Mitchell KOA Journey

We stayed at Mitchell KOA Journey in Mitchell, South Dakota. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A convenient stop on our journey west. Our second stay here (see that post for more pictures). It was for sale last time, now under new management, with some welcome improvements.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2025-08-18
  • Check out: 2025-08-19
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Sunny
  • High temp 87°F, low 69°F
  • Negligible wind, gusts to 7 MPH

Noise:

  • Some freeway noise
  • Very occasional distant train horn noise
  • Little neighbor noise

Site:

  • #C-15, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t, since only one night
  • Somewhat level site; used air leveling, since only one night
  • Gravel driveway about 80 feet long by 10 feet wide
  • 10 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • No trees
  • Clean site
  • Elevation 1,310 feet, front facing NE

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 55 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed); two sewer ports

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • RoamLink: 10-19 Mbps down, 16-19 Mbps up, 103 ms ping (the RoamLink service picks the best network)
  • AT&T: 26 Mbps down, 0.2 Mbps up, 105 ms ping (I have AT&T on my iPhone)
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage pickup from site
  • Mini golf
  • Local frozen pizza available

See our previous review on Campground Reviews.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site; very narrow, but fine for one night:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Some frozen pizza options mentioned on the check-in counter; we love not having to cook on a travel day, so picked up a “Mac n’ Cheese Louise” pizza:

Pizza options

Pizza

Pizza

Pre-cooking:

Pizza

It was interesting and tasty, and most welcome on a long travel day.

Our second stay here, and we’d be happy to stay again.

Hancock City Park

We stayed at Hancock City Park in Hancock, Michigan. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice waterfront(ish) site in a city park in the UP.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2025-08-02
  • Check out: 2025-08-09
  • 7 nights

Weather:

  • Mostly sunny, some rain
  • High temps 75-84°F, lows 59-69°F
  • A little wind, gusts to 20 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • Some neighbor noise

Site:

  • #55, back-in, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Somewhat level site; high on passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 70 feet long by 16 feet wide
  • 50 feet to neighbor on passenger side
  • But path to beach on passenger side
  • No neighbor on driver side
  • Trees between sites
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees
  • Mostly clean site
  • Elevation 610 feet, front facing NW

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • No water or sewer
  • Potable water and dump station by entrance

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • Starlink: 125-245 Mbps down, 20-35 Mbps up, 30 ms ping
  • RoamLink: 70 Mbps down, 7-9 Mbps up, 135 ms ping (the RoamLink service picks the best network, so I’m not sure which one it used, other than not AT&T)
  • AT&T: 8-10 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 200-350 ms ping (I have AT&T on my iPhone)
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Waterfront

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Great basecamp for UP adventures

We stayed here for a week to explore Isle Royale NP and the UP and would happily stay here again; there’s just so much to do in the area. Our site was a back-in with a view over Portage Lake, and it was nice to watch the boats going out. This site had 50A electric, but no other utilities. Potable water and a dump station were conveniently near the exit. The site was spacious, which was nice, even if it did invite people to take a shortcut through it from the walking path. We camped at Hancock City Park in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Been a while since we used the griddle… and haven’t used it since:

Griddle

No water or sewer at our site, so I filled the water bladder at the dump station:

Filling water bladder

Pumping water from the bladder into the coach:

Pumping water into coach

And pumping the black and gray tanks into the tote in the truck:

Pumping waste into tote

Dumping from the tote:

Dumping from tote

There was a path to the beach next to our site:

Our site

The beach:

Beach

Beach

Beach

We dipped our toes in Lake Superior:

Beach

Ranger III going by; the boat to Isle Royale (but we took a float plane instead, much faster):

Ranger III

A sailboat:

Sailboat

We tried Culver’s for the first time; perhaps overly friendly staff, but tasty food:

Culver's

Culver's

We would have preferred site 48; nicely tucked away, with no neighbors, and water view on the passenger side:

Site 48

Site 53 would also be good; obviously set up as a front-in site (despite being mostly occupied by trailers awkwardly fronting in most of the time):

Site 53

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Tent site:

Tent site

Check in office:

Check in office

Playground:

Playground

Boat parking area:

Boat parking area

Boat launch:

Boat launch

We’d be happy to stay here again (preferably in site 48 or 53, but site 55 was next best).

