Mackinaw Island
In 1901, a law was passed on Mackinaw Island forbidding motorized vehicles. That law still exists, so no cars on Mac Isle… only horse drawn carriages. So a visit tothe Island means lots of walking, cycling, or horse carriages. But it is a very interesting pace, with a lot of history.
Originally, it was a US fort, with a commanding view over the north end of Lake Michigan. In 1812, during the British war, it was a British stronghold. When the war was over, the US got it back, and the fort was abandoned. The railroad built a very fancy hotel (Grand Hotel), and the migration as an exclusive vacation resort was on. But now, it is accesible only by boat (or private plane) and is a popular tourist destination.
A view of the bridge from the boat
Residential street scene
Downtown street scene, with horse drawn carriage
A downtown hotel
View of the Grand hotel
Grand Hotel gardens. Note the horse and carriage shaped shrubs, lower left.
Across the Mackinaw bridge
The Mackinaw Bridge is 5 miles long and 520 feet high, and connects the Michigan Upper Peninsula (UP) with the rest of Michigan. It is subject to strong winds, and as such strikes fear in the hearts of big rig drivers. Fortunately, we had almost no wind, and only traffic to contend with.
Through the windshield, approaching the mid span
So now we are back in Michigan, and next week will have our Travelling Supremes rally. Between now and then, some sightseeing, and fancy food, I’m sure….
Bridge picture taken in 2007 from the south end
Bad driving day; tall ships
Normally, a 90 mile drive is a no brainer but today was the exception. First, the main highway — I-35 — was closed to large vehicles like ours, and we had a LONG detour. In fact, we got lost on this detour. When we were finally on track, we were in downtown Duluth, navigation busy city roads. To top it off, we had a long descent to the waterfront. Since the road was full of traffic, and windy, and with stop signs, I didn’t manage my brakes well and when we got to the bottom they were smoking and smelling like burnt metal. After a cool down, all was well again and we drove on to our camp site.
This was the Tall Ships Festival week in Duluth, with 6 full masted ships stopping over. We took walk and viewed the ships, of an era now long gone. Aaarghh,matey!
The HMS Bounty, coming in to dock
Don't know how you manage all that rigging....
The bowsprit of the "Europa", a Dutch ship
The rigging of the "Europa"
One of the ships returning to harbor
These ships are on a race,and they leave here (Duluth, MN) tomorrow. However, the exact departure time and place is not pblished. I had hoped to get a picture of these ships under sail, but the best I can do is a copy of the photo of the “Europa”…
Alignment, shopping, and on our way again
When our coach was built, the rear alignment was substantially off, with 5/8″ of toe out. This caused excessive wear on the left duals, and since these tires cost $600 each that is not good. Fortunately, we found a competent shop near Minneapolis that specializes in RV tire and chassis work. So we spent two days here as they worked us in, and out.
Parked in front of the shop
Since they specialize in RVs, they had 50Amp power outlets so we could hook up power and just relax. While they worked on the coach, we went to the Mall of America (largest mall in the US), bought some clothes, caught a movie, and killed some time.
Thanks to them working on Saturday, we were finished Saturday PM and went on our way. They did a great job, the coach drove noticeably smoother, and easier as well. Now on to the casino in Hinckley, then on to Duluth to see if we can catch the Talls Ships festival.
Hello, Minnesota
We were supposed to go from Montana to the UP (Upper Michigan) for a 3 week stay, and to catch up with friends. Unfortunately, we discovered that our motor home has a serious alignment problem. The rear dual tires (drivers side) are almost worn to the warn bars. That is 16,000 miles on a 75,000 mile tire and it’s worn out…
We found a place near Minneapolis that specializes in frame alignment of large vehicles. So, we are heading there to have the alignment done, replace the two front tires, and balance all wheels. Hopefully that will be the last issue we have with our home on wheels. Since we allowed lots of time to go from MN to MI our schedule won’t be impacted, but our wallet will be…..
So, we left the mountains of Montana for the hills of North Dakota and the lakes of Minnesota. Sure is a different terrain….
Not much to see in N Dakota, except hills and grass lands....
Batesville, MN
We found a pleasant place to spend our first night in Minnesota. It is a city park in Batesville, MN, about 200 miles north of Minneapolis. We haven’t seen this much grass since we left Texas, som 4 months ago. Warm days, cool nights, beat the heck out of hot days and hot nights in Texas….
