Montana - Kootenai Falls

One of our favorite places to go in Montana is the Kootenai Falls area located between Libby and Troy Montana on US Hwy 2.  This is the setting for the film "River Wild" and has some amazing rapids when the river is running high and boasts one of the largest free flowing falls in the northwest.

Kootenai Falls Montana

Kootenai Falls Montana

Green Pool at Kootenai Falls

There are plenty of trails along the south side to explore and take in the views, but one of the most exciting and best views is from the swinging bridge just west of the main trail.  While the bridge is not for everyone (we saw a lot of people decide not to cross after stepping foot on it) it provides access to several more trails on the north side of the river as well as a spectacular view from the middle of the bridge.

Janet crossing the swinging bridge

There is so much to see and do in Montana. We've been to Montana several times and always enjoy going back.  For those who love the outdoors Montana is a real jewel.

Fern Shadow - Kootenai National Forest

Sunset over Noxon Reservoir - Trout Creek Montana

Montana

We left Yellowstone and headed northwest into Montana.  I always love visiting Big Sky Country.  I don't think there is anywhere in the world that is more scenic then western Montana.  With its sweeping vistas, huge mountain ranges and wide open spaces it gives one both a sense of awe and a feeling of serenity.  We first landed in a small town called Ennis which allowed us to day trip out to the old western towns of Virginia City and Nevada City.  Both towns are very rustic now, but were thriving gold towns during the 1800's.  Virginia City still has residents living there and is a National Historic Landmark along with much of the surrounding area.  Nevada City (1.5 miles west) is now an open air museum where you can step back in time and see what life was like during the gold rush.  The town was shut down for the season when we arrived, but we had been there before so had already seen much of it.  I really love shooting rustic items and this town gives me a chance to stretch out and explore.

Welcome to Nevada City

Nevada City Saloon

Kitchen Window

Nevada City Train

 

 

Yellowstone

Janet and I have been to Yellowstone several times before, but for the first time we actually stayed in the park which made it much easier to explore.  For those of you who have been there you know just how huge this park is 

(2,219,789 acres) and how difficult it is to see just a small portion of it.  We were here for 3 days and could have stayed for a week without seeing all there is to see.

Sunrise in Yellowstone

Yellowstone is a mix of landscapes, from the beautiful canyons, rivers and lakes to the surreal and other-worldly geothermal features that spew and steam and bubble throughout the park.  The colors of many of the geothermal pools are absolutely stunning.

Grand Prismatic Pool

Emerald Pool

We spent one afternoon on a hike with a ranger and learned so much about how the features were formed and found that due to the ever changing landscape these features do not always last for very long.

 

 

Geothermal Pool

One morning Janet and I decided to drive to one of the scenic waterfalls and then hike along the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  We drove to Artist Point and I took a few shots from various positions.  I was just about to pack it in when a lady told me to wait about 30 minutes when the sun crested over the canyon and I would be treated to a beautiful rainbow in the mist of the waterfall.  Gorgeous!

Waterfall Rainbow

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park is truly an American treasure and a must see for anyone who enjoys the beauty of nature and wildlife that abound in the park.

Where the Buffalo Roam

Sunset at Yellowstone

Wyoming

Our first stop in Wyoming was Gillette, the self proclaimed "Energy Capital of the Nation".  They are mostly known for their vast quantities of coal and oil.  It was amazing to see the tons of coal being shipped out of the city every day by train.  Our main reason for going there was for the Escapees Rally.  Escapees is a group of like minded people who enjoy the RVing lifestyle.  The rally was full of great information about RVing, friendly people (a common theme in the RV world) and a lot of fun.  

Sunset in Gillette

After the rally we continued west to the town of Cody, named after Buffalo Bill Cody.  We hoped to take in a rodeo, but unfortunately the season had ended the week before.  Cody is well known in the rodeo circuit, but make sure and get there during the summer if you want to see one and once the season is over, much of Cody starts shutting down from a tourist standpoint.  We did go to see the Buffalo Bill Dam which was constructed in 1910 to aid the local farmers in irrigating their crops.  The views from atop the dam are fantastic and the visitor center has information on the history of the area and the building of the dam.  

One of the other places we went to in Cody was a museum/gift shop called Tecumseh's Trading Post.  It is mostly a tourist trap that sells the typical gift shop things, but also has a donation only museum in the back that is well worth a quick stop.  The proprietor has built a huge miniature village depicting the develop of the old west.  It is really quite interesting for both young and old.

View from Buffalo Bill Dam

Shoshone River in Cody

Tecumseh's Trading Post Miniature Village

Tecumseh's Trading Post Miniature Village

Back in San Diego

Janet and I are back in San Diego for a couple of months and I know what you are wondering, "What happened to the rest of our travels?".  Well, the simple answer is, I got lazy.  The more I got behind in my writing the harder it was to get back into it, but I never stopped taking pictures.  So what I hope to do over the next few weeks is recap what we did and what we saw over the last couple of months and show you some of my favorite shots.

America's Cup Races in San Diego

While it is nice to back in San Diego, I'll have to admit that I did not miss it much.  I have become a big fan of the small towns and villages that we have stayed near while traveling across the USA.  It is so refreshing to experience the friendly nature of the people in the smaller towns and the slower pace.  I truly enjoyed traveling the secondary highways instead of driving the fast paced freeways.  It has been extremely liberating to drive 55 mph instead of racing around at 70+ mph.  Sure, it takes longer to get from place to place, but the payback is that my stress level while driving went way down (until I hit Los Angeles, it is amazing how that city can bring out the worst in me) and I was able to actually enjoy the scenery. 

Janet and I visited 18 states and traveled approximately 14,500 miles in the six months we were out.  This next year we hope to visit the east coast and maybe eastern Canada (at least that's the plan for now).  We have quite a bit to talk about and pictures to show, so stay tuned for several blog entries in the next couple of weeks.  Cheers!

States visited in 2011

South Dakota and The Black Hills (the rest of the story)

Before leaving South Dakota we wanted to mention some of the other things we did.

Sturgis - Kind of a bust.  I guess the best thing going for it (if your into that thing) is the annual motorcycle rally.

Where's Tom?

Deadwood - A town that has retained it's heritage buildings from the 19th century.  Best known for its history of outlaws, gunslingers and gamblers.  It was a true wild west town where Wild Bill Hickok (one of Janet's distant relatives... no really!) was shot dead while playing poker.

Rapid City - Attractions included:

• Chapel in the Hills - a beautiful and peaceful little Norse chapel in the hills of Rapid City
• Dinosaur Park - Atop the highest point in Rapid City, provides 360 degree views of the city and a bunch of cheesy looking dinosaurs built in the 1930's; great for the kids (or adults who act like them)

Hill City - Wineries (not so great wines, I am really spoiled from the California wineries) and Teddy Bear Town, home of the Guinness record for largest collection of teddy bears.  The owner is more than happy to tell stories of where she acquired many of the bears in her collection.  People from all over the world send bears to be displayed.

Wind Cave National Park - Provides cave tours for all levels.  We went on the candlelight tour which was very interesting.  Each person is provided a candle in a reflective bucket similar to what early explorers used.  We are than lead through many parts of the cave that the other tours do not get to explore.  It is a bit more strenuous, with a bit more climbing involved, but well worth it.

South Dakota - Custer State Park and the Black Hills (our biggest surprise)

As much as we loved what we had seen so far of South Dakota, we were totally smitten with Custer State Park.  This is a must see as far as we are concerned.  Janet thinks that Custer SP rivals our National Parks.  From the scenery to the animal life, this park has so much to offer for any nature lover.  One very warm afternoon after spending the morning sight-seeing we decided to just sit in the trailer and enjoy some AC.  I was fiddling around when I happened to look out of our back window and saw the most amazing sight.  The largest herd of bison that we had ever seen was foraging just beyond the campground fence.  There were hundreds of the large beasts lumbering along and chewing the grass as they roamed.  It was easily one of the most awesome sights and sounds of our trip so far.  I don't believe we will ever get to be so close to a herd of bison in the wild ever again.

Bison Herd

When visiting, don't miss the Needles Highway.  Along the twisting winding road are granite spires that thrust upwards for hundreds of feet.  We also enjoyed the hike around Sylvan Lake where the same granite rock formations surround and sit in the lake, making for some amazing views.  Activities include swimming and canoeing and for the  more adventurous, rock climbing.

Needles Highway

Sylvan Lake

Rock Climbing at Sylvan Lake

Sylvan Lake (you can barely see the climber on the peak beyond)

While visiting the area we also did a day trip up to Mt Rushmore.  The drive up via the Iron Mountain Scenic Byway is definitely the way to go as long as you're traveling in daylight.  I wouldn't want to tackle this road at night as it winds and twists and pigtails through mountains and narrow tunnels.  The views along the way are spectacular.  I probably don't need to say much about this landmark of our nation, but wanted to mention the lighting ceremony in the evening.  This is a more interesting way to see the monument if you can be there after dusk.

Mount Rushmore at Sunset

Mount Rushmore Lighting Ceremony

Entrance at night

All in all, we really enjoyed the Black Hills area and Custer State Park in particular.  It was definitely the biggest surprise of our trip and we will be back for sure.

South Dakota - The Big Surprise (part 2)

The best thing about traveling is seeing what's around the corner for the first time.  Or in this case what is west of the Missouri River.  As soon as we crossed over the river the scenery in South Dakota changed and we were immediately enthralled by what we saw.  It was like crossing the river brought us back to the western US.  

Badlands National Park was our first stop.  By taking the name and preconceptions with us we were completely taken aback by just how alluring this area is.  We had visions of desolate landscape and arid nothingness in our heads while driving into the park, but were surprised by what we actually saw.  There is a rugged beauty to this land that one must see for oneself.  

