Short Stories: Schwieterman Summer Adventure Series - 2023 (Part 6 – Traveling Home)
As they do, vacations must come to an end. Ours ended exactly 1800 miles from home. That is quite a haul pulling a camper, so we knew it was going to take a few days. Day one would witness us covering 600 of those miles as we traveled the entire width of Montana. We stayed in Medora, ND, which is about twenty-five miles past the state line. My husband chose to travel on a state route rather than interstate, which offered some spectacular landscapes of Wyoming’s amber waves of grain. We saw several wheat harvests in action, which obviously interested my farming husband.
The following day, our itinerary provided a break from the rigorous travel with a leisurely drive through Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There was an abundance of wildlife to entertain the kids, including bison herds at a very close range. But the highlight of the park was the herds of wild horses. Our girls were ecstatic. We ventured out of the vehicle just once to hike the Wind Canyon Trail, which overlooks the Little Missouri River. As we descended from the bluff, we saw a small trail that led directly to the parking lot, so we opted to venture off the main trailhead. What good fortune that decision turned out to be since we had an up-close encounter with a herd of wild horses, just off a few yards from the trail. An impressive white mustang stood at the head of the herd, who stared us down as we stopped in our tracks. It felt like several minutes passed before he turned to lead the other four horses on their way, looking back at us several times. What a memory!
It was just a quick trip through Teddy’s park before we loaded back up in the truck to continue east to our next destination, Fargo, ND, only 330 miles away. We arrived at the campground around 5pm local time, which allowed a quick visit with a friend in the area before we cleaned up for church. It was a holy day of obligation, so we had the honor of celebrating Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
The following morning, we headed out early as we were all eager to travel the 350 miles needed to get settled at the Stoney Creek RV Resort in Osseo, WI. We started off the adventure with a kid-friendly campground, and we chose to end our adventure the same way. The campground was phenomenal. So amazing in fact, that we cancelled our stay for the following day and opted to stay an additional night. It meant we would have 535 miles to travel on our final day, but it was worth it!
The older girls loved the inflatables on the pond and playing laser tag, and our little Trachie went down her first waterslide at the pool (it was small, and Daddy swooped her up at the bottom to ensure no water came near the trach.) They had daily schedules full of activities for the kids. We highly recommend the campground to any travelers on I-94.
The campground provided just the relaxation we needed to endure Chicago traffic the following day. We hit up a Cracker Barrel for a late lunch and made our way home to Mercer County around 8:00, just in time to listen to the second half of the Marion Local Flyers’ season opening, football victory.
We covered 5,300 miles on our unforgettable adventure. I honestly wouldn’t change a single thing; it was the perfect trip. I would be beyond thrilled to share our (very detailed) itinerary with anyone interested in making the trip themselves. It was my labor of love!
We praise the Lord for such an opportunity to see the beauty of our country, for our safe travels, and all the memories we created.
Add comment
Comments