Travel from Mitchell to Custer, South Dakota

We drove our coach 313 miles, about five hours of driving, from Mitchell, South Dakota to Custer, South Dakota.

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

Route map

An interactive map:

Heading west of I-90:

I-90 West

Rest area stop:

Rest area

Sunflower field:

Sunflowers

The Dignity of Earth and Sky sculpture:

Sculpture

A Tiffin Allegro Red motorhome passing us:

Tiffin Allegro Red motorhome

Lunch stop at Hutch’s Cafe:

Hutch's Cafe

Menu:

Menu

Hutch's Cafe

Hutch's Cafe

Back to our coach:

Back to our coach

Entering Mountain Time Zone:

Entering Mountain Time Zone

Passing Badlands National Park:

Badlands National Park

Another rest area:

Rest area

Paladin sat in his dash bed for a while:

Paladin sat in his dash bed for a while

Firehouse Brewery & Winery had several fire trucks along the freeway:

Firehouse Brewery & Winery had several fire trucks along the freeway

Paladin asleep on the floor:

Paladin asleep on the floor

Busts:

Busts

Entering Custer State Park, our favorite state park:

Custer State Park

Curvy road:

Curvy road

Whatever we do, don’t turn onto Needles Highway with our coach! Very narrow and short tunnels:

Needles Highway intersection

Legion Lake campground entrance:

Campground entrance

Our site, with a glimpse of the lake in the background:

Our site

Mitchell KOA Journey

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

Another KOA Journey, with an interesting (and easy to navigate) layout.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-26
  • Check out: 2024-07-29
  • 2 nights

Weather:

  • Sunny
  • High temps 91-95°F, lows 71-72°F
  • A bunch of wind, gusts to 32 MPH

Noise:

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

Site:

  • #C-19, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • A little unlevel site, high on passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 110 feet long by 15 feet wide
  • 10 feet to neighbor on driver side
  • 75 feet to dump station on passenger side
  • Two picnic tables
  • Fire pit
  • A couple of tall trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, very conveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, fairly conveniently located
  • Loose sewer connection, inconveniently located (3 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 11-14 Mbps down, 12 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
  • AT&T: 29-32 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 120-160 ms ping
  • Verizon: 27 Mbps down, 9 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpster
  • Mini golf

Our review on Campground Reviews:

A nice oasis along I-90

This was a convenient place to stop along I-90 through South Dakota and to check out the Corn Palace and the Prehistoric Indian Village. There’s not much else to do in Mitchell, but this was a lovely shady place to camp to check them out. It’s reassuring/concerning that they have storm shelters scattered around the campground in case of emergency, but I’m just as glad we didn’t need them during our stay. Our site was very long and had a big grassy area on one side, but it was very close to the neighbors on the other. We camped at Mitchell KOA Journey in a Motorhome. 

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Spacious on the passenger side, a bit too close on the driver side:

Our site

(I typically prefer more space on the driver side, since that means other campers aren’t hanging out right next to our coach. We tend not to sit outside much, so space on the passenger side isn’t as important to me.)

The utilities; a loose sewer connection, requiring three 10-foot hoses:

Utilities

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Cabin and playground:

Cabin and playground

Mini golf and playground:

Mini golf and playground

Office:

Office

Dump station:

Dump station

Storm shelter (one of several); both reassuring and concerning to see:

Storm shelter (one of several)

Dog park:

Dog park

Retention pond:

Pond

A windmill, which didn’t seem functional (it was very windy, but wasn’t spinning):

Windmill

Entrance sign; want to buy a KOA?

Entrance sign

Travel from Maple Grove, Minnesota to Mitchell, South Dakota

We drove our coach 307 miles, about five hours of driving, from Maple Grove, Minnesota to Mitchell, South Dakota.

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

Route map

An interactive map:

Roadworks:

Roadworks

Minnesota’s largest candy store:

Minnesota's largest candy store

LeSueur water tower:

LeSueur

When a place catches our interest, I’ll often look it up on Wikipedia (in this case, LeSueur), and read out interesting factoids to Jenn:

LeSueur

Saint Peter:

Saint Peter

Happy Chef Restaurant:

Happy Chef Restaurant

Paladin on the driver chair during a rest stop:

Paladin

A van towing a trailer:

Van towing a trailer

Since 1906:

Since 1906

Ship:

Ship

Train and wind turbine:

Train and wind turbine

Cows:

Cows

Welcome to South Dakota:

Welcome to South Dakota

Roadworks, with everyone on one side of the freeway:

Roadworks

Roadworks

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

Fuel stop

Winnebago’s all-electric prototype eRV2:

eRV2

Paladin on the dash:

Paladin on the dash

Our destination:

Our destination

Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey

We stayed at Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey in Maple Grove, Minnesota. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Another KOA Journey, with a somewhat weird layout.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-23
  • Check out: 2024-07-26
  • 3 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy
  • High temps 76-83°F, lows 57-65°F
  • Some wind, gusts to 18 MPH

Noise:

  • Some road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • Helicopters going over occasionally
  • A lot of neighbor noise (large family gatherings and yippy dogs)

Site:

  • #30, pull-through, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • Rather unlevel site; needed to use extra blocks; used hydraulic leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 60 feet long by 10 feet wide
  • 20 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees nearby, but not on the site (so no shade)
  • Clean site

Utilities:

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

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 48 Mbps down, 3-8 Mbps up, 25 ms ping
  • Verizon: 17-23 Mbps down, 16 Mbps up, 56 ms ping
  • AT&T: 28-39 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Convenient to Minneapolis but needs updating

We stayed here because it was the best-looking option close enough to Minneapolis to take in a Twins game. The interior roads were a muddy, pot-holed mess our entire stay. Our site was pretty narrow and not very level. We were also lucky that the trailers parked opposite us left the morning we did, or it would have been difficult to navigate around all their vehicles when we pulled out. There’s also a weird separate powerbox for the 50A service that a staff member had to unlock for us when we pulled in, which was a new experience. We camped at Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

The utilities were somewhat unusual; our site and our driver-side neighbor shared a pedestal, with only 30 amp in the main box, and 50 amp for us on an accessory box; obviously a later retrofit:

Utilities

The breaker for the 50 amp was in another box on the back of the pedestal, locked with a padlock (that they unlocked for us when guiding us to our site):

Utilities

Two sewer hoses needed:

Utilities

Minnesota is our last new state for the year, as we head back west. Our states map is looking mostly filled in; just missing a few northeast states, and of course Alaska and Hawaii:

States map

From further back, showing the Sinclair Trails logo, map, QR code, URL, and social handle:

States map etc

A large noisy gathering in the buddy sites across from us:

Large gathering

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Travel from Oakdale, Wisconsin to Maple Grove, Minnesota

We drove our coach 198 miles, about three hours of driving, from Oakdale, Wisconsin to Maple Grove, Minnesota.

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

Route map

An interactive map:

Checklist:

Checklist

Lunch stop:

Lunch stop

Lunch stop

Lunch stop

Paladin on the dash while leaving the truck stop:

Paladin on dash

Roadworks:

Roadworks

Roadworks

Rest area:

Rest area

I-94:

I-94

Chimney:

Chimney

Minnesota Welcomes You:

Minnesota Welcomes You

Rest area:

Rest area

Crossover:

Crossover

Our destination, another KOA:

KOA

Guided to our site:

Guided to our site

Third anniversary of buying our motorhome

Today marks the three year anniversary of purchasing our 2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40SP motorhome!

Check out the one year anniversary post for a tour of what the coach was like when we bought it, and the two year anniversary post for some more exterior photos.

To mark this anniversary, here’s an updated tour of the interior; much has changed since we bought it. Check out the links to related blog posts.

Entry steps, with a “Home Sweet Home” sign, internet devices, dash cover, and carpet:

Entry steps

The driver area, with a table over the steering wheel, potted plants, a barrier cushion underneath, and a new GPS:

Driver area

Cat tower, litter box and waste receptacle, cat carrier, and boxes for Paladin to sleep in (even with many other options, sometimes one can’t beat an Amazon carton with crinkly paper!):

Cat tower, litter, boxes

Custom desk with a pull-out surface and monitor on a televator:

Work setup

Theater seating and custom side tables:

Theater seating and side tables

Dining table and chairs, and Paladin with his food and water fountain, and another nest:

Dining table

Kitchen / galley area, with convection microwave, double sinks, automatic paper towel dispenser, coffee stuff, drawer dishwasher, pull-out countertop, etc:

Kitchen

Another view, showing the induction cooktop:

Kitchen

Fridge/freezer and wooden map with stickers and pins:

Fridge and map

Half bath, with hanging broom and mop:

Half bath

Bed, Spyder panel, and photographic artwork:

Bed and art

TV, air cleaner, and yes, another cat bed:

TV and air cleaner

Bathroom sink; I replaced the faucets in both bathrooms, and all three soap dispensers, too:

Bathroom sink

Shower, with liquid dispensers etc, replaced rain head, towel rail outside the shower, and toilet:

Shower and toilet

Washer and dryer:

Washer and dryer

Looking from the back to the front (with the upgraded Spyder control panel and thermostat visible):

Looking from the back to the front

Looking from the front to the back:

Looking from the front to the back

An overview of the living area:

Living area

I hope you enjoyed this tour of our home. It’s compact, but spacious for an RV that travels around the country. Follow along on our travels!

Oakdale KOA Journey

We stayed at Oakdale KOA Journey in Oakdale, Wisconsin. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A pretty typical KOA Journey, with easy access near the freeway.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-22
  • Check out: 2024-07-21
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy
  • High temp 82°F, low 64°F
  • Negligible wind, gusts to 7 MPH

Noise:

  • Nearby freeway noise
  • Occasional train horn noise
  • Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

  • #8, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t since just overnight
  • Fairly level site; used air leveling since just overnight
  • Gravel driveway about 67 feet long by 9 feet wide
  • 15 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees near site
  • Clean site

Utilities:

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

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 16-51 Mbps down, 6-9 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
  • AT&T: 127-167 Mbps down, 7-13 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • Verizon: 10 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 99 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage pickup from site
  • Pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Great place to stop off I-90

We stayed one night on our way along I-90, and this campground was perfect. It has nice, clean, level sites, a convenient location, and is easy to get in and out of. Even though it’s close to the interstate, it was surprisingly quiet. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. We’d definitely stay here again when our travels take us this way. We camped at Oakdale KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Campground map (and a pack of playing cards gifted on check-in):

Campground map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Wisconsin cheesehead:

Wisconsin cheesehead