Very early morning in order to make it to the boat docks by 8. Boarded the S.S. Badger and left Ludington at 9:00 AM sharp. The boat itself was massive, capable of holding hundreds of cars, along with two restaurants, a bar, a movie theater, a game room, TV rooms, staterooms, etc. Once we got well out into the lake it suddenly got very foggy. Visibility seemed to be about 100 yards, so about once a minute the fog horn would go off. (Once while I was standing far too near to it. I almost had to change my underwear.) 4 hours after launching, we arrived in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. From there we drove up the coast a bit to Two Rivers, where we visited the Rogers Street Fishing Museum, the Hamilton Wooden Type Museum, and the ice cream shop that invented the Sundae. The fishing museum contained the original lighthouse from Two Rivers, an old fishing boat, and various relics from nearby shipwrecks on Lake Michigan. The Wooden Type museum contained exhibits pertaining to the days when printing presses used wooden type. All the various machines used to create the type were represented, along with a massive collection of wooden type in different fonts and sizes. At the ice cream shop, I had a sundae with butter-pecan ice cream and hot caramel with rhubarb sauce on top. Fantastic. Finally, in my quest to eat my way across the country, I had an italian sub from some place on Marquette’s campus in Milwaukee, and a cheeseburger from Nicky’s on the south-side of Chicago. Both were quite tasty and sustained me on the long trek home, where we finally arrived at about 1:00 AM.

Started the morning with a visit to the Soo Locks. There were no boats going through at that time, so we headed down to the Valley Camp freighter museum, where we got to climb all over an old freighter. Later we stopped back at the locks and watched two boats go through. One was 650 ft. long, and the other was 1000 ft. long. After that slow-motion ballet we headed out of town and drove across the Mackinak bridge and stopped on the southern side to visit the lighthouse there. After that it was on the road again, headed southeast towards the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We stopped at yet another lighthouse along the way as we drove down the coast of Lake Michigan. Arrived in Ludington around 7:00 and had dinner at JBC’s, a local brewhouse. The beer was tasty, the beer cheese soup was average.

Tomorrow: Ferry ride to Manitowoc, Fishing Museum, Wood Type Museum, Nickel Plate Cafe, Home!

Left Copper Harbor this morning after a hearty breakfast at the Tamarack Inn. Shelly had french toast fritters with apple filling, I had a cheese and bacon omelet. We drove to Eagle Harbor along the coastline, looking out over Lake Superior from the clifftops. Near Ishpeming, we stopped at the world famous “Da Yoopers Tourist Trap” home of the world’s largest working rifle and chainsaw. I also picked up a CD full of songs about farting. From there we headed south and east hugging the coastline, driving through part of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, again mostly on dirt. Sticking to our dirt road habit, we bounced along to the mouth of the Two-Hearted River and up the coast to the Crisp Point Lighthouse. 4-wheel drive is a must to reach the lighthouse. Having spent so much time rolling along through ATV paths in the Land Rover we were running late so we had to skip our stop at the Shipwreck Museum. (Next time!) Instead, we followed the coast along Whitefish Bay where we stopped at Iroquois Point, home to another lighthouse. This time we were able to actually climb up into the lighthouse and enjoy the view from the top. Finally we cruised into our hotel in Sault Ste. Marie, located across the street from the Soo Locks, our first stop in the morning. Had dinner at the Palace Restaurant and Saloon, home to some tasty Tex-Mex. Check out my giant burrito.

Tomorrow: Soo Locks, Boat Tour, Mackinaw Bridge, Albie’s Pasties, Lake Michigan

Notes: GPS is a godsend when you’re trying to navigate ATV trails passing for roads. There were times when the GPS called for us to make a turn but we absolutely couldn’t see the “road” we were supposed to turn on…then we’d notice two ruts heading into the woods and off we’d go!

Today was a big driving day as we transitioned from the plains into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We popped into town in Pelican Rapids to check out the world’s largest pelican they have in a park in the center of town. After that, we made only one stop at Itasca State Park in Minnesota, home to the source of the Mississippi River. Though it was quite cold, we still took our shoes off and waded across the Mississippi right where it spills out of Lake Itasca. From there it was lots and lots and lots of driving to finally arrive at our small cabin at the Minnetonka here in Copper Harbor. We arrived after dark, but even in the dark I’m pretty sure this is a magnificent area of the country…I suspect tomorrow I’ll walk out the door of the cabin and see Lake Superior.

