July 10, 2013

North Shore Road

Today we did a day trip to the northeast tip of Minnesota.  Yesterday was so foggy we could not see the shore less than 50 yards away.  Today was sunny with occasional clouds and light breeze.  No fog at all. 

YesterdayToday, same spot.

The North Shore Road runs along the shore of Lake Superior, sometimes right on the shoreline and some times cutting through forest  up to a hundred yards from the shore.  Along the way are some small communities, ‘resorts’, and numerous small homes and cabins that appear to have been there a long time.  There are a few newer resorts but most buildings are time and weather worn.  Very pretty country and view of the lake is like looking out at the ocean.  There is nothing out there but a vast blue merging with sky. 

Very near the tip of the state is Grand Portage National Monument.  Monument is dedicated to showing and instructing in the life and ways of the Native Americans and European traders in the times of the fur trades.  Nice new visitor center and restoration of trading stockade and demonstration of Indian and Voyager living, canoe building, food preparation, play, etc.  Informative docents everywhere.  Well worth the visit even if we had to drive over 90 miles one way.

Recently harvested birch bark

 

 

Oven is just about ready

Bread rising

Great hall used by trading company to entertain VIPs

Touching Lake Superior.  Would not want to swim in it.  Water temperature is 40 degrees.

A few miles further up the road is the Canadian border.  The border here is the Pigeon River.  A half mile walk along a paved and boardwalk trail takes you to the highest waterfall in Minnesota. 

High Falls.  Canada on right, USA on left.

Return drive was just as pretty as the drive up AND we found a DQ. 

July 9, 2013

Lake Superior (almost)

Sunday night we stayed in Thief River Falls.  There are lots of towns with ‘Falls’ in their names but have yet to see a falls.  The rivers here are mostly flat and slow. Monday we drove north and then east on Minnesotas’ ‘Lady Slipper Scenic Highway’.  The Lady Slipper is Minnesotas’ state flower.  Related to the orchid.  Supposed to be thousands of them in bloom along this stretch of road this time of year.  Did not see one in sixty miles.  Stayed the night in International Falls.  Often the coldest place in the nation in winter.  Yesterday it was quite warm.  Just across the river (which we paralleled for many miles) is Canada.  We camped next to a couple from Canada who came down to the US to buy gas (cheaper) prior to going to southern California to visit their daughter and new grandchild.

A word about landscape and foliage.  Western Minnesota is pretty much flat farm and ranch land clear to the  northern border.  One thing stood out to me.  The farm/ranch houses and out buildings were fresh and clean and neat.  Many looking fairly newish.  Nice one and two story farm houses typical of the midwest.  The different thing is that all these buildings are surrounded on at least three sides (west, nortn, east, and often south also) by thickets of trees.  Not just rows of trees but dense thickets of 30’ trees 30-40 feet deep.  Much of the time the thickets start within a few feet of the house.  Very nice houses encapsulated in trees.  I guess it is protection from winter weather but except for a few hours each summer day the houses are in shadow.  Interesting to look over the open fields of hay, corn, and sugar beets and see thickets of trees each containing a farm house. 

As we moved east we started to encounter the North Woods.  The open areas became less and smaller and trees increased.  Much different than the western forests we are used to.  In the west, even the most dense forest has space between trees so you can look for some distance through the forest growth.  Also, the trees are tall.  The North Woods is a DENSE mixture of pine, fir, and a variety of deciduous species.  The trees are so thick you cannot see 10’ into the forest.  The trees are also short by western standards – less than 30 feet tall.

Rain drops on window.  Note forest.

If you were dropped into the middle of a North Woods forest you would be instantly lost.  GPS would not work because of trees.  Forest is so thick you can not see sun to get bearing.  Compass would work but without landmarks you could not tell where you were. 

Minnesota has a thing for big statues.  These two are in the same park in International Falls.

From International Falls we headed south and east.  Along the way we went to one of the several visitor centers for Voyagers National Park.  Got my National Parks Passport stamped and as we were leaving we walked by a small wooded area by the parking lot.  Some trees, grass, and a few different wild flowers.  I noticed a very small sign at the edge of the area.  It said, “Lady Slippers in bloom.  Please stay out”.  We looked around and sure enough there was ONE plant with five or six blooms.  And they appeared to be on the way out.  Not the thousands we were hoping to see but we did see one.

We continued east to find Lake Superior.  We found it but could not see it.  Dense fog.  About 30 feet visibility.  We are camped at a ‘resort’ on Lax Lake which is a few miles west of the lake near Silver Creek, Minnesota and out of the fog.  The weather is improving now and the sun is out here.  Forecast for tomorrow is sunny and some wind.  Hopefully it will clear the fog for our day trip along the North Shore Drive.

