Moving through the lower 48 from North Carolina to Montana with spectacular stops at Pipestone National Monument and Theodore Roosevelt National Park (pictorial video below)…

We officially began our trip to Alaska when we left North Carolina on April 16, 2023, after visiting with family and friends, enduring medical appointments, and seeing Karen’s mom through successful heart valve replacement surgery.

Our trek led us through West Virginia for one night so we could get it on our full-time RV traveling map and into Ohio to visit “The Mothership” (aka the Airstream factory) and have an extenuating issue with our truck’s transmission addressed. We then moved to Bear Cave RV Park in Michigan to meet up with some friends (Kelli and Bobby) before making our way to Iowa to visit Karen’s Aunt Jan and Uncle Thom. It was like Christmas morning when we got there because Madeline, Rachel, and, mostly, Amazon inundated their house with packages for us! Carl was able to get the second bank of lithium batteries installed as well as two new solar panels (replacing the one that mysteriously flew off somewhere) and DIY mudflaps on the Airstream and mudflap extenders on the pickup. He also helped my uncle with a couple of projects around their house. All in all, a busy but productive and fun week with them.

Pipestone National Monument

We then made our way into the southwestern tip of Minnesota to visit the Pipestone National Monument. What a gem in the middle of farm country. This is not a monument you just happen to stop in to visit on your way to somewhere else. You have to make a concerted effort to go there, but it is worth it.

Pipestone National Monument is a sacred site for American Indians. For hundreds of years, various tribes have come to this location to quarry “pipestone” to be carved into ceremonial pipes. The area is still quarried to this day by over 50 different tribes that are recognized by the American government and from which they have obtained a permit. They use old fashioned tools—different sized sledge hammers and chisels— staying away from more modern day techniques. This is to preserve the sacredness of the site as well as the ritual of what goes into forming the ceremonial pipes. Our visit included a tour of the grounds, an award-winning 22-minute film, a museum, and demonstrations of the pipestone being carved.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

After Pipestone, we made our way to North Dakota (along the way having a tire blowout on the Airstream). We boondocked (see our videos here) outside of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit, in Medora, ND. It was almost like the grasslands and the badlands converged into incredible vistas. We loved our boondocking spot and would stay there again. The South Unit of the park was simply lovely and full of wildlife, specifically bison and “brown dogs” (new baby bison!). I can honestly say I have never seen so many bison “patties” (if ya know what I mean). Theodore Roosevelt became a proprietor of two (maybe three) ranches in that area when he moved to ND in his 20s after his first wife and his mother died within a month of one another. It was his place to grieve and heal, and I could see why he connected so deeply with that area.

After a few days there, we left for Montana, stopping by the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park to enjoy the scenic drive. And, since it wasn’t too far out of our way, we stopped at the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site. The most interesting point of our visit there was how far away the Missouri River has shifted from the post in the last 150ish years.

We made it into Montana and spent the night next to a beautiful lake near Fort Peck, then moved to Shelby, MT for a couple of days before heading into Canada.

As for smoke from Canadian wildfires … A lot of smoke rolled into Bismarck, ND while we were getting new tires on our Airstream, but as we drove west to Medora, it started to dissipate. It was clear for the next few days, but the smoke had rolled in again the morning we woke up in the Fort Peck area. We could barely see the lake to which we were camping next. Again, by the time we got to Shelby that afternoon, the smoke had dissipated. Since we arrived in Canada, there have been no smoke issues.

Next installment … Banff and Jasper National Parks!

One of our favorite camping spots this year (so far, anyway!) has been the Scoria Pit Dispersed Camping area (GPS: 46.9454, -103.5886) near the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. From Exit 23 of I-94, near Medora, North Dakota, W. River Road turned into a dirt-packed/gravel-packed road almost immediately and took us back a few miles to the right turn that leads to the dispersed camping area. This is not a true campground. There are no hookups and just a few well-used spots for boondocking. The views are incredible, the sounds are quiet and peaceful, and the solitude lends itself toward centered well-being.

In this first video, we bring you along with us on a ride into and through the area, showing the view as well as some of the potential camping sites.

In the following video, I take you on a walk around our Airstream so you can see the views we enjoyed for a few days.

We hope you enjoy getting a glimpse of the places we stay and visit as we travel these United States with our Airstream!

Well, what “they” say is true. It doesn’t matter how many miles your rig’s tires have on them. It doesn’t matter that you’ve kept them properly inflated and had them rotated and balanced regularly. AGE does make a difference with tires! We experienced a BLOW OUT!

Our Airstream’s tires were replaced by the previous owner in 2015—although the date code on the tires was 2014—making them 9-year-old tires. We were in the right lane of a South Dakota highway heading toward North Dakota when we heard a LOUD pop and the Airstream started to shimmy. Carl checked the mirrors immediately and saw debris flying, so he calmly and quickly slowed and stopped in the emergency lane. The back tire on the passenger side was shredded and split open, the Airstream’s banana wrap underbelly was damaged, a small storage compartment door was ripped off, and there were a few scratch marks on the exterior of the Airstream itself. Carl’s DIY mudflap was bent back but probably helped minimize the damage.

Luckily, our spare was in good condition, and Carl made quick work of changing out the tire while Karen collected the storage door down the road.

Then the REAL fun began! Carl got it in his brain that the size of the tires were LT225/65r16, so we were on the hunt for this size. We first called Discount Tire in Billings, Montana (the closest one to us in the direction we were heading). We would have had to change our route if we went there, but we were informed by Discount Tire that LT225/65r16 tires would need to be ordered because “65’s” are being phased out. Yikes! The technician recommended we try LT225/75r16 and gave us the measurements. We also called Walmart and Costco in Bismarck and, not surprisingly, they did not have that size either. And it seems (to Karen, anyway) that LTs are not that easy to find (stands for light truck – we need this type because of the weight of the Airstream). As Carl was driving, she checked online for this tire size, and her frustration levels rose!

Then… lo and behold… Carl just happened to double-check the Airstream tire size once we got set up at Parkhurst Campground in Jamestown, ND and discovered he had the size WRONG! Our Airstream was already “wearing” LT225/75r16 tires—a much easier size to find. He immediately called Discount Tire in Billings, and they put 4 tires on hold for us.

However, we really didn’t want to change our route and, since we were heading toward Bismarck, we decided to give the stores there another try. We stopped at Sam’s Club and Walmart to no avail. Then Karen called NW Tire – NOPE. But she just happened to notice another tire store, OK Tire Store, on our way to Sam’s Club. She called them, and they had 4 LT225/75r16 tires (Firestone Transforce HT2) just sitting there waiting for us and they could get to us after lunch. We were able to drop the Airstream there to run a couple of errands, then we were back by 1:00pm, rehitched, and pulled into their garage.

THANK YOU OK Tire Store in Bismarck, ND! We love Discount Tire, but we did not want to change our route (Carl called them to let them know we didn’t need the tires).

So, rule number 1 – know your tire size!

Another rule number 1 – change your RV tires after 5-7 years regardless of mileage.

And a final rule number 1 – stay calm. All will be well.

New “shoes” for the Airstream and lessons learned.