Badlands Bison

Badlands National Park

Road to the Badlands

Badlands Flowers

South Dakota - The Big Surprise (part 1)

We initially went into South Dakota to investigate becoming residents of the state in order to save on vehicle registrations and taxes (we ended up not doing that for now).  What we found out is that South Dakota is a very beautiful state with much to offer for the person who enjoys traveling and sight-seeing.  Traveling along I-90 is like a throw back to another era.  There are roadside attractions galore from the kitschy to the sublime. 

Let's start with our initial impression of South Dakota, Sioux Falls.  SF was built around a waterfall on the Big Sioux River.  Early settlers quickly realized the potential the falls had for power generation and milling of grains grown in the area.  There is now a city park that surrounds these falls and the original power station and mill which now lay in ruins. 

View of  Falls Park from the observation tower

Sioux Falls

Traveling west along I-90 we stopped in Mitchell, SD to visit the overly advertised Corn Palace.  Due to all of the signs on the freeway for this attraction we decided we couldn't miss it.  Turns out we could have.  Every year the community gets together and decorates a building with corn cobs both inside and out.  The theme varies from year to year and they have been doing this for over a century.  After all of the hype we expected something more than what we realized.  It is a building with corn cob murals and if your into that sort of thing, I guess it would be cool.  We thought it was a bit of a letdown.

Our next stop was Wall, home of the world famous Wall Drug Store.  This store has become a major tourist attraction over the years.  It started out as an idea by the owner to get people off the highway and into his store.  He started by putting signs out in front of his store offering free ice water.  The signs did in fact work and the traffic to his store increased.  He then decided if a few signs helped this much a bunch of signs farther out would bring in even more folks.  Gradually the store grew into what it is today and offers everything a tourist would desire.  Oh yeah, there is still a drugstore and free water as well.

Jackalope

Tom vs Buffalo

Minneapolis, Minnesota

After so many weeks of remote areas and small towns we decided to head to the big city, the Twin Cities to be more precise.  We stayed in an Indian Reservation at a really nice casino campground south of Minneapolis.  It was kind of strange to be in a big city again.  Minneapolis is a very nice city (in the summer, not sure if we would enjoy the winter).  It seemed very clean and was also a very green city.  One of the first things we did was visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  There is no cost to tour the museum and there are over 100,000 pieces of art.  There is a little of of something for everyone including ancient Greek and Asian relics, Medieval arms and armor, an architecture exhibit, a beautiful view of the city and works of art from the 11th century to modern.  One could spend many hours going through the museum.  We went back a second day and still didn't see it all.

We then went to see the Walker Art center and sculpture garden.  It was free to the public on Thursday night, so all we paid for was parking.  The sculpture garden was mildly interesting, but we can't say that about the Contemporary Art exhibit in the museum.  We had a hard time appreciating the artistic value of a black rectangle and a white rectangle hanging on the wall.  It seems like the 'artists' thought "I'll just place this cube on the floor, there, now that's art!".  Needless to say we didn't spend much time there.  Thank goodness it was free, I might of had to ask for my money back. 

Minneapolis has many nice parks including Minnehaha Falls and over 50 miles of paved bike trails along the Mississippi River and Chain of Lakes.  We also visited the Mall of America.  Pretty amazing that they can fit all of the attractions and still have room for stores to shop in.  I guess it is a good place to hang out at on a cold winter day.

Minnehaha Falls Park

Cherry Spoon Bridge - Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis

How Long Has It Been?

Wow, time flies.  It doesn't seem like almost a month since we last posted.  For the past 4 weeks Janet and I have been traveling through Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota.  Since we have so much ground to cover I'll try to hit the highlights of each place starting with Wisconsin.  After leaving Bayfield we stayed for a few nights in Eagle River where the concentration of lakes is greater than anywhere else in the US.  Water makes up 40% of the area we were in.  Janet was in heaven, except for the skeeters (they seemed especially attracted to her).  We took in a ski show by the Lake Skimmers which is a amateur ski club made up of mostly college age kids.  They were really quite good and worth seeing if you are ever in the area.

Next stop was Door County which is a Peninsula north of Green Bay (the city).  It lies between Green Bay (the bay) and Lake Michigan.  Door County is known as the Cape Cod of the Midwest.  There are many small ports and villages all along the shoreline and orchards and dairy farms in the center.  While there we did a lot of sightseeing and a little shopping (way too little according to Janet) and picked cherries at an orchard.  A real gem, if you like that kind of thing, is the Door County historical museum in Sturgeon Bay.  The museum is free and a good way to spend a rainy afternoon.  It highlights many of the things that make Door County great and all items have been donated by locals.  It really is very interesting and educational for all ages.

Leaving Door County we next stopped in Chippewa Falls for a couple of nights.  While there we made a trip to the Chip.  For all you non Leinenkugel fans, this where Janet's favorite beer has been brewed since 1867.  We started our tour in the Leinie Lodge with a taste of several of the beers they create (including some special blends) followed by a walk through the brewery.

That's about it for Wisconsin this go around.  All in all a beautiful state and we will want to return to explore further in the future.

Egg Harbor

Chippewa Falls Forest