Hello Everyone! When many of you will be reading this, Shadow Catcher and I will be celebrating the 4 year anniversary of this project. We set out together on November 11th, 2017 from our home base in Washington D.C. to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. At the time, the plan was to spend a month in each of the 48 contiguous states, which, if done in one long stretch, would have put an end date right around now. I learned very quickly that a month isn’t very long when it comes to really getting to know a state and while I still try and move right along, six weeks seems like a more realistic timeframe. My dreams of financial success with this project have been all but a complete bust, so I have had to stop and go back to guiding to replenish my coffers. Thankfully, it’s a job I love and it’s fairly easy to put away money in a short time and keep going. And of course who could have predicted a global pandemic, which grounded us for 15 months at home? That time was a blessing as I got to spend it with my folks and watching young Mason every day on his journey from 2 to 3 years old. On the plus side, I’ve seen and done so much, learned more than I ever thought possible and met many truly wonderful people along the way. It’s been everything I hoped it would be and infinitely more and I’m grateful every day for this project, this journey, and all of you who have chosen to share in it. Like any journey, it’s had its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. As I wind up my time in Minnesota, my 16th of 48 states, that would leave me 1/3 of the way there. I don’t know if I’ll finish this project, but I’m definitely planning to keep going for the near future. Thank you all for coming along for the ride.
It’s been a very busy week blazing across the prairies of Southwest Minnesota. With daylight savings time ending and snow in the forecast, it is definitely time to start making an exit plan, but I didn’t want to miss out on a whole region. I’ve definitely driven more this week than I usually do and I’ve seen some pretty amazing places but it’s also been pretty fast and furious. That being said, I’ve driven past some fascinating things this week that either gave me pause or a good chuckle. When I drove through Brainerd again this week, I passed by the Warriors Early Childhood Learning Center. Their school team name is the Warriors, but to an outsider I thought this was pretty funny. I also drove past the towns of Nimrod, Sleepy Eye and Weetown – all of which made me smile. I saw a Sasquatch Reporting Station in Starbuck and a street called Oink Joint Rd. The Starbuck High School mascot is the Bucks, the Fergus Falls (county seat of Otter Tail County) is the Otters and of course in Pelican Rapids they went with… the Vikings! It was wonderful to see Amish buggies driving on the roads and tumbleweed tumbling down dusty city streets. It was a wonderful week of clear sunny days and I tried to make the most of it. Here’s what I got into:
When last I wrote I was headed clear across the state of Minnesota back to the western border. Along the way I stopped in the cute little town of Wadena to take some photos and have a wander. I ended up popping into the Little Round Still Distillery and talking with the nice folks there for a while. They gave me a lesson on Minnesota’s complicated liquor laws and it sounded like there is a lot to overcome when starting a brewery or distillery in the state. I ended up buying a 375ml bottle of their Gunflint whiskey which was quite good and the biggest bottle they could legally sell me. From Wadena, I headed on to the even smaller town of New York Mills to check out the Regional Cultural Center there. For a small town, this center is pretty well known and has a wonderful gallery and shop and hosts classes, workshops and events. There was a nice display of “wet felting” wall hangings by Kristen Anderson in the gallery when I was there which were beautiful and told an interesting story. There were also some other smaller pieces from previous exhibits upstairs. I was there for longer than I thought I would be but really enjoyed it. From there I headed on to Perham where I jumped on the Otter Trail Scenic Byway. This beautiful loop road took me through small towns and past some amazing prairie scenery as I made my way around Otter Tail County. I stopped in Pelican Rapids to take a photo of the world’s largest pelican and pulled into Phelps Mill right as the sun was setting to get some great photos of this historic mill now owned by the county. It was a great place to end my day and then I headed on to Fergus Falls for the night. I went downtown and found it pleasant but empty without a single bar or restaurant around. I really find it strange and sad when towns roll up their sidewalks after dark like that. I headed out of town and stopped for a quick beer at their brewery which was actually really tasty but way overpriced. I was sad that my only option for dinner at 8pm was Applebee’s which was on the low side of mediocre. For a town of 13,000 people I had expected a little more, but it was still a nice place to spend the night and it would redeem itself the following day.
