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KOA Badlands, near Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Tachometer – 3906 miles

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We lazed around the campground most of the morning, Paola and I taking turns with the kids at the playground. I got the early shift, and we had pancakes prepared for us at the pavilion right next to the playground. For those who are wondering, KOA stands for Kamgrounds of America. It is a franchise chain of campgrounds that are very standardized in the level of service, cleanliness, and other amenities. These amenities usually include a swimming pool, playground, and in most campgrounds a pavilion or common area where food is served (for a fee) usually for breakfast and sometimes at dinnertime as well. (more…)

KOA Badlands, near Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Tachometer – 3880 miles

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It was a cold and rainy day, harshly punctuated by a relentless wind that had me bending the steering wheel of the RV almost a quarter of a turn just to keep driving straight. We took I-90 east for about 90 miles to get to Badlands. On the way we had a very interesting stop at what was once a launch site of US Minuteman nuclear warheads.

The entire plains region, including South Dakota, was filled with about 1000 missile silos during the cold war. (more…)