“VOX” = VanDOit Owners Experience
We took a 3-week trip in May & June 2022 to attend VOX#5. This particular VOX was put on by the VanDOit company. Prior VOXes have been self-organized by fellow owners at various locations around the US. Since this one was in Bentonville and close to the VanDOit factory in Kansas City, VanDOit wanted to be a part of it. This was the first VOX we have attended so I can’t compare to others, but they did an excellent job. For us coming from Seattle, the journey there and back was just as interesting.
Travelogue
Day 1 (5-25)
Got a late start leaving home. Took forever to pack.
Stopped at Costco in Kirkland for gas, salt, bug spray, beef jerky and reading glasses. Also got a slice of pizza and a churro for lunch. Finally hit the road at 2pm.
More gas at a Loves truck stop in Moses Lake WA. Mostly just needed to clean the bugs off the windshield.
Stopped and camped at “50000 Silver $” gift shop in Haugan MT. They have free camping, pop, gift shop, restaurant. It isn’t bad for free.
Day 2 (5/26)
Slept in, saw a horse in the corral next to our campsite.
Drove to Missoula MT and took showers at Planet Fitness.
Went to Costco to get a chicken and salad for dinner
Stopped in Butte MT for gas.
Stayed at Connor Battlefield State Historic Site in WY. Nice site right next to a river. Had salad with chicken for dinner. Phone fell out of my overhead bungee storage at 2:30am and slid thru a small gap in the house battery cabinet. Luckily Tracey could reach it. Need to plug that opening.
Day 3 (5/27)
Stayed at Devils Tower National Monument
Hiked up to the visitor center and around the tower. Went to the gift shop and got tee shirts and a fanny pack for Tracey. She uses it to carry her wallet and phone into stores with BunBun.
Saw magpies, turkey vultures, yellow birds and best of all PRAIRIE DOGS! There was a whole field of them squeaking and barking their warning signs. There were singles and families. Super darling. We took BunBun and Nut to get pictures with the PD’s (Pete and Petunia). We came back to the van to get washed up and sat by the site reading. Tracey talked to one lady who had a mini dachshund and a rat terrier. Before dinner we walked out into the field and took more pictures of the Prairie Dogs. We couldn’t get enough of them! We went back to camp and had pesto pasta for dinner.
Day 4 (5/28)
After breakfast we went back to see the Prairie Dogs one last time! A prairie dog couple came out to say hi and a PD family watched us from afar! We are headed to Mt Rushmore where BunBun will want her head carved into the rock.
Stopped at a gas station in Spearfish and there were tons of people buying a lot of fifths of alcohol!! I guess they were stocking up for the Memorial Day holiday.
Drove thru Deadwood. It was pretty cool.
Went to Mount Rushmore. Did a little hike and took lots of pictures. The bathroom was disgusting and stunk.
Drove to Interior SD (just outside of Badlands NP). The road was super bumpy from frost heaves. I think we caught air in the van. Need to upgrade the suspension.
Stayed at Budget Host Inn & RV park and campground in Interior SD . Reminded me of the cabins in the “Vacation” movie that Chevy Chase rented. There was even an above ground pool. Took showers, used their free Wi-Fi to watch TV, ate bierox for dinner.
Day 5 (5/29)
Tracey got up early to read outside. It was windy but getting warmer. We went to The Badlands National Park. Hiked up A VERY steep and loose but short 1/4 mile climb to get on a trail (Medicine Trail). We were supposed to go right but went left to another trail. I asked Mike why we were going to the right when medicine trail pointed another direction, but he said it was the right trail, so off we went. After two and a half miles we were close to the fossil exhibit which we wanted to see anyway but confirmed we had in fact went the opposite way. It was still a stunning view hike. When we returned to the fork in the trail, we went on Medicine trail for about a mile total and back down the steep part and ended up getting in a good 6-mile hike. We brought BunBun and Nut in our packs so that they could have adventures and would look out for the rattlesnakes that we were warned of frequently along the route. A lady approached us to say that at first glance she thought BunBun was real.??!!? Yes, we have an adventure rabbit. There were a ton of families walking down the steep hill with kids in tow. We were nervous going down with poles!
We then headed to Wall Drug to say we’d been there. I didn’t know what to expect but it was basically rows of smaller stores filled with touristy, kitschy stuff. BunBun was not impressed.
Bought some salad fixings for dinner at a little grocery store in Wall SD.
Driving on I-90 and just saw a turtle crossing the highway! Saw 3 more turtles trying to cross I-90. Hope they all made it across.
Stayed at Pioneer Park campground in Montrose SD. Cheap ($25) with electric and water and bathroom with showers. 30 minutes west of Sioux Falls. Nothing fancy but it worked.
Ate dinner and snooped on the teenage “locals” who were camping a couple of sites from us for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. A lot of drama with them.
Throughout the night there were huge thunderstorms! Lots of wind and flash and bolt lighting. Before we went to sleep, we decided to dry out our towels from our shower (the showers were a nice addition- certainly very campy but warm!). Not a bright move leaving the towels out overnight to dry as they were both on the ground and muddy! We had to leave one towel at the campsite and will buy more at Costco if necessary.
Day 6 (5/30)
Short drive to Sioux Falls. Went to Planet Fitness. Did the treadmill and the 30 min workout circuit. Then took showers. Skipped the massage chairs.
We had lunch at Firehouse Subs.
Drive to Omaha was super windy. Speed limit was 80 but only went 65 and still had trouble staying in my lane. Another reason for better suspension.
Tried to get gas and food at Costco but forgot they are closed on Memorial Day. So we went to the HyVee grocery store, liquor store, and gas station. Very nice grocery store. We were restocked.
Camped at Walnut Creek Lake and Rec Area. Very nice campground with electric. Only $16 but no showers. Lots of birds. Lots of big fancy RVs.
Omaha was much nicer than I thought it would be.
Day 7 (5/31)
Drove to Kansas City. Not windy like yesterday.
Stopped at VanDOit and picked up a new water hose and bug wall. Then went to Planet Fitness for a workout and shower. Camped at Blue Springs Lake campground. $30 w/electric. Got a spot near the restroom for Tracey and it also had a laundry, so she had to use it. I think she was having withdrawals from not doing laundry for a week.
- States covered in this leg
- Washington
- Idaho
- Montana
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- Missouri