Hello Everyone! It’s been a beautiful week out here in central Minnesota. The skies have been clear and blue and the lakes have been flat and calm. I’ve seen some beautiful small towns this week and spent a day in Itasca State Park, my favorite stop in the state so far. I’ve also had some company this week as I’ve caught up with the families of some old friends of mine which has been really wonderful. The fall colors have been hanging on pretty well for me and this week brought me into tamarack country – those beautiful pine-like trees which turn a beautiful orange this time of year before they drop their needles for the winter. A lot of sites and museums I wanted to see have been closed for the season which continues to be disappointing – especially those at the state level. In my opinion, any site you deem important enough to designate a State Historic Site should be open year-round. Most of these places are staffed by local volunteers anyway and I can’t imagine they wouldn’t make enough money to keep the lights and heat on. It just seems strange to me that these sites are closed the vast majority of the year. I did get into a couple of great museums this week, though, including the wonderful history museums in Grand Rapids and St. Cloud. I’ve also noticed this week that most public restrooms I’ve encountered in the north of the state don’t have locks on the doors to the stalls which seems very strange to me. Not that anyone has barged in on me while I was using one, but I’ve never really seen that as a rule anywhere else. Regardless, it’s been another interesting week on the road, so let’s get into it.
When I left you last week, I was in Moorhead on the Red River and the North Dakota border. After I finished up my newsletter, I headed over to Murphy’s Pub for a songwriters’ round which I really enjoyed. The four people playing that night, all local to the Fargo-Moorhead area, did a great job and I loved seeing some live local music. I woke up nice and early on Thursday morning and headed back to the Stave Church Replica at the Hjemkomst Center near the river. The sun was just coming up and while it was definitely cold out there, it was really beautiful at that time of day. I took a lot of photos and then had some breakfast and headed into the museum. I spent some time checking out the incredible Hjemkomst Viking Ship which is quite a sight to behold. It is a scale replica of an old Viking ship which was built by high school guidance counselor Robert Asp in the 1970s. His plan was to sail the ship to his ancestral homeland of Norway, and while he died in 1980 before he could make that journey, his children took up this dream and made the trip over the course of a month in 1982. It’s a phenomenally inspiring story all around and I loved seeing the ship and the video about the voyage. I also got a tour of the interior of the Stave Church which was also very cool. There were other exhibits in the museum as well, including one about the Native Ojibwe and Dakota People in the area and a “healing through art” exhibit of military veteran artwork. It was a wonderful morning and definitely one of the must-see places stops on any trip to Minnesota. From there, I headed back to the Sons of Norway Lodge since it was Pie Day and had a local specialty of Tater Tot hotdish (a mix of veggies and cream of something soup topped with Tater Tots and baked) and a slice of coconut cream pie. I hit the gym to try and work that off a little bit and then got on the road to Detroit Lakes, a beautiful little historic town on its namesake lake. The town used to be called Detroit, but too many postal errors caused them to add the “Lakes” part in the 1920s to help rectify the problem. It was a beautiful afternoon and I enjoyed wandering the downtown area and then strolling along the lakefront until sunset. The sunset was really beautiful that afternoon, and the beautiful clouds were perfectly reflected in the lake. I hadn’t planned on eating out that night, but the smell of pizza wafting from Zorba’s on the Lake drew me in. Their pizza was quite good and I washed it down with some local beer before calling it a night.
I was up early again the next morning and on my way to Itasca State Park further into the central part of the state. This is where I really started to see the orange tamarack trees which have been so phenomenal this week. I passed by some beautiful mirror-like lakes and got out and took some awesome photos (if I do say so myself). I pulled into the historic Douglas Lodge around 11am and took a nice 3 mile hike down the Deer Park Trail and back up the Ozawindib Trail. I also detoured to the Aiton Heights Fire Tower which had amazing views out over the park from the top. The hike took me through some beautiful forest and past several phenomenal lakes and was one of the better hikes I’ve made in a while. The day was a perfect day to be there and I really enjoyed this hike despite my knee still giving me some trouble from last week. I finished my hike, had some lunch and then headed to the highlight of the park – the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River which begins its 2,552 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico right there in central Minnesota. There was a pretty big crowd at the headwaters, waiting to take their photo with the sign and to walk across the rocks where the lake empties into the river. It’s probably about 15’ wide at that point and while you can’t quite jump across it (well maybe you can, but I certainly couldn’t), it was only about 8 stepping stones across. Seeing the Mississippi at its humble beginning was like visiting an old friend as a child – you know what they’re going to grow into and you can marvel at how small they once were. In the nearby museum I learned that the lake and the park took their name from combing the Latin words Veritas (truth) and Caput (head) which was coined by Henry Schoolcraft when his Ojibwe friends led him to the source of the great river. Others before and after claimed different sources, but this one seemed to be the “true head” to Schoolcraft and is generally agreed upon today. There are small creeks that feed into Lake Itasca, but none is really big enough to be considered a river.
