AZ to Upper Great Lakes - May/June 2015

[Pmount]

Glad to help. Hope you share your experience.
-Pat

[Kinless]

Ah, did not know about the Grant Historic Site in MO. Good find.

If feasible, our next road trip this year will start in St. Louis and head toward the Great Lakes area as well, although in a more roundabout fashion. Will be looking for your report in the Upper Peninsula. Are you just driving through, or hitting any of the towns on the northern edge of the UP? Anything you report in WI or MN could be of interest as well...

[Pmount]

Monday, June 8
Start: Springfield, IL
Finish: Albion, IL

A strong thunderstorm moved through Springfield about 10 PM, the sky was clearing nicely in the morning. After a tasty, basic breakfast at the Hen House we headed into Springfield to visit the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. I never get tired of walking through this area; always amazed out how well preserved the few blocks are, considering it is part of a city and state capitol. A new bonus stamp was available commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Lincoln Funeral Train. His house in the historic district was draped in black, hard not to feel the emotions of the time.
www.nps.gov/liho

Lincoln Home - Springfield


A new location for us to visit was the Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center, on the south edge of Lake Springfield. This is a free park established to commemorate A. Lincoln, managed as a private foundation. There are a number of letterboxes planted there with permission of the management. The trails are well marked and maintained and take you through a variety of ecosystems. Along the way are numerous park benches with quotes made by Lincoln. What a delight to walk through the woods and prairie and read his quotes.
www.lincolnmemorialgarden.org
No shortage of Canada Geese - in the near future


By noon it was too hot to enjoy even a walk in the woods. We needed to be in southern Illinois to visit family that evening. We were able to add a bit more of US 50 to our driving route on our way south.

Tuesday, June 9
Start: Albion, IL
Finish: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore campground (NPS), near Porter, IN

Early start for us to drive into the Chicago area. Since our visit to the MidWest last fall a new unit of the National Park Service has been added, Pullman National Monument. This site has been well-preserved by the local community for many years and they lobbied hard to become part of NPS. This site has a lot of American history, George Pullman designed and built the Pullman railway cars here in the 1880s and built a community for his workers and their families, including providing public education. This site also has a strong labor movement history, including considered to be the 'birth' of Labor Day. Lots of work needs to be done to open buildings and interpret its history, however a visit now is well worthwhile. What is presented in the current visitor center and the buildings in the neighborhood is interesting.
www.nps.gov/pull

Pullman National Monument area - private homes


Inside the visitor center


We ended the day by driving a short distance to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and getting a campsite. The past week has been hot and too many motels! It was almost too warm to camp, but we were determined to enjoy an evening in camp. A nice breeze made the temperature comfortable.
www.nps.gov/indu

Passport Stamps
Abraham Lincoln NHA - Lincoln Home NHS
Lincoln Home NHS - Springfield, IL
Underground RR Freedom Network - Lincoln Home NHS
Pullman National Monument - Chicago, IL
Pullman National Monument - Historic Pullman Foundation
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore - Porter, IN

Bonus
Lincoln Funeral Train 150th Anniversary - 1865-2015
Lincoln Home NHS - Springfield, IL

Wildlife Sightings
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Ground squirrel

American Robin
Blue Jay
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbird
Great Blue Heron
Red-winged Blackbird
Turkey Vulture
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Brewer's Blackbird
American Crow
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Common Grackle
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern Phoebe

[Pmount]

Ah, did not know about the Grant Historic Site in MO. Good find.

If feasible, our next road trip this year will start in St. Louis and head toward the Great Lakes area as well, although in a more roundabout fashion. Will be looking for your report in the Upper Peninsula. Are you just driving through, or hitting any of the towns on the northern edge of the UP? Anything you report in WI or MN could be of interest as well...

Now you can add Pullman NM to your list. While at Grant, take the rime to watch the 22 minute film - great information about how he began to put in place what Lincoln envisioned.

We will be working our way up the western edge of Michigan, to Sleeping Bear Dunes NL and then into the UP. Kennesaw, above Houghton is on our list. Glad this trip report will be some help.
Enjoy your trip,
Pat

[Pmount]

Wednesday, June 10
Start: Indiana Dunes NL, Dunewood Campground (NPS)
Finish: Ludington, MI, Mason County Ca,pground

After several long days and short nights we needed rest and relaxation, we found it at the Indiana Dunes NL campground. We enjoyed a morning of bird watching in camp, not eager to leave. Once we crossed into Michigan we entered the Eastern timezone, and another hour 'lost'. We did some letterboxing as we headed north on I-96, I-194 and US 31.