Tomorrow: Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor, Da Yoopers, Mouth of the Two-Hearted River, a lighthouse, and the shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point. Night in Sault Sainte Marie.

Notes: Internet access here is s….l….o….w, so probably no more pictures until tomorrow night.

Wow, another 48 hours without internet access! And what a busy two days! Yesterday, we left our hotel in Mandan and drove a few miles south to Fort Abraham Lincoln State park. The park contained a recreated Indian village called On-A-Slant Village. The small recreated village is built on top of the old Mandan village of the same name. Also in the same park is the actual Fort Abraham Lincoln, home to the 7th Cavalry and George Custer. Next up was a stop at Garrison Dam, the 5th largest earthen dam in the world. I’d hoped for a tour of the power plant and associated facilities, but no tours were being offered that day. Grabbed lunch near the dam at the Burger Stop where I enjoyed a fine cheeseburger along with some peanut-butter flavored soft-serve. From there we headed north to Rugby, North Dakota, which is the geographical center of North America. After snapping some photos there, we drove up to the International Peace Gardens which straddles the border between Canada and the U.S. This being rather early in the season, there weren’t any flowers planted in the gardens, but it was still a beautiful monument to the lasting peace between the two nations. I’m guessing the odd time of year explains the anal cavity search we got from the U.S. customs agents on the way back into the country. Either that or I just look like a shifty character. Just south of the Peace Gardens we discovered a giant turtle made out of car wheels, called the “Wee’l Turtle.” (Hey, I didn’t name it…) We had dinner at KJ’s Pizza before driving the last bit to our hotel, a gorgeous B&B in Mountain, North Dakota called The Melsted. We were the only guests that night, so we got plenty of attention from our hostess who made us feel right at home. (Oh, and get this — we indirectly host The Melsted’s website — it’s hosted by Blizzard Internet, who is colocated with Dynamicnet who is colocated with Profitability.net. Small world!)

This morning we had a tasty breakfast consisting of eggs with onion and cheese and stuff, watermelon cubes, blueberry muffins, and nut bread. After taking our leave of the Melsted we drove north to Walhalla where we visited the Gingras Trading Post, a small state park. The park consists of two buildings, the old trading post and Gingras’ home. The two are the oldest two buildings still standing in their original locations in North Dakota. The trading post was the center of trade in the upper Red River valley, making for lots of interesting history surrounding the area. Based on the suggestion from our guide at the Trading Post, we made a short drive above Walhalla to an overlook over Pembina Gorge, which also took us by the cemetery where Antoine Gingras is buried. Next we headed across the border into Canada, headed for the snake dens at Narcisse. Again, Mappoint decided the quickest way there was all dirt roads. Eventually we hit some roads so bad that we’d still be there were it not for the trusty Land Rover off-road capabilities. So, after 100 miles or so of those dirt roads, we popped out onto pavement. We stopped for a quick bathroom break and noticed a giant statue of two snakes doing….what snakes do in the spring. Another 30 miles north and we arrived at the snake dens. We were about 2 weeks too late to see them at their peak of mating when they pour out of the dens by the thousands, but there were still countless snakes slithering all over the place, all entwined together in orgiastic ecstasy. Definitely not a place to visit if you have a fear of snakes. You literally had to watch your step to avoid stepping on snakes in some places. By now we were waaay behind schedule, so we overrode Mappoint’s ideas and found our way out of Canada on paved roads and beat a quick path south to Blanchard, North Dakota. About 3 miles west of Blanchard is an antenna for a local TV station. A big antenna. A REALLY big antenna. As a matter of fact, it’s the tallest manmade object on earth. No joke! It’s 2063 feet tall and we could see it from at least 8 miles away. Finally we wound our way down through Fargo and to our current hotel in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, the (what else) Pelican Motel.