Hello Everyone! It’s been another wonderful week out here on the road as I’ve traveled from the beautiful North Shore, up the Gunflint Trail and back and then out into the interior of the state. The weather has been very up and down with a lot of clouds and rain but also a few truly stunning days which has really showed this region in its best light. Because of the weather, I have been moving a little slower than usual because there are things I don’t want to miss in this region. I’ve also been trying to plan the rest of my time in the state which takes time to research and plot out. I am very grateful to all of my Minnesotan friends for making my first week here so easy – with all of their pointers on the region, I barely had to look at anything other than my map. As I get deeper into the state though, I’m more on my own – which is perfectly fine, but it means I want to be sure I have at least a rough plan so I’m not missing things I really want to see. I was also trying hard to get another podcast episode done this week which I finally finished yesterday (and you can find here). I really hoped to keep on top of my podcast better this summer, but I’ve just been so busy that I haven’t had the time I thought I would. My fun observations this week have included Minnesotan’s pronunciation of the word “sauna”, which is probably close to the Finnish pronunciation, as “sow-na”. In most of the country we pronounce it “saw-na”. There are actually signs posted and T-shirts to be bought about this pronunciation debate, which I find amusing (here’s an article discussing the pronunciation). I also saw a great sign this week about social distancing which told people to stay at least one canoe paddle apart (in Wisconsin it was one cow apart). How wonderful! I’m also loving the Halloween decorations that are springing up everywhere and the fresh apples and cider in the stores. The roads have been good this week and actually make driving much more pleasurable. I know this is in part due to less traffic and especially less truck traffic in the area, but I’ve still been enjoying it. I’ve also seen an eagle pretty much every day since I left Duluth which has been truly wonderful to see.
After I finished last week’s This Week, I did make it out to Devil’s Kettle Falls in Judge C.R. Magney State Park. I had seen a lot of waterfalls last week, but my friend Jen was insistent on my seeing this one in particular. I was glad I did, because it was really cool. There are two sides to the falls – one continues down the river and the other disappears underground. After hiking to the falls, I headed back into Grand Marais right as the weather was clearing and it turned into an absolutely beautiful day. I had fun wandering around town and out along the breakwater to the lighthouse, taking photos and enjoying the sunshine. There are some cool buildings and some beautiful views in Grand Marais (pronounced “muh-ray”), and I enjoyed my afternoon, but I also didn’t want to spend the whole day in town as I knew there was a rainy forecast ahead. My friend Tim had recommended a trip up the Gunflint Trail, once a logging road which was improved to allow firefighter access to in case of wildfire and is now a state scenic byway. The road stretches 40 miles into the interior of the state and has a lot of public access points to many of the lakes along the way. I bopped along and ended up at Gunflint Lake, 35 miles or so up the Trail, about an hour before sunset. I cast out my fishing line and sat at the end of the dock and watched the beautiful day fade to dusk as the sun set in the west. I went back to my van and cooked some dinner and when I had finished and came back down to the lake there were a million stars overhead. It was so dark out there and the massive lake allowed such an expansive view that I just stood there in awe, listening to the loons and watching the stars. It was pretty magical.
I set my alarm to go off early on Thursday morning so I could watch the sun come up over the lake. The water was very still and it was really quiet and I just sat on the end of the pier with my coffee and enjoyed the morning. After a nice breakfast, I continued on to Gull Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail where I spent some time in the fascinating Chik-Wauk museum which is housed in what was once a tourist lodge. The museum had some great displays on the natural history of the area and on the development and evolution of the Gunflint Trail. There was also a preserved tourist cabin with a nice view over the lake and a wonderful building filled with historic canoes. When I left the museum, I moseyed back down the Trail, stopping off to do a little fishing at a couple of lakes along the way. I also did a hike out to Magnetic Rock which is a huge monolith in the middle of the forest. The rock itself was cool and worth the trek, but the trail was quiet and had some stunning views as well. After my hike, I made my way back to Grand Marais where I watched the sun set and enjoyed a couple of beers at the brewery and a delicious walleye sandwich at the Gunflint Tavern before calling it a night.
