South Dakota Here We Come!

For vacation this year, we decided to take the RV out west - well as far out west as we could get with only three weeks to get there and back. We left Raleigh, NC on Friday evening and made it to Pilot Mountain State Park outside of Mt. Airy, NC.  The weather was heavenly that evening - cool and crisp - ah! My favorite temperature. We had enough time to drive to the top of the overlook before they closed the gate. Then we had a nice fire and chilled out. All of their campsites have electric and water, but the terrain is very uneven and rocky. This campground would not have been fun with kids 4 and under. My 4 year old was stumbling around as it is.

We rolled out of the park not long after opening time at 8 a.m. We traveled up I-77 through Virginia and into West Virginia taking the West Virginia Turnpike to Charleston, WV.  From there we took unfinished Hwy 35 to Point Pleasant, WV where we crossed the Ohio River into Ohio State. We continued on Hwy 35 all the way to Dayton where we got on I-70 into Indiana.

We ended this day of driving at Summit Lake State Park near Mooreland, Indiana. It was mentally satisfying to have NC, VA, WV and OH under our belts at the end of Saturday.

We took the next day (Sunday) to relax and site see in the area. We really appreciated this stop. It was very idyllic in a lot of ways.

Monday morning, we pulled out around 7:30 a.m. and worked our way west on a nice straight secondary road and then hit I-69 into Indianapolis. Immediately, we realized our error as the rush hour traffic into the city was atrocious. So, we got off at the next exit and detoured north along secondary roads (a couple of which had their own detours) until we were finally able to get back on course on I-74 west toward Illinois. Illinois is mostly a blur except that I noted the nice river front area in Peoria, IL along the Illinois River. When we crossed the great Mississippi an hour or so later it was not nearly as impressive, though we took special notice anyway as this was Kelly and the kid's first time crossing the artery of North America (by car).

A common site on our travels: corn and soybean fields and windmills

We got on Interstate 80 in Davenport, IA and continued west. We made it to Rock Creek State Park between Iowa City and Des Moines by 7 p.m. Monday evening, only because we gained an hour at the Mississippi when we crossed into the Central Time Zone.

Again we took the next day (Tuesday) to rest and enjoy our surroundings. Kelly took another bike ride while the kids made friends with some locals and fished on the dock. After lunch, we drove out to a Mariposa County park and saw exactly three bison in a field (we are certain this is only a preview of what is to come.)

As campgrounds go, Rock Creek State Park has probably the best cost to benefit ratio of any we have experienced. It is only $16 a night including electric. There isn't any water hookups but the shower house is clean and functional, we are right next to the playground, and there is a nice lake view.

Site #59 at Rock Creek Lake State Park with playground adjacent & bathhouse behind

Our view of the lake.

Wednesday it's South Dakota or bust! Actually, I prefer, "God willing and the creek don't rise," as my beloved Mamaw used to say.

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I Heart Indiana

Saturday night, we camped at Summit Lake State Park not too far north of Interstate 70. The campsites were big and grassy with water and electric hookups. The water hookups were spread out funny so we had to park the rig in just the right spot for the water hose to reach the spigot on one side and the electric cable to reach the outlet on the otherside. It worked out fine thankfully.

We decided to hangout there the next day and recuperate a bit before driving another day. It turned out to be a really nice area. Kelly started off his day by biking 22 miles partially on the nearby Cardinal Greenway. It was very flat here and he really enjoyed his ride. (This place made us think of our friends Merl and Amy - they would love this area.) Meanwhile, the kids and I went to the playground and hiked around in the park.

After lunch, we went to the Wilber Wright Birthplace and Museum. When we left we passed these guys on the road:

We then drove about 45 minutes to the town of Anderson and visited Mounds State Park. We wanted to take a look at the Indian mounds, several earthworks created by Adena-Hopewell people. The largest of these is called "Great Mound" and dates back to 160 BC.

Great Mound at Mounds State Park

Also on the grounds is a historic residence undergoing renovation.

Other pictures taken at Mound State Park:

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Wilbur Wright Birthplace and Museum

During our stay at Summit Lake State Park, we stopped by the birthplace of Wilber Wright. Expecting there to simply be an old home with period artifacts inside, my husband was less than interested. Given that it was just a few miles from the state park, I encouraged him to just drive by and let me get a picture. When we arrived we found that there was more to it than expected – a little something for everyone including a group of model plane enthusiasts flying their planes (I neglected to get a picture of that, however).

Living in North Carolina, I am very aware of Kitty Hawk and the significance of the Wright brothers. However, being who I am, learning about the person makes it so much more interesting. (A trip to Kitty Hawk will now be much more enticing.)

Wilbur and his family only lived in this location for about 18 months. His father Milton was a minister and (if I remember correctly) they moved a lot due to his vocation. Milton later became a Bishop of the United Brethren Church in Christ

The smokehouse

 It was fun explaining this outhouse to the kids - complete with sears catalog and corn cobs.

The outhouse

There is a wonderful museum on site that houses memorabilia, educational audio and video on the life of Wilbur Wright (as well as a modern restroom.) Wilbur planned to be a minister until his front teeth were knocked out playing sports. He subsequently had a bout of depression and immersed himself in books.

There was one sign in the museum that stated it was their mother who encouraged their imaginations and even built toys for them (having acquired skills from her father who was an accomplished woodworker) - a nice reminder of the importance of a mom's role in the life of her children.

Orville is on the left and Wilbur is on the right

Inside the museum is also a full scale model of the Wright Flyer.  It was constructed for flight but was never flown because it never received FAA approval.

Not sure why this plane is there next to the memorial. I guess they needed some kind of airplane on the grounds commemorating the life of the co-inventor of the first aircraft.

Wilbur Wright Memorial

The total cost for a family of four to tour the Wilbur Wright Birthplace and Museum was only $10. There is also a gift shop with very reasonably priced souvenirs.

So everyone's expectations were exceeded with this stop.

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