• Amy Gilmore
  • Amy Gilmore

RPod Travel 2021

Two humans, one dog, and one cat on a year long adventure in a small travel trailer. Les mer
  • Big Sky, MT & Gallatin River

    23. juli 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Big Sky, MT where the diversity is the super wealthy from the super duper wealthy. Saw the band Magnolia Boulevard outdoors at Len Hill Park. So good to be watching live bands again! Also enjoyed seeing the gritty side (college age ski and river rafting workers) to Big Sky when we did our laundry-and shots CHEERS LAGROWS-at the Sit and Spin Laundry. Moose Creek Campground was amazing. Loved being on the river. Did the Lava Lake hike with Kaline. It rained. TWICE. Short and heavy rains that were welcomed. And cool nights! I had to close windows in the middle of the night b/c it got too cold. Which meant I slept better b/c, well, better protected from ‘Da Bears. 🤷🏼‍♀️Les mer

  • Bozeman, MT

    25. juli 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    We loved Bozeman. Tyson said this city is his number one pick for places to settle. I realized I’d take endless cloudy days over endless smoke filled days (Michigan vs. Montana). 🤷🏼‍♀️ And snow and cold still comes to Bozeman. Awesome shopping, dining, drinking spots plus all the outdoor adventure sports. Hippy college town vibes mixed with ski town money.Les mer

  • Jackson, WY

    29. juli 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Posting footprint so our map is updated with all stops. Stayed at Antlers Inn in the heart of downtown Jackson. Our monthly budget is shot b/c of this one night stay but it was worth the drive through the Tetons! Jackson is neat but over-rated IMHO. I don’t ski though so that’s probably why. I also don’t have an unlimited supply of cash to spend on the $15 avocado toast and $45 bison burger.Les mer

  • Yellowstone & Grand Tetons

    31. juli 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    You’re driving for what seems like forever to get to the next visitor center or big thing to view and it’s pretty. But nothing we haven’t seen before in Montana. You’re wondering if it’s worth the drive and then BAM it’s there and it’s amazement like nothing else you’ve seen. It’s hundreds of bison in rut season. It’s the most colorful canyon with huge waterfalls, it’s volcanic hot springs and geysers singing steam into the air, it’s majestic valley views and winding mountain roads. It’s elk visiting our campsite every morning and evening to feed off the nearby bushes. It’s miles and miles of zero cell service. We prepared for the zero cell service. What we didn’t prepare for was the shocking news about my bro-in-law. After losing a cousin to Covid the week before & now the news of Doug’s stage 4 cancer diagnosis, the signs are pointing to head back to family. So that’s what we are doing. We did splurge on a hotel in Jackson, WY for one night so we could see the Grand Tetons. After spending almost every second together in our little HOWY, Tyson and I welcomed the opportunity to stretch out and have our very own bed in the two queen room!🤣Les mer

  • Little Bighorn & Mikesell-Potts CG

    1. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Longest day drive to date. 335 hilly miles and 8 hours (with stops) to finally get to an overnight destination near Buffalo, WY. We read up on the history of Custer’s Last Stand or, as the Lakota and other Plains Indians call it, the Battle of Greasy Grass. Drove through the Little Bighorn Battlefield Monument. It’s sickening and heart breaking to hear about the natives fighting for their land and how the US govt broke treaties, manipulated ownership, and bullied their way to get to gold and land. At least the history write-ups are beginning to depict the story with less USA and more Oops we did it again. Sushi puked on Friday morning and then stopped eating or drinking. Very lethargic. We’re concerned. I started force feeding her small amounts of liquid and protein. Hoping to get her to a vet in Rapid City.Les mer

  • Rapid City and Black Hills

    4. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    So MANY motorcycles. Sturgis Bike Rally starts in a few days. Met up with Kyle and Nikole for dinner at Firehouse Brewing. They live in TC and are on a road trip. So much fun to see them! Rapid City downtown is cool. Met a local (originally from MI) at Lost Cabin Brewery that tried to convince Tyson to line dance. 🤣 Sushi had to spend the night in the Rapid City Animal hospital. ☹️ She stopped eating and drinking while we were at Yellowstone. She’s all better after a night getting IV fluids and other meds. 💸 Thank goodness. If something were to happen to her I would fall apart. We also had a truck tire replaced. Slow leak that Discount Tire could not fix. Stayed at Rapid City RV Park and Central Lake Campground in Custer SP. Drove by Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore and through the small towns of Custer and Keystone. Lost Trails hike around the lake in our CG was nice. Needles highway in Black Hills is super cool. Iron Mtn highway okay. I should mention that Tyson has biked in almost every single spot we’ve stayed. The trail he tried to take at Custer SP was closed so he opted to go on a hike with me and Kaline around the lake which, of course, we both loved. We did A LOT of driving in the Black Hills area. Or I should say Tyson did a lot of driving of those winding narrow roads.

