I have been traveling south and west. I am ready to be heading home. It doesn’t seem like I am taking the most direct route but it has been fun on the journey home.

What makes a good campground? Well the obvious is that it is clean,kept up and the bathrooms have to be well maintained. (my wish list) Sometimes what makes a good campground is the scenery. It can be located in the trees or next to water and lack of traffic noise helps. Sometimes it is the people. Hopefully it is all of the above.

Four nights ago, I stayed at the Knife River Campground north of Duluth, MN.  It was an unassuming little campground. It was within walking distance of Lake Superior and there was a hiking trail on the river near the campground. Randy the owner was a pretty laid back guy. It took me a while to pay him as he had other things he was doing. There were totems on the property that he had carved. He was working on a ships wheel for a sailing vessel he is restoring. At the entrance is a plane made with spare parts. Yep, Randy did that too.

Janet & Randy standing next to the Vaffel House that he made

I also met Wendy and Mark who are living in their very own small house on wheels. They have been living in it since Wendy retired a year ago. It is really cute and may be even smaller than my RT.

The Small House

The next morning I joined Randy and John, another camper for breakfast in Duluth before I started to drive south. Both of these men told me I could not miss Decorah, Iowa. I put it in my GPS and headed out.

Two days later I was in Decorah. It is a nice town. There is a college there (Luther College) so I saw a more modern town than what I had been seeing in the mid-west. The Vestenheim Museum was the goal of the visit. It holds historical artifacts regarding the immigration of Norwegians to the USA. It is a very interesting place to visit. I don’t know if I did it justice, because something else of interest caught my attention.

Decorah during Nordic Fest

Early in this trip someone posted a you tube video of a biking trail in Deocrah. I was planning to try and find it. Then I got busy with weddings and the rest of the trip and forgot about this trail, until I saw a flyer and then I remembered it.

Beginning of the Trout Run Trail

After finding the Pulpit Campground I got on my biking clothes and checked my tires and got ready to ride. It was really fun trail. It took me out into the countryside, up hill and down. I got to see some beautiful farms and corn fields, lots of corn fields. It was a great ride with a bit of a challenge, on a beautifully kept trail. Half way through the ride there was a  fish hatchery. I met some locals there. Everyone kept thanking me for visiting Iowa.  I guess Iowa is not on everyone’s itinerary. I would go back.

Scenes along the trail

There were many things you could do in and around Decorah and I found the town to be delightful. I loved getting on my bike.

Now I am pushing west. I am near North Platt Nebraska tonight. It is hot and sticky and I think I may go get in the pool or at least take a walk.

Today I am thankful for events,appearing totally un-related, which bring me full circle and keep me on my path, figuratively and literally.