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Farms in the trees gave way to …
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… farms on the prairie
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After crossing the border at Sault Ste Marie, we began a real road trip within
the road trip, covering over 2000 miles in a little over 2 weeks.
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Gran Dad’s Bluff Lacrosse, WI (Mississippi River Overlook)
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In Wisconsin and Minnesota, we visited dozens of family and friends, during
trips to accessible Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Rib Mt and the Wisconsin River
in Wausau, Grad Dad’s Bluff in La Crosse, Marieke’s Gouda Cheese Factory in
Thorp and to the not very accessible Stone Hill Park in Canby.
We drove as quickly as possible through SD in order to avoid the extreme
heat, stopping only for a cold drink at a very accessible Wall Drug.
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Black Hills, SD |
On the other (Western) side of Sturgis, where the Harley Davidsons were
gathering for their annual rally, we went for a sunset drive around the
Wildlife Loop at Custer State Park in the Black Hills.
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Pronghorn antelope In Custer State Park
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We only saw 2 bison from the herds for which this park is famous, but we
encountered lots of other wildlife on our mini-safari, including 2 beautiful
pronghorn antelopes.
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Devil’s Tower,WY |
Our first stop in Wyoming was Devil’s Tower National Monument. With the
five iconic musical notes from “Close Encounters” playing in our heads, we
took the detour to see what the fuss was all about.
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Trailhead up Devil’s Tower
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The paved parking lot has several disabled parking spots in
various places. Curb cuts are not everywhere and sometimes hard to find or not
where needed. So, it makes sense to park in the highest lot near the trailhead
if going up the trail, and park lower near the visitors center, if just going
there. The visitors center, restrooms, vault toilets, and drinking fountain
are all accessible.
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Accessible lower trail to Devil’s Tower
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The trail from the parking lot to Devil's Tower is accessible and
feasible up to the observation area with benches, although the steep slope is
difficult for manual chairs.
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Non-accessible trail above observation Area
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After the observation area, the trail gets even steeper and the cross slope
gets worse, but you could go up a little ways, until you come to benches and
signs. Beyond that, the trail is very steep and sometimes narrow, with
challenging cross slope. The view at any level is spectacular, and the trip
was worth it for the nostalgia of mashed potatoes and “Close Encounters.”
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Econolodge in Chamberlain, SD
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Along the way we found several nice ADA rooms in hotels: The
Holiday Inn in La Crosse, WI had a king bed and roll-in shower.
The Econolodge in Oacoma, SD had a king bed and a bathroom with a
shower/tub combination and lots of grab bars (very nice, if you could
squeeze through the narrow aisle sided by the bed in order to get
there).
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Day’s Inn in Worland, WY
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Before entering Yellowstone from the east, we stayed overnight at the
Day's Inn in Worland, where our room and the motel were accessible
according to all ADA criteria, and the staff was extremely helpful and
friendly.
After Devil’s Monument, the hills became mountains became higher.
We rode through the canyons, ending up in the mountains near the
border with Montana and Idaho.
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