Lake Michigan - Pier Cove Park



Had a scrumptious Cuban sandwich at Curve Inn in South Haven, MI. Found the place on Yelp, definitely someplace I would not have stopped if just driving by. Wow - the best Cuban, ever! It lasted us through dinner.

The Michigan state parks and forests require a recreation passport to,enter or camp at their parks. As a non-resident the cost is; $9/day or $31/annual - either way a hefty surcharge for tourists. We found an excellent county campground near Ludington, Mason County Campground. Only $23 for electric; large and private sites and free, strong WiFi. Restrooms and showers were in an air conditioned building. Showers cost 25 cents for 7 minutes. Extremely quiet - great night's rest!

Flowers at Mason County Campground



Thursday, June 11
Start: Ludington, MI
Finish: Mackinaw City, MI

Continued north on US 31, first at was in Manistee, MI at the USFS office for the North Country National Scenic Trail stamp. The person on duty helped us with some bird ID. Further up the road we came to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. After getting the passport stamp at the main visitor center we drove into the park and took the Pierre Stocking Scenic Drive. We fixed our lunch along the way, hike into the dunes and enjoyed the scenery along the loop. Unfortunately it began to rain while we were hiking into the dunes, so no pictures. It rained the rest of the day as we continued north on US 31 through Traverse City, Petoskey and into Mackinaw City. We found a campsite south of town with no trees over the roof. For $20 it included electric, water and pit toilets.

Passport stamps
Sleeping Bear Dunes Nat'l Seashore - Empire, MI

Bonus
North Country National Scenic Trail - Michigan
U.S. Forest Service, Manistee RS, Manistee, Michigan

Wildlife Sightings
White-tailed Deer, Fawn - very cute!
Fox squirrel
Least Chipmunk

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Tufted Titmouse
Black-capped Chickadee
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
American Robin
Mourning Dove
Blue Jay
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Grouse, ?
Hawk, ?
American Kestrel
Wild Turkey
Common Raven
Herring Gull
Canada Geese

[Pmount]

Friday, June 12
Start: Mackinaw City, MI
Finish: Baraga, MI


Light rain all night, continuing into the AM. Went into Mackinaw City to the Mackinaw City Bakery & Tea Shop, plus a letterbox, for breakfast. The weather forecast showed the rain stopped at the bridge, and sure enough we crossed into the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan and the rain stopped!


Mackinaw Bridge, Yellow Lady Slipper, Common Loon & Munising Falls



First stop of the day was at the Father Marquette National Memorial, just west of the bridge. Unfortunately it is part of the state parks system and requires the Recreation Passport, previously mentioned in this report. We did go in and look, managed to get in and out without being discovered.


Father Marquette National Memorial



We continued along US 2, along the upper shore of Lake Michigan. At MI 77 we turned north to the town of Germfask - never found out the background of that name. We stopped at the Jolly Inn for lunch to have a pasty - beef, potatoes, carrots and onion wrapped in a thin biscuit dough. We've had these numerous times before, usually in areas of mining history. This was the LARGEST ever, filled a meat platter! We each saved half and enjoyed it for dinner at camp. After lunch we stopped at Seney National Wildlife Refuge, an excellent NWR. We saw Trumpter Swans, including one sitting on a nest.


We continued north to Grand Marias to the Au Sable Visitor Center for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. A NPS ranger on duty was impressed with our 'stamping history', we had a nice conversation with her. We basically drove through to the west end, definitely a place to come back and spend more time, as we have in the past. In Munising we stopped at the Falls and the Interagency Visitor Center.
www.nps.gov/piro


We drove through Marquette, along US 41, a bit further west we saw two moose off the side of the road. Later I found out it is rare to see moose, even in the UP. It was a glorious day traveling through the UP. We ended the day at Baraga at Sand Point Campground, managed by the Ojibwa tribe. Our site was right on the lakeshore, we enjoyed watching a Common Loon float back and forth in front of us. Sunset is after 9:30 PM, with daylight lasting until after 10 PM.


