How much of Yellowstone can you explore in two and a half days? That depends on whether or not your husband has a serious case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and how much your family allows you to squeeze into day light. Turns out, since our kids are AWESOME (and my husband has the biggest case of FOMO you could imagine), you can experience pretty darn close to all the Grand Loop features. Yellowstone became the world's first national park when Ulysses S. Grant signed a law setting the land aside for "the enjoyment of the people" in 1872. We've always known Yellowstone was special, but none of us were prepared for the geological wonderland that lay before our eyes. Fortunately, we had our trusty GyPSy Guide* to lead us through, explaining geologic features, the park's history, the struggles in bringing back bison and wolves, and, of course, all the best sights that were not to be missed. (We purchased this app for Grand Teton NP as well, and absolutely loved having a guide to the park. Not only do we highly recommend this app, we wouldn't dream of doing this park without it.)
Our first day at Yellowstone, we woke up before the sun, spent 14 hours experiencing the south loop, hiked 14.3 miles, and managed to "do" all the things recommended by our GyPSy guide. I'm still not sure how we managed, but it involved not stopping to eat and very few bathroom breaks! Monday we were on the road by 7 and got home at about 6:30, having an enjoyable day on the north loop. I don't have time to tell you everything we did, so I'll humor you with some fun facts, then share some of our favorite experiences. Fun Facts--There are over 500 geysers in Yellowstone; that's over half of the world's geysers. We've seen geysers in Iceland that erupt quickly and then the show is over, but many of Yellowstone's geysers erupt for a long period of time. Old Faithful usually erupts for 3-5 minutes, the Fountain Geyser erupts for about 20 minutes each time, and there are some geysers in the park that erupt continuously.
--Back in 2020, when we were all expecting the end of the world, I read an article about a super volcano at Yellowstone that could theoretically erupt and take out most of the United States. I never gave two thoughts about it until I saw this huge pink area (35 miles by 40 miles) on the Yellowstone map that read "approximate caldera boundary." Knowing that a caldera is a crater left by an erupting volcano, my curiosity was peaked. Turns out, there was a HUGE volcanic explosion 2.1 millions years ago, followed by two others that all make the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption seem like a blip on the seismic radar. In fact, Yellowstone is still considered an active volcano, given all the hydrothermal and seismic activity in the park. --Speaking of seismic activity, Yellowstone experiences mini-earthquakes every day. These work in two ways: 1. They shake mineral build-up out of vents, allowing geysers, fumaroles, and other features to keep working, or 2. they block vents, open new vents, or otherwise reroute vents so that the hydrothermal features are constantly changing. --Wildlife is abundant at Yellowstone. The park is famous for its rehabilitation of the wolf population. Before our understanding of complex ecosystems, wolves were often shot on sight. The wolf is an important predatory animal that's needed to help control other species' populations. For decades, there was no evidence of wolves in the greater Yellowstone area. The elk population expanded, and as they ate much of the willow and other grasses, other species populations, such as beaver, began to dwindle, creating an imbalance in the ecosystem. In 1995, wolf packs were reintroduced to Yellowstone and biologists have been surprised by new animal activity that hasn't been seen here for a long time. We didn't get to see any wolves, however, we were lucky to see several elk and quite a few bison along the side of the roads. And even though we were fully prepared with bear spray, we didn't see any of those either. This post is getting quite long. I hope you got yourself some good edumacation about Yellowstone in Part 1 of the two part series. Tune in later as we discuss our favorite experiences in Yellowstone.
Have you ever been to Yellowstone? What were your favorite experiences? *Contains affiliate link
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Upon leaving Dubois, Wyoming, where we spent two nights recuperating from COVID, a shopkeeper told us we didn't want to go to Jackson. "That's not Wyoming," she said. Now, I know that every year hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Jackson Hole and describe it as one of the best vacations they've ever had, even returning repeatedly for the experience. After three days there though, I'm inclined to agree with the Dubois shopkeeper. In the 1920's and 30's John D. Rockefeller, Jr. bought up thousands of acres of land around Jackson Hole with the intention to donate it to the government to expand the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park, protecting it from over-commercialism. It took some time for locals to get on board with the donation, and in fact, the acceptance of the property was debated and declined by congress for over a decade. Finally, Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the property with an executive order in the 1940's and the locals accepted their fate, turning to tourism to make a profit. Today we have Rockefeller to thank for the pristine beauty of the National Park. We have big money, capitalism, and greed to thank for what has become of the city of Jackson and the state of the art skiing facility of Teton Village. What makes Grand Teton National Park so special can be traced back to the geologic formation of the place. (Have I mentioned how cool geology is yet?) As two tectonic plates collided, one slipped under the other, pushing an abrupt mountain range into the sky. During the last ice age, glaciers eroded the mountains and formed the valleys and lakes we see today. But the most dramatic view is the level prairie that gives way to the majestic Grand Tetons. We started off our first full day with an