Minuteman Missile NHS- Aug. 2010

 After our visit to Devils Tower we made our way to South Dakota. Stops along the way included, Mount Rushmore, which more of a tourist trap to my way of thinking, Jewel Cave NM and Wind Cave NP. Both of these sites are kind of cool if you like caves but for us not too much to write about. Maybe a second visit will bring more to light for us. Then it was off to Badlands NP which I have already blog about.
 After entering Badlands NP though the southern via the White River Visitor Center and stopping over at the Pine Ridge Reservation we made out exit through the northeastern entrance located just off I-90. Near the off/on ramp (Exit 131) of I-90 you will find a trailer near the gas station that is the temporary visitor center for Minuteman Missile NHS. This is part of a three part section of this historic site.
  This site is part of the cold war history of the United States. At the visitor center you can watch a movie about the cold war and the Minuteman Missile system that protected the United States during the cold war.  It is also here that you must obtain a timed ticket to the underground complex (part 2 of 3 parts) you can tour. If you want to visit the complex you need to call ahead to ensure that this complex will be open for tours, reservations are highly recommended by calling 605-433-5552.
  We did not make reservations, but we were in luck as it was open house day and all the volunteers were in place to give the tour. And as luck would have it, the one volunteer who gave us the tour of the underground facility that house the actual men and women who armed and launched the missiles was on hand to give that tour. He was retired from the United States Air Force and gives his time to interpret the site as it was back in his day.
  I have to say having someone give a tour that literally hand his hand on the launch key was something that I ( a former Navy man who worked on and maintained these type of weapons for 16 years) was a thrill for me.
 That being said, our first stop was the D-1 Quinn Cottonwood complex, the actual complex that housed the men and women as they spent their tour of watch. I fail to recall how long each these folks stood the watch, but all their needs were met by a living quarters, a dinning hall, kitchen and recreation room to fill those times they were not on actual watch in the missile room where the missile were launched from.
  After taking a tour of the said above areas, one takes an elevator down to the site where the two persons are on watch who receive the launch orders, verify those orders, retrieve the keys to launch and launch if required said missiles. The complex was built to withstand a direct hit from a nuclear attack those in the know, know that even if they did survive would it be worth it.
 Having said that, the former Minuteman proceeded to give us the dollar tour. Those on watch in this area stayed on watch for 24 hours, the routine would be eat, sleep and perform routine electronic maintenance  of the missile systems and drills.  All in all a very thrilling tour.
  After this portion of the tour has been completed you can take a ride to the D-9 section of the complex, the actual site where the missile is. Here you get the chance to see and replica missile in the silo, the blast doors to the silo are open and you can look down into the silo. All pretty cool stuff. Sandee and my mother in law were very impressed with the site as well.
 So if you are making your way to that famous tourist town of Wall, SD do make a stop here, it is well worth the time and effort.

                                      D-1 Quinn Cottonwood Complex above ground

 

                                  Dinning hall and recreation area above the missile room

The blast door that guards the missile room where those on watch launch the missiles. The wording on the door states "World Wide Delivery in 30 minutes or less or the next one is free" A play on Domino's Pizza old slogan.

                                                          
                                                           More art work

                                           The walk way to the launch room

One of two stations where those on watch launch the missile. Both stations are far enough apart that no one person can turn both keys at the same time and if the keys are not turned at the same time the launch will NOT happen. Part of the two person concept ( it will always take two to launch one)

                                             Our volunteer Minuteman, now retired.

                                 D-1 missile site, where the missile launched from

                             Part of a two part blast door that opened to launch the missile.

