We are sitting in a nice city campground in Shelby, MT. We decided to stay overnight close to the border, for the trip through customs first thing in the morning. Wait times have been short or non-existent but you can't be too careful. We've reviewed the list of restricted items and hope we've caught everything. More about that after we are successful. Fingers crossed.
The last few days were spent in Billings, MT where there is another location of our new favorite store, Sheels. The gentlemen had a great shopping day and the ladies did a little trophy hunting. Just trying to shake things up.
Next post from the land of the Canucks, eh.
After flinging themselves half-way across the country in about 5 days, Bob, Pam and Van finally caught us in Medora, ND. We are so happy they made it safe and sound. Since they spent days on the road and nights in the campgrounds, Van had no idea that a brake line on his truck had rusted through, rendering the truck useless.
Nevertheless, we had a beautiful drive to our next campground in Billings, MT. We finally understood the idea of Big Sky Country.
But as is the way of 4 men who like to get things done, and know how to do them, it's a work day. The four worked all day to repair the brake line, only to have the others go bad. Huge bummer. But all is not lost. There are plenty of places to get parts and another day to fix it.
Although we know these men can handle anything on the trip, we hope they won't have to.
These boys are our heroes.
We made it to Fargo, ND. The famed city of movies and TV. Paula is becoming quite the tour director. She sent us to the Fargo Moorhead Visitor Center for one of the main attractions in the area.
What you may ask? What is Fargo famous for? Plaid? Fur? Maybe. But I'm talking about the scariest garden tool ever. The Woodchipper. Yes, THE Woodchipper. If you've seen Fargo, you know what I'm talking about. We even posed for a photo with the infamous machine.
We found out that the family that started Sheels Sporting Goods is from Fargo. We discovered Sheels in Reno, NV. The store is more like a department store. They have everything, including a diner where Tom got an excellent elk Philly. They also have the best employees. We never had to look for someone to help us, and they were all friendly and knowledgable.
We bought jackets, scarves (mainly me because I can't have enough scarves), fishing equipment and Craig even bought me some Swarovski crystal. Okay, that was in the form of binoculars. Tom is still excited about the free hats. They tell us there is one in Billings, so you know where we will be in a few days. Ya, you Betcha!
When we started planning our route to Alaska, I wanted to see more than we usually do. We have been those Point A to Point B people in the past. Blasting past cool museums,fun festivals and roadside attractions. But not anymore. This time we took the Great River Road.
We intercepted the Road in St. Louis and followed it all the way to the headwaters of the Mississippi in Itasca State Park in Park Rapids, MN.
Tom remarked that you don't think about where the rivers start. True. And to see the humble beginnings is a cool experience. We could span the river with just 4 people. Wow. And the lake was so beautiful. A great day.
No one walked across the rocks, except Craig of course. He loves to jump around and tempt fate. It is kind of his strength.
Now we start across the Great Plains. Wagons, HO!
On the way to Minneapolis, we had to, I repeat, had to stop at the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, IA. It was just like we remembered from the movie. We all had a chance to stand on the pitchers mound and run the bases. The only thing missing was the field of corn. And Kevin Costner.
And then on to.....wait for it....The Spam Museum in Austin, MN. What you ask? A museum devoted to the amazingness that is Spam? Yes, there is such a place. A plethora of information about Hormel and Spam specifically. Who knew there were so many kinds of Spam? We did leave with a few types to try. We've decided to have a blind Spam tasting when we are all reunited on the road. Everyone had better brush up.
I also found out that I am 21 Spam cans tall. I'm not sure how that relates to my weight, but maybe I don't want to know.
At an rate, when we stopped we scared the pants off the Spam folks. We decided to drive the motorhomes to both the Field of Dreams and the Spam Museum. As we parked, we were met by a nice young man with a Spam umbrella, making sure we were okay where we parked. If you haven't seen two motorhomes parallel parked, you haven't lived. The folks in the store saw us go by and couldn't believe it. Two more badges for Craig and Tom.
The last few days were spent in Billings, MT where there is another location of our new favorite store, Sheels. The gentlemen had a great shopping day and the ladies did a little trophy hunting. Just trying to shake things up. 
After flinging themselves half-way across the country in about 5 days, Bob, Pam and Van finally caught us in Medora, ND. We are so happy they made it safe and sound. Since they spent days on the road and nights in the campgrounds, Van had no idea that a brake line on his truck had rusted through, rendering the truck useless. 
Although we know these men can handle anything on the trip, we hope they won't have to. 
We arrived at Medora, ND. Home of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It's a beautiful park in the Badlands of North Dakota. Painted canyons and an impressive amount of wildlife, large and small. Tom and Craig oohed and ached over the size of the antelope. We also caught sight of a few elk in velvet. What a lovely way to end a travel day. 
When we started planning our route to Alaska, I wanted to see more than we usually do. We have been those Point A to Point B people in the past. Blasting past cool museums,fun festivals and roadside attractions. But not anymore. This time we took the Great River Road. 
So we've had a few down days. We needed a chance to catch up on laundry, do some minor projects and, ummm, go the the Mall of America. Okay that was just for Paula and me. I think Craig and Tom went to Home Depot and Walmart.
As usual though, we couldn't just leave a town without finding out what it is famous for. And Grand Rapids is the home of the Judy Garland Museum. A small museum and her charming childhood home. 
And then on to.....wait for it....The Spam Museum in Austin, MN. What you ask? A museum devoted to the amazingness that is Spam? Yes, there is such a place. A plethora of information about Hormel and Spam specifically. Who knew there were so many kinds of Spam? We did leave with a few types to try. We've decided to have a blind Spam tasting when we are all reunited on the road. Everyone had better brush up.