early wake up to hit the trail around Jenny Lake, formed by glaciers some two million years ago. The day before, Dusty and the kids had been to the Visitor's Center to find all the parking lots full and cars lining the streets for about a mile. By arriving at 7:30 a.m., we beat the crowds, though certainly weren't the only people on the trail. We admired the scenery around the fairly flat border of the lake, then began our ascent to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point at 7,200 ft. The views were spectacular and the chipmunks were photogenic. All of our bodies hadn't fully recuperated from COVID, so it was evident that the 9.5 mile trek around the lake wasn't going to happen. We paid $44 for a 4 minute trip on a full ferry back across the lake (which I'm still quite bitter about.) We purchased the GyPSy Guide* app for Grand Teton and Yellowstone. The GPS-navigated audio guide tracks exactly where you are in the park and is like a ranger right there in your vehicle! We learned about the history, geology, animals and environment, and best places to stop for views, hikes, or finding moose, bears, or elk. We highly recommend this app for anyone traveling our country's national parks. The GyPSy app guided us through some beautiful back roads and recommended some interesting stops along our park loop drive, which lasted for the rest of the day. We saw a few moose, a herd of elk, lots of antelope, and...chipmunks! During the winter, we are told that some 20-30,000 elk move into Jackson Hole (the valley). Traditionally, elk would pass right through the Hole because winters there are just too difficult and food is not plentiful enough to feed them. As settlers came in, putting up fences for cattle, they essentially trapped the elk inside. In the early 1900's, during a particularly rough winter, thousands of elk died of starvation. Settlers began feeding them, a tradition that continues to this day in an area known as the National Elk Refuge. Visitors cannot take home elk antlers they may find at the park. However, you can purchase found elk antlers for $179 at one of the local gift shops in Jackson.
There just aren't many RV parks in the area, hence the supply and demand price gouging that occurs at The Virginian. But it doesn't end there. Everything is more expensive in Jackson. So...I don't recommend activities in Jackson. I don't recommend the ice cream in Jackson (Banana actually had to throw her overpriced ice cream away because it was nasty). I don't recommend dining out in Jackson. Unless you are a millionaire and not frugal like me, or if you are celebrating a special event that you don't mind throwing all your money away on. Personally, I decided I'm never going back.
I'll be honest with you. I've written this post three times and it always sounded like a lot of complaining. Staying in Jackson was my own personal kind of hell, and my mood reflected that. However, Dusty loved the Tetons, so he would recommend the park. Just stay somewhere else.
The Tetons are beautiful. There are a lot of people. Jackson costs a lot of money. *Contains affiliate link If South Dakota is the little sister who is screaming for attention, waving obnoxious billboards asking you to come visit and fall in love with her, Wyoming is the brother who tolerates your arrival and doesn't give a damn if you like him or not. These proud people are nice, don't get me wrong. As long as you're not some liberal Californian moving into Jackson Hole and trying to change the face of their state, you just might be ok. This nearly 100,000 square foot state is so scarcely populated that only one area code covers all its inhabitants. In an area that sparse, you'd better believe these people know a thing or two about survival. Vore Buffalo JumpOur first stop in Wyoming was an introduction to survival the Native American way. Long before horses became part of their tradition, Plains Indian tribes used to come together on foot every fall to stage a buffalo jump, rounding up hundreds of buffalo, scaring them into a stampede, and directing them off a cliff or, in this case, into an 85 feet deep sink hole. The Vore Buffalo Jump, for many years, was a typically avoided sinkhole on Vore ranch land. It wasn't until the 1970's, as engineers were planning the route of I-90 that a soil sample discovered bones--lots and lots of bones! The sinkhole was turned over to archeologists who determined that over a span of 250 years, the site was used for at least 22 hunts. Only 10% excavated at this time, archeologists have found over 500 bison skeletons, all very well preserved. Stone tools, including arrowheads, axes (used to break the skull to remove brains or leg bones to remove the marrow), and cutting tools have all been found on the site. Visitors can learn all about the native tradition--and art-- of buffalo jumps, the importance of these jumps for survival through harsh winters, and the many ways the buffalo was used. My mind blowing moment: learning that buffalo tongues were used, not only for meat, but as hair brushes! Dung was used as diaper powder, and the kids thought that using buffalo bladders for water bottles and "the original ziplock" was pretty spectacular! We highly recommend this stop, right off I-90, with excellent personalized tour guides to take you through the site. Devil's Tower
Back at the campground, we couldn't pass up the opportunity for an outdoor movie showing of Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. If you've never seen it (which we hadn't), Devil's Tower plays a major part in the movie as a secret meeting place between our government and aliens, and was filmed in the 1970's right where our campsite was. The KOA plays the movie every single night. Dubois: Worth the trip, but we didn't see anythingLeaving Devil's Tower the next morning, it was evident that our attempt to infect all four of us at once failed and our bout with COVID wasn't quite over. Banana's fever spiked on the drive west. We decided to forego our Harvest Host boondocking night at a llama farm and keep driving west to our next full-hookup campground. No sooner did we pull in to Windhaven RV Resort in Dubois than a bunch of campers/locals drinking beers at a picnic table outside the office started razzing Dusty about his truck. (I told you...they'll tolerate you, but they aren't trying to be your best friend.) Dusty jumped in like they'd been buddies for years and won them over with a volley that went something like this:
Cowboy: "You drive that thing long enough and it'll turn into a GMC." Dusty: "Well, I needed something that was going to get me across the country, so I wasn't going to buy a GMC." Cowboy: "A GMC is much sexier. You should have bought a GMC." Dusty: "Why do I need a sexy truck when I got all this?" (Motions his hands up and down his body like Vanna White revealing the missing letters.) I'm going to let you sit with that vision for a bit. If you're rolling in your chair laughing, you're almost where I was at that moment. Oh. My. Goodness! He passed the test, was declared "ok" in their book, and the wife of the cowboy even said they needed to hang out. Dustin Ramsey. Way cooler than me. So. freaking. Funny. God, I hope I never forget that moment. The little western town of Dubois, Wyoming, just an hour and a half east of Jackson Hole is worth a visit in its own right. Little shops like The Honey House and museums like the National Big Horn Sheep Center and hikes with gorgeous lake and glacier views, as well as their own version of the badlands, could make for a vacation in itself. However, we stopped here for two nights to recuperate since both of the kids were sick by this point. Dubois will definitely be a town added to our "come back later" list. I'm almost certain that, secretly, they want us there, they just don't say it outloud. We were so excited to explore the Black Hills of South Dakota that we changed our three night booking to five nights at Custer Crazy Horse Campground. We had a bunch of "must sees/dos" on our list, but also had a few days to play around with whatever else looked fun. Turns out, COVID hit Dusty on the first day, so our plans changed. We were about to head out the door for a day of adventures when Dusty tested positive. He felt fine, but was a little stuffy. Normally, he wouldn't have even tested under those conditions, but we knew we had an exposure. So...we reluctantly ditched him at the RV. Symptom free and donning masks, the kids and I set out to see the Crazy Horse Memorial. Crazy HorseIn 1939, while Mt. Rushmore was being built, Chief Henry Standing Bear asked sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to create a tribute to show that Native Americans have great heroes too. Ziolkowski mulled the idea over in his mind for several years while he finished up other commissioned sculptures and fought in WWII. It wasn't until he came back from war that he understood his life's calling and dedicated his life to seeing this sculpture come to life. He began with nothing; spent seven months living in a tent, building roads and a rudimentary cabin, and finally began work with a hammer and a few sticks of dynamite. Eventually he got married, had ten children, and spent the rest of his life working on living out the dream with the help of his family. Decades later, the Crazy Horse sculpture is still under way, but has grown to be much more than a carving on a mountain. On the premises is a huge campus consisting of a museum, art and cultural center, and even a college for Native Americans, which help bring in funds for the project, since no federal or state funds have been accepted. Upon arrival, we immediately went to a Native American flute demonstration by Jonah Littlesunday. If that type of art/music interests you, I highly recommend downloading his work. I was moved to tears throughout the whole concert, either by his story or the beauty in his music. Jonah is a great example of the Native spirit, or of Spirit in Native Americans (however you choose to interpret.) Either way, this show was a highlight of our day, along with a presentation we attended about the dying art of porcupine quilling. Custer State ParkSight-seeing just wasn't the same without Daddy, so we decided if we were going to get sick, we may as well all be sick together. Custer State Park is known for its hiking and scenic drives, so we waited for a hail storm to pass, then drove out to Needles Highway, winding around spectacular rock formations jutting up through pine forests and through tiny tunnels that the F350 barely made it through. We finished the drive on Iron Mountain Highway known for it's tunnels that point to Mt. Rushmore. It's a bizarre experience to drive into a tunnel and see good ol' Abe Lincoln peeking out at you as you exit! If you go, don't expect these drives to be short. All together, we probably spent three to four hours on the road that evening. The ice cream we promised the kids ended up being a late dinner, and we almost missed the shop's closing time of 8:00! The next day we decided to hang back and get some chores and school work done and stay away from people. By 3:00, Dusty was getting antsy and decided a secluded hike would scratch his itch. Brickhead read about the strenuous 3.2 mile Sunday Gulch Trail, which promised rock scrambles and water falls, and since Dusty still had plenty of energy, we headed out. Throughout the hike, raspberry bushes lined the trail and glittering slivers of mica lit our path. We also hid our second Geocache Tracker, a little minifig who is looking forward to seeing what adventures await him! We finished the trail around Custer's beautiful Sylvan Lake, clocking five miles that day. On our way to Mt. Rushmore the following day, COVID hit me. I got to see the mountain, then walked back to the car to sleep while the rest of the family explored the visitors center, completed their Junior Ranger badges, and hiked to the base. They really enjoyed the visitor's center video that showed the workers swinging around the noses of the presidents' faces on Bozeman chairs! Fun Fact: Mt. Rushmore was 90% carved with dynamite using a point system of measurement based off a 1:12 size model. You can read more about the carving here. Trying our best to avoid people, we went back to Custer State Park and started out on another three hour drive, this time around Wildlife Loop Road.
