Back to the Map Again: Decisions, Decisions on the Road to the Badlands

By Captain Weeble

I’m sitting here with Mrs. Weeble watching Game 6 of the World Series. She’s watching the game; I’m pretending to — but truthfully, my mind keeps wandering north… to Alaska.

As of tonight, I’ve got the first 45 days of our trip roughed out. There’s a spreadsheet full of stops, rest days, and mileages that only a true map nerd could love. While Mrs. Weeble was tracking the score, I was tracking the miles.

The next leg starts at Whitefish Point in northern Michigan. And when I say northern, I mean the next stop north is the Arctic Circle — or at least that’s what it feels like. You can’t get farther north unless you bring a boat. So from there, I’m looking west.

If I stick with the official Weeble Travel Rules, the next few stops are mostly state parks scattered across Michigan and Minnesota. The only national park along that route is Voyageurs National Park. When I asked ChatGPT to fill in this leg, I gave it carte blanche — which might’ve been a mistake. It promptly suggested Voyageurs, so I checked it out.

First thing I learned? You need a watercraft to camp there.
Well… my rubber duck doesn’t count, so that’s out.

It’s a shame, though. That was supposed to be a two-day stop, but truth be told, nothing there really called to us — unless “mosquito buffet” counts as an attraction.

Somewhere between innings, my mind drifted from national parks to baseball parks. That’s when I remembered one of our bucket-list goals: to see a game in every Major League ballpark. Mrs. Weeble’s happy to watch any team play — but me? I’d like to see my Baltimore Orioles take the field.

As luck would have it, the Minnesota Twins’ ballpark is right on our route. Depending on the MLB schedule, we might just have to make a little detour. If the Orioles happen to be in town, I might have to see the whole series. (That still counts as rest days, right?)

If that doesn’t work out, then we’re staring down about 1,100 miles from Whitefish Point to the Badlands with not much in between. That’s a long way to go just watching cornfields and counting license plates.

So now I’m wondering… should I bend the Weeble Travel Rules and stretch our daily limit to 300–350 miles? Maybe more?

Decisions, decisions… Stay tuned. The road (and the map) keep changing — and so does the plan.

What do you think? Would you push the miles or take it slower? Feel free to leave a comment below — I’d love to hear your thoughts!