Minnesota’s North Shore stretches along Lake Superior from Duluth all the way to the Canadian border. This region was at the top of all of my Minnesotan friends’ must-see lists and after five days of exploring, I certainly understand why. There are eight beautiful state parks along this stretch, as well as Grand Portage National Monument which is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. This park tells the story of the early fur traders, voyageurs and Native Americans who came together on the western shore of Lake Superior. Waterfalls abound along the North Shore, including Minnesota’s tallest - High Falls in Grand Portage State Park. I also found lighthouses, cute little lakeside towns and breathtaking views out over Lake Superior. Also in this region is the wonderful Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway which stretches 40 miles, from Grand Marais to Gull Lake, and offers wonderful lodging and recreation activities in the state’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area. While not technically on the North Shore, I’ve included some of my favorite shots from my two days along this beautiful road as well. I so enjoyed watching the sun set and then rise again in the morning over Gunflint Lake, and the stars at night were simply amazing. I will echo my friends’ recommendation - if you’re coming to Minnesota, the North Shore is definitely a place you must see. For such a compact area, it’s one of the most beautiful regions I’ve seen in my travels anywhere in the country. I hope you enjoy these photos from Minnesota’s North Shore and the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway.
Hello Everyone! It’s hard to believe that September has come and gone so quickly. We’re still a solid week or two from peak fall foliage here thanks to the lakes, but the weather has cooled and it definitely feels like fall. I’ve had a wonderful week on the road as I wound up my time here in Wisconsin with a visit to the Apostle Islands, spent a day with the Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa and a quiet night on Madeline Island before following Lake Superior to the Minnesota border. It’s been great to be back on the banks of this greatest of the Great Lakes. As much as I’ve loved my time in Wisconsin, I missed sitting on the shores of one or another Great Lake as I went. I did get two sad messages this week that I wanted to share with you. Way back when I had just begun this blog, I visited McDowell County in southern West Virginia and met a wonderful lady named Orbie Campbell who ran a tiny coffee shop in the town of War. Ms. Orbie passed away this week at the age of 76. She will be greatly missed in War for her kind spirit and welcoming demeanor. I also got word this week that Nancy, who ran the bar and kitchen at Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary, Louisiana (and was married to Teddy for over 40 years) passed away this month as well. Nancy was a kind soul who always had a cold beer and a good story waiting for me when I walked in the door. She will also be truly missed. May Ms. Orbie and Ms. Nancy both rest in peace.
After I finished this post last Wednesday, my new friend Russ and I did indeed do some kayaking. We loaded up his kayaks and headed out to Black River Lake and had the whole place to ourselves. It was a great time and a beautiful day to be there. We had one bald eagle and two swans for company and spent a couple of hours paddling around the lake under sunny skies with a pleasant breeze. Afterwards we went and shot some pool at the American Legion before calling it a night.
Thursday I took off from Bessemer and headed deeper into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to spend the day in the Porcupine Mountains. I decided to skip this far corner of the U.P. when I was up there last month, knowing I would be much closer when I came north through Wisconsin and imagining it would be more beautiful in the fall. It really was a beautiful day and the park didn’t disappoint. I spent the morning in the Presque Island side of the park, wandering the coast and then up the Presque River to a couple of waterfalls. Then I headed around the park to the other side to visit the stunning Lake of the Clouds. Lake of the Clouds is one of Michigan’s most well-known natural features, and its reputation is well deserved. The lake is nestled in a hilly basin just up from the shores of Lake Superior, but it feels much more isolated when you are there. The best views were from the overlook, but I enjoyed a hike down to lake level as well. Fall colors aren’t quite at their peak, but I definitely think what color was there added to the scenery. It was a beautiful stop. From there I headed back to Wakefield where I stopped at the Randall Bakery for a delicious pasty (when in Rome, right?) before boogying back to Wisconsin. I pretty much made a beeline for Ashland as the day was wearing on and I wanted to get there before dark. Russ had gone kayaking in the Apostle Island sea caves that day, so he met me for a beer at the brewery before he headed back to Bessemer. I really enjoyed hanging out with him for a few days – we had a really good time.
