We left the Badlands relatively early in the morning, about 8:00 AM, with the added benefit of being able to see the park one last time on the way out. The next stop would be the Jackson Minnesota KOA. This next stop would be a rather long drive, just about six hours long.
With dogs you can figure between gas stations and potty breaks you are going to be pushing 7 hours so you need to do some planning. Obviously in the summer months (and we don’t often camp in the summer months in Texas) we try to get on the road early while temperatures are decent. Now in South Dakota moving towards Minnesota the temperatures would push into the upper 80’s by the time we would roll into camp. Once the temps hit mid 80s during our travels we open the back window between the truck and the girls area and let the AC blow back there. If we are going to be pushing higher temps it just doesn’t make sense to be driving that long.
As you leave the badlands the scenery quickly changes to just flat open country. Not only is it flat, it is also boring and there is a shortage of gas stations as well. If you are getting about 200 miles to a tank of gas towing, you better start looking for a gas station when you get around a half tank of gas. There are several APPS on the market that can help you figure out where your next gas station is. There is also a book you can get called “The Next Exit” which lists gas stations by exit.
I can actually view upcoming gas stations on my trucks built in GPS (Garmin) but it is not as helpful as you might think mainly because it is very vague about the upcoming location until you actually select a gas station from the list. We came pretty close to being out of gas during our run from the Badlands to Jackson, and I hate that feeling you get watching the needle drop as towards empty as you are trying to figure out where the next best stop is going to be.
The bad news is that about half way through South Dakota you will cross back into Central Standard Time, so your going to lose an hour. So take that into account if you are cutting it close on getting to your destination on time.
Jackson Minnesota KOA
Pulling into our site at the Jackson KOA, I have to say I was quite impressed. Finally we have some nice grass in addition to nice spacing between the trailers. They have some full timers here but you wouldn’t know it, this campground is clean. In addition they have a huge fenced in dog area so your puppies can work off some of their energy. These people care about their campground and it shows.
I would not have any problem recommending this KOA. Apparently there is quite a bit to do in the area; including fishing, an amusement park, historic state theater, Jackson speedway, and a maritime museum. For more information on the Jackson Minnesota KOA click here. Unfortunately for us though, it is just an overnight stop.
It was at this point during the trip that I realized I could run an extension cord from the electric box at the campground into the storage area of the trailer and get our satellite TV working again. We had tried to move the satellite power supply inside the trailer at one point. However, the length of the cable running inside the trailer; plus the 50 feet of cable starting in the storage area is too long for the power booster to handle. The maximum length can not exceed 50 feet. The extension cord worked like a dream. So this would be the work around until we have the GFI issue resolved.
We had reserved a 30 amp site for the night; which was not a big deal because we didn’t plan on using two AC units. The dogs loved the big dog park and it was nice to finally be camping next to green grass.
The next stop would be the DeForest KOA in Wisconsin about half a mile from our old house. It is now July 23rd, just four days to the rehearsal dinner and five days from the wedding.
To continue this trip click here
If you want to follow this trip from the beginning click here
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