes with all of the hardware needed to attach the table top to the pedestal and the pedestal to the floor.

Helpful Hint: When putting the table down to use the dinette as a bed, the table no longer swings out and away from the wall, but goes directly down. This means that the size of the table top needs to be smaller than the original or else it won’t be able to retract completely due to the inward slope of the wall of the trailer. The original table top was 37″ x 39″ and we made the new table top 37″ x 35″. We have about a 4″ gap between the edge of the table and the wall now, which we actually prefer to the table being right up against the wall.

Throw pillows are from Target

We ordered the sconces from EzClipse. They’re technically made to spice up recessed lighting, but they work well with the under cabinet puck lights too. To install, I just attached three small magnets on the cabinet around the light and attached the sconce to the magnets.

Another change we made a few months back was to replace the accordion dividers with curtains. The curtains are actually shower curtains from the Target. We purchased the sliding eyes and the hooks from Amazon, and removed the clamps from the hooks.

We did a few things in the bedroom to make it as comfortable as possible. First, we bought extra deep sheets and memory foam mattress toppers from AB Lifestyles. Then, we bought the comforters, Euro pillows, and throw pillows from Pottery Barn Kids. Anyone who has visited us as commented on how comfy the beds both look and feel. We added a little ‘bunk bed’ for Max by cutting a piece of 3/4″ plywood to fit under the mattresses, stained it, and then added his Petsmart ED by Ellen Degeneres bed on top. Since the photo directly below was taken, we’ve also added a Crosley Keepsake turntable, a succulent (real one replaced by a fake one), and a shadowbox frame of our golden doodle, Ace, who is no longer with us. The geometric planter is from Wildwood Lettering on Etsy and the shadow box is from Social Print Studio, where I get all of my Insta pics printed.

And then of course, PICTURES! We’ve been able to add in a few pictures here and there from our travels as well as our life in San Diego. The picture/plant holder below was purchased at The Queen Bee Market in Del Mar, California from Wildflower California and the delicous-smelling candle is by Paddywax but purchased at the cutest little shop in La Jolla, California called Hi Sweetheart (definitely check it out if you’re ever in the neighborhood). P.S. The plant is a horsetail palm.

Good Vibes frame from Target. Picture frames from Michaels.

We also displayed photos using magnets on the wall pockets from The Container Store, which we use to hold some of our vinyl albums. The faux fur blanket Max is lying on is a favorite in a our house, which is why we have three — one for each of us! They can be found at Restoration Hardware.

And lastly, we collect pins along our travels and display them on cork strips that we’ve mounted in the dinette area using 3M tape. Just a little something to remind us where we’ve been! Cork strips purchased on Amazon.