Havre, MT
Havre, MT is a railroad boom and bust town, built in the late 1800’s. In 1904, there was a major fire in the downtown area, which was totally destroyed. Some of the local merchants left, others started doing business out of their basements. Eventually teh town was rebuilt, but the basements remained, as did many of their business. This includes barber shops, bakeries, pharmacies, dentists, bordellos, and bars.
Today the underground city has been restored and a very informative tour of the “town” is available. Highly recommended if you are in this area.
Part of the model railroad in the (aboveground) railroad museum
Maintenance workshop
Dental chair (ouch!)
Inside the saloon
Inside the bordello
And, inside the barber shop
There were many more rooms, such as the Chinese laundry, the sausage factory, the cigar factory, and the opium den. A very interesting few hours in an unexpected place.
Goodbye, Glacier!
The time has come to leave Glacier NP and head for Michigan. We will miss the park, and undoubtedly will come back here another time. There is so much more to see! Here are some final pictures of our last hike to Fish Lake:
The first part of the trail is shared with horses. Watch your step!
Ahhh, that's more like a hiking trail!
One of the many creeks we had to cross.
Mostly uphill, the trail offered som very nice views over the valley
Finally, Fish Lake
Met these two campers who rode their Appaloosas in and out
Heritage Days
Every year, Columbia Falls, MT celebrates Heritage Days, featuring a series of activities to celebrate its founding. We were fortunate to be here and catch some of the highlights.
First, we had breakfast at the Fire Dept fund raiser. Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, orange juice and coffe for $4 was definitely worth it.
Columbia Falls FD hosts the Pancake Breakfast
Then, on to the parade. Lots of old timer stuff, but this was the first parade we can remember that did not have a band. Still, it was fun.
Got a chance to mix with the locals....
Some old time cars
This may be an antique, but I remember having just like this 50 years ago....
No country parade would be compete without tractors...
Some girls on horseback in old time dress
A local Princess in appropriate dress and transportation mode
Later that afternoon,there was a wild horse drive on the highway right in front of our RV site.
Lookout, here comes the wild horse drive....
Off they go, along with a herder dog
All in all, a fun day and alternative to hiking in the mountains. Last hike in Glacier tomorrow…
Glacier: Avalanche Lake
A very popular hike is the Avalanche Trail to Avalanche Lake. It is a nice hike, ending with a stunning vista at the Lake. Along the way, you are rewarded with waterfalls, forests, and some wild animals. Fortunately, we missed the black bear that had visited this trail a short while before we got there.
This was a ranger led hike, with the ranger giving us very interesting information about the geology, the history, and the flora and fauna of the area.
Avalanche Gorge, near the start of the hike
The water carves a unique pattern in the rocks
A view along the trail
This knot hole caught my attention
Cow parsnips, a favorite food of the local bears
Oops, glad we missed the bear that dropped this!
Aaaaww.....
And finally, Avalanche Lake.
No matter how you take this picture, no matter what camera you use, there is no way to capture the beauty without seeing it in person. Glacier: we recommend this area in general, and this hike in particular, to everyone.
Glacier: Highline Trail
OK, we’ve been hiking for quite a few years but never on a trail like this! Absolutely stunning scenery, and some major drop-offs! Don’t even think of hiking this trail if you have a fear of heights. This trail is on the Continental Divide, and starts at 6,500 feet altitude. The hike itself isn’t too difficult, but as noted, don’t look down too much. Then, you will be rewarded with magnificent scenery, as well as some local wildlife up close.
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- Another little critter checking us out
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- A ground squirrel with his treasure
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- A local resident checks us out
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- One of the neighboring peaks
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- Check this view out!
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- … and the trail goes on….
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- Great scenery!
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- Time to start looking at the scenery
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- Surveying my surroundings
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- Romola checking out the scenery
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- Just watch where you put your feet
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- OK, now the trail is getting serious!
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- Romola crossing one of the glacier runoff streams
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- But first, cross some slushy snow
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- The start of the Highline Trail
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- Just think how this road was made almost 100 years ago
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- Mount Majestic, on the way up
Laninga's Travel Blog 