Saturday, August 17, 2013

Getting closer to home!

Moving further west we stopped in North Dakato to see the Teddy Roosevelt National Park.  In 1883 Roosevelt went to the N.D. Badlands to hunt bison and fell in love with the "perfect freedom" of the west.  The area became a National Park after Roosevelt's death in 1919.  "Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam and the skies are not cloudy all day........ Oh home on the Range....."  Ok you get it, it is beautiful and breath taking.


We cut through Glacier National Park on the Going To The Sun Highway.  We have visited this park a number of times so decided to just take the views in with our top down!  



Bonnie and Tom drove from Bend, OR to meet up with us in Bigfork, MT for a road trip.  We enjoyed hot weather, hiking along the Swan River and a delicious dinner at The Laughing Horse Saloon.


From Bigfork we stopped in Coeur D'Alene and Walla Walla for wine tasting and golf.  Finished up the trip with a stop in Bend for a day.  We just love that town, home of many brew pubs, great restaurants, the Deschutes River and of course our friends Bonnie and Tom.

Finally back in residence in PG!  It's still a bit of summer here, meaning the fog is in.


We have loved every moment of our journey.  We have been gone 109 days, slept in 25 beds, only gained 5 lbs.  Our trek thru parts of Europe were beautiful.  Our drive back to PG from Pittsburgh confirms to us that we live in a beautiful and diverse country.  It is good to be back home but I'm afraid I have a bit of wanderlust in my blood so who knows how long we will stay put before the next adventure.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Mackinac and the U.P.

On the road by 8am with a long drive ahead of us.  We headed to northern Michigan and Mackinac Island.  Fort Mackinac served as a military outpost for the British, and later, American soldiers from 1780 to 1895.  The fort was a crucial Great Lakes border that helped protect the lucrative fur trade.  John Jacobs Astor started his fur training business on the island in the early 1700's.  the island is located on Lake Huron.

Today it is a huge tourist destination! the island is served by  ferry service from Mackinaw City and St. ignace.  Once on the island, transportation is limited to bicycles and horse drawn carriages. The air is clean and smog free.  The historic 1887 Grand Hotel is the jewel of the island.  It was built in only 93 days because they wanted to have it open for the spring season.   We enjoyed lunch on the porch of the hotel in beautiful weather.





On Friday we ventured to the U.P. or Upper Peninsula.  Don had read about the incredible painted rock formations lining the coast of Lake Superior.  We took a cruise along the coast  (Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore) and pictures just don't tell the story.  The lake was formed  during the glacier period and the painted rock walls, arches and outcroppings were formed by sandstone that is over 100 million years old!  The colors are the result of deposits of iron, copper and calcium.  




Finished the day driving to Ironwood, MI.  The iron ore Industry was started here in the 1880's.  The ore was shipped to Pittsburgh via Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Erie resulting in the booming steel industry in Pittsburgh!  An imposing local landmark is 52 foot colored fiberglass statue of Hiawatha who as you know founded the Iroquois nation in the 1500's. 

We exit Michigan tomorrow and head to North Dakota via Minnesota and Wisconsin.