Visits to National Parks
Today we began our tour of Mount Rainer National Park. We spent the day on the south side of the park. Shortly after we entered the park, we arrived at Longmire. There was a small museum there. One of the displays was a slice from an old growth tree. A count of the rings showed […]
July 27, 2023 : Trip 11, Day 3 – Mount Rainier – The Southern Side Read More »
Today was quite a busy day. We traveled to fifteen overlooks and went on three hikes. It was only a twenty eight mile drive on a winding rural road. That testifies to how much there is to see and do in the Badlands National Park. We began the day at Pinnacles Overlook. There was much
June 26, 2023 : Trip 10, Day 19 – Badlands National Park Read More »
Today we began a two day tour of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The Badlands park is unusual because it is a joint effort between the United States and the Ogala Lakota Nation. We started our tour of the Badlands in the Ogala Lakota portion of the park. Our drive to Red Shirt Table
June 25, 2023 : Trip 10, Day 18 – Badlands National Park and Wall Drug Store Read More »
We were going underground today at Wind Cave National Park. First we needed to get there. Our drive was both short and long. It was only 29 miles, but it took about an hour to get there. It was a very different drive. The issue was windy roads, and sometimes bison. It was fun to
June 24, 2023 : Trip 10, Day 17 – Wind Cave National Park Read More »
We started the day with a drive to Peaceful Valley Ranch. We had driven by Peaceful Valley Ranch before on our way through the park. When we stopped here we understood how it got its name. The drive back to the house and barns was like a trip into the past. It was relaxing. Even
Today we visited the Scenic Loop in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our day was a combination of driving, hiking and overlooks. We began with the drive to Skyline Vista. The drive showed us the first of many animals we would see today. Of course we saw a bison. We also met
June 21, 2023 : Trip 10, Day 14 – Theodore Roosevelt National Park – Scenic Loop Drive Read More »
We spent last night in Watford City which is 15 miles north of the North Unit of the park. That means we had a long drive to the South Unit this morning. Because of the road closure issues yesterday, we knew we needed a different route to get to the south unit today. We were
Our first stop today was the North Dakota capital building in Bismarck. It is one of four capital buildings in the United States that has a large central tower. This design was chosen here because it was built during the depression. This style building was less expensive for the exterior. That left some extra funds
As we checked out the next morning we saw another interesting sign at Motel Ely. If you ever need a place to stay in Ely, Minnesota, Motel Ely is a solid choice. We had a relatively short 45 mile drive to Voyageurs National Park. Our first hike was the Blind Ash Trail. The trail description
June 17, 2023 : Trip 10, Day 10 – Voyageurs National Park Read More »
Today we visited one of the least visited national parks in the country. It is also quite remote. You can only reach it by boat or by seaplane. Or as we learned, if you are a moose, you can swim to it. We started at the dock in Grand Portage Minnesota. About an hour and
June 16, 2023 : Trip 10, Day 9 – Isle Royale National Park Read More »