From its infancy, the vision of Just Being Bing has evolved around slowing down to wander and wonder in God’s creation.  This trip west from Pennsylvania to the Pacific Coast has thrown a bit of a wrench in that philosophy for these first four days of travel.

My first real stop will be in Wyoming – I can’t wait!  But in the meantime, Lexi the Golden and I have spent many an hour each day on interstates 80 and 90 as we dash across middle America.  It’s harder to find the joy in Chicago traffic than it is reveling in the bountiful black raspberries lining our hiking trail in the woods of Wisconsin.  But I am trying.  And I am grateful for these faceless highways to get me to the good stuff faster!

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A Clear Sign

While whizzing across the Cheesehead state (see what I did there?  Of course that stirs up the age-old argument, is Cheese Whiz actually cheese? ), I encountered these overhead highway signs, usually reserved for traffic alerts and time/distance updates.  All across the state, they all impart this perfect nugget of wisdom:

“Camping is for the woods, not the left lane!”

This tickled me endlessly.  Of course there’s nothing worse than left-lane “campers” meandering along on their Sunday drive, oblivious to those behind them.  The worst.  But to me, this one sentence spoke straight to the core of my mission, reiterating to me to get off the highway and get into the woods!  I’m trying!  What a perfect reminder of my mission.

In an attempt to stick to my purpose while on the road, I plotted and researched to plan two out-of-the-ordinary and appealing stops for each day.  The first, a midday pause for an hour or two to stretch legs and see something interesting.  The second requires finding a cool place to stay for the night, and getting there early enough to explore.  Ideally, two chances each day to see anew and slow down.

New Buffalo, Michigan

Just west of South Bend, Indiana, Route 80 flirts with the border of Michigan and its Great Lake of the same name.  I’d never been to Lake Michigan other than to whiz by it via Chicago.  Some research revealed the beach town of New Buffalo, a quaint summer destination for beach lovers.  Perfect.

Our walk about town and the dunes above the beach provided a wonder-filled (albeit short) respite from the highway.  New Buffalo may have more boats than people.  The marinas and two yacht clubs comprise a huge portion of the footprint of the town, with the beach and its little lighthouse just beyond and the town sitting up a bit overlooking it all.

Charm seems natural here, from the colorful neat old restaurants and shops to the ice cream-stained smiles of sunkissed little boys and girls running through the sand with their friends.  It had all the feels of a time-honored vacation destination – a place where families returned year after year to the same houses with the same friends and family to relax and unwind.  It wasn’t hard to understand the attraction!

Feeling at home in Sparta, Wisconsin

Our ultimate destination for the evening landed us in Sparta, Wisconsin, not far from the Minnesota border and the mighty Mississippi River.  I have to say, this part of the state feels so familiar to me, with its rolling hills and farmland.  It has a bit of a Central PA vibe to it, but with steeper hills and no mountains.

Justin Trails Resort exceeded my expectations.  I had booked it through HipCamp, and done as much research as the internet allowed.  All my HipCamp experiences to date have been awesome, and this one fell right in line.  (I’ll write a separate post just on HipCamp later on, but know that basically it’s like Airbnb for camping.)

For the past 150-ish years, my family has owned a 100+ acre farm in the mountains of north central Pennsylvania.  Justin Trails felt like the Wisconsin version of our beloved farm, but with a quaint wedding venue, beautiful cabins, 2 disc golf courses and picturesque campsites placed perfectly and sporadically throughout the property.  Oh, and a few llamas and alpacas.  And gorgeous gardens!

There was just so much to love about it.  In fact, it likely deserves its own post as a full-fledged recommendation and review, but that will come later.  I’ll just add for now that owner Donna, along with her daughter, shared that the farm has been in the family for over a hundred years, and 35 years ago they determined to turn it into a more recreational space.  So forward-thinking and ahead of their time!

Campfires and Coyotes

Lexi and I claimed were assigned Campsite #1, a few hundred yards from the main house and barn.  It sat nestled in between two hills, flanked by black raspberry bushes and a hole on the disc golf course behind us, and a cornfield and view towards the sunset in front.  It was private but close to everything, and a few people meandered by either on a hike or playing the course.

We spent a happy hour exploring, with Lexi in heaven off her leash and sniffing her way around all 208 acres.  The climb up the huge hill rewarded us with a view of the valley below, and a better look back at the farm itself.  Along the way we met a bride (her white t-shirt said so) whose celebration would take place in the barn over the coming weekend.

I set up our little campsite, enjoyed dinner by an initially stubborn but then crackling campfire, and watched the stars peek out in the fading light.  The further north and west we go, the lighter the evenings are.  It was easily 10:00 before darkness truly fell.  Lexi, exhausted and happy, asked to go to bed in the tent long before I was ready.  She was more than done.

I find it hard to waste a perfectly good fire, so I sat a while longer, and was treated to what was truly a cacophony of coyotes far off in the distance.  First one, then several others joined in.  They were easily a few little hills and valleys away, so I could enjoy their crazy howling and calling in peace.  It seemed a perfect ending under the stars.

Just Being Lexi

As far as dog days go, she had a pretty great one.  The kiddos at the beach all wanted to love on her, though she was the recipient of some bullying!  Walking in front a New Buffalo restaurant, this entire extended family all stopped to pet her and ask about her.  After a few moments, the young grandma of the group looked at me and just said, “Twelve?”.  I must have stared stupidly at her because I didn’t understand.  “Twelve?”, I repeated, but as a question.  “Yes, she said, isn’t she about 12 years old?”  “Two, I replied.  She’s two.”

Her daughter was mortified.  “Mom, you can’t go around asking ladies their age like that!  She’s just a puppy.  Not an old lady!”  Poor Lexi.  Thankfully she was none the wiser.

Had the same woman seen Lexi hours later as she roared through the fields and up and down hills at Justin Trails, she may have reconsidered her comment anyway.  Especially when Lexi sniffed out the “pond” (i.e. swamp) and came out looking like an Oreo.  For my college friends, it was as if she had been sliding around the sludge after a late night at the Pardoe.  Yuck.  Thankfully a hose was found, and I put the dog shampoo to good use.

Cool Fact

Disc golf is the fastest-growing sport in America.  My friends at Justin Trails had the foresight to put their courses in 30+ years ago, and are reaping the benefits of it now.

Also, in some places, the speed limit on Route 90 is 80 mph.  Woo hoo!

Come Along!

To stay up-to-date with our adventure, you can find more on my Facebook page, Just Being Bing. I’ll post each update there as well as on my website.

As you can imagine, traveling for an extended period of time takes a lot of planning and preparation, and I love the planning!  Once we’re on the road though, there’s room for all kinds of twists and turns in our travel.  I love so many of the unexpected moments of our trips.

There’s also a ton of prayer involved – both as part of the planning, and when we are on the road.  If you’d like to pray for me (and Lexi!) while we are adventuring, we would be grateful.  I’ll share a few specfics in my updates.  Thank you!

Maybe we will see you Around the Bend!

It’s almost time!  There’s Wonder Around the Bend News

I’m excited to share the road with you!  If you’re keen to follow along on my Northwest Passage trip, check back on the home page of Just Being Bing, or follow me on Facebook or Instagram for all the updates, news and photos.  My ultimate goal is to inspire others to find their own freedom on the road!

To download a free chapter of my upcoming book, There’s Wonder Around the Bend:  An Inspiring Guide to Solo Road Tripping – go to www.wonderbingtravel.com/goingsolo.

Lexi and I hope to see you on the road!

Bing