Tomorrow: World’s Largest Pelican, Source of the Mississippi, Copper Harbor

What do you call a day with snow in the morning, rain later on, and about 100 miles over muddy dirt roads? I call it Day 4. Started out the morning in the snow at Presidents Park which contains 20-foot busts of every U.S. president. Why? Well, we paid 10 bucks to get in so they must be doing something right. Next we drove over into Wyoming and visited Devils Tower National Monument, which is truly an amazing bit of nature. Let me stop here and say a few words about Mappoint 2006. Mappoint 2006 knows every little road everywhere. I mean everywhere. Shortly after leaving Devils Tower I found myself on a dirt road. And then another dirt road. And then another. By the time we hit pavement again, we’d driven a little over 50 miles on dirt. (And when I say dirt, I mean muddy, rutted little trails through grazing land so far in the middle of nowhere I think even the cows were lost.) Now, I’m not crazy. At least not completely insane. I had the GPS hooked up with Mappoint and that crazy lady that talks to you with driving directions was always very sure we were headed in the right direction, but I had my doubts. Anyway, we popped out of the dirt in Buffalo, South Dakota (after having driven on dirt from Wyoming, through some of Montana, and finally back into South Dakota). Ravenous, we grabbed lunch at “The Oasis,” as the sign outside said, or “Rooster’s Roost,” as the menu inside said. Our meal was actually quite good — I had a bacon cheeseburger with a side of cheddar nuggets, and Shelly had a shrimp basket with a side of potato salad. Everything was quite tasty and really hit the spot after wrestling the Land Rover across miles of grazing land. From there, we cruised along to Lemmon, South Dakota, home of the largest petrified wood garden in the world. (I’m suspicious it’s the only, but I’m not one to quibble.) The museum and gift shop there were closed, so I’ll have to leave “WHY??” to your imaginations. Leaving Lemmon….more dirt roads. Another 50 miles or so. Amazingly, Mappoint seems to know every curve on these ruts. And, in case you’re ever in the neighborhood, the dirt roads north of Lemmon are in much better shape than those in the Devils Tower vicinity. After finally hitting pavement again, we drove through Regent North Dakota on our way to the Enchanted Highway. The Enchanted Highway is a 35 mile stretch of 94 which contains giants sculptures every few miles along the way. It’s surreal. You have to check out the pictures. The Enchanted highway dumps us out on I-94 which we took into Bismarck where we are spending the night. Discovered the “World’s Largest Holstein Cow” named “Salem Sue” in New Salem along the way. Had dinner in the hotel restaurant (breaking my cardinal rule!) which turned out to be very pleasant, with live piano accompaniment and a tasty buffalo (the animal, not the sauce) ribeye.

Tomorrow: Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park, Garrison Dam, Geographic Center of North America, International Peace Gardens (time permitting)

Got off to an early start this morning, and made our first stop at the Mitchell Corn Palace. The Corn Palace is basically Mitchell’s civic center/arena which is made interesting by the fact that the outside is decorated with murals made completely with ears of corn. The murals are changed once a year. Why do they change it? I can’t say, I guess they like it better that way. From Mitchell, we headed west on I-90 to Wall Drug, located in tiny Wall, South Dakota. Wall Drug is…an experience. Originally a drug store, still a drug store, partly. It’s the king of all tourist traps. Not one, but TWO animatronic bands. An animatronic T-Rex. A pharmacy museum. A giant jackalope. Knick-knacks, gew-gaws, and every type of souvenir you can imagine are for sale there. Oh, but the ice water’s free and coffee’s 5 cents a mug. After that extravaganza we headed south on dirt roads through the back door of the Badlands National Park. I’d never seen this off-the-beaten path part of the Bandlands and found it to be very isolated and very beautiful. (Plus there’s no gates charging money to see it!) We continued south into the Sioux reservation and eventually found our way to Wounded Knee, where Sitting Bull led the Ghost Dancing Sioux to their final, brutal defeat, now marked by a mass grave. A long drive from there took us to our dinner destination at the Alpine Inn in Hill City South Dakota. I previously dined there about 20 years ago and remembered them having great filet mignon at reasonable prices. My memory was correct. The bacon-wrapped filet’s came in two sizes, 6oz or 9oz, for $8.95 or $10.95 respectively. That included a salad, texas toast, and a potato. The steaks were excellent, as was dessert. We left the Alpine Inn for Mt. Rushmore where we watched as the turned on the lights after dark — an amazing experience. Finally we headed to our rest stop for the evening at the Ponderosa Motor Lodge in Lead.