By Saturday, the kids were still symptom free and Dusty was feeling great, so they left me at the RV for some more adventuring that didn't involve sitting in a car. Their first stop was Wind Cave where they drove through the park and completed the Junior Ranger badge, but didn't do the cave tour (thank you, COVID.) As a reward, the kids went swimming at Cascade Falls in Black Hills National Forest (where I'm almost certain Brickhead almost drown, but they all assure me everyone was fine. I'm guessing it was touch and go there for a bit though.) Technically, the falls are a hot spring, but the spring stays 67 degrees (which may not be warm on a 90 degree day, but in winter it never freezes, holding tight to that same temperature.) They enjoyed their time walking the streets and wading in the rivers at Hot Springs (city), then they hiked the grounds of Jewel Cave, again skipping the tour. An All-American send off at Mt. RushmoreAn American can't visit Mt. Rushmore without a renewal of American Spirit. Each night they have a lighting ceremony that begins just before sundown with a Ranger Talk and video in the outdoor amphitheater. This ended up being such a special moment for Dusty and the kids. At the end of the video, the National Anthem played and everyone in attendance sang along as they lit up the carving. Afterwards, they asked for all active duty military and veterans to come to the stage. Several were chosen to retire the flag, concluding the ceremony with hearts full of pride for our country. Sunday we left Custer, headed north with a brief stop in Deadwood. Deadwood is a highly commercialized, past home of Wild Bill Hickok and other outlaws that still hold fame status in this shoot 'em up wild west town. While the town is quite a bit more lawful these days (and very commercialized--did I already say that?), it's definitely a party town by night, as referenced by the piles of dried vomit that line the streets. The town was an easy "no thank you" stop for us. Cross that off your bucket list.
Last year I would have imagined South Dakota as being a "flyover state," not worth the stop. Between the fun we had on I-90, the Badlands, and the beautiful Black Hills, my expectations were blown out of the water. South Dakota is a must see and should be on everyone's bucket list. If you can't hike it, you can drive it and there is plenty to see. We'd love to come back. Imagine: you're driving through nothing but flat corn fields, which gives way to even more flat prairies. Grasslands continue for miles and miles. It shocks you when you start seeing a few jagged buttes and peaks jutting out of the the grass, but then suddenly and without warning, your entire surrounding is nothing but these horizontally striped peaks and canyons reaching as far as the eye can see. It's hard to describe the beauty of the Badlands. It's even harder to imagine trying to find your way through before modern roads and cars with air conditioning. Sitting here writing this, I'm at a loss for words to describe what photographs can not do justice. My best advice: get Badlands National Park on your bucket list and make it happen. You won't be disappointed. We arrived Sunday, August 14 at Badlands Interior Campground just outside of the park boundary in the evening, got dinner, and rushed to the Visitor's Center to find that they had already closed. (We've found "summer hours" are over come mid-August in South Dakota.) There were, however, park ranger talks happening at 8:30 (All About Badland Snakes) and 9:00 p.m. (Astronomy). Yes, please! We drove around for a while, admiring the strange landscape, listening to the kids yell, "AWESOME! Can we climb those!?" Much to their excitement, the rangers told them YES they can in fact climb anywhere they wanted to in the Badlands. The only rules are: 1. Don't climb into any place you can't get yourself out or down from. 2. Don't pet rattlesnakes. 3. Mom and Dad are allowed to veto any place you think you might want to climb. (Thank you, rangers!) Monday morning we awoke early to attend the geology ranger talk at 8:30. We learned that the Badlands was a shallow sea 67-75 million years ago. By 34-37 MYA, tectonic shifts around the Black Hills had forced the water out, leaving a hot humid forest, similar to southern Florida today. Water from rivers and streams carried sediments from the Black Hills. The thick red bands were formed 30-34 MYA in dry, cool forests. By 28-30 MYA, the area had turned to dry shrubland, more similar to the environment of today's prairie. As the plates shifted over these millions of years, cracks formed in the rocks, then became filled by much more dense volcanic ash carried from the Hills by streams. These clastic dikes, as they are called, create a lattice work of grayish-white lines running diagonally through the striped sediment. Over time, the Badlands have formed by erosion, losing an average of 3/4" every year. The area is a hot bed for fossils, as demonstrated at the paleontology lab at the Ben Reifel Visitors Center. We spent the day driving the Badlands Loop and the gravel Sage Creek