    Tyson: Is this where everyone in Lake Havasu goes for the summer?
    Les mer

  • Badlands NP & Wall Drug

    6. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    It’s been a while since we have gotten to boondock. Boondocking normally means more remote areas. I chose more populous places or next to major highways while in wildfire and grizzly territory. Just to be on the safe side. Now that we are out of grizzly territory and wildfires aren’t as plentiful, let’s boondock! Actually, this spot in Buffalo Gap National Grasslands isn’t as remote as most. Very close to Wall, SD, biking distance to Badlands NP entrance, and super awesome cell service. Easy dirt roads to maneuver too. Windy but beautiful. Wall Drug is just as I expected it to be. I would have appreciated it more if the Covid variant wasn’t starting to rear it’s ugly head. It was packed full of tourists and no one wearing masks. I doubt the motorcycle crowds are going to follow any sort of masking protocol for Sturgis. We did a 45 minute drive down Badlands NP dirt road (Sage Creek) our first evening and saw so much wildlife: bison, big horn sheep, prairie dogs, pronghorns and cattle.Les mer

  • Sioux Falls Fairgrounds

    7. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    One-night stop-over. And it’s humid outside. I had forgotten what that feels like. We wanted to stay at a nearby brewery (HH) but we couldn’t get confirmation in enough time. Finding a place on a Sat. night was going to be tough and we really did not want to confine ourselves to a Walmart parking lot. The Sioux Fall fairgrounds came to the rescue!Les mer

  • Minneapolis/St. Paul

    10. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    This was a fantastic campground! Lebanon Hills Regional Park. Great mountain biking and hiking. Stayed in the east loop, site #74. I’m embarrassed to admit we went to the Mall of America. Barrel Theory Brewery in downtown St. Paul had some tasty brews too. Oh, and there’s a gas station, Kwik Stop, near the campground that’s the bomb. They even had people handing out samples of food. I couldn’t convince Tyson to pay for and visit Paisley Park.Les mer

  • Duluth / Spirit Mtn CG

    12. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Another great campground (back loop more spaced out than the front) EXCEPT that many of their electric posts have reverse polarity. They were aware and gave us a discount since we didn’t feel comfortable plugging in. We splurged and ate out twice in Duluth. Both places were delicious but oh my goodness…Duluth Grill 🤤 🤤 🤤Les mer

  • Hriberniks!

    13. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    We decided to chance a FC/FS spot on a Friday afternoon. Never a good idea. The first two cg’s in Ashland were full. So was the one we checked in Washburn, WI BUT they had a cheap overflow camping area with awesome views. Old friends on their way to Isle Royal NP stopped in for a random visit. So much fun to see old friends in this small town on the coast of Lake Superior. In the morning, we enjoyed the lake, took a bike ride to the other FCFS campground to check it out, and did some outdoor strength training, & filled up on fancy outdoor water (artesian well) in our CG. I realized that checking out CGs is my thing. I think it’s b/c I do so much research and reading of reviews. I want to scope out other CGs to make sure I made the right choice. 😂 In this case, all the FCFS CGs in Ashland or Washburn are terrific choices. Oh, I almost forgot the BEST PART which is we saw Santa! Maddie sweetly asked him if he was Santa on vacation. He chuckled and said why yes I am. Have you been good this year? ❤️💚❤️💚Les mer

  • Porcupine Mtns

    16. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Now that we’ve experienced the grandeur of Montana and Wyoming terrain, the U.P. is just the U.P. But I won’t discount that this area during peak fall season would be magical to see. And so much green! And the water is high, not depleted of resources. I see it with a new reverence and sense of gratitude. The hikes we chose to do were spectacular. One along. A river with beautiful waterfalls, a small island and sunset on Lake Superior. Another high above the summit peak and then down to remote lakes and serene back country camping spots. Believe it or not, it’s the first time I’ve seen the bear poles in use. Lake Superior is beautiful!!!Les mer

  • Holland SP

    27. august 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    I didn’t take many photos here. Spent time helping family. The SP is actually in a great location. We stayed 3 nights on the beach end and 2 nights in the wooded area. Beach: pro is the proximity to the lake, beach and sunsets, saw an amazing storm roll in. The con is the parking lot camping. Wooded: pro is tree shade and space, con is still not secluded for wooded spots.Les mer

  • Fort Custer Site #108

    6. september 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    And now we close the circle and stay at the same campground where first started our adventure! Wow. Crazy, huh? We missed going to Colorado and Arkansas but gained time with family. And right now, that’s what is important. Bonus is getting to see good friends too. Like this crazy bunch at a distillery only minutes from our campground. ❤️Les mer

  • Kzoo/Markin Glen 2

    14. september 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Site 23 👍🏼👍🏼 The only way I can describe this part is Weird Ass Symptoms. Numb limbs and nerve stuff means time to go to the doctor. Lyme? Most likely. Something else? Possibly. It’s a good thing we are back in Michigan near my primary care provider. Whatever it is, it’s not slowing me down when it comes to playing tennis. Did I mention it feels so good to be back out on the courts again? 🎾 🎾 🎾Les mer

  • Holland SP Site #68

    17. september 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Walks with my sister and snippets of time with Doug when he was awake and could handle it. Saying he’s been in a funk is an understatement. Stage four cancer followed by severe sepsis can do that to a person. He broke down in front of me and the raw feelings were gut wrenching. He wants to be whole again, he said. He wants to provide for his family and work. He’s worried about money, about dying, about living. It’ll get better. You hang in there. Let us worry. You stay afloat and choose running towards life rather than fighting death, dammit. And heal. That was a few days ago. Today, he had a smile. And said he feels better. Hope. Believe in miracles, Doug. I do. I hugged him so long that it got awkward. I didn’t care.Les mer

  • Marlette, MI

    18. september 2021, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Spending quality time with Tyson’s family. 🥰 Tim had the perfect place to park a camper. Tyson and I got spoiled by Tim and Nancy’s hospitality and, of course, we loved it. Nancy’s cooking and baking skills can’t be beat. Lasagna, prime rib, coffee cake, German chocolate cake…sooo good. And Shivon’s expecting!! A little baby niece or nephew to squish and love exciting news.Les mer