travel Archives - Page 13 of 13 - ETB Travel Photography

Day 219 – Upper Peninsula Drive

Day 219 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

With a little bit of a late morning start (lost an hour in Michigan), VANilla, Petey, and I motored up Highway 2, through Hiawatha National Forest and toward Fayette Historic State Park on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. To get to the park, we turned south at Garden Corners, followed a road along Big Bay De Noc, and passed by an old house, covered in peeling white paint with “FREE STUFF ->” spray painted in large, black freehand.

Next to it, a smaller phrase in black spray paint demanded, “Don’t put anything here without my permission”. I’ve passed a handful of quirky signs over my last 48,000 miles of travel, but many times I forget to mention them. Glad I remembered this one on our Upper Peninsula Drive.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 218 – Wisconsin North Woods (Part 2)

Day 218 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Wow…I think I have had two “do-over” days in one week! The second half of my Wisconsin North Woods drive, from the Apostle Islands to Lac de Flambeau, I believe was more suited for kayakers or canoers. It certainly wasn’t a bad day, but there are ways I could have enjoyed it better.

Madeline Island

As usual I started my morning with a cup of coffee. I have to say the local coffee shop sold awesome raspberry scones. This prompted me to buy a container, twice the size of what is customary, of local raspberries at the small grocery store for three bucks or so…a bargain and good! I wanted to have some food on hand for a morning at Madeline Island, the only inhabited island in the Apostle Islands and the only island which is not part of the National Park.

The rest of the Apostle Islands, remnants of sedimentary rocks deposited in the Lake Superior Basin over 600 million years ago that have survived the crushing action of four glaciers over the past 100,000 years, are a National Park and a popular kayaker destination. Getting to those islands was an all day excursion and less than accommodating to Petey which is why I ended up choosing Madeline Island.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 217 – Wisconsin North Woods

Day 217 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Amnicon Falls State Park

I forgot to mention one of the greatest parts to my Minnesota morning yesterday, despite the rain…the coffee shop I found, Java Moose Espresso, sold just the muffin tops…no stumps. Any Seinfeld fan has to appreciate that! Anyway, on to my next morning, I boiled some water for coffee and instant oatmeal at the Amnicon Falls State Park campgrounds in Wisconsin. Amnicon means “Where Fish Spawn” and the Amnicon River is an important spawning river for fish from Lake Superior.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 215 – North Shore Drive

Day 215 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Despite the thermometer in VANilla reading 82 degrees at midnight, today was remarkably better than yesterday. We had a busy day traveling Minnesota’s North Shore. I left from Duluth and drove 30 minutes north to Two Harbors. At Two Harbors, Petey joined me for a walk around Agate Bay where we admired an old tugboat, watched the ore shipping process, and searched for geocaches around the lighthouse.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 214 – Northern Minnesota Circle

Day 214 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I began with a great start to my morning. My coffee from the shop was served in a paper cup with the question, “What keeps you awake?” printed on the side with a variety of answers from local patrons. My personal favorites were “Extra innings and overtime” and “When I hear my three-year old ask, ‘Mommy, what letter does “s” start with?’”

After my morning Joe, things went south. This may qualify as a do over day. I headed northwest out of Grand Rapids on Highway 2 and was supposed to turn north on 48. I unknowingly missed the exit and didn’t notice for a while. As a result, I backtracked to Deer River and eventually reached Avenue of the Pines Scenic Byway which cuts through Chippewa National Forest.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 204 – North to Jackson Hole

Day 204 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Logan Canyon

This morning I reversed yesterday’s drive through Logan Canyon, this time heading North to Jackson Hole. VANilla weaved along the Logan River beneath limestone cliffs where I made a handful of stops. Two stops were at campgrounds that my Reader’s Digest book suggested to see a slab of quartz tunneled by tiny seaworms and to see a Jardine Juniper that is believed to be over 1,500 years old. Both campgrounds were closed. I’m presuming the river was up too high.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 200 – Rocky Mountain Ramble

Day 200 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I went to bed with a deer outside my window and woke up to an elk just a few campsites away. He was enormous! Little did I know that at the visitors’ center situated just before the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, I’d find a whole herd of elk, including babies. What a way to start the morning!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 199 – Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway

Day 199 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I’m back on the road again. The first day back is always an adjustment as I leave the luxuries of a full size kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. In addition, I go from being stationary to being a nomad. There is a lot to be said for being able to relax in one place, even it is for a short period of time. Finally, I leave my friends and family and the social aspect of my life. Knowing I will likely spend days at a time without having a meaningful conversation in person with anyone, makes it difficult to press on sometimes…and I’m not even that social.

After a few days, however, I get back into the groove and enjoy exploring the nature and beauty surrounding me. Finding interesting, new places and revisiting ones I’ve come to love make the journey a special endeavor.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!