We’re in Minong, Wisconsin, where Tracy spent several summers as a kid because his grandparents lived here and ran the town grocery. He took me on a tour as we drove through, and I have to agree with his joke, “The town sure has gone to hell after my grandfather died.”
To be fair, there aren’t many small towns we’ve passed through in the Midwest that have thrived. Here in Minong, Tracy’s old fishing spots are still around, at least.
One Gorgeous Night
We found a perfect campsite in the county park by Minong Flowage and watched the full moon rise. That’s its reflection in the Airstream, up top.
The night was quiet, and we both read our books and watched a bald eagle overhead.
That Rule
A rule of thumb for traveling fulltime is 2-2-2.
- Drive for no more than 200 miles in a day (driving while towing is taxing).
- Arrive by 2:00 to give yourself time to set up and enjoy the evening.
- Stay for at least two nights so you have a full day without having to set up camp or break it down.
As a rule of thumb, I think this is smart, but not as a strict rule to follow always.
When we left Michigan, we packed up the campsite early in the morning, and we drove for a little more than four hours, stopping for carry-out only after searching through an earlier small town for decent lunch (didn’t really find it where we stopped, either). We did eat it in a small park while watching a guy with an attitude mow his grass. Surprisingly entertaining.
We then wound our way through this campground to find a spot, which itself was dicey; the road is narrow and twisty with folks moving their boat trailers around hidden turns and children darting out.
At the end of a travel day you still have to back the trailer into your site and level it, which can take a while.
Who wants to pack back up in the morning, hitch up, and do it all again?
Last night made breaking that rule so worth it. It’s 9 am now and pouring rain; smart Tracy checked the weather last night before bed so we packed up our outside gear then. All we have to do after the rain stops is make sure everything inside is secure, then hitch up and hit the road to Minneapolis.
Totally worth it.
I’m sure it’s a little nerve wracking towing something so large and going places you’ve never been before.
It is!
“We did eat it in a small park while watching a guy with an attitude mow his grass. Surprisingly entertaining. ” what sort of attitude?
Like he was in prison and had to be calm and cool while enjoying the lawn-mowing privilege.
America’s got talent fer sure…so many interesting things to observe.