                                                         Replica Missile in the silo

Devil's Tower, WY- AUG 2010

 This is one of those places that you truly can not even imagine until you see it with you own eyes. In 2010 Sandee, Sandee's mother and I took a trip to visit family in Kincaid, Saskatchewan for a family reunion. We had a great time, family came from all over the world for the reunion, Germany, the US and one member who had been working in China came.  Several family members live there so we went all over looking for fossils and rocks. Sandee and I took time to head over to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. That is another entire story.
  On our way to Kincaid and on the way home we visited a number of National Parks.  One of these was Devil's Tower National Monument in WY.  I was not sure what to expect, but it was on Sandee's bucket list and I am always up to some place I have never been before. Our first glance of the tower was from miles away. I knew I had seen this rock before but just could not recall, that is when Sandee reminded me it was in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".  OOOOO yea, now I remember.
  As we entered the park the first thing we see, other than the tower, is a Prairie Dog town. They are all over the place and you have to be carful not to run over the little guys because they might run out onto the road. We made it pass the guardians of the rock with no casualties. As we drove up and around towards the tower it dawned on me how massive it was. By the time we arrived at the visitor center I was silent, I felt as I was entering a very special and sacred place. Seems I was not the only one as all three of us spoke not a word.
  Once we parked the truck and craned our neck skyward we had a sense of reverence of the place. Despite ALL the people who were also visiting it seemed to me to be the most quite place on earth I had ever visited. I can only describe it in terms a sailor might understand. Imagine being in the middle of the Atlantic or Pacific ocean, no one else is around, the sun is slowly setting along the horizon and not a sound anywhere to be had. That is what it felt like to me, not a scary sort of feeling, just one of reverence.
  What I thought would be a half  hour visit turned into almost a three hour visit. My mother in law was also inspired as she and I sat on the park bench just staring at the climbers make the ascent to the top of the tower. Several folks that day were making their attempt to get to the top. We watched them with my binoculars and pondered what those making the climb were thinking and us thinking what it would be like to be on the top. Sandee and I walked the trails around the tower and took a few pictures.
  Native American's hold this site very sacred.  The Plains tribes all have their own story on how this tower came to be. And today's scientist also debate how and when it was formed. But there is no doubt after our visit that the site is scared, it just gives off this energy that one can not explain.
 The one story I like and choose to think happened holds that the tower arose from the ground after seven  sisters were chased by a bear. They climbed to the top of a rock and prayed to the creator save them from the bear. Suddenly the rock began to climb  up out of the earth. As the mountain kept climbing towards the sky the bear kept trying to reach them. One can see the claw marks from the bear on the side of the tower as it attempted to reach the sisters. The bear never made it to them and they were saved.  I know there is more to the story but I do not recall it now.
  I know there is some other explanation as to why this formation occurred, but for me the Native American stories are so much richer and are worthy of preserving and learning from. As for us, this is one of those places that is worth a return trip, over and over. We are hoping to revisit this summer (2013).

                                                  The Tower a few miles away

 

                              The Tower as seen at the bottom of the tower near the visitor center

 

 

                                                Sandee and me at the base of the tower

 

                 To the left & below of the dark shadow are two climbers, one in an orange                   shirt/jacket

Keweenaw NHP-July 2012

 I can not say enough good things about this area. For Sandee, a geologist and rock hound this was one of the best parks we have visited to date. I have to admit, I loved looking for those Lake Superior Agates, copper and various other rocks too. Four eyes are better than two when going rock hunting. While one can not take items from a National Park, there are many other areas open to the public to do such hunting and we explored  many if not most.
  The park is comprised of 24 sites that I recall and we visited all of them. We spent seven days in the area and used Fort Wilkins State Park as our base camp. Once we settled into our camp site we were of and logged a ton of miles on the old Titan. Fort Wilkins is located at almost the very tip of the Keweenaw Peninsular the sites we visited are located all along the this area. So it required a bit of doing but we saw all the sites and then some.
  The area is known for it's copper mining, while many of the mines are now gone, some of them you can still visit. These include: The Adventure Mine (you can do rappelling down mine shafts here and we are going back to try our hand at this soon), Quincy Mine, here you can take a major tour of the mine and the museum on the site, Delaware Copper Mine-make sure you ask to see their pet skunks and the Central Mine- not much at this site, one building with some information. We enjoyed each of these mines, had some bats flying around us at the Adventure Mine and some cool pictures of them. We did some copper hunting in the tailings at the Delaware Mine and found some pretty pieces.
  One of the highlights of the area was the A.E. Seaman's Museum on the Michigan Tech. campus. If you are a rock hound your visit to this area is NOT complete unless you visit this site. I think we spent five hours looking at cool rocks. I got a bit bored after the first hour, but Sandee was in heaven so I was happen just watching her reaction to all the cool stuff.
  We spent some time in the area looking for Lake Superior  Agates as well. Just north of Fort Wilkins is Horseshoe Harbor. It is almost the most northern point if the area. We could have gone further to some very remote areas but we were advised that unless we had additional tires it might not be a good idea. The local rocks in that part of the country does tear the tires to the point they become flat and there is not cell phone service to call for help. Given the cost of the tires on the Titan I choose not to venture to those areas, although Sandee did try her best to convince me otherwise. We were the first to arrive at Horseshoe Harbor, very isolated, remote and god agate hunting. We also saw a bear print in the sand, looked pretty darn fresh to me. We spent a few hours here until a group of school children involved with a summer geology class showed up. By then we had been there for four hours or so, so we decided to leave and find some other places to investigate
  All in all our adventure to this area left us wanting more, but time was getting away from us so we moved on down the road to more adventures knowing that there is still plenty more for us on a return visit.