Saturday, June 13
Start: Baraga, MI
Finish: Hancock, MI
We drove into the Houghton area and onto the Keweenaw Peninsula to grocery shop and get a campsite in Hancock. From there we headed north to Copper Harbor, at the tip of the peninsula. In the afternoon I did a kayak tour with the Keweenaw Adventure Center while my husband visited several of the sites associated with the Keweenaw Heritage area and Keweenaw National Historical Park. This are is rich with iron ore mining history and has been well-preserve through the National Park Service and many non-profit organizations in the area.
www.nps.gov/kewe




If you are ever in the area I highly recommend the Keweenaw Adventure Center. The 2-1/2 hour kayak tour was done very well. The cost was only $46. It included 1/2 of instruction and safety points, the wetsuits (required in Lake Superior), spray skirts and dry sacks. The weather could not have been better - 70 degrees, a hot spell for this area.
www.keweenawadventure.com


Kayak - Lake Superior



Before we left Copper Harbor we drove to the end of US 41, 1,990 miles north of Miami, FL.





After my husband picked me up we did some letterboxing in the area and then had a delicious dinner in Calumet at the Michigan House and Red Jacket Brewing Company. It is housed in the Bosch Brewing building, from the early 1900s. The interior is original and beautifully maintained. The food and beer were excellent.
www.michiganhousecafe.com


Red Jacket Brewing Company - Calumet, MI



Right before dinner a light rain had begun and continued into the evening, as predicted.


Passport Stamps
Father Marquette National Memorial - St. Ignace, MI
North Country National Scenic Trail
Grand Marias, MI
Michigan
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Au Sable Pt., MI
- Grand Marias, MI
Grand Sable VC
Munising, MI
Bonus Stamps
Seney National Wildlife Refuge ( Blue Goose stamp)
Seney National Wildlife Refuge - date with flying bird
Au Sable Light Station - August 19, 1874 - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Hiawatha National Forest - date
Grand Island National Recreation Area - date
Keweenaw NHP Cooperating Site - McLain State Park
Laurium Manor Mansion Tours - Keweenaw Heritage Site
Wildlife Sightings
Least Chipmunk
White-tailed Deer
Moose


House Sparrow
Herring Gull
American Robin
Trumpeter Swan
Ring-necked Duck
Brewer's Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Canada Goose
Common Raven
American Crow
Common Loon

[Mark Sedenquist]

Really great to see you both back on the road!

Enjoy the report and the photos.

Mark

[Pmount]

Sunday, June 14
Start & Finish: Hancock, MI

The rain ended early last evening, we woke up to fog. After breakfast and showers we struck out to explore the peninsula. Today was mainly letterboxing and Keweenaw Heritage Area passport stamps. So many of the private, non-profit organizations which make up the heritage area are dependent on volunteers and their main season is July & August. We are a bit early to visit all of the sites.

Our first site to visit is part of the Keweenaw NHP, the Quincy Mine & Hoist. For those interested in mining this is a must-see. There are in-depth tours available. I enjoyed the architecture of the buildings and the ruins, especially on a foggy day.
www.nps.gov.kewe/

Quicy Hoist


We continued out the peninsula to the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse. Tours are available for $5, kids are free. I thought the living accommodations were luxurious, considering the location and era.

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse


One of the most remote and more interesting sites was the Hanka Homestead, where a Finnish family claimed and developed the land in the late 1800s. The devotion of the volunteers is impressive, they are currently re-roofing all of the buildings with hand-cut shingles.

While driving around we ran across two stone boats. WPA workers in the 1930s built these from rocks from the mines - unique, to say the least.

Stone boats - Kearsage & Centennial Heights


Monday, June 15
Start: Hancock, MI
Finish: Day Lake campground (USFS), near Clam Lake, WI

Full day of finishing up locating the passport stamps for the Keweenaw Heritage sites. A few highlights;
At the Finnish American Cultural Center on the campus of Finlandia University, in Hancock, there was a photo display of a home built by Frank Lloyd Wright's grandson, Eric in Finland. The photos were printed on wood - this was done to emphasis the 'organic' nature of Wright's designs. I was surprised to learn that his grandson has carried on his career and style. The gallery is open to the public and free.
In Calumet the buildings are turn of the century, 20th Century, and beautifully designed.

