We traveled to Huntington, WV and stayed in a KOA overnight….in a level campsite that did not require unhooking the trailer.
Saturday
We drove to Lebanon, OH avoiding Interstates except for the last half hour! We have a great site in the KOA!
Sunday
We stopped in Lebanon to ride the Little Miami Trail. Several years ago we rode it from Xenia to Springfield and liked it a lot! So this week we will be riding from Xenia south. Today we rode from Xenia to Corwin, a 14 mile segment and back. It was very hot but the trail was shaded and there was a nice breeze!
Xenia Station where 4 bike trails intersect!
Monday
We rode 18 miles of the Little Miami trail from Fort Ancient to Burrow and Foster to Milford….and then back, It was a lovely day, cloudy and not as hot as yesterday! The weather will not allow more riding during the rest of out time so we will have to play “tourist!”
Tuesday
The rain was not really intense in the our area, so we decided to tour the small towns near our campground. First we walked around Lebanon. It is a really nice town with shops and restaurants in a beautifully restored downtown. We discovered what turned out to be a wonderful barbecue restaurant!
Next we went to Loveland, a small town the bike trail went through that called for more exploration. Here is a painting along the trail in a beautiful area with restaurants and shops!
The weekly farmer’s market was today. We got vegetables, pecan raisin bread and cherry pie!
Wednesday
On our last day in Lebanon, we went to Fort Ancient, the largest North American hilltop earthwork enclosure built by the Hopewell Indians 2000 years ago. The museum was great and we learned a lot about the ancient cultures that built the earthworks for protection and burial tombs in the Midwest! All the work was done by hand using deer shoulder blades, split elk antlers, clamshell hoes, digging sticks and baskets that carried 35-40 pounds of dirt. The enclosure itself is simply not maintained; everything is overgrown. It is really not possible to look around and see the magnitude of the earthworks…a real disappointment!
Thursday
We drove to Michigan City on state roads through small towns and farm country. We are always amazed with the fields of corn and soy beans we see when traveling in the Midwest! We arrived and set up camp; then we went to the Indiana Dunes National Park Visitors Center. A volunteer did a fabulous job helping us plot a visitation plan for tomorrow!
Friday
Our exploration of Indiana Dunes began at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk. The area has trails, beach access and a beautiful “green” building for Ranger-led and community programs. Look closely and you can see the Chicago skyline in the distance!
Next, we stopped at West Beach to hike part of the “Diana of the Dunes Dare”, a trail through the dunes. Diana (Alice Gray) was a free spirit who lived in the dunes from 1915-25 in an abandoned rail car and a driftwood shack she built! She was an early advocate for preserving the dunes so this natural environment in the Chicago area would not disappear from the planet!
Heading east, we drove along the beautiful Lake Front Drive where the “1933 Century of Progress Homes” are located. The homes were exhibits at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair highlighting innovative building materials and designs. In 1935 a developer moved them to their current locations!
Our last stop was at Mount Baldy, the park’s most dynamic dune. It is still moving inland yearly. It stands 126 feet tall!
It is wonderful that the Indiana Dunes National Park was created in 2019 to preserve this unique landscape on the south shore of Lake Michigan. Is it one of the great national parks? Certainly not! If you check off National Parks like we do, it is a must stop. Or, if you really like to spend time on beaches, it is a worthwhile stop!
One NP Done ✅
Saturday
We drove to the Traverse City KOA avoiding Interstates were possible so we could see the Michigan countryside! Once we got there and settled in we were too tired to do anything else!
Sunday
Gretchen and Tom Dancing through Life for 52 Years!
We rode the Leelanau Trail from the Cherry Bend trailhead in Traverse City to Suttons Bay and back logging 29.0 miles. It was a beautiful, well maintained trail through canopies of trees, open fields and cherry, peach and apple orchards.
A cherry along the way!
Entering Suttons Bay, there was a beautiful wild flower garden.
And Suttons Bay was such a cute little hamlet, we actually drove there after our ride to walk around the downtown. Then we drove to the west side of the Leelanau Peninsula making a loop back to Traverse City.
Monday, August 1
Today was a day to tour the west coast north to Charlevoix, Petoskey, Harbor Springs and the Tunnel of Trees. Interesting, we were not impressed with the larger coastal towns. They were not quaint, but rather like large suburbs catering to tourists. Certainly, there were great resorts to stay at but the natural beauty was missing for us!
Tunnel of Trees is like the BRPW.
Returning to Traverse City, we stopped at the Mari Vineyard to sample their Riesling and raise a glass to our 52 fun and adventurous years of marriage! We saw this wine region was like the Finger Lakes in New York. After one taste there is no threat to the Finger Lakes! We found a really nice food co-op and got some groceries we needed including a second Riesling to try tomorrow!
Riesling #1 👎
Tuesday
Today we are exploring Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. On the way, however, we had to stop at The Cherry Hut, a 100 year old establishment, in Beulah to get a cherry pie and jelly!