Tomorrow: Presidents Park, Devils Tower, Petrified Gardens, Enchanted Highway

Notes: I realized that my laptop can actually read the mini-SD card from the camera directly without needing a cable. So, pictures are uploading. For now, no comments and they may not be oriented right, but they’re there.

I sit here in a motel in Mitchell, South Dakota tasting internet access for the first time in about 48 hours. You’d think I’d have the DT’s, but I’m doing ok. Our trip started bright and early Sunday morning. We basically drove straight from Cincinnati to Lanesboro, Minnesota, stopping only briefly for lunch (Hardees new “thickburgers” are tasty!) and a few quick pictures of the Wisconsin Dells. Oh, and I tried to visit a cheese factory, but it was closed. I’ll have to hold off on my cheese curds obsession until we again cross through Wisconsin. And I can’t forget the Culvert Man! After checking in to the Coffee St. Inn, we walked a few blocks towards the Root River for dinner at “Riverside on the Root.” Tired after a long day of driving, we just wanted food, any food. But we were very pleasantly surprised by an excellent meal. I had a delicious grilled Walleye, which came with a salad with spicy green chile ranch dressing, garlic mashed new potatoes, and homemade baked beans. The Walleye was grilled to perfection, flaking away with each stroke of the fork and melting in my mouth. Shelly, on the other hand, went with the raspberry chipotle pork chop. This turned out to be a boneless, marinated pork chop that was then grilled to sear in the flavor. It was enormous, and full of flavor. I found myself slightly jealous, but still enjoying plowing my way through the large Walleye fillet. To accompany our meal, we each tried a glass of the local winery’s Rhubarb Wine, which to our surprise was actually quite delightful. Unlike the overly sweet novelty “wines” that you usually expect to find, this was a fine glass of slightly sweet white wine with just a hint of rhubarb sass.

After taking our leave of Lanesboro this morning, we had planned to stop in Wykoff, Minnesota to have a look at “Ed’s Museum,” but Ed’s Museum was nowhere to be found, so we ploughed forward to Austin Minnesota, home of Hormel Foods. And the Spam Museum. Yes, you heard me right — the Spam Museum. Hormel has graced the streets of Austin with a fine monument to that glorious luncheon “meat” we lovingly call spam. It’s a large, fully interactive museum replete with movie theaters, a game-show, a replica of the Green Midget Cafe….and of course a large gift shop. Our mascot for the trip, “Spammy,” joined forces with us at the gift shop and is excited to continue the trip with us. Not far from Austin, we came upon Blue Earth, Minnesota, home to a 60ft. tall Jolly Green Giant. Having stood between his legs, I can verify that he is *not* anatomically correct. You know you were curious. While in Blue Earth, we had lunch at a cute little root beer stand where we enjoyed burgers and, or course, root beer. Next up was Pipestone National Monument. Pipestone National Monument is an old Indian quarry where the Indians would dig up pipestone for use in making their pipes. It’s a gorgeous area with rock outcroppings and a burbling stream running through the center. It’s in the middle of nowhere, but if you’re in the area, it’s worth a stop. Near Pipestone National Monument we stopped at Devil’s Gulch, a narrow canyon made famous when Jesse James leapt the breadth of it to avoid capture by “the law.” We stopped in Sioux Falls intending to grab some burgers at the Hamburger Inn, but it was closed so we wound up at a 50’s style diner instead, where Shelly had an above average open-faced roast beef sandwich, and I had a rather average patty melt. (At least it was on pumpernickel.) From there, we counted Wall Drug signs as we made the drive into Mitchell. (12 and counting.)

Tomorrow: Mitchell Corn Palace, Wall Drug, Badlands, Wounded Knee, Mt. Rushmore

Notes: Neglected to bring a data cable for the camera, so photos will have to wait until I have a chance to pick one up.