Calumet Theatre and Fire building


So many of the sites are staffed by dedicated volunteers, as well as paid employees. At the sites we had great conversations about the uniqueness of each site and always came away with a better understanding of this special area. There is so much to see and do in this area. We are already planning to return for a longer visit in August/September 2016.
www.keweenawheritagesites.org

As we left the peninsula we stopped at a few more heritage sites including the Victoria Cabins, near Rockland. They are open to the public and are typical of miner's cabins in the late 1800s.

Victoria Cabins


I have mentioned in previous trip reports about the Peter Wolf Toth statues, as have others on RTA. It is always a highlight of our trip to see another along our route. Today, before we left Michigan, we saw the one in Wakefield. This one is nicely preserved and presented very well. It depicts Nee-Gaw-Nee-Gaw-Bow, or Leading Man, to honor the Chippewa Indians. It sits on the shore of Sunday Lake, next to the region's visitor center.

Whispering Giant #59


Finally, this past week the display of Tall Lupine has been fantastic. The photos hardly do justice to the displays we have driven past.



And to make the day even more special, we were serenaded by Common Loons on the lake, next to our campsite!

Passport Stamps
Keweenaw National Historical Park - Calumet, MI
Isle Royale National Park - Houghton, MI (went out to the park in 2002)

Bonus stamps
Quincy Mine Hoist -Keweenaw Heritage Site (KHS)
Keweenaw County Hisrorical Society
Hanka Homestead Museum - KHS
A.E. seaman Mineral Museum - KHS
Finnish American Heritage Center - KHS
MTU Archives & Copper Country Hist Collect - KHS
Calumet Theatre - KHS
Houghton County Historical Museum - KHS
Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's - KHS
Adventure Mining Company - KHS
Old Victoria - KHS
Ontonagon County Historical Society Museum - KHS
Porcupine Mtns. Wilderness State Park - KHS

Wildlife Sightings
White-tailed Deer
Least Chipmunk
Red Squirrel
Snowshoe Hare ( in campground)

Common Grackle
American Robin
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Turkey Vulture
Common Raven
American Crow
Herring Gull
Black-capped Chicadee

[Pmount]

Tuesday, June 16
Start: Clam Lake, WI
Finish: St. Croix Bluffs Park, near Hastings, MN

A travel day as we start to make our way home. The first stop of the day was in Hayward, WI for another Peter sculpture. The information I had was it was located at the Carnegie Library in town. When we got there we found the building had been converted into a retail business and you could see the concrete base where the Whispering Giant had been locating. With a bit of quick research we found it had been moved to the new library location on the outskirts of town.

Whispering Giant # 26 - tribute to Ojibwe



Continuing across WI 77 we came to Trego and the first of several visitor centers for the St. Croix National Scenic River, one of the eight original scenic rivers designated in 1968. The first site is along the Namekagon River, which flows into the St. Croix. Besides watching the film we hiked along the river on the nature trail, enjoying 65 degrees! We didn't see, but from the film I learned there were a number of wolf packs along the rivers; to me that defines preservation!

I picked up the Junior Ranger Activity booklet and worked on it as we made our way along the river to the main visitor center in St. Croix Falls, WI. The underwater photographs on display were spectacular. They were taken by a group of youths last summer. Further down the river we visited the last visitor center associated with the St. Croix River and the fist for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area i. The quaint town of Prescott, WI. This is at the confluence of the two rivers. We ended the day at a very nice county park on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River.

Wednesday, June 17
Start: Saint Croix Bluffs Regional Park
Finish: Briggs Woods County Park, Webster City, IA

Heavy rain had been predicted overnight so we had carefully picked a campsite with no overhanging trees. Happily the rain was light and never lasted very long. We went i to Hastings for breakfast and had a large and tasty meal at The Point restaurant, highly recommended if you are in the area. It tis at the intersection of US 10 & US 61.

We drove into St. Paul to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area main visitor center, which is in the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota. It was obvious that school was out. The actual NPS area was quiet and we had a nice conversation with the ranger on duty. He had questions about the Central and Northern Arizona park sites, he wanted to get away from the cold Minnesota winters. We walked through downtown St. Paul to the park headquarters for some other passport stamps and had another nice conversation about Arizona, this rime about his childhood memories of visiting family.