Oh yah. Happy Anniversary to us.  Will have to wait a few days to have our Mexican food dinner (with margaritas).  Hard enough to find a restaurant here let alone a Mexican one.

July 7, 2013

Minot to Minnesota

Left Minot a little before 8:00 am and headed east on roads not yet traveled by us. 200 miles of North Dakota farmland.  Excellent road.  Four lane divided highway with little traffic.  Saw a lot more water than I expected.  Lots of little lakes and marshlands.  Maybe due to wet spring. 

Along the way we passed through Rugby, ND.  Rugby’s chief (only?) claim to fame is that it is the geographic center of North America.  (GPS has since shown the spot to be several miles from there but what the heck.  The Native Americans still proclaim their tourist trap to be the Four Corners even though it isn’t.) 

On to Grand Forks and Sam’s Club for gas.  Cheapest gas we have seen so far this trip. 

House in Grand Forks

Then in to Minnesota and a stop at the visitor center to pick up several pounds of literature on see/do in the state.

July 6, 2013

Medora and On to Minot

Note:  I have added some pictures to the previous post.  Check them out.

Happy Anniversary Ken and Julie!

This morning as we got ready to leave the park, Sue said “Let’s take the car and look for some wildlife”.

Just past the entrance to the campground the park road makes about a 25 mile loop through the North Dakota Badlands.  If bison are not grazing in your campsite then you might see them ( and other wildlife ) somewhere along this road.  We planned to go part way along the loop to look for things and then return.  We got about eight miles into the loop before we saw anything – a ranger doing some maintenance along the road.  He did happen to be across the road from three wild horses (there are several herds in the park). 

We chatted with him for a bit and decided to continue along the loop.  Several miles later we came upon a lonely buffalo walking beside the road.  We took his picture and moved on.

Several twists and turns later we approached a herd of 10-12 wild horses strolling up the road.  They filled the road and were in no hurry to leave it.  We followed them for a half mile or so ‘till they finally moved off to the side. 

Several miles later a doe and young (and frisky) faun crossed in front of us.

Then we saw another herd of wild horses standing on a ridgeline.

Around a turn, looking across a small valley we saw about 30 bison moving around a hill next to the road.  Plodding along stopping to roll in the dust or scratch on large rocks.  Around that hill we saw where the first bison were heading.  A large, flat meadow/plain next to the Little Missouri River.  The scene was like something out of ‘Dances With Wolves’.  The plain was filled with bison.  Well over 300, maybe over 400.  Buffalo everywhere.  We have seen large herds in South Dakota but nothing like this.  For comic relief the plain is also home to a large prairie dog town, one of many in the park. 

Last time we drove this loop everything was quite dry and brown.  This time everything was very green and lush.  Beautiful!

Wildlife viewing accomplished, we returned to the carbus and headed north and east to Minot.

July 5, 2013

Escapade Wrap up

Escapade finished last night.  Five days of seminars, socializing, and shopping.  Did some of each.

Sue spent two days in the craft room.  First day she completed a quilt that had been pieced by someone else.  Now it can be donated somewhere.  The second day she helped people learn various crafts.  She also attended several seminars over the five days.  I went to a few seminars, met with a man who replaced some parts in our TV antenna (free), drove a golf cart for an afternoon hauling people between the meeting area and the RV parking area (over a half mile away), and shopping.  Me going to seminars can be expensive.  One seminar led to purchasing a new shower head (low flow but high velocity so you feel like a ‘real’ shower) and some neat zip lock things for closing bags of food, etc.  Also some LED lights to replace some interior bulbs.  Another seminar was a little more pricy.  We now have a Jetpack  MIFI modem/router  and we both have Smart phones.  Not too good planning at least on my part.  I have a whole family of instructor/coaches but I will not see them for four months.  I do know what the weather is @ my location though thanks to the phone.  Of course I could look out the window and get much the same information. 

First nights entertainment.  Husband/wife singing team now headlining in Branson.

Check out his guitar.  Pretty cool.

Last night was the last night celebration.  Also the celebration of Escapees 35 birthday.  Catered dinner with lots of food.  Whole thing sponsored by RV dealer who had RVs on display and for sale during Escapade.

Final day of Escapade coincided with Fourth of July.  That means fireworks. 

When we entered the hall at 5:30 pm for closing ceremony and dinner the sky was partly cloudy. When we left at 8:15 the sky to the west was very dark.  Shortly thereafter lightning started to the west – both forked and sheet scanning about 160 degrees of view in the west.

God warming up.

A while later there was thunder associated with the lightning.  We sat outside and watched natures display intensify and move toward us for over an hour.

The RV camping area we were in is adjacent to the fairgrounds track infield where the city of Gillette launched their fireworks.  We had front row seating right at our door.  Last year fireworks were canceled because of extreme dryness. This year no problem.  It rained much of the week before we arrived.  Story was that all the unused fireworks from last year were available plus they purchase another displays worth for this year.

