Maple Grove Minnesota

We arrived in Maple Grove on Sunday, May 22nd after a very nice visit with our good friends Sonya and Pat in Oronoco, MN.  They are wonderful hosts and we had the opportunity to stay in their beautiful new home.  Thank you, Pat and Son.  When we arrived at the Maple Grove KOA we were enthusiastically greeted by the owners Joyce and Dan Hou, who we've Workkamped for or stayed at their campground for many years.  They too, have become very dear friends over the years.

Since our arrival, we have had the opportunity to watch the Grand Kids play soccer and baseball; entertain friends; Roger made some of his famous BBQ Chicken; went to a family get together at Lindsay and Tom's and I went to visit my cousin Colleen and her husband Leo.  We even were able to have an overnight guest, our Grand Puppy, Linus.

Owen's baseball game

Leo and Grandpa

Kaiden Soccer

Roger's Famous BBQ Chicken

Roger and Grand Puppy, Linus

I got a surprise when we opened our mail that we picked up in Sioux Falls, I found out that I've been published!  A recipe that I submitted to Taste of Home magazine several years ago, is featured in the June/July issue of their magazine "Simple and Delicious".  The recipe is a very easy hamburger recipe, but is very good.  Who would've guessed!

Hamburger Recipe

Sioux Falls South Dakota

After a very long day driving 375 miles, we landed in Sioux Falls, SD.  Even  though we lived in Maple Grove for many years, when we decided to go on the road full time 6 years ago, we came to Sioux Falls to set up our residency in South Dakota.  Since we were traveling through today, we decided to stop at Dakota Post, the company that processes our mail; pick up our mail that has accumulated while we've been traveling and say "hi".  Tomorrow, we will stop for the night and visit friends in Oronoco, MN.  Oronoco is a northern suburb of Rochester.  Have a great evening!

Custer State Park

It's been several years since we've been to Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  We visited the Park today with our good friends, Harold and Barb Adams, who we met and work-camped with at the Augusta/Gardiner KOA in Maine.  Here are just a few of the fabulous sites that we viewed today.

We saw buffalo at the entrance to the Park

We saw them sleeping next to the road

 

In herds far off the road

In herds close to the road

Calves and their Moms

Maverick Bulls next to the road

Mavericks on the road

Grazing

Right next to the car

Grazing with birds on their backs and birds around them

We saw Pronghorn Antelope at the Entrance to the Park

 

We saw them in herds

On the road

Up Close

 

 And next to the car

We saw Wild Donkeys

Notice the tongue

Wild Ducks

Mallards at Hole in the Wall

 Prairie Dogs

and Mule Deer next to the car.

We also saw a Marmot and a Wild Turkey, but they were too quick to get a picture of.  We traveled up the the mountain to about 6000' to view the Cathedral Spirals.

We traveled through the Iron Creek Tunnel on our way up.

Iron Creek Tunnel

View on the way up the mountain

Once we got to the top, we had to go through another tunnel

Just a little narrow!

The spires are beautiful

Then there's the Needles Eye

On the way down the mountain, great views

The Prairie

Black Hills

Then finally, Sylvan Lake

There you have the beauty of Custer State Park.

When we got on the road to come back to Hart Ranch, where we're camping, we came across some Texas Longhorn cattle.  Pretty impressive!

Barb and Harold, thank you for driving and such a fun day at Custer State Park