A few miles north of Beulah, we entered the Lakeshore and turned onto the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, a well done, loop up a mountain with beautiful views of the dunes and Lake Michigan.
Our next stop was the Dune Climb where we parked and unloaded our bikes to ride some of the Heritage Bike Trail. We rode north through dunes and forests arriving at Glen Haven, an old port restored by the Park Service.
Next we rode through the quaint town of Glen Arbor and continued about 5 miles to the point where the path turns to gravel. This section is in an historic district that does not allow paving. On our return to Glen Arbor, Gretchen found a treat!
Happy hour result…Riesling #2 👎👎
Wednesday
Driving through orchards, vineyards and farmland, we traveled up the Old Mission Peninsula to the lighthouse on the point. The lighthouse was in operation from 1870 to 1933!
We didn’t realize we would be halfway between the North Pole and the Equator!
On the way back, we drove along the shoreline with great views of the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay.
Finally, we stopped at the Black Starr Winery for our final Riesling tasting. Their wines were really good; we even bought bottles of Rose’ and Riesling!
Riesling Tasting #3 👍👍
Thursday
Today was a travel day, from Traverse City over the Mackinac Bridge to Munising on the upper peninsula.
And we did get a pasty for dinner!
Friday
Exploring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was our activity today. It was the first national lakeshore established in 1966! Our first stop was the Munising Falls visitor center on the west end of the park where we walked to Munising Falls. Then we drove to Sand Point at the entrance to Munising Bay.
Our next stop was Miners Castle, one of the famous rock formations on the lake shore. We then walked to Miners Falls.
The Log Slide is a unique area. In the old days, lumber jacks would pull large trees to the shore and slide them down the dunes to waiting boats. Look at the size of the Big Wheel they loaded the end of the logs on to pull them to the slide!
Log Slide in foreground of Grand Sable Dunes.
Final stop of the day was Sable falls. We walked a lot of steps today viewing the waterfalls!
Pictured Rocks protects 42.8 miles of the Lake Superior shoreline. It is a beautiful spot to spend the day exploring! In our hiking days, we could have seen a lot more in a couple of days!
Kayaks ready for classes at Miners Beach.
Saturday
Another travel day to Hancock where we will get the float plane Monday to Isle Royale NP…and the weather looks good!!! Below is the view from our campsite at the Lake Linden Village Campground….that does not have full hookups! It is missing sewer but there were no campgrounds with full hookups in the area!
Sunday
Today we drove a loop around the Keweenaw Peninsula driving along the west coast from Calumet to Eagle Harbor to Copper Harbor. The shore line of Lake Superior in this area consist of red pebbles.
Lake Superior is 31,700 square miles, the largest fresh water lake in the world with it’s deepest point being 1,333 feet! Originally, the lake was called Gichigami, the Ojibwe Indian name for “Great Lake.”
Eagle River is a beautiful, quaint village with this gorgeous light house. It is still in operation today as an automated light maintained by the Coast Guard and the buildings by the local historical society!
Monday
We are bound to Isle Royale National Park via seaplane from Hancock MI! The flight takes about 45 minutes. It is a perfect day to fly!
The iconic Portage Lake Lift Bridge connecting Houghton to Hancock.
Rock Harbor
Rock Harbor Lodge
We checked in at the Harbor Visitors Center and walked over to the Lodge. We ate lunch at the grill, where I finally tasted whitefish! I liked it!! After lunch, we hiked the Stoll Trail, a 2 mile loop that takes you through the different types of habitats on the island. Albert Stoll is credited as being the driving force behind the movement to make Isle Royale a national park.
By the time we ended our hike, it was time to head back to the seaplane dock. We really enjoyed our day on Isle Royale. It is a beautiful place. However, note…it is a wilderness type place except for the Rock Harbor area. Most of our flight companions were going on backpacking trips!
Two NP Done ✅
Tuesday/Wednesday
Tuesday we drove to Colquet, MN and stayed at a KOA overnight to break up our trip to International Falls. We went through a mining town named Virginia! Why was it named that…because when it was established a large share of the lumbermen who lived there were from the state of Virginia! Today we drove to International Falls and found our site at the Rainy Lake RV park. After we set up camp, we visited the Voyageurs National Park Visitors Center….they had a really well done video of the history of the area. Then we found where we will meet our tour guide tomorrow and became familiar with International Falls.
Thursday
At 10 a.m we met our guide (Tim) from Voyageurs Outfitters at Thunderbird Lodge for our boat trip along 35 miles of the northern boundary of Voyageurs NP from Rainy Lake to the Kettle Falls Hotel! The only way one can explore this park is by boat and it does not take long for you to realize the vast extent of the wilderness it encompasses (218,055 acres).
We stopped at the Harry Oveson Fish Camp, a commercial operation established in 1959. During the season, they stored fish on ice to be shipped east at the end of the season. So they needed a lot of ice!