Natures fireworks kept approaching and just before start time for Gillette fireworks the storm was almost over us.  Sheet lightning lighting the whole sky over us, loud thunder, and just starting to wind and rain.  Just as the fireworks started so did the wind and rain and more lightning and thunder.  It was like watching dueling fireworks displays.  I think God won but Gillette put up a good competition. Over 30 minutes of nonstop fireworks.  Not one followed by another but pretty much nonstop multiple launches.  Or whole rows of launchers set off in chains with less than a second between launches.  The sky was never dark.  And if it was, God filled in the blanks.  We stood in the lee of a large motor home to avoid the wind and rain and had a great view of it all.  Either event (nature or Gillette) would have been memorable.  Together, something else.  Great ending to Escapade.

This morning we drove north to Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  We have been here before and enjoyed our stay.  If you get a chance to visit the park and stay in the campground – do it.  Nice quiet spot, five miles from freeway, in same (large) enclosure as park wildlife. (Campground is not fenced off).  That can be interesting.  Last time as we were leaving we saw a  group of bison grazing at the front of a small camp tent.

The small town of Medora is a typical tourist spot with some places of historic interest, gift stores, restaurants, small park, golf course, etc., and one other thing _ The Medora Musical.  Every evening during the summer a musical review is staged in an outdoor amphitheater built into the side of a hilltop with a stunning view across the valley as a backdrop to the stage.  The place is huge.  Holds several thousand people.  Two and a half hours of nonstop entertainment often with 12-15 people on stage at the same time singing and dancing.  Each with his/her own microphone and each instrument in the band with microphone  as well.  We enjoyed the show but thought the show we saw before was better.  Still worth the trip.

.This guy was hanging by the road as we drove from the campground to the musical.

View from parking area for musical

Amphitheater from above and behind.  Note view.

Buildings roll apart to expose hills behind

Buildings rolled back and different colors thrown on distant hill.  Pretty spectacular.

July 1, 2013

Escapade

Not much to report on lately.  Escapade classes start today.  Last night was opening and entertainment.  I will do some classes today and Sue will do some quilting and volunteer in craft area.

June 28, 2013

Gillette, WY

Spent the last two days driving south out of Montana and then south and east across northeastern Wyoming to Gillette.

Wednesday we again stopped at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Historic Monument.(Custers Last Stand).  This time we unhooked the Suzuki and drove the length of the five mile road that goes to Reno's battle area and then points out the sequence of events leading to the end of Custer and his men.

This guy was lounging about 10 feet from me as I got Carbus ready to travel in small RV park in north central Montana

We arrived in Gillette about noon Thursday. First stop was a quick lube place that has a coffee and baked goods shop attached. Have a bearclaw and do some wifi while you wait for your cars oil change. We wern't into goodies but the oil and lube was quick. Drove right in and drove out 15 minutes later. Didn't even have to unhook the car. Just drove everything right over the pit. Carbus is now good for another 3000 miles. Next stop Flying J to top off propane and fill both vehicles with gas. Then a first for us - we parked in the far reaches of a Walmart parking lot to spend the night. Did some minor shopping there and walked several blocks exploring stores in the area. We did not want to run the generator to cook dinner so we we had our first dinner out of the trip. Mexican of course. Tiny little place that served very tasty food in HUGE proportions. Prices were lower than we have seen in quite a while and the service was speedy. A bit removed from main part of town but the locals know about it. Placd was packed with people waiting. We lucked out and walked in to the last open table for the duration of our meal.

This morning we did early check-in for the Escapde. Set up camp, had lunch, and then went on a tour of an open pit coal mine. Free bus tour provided by the mine. Our driver happened to work at the mine a couple years earlier and gave a very good description of the process and was able to find areas where we could see most of the pit coal mining operations real time. Pretty cool.

Each tire costs over $30000

 

Bucket used on older shovels.  Holds 23 cubic yards in one scoop.

Bucket on todays shovels holds 52 cubic yards.

 

Not unusual to find petrified wood associated with coal deposits.

Truck on right dumping coal.  Truck on left backing in to dump.

Remember picture above where Sue didn't even reach center of tire.  Some perspective as to how big these trucks are.

Coal being loaded into coal cars.  Coal comes out of a chute just behind dust area on silver bar above car.  Trains are 120 cars long +/-.  Train never stops.  Rolls through fill tower @ .6 mph with chute closing between cars.  Takes 45 sec. to fill a car.

These machines are huge.

Literally an endless process.  Mine operates 24/7,  365 1/4 days a year.

Work shifts are 12 hours long.  Scheduling is such that everyone works days and nights and works about 14 days a month.