Find latest started threadsI only mentioned Walnut Grove because it is so close to the direct path between Minneapolis and DeSmet. I was wondering if it would make more sense to go from Itasca to South Dakota.
Where in Northern Wisconsin are you heading?
I only mentioned Walnut Grove because it is so close to the direct path between Minneapolis and DeSmet. I was wondering if it would make more sense to go from Itasca to South Dakota.
Where in Northern Wisconsin are you heading?
Oops....I've been saying "Marshfield" when I mean "Mansfield, MO". Sorry for the confusion. It's near Springfield.
Michael, I have a cousin in Mercer that I was close to as a child, but we haven't seen each other in 15+ years. I hope to look her up.
Looking at mileages, etc., it does make more sense to go Mercer-Itasca-Minneapolis-DeSmet, than Mercer-Minneapolis-Itasca-DeSmet. Itasca-Minneapolis does mean going a little bit back south and EAST, but not enough to make a big difference. In the big picture, it saves a whole 50 miles on the whole trip.
Donna
Continuing on....
...We managed to snare reservations in West Yellowstone at a place called One Horse Motel. Checking several ratings sites, the place had good reviews all round. I contacted them regarding the parking issue and they assured me that full-size pickups are in their lot all the time. My husband tells me that he's not overly concerned about that. Best news, it's $79/night. I already put a small deposit -- I am finding that the resort places want deposits or first night lodging, refundable if you cancel a week ahead of time.
On to the next question, which moves us back to Minnesota. I would love to go to the Mall of America. Though I am not really a "shopper", the thought of seeing a mall with an amusement park and a miniature golf place inside is just intriguing to both of us. How is the parking there? I saw some references, online, to the lots there being parking garages. Are there plain old ordinary parking LOTS there? We'd be there on a weekday in July.
We don't do too well with parking garages. Of course we had that little "oopsy" in the garage in Philadelphia. Then, last month, we went to see a family member in the hospital. The hospital wanted guests to park in the garage, which said "6'6" height restriction and 6000 lbs weight restriction." Said truck is 6'8" and over 8000 lbs. So we had to go find someplace else to park. As we have told people before, RV's (including larger pickup trucks) are really not for cities.
Donna
And that's not all.
Neither are hitop vans. They may not be hard to park in the street, but garages are out. I have even struck big store parking lots where they had the beam over the entrance, lower than my roof.Originally Posted by DonnaR57
Goes for drive through carwashes as well. Mine needs to go through the Blue Beacon truck wash... when available. Something which never crossed my mind, before I bought it.
Lifey
Yes, there are some surface lots around MoA. The big ramps are on the east and west sides of the mall. I think there is some parking on the North Side of the building, unless that has been developed since last time I paid attention.
I do know for certain there is an overflow lot of surface parking east of the mall, across the street from the parking ramp, but there is likely some options closer. In fact, as I think of it, MoA is a popular destination for bus trips so there has to be some bus/rv parking area around too.
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
From the Mall of America site:
I looked on Google Earth, and it's right across the street from the mall. It does look like there's some construction in the area.Oversized Vehicles
Vehicles with trailers, RV’s, semi-trucks, box trucks and any other oversized vehicle must park in the Lindau Lot, north of Mall of America off of Lindau Lane next to IKEA.
Next area of question: where to stay between Gettysburg and the south suburbs of Chicago? It's only about 630 miles, but we want to tour Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the first day, and maybe poke around the Amish area of Indiana (Shipshewana, Goshen, etc) on the 2nd day. I figure we should make somewhere just west of Cleveland the first day, after spending a few hours in CVNP.
Is there any difference between the areas of Elyria, Amherst, Vermillion, or Sandusky? No, we're not going to Cedar Pointe Amusement Park -- no real interest. It would be a Saturday evening. (Staying in Toledo that night would make me think of the old John Denver tune, "Saturday night in Toledo, OH, is like being nowhere at all.....") So there would be no rush hour issue to worry about on Sunday for Toledo, either.
It took us a bit to decide to go buy the Annual Pass for the National Parks. We had to actually add up the costs of the ones we would be visiting. Because quite a few places on our list don't have entrance fees (and the Pass doesn't help with things like Cave Tours, the Gettysburg Visitor Center Museum, etc), we thought we'd just about break even. However, with the fact that we could use it for our own Cabrillo National Monument here in San Diego, I think we're going to go ahead and buy it.
Mall of America is still on the list. I also suggested a tour of a flour mill somewhere along the way. Hubby vetoed that with both hands down! Probably that's for the best, because it's right downtown Minneapolis and very little parking nearby except a garage.
Donna
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
Why don't you avoid the toll roads - take I-71 from the park to US-30? US-30 has been completely upgraded to a freeway all the way from Mansfield to the Indiana line. It's about 1 hour from the park to Mansfield, then 2.5 more hours to Fort Wayne. You can make it from Fort Wayne to the south burbs in under 4 hours, so you can wander the Amish back roads for a while.
Lodging may be a bit sparse between Mansfield and Fort Wayne, but not impossible to find.
That's a great idea! I'm for it as long as hubby is. That day is only supposed to be 330 miles. Where we are headed in the 'burbs isn't all that far from US-30, either. I used to live just off US-30 in the 'burbs when I was a kid. One of the things I want to do in the 'burbs, besides visiting a bunch of family members, is poke around some of the neighborhoods where I grew up. (One I won't go near. Two uncles and lots of cousins tell me it's dangerous now.)
Donna
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
Do keep in mind that US-30 from Merrillville all the way across the southern burbs is pretty slow and congested. I usually use I-65 to hop over to I-80.
US-30 between Fort Wayne and Merrillville is 4+ lane divided with some traffic lights, speed limit is primarily 60.
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