                                          One of many bats in the Adventure Mine

                                              Sandee and large Float Copper in Calumet, MI

 

                                                           Horseshoe Harbor

 

 Pictogliphs near Horseshoe Harbor. Mostly know by locals only. A local we befriended told us about this and just had too see them.  Little effort has been made to preserve them.

                                                  Bear print at Horseshoe Harbor

                                                 Copper at A.E. Seaman's Museum

ISLE ROYAL NP- July 2012

  Sandee and I love the northern section of the Mid-West, WI, MI & MN. Last years convention for the National Travels Parks Club saw us in Apostle Islands National Seashore. Knowing that there are allot of beautiful places to see in these three states we set off to visit as many of them as we could. Our first major layover was Isle Royal National Park.
  This place is amazing that it is said more people return to this park than any of the other parks in the National Park system and I can see why. It is an island in the middle of Lake Superior, where one can hike, camp, and fish in a rich wilderness almost untouched by time.  It is a bit remote and to get there you must WANT to get there. Only two ways to get to the island, boat or plane. Given the cost to fly there most opt to take the boat. And there are two ways to you can get there by boat. First option is to leave from Copper Harbor which takes you directly to Rock Harbor, approx. 4 hour ride.
  The Rock Harbor is a hub for the island. You can eat a meal at the restaurant or have an adult beverage. Be aware if you decided to eat outside you will have company as the local squrrials like to steal the food right from you plate, while you are eating. We took pictures of one such squrrial so made because he could not get food that he/she took all the napkins out of the dispenser and ran away with them. If you are not into camping you can stay at the Rock Harbor Lodge. Beware the cost for the boat ride and a stay at the lodge is not cheap. For two adults it cost around $650 for the boat ride and a nights stay.
 The other boat ride option is to leave from Grand Portage, MN. This is the location we took our boat ride from and the longest boat ride of the two options, 7 hours. You leave around 7am and arrive at Rock Harbor approx. 4pm. But it is the best way to see the entire island. Rock Harbor is located on the northeastern side of the island and Grand Portage, MN is on the southwestern side. You arrive at Windigo Harbor at the southern tip of the island after about four hours. You have some time here to buy some drinks and food before you take off and ride around the island. The boat stops and picks up passengers who have been on the island camping and hiking and dropping them off at other points. So this gets you into many of the little coves and harbors of the island. Along the way keep your eyes peeled because you NEVER know what you will see, moose, eagles  and any other creatures. We did not see any moose during our trip but others did on another boat.
 Once you arrive at Rock Harbor, the boat docks for the night, you will take the same boat back to Grand Portage the following day. You check into your room and are free to explore the island at will.  Keep in mind the restaurant closes real early and if you take off on a hike you will miss out on dinner if you are gone too long. This happened to couple we were with, we opted to eat they did not. So by the time breakfast came around they were hungry
  The ride back to Grand Portage, MN took us another 7 hours, but this time the boat took us around the eastern side of the island with a final stop at Windgo Harbor again.
  From what I recall the island is 7 miles wide and 22 miles long or there about. If you are prone to sea sickness this may not be the trip for you as Lake Superior can and does get ruff sometimes. But hey, this ole sea dog spent 30 years in the Navy with 24 of those years on ships, so it takes a bit to get me sick.
  Here are some of our pictures:

                                                                        Our boat

 

                                      One of the many views of the island from the boat

 

 

                                              Windgo Harbor our first stop of the day

Rock Harbor Lodge view from the boat as we approached. No a/c in the rooms, but you do not need it, just open the windows and let the cool breeze and lap of the waves lure you to sleep

                                                       Our dinning companion.

 

                                   One of the many abandoned copper mines on the island

 

                                                                 Dinning hall

 

 

 

                                             One of the many lighthouses around the island

BADLANDS NP-NOV. 2012

Since I have only recently started to blog our adventures I thought I would post a few of our favorite parks we have been to in the past years. One such park visit has taken us to the Badland NP twice. Last years visit was a bit more exiting than our previous one in 2010. What made it so exciting ? Well while at the visitor center the Ranger told us if we took a ride along the Sage Creek Rim road we might see some Big Horn Sheep. Since we had some time to kill before Sandee's meeting we said what the heck, lets go. Our efforts were rewarded. Along the road we got excited when we saw one lone male sheep just cruising along the road. We stopped and took some pictures of this lonely guy and we figured that was our big surprise but there was more in store for us.
  As we continued along we saw a Ranger in a pickup sitting high on a ridge with the pickup pointing in our direction. I was going a bit too fast and figured OOOOOO no, they got me in radar and we  have a ticket coming our way. Slowing down for a curve in the road and a farily large hill to our right we came face to face, if you will, to three large male sheep. We stopped and looked to our right and there was a herd of about 20 Big Horn sheep, males, females and babies. WOW, how cool. It seems the Ranger did not have a radar gun on us but was watching the herd. We hung around for about 30 minutes watching the herd, they crossed the road right in front of us and we took several more pictures.  We were so happy we took the ride the Ranger suggested.

