July 23

It has been a few days since our time at Theodore Roosevelt National Park but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been having any fun along the way.   Found the Larges Buffalo in Jamestown, MI and had a trip down the yellow brick road when we visited the Judy Garland museum in Grand Rapids, MI.

One of our stops was at a place called Silver Sands Hotel and RV Park in Kincheloe, MI.  We arrived to find out that the RV Park was located right across the street from Lake Superior, what a great surprise.  When we went to check in, we found a very trusting owner as he was not anywhere in the hotel or RV Park as a matter of fact no employees were there. All we found was a phone on the desk with a number to call if you needed anything.  So I called, the owner was at home and did not realize that we were arriving, but all worked out as we got one of the three RV spots that had a lake view.  This was a beautiful area but there were no adventures to be had, well except the rocks.  Rocks that glow under UV light called Yooperlites they're only found in the Lake Superior area. The hunt was afoot, but we needed a UV lite, so off to the store, they wanted $100.00 for a light that was $39.00 on Amazon. Plan B we bought the rocks instead.  Bonus we didn't have to stay up till dark 22:45 to find them.  

We followed up this stay with a few nights in Kinross, MI.  We picked this town because it was close to Sault Ste. Marie, Canada and we had planned on going into Canada for the day and Kinross was it was close to boarder. 

So a little back story on planning this summer’s trip.  I made RV Park reservations all across the country based on websites descriptions, pictures and the reviews.  I have done pretty good.  Sometimes the park doesn’t look like the pictures online, but they have all worked out in the end except for one Kinross.

Kinross was an Air Force Base built in 1943 during WWII. It was decommissioned by the Department of Defense in 1977 following phased wind-downs.  Portions of the 7265 acre former military property now houses the Kinross Correctional Facility and Chippewa Correctional Facility.  All Air Force Bases have a certain look about them.  As we drove around you could tell where all the support facilities would have been, commissary, exchange and more.  Our RV campsite was smack dab in the middle of everything with both correctional facilities just 1 mile down the road.  We were a little disappointed about the look and location, it defiantly did not match the beautiful description of the park on there website.  We were not going to let that derail our fun and adventure.  That afternoon we walked around Sault Ste Marie , MI, toured the Soo Lock Museum and watched the Soo Lock system in action with a huge Iron Ore ship making its way from Lake Huron to Lake Superior.  Soo Lock was originally built in 1855 with a few modifications over the years and was expanded in 1968.

The next day we headed for Canada!!

We have traveled to Europe and crossed numerous country boarders but going into Canada somehow seemed weird.  With passports in hand, we crossed the 2.8-mile long International Bridge.  We had visions of a tourist district that we could soak in but to our surprise it was very run-down and sparsely populated.  We did find the Bush Pilot museum hidden in a corner of town that turned out to be great for Walter as it had numerous refurbished planes, he was happy.

Whitefish and walleye are a main stable both in Michigan and Canada, we found a diner about a hour into Canada so off we went on a joy ride to see more of the country.  Got a great plate of fried whitefish but also discovered a Canadian dish from Quebec called Pouline.  Pouline consists of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and smothered in hot brown gravy.  OMG this was to die for, it made our Canada trip oh so worth it.  I forgot to mention that I had $8 dollars in Canadian quarters (somehow collect over the last 40 years) that I was determined to spend, spent it on two scoops of ice cream😊.

Back at the RV Site, we decided that we would cut our time short and leave a day earlier than planned. Besides one day was enough for our trip to Canada and we were not sure if Walter White from Breaking Bad was in the trailer next to us.  Our next destination camp site was able to get us in a day early, off we went.

 

July 17-19

Headed over the boarder to North Dakota to check out the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The park in western North Dakota preserves rugged badlands and honors the 26^th U.S. President. The park is broken into 2 sections, the North Unit and the South Unit.  We arrived early enough to drive through the North Unit.  The North Unit has a 14-mile scenic drive with a few scenic view pull offs and trail heads.  Views were amazing not to mention some of the wildlife. It was a great first day in North Dakota.

When we were reading about the park, we found out that the town of Medora, located in between the two park Units just had the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Library.  Who knew, certainly not us.  We headed to the library about 10 am thinking we would get there early.  Wow, to our surprise there was a line to enter going around the building.  So, we waited patiently to get in, and boy, it was worth it.  We have no words to describe our experience except that we will be telling everyone that it is a ‘Bucket List” must.  Maybe it was the way they told the life story of Theodore Roosevelt, maybe the high-tech interaction exhibits, who knows.  Whatever it was, we spent 5 hours there soaking it all in. 

