Four states in two days: Michigan to North Dakota

Sometimes you can fall behind on even the loosest of schedules.

The calendar told me I had a lot of ground to cover to reach my next hard date; I needed to be in Portland Oregon near the first of September. I’d lingered in Michigan a tad longer than expected, so in the interest of time, I pointed Peggy at North Dakota and set the cruise control. US Highway 2 is a pretty good road, known as the “Great Northern Route”. In the days before Interstates, US 2 was a big deal, connecting Bangor to Seattle in a coast-to-coast run of over 3600 miles.

For me, it was a way to fast track across Wisconsin and Minnesota on this leg. As I searched the maps for a suitable overnight stop at the approximate halfway point, I stumbled across the unincorporated hamlet of Gowan, Minnesota, and five miles up the road was a small campground. Put a pin in it, that decision was made!

Sometimes Google Street View tells you all there is to know about a place, and this was one of those times. Other than it being the only place in the world I’ve ever found that shares my name, there’s not much to it but the road sign. A few houses, one with some old cars in front. That’s it. Was still worth pulling over for the photo op, though.

I only had about a half-hour of light left, but I only had to backtrack a short distance to Hall’s Campground, which I’d passed just before reaching my namesake. It was a pastoral spot, and a campground as unique as a town named after me. Basically the Hall family graded a dozen campsites out of their farmland and invited travelers to use the place as they are passing through. Put some money in the box and don’t trash the place – doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

Nobody was there with me, just a few trailers obviously being stored. I left them a Bunny card for their kindness along with some Twos. After a good night’s sleep, some oatmeal, and Michigan cherries it was back on US 2 with the dew.

Next time: Nuclear North Dakota