Kewaunee RV & Campground

We stayed at Kewaunee RV & Campground in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A one night stopover at a rather tight campground.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2025-08-01
  • Check out: 2025-08-02
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Mostly sunny
  • High temp 72°F, low 58°F
  • Little wind, gusts to 11 MPH

Noise:

  • Little road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • No neighbor noise

Site:

  • #27, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad (just barely), and didn’t, since only one night
  • Fairly level site; used air leveling, since only one night
  • Gravel driveway about 59 feet long by 10 feet wide
  • 16 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Some tall trees
  • Somewhat clean site
  • Elevation 680 feet, front facing west

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 45 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • RoamLink: 6-10 Mbps down, 2-3 Mbps up, 130-170 ms ping (the RoamLink service picks the best network, so I’m not sure which one it used, other than not AT&T)
  • AT&T: 32-45 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 115 ms ping (I have AT&T on my iPhone)
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Cramped campground, mostly seasonal

We stayed for one night and didn’t want to unhook our tow vehicle, but the staff who guided us to our site helped get us situated. I did not, however, appreciate being reprimanded for booking online and not calling to book a site “that would fit us.” First off, they advertise as being “big-rig friendly,” and 2, I didn’t see any sites that were longer than the one we were in, and we pretty much filled the entire site end-to-end. I’m not sure what “big-rig friendly” means to them, as all the interior roads were narrow and hard to navigate around the seasonal residents’ cars and other obstacles. Apart from the cramped nature of the sites, they did have lovely landscaping around the common areas and lots of neat garden art. We enjoyed walking over to the frozen custard place for dinner, but that alone isn’t enough to stay here again. We camped at Kewaunee RV & Campground in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

Other sites, mostly seasonal:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

An art:

An art

An art

Pool:

Pool

We walked to the nearby Kewaunee Custard & Grill for dinner:

Kewaunee Custard & Grill

Kewaunee Custard & Grill

Kewaunee Custard & Grill

Kewaunee Custard & Grill

The food was tasty, but the campground was not great. We likely wouldn’t stay here again, though there weren’t a lot of good options in the area.

Travel from Milton to Kewaunee, Wisconsin

We drove our coach 184 miles, about three hours of driving, from Milton to Kewaunee, Wisconsin.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading northeast:

Map

An interactive map, with potential stops pinned:

I-39 North:

I-39 North

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

Exit:

Exit

Exit to I-41 North:

Exit to I-41 North

We stopped at Tabberts for lunch:

Tabberts for lunch

Menu

Menu

Tabberts

Food

I’m not usually a French toast kinda guy, but I saw that they had super-thick French toast, so had to try it; it was tasty:

Food

Back to the coach (plenty of parking):

Back to the coach (plenty of parking)

I-41 North:

I-41 North

EAA Aviation Museum:

EAA Aviation Museum

Oshkosh:

Oshkosh

Exit to 29 East:

Exit to 29 East

Kewaunee:

Kewaunee

Kewaunee

Kewaunee RV Campground:

Kewaunee RV Campground

Kewaunee RV Campground

Travel from Scottsburg to Chesterton, Indiana

We drove our coach 252 miles, about four hours of driving, from Scottsburg to Chesterton, Indiana.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading north:

Route

An interactive map, with potential stops pinned:

I-65 North:

I-65 North

An interesting bridge:

Interesting bridge

Rest area:

Rest area

Spotting our coach on traffic cams:

Spotting our coach on a traffic cam

Spotting our coach on a traffic cam

Freeway closed:

Freeway closed

“Construction Expect Delays; Seek Alternate Route”:

Construction Expect Delays; Seek Alternate Route

Freeway closed:

Freeway closed

Popeyes for lunch at truck stop:

Popeyes for lunch at truck stop

Fire boat:

Fire boat

Entering Central Time Zone:

Entering Central Time Zone

Exit to I-90 and I-94:

Exit to I-90 and I-94

Passing through Indiana Dunes National Park:

Passing through Indiana Dunes National Park

Entering Indiana Dunes State Park:

Entering Indiana Dunes State Park

Indiana Dunes State Park entrance station:

Indiana Dunes State Park entrance station

Our site:

Our site

Scottsburg Raintree Lake KOA Holiday

We stayed at Scottsburg Raintree Lake KOA Holiday in Scottsburg, Indiana. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice KOA, with food delivery to the site, which is very welcome on a travel day.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2025-07-25
  • Check out: 2025-07-26
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Mostly sunny
  • High temp 93°F, low 75°F
  • Little wind, gusts to 12 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • Little neighbor noise

Site:

  • #78, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t, since only one night
  • Mostly level site; used air leveling, since only one night
  • Gravel driveway about 70 feet long by 14 feet wide
  • 12 feet to neighbor on passenger side
  • 15 feet to road on driver side
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • One tall tree
  • Clean site
  • Elevation 590 feet, front facing SW

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 50 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • Campground Wi-Fi: 70 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 6 ms ping
  • RoamLink: 12 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 190 ms ping (the RoamLink service picks the best network, so I’m not sure which one it used)
  • AT&T: 8-12 Mbps down, 0.3 Mbps up, 120 ms ping (I have AT&T on my iPhone)
  • Starlink: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage pickup from site
  • Pool
  • Food delivery to site, including pizza, breakfast, shakes, ice cream, etc

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Beautifully tended campground

We stopped here for one night and were delighted with our stay. The owners and staff were all very friendly and welcoming, where it truly felt like they wanted to help, not just as a matter of course. Check-in was a breeze, and then we were escorted to our site, which was clean and in good condition. The pull-through was long enough for our 40-foot motorhome and tow vehicle without having to disconnect. They offer food delivery to your site, which is appreciated after a day of driving, so we enjoyed pizza, fried mozzarella sticks, and milkshakes. All in all, this was a pleasant stop and we’d be happy to stay again. We camped at Scottsburg Raintree Lake KOA Holiday in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Menu:

Menu

Pizza, mozzarella sticks, shakes:

Pizza, mozzarella sticks, shakes

Tasty, and welcome on a travel day. We’d be happy to stay here again.

