6/11 I am posting to the blog late, sorry. A lot has happened in the last few days as I prepared the van to go on the road. I took the van to the dealer and they did a check up and readied the van for the road. The low tire pressure sign finally went off. I’m good for about 5000 miles now.
I actually managed to fit all of my doctor appointments in too. I am amazed as to what I accomplished in such a short time!

First stop – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The weather turned bad in Wisconsin and Minnesota and I had to deal with the remnants of Cristobal. It was mostly a white knuckle drive in 40+ mile an hour winds with rain mixed in. I hate driving over water, too. The Mississippi River was swollen and fear was steady in my brain. At least it wasn’t boring. The sun finally came out as I neared South Dakota. I made a couple of stops and took a nap too.
When I reached Sioux Falls, I stopped to eat at Subway and then decided that I didn’t want to stay there, so I got back on the road to see if I could find some free camping. I drove around for about an hour and then found Palisades State Park and drove there to see if there was a campsite. I called and lucked out with an accessible camp site that was the last one available. It wasn’t free, but I stayed for 2 nights and it was beautiful! I also bought an annual pass so I don’t have to keep paying entrance fees. I’ll be in South Dakota for a week, and it made sense.
The Split Rock River has a creek that runs through the camp sites and I got to sleep next to a babbling brook! There was a historical bridge and a nice walking trail. People were sunbathing and rock climbing and the neighbors were nice. (too many kids, though). (Later I realized that I forgot my step stool to get in the van. Damn! I called and they will let me know if they find it.) Called again and it wasn’t found. 😦