Deleware Water Gap- 28 April 2013

This park encompasses over 200 miles of roads winding through two states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  Plenty of places to explore and hike in this park. On this occasion I took time out from hunting rocks in nearby Sterling Hill, New Jersey to visit one of the sites in this park.
  I visited the Peters Valley Craft Center located  in the northern section of the park just south of Dingmans Falls visitor center. I noticed a number of hand crafted items that gave me inspiration for my wood working skills and when I find time I will try to put my own spin on these.

Peters Craft Center.

Journey Through Hollowed Ground NHA- 26-28 May

 This National Historic Area encompasses three states, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania,  30 historic downtown areas, 13 National Parks, state parks, trails and over one million acres on the National Register of Historic Places.
  Some of the more famous sites include, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Monocacy, Montpelier ( Home of James Madison), Ash-Lawn (Home of James Monroe) and Monticello (Home of Thomas Jefferson).  Some of the lesser known sites take you on a wonderful ride the each states country side though wine and horse country, lesser known Civil War sites where such notables as the Confederate raider John S. Mosby reeked  havoc on Union forces.
  Most of the 38 sites in this area I have visited many of these sites before, however the NHA recently issued  Passport stamps for these sites so a return visit was in order.  During three days I covered at least 600 miles in a large loop before I returned home.
  Here are a few pictures of sites I visited:

Montpelier-James Madison's Home

Washington Count, VA visitor center

Culpeper, VA visitor center, remolded train station

Orange County Visitor Center, remolded train station

Thomas Edison NHP-26 April 2013

 Is there anyone who does not know this name? One thing is for sure, this place requires ALLOT of time to take in, especially if you are one of those types who likes science and mechanical stuff. I arrived a little late in the day so I had to move quickly to cover allot of ground. The site is comprised of two parts, the Laboratory complex where Mr. Edison spent most of his time and ruled the roost and Glenmont, home for Mr. Edison and his wife Mina where she ruled the roost. I arrived to late in the day to visit their home located not to far away from the laboratory complex. This will require and return trip which is ok by me.
  There is so much to see at the laboratory that I will just let a few of the pictures I took tell the tale.

 

Edison three story library,

 

Edison library

 

 

Edison's home away from home when he could not get back to Glenmont

Part of the Edison complex.

Edison music room

 

 

Black Maria- First moving pictures produced here.

Patterson Great Falls NHP- 26 April 2013

 The Great Falls of the Passaic River is 77 feet high and 260 feet wide and is the heart of the industrial center of Paterson, New Jersey.  Approximately 2 million gallons of water a day plunge over the falls each day providing the raw power to drive the machine of industry.
  The Society for Useful Manufactures an investment group headed by Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of Treasurer, developed Patterson, NJ as an industrial city.  Patterson, aka "Silk City" had 100 factories employing thousands of people.
  The Great Patterson Falls became a  National Landmark in 1967, then a National Historic Landmark District in 1976 and finally a National Historic Park in 2011. The falls are inspiring. Visit the nearby Patterson Museum for a complete time line historical perspective of the area.

 

 

Alexander Hamilton

 

Morristown NHP

 After visiting Fort Mott, my next stop was Morristown National Historic Park.  After surprising the British at Princeton and Trenton, the Continental Army under the command of General George Washington moved to winter quarters in Morristown, NJ in January 1777. With the British army less than 30 miles away, the Morristown winter encampment provided an excellent defense against an attack from the British.
  Morristown, NJ was utilized as winter quarters again in 1779-1790 however, this time conditions were not as pleasant as they were in 1777 as the name giving this time indicates, "The Starving Time". December of 1779 saw the worst winter in recorded history in a centers. Over 20 snowstorms covered the hills and blocked vital roads which brought much need supplies to the army.
  The encampment covers all of ground, with Washington's Headquarters located in Morristown several miles away from the army. Each brigade, Continental Army, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania had a separate encampment far removed from the headquarters located at the Ford Mansion.
 If you like to hike there are many trails to enjoy and explore.

 

George Washington's HDQ's

Wick House, General St Clair's HDQ's

 

General George Washington