Travel from Tarentum, Pennsylvania to Oregonia, Ohio

We drove our coach 279 miles, about five hours of driving, from Tarentum, Pennsylvania to Oregonia, Ohio.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading west:

Route map

An interactive map, with potential stops pinned:

Our coach, driving to a place to toad up:

Our coach

Narrow windy road:

Narrow windy road

Fort Pitt Tunnel:

Fort Pitt Tunnel

Fort Pitt Tunnel

I-376 West:

I-376 West

Exit to I-79:

Exit to I-79

Rest area:

Rest area

Exit to I-70:

Exit to I-70

I-70 West:

I-70 West

Welcome to West Virginia:

Welcome to West Virginia

Truck stop:

Truck stop

Country Pride for lunch:

Country Pride for lunch

Country Pride for lunch

5% downgrade:

5% downgrade

Exit to I-470 West:

Exit to I-470 West

Bridge:

Bridge

Welcome to Ohio:

Welcome to Ohio

Rest area:

Rest area

I-270 South:

I-270 South

I-71 South:

I-71 South

Olive Branch Campground:

Olive Branch Campground

Olive Branch Campground

Olive Branch Campground

Baseball: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago White Sox

We did a pregame tour and attended a game of the Pittsburgh Pirates vs the Chicago White Sox at the Pirates’ ballpark, PNC Park.

Jenn’s game summary:

We took a tour of the park before the game, and it’s a lovely ballpark. A beautiful view of the skyline and numerous neat touches throughout—plantings and artwork that tie the present to the past. The team has a rich history and shows much respect for its roots. The current team, however, is not good. Blown out by the White Sox, who are also one of the worst teams—an embarrassment. Still, the fans show up to root for “the Bucs”. Cute pierogi race between innings and a Warhol cam to salute a famous son of the city.

An interactive map of the ballpark and environs:

PNC Park:

PNC Park

Statue

Exhibits:

Exhibits

Pirates logos:

Pirates logos

Exploring PNC Park:

PNC Park

A suite:

Suite

Suite

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park

Tenders and fries:

Food

Selfie

View from our seats in Section 115, row S, seats 27 & 28:

View from our seats

Preparing home plate:

Preparing home plate

Preparing home plate

Play ball:

Baseball

Baseball

Baseball

Baseball

Warhol Cam:

Warhol Cam

Nachorita:

Nachorita

Nachorita

Race:

Race

PNC Park

Baseball

Mascot:

Mascot

Mascot

Baseball

Scores:

Scores

Crew credits:

Crew credits

PNC Park

The Bellefonte Campground

We stayed at The Bellefonte Campground in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A convenient stop on our journey.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2025-07-12
  • Check out: 2025-07-13
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Mostly cloudy, some drizzle
  • High temp 87°F, low 70°F
  • Little wind, gusts to 15 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • LIttle neighbor noise

Site:

  • #68, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t, since only one night
  • Somewhat level site; a little high in the rear; used air leveling, since only one night
  • Gravel driveway about 70 feet long by 15 feet wide
  • 15-50 feet to neighbor on passenger side
  • 20 feet to neighbor on driver side
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees
  • Clean site
  • Elevation 1,070 feet, front facing SE

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • Didn’t connect water or sewer, but conveniently located

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • Campground Wi-Fi (Starlink powered): 24-30 Mbps down, 12-25 Mbps up, 28-38 ms ping
  • RoamLink: 80 Mbps down, 12 Mbps up, 156-185 ms ping (the RoamLink service picks the best network, so I’m not sure which one it used, other than not AT&T)
  • AT&T: 85 Mbps down, 15 Mbps up, 100 ms ping (I have AT&T on my iPhone)
  • Starlink: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Convenient stop on I-80

We stayed one night on our way through PA, and this was a nice stop along the way. We were in site 68, which wasn’t very level, but it was long enough before the steepest part of the slope that we didn’t need to unhook our tow vehicle (which is always annoying for one night). Some of the turns getting into the site were a bit sharp, and we had to thread the needle between the turn and a bunch of cars parked at the group site. I do so love navigating a tight turn with 20 people gawking at my skills, so I’m glad I could put on a show for them. Anyway, this was a nice quiet spot and we’d stay here again if we were in the area.

Be aware that there was massive construction on Hwy 26, with only one lane open the entire length of it, which made for some white knuckle driving to get in and out of the campground. We camped at The Bellefonte Campground in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

We enjoyed pizza delivery from Pizza Mia in Bellefonte; always nice when we don’t need to cook on a travel day:

Pizza

Pizza

We’d stay here again, though might look for alternatives if the road construction is still underway.