Midwest Region – Chase the Big Dream

Scotts Bluff National Historic Monument

Airstream RV Travel - Scotts Bluff Nebraska — Scotts Bluff National Monument in Gering, Nebraska

Before heading to Wyoming and the headline National Parks (Grand Teton and Yellowstone), we make a short detour through northwestern Nebraska to visit Scotts Bluff National Monument. Originally, we planned to come just because we are trying to hit all 48 contiguous states on our trip, but it turns out Scotts Bluff is one of the more interesting historical parks because it concentrates on the pioneer trails (Oregon and Mormon) that passed through this spot in the 1800’s (covered wagons included!). Scotts Bluff towers 800 feet above the green plains and marks the beginning of the Rocky Mountains, which can be seen looming on the horizon.

Voyageurs National Park

We are now leaving the Great Lakes behind us. Our next stop is Voyageurs National Park, land of even bigger bugs and endless lakes, inland waterways and skinny pine forests.

We thought we had already experienced northern Minnesota during our adventures at our last stop (Grand Marais, Grand Portage and Isle Royale National Park), but for this stop we head even further north into Minnesota.

Isle Royale National Park

Our next stop is Grand Marais, Minnesota, our base to visit Isle Royale National Park. Isle Royale is an island in the middle of Lake Superior. The park, famous for its moose and wolves, is one of the least visited national parks. It is only open from April to November and… it is only accessible by boat or plane. Another boat trip, this was now our fifth in a little over two weeks. We were really done boating. But it had to be done – we couldn’t miss the National Park… and a seaplane is not in the budget.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Airstream Travel Adventure - Devil's Island Lighthouse

The Apostle Islands are 21 islands off the coast of Wisconsin on Lake Superior. Rock formations, sea caves and hiking are our plan for this stop as well as enjoying the charming little town of Bayfield, Wisconsin which is the launch point for the Apostle Island boat tours.

This is the first time we are staying at a first come, first serve campsite and we are a little apprehensive. We are not really first come, first serve types. We are reserve in advance types.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Airstream Travel Adventure - Pictured Rocks — Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

We left Mackinaw City to drive the quiet roads across the Upper Peninsula (or the UP as the locals call it) to Munising, Michigan and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior. There was no traffic, really few cars. A very quiet and easy drive. We are looking forward to this stop as we have seen stunning photos of the colorful cliffs, that look like they are dripping with green, black, red and gold paint. We have to keep correcting ourselves as we want to call this place “Painted Rocks” as opposed to “Pictured Rocks”.

We originally planned on dry camping at this stop but, after the annoying midges actually squeezed through our screens in Mackinaw City, we switched to a full hook up campground on the shore of Lake Superior. With a name like the Munising Tourist RV Park we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but we had a stunning lakefront spot and electric, sewer and water. Elle stuck her finger in the lake; it was ice cold; there would be no swimming here! But who cares, the views were simply amazing (and not a midge in sight, of course). We wished we had more than two nights here. Our spot was right on the lakeshore. This is what we imagined when we were planning this trip – the Airstream parked on the edge of a lake, looking out at the water, listening to the waves lapping against the shore.

Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island

Airstream Adventure Travel - Mackinac Island — Mackinac Island

We drove north from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore up to Mackinaw City, Michigan. The highlight of this stop was going to be our day trip to Mackinac Island, with it’s horse carriages, old fort and lovely old hotels and beautiful shoreline.

It was a peaceful drive that took us less than 3 hours. We arrived by noon and, after we set up camp, we decided to go out to lunch. We enjoyed simply outstanding fresh, wild salmon sandwiches at the Bière de Mac Brew Works on the outskirts of Mackinaw City. To Elle’s dismay, we opted not to eat at Weinerlicious despite the enticing giant hot dog on top of the building!

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Airstream Travel Adventure Great Sand Dunes Our next stop is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, Michigan. There are stunning water views on our drive to the park. We drive right along the lake and it’s a shimmering blue green color. Really beautiful. This is the stop of climbing giant orange sand dunes and taking some beautiful scenic drives.

We camp in the park at the Platte River Campground, which has an electric hookup but no water or sewer. It is a pretty campground in the woods with lots of trees and spacious sites that are not to close to your neighbor. This is our first time ever camping without water and sewer hook ups. Soon we will be dry camping (without any hookups) but this is our first test. We come prepared with our water tank full, which was completely unnecessary, as we could have filled up on the way in. Continue reading “Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore”