Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota is a park that was created to honor Roosevelt who is the founder of the National Park Service.  This area includes much of the land that Roosevelt hunted and explored while he was in North Dakota.  It also includes the land that was home to Roosevelt's ranch.  There are two sections that you can visit, known as the North Unit and the South Unit.  The terrain in these areas includes many rock formations known as "badlands" and much land that is useful for grazing, which accounts for the many bison that roam the hills of the park.  The remote beauty of the park is breath-taking.

South Unit

Maltese Cross Ranch House, moved to visitor's center from Roosevelt's ranch.

Two bison calves.

North Unit

More bison, at one point they were standing in the road.

Two world's largest in one state

Driving across North Dakota we saw two "world's largest" items.

We saw Salem Sue in New Salem.  Sue is the world's largest Holstein cow.  She is 38 feet high and 50 feet long.  She even has a song written about her, "Ballad of the Holstein"

We also saw the world's largest metal sculpture.  It is along interstate 94 and marks the beginning of something known as the "enchanted highway".  This sculpture is called "Geese in Flight".  There are 7 more sculptures along the enchanted highway.

On the road again...three more states.

We are traveling again. Left Indiana, drove through Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota and now we are in North Dakota, which is a new state for the two of us.  It is also the last state of the 48 for Dave.  He has now been in every one of the contiguous United States.

Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near Empire, Michigan is a beautiful place to spend a day. We went there back on August, but I realized that I forgot to post about it.  The scenery is unbelievable and if you are adventurous you can climb up the dunes.  It is named for a rock formation that looks (kinda) like a sleeping bear.  Black bears are plentiful in this area, so I can see why someone got that idea. 

The little grassy hump at the top of this hill is the sleeping bear

This is a 450 foot super steep dune that they discourage people to climb.  It goes down to the water but takes 2 hours to climb up.  If you need to be rescued on this dune, they charge you a fine of as much as $2000.  There are lost of other dunes there that you can climb instead.

Soo Locks, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

We visited the Soo Locks were ships are raised or lowered to go from Lake Superior to Lake Huron.  We were fortunate enough to get to see a large container ship go through the lock while we were there.

Large container ship going through lock

Passenger tour boat going through the lock.

Tahquamenon Falls, Paradise, Michigan

Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Paradise, Michigan is a really cool place to visit, especially on a warm day.  The falls are beautiful to look at but even better, you can go into the water and walk around both above and below the Lower Falls.  The Upper Falls are much larger and can be viewed from several decks along the river.  The brown color of the water is due to minerals in the rock that the water flows over.

Lower Falls

Lower Falls

Upper Falls

Upper Falls

5 Great Lakes in ten weeks

From mid June to mid August, we visited all 5 Great Lakes. 

Lake Ontario, New York

Lake Erie, Ohio

Lake Michigan, Indiana

Lake Superior, Michigan

Lake Huron, Michigan

World's Largest Cherry Pie, Charlevoix, Michigan

Another world's largest in the books.  The world's largest cherry pie in Charlevoix, Michigan.  This was an actual pie baked in 1976, it was over 14 feet across and weighed 7 tons.  We visited the roadside attraction that includes the pie tin and a list of ingredients and fun facts.

Point Betsie Lighthouse, Benzie County, Michigan

We are staying at an RV park in Michigan for a few months.  We will be doing some sightseeing in the area.  Our first stop was the Point Betsie Lighthouse on Lake Michigan.  This lighthouse was established in 1858.  After many, many years of use, it is now retired from service but has been well preserved.  It is a beautiful little spot to visit for a few hours.