Adventure Travel Photography Blog
Well, I considered driving an extra 155 miles to Hamburg, IA last night so I could start off my day exploring Waubonsie State Park while it was slightly cool. I’m so glad I didn’t do that for two reasons.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
It was impossible to miss the capitol building in Jefferson City. It dominates the skyline of Missouri’s quaint capital. I spent a little time poking around, both inside and outside, and came up with another type of restroom available to me – government buildings. Parks, Wal-Mart, restaurants, rest areas, and gas stations generally serve the purpose, but churches and government buildings have recently been added to the list!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
So last night I stumbled upon a Waffle House and ordered a bacon and egg sandwich plate, an old standby from the horse show days. It was delicious! I found a private campground not far away that was charging $57 a night…outrageous! I asked if there were any others nearby and they said a new one opened up about five miles down the road. I saved myself $47 and got a free, clean shower out of it as well!
It’s a good thing I saved myself some money as I started out this morning turning off my phone, removing my sim card, and placing it in a bag of rice because my screen wasn’t legible. Sadly, I think it succumbed to constant humidity and no A/C. No phone calls or texts today, and I’ll have to geocache the old fashioned way…download a few caches onto my GPS as this is my last chance to check Missouri off the list in my quest to find a geocache in every state.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
We started out the day trying to find Charles Mound, the highest point in Illinois measuring 1,235 feet tall. We were unsuccessful, but continued through the maze of cornfields to Apple River Canyon State Park where we took a mile walk through the hardwood forest. While the wildflower lined trail was shaded by trees, I think I would have rather walked along the nearby, flowing river. Our stroll just about did Petey in, so we hopped back in VANilla and turned south toward Mississippi Palisades State Park.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
We started out the day at Pikes Peak State Park where we walked to yet another overlook of the Mississippi. This overlook also happened to be an earth cache, so I check marked Iowa off the list presuming the creator of the cache accepts my answers. All the answers but one were on the associated signs; however, I am also to look at the bend and valley depth to determine the speed of the current here. Anyone want to look at the picture and take a guess? That’s what I’m doing!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Since Hastings was only about twenty miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul, I took a detour for a simple drive by as I had never been there. I had Gina, my GPS, take me to the city hall of each town, that way I would at least get a glimpse of downtown. I crossed over a few bridges, passed by several office buildings connected by skywalks, and even spotted a few historic churches in the mix before I ended at Mall of the America’s. While I can’t think of anything I like about shopping, I figured I had to at least see the largest mall in America.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
We traveled quite a few miles up the Great River Road today. Beginning the day, we took another hike in Wyalusing State Park. It was a short walk along the Bluff Trail that took us to Point View overlooking both the Wisconsin River and Mississippi River. The Mississippi River flows 2,348 miles from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. 15.8 million gallons of water flow past this point on the Mississippi every minute. The Upper Mississippi (above St. Louis) has 29 dams and is home to 100 species of fish. In addition, 175 million tons of material (40% grain) is shipped on its waters annually. One barge carries 1,500 tons of material. To put that into perspective, it would take sixty semi’s to do the same.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I survived another storm yesterday. It came and left within an hour yesterday afternoon, but it was ominous. Dark black clouds rolled in as the wind swirled. I was pulled off in a roadside rest area, but I’m told the wind lifted the water off the lake, creating a water spout.
This morning we cruised up the “thumb” of Wisconsin. Our first stop was Cave Point County Park where Lake Michigan’s waves splash against dolomite cliffs. During rough weather, this can be a spectacle, though today it was calm enough for locals to take a dip. I’ve heard from a handful of folks over the last week that the water is warm. It’s all relative I guess…I’m certain it is at least 10 degrees cooler than I prefer.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Before leaving Traverse City, we took a short driving tour around the historic district, but unfortunately missed the seven wineries this early in the morning! I didn’t time that very well. Too bad I didn’t arrive earlier yesterday! That’s ok, we continued along our Lake Michigan Tour and spent a lovely morning on Old Mission Peninsula.
We poked along the 18 mile drive past harbors, countless orchards, wineries, farmland, and roadside cherry stands on the way to Old Mission Lighthouse. The lighthouse is located at Mission Point which is just a few hundred feet south of 45th Parallel of Latitude, the half way distance between the Equator and the North Pole. The beach here was so interesting. Beachgoers had set up cairns on the boulders that poked up in the shallow water offshore. It was very serene looking.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Petey and I began our Lake Michigan Tour in Ludington where a cross, memorializing Pere Merquette, stands over the harbor. It is thought, the French missionary and explorer died nearby in 1675, though the exact location remains a controversy.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!