Rim Road, followed by Rt. 44 through the Buffalo Gap Grasslands. I mention this because we thought we were doing the Badlands Loop Road this whole way. Turns out the Loop road takes you back to 90. I'm not sure we can say that we recommend the 24 mile Sage Creek Rim Road. It was a bit long and quite bumpy, but we made the best of admiring the formations, seeing wild bison for the first time, and watching the deer, prong horned antelope, and prairie dogs do what they do best. The kids took advantage of the "climb whatever you want" rule, leaving us constantly on lookout for areas where we needed to lay down the law. Luckily these kids are amazing climbers and, as usual, they surprised me (and other tourists) by what they could safely do. At night we attended another park ranger session on prairie dogs, then attended the astronomy talk on a much clearer night. We could clearly see the Milky Way and they had several telescopes out, so we got to see the rings of Saturn clearly for the first time. I could keep going on about the beauty and wonder of the Badlands, but instead I'll leave you with some photos. We really just spent one FULL day exploring (and slept two nights) here. There were new sights to see around every corner and the many ranger talks offered daily really gave visitors an opportunity to get to know the park. People always say that when traveling the Great Plains, expect vast dull, flat prairies, and corn. Lots and lots of corn. We expected our drive across Interstate 90 through South Dakota to be extremely boring, but it turns out it was anything but that! Thanks to Atlas Obscura and our Boondockers Welcome membership, the trip became fairly entertaining as we cruised this uncharted (by us) territory. We left St. Paul for a four hour drive just west of Sioux Falls to our overnight stay at Porter Sculpture Park. If you aren't aware of it, it's easy to miss this quirky stop right off the interstate, especially with the current construction and closure of any eastbound exits for 20 miles. We had made prior arrangements with Wayne, the owner, to boondock here, so we were on the lookout--and still missed our exit! Wayne learned blacksmithing from his father and has been building art with metal ever since. His home in Pierre doesn't bring much tourism, so he bought the property along I-90 just over twenty years ago. He moved his artwork to this roadside attraction and now spends his summers camped out at the visitor's center and his winters back home creating more additions to the site. Visitors can walk the trail, admiring the sculptures and poetry, taking a trip through the human experience of highs and lows; pain and joy. We spent a beautiful night overlooking the hills, watching the cows graze, and listening to the crickets and the sound of Interstate 90 in the background. The next day, with a list of interesting road stops and a very giddy husband (this type of journey feeds his soul), we hit 90 in search of The Corn Palace. An architectural marvel and folk art icon, the world's one and only Corn Palace has been astonishing tourists and locals alike since 1892 with it's murals made of--can you guess? Corn! Every single year, the last year's corn is removed in May to July and replaced with the current harvest's bounty. Thirteen shades of locally grown, colored corn cobs are shaped and stapled into new artwork, often submitted by local artists. Approximately 275,000 ears of corn are used annually.
Atlas Obscura also recommended a ghost town around Okaton, touting great photo opportunities. True, this ville is full of crumbling homes, but at least one, maybe two, families still live there and, as we drove through (and passed another RV tourist), I felt largely embarrassed driving our brand new 2022 F350 and carrying our nice new home behind us, when the people who lived there weren't near as fortunate. Further down the road, we passed a few fun sculptures, including a man walking a dinosaur skeleton. By that time, most of us just wanted to get to park our house and be out of the car for a while, so when Dusty wanted to get off the interstate to see a twelve foot prairie dog, I almost put my foot down. Fortunately for him, it was at our exit to our campground, so he got his wish! And in the process, we learned that instead of just driving by a ridiculous prairie dog sculpture, we would also have the chance to feed a colony of prairie dogs peanuts as we passed. The kids loved getting close to these cute little guys and listening to their calls to each other. Having been fed for years on end, the chubby rodents were not shy and walked right up to us asking for food. The stop at the Badlands Ranch Store was worth it after all.
There may be a stretch of South Dakota interstate that is fairly dull, but roadside attractions will keep you on your toes. Whether billboards provide entertainment to wake you up on a long drive, or the stops give you a place to stretch your legs, South Dakota will welcome you to the Wild Wild West, educate you on their way of life, and sell you lots of kitschy souvenirs to add to your collection.
From Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, we didn’t have many plans until we got to the Badlands. Fortunately, we met some amazing friends in northern Wisconsin to help us pass a few days literally out in the middle of nowhere at Weavers Resort and Campground on Pelican Lake. Linnea and Viv, friends from Germany, drove up from southern Wisconsin and Mike and Ev, friends from South Korea came from Duluth. We didn’t do much sightseeing, aside from Hodag hunting (see this blog post) and chowing down on gigantic ice cream cones from The Shabby Shack. The kids enjoyed swimming in the lake (until they found leeches) and playing at the playground, while the adults chilled at camp and enjoyed catching up. These people you meet while stationed overseas become your family and it was heartwarming being together again, reliving old memories. We left Wisconsin a day early so Dusty could do a meet-and-greet with 3M’s flight department on Thursday (which ended up getting rescheduled for Saturday.) After a 4.5 hour drive, we arrived at Lake Elmo Park Reserve around dinner time. We attempted to get some school work done, which is becoming increasingly difficult due to having too much fun exploring new places! In lieu of a history textbook, we took a field trip on Thursday to Historic Ft. Snelling and got a much more enriching history lesson than we ever could have imagined. At the confluence of the mighty Mississippi and the Minnesota River, this area has a long history, juxtaposed with multiple connotations, dependent on your ethnic affiliation. For the Dakota and Ojibwe people, this is a place of creation, a location that archaeologically traces native history back some twelve thousand years. The Fort represents a land that was stolen; a place where their warriors died trying to defend their land and feed their children. The same area that once meant spiritual rebirth and healing now represents a stockade that held hundreds of women, children, and elderly. Many Dakota died in horrific conditions within this camp, while the rest were banished from their ancestral lands. For African Americans, Fort Snelling means bondage even after freedom. It was home to Dred and Harriet Scott, who at that time were owned by Dr. Emerson, a surgeon at the Fort. Because of the Missouri Compromise and the location of Fort Snelling on the border of a free state, Scott and other Blacks should have been free, but an exception was made that military officers could own slaves regardless of their state’s legal standing, and many at the Fort did. Scott sued for his freedom and lost in a landmark case that shook the nation and served as a catalyst for the Civil War. For the American military, this post represents an introduction to proud military tradition for the many men and women who passed through to begin their service to their country before being shipped off to fight in wars both at home and abroad. It was home to the Military Intelligence Service Language School where hundreds of Japanese Americans released from internment camps volunteered to learn to be translators, spies, and interrogators in order to defend their country during World War II. Additionally, Fort Snelling was a leading hospital for rehabilitation for amputees and PTSD after WWI and WWII. This living history museum remarkably honors the long military history, while also telling the story of discrimination and horror, with attempts to make retribution. We spent six hours at the fort—well over the hour and a half recommended time! If you’re in to history, this is a stop not to miss. (Free for military families.) Friday we fulfilled the kids’ dreams at the Mall of America—all day. We again took advantage of the military discounts and got wristbands to ride til our little hearts were content. I can’t remember ever being in an indoor amusement park, so being close to the roof was a little disconcerting for me, but we had a good time. Brickhead took controls of the Brain Surge, a ride that goes around in circles in a car that spins upside down. He spun me around in a way that reminded me I’m getting too old to partake in that nonsense. The Rock Bottom took us to the ceiling before dropping us straight down then flinging us into inverted loops and corkscrews. A family favorite was the Log Chute, which had two drops in it.
The kids were excited to shop at the LEGO store, which was touted as a three story LEGO shopping extravaganza, having every brick you could imagine and all available sets. Brickhead gathered all his money and went in with a shopping list, but was extremely disappointed to discover that the store was not nearly as stocked as he had hoped. They got a few minifigures and called it a day. However, a highlight was Fly Over America, a virtual flight simulator over some of the most beautiful scenery that the United States has to offer. If you ever have a chance to do it, we all really enjoyed it. Saturday we got ready to leave, but not before we went with Dusty to an informal meeting with the Chief Pilot at 3M. We visited their WWII era wooden hangars and learned about past floods, as well as life as a corporate jet pilot for 3M. Time will tell if St. Paul becomes a future Ramsey home. By Brickhead (age 12) One hundred twenty six years ago, Rheinlander, Wisconsin was thought to be a land that lacked excitement. Whilst other states had something, Wisconsin had nothing. But one day that all changed with the first sighting of the Hodag. It was said that a man by the name of Eugene Shepard caught a glimpse of the terrifying creature perched atop a fallen pine. Eugene un-boxed his camera and caught a photo of the beast just as it readied to pounce. The camera caught an image that would never be forgotten. The photo displayed a strange beast, coated in green fur with malevolent red eyes peering out from narrowed sockets. The creature displayed terrifying razor sharp teeth. Glistening claws protruded from the beast's leathery hands. Curved, white horns crept out from its frog-like head. A row of terrifying spikes emerged from its dinosaur-like back and continued out across its foxish tail. After emerging from the sighting of the beast, Eugene proudly displayed the black and white photograph, and knew that Rheinlander now had something to live for: It was Hodag Country.
About a year after the discovery that was now Rheinlander’s fame, the news of the attack had spread across the nation, right to the capital in Washington DC, and to the Smithsonian. The world famous museum quickly sprang at the opportunity and announced that they would be sending a group of their best biologists to investigate this strange creature. When the news made it to Rheinlander, Eugene Shepard was forced to fess up. The Hodag was a hoax. The now famous photograph was a fake, and the creature in the image was made of wood, metal, and ox hide that Eugene had pieced together for the trick. It was a tremendous let down for Rheinlander and for everybody else in the US who had been looking forward to the Smithsonian’s research on the new-found creature. But the citizens of Rheinlander knew the truth: The Hodag was no hoax. This beast, no matter how cruel and terrifying, lived on in their hearts, and it would until the end of time. While Wisconsin may now be famous for its cheese, the little town of Rheinlander celebrates their legendary hoax of a beast with commemorating statues, restaurants, shops, the town high school, their local newspaper, and even a country festival called the Hodag Country Festival. (Creative, right?) The Hodag has its own website, kids activity pamphlet, fan club, and a discovery center for learning about the Hodag. So if you're ever driving through Wisconsin and stumble upon the little, seemingly boring town of Rheinlander, take a stop at the Chamber of Commerce and learn everything you need to know to begin your HUNT for the HODAG! Hidden around the town are twenty-five Hodag statues, all with a unique, creative designs. Once you return to the Chamber of Commerce with photographic evidence that you have found the bounty, you will be rewarded with a trinket from the Hodag's 'Gold' Collection. You can also download a special scavenger hunt app called Adventure Lab, where you find five key statues and answer questions about each one to complete the Hodag hunt. The Hodag hunt is on! People in Northern Michigan seem to be happier, and with the abundance of rugged wilderness, there is no wonder why. Yesterday we spent 11.5 miles on the trails. I became grounded by the steady earth beneath my feet. Soaked in the energy of the rushing water in the river. Let the warmth of the sun fill my heart. Felt the pulse of Lake Superior in my blood. Ahhhhhh...good ol' Nature Therapy.