Friday morning I headed to the Ashland Historical Museum. It was a typical small town collection of bric-a-brac, but I enjoyed poking around and the people there were nice. I took a stroll around downtown to check out Ashland’s beautiful murals and then ducked into the library right as it started to rain. I wanted to start to wind up my time in Wisconsin and look ahead towards Minnesota. When the rain started to let up, I made my way out to the beach for a while. It was a little chilly for a swim, but I enjoyed my dinner with a view out over Lake Superior. That night I enjoyed listening to the local high school team, the Ashland Oredockers, play Friday night football on the radio. I had a couple of beers in a few different places, but they were all pretty quiet so I called it a night.
The Driftless Region of Wisconsin is the area below the furthest advance of the glaciers during the last Ice Age and covers most of the southwest portion of the state.. It is home to wonderful, ancient sandstone formations, beautiful parks and great little towns. This area is definitely hillier than much of the rest of the state and ends (at least as far as Wisconsin is concerned) at the Mississippi River on its western border. I had a great time exploring the Driftless, boating through the Wisconsin Dells, walking the State Park trails, driving the Great River Road and exploring the towns I found along the way. I encountered many different European-American traditions along the way including two of Wisconsin’s most famous: beer and cheese. I visited Wisconsin’s first Capital at Belmont, it’s biggest tourist attraction at House on the Rock and some of the state’s mining history at Mineral Point The Driftless is a sprawling region with a diverse culture and a fascinating history. I hope you enjoy these photos from Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, a unique place which I really enjoyed visiting.
House on the Rock simply defies explanation. It is, first and foremost, a house - and quite a unique and wonderful one at that. Built high on Deer Shelter Rock and overlooking the forest below, the house is the creation of Alex Jordan Jr. who began construction on it in 1945. Using the natural terrain of Deer Shelter Rock and building around many of the trees that were there, Jordan moved much of the material in the original structure by hand. It may not be the best built house structurally, but aesthetically it is quite stunning, incorporating natural materials and Japanese design features.
When House on the Rock was featured in a local Madison magazine, people began to show up to see it and asked Jordan for a tour. He started charging people 50 cents and soon realized that there was money to be made from his creation. He began to market it and add different marvels to his roadside attraction. Soon enough, thousands of people a year were coming to see it and Jordan hired a staff and began construction on other buildings to house his strange and eclectic collections. The Streets of Yesteryear is a walk down a recreated Victorian Era Street while the Heritage of the Sea features a massive three-story statue of a sea monster battling a whale-like creature. Jordan collected and built beautiful musical creations from around the world and then built the world’s largest carousel featuring 269 animals (none of them horses) and 20,000 lights. His collections of guns, dollhouses, musical instruments and model ships could have their own museums. Over a million people a year now make their way to this Wisconsin landmark, making it one of the state’s most visited sites.
It’s definitely a “roadside attraction”, but it’s so much more than that. It’s weird and whimsical and overwhelming to the senses. It takes hours to walk through and while I didn’t learn much while I was there, I sure enjoyed myself. It’s like a giant funhouse for adults and definitely worth the price of admission. I was overwhelmed. Much of House on the Rock and its outbuildings are dark and extremely hard to photograph, but some of the photos I took came out okay. They cannot possibly do justice to the experience, though, and I don’t think any photos really could. It’s definitely a place that has to be experienced for one’s self. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy my attempt to share with you some of my favorite photos from my day at House on the Rock - a place you simply have to see to believe.
The Potsdam Sandstone that makes the beautiful formations we find in the Wisconsin Dells was formed 500 million years ago during the Cambrian Era when this area was the sandy shore of a vast inland sea. 15,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, the glaciers came within 4 miles of The Dells but never quite got there, making this the edge of what is called The Driftless Region (the part of Wisconsin which evaded glaciation). When the Ice Age started to end, the meltwater formed a massive lake known as Glacial Lake Wisconsin. When the ice dam that held the lake back finally collapsed, it unleashed a massive flood which carved the gorges of the Wisconsin Dells in a matter of days or weeks. We get the word ‘Dells’ from the French word ‘dalles’ which means slabs of rock.
Human history in the area stretches back thousands of years, but the modern era of The Dells as a tourist draw can be traced to legendary photographer H.H. Bennett. Bennett took up photography after the Civil War but became frustrated that he could not capture moving objects on film without them blurring. He built his own camera which he referred to as a “snapper” and took a famous photo of his son jumping to Stand Rock. This photo circulated around the country and then the world and people had to come and see these Dells for themselves. The Dells became quite a mess with all of the attempts to capitalize on this beautiful natural area’s popularity (think Niagara Falls), but thankfully it has been designated a State Natural Area which is overseen by the State of Wisconsin. The weird tourist traps which have persisted are thankfully out of view of The Dells themselves.