A key interaction that was throughout the library were kiosks that you would swipe a badge you were issued when you initially entered the library that would imprint your face into a historic times or themed photo of Roosevelts life. TR’s life in N Y, ranching in the badlands, working on the NYCPD, serving in the Navy, being a rough rider, leading as president and journeying into the amazon.   These interactive exhibits really drew you into his life’s story from childhood to death.

Last day in North Dakota was spent driving 36 miles of the South Unit of the park.  The road winds across the rolling, jumbled badlands with fantastic scenery in all directions.  This drive was another great opportunity to watch wildlife.  We saw more Bison, wild horses, turkeys, prairie dogs, more prairie dogs and a coyote eating a prairie dog (yum)

 

Special Note: Theodore Rooswvelt first came to Dakota Territory in 1883 to hunt bison.  A year later, devastated by personal tragedy, he returned to grieve and lose himself in its vastness.  He became a cattle rancher and in this broken land, found adventure, purpose, and wholeness.  Though his ranch ultimately failed, his love for rugged beauty of the land brought him back time and time again for the rest of his life.

Roosevelt credited his Dakota experiences as the basis for his groundbreaking preservation efforts and the shaping of his own character.  As president he translated his love of nature into law.  He established the US Forest Service and signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, under which he proclaimed 18 national monuments.  He worked with Congress to create five national parks, 150 national forests and dozens of federal reserves – over 230 million acres of protected land.  Thank you Teddy!!

July 11

As we were making our way to Yellowstone National Park, we had a one-night stay in a town called Deer Lodge, MT.  With the one night stay we normally just need a place to sleep but to our surprise we found another hidden treasure to investigate called Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic site.  This ranch preserves the history of the American open-range cattle era, showcasing a 1500 acre working ranch with original buildings, livestock and artifacts from the 1860’s and onward. Its 1866-1920 owner Conrad Kohrs is known to be the first cattle baron in Montana with 10 million acres for cattle grazing (this acreage covered parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming).  Not only do you get to tour the original house, but you also get a history and decline of cattle in the open range.  

Never a dull moment for us when on the road.

July 12-15

Wahoo, we made it to Yellowstone National Park with 2 full days to explore.  We visited Yellowstone last year but with it spanning 3472 square miles across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho there was section we did not get to visit.  That is the North Entrance from Gardiner, MT.  

This entrance is closest to the Lamar Valley, which is supposed to have the premier wildlife viewing areas, often called “Americas Serengeti,” known for its vast grasslands, bison herds and predators like wolves, bears and coyotes.  Lamar Valley was our target.  Day one we took advantage of a slightly cooler morning and did a 5-mile hike, armed with our bear spray to fend off any attack.  Thank goodness we only saw a small snake, a few ground squirrels and a grouse (no bears) and returned with all our limbs intact.

Day two was full of wildlife.  We saw Elk, bears, pronghorns, coyote, deer, chipmunks and of course bison.  Herds of bison.  We spent the day driving through the valley, stopping to eat a picnic lunch on the roadside sitting on the tail gate while watching a bison herd.  Note: never to close to being in danger, we have seen far too many YouTube.  You could clearly see that it was “rut” season (bison mating season) as the bull males were very frisky.  In the herds there were also a vast number of calves just born this spring.  Lamar Valley, awesome!

July 15-16

Hardin, MT, a small town about 50 miles east of Billings, MT was a good place to find a RV Park so we could visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield located 15 miles outside of town.   They call the battlefield a place of honor and reflect on the sacrifices made there on June 25, 1876, when the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors fought against a deliberate attack by the U.S.  Army’s 7^th Calvary led by Lt. Col. George Custer, who sought to enforce policies that threatened their traditional way of life.  Parts of the grounds have walking paths that take you up to the “Last Stand Hill” where Custer and his 210 soldiers met their fate.  A granite memorial now stands there honoring those soldiers that lost their lives.  

Just down from the monument stands a memorial to those Indians that also lost their lives that day.  

With the battlefield covering 765 acres, there is a driving route that takes you on a 4.5-mile drive from the Custer Battlefield to the Reno-Benteen Battlefield.  Along this route there are scattered white headstones marking the original spot calvary soldiers died as their remains had been moved to a mass grave under the granite memorial.

There are also brown headstones marking the location of fallen Indians.  The Indians were able to recover their dead and buried them according to customs. 

The progression of the battle is explained with storyboards along this route as well, which really helps put things into perspective when you are literally looking over the battlefield. Historians and archeologists today are still debating how the battle truly unfolded.