Everyone says you have to get on the water to truly appreciate Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, so on Friday morning we left for a five hour kayak trip with Pictured Rocks Kayaking. We took a thirty minute boat ride from Munising, then launched the kayaks from the boat at Painted Cove. In tandem kayaks, we paddled 5 miles along the beautiful coastline, pulling into caves, listening to the waves thunder, zig-zagging through fallen rocks, and admiring the gorgeous mineral streaks of green, blue, purple, orange, and black that Pictured Rocks is known for. Powering through the waves of Lake Superior (even though they were calm that day) called for a bit more arm strength than the flat waters of Chesapeake Bay tributaries, but we rocked it with only a few complaints from the kids. That evening we explored Munising Falls, then Miners Falls, Miners Castle, and Miners Beach. We had promised the kids they could get wet--apparently being in the water all day long `without being able to swim was absolute torture! They had dreamed of being able to play in or near a waterfall, but that was not a possibility at these heavily traveled tourist stops. Thankfully, Miners Beach did the trick and they enjoyed playing in the waves. Something happened in the UP that I have never experienced in the United States before. It seemed as if everyone we came in contact with had hiked the 10 mile Chapel Rock/Chapel Basin Loop. (Guys-everyone here was doing a ten mile hike!) We hadn't planned on doing a 10 miler at this stop, but it had such rave reviews that we couldn't pass it up. All Trails said you could finish the loop in 3 hours and 41 minutes. My advice is that if you're finishing the loop in that amount of time, you're doing it wrong! All in all, we clocked 11.5 miles and 7 hours. Here's how it all unfolded: We told the kids they could sleep in, so it wasn't until 11:00 Saturday morning that we hit the trail. It was recommended that we start early, but I think the late start helped us miss the morning rush of people, and likely helped with the mosquitoes too. We started clockwise with Mosquito Falls, then followed the trail to Mosquito Beach, which was our favorite part of the trail. The Mosquito River empties out to the beach on a cascade of moss-covered sandstone tables. We stopped here and ate lunch on the riverbank and waded in the water, no more than ankle deep. This location will undoubtedly be added to my short list of "happy places" where my mind wanders when it needs to relax. Just so peaceful. From there we hiked 4 more miles to Chapel Beach, stopping at various lookout points along the way to admire the rock formations we had paddled along the day before from a different view. The kids had carried towels, swimsuits, and floaties to play at Chapel Beach, so Banana powered through these four miles, outpacing us all and keeping us on track. Dusty and I hadn't planned to swim (because we remembered how cold the water was the day before), but after 7.5 miles of balmy high 80's temps, mama didn't even care anymore! I figured my undies were as good as any bathing suit and plunged into the water in a t-shirt. It. was. so. cold! But, God, did it feel good! The Chapel River runs into this beach, so the kids tried tubing down the falls (though these rocks were too jagged). We enjoyed the water until the flies started eating us and a storm rolled in. Fortunately the rain stayed north of us, but the cold front cooled us on the final miles of our trek. The last 4 miles made us realize that the National Parks Service may need to get back out on the trail and do some surveying because 10.2 miles is a definite miscalculation. Aside from a large population of chipmunks that loved greeting us as we walked down the trail, the rest of the hike was uneventful. We--well, mostly I--maybe only I--thanked the trees for their shade and fresh air. Thanked God for this opportunity. Loved my kids and husband. Mostly just felt happy. While the mileage may have been physically tiring, mentally, the day was the most rejuvenating I've spent in a very long time. Because that's what Nature Therapy does for you.
We left the cabin and headed north across the Mackinac Bridge to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We had planned to drive straight to Munising, but so many people told us we needed to see Tahquamenon Falls, that we scheduled a quick overnight stay. We arrived an hour and twenty minutes before check-in time at Tahquamenon Falls State Park Campground and had to drop the RV in a parking lot because the forest service doesn't allow early check ins (even though our spot was empty.) Fortunately they had overflow parking because we were ready to hit the ground running and we couldn't do that while pulling our house behind us!
