Day 16 – Mackinac Island, MI

Posted on by September 9, 2015
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We took the 10am ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island because it included a short trip under the Mackinac Bridge. Our arrival at Mackinac was after the completion of the Chicago-Mackinac sailboat race and there were literally hundreds of sailboats nested as many as 6 deep in the harbor. Quite a treat for us sailing folk – but the downside was wall-to-wall people on the island.


We took the carriage tour and stopped at the butterfly house – a highlite of our day. Shopped, ate whitefish at a dockside cafe, shopped, ate ice cream and shopped some more. Then back to St Ingles to rest up for the wine and beer tasting tonight. What a rough life.

Day 15 – Rhinelander, WI to St. Ignace, MI

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Left Rhinelander about 10am and header East to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Stopped at Hudson’s Grill in Escanaba, MI for burgers & shakes then continued to follow the North Shore of Lake Michigan to St. Ignace on Lake Huron. Had Pasties & beer for supper and walked along the boardwalk at sundown. The view out of our room is of Lake Huron and Mackinac Island. A really nice little town.

Day 12 – Duluth, MN to Rhinelander, WI

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We got on the road around 9am and headed for the Apostle Islands. Stopped at Port Wing and Herbster to stretch and enjoy views of Lake Superior. At Cornucopia, we were detoured as Rt2 was closed all the way to the Apostles. We did get t0 Bayfield though and had a great lunch, bought the obligatory T-Shirts and bought some local raspberries and cherries. Then on to Rhinelander and a visit with my “Wicked Step Mother”. Fish fry with Chip & Carol.

Day 11 – Fargo, ND to Duluth, MN

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We had a restless night in Fargo – it might have had something to do with the 300 rabir wrestling fans at the motel or with the flaming chicken something or other we ate at the Mexican restaurant next door but we both felt drugged when we got up this morning. Coffee & waffles at the motel didn’t help much but we just decided to tough it out and get on the road. The cloudy dreary morning matched our mood until we took US10 East through Fargo. It runs directly through town so we were treated to the colorful painted buffalo every few blocks and our spirits were lifted.


We set a leisurly pace on the 2 lane Hwy. 10 and at 11:15, we crossed the Missippi River at Brainerd, MN. The river here is about 50 feet wide. The countryside is dotted with lakes and we could readily understand why Minnesota is called “The land of 10,000 lakes.”

A picnic lunch in Peat, MN (as in PEAT bog) then on to arrive in Duluth at 2pm. The desk clerk at our hotel directed us to the lakefront walk where we took the picture at the left. Great day.

Day 10 – Miles City, MT to Fargo, ND

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We slept in this morning & it felt good. Got on the road about 9:30 and paralleled the Yellowstone River most of the way to the North Dakota border. As we traveled across North Dakota, the terrain changed from mountains to hilly grasslands to flat farms.

Mile 7 found us passing “Home on the range” – the place looked like it fit the song.

At mile 36 in ND, we stopped at the visitor center for Theodore Roosevelt National Park and viewed the painted canyon. This picture was taken there. The 30 second video below is an attempt to show the vastness of this part of the country.

Lunch found us at New Salem, ND where we gassed up ($2.799) and ate lunch at a local cafe – Sunset Inn – had breakfast w/homemade sausage YUM! Saw the 36′ tall cow (Sweet Sue) from several miles away and it guided us right in.

Got to Fargo about 6pm – tired but satisfied with the day’s progress and pleased with the discoveries along the way.

Day 9 – Hulett, WY to Miles City, MT

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We left Hulett, SD and headed NE on Wyoming 112 to intersect Montana 212 at Alzada, MT – for the next 200 miles, we traveled WNW at 70 mph on a 2 lane highway that seemed to stretch out forever. A stream of towns sporting names like Hammond, Boyes, Broadus (where we got fixin’s for a fine picnic), Ashland, Lame Deer (where we ate said picnic and took the picture for this post), Busby and finally Garryowen. I decided to use the photo of the small flowers as being representative of this day’s travels. The landscape was beautiful but too vast for me to portray in a picture – so in my strange logic, the tiny flower is the opposite of the vastness of this country.
We visited the St. Labre Indian School Mission & Museum at Ashland.
Where 212 meets I90 is the Little Bighorn Battlefield Memorial where Custer met his end. The Ranger Talk about the politics, cultures and the men involved provided a new perspective on the battle (but didn’t change the outcome!)
This is our most westerly point – 1964 miles from home.
From the memorial, we took I90 North through Crow Agency, Dunmore and Hardin where we took Montana 47 north to pickup I94 East and make the turn toward home. Spent the night in Miles City, MT where the Toungue River meets the Yellowstone.

Day 8 – Custer, SD to Hulett, WY

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We left Custer about 9am and had a very pleasant drive along Hwy 385 to Deadwood, SD. We saw lakes and streams, a trio of mountain goats and tacky attraction called boondocks along the way.

The Deadwood I saw in 1963 was mostly destroyed by a fire in the 1980’s. The town of Deadwood voted to allow gambling after the fire and used the proceeds of a special tax on gaming to restore/rebuild many of the buildings to their facades during the town’s heydays in the late 19th century.


We left Deadwood and drove to Sturgis but didn’t find much of interest there – same story at Sundance, WY (but did have an excellent lunch there). The drive was wonderrful with beautiful vistas at every turn. It is no wonder so many folks fall in love woth this part of the country.


On to Devil’s Tower – pictures just cannot tell the tale. We began to see glimpses of it from 10+ miles away but with nothing to define the scale, it just isn’t anywhere near as impressive in photos as it is in person. Next to our motel in Hewett, SD (Pop 314). Tom an I are going to hir nthe saloon later for a few farewell brews as we will part company tomorrow as they head home and we head for Montana.

Day 7 – Custer, SD

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We truly did see the buffalo roam today – see the video below. In Custer State Park, they have about 1500 bison in a semi free range area. We took the wildlife loop there and saw deer, prairie dogs, begging burros and, at last, a herd of 50 or so bison.


We returned to Custer for lunch at the “Purple Pie Place” and , of course, we had the Bumbleberry Pie. Never heard of it? You’ll just have to try it yourself – it was so good that re returned after supper for another piece.

Our afternoon was spent driving to the “Eye of the needle” a split rock in the middle of a 20 mile twisty mountain road with spectacular views.

Motel, tired – crash.

Day 6 – Badlands, Wall, Rushmore

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We started day 6 at Chamberlain, SD. 130 miles West (1.5 hours) we left I90 at exit 131 for the Badlands Loop. The Badlands of South Dakota are a remarkable geological feature that impresses and befuddles. They are a mix of grass prairie and spectacular erosion, pictures just can’t do them justice. We travelled through formation after formation and each seemed more impressive than the last. The loop takes a couple of hours and if you are ever in this part of the country, don’t miss it.

When you exit the loop, you are at Wall, SD – home of the world famous Wall Drug Store. Free Ice Water and 5 cent coffee signs beckon you for 500 miles across the prairie and Wall Drugs promises to deliver anything and everything (for a price). This store takes up an entire city block – it will take a couple of hours just to make a quick pass through the myriad of departments.
Allow plenty of time for this store and the dozens of wannabees that surround it.

On to our motel in Custer and then to the Mt. Rushmore sculptures. Everyone has seen pictures – you’ve got to see it in person and experience the nighttime program to appreciate it. A moving performance.
Crashed at the motel around 11 (We’re on mountain time now.) More on day 7.