Overlooking the Mississippi River in St. Paul


We then stopped at Fort Snelling and the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The visitor center at the refuge is very nice with displays. We spent some time watching the birds at the feeders.

We continued south on I-35 into Iowa, driving through some strong storms. Luckily none lasted very long and none produced hail. We left I-35 and headed east to Mason City, IA for a letterbox. Then continued south in US 65 to Iowa Falls to see another Whispering Giant along the banks of the Iowa River. No picture, it was pouring rain again. Just south of Iowa Falls we picked up US 20 to head west across Iowa and Nebraska. We so enjoyed US 50 heading east we thought we would follow another route back east, avoiding the interstate. We ended the night in Webster City at a very nice county park. Most of the city/county parks we have stayed at on this trip have had free WiFi, an unexpected perk along the way. A bit warm and muggy when we arrived, but it cooled off nicely.

Thursday, June 18
Start: Webster City, IA
Finish: Ainsworth City Park, NE

Our first stop of the day was in Fort Dodge for a letterbox in a coffee house; fresh cinnamon rolls and scones! Before leaving town we found another letterbox in an old cemetery with some great stones and monuments. In the MidWest there are a lot of letterboxes placed in cemeteries, not as much public land as out west in which to plant. Most are paced in bushes or in the woods on the edge, respectful of graves. We always find the names, inscriptions and stones interesting.

In Sioux City we stopped at the two sites commemorating the Lewis & Clark expedition. They city's visitor center is in an old river boat. Once inside you can tour the boat, as well as get information and a passport stamp for the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (NHT). In the same park, a bit further south is a modern building - Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. There are large sculptures of Lewis, Clark & their dog, Seaman, plus animals present during their expedition outside the center. Inside the displays give information about the trip, it focuses on the only death of a member of the expedition; a fact that always amazes me considering the length of the trip and all that they encountered. Sgt. Floyd died of appendicitis and is buried up on a hill, today a very large monument can be seen from I-29.

Sioux City, IA
Riverboat - Visitor Center

Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center


From here we deviated off of US 20 until later in the day to visit two sites associated with the Missouri National Recreation River, near Yankton, SD. After a visit to their headquarters in town and then over into Nebraska to the Gavins Point Dam we continued south on NE 121 before picking up US 20 near Osborn. There are a variety of displays at the visitor center at the dam, from natural history to energy. The predator fish was amazing. My 6 ft. tall husband is reflected in the glass for scale.

Predator Fish (Xiphactinus audax, lived 70 - 166 million years ago)


We finished the day in Ainsworth, camping at their city park. Not much to say, but a flat spot away form the highway, with an electrical hook up.

Passport Stamps
St. Croix NSR
-Namekagon River
-St. Croix Falls, WI
-Prescott, WI
Ice Age National Scenic Trail
St. Croix Falls, WI
Wisconsin
Ice Age National Scientific Reserve - St. Croix Falls, WI
Mississippi National River & Recreation Area
-Prescott, WI
St. Paul, MN
Coldwater Spring, MN
Empire Builder
Fort Snelling, MN
Mississippi NRRA -25th Anniversary
Lewis & Clark NHT
-Sioux City, IA
-Sioux City Lewis & Clark Center
Lewis & Clark National Historic Site - Sioux City, IA (Sgt. Floyd's burial site)
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail SD-NE
Missouri National Recreational River SD-NE


Bonus stamps
Wisconsin State Parks - 100 Years - Interstate
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Blue Goose)
Pawprint - Seaman - dog with Lewis & Clark

Wildlife Sightings
Whit-tailed Deer
Cottontail Rabbit
Gray squirrel
Least Chipmunk

Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Common Raven
American Crow
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Northern Cardinal
American Robin
Hawk, ? (hovering over roadside)
Brewer's Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Baltimore Oriole
Ruby- throated Hummingbird
Great Blue Heron
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Killdeer
Red-tailed Hawk
Kestrel
Barn Swallow

[glc]

Sgt. Floyd died of appendicitis and is buried up on a hill, today a very large monument can be seen from I-29.

That is who/what the city of Sergeant Bluff is named for!