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