We made our “furthest point from home” turnaround destination! BB is sitting in my mom’s driveway in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. That’s where she’ll be for a week, while Quent and I get to sleep in a king-size bed, take a shower without crouching, and flush a toilet without using our feet. It will be glorious!
In 3 weeks, we’ve traveled 3,325 miles across 13 states and visited 6 national parks, monuments, and memorials. In the past week, we slept at:
- an industrial parking lot (Chicago, IL)
- wooded state park and national park campgrounds (Porter/Chesterton, IN)
- a rest area off the turnpike (Amherst, OH)
- a fancy RV resort (Byron, NY)
- a brewery (Schenectady, NY)
I’m determined to try all the things on this RV trip — what do we have to lose? — so even the nondescript, urban lot in Chicago was thrilling. We were parked right next to train tracks, but that didn’t stop Quent from getting the best night sleep he’s had the entire trip! Funny.
Scenic highlight #1: Indiana Dunes
The route for this trip aims to hit as many national parks as possible. I’d never even heard of Indiana Dunes National Park, just an hour east of Chicago, before planning this trip. I’m so so glad we visited.
Oddly, the Indiana Dunes State Park right on the shore of Lake Michigan is surrounded by national park land. Because the state park’s campground is closer to the water, we booked one night there. We would have booked two, but there weren’t any spots available the next night. Turns out the campground at the national park was even more fabulous with its ultra-private sites enveloped in trees, so we’re glad we got to experience both!
From our state park campsite we walked a part-sand, part-boardwalk trail to the beach — and it totally resembled an ocean beach! Sand from the towering dunes blanketed the shore, just like you might see at any sandy coastal beach. I couldn’t believe how the waves rolled in, as if we were standing at edge of the Atlantic. I can imagine how popular this spot is among families in the heat of the summer. What a great place to cool off.
Quent and I also went hiking from the state park campground one morning. We happened upon the “3-Dune Challenge,” a loop trail that involved “summiting” three different sand dunes. We had lots of laughs about how, since we’re from Colorado, we’ve summited 14,000-foot mountains. Still, reaching the top of the dunes (176, 184, and 186 feet) was pretty cool. Thankfully we didn’t have to trudge through sand at each one; wooden steps helped make the trek a little easier. Still, there was enough sand-trudging to give my butt and hamstrings a good workout!
Scenic highlight #2: Brandywine Falls
Before researching this trip I hadn’t realized Ohio had a national park either! Cuyahoga Valley National Park stretches more than 50 miles between Cleveland and Akron. I wish we had more time to drive through and hike in the valleys. Alas, there’s that work thing that keeps our sightseeing limited during the week.
In order to get in a little hike at this national park, we were up and out of our campground by 7:30 a.m. On a crisp, dewy morning we looped around beautiful Brandywine Falls, traipsing through thick forest, along a bike trail, and even next to an inn, where the pet sheep came to say hello. It was the perfect dose of nature to start our day!
Looks great! Love that beach!!