Dean and Jewel Oswald own the bear ranch and the 40 or more bears inside. Oswald’s Bear Ranch opened in 1997 and it has grown drastically through the years because every year they rescue black bear cubs from unfortunate circumstances. The ranch tries to make their new homes look like their natural environment so they are comfortable. Bears are separated by age (cubs and yearlings) and gender (adult males and adult females). The cubs have a smaller place to play than the other bears, but they still have a lot of space. The cubs’ pen has one area for getting fed and two areas for playing, with a door connecting each play area. They even have a swimming pool. The yearlings are in a natural area much larger than the cubs’ pen, and they have a small waterfall and a small pond. The males’ pen is a half mile in perimeter and has a trail so you can walk around it. The first thing we did when we got there was get our picture taken while spoon-feeding the bear cubs ice cream. Mac the cub was so excited to get his frozen treat that he dropped it at least five times. Brickhead and I both got an opportunity to spoon-feed a bear cub while the rest of the family pet it. There is a stand where you get four-dollar bags of apples to feed the bears, so next, we fed the older bears. The bears used one paw to put the apple on the top of the other paw and then nibbled at the apple. When you walk around the bear habitats, you might not see all the bears because they might be trying to find shade, but you will definitely see some bears. The last thing we did was go to the gift shop where you can get a picture with a statue of Tyson, the biggest black bear ever recorded. Tyson grew up at the refuge and was nearly one thousand pounds, but he died in a fight in 2000. They also have souvenirs, so if you want something to remember the ranch by, you can get a stuffed animal, a book, a necklace, a pocket knife, or a shirt. Oswald’s Bear Ranch is really cool, and I recommend going there if you’re around that area. The bears there are cute and they probably won’t think about biting you. If you feed them they will love you for two or three seconds! I think you should support Oswald’s Bear Ranch because they save bears that are in need and they care of them properly. They also educate people about black bears. Not to mention, those little baby bears are adorable!
In 1983, my grandparents bought a shack on 40 acres of wooded land near Pickerel Lake in Alanson, Michigan. My grandpa and his numerous contractor buddies palled around on weekends to build the cabin that stands there today. Much of my childhood was spent in the area, enjoying the water in summer, four wheeling through the painted forests in the fall, snowmobiling with my Papaw in the winter, and helping Grandma work in the flower beds in the spring. Dusty and I were engaged at Petoskey's Sunset Park on the shores of Lake Michigan, but in the last twenty years, we've only returned to the cabin three or four times. On our RV journey northward, we spent seven days at Camp Pet-o-se-ga Campground, just six miles away from my mom, grandma, sister, and her family, who stayed at the cabin. My mom and sister's family bought the cabin off my Grandma a few years ago and have steadily been fixing it up and modernizing it, but it still held a lot of the old charm I remember. Our first full day there, we spent at the cabin taking the kids on the four wheeler through the woods, and enjoying the perfect 75 degree weather and the backdrop of the bright blue skies against the trees. Driving the four wheeler through the trails my grandpa cut decades ago was almost overwhelming. Watching Dusty let Brickhead drive the quad was overwhelming in a different way. A family of chipmunks have built a fairly elaborate series of tunnels through the yard and have become quite friendly with the human kind. Banana had them eating out of her hand the first night we were there, and each of the kids (including the two and four year old who have a bit harder time holding still) were hand feeding them by day two. We made the most of the time we had, combining sightseeing and activities with a fair share of chilling at the cabin or our campsite. One day we went into Petoskey for putt-putt golf at Pirate's Cove (the absolute best of putt-putt in my humble opinion), then had pizza and watched the kids play at the playground at Sunset Park. It was cute watching my sister's two year old try to imitate his 12 year old ninja cousin. My mom recently bought an electric-assist bike, so one day we all met at the Oden Fish Hatchery in Alanson and took off for a 13 mile ride on the Petoskey-to-Mackinaw Trail to Kilwin's ice cream in Petoskey. On the way back, we stopped to play on a small pebbled beach...until we discovered there were tiny leeches attached to three of us. We skedaddled pretty quickly out of the water after that! Saturday we visited my great aunt and uncle and cousin in Cheboygan and went for a boat ride through the river behind their house to Black Lake. Our cousin, who had planned to take us out, ended up staying back with my uncle and recruited Dusty to captain the ship (a.k.a. pontoon). It was a little touch and go there for a bit, but we made it across the lake to a shallow area where the kids played in the water and explored the beach for a bit. Other days we went into Indian River and Charlevoix, filling up on sugar from ice cream parlors and The Taffy Barrel candy shop, where Mimi spent way too much money on bags and bags of candy for all her grandkids. The kids loved playing in the lakes and playgrounds at any opportunity that one was available.
My take away: so much changes, yet the foundation remains the same. One thing I will carry with me is the smells. When Banana came out of the shower, I hugged her and was flooded with childhood memories. The water and the earth in the cabin woods are so distinctive and just packed full memories of all the times my sister and I spend up north as kids. Trees we played on as children are grown or dying, neighbors have moved or passed on. Relationships have changed. The towns have grown and become crowded. But there is still this little cabin in the woods, thankfully still there to provide the foundation for another generation of childhood memories. |
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