I came to The Dells a few times when I was a kid and always remembered it as a beautiful place. I was happy to find I still thought that after many years away and having visited a lot of beautiful areas in the interim. I took the Upper Dells boat tour and a DUCK tour of the Lower Dells while I was there and enjoyed both of them (although choosing between the two would be easy - the Upper Dells all the way). I was also lucky to have absolutely beautiful weather while I was there. I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit to the beautiful Wisconsin Dells.
Hello Everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week since last I wrote. I can’t believe we’re already halfway through August, but it’s sure been a beautiful week here in Wisconsin. For me, it’s been a week of catching up – catching up on work and catching up with my family in the Greater Milwaukee area. Since my dad is from Milwaukee and I spent a lot of time here as a kid, there is a lot of familiarity to it even though it’s been many years since I last spent time in the area. It’s been great though, and I’m really enjoying it.
When I finished this post last week, I headed over to the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay. Right as I parked and got out of my van, the tornado sirens started going off downtown. The museum was clearly a better option than my van in a tornado, so I headed inside. The staff was great and moved us all into the theater to wait it out. Thankfully the tornados passed us by and I could go ahead and get a look at the museum. There were some interesting artifacts there, but I really wanted to learn more about the history of Green Bay and it didn’t quite deliver on that for me. I did enjoy the museum but I would have loved a better organized permanent collection. The top highlight was a very cool model of Lambeau Field built entirely out of Legos which was definitely worth seeing. When I left the museum, I went to a delicious little spot called PhoComa downtown. Green Bay (and Southern Wisconsin) has a huge Hmong population who settled there after escaping from Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam War. I have definitely been craving some good Southeast Asian food for a while, and this place was amazing. After dinner I went to see the Green Bay Booyah baseball team play. They play in the Northwoods League with the Traverse City Pitspitters, and that night they were playing against Racine. The storms had cleared out and it turned into a beautiful night for baseball, but the Booyah couldn’t pull one out for the home town crowd.
Thursday I headed out of Green Bay and drove through downtown Appleton to see where Harry Houdini spent much of his adult life. It seemed like a nice enough place but there was nothing to keep me there. I moved on to Fond Du Lac at the bottom of Lake Winnebago and visited the Lighthouse Park for great views out over the lake. Lake Winnebago is a massive lake but can’t really compare to the nearby Great Lakes. The Fox River passes through Lake Winnebago and connects the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. It’s also one of the few northern flowing rivers in the country and was a major route for early traders. I really enjoyed learning about the area at the local Visitors Center but had to keep moving so I headed on towards Milwaukee where I met my cousin Emma at her office for an evening event. I got there a little early so we could catch up as it’s been 8 years since I saw her last. We had a great chat and then moved into the music venue at her office which does a monthly livestream of a local band. That night we got to see the wonderful duo of Andreas Transo and Charlene Adzima on guitar and fiddle, playing Irish tinged folk music with some definite Wisconsin flare. They were amazing and I really enjoyed the show and especially seeing it with my cousin.
The next day was State Fair Day for me and I was so excited to go. When I was growing up, the Wisconsin State Fair was a definite highlight of the summer for me every year I went. I’ve often said that one of these days I would make it back and on Friday “one of these days” became “today”.
Hello Everyone and greetings from Green Bay, Wisconsin! I have completed my two month journey through Michigan and have moved on to the Badger State. I spent the first half of the week out in beautiful Isle Royale National Park, a destination I was really looking forward to and which definitely lived up to my expectations. Returning from the park on Saturday, it was time for me to make tracks and get myself into Wisconsin. Summer is passing quickly and I still hope to get through both Wisconsin and Minnesota before winter sets in. It’s been a good week, and I’m excited to tell you what I’ve been up to.
I headed out to Isle Royale on the Isle Royale Queen IV out of Copper Harbor bright and early on Wednesday morning. There are three boats that make the trip to the island, and this one just worked better with my schedule. It was fast and made the 55 mile crossing in about 3.5 hours and I enjoyed chatting with a mother and daughter who I sat with on the way out. The mother owned the rock shop in Copper Harbor and had a grandfather who once lived and worked as a fisherman on Isle Royale. Her daughter was in Copper Harbor for the summer and working at one of the restaurants in town. I was surprised by how many people I met who had family connections back to Isle Royale before it became a National Park.