In the winter, ice was cut from the lake and stored in the shed below. It was really insulated. Ice could be stored in it for 2 years! Did you know that the fishermen set their nets at a depth of 120 feet to catch whitefish?
The north shore of Voyageurs NP is adjacent to the Canadian border. Many times on our trip we were traveling through Canada. The channel markers in Canada are a different shape than the ones in the United States.
In the photo below, note the swirling in the water. The eddy is caused by a circular bowl in the rock beneath the water; in the past referred to as a “kettle”. Hence, the dam is on the Kettle River and it replaced the natural Kettle Falls.
Our lunch stop was the Kettle Falls Hotel which was built in 1913 and was known for its hearty home cooking and hospitality served by the Williams family. The Park Service renovated it in 1987 so we can experience the traditions of the Williams family today. Of course the hotel is accessible only by water! I did get to try Walleye for lunch and it was hearty and good!
Note the slant of the floor in the hotel bar; a result of frost heave!
We are standing on the overlook of Kettle Falls. Looking SOUTH, the shoreline behind us is in Canada!
Most of the shoreline on our travels today was rocky, but it did not rise much above the water level. In Anderson Bay, however, we saw some higher cliffs…with teenagers debating whether to take the plunge or not!
Note the large rock on the island, left by the glaciers.
Our ride for the day!
In the early 1700s, Ojibwe indians provided the fur pelts and birchbark canoes to French-Canadian canoemen (voyageurs ) who transported the “soft gold” to Montreal to be shipped to European markets. The Park, created in 1975, preserves 56 miles of the waterway the voyageurs traveled in their birchbark canoes! The 25x4 foot canoes weighed 300 lbs, had a capacity of 3500 lbs and carried 25-30 bales of furs and other goods with a crew of 4 to 6! And yes…there were portages! Traveling by boat through this wilderness waterway today, one is confronted with how determined, skilled, strong and creative the Ojibwe and voyagers had to be to do their jobs and survive!
Three NP Done ✅
Friday/Saturday/Sunday
Today was a free day to check out the area. We got a late start, then we checked out the peninsula roads on Rainy Lake, and walked around Ranier, a quite town adjacent to International Falls. We got our truck washed but didn’t see anything worth getting out of it in International Falls!
On Saturday we had a long drive to Cannon Falls. The plan was to go to the Bolton’s for brunch on Sunday to see their family. But Jeff called and said he tested positive for COVID again.
So Sunday we rode the Cannon Valley Trail, a very nice paved trail between Cannon Falls and Red Wing.
Monday
We’re our on our way to Red Wing to see the biggest boot in the world. It is size 638 1/2 made from the same materials as Red Wing work boots!
For lunch we went to the Stockholm Pie Plate Cafe. We got one of savory beef pies for lunch and a cherry pie to go! We then went to the Anderson Sculpture Garden. It is housed on the estate of the doctor who invented puffed wheat and rice for cereals! The estate is now an art center with galleries, and a residential artist program.
Jeff called this morning and said he tested negative. So we’re headed to Rochester to spend a few hours on their patio with them! We’re so happy we can see them while we are in the area! Oh, and he called in time for us to take them a peach pie!
Tuesday
We drove along the Mississippi River for over an hour on our way to Oakdale, WI. It was a beautiful drive! We set up camp and had time to ride a 6 mile section of the Elroy-Sparta Trail from Elroy to Kendall; the first rail trail constructed in the United States in 1967. It is 32.5 miles in length.
Wednesday
Today we continued our ride starting at Kendall where we ended yesterday riding north to the second of three tunnels on the trail.
Tunnel #1
After our ride, we drove to Sparta, the Bicycle Capital of America. We found the Depot where we will start our ride tomorrow and then….Ben Bikin, the World’s Largest Bicyclist (32 feet tall)!!!!
Thursday
Starting at Sparta, we road to Tunnel #3. It was a 9 mile ride up to the turn around point. However, on the way back, our fair weather luck ran out. It rained on us for the last 6 miles! We were very wet when we finished and our bikes were very muddy! About ten minutes after we arrived in Sparta, it stopped raining and we could do our video wrap up at the depot!
Tunnel #3
We had planned to stop in Morgantown (WV) on our way home to ride three trails. However, the weather forecast is not good for biking. So we changed our plans and will head home from here. We had a great trip checking off 3 national parks with no hitches, riding 270 miles on bike trails, getting to see the biggest boot and bike in the world and getting to visit with Liz and Jeff!
What impressed me the most was the wilderness in Voyageurs NP. Boating along 35 miles of the fur traders route just makes you wonder how strong, creative, determined and decisive the Indians and voyagers had to be just to survive in the environment!
For Gretchen, the most remarkable & educational: Voyageurs NP; most fun: biking diverse rail trails and greenways; enjoyable: visiting Jeff & Liz; and greatest of all: celebrating 52 years together!