When we arrived on the island, the rangers gave us their briefing, issued backcountry permits and we were off and running. Most of the park is designated wilderness, so unless you are staying at the lodge near the ferry dock you are on your own for the duration of your stay. I shouldered my pack and made my way a little over 7 miles to Daisy Farm Campground on the east side of the island. It’s been years since I’ve carried a full pack that distance, but I have been doing a lot of walking and hiking and it really wasn’t too bad. I even saw my first of nine moose I would see during my visit on this hike. Because I was there alone, it was easy to hear footsteps which weren’t my own and an adult moose has some pretty heavy footsteps. I was able to see the moose through the dense forest and enjoyed spending some time with her before heading on to camp where I took up residence in one of the shelters they had there. I had my tent with me, but since the shelters were available it seemed like an easier option even though it only takes 5 minutes to set up my tent. I had my first dehydrated meal in many years, something which has improved dramatically since the last time I ate one. It was a beautiful campground right on the lake and even though it was pretty busy, people were spread out and it didn’t seem crowded. I met some really nice people in camp and found it easy to talk to people as we obviously had shared interests in hiking, camping and/or National Parks and had gone to some length to get to this remote island.
Stretched between the towns of Munising and Grand Marais along the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a magical place filled with breathtaking scenery. From historical lighthouses to picture-perfect waterfalls, this small and often overlooked unit of the National Park Service is sure to have something for everyone. I enjoyed hiking many miles of trails along beaches and through the woods, past the waterfalls and overlooks that have captured peoples’ attention for hundreds of years. During the lumbering era, the area was clear cut, but the forest has regenerated in the last hundred years and is healthy again. It’s no wonder that Pictured Rocks was America’s first National Lakeshore, gaining this new designation in 1966. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a must-see while visiting Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and a definite highlight of my time in the state. To truly see the rocks themselves, you do need to get on a boat and see them from the water. I chose the Sunset Spray Falls tour with Pictured Rocks Cruises and while I think the boat could have been better suited to sightseeing, it was a wonderful cruise nonetheless. If you’re ever traveling across northern Michigan, definitely plan on spending a day or two in beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. You’ll be glad you did. I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit.
Stepping off the ferry on Mackinac Island is like stepping back in time. I’m sure that line has been used a million times, but it’s true. Way back in 1898 the city council banned “horseless carriages” from the entire island and that ban remains in effect today. Everything on the island is delivered and transported by horse-drawn cart or bicycle. This alone makes Mackinac Island special, but there’s so much more to this little corner of the world than its lack of cars.
Native Americans traveled back and forth to Mackinac Island for hundreds of years, by canoe in the warmer months and over the ice when the lake froze over. It became an outpost for the French fur trade in the 1700s and remained under French control until the end of the French and Indian War, at which time the British flag was raised on the island. During the American Revolution, the British moved Fort Michilimackinac from its former position on the mainland to a bluff high on top of Mackinac island. After the war, American troops occupied the fort, but a surprise attack during the opening days of the War of 1812 put it back in British hands. The Treaty of Ghent would return Mackinac Island to the Americans in 1815 and John Jacob Astor would soon set up his American Fur Company on the island.
After the Civil War, tourism boomed on Mackinac Island and it was named America’s second National Park with the army unit at the fort charged with the park’s protection. To accommodate the new influx of tourism, hotels were built including the incredible Grand Hotel which still sits high on a hill overlooking Lake Huron. Mackinac Island remained a National Park for twenty years, after which time it was turned back over to the state of Michigan and became Michigan’s first state park.
Today, Mackinac Island is one of Michigan’s top tourist destinations. While the population of the island is less than 500, as many as 15,000 visitors a day descend on the island in the middle of summer. I can certainly understand why as it is a truly beautiful and unique place. I arrived on the first ferry of the day and left on the last, so I did get to see the island in a fairly quiet state. The weather and photography conditions weren’t the best when I was there, but Mackinac Island is so photogenic that I took hundreds of photos anyway and included some of my favorites in this post. I haven’t captioned them all, because many are just of Main Street with horses and carriages but that was such a wonderful scene that I couldn’t help myself. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Mackinac Island, definitely one of my favorite places I visited in my two months in Michigan.
