After four years of delays, I finally landed on Isle Royale National Park. National Park #55 for me rates high on peacefulness scale and the lodging might be the best so far.
Our Transport
The ferries are the most economical way to traverse Lake Superior, but they book up quickly. We decided to fly. $350 round trip – it takes about 40 minutes to make the flight. It’s a little tight, but comfortable.
First Seaplane Ride
Isle Royale is only open from May through October and only 25,000 people a year make the journey. In June, the wildflowers show off.
The moose swim in the lakes, the otters play in the harbor, the loons sing their tales, and eagles rule the sky.
The Bald Eagle and Eaglet And plenty of other birds
They provide water tours or you can rent a John boat and explore on your own.
Rock Harbor The Classic The historic fishery The boneyard
And hiking provides endless color, fragrant balsam firs, and blue water.
Scoville PointNear Suzy’s Cave The Balsam Fir
And the Housekeeping Cabins have huge windows with stunning views of the lake (and moose for us).
Newly Renovated Heavenly ViewWorth the Wait. Worth the Time.
In the garden Stehekin School Deer in the OrchardRainbow Falls The Bakery in the wilderness Launch Kayak Sunset Washington Pass Cones Lake Diablo Take me to Church Lucious Skaggit River
Two tectonic plates are colliding in the northwest part of the United States resulting in a landscape of volcanoes, waterfalls, and lava flows. Enjoy the tour…
Mt Hood – the most active volcano – timberline lodgeA pine fighting for existence in an obsidian lava flow outside of Bend, ORSilver Falls State Park – Oregon Crater Lake NP – remnants of a volcano and a new cone emerging – Wizard Island Sol Duc Falls – Olympic National Park – water slowly erodes the granite mountains Lava Flow in foreground – the Three Sisters in background. Those mountains are stratovolcanoes Washington Pass North Cascades Stehekin, WA. Lake Chelan a glacier carved valleyRainbow Falls, North Cascades NP The mist – the namesake Sunset at Crater Lake
Humans have systemically taken over the natural habitats of other species. At the same time, we delight in seeing living creatures in a natural setting.
Greetings from a Skate A bumblebee hanging in there A Rabbit Surviving at Logan Airport – Boston Dead center – honeybees fuzzy existence or survival A Red Fox Visiting the Cape Cod Seashore Visitor Center Trapped (or saved?) in the Providence ZooSome living things thrive in the human world Kids these days – working on a farm Hemlocks versus humans and woolly adelgids. The Geese Persist Emerging Queen – the hearty coneflowers
New Bedford Street Mural Synesthesia – John Coltrane by Lennie PetersonIn Flight – Origami – Missouri Botanical Garden 9/11 Memorial – Logan Airport Cape Cod Yarn – Black Purls Cape Cod Museum of Art Freshly Pic’ed
A favorite escape from the heat during the blazing summers.
Killington morning Woodstock at the Mont Vert Cafe for CoffeeColorful Burlington Quaint Stowe at Butlers Pantry Cider Tasting – chilledA splash of color Lake Champlain with Adirondack Mountain background Robert Frost Country
Fact: it’s really hot in Tennessee and Mississippi in the summer.
Fact: springtime flowers bloom a little sooner in the south, than in the north.
Fact: solo travel allows for maximum sightseeing with no negotiations. 😊
The State of Mississippi on the Natchez Trace Scenic Route
Spring break at a beach is crowded. Spring break to out-of-the-way state and national parks provides low crowds, no mosquitoes, and perfect temperatures.
I explored Western Tennessee and Northern Mississippi for a few days. The travel conditions were ideal. Here are a few glimpses of the equinox magic.
Fort Pillow State Historical Park Pinson Mounds State Park and Archaeological Site – a solar calendar Chickasaw State Park – Tennessee CCC masterpiece Big Hill Pond State Park a Tennessee swamp, dam, and foothill. Shiloh National Military Park. A place of unimaginable pain and suffering. At Shiloh, I choose to remember the spring beauties instead of the graves. This photograph greeted me at Pickwick Landing State Park Lodge. A Bald Eagle joined me for dinner. In Corinth, MS – I was reminded that the Civil War still has many issues to resolve We are all in this togetherTishomingo River in Mississippi. The namesake of a proud Chickasaw Chief. A beautiful place to hold a war – a civil war. Redbuds emerging in the Magnolia State. Tishomingo State Park. Mississippi Cannons along the Cumberland River in Tennessee at the Fort Donelson National Battlefield .
There were plenty of things to see, eat, and do. These were my favorite images.
In St Louis Missouri, we are generally prepared for rapid changes in the weather. On my walk this evening, I watched the storm brood on the horizon, but I didn’t realize how fast it was moving.
A dark cloud was coming
Innocently, my dog and I meandered along the trail. I took photos, while Stash sniffed every shrub.
Ominous
The balmy 79 degrees F felt almost sticky at the beginning. Stash was so happy to be out on a walk.
Autumnal beauty Misleading Serenity Alone on the trails Same creek different directionIron determination to continue Unexpected in a bird nest – walnut? The colors of autumn barely hanging on in some places. Barely The wind picked up
The temperature dropped 20 degrees, the wind kicked up 20 mph, and the horizontal rain pelted us.
The leaves swirled like tornadoes Collecting data
Stash knew trouble was afoot, she dragged me back to the car. She was disgusted in me that I resisted too long and she was left to be molested by the swirling leaves.
I will have to regain her confidence. She just hasn’t lived through enough seasons in St Louis.
Since the Covid shut down all my vacations in 2020 I have been heading out on short trips to see parks, small towns, geological formations, and wildlife. On Halloween, I visited some of the most rural areas in the Midwest – central western Illinois. You can’t find any coffee shops, there aren’t any museums, there are barely any people. The land is glaciated and generally flat. There is lots of corn. And of course, colorful trees.
Illinois has an abundance of sweet gums and maples.
After the Mexican war and Blackhawk war soldiers were given land in Illinois. One gentleman, George Meyer, was given a beautiful piece of property in western Illinois near the Illinois River. This land had a spring and a small town grew up around it. The man lived to be 104 years old, so everyone believed the water was healing. After George passed on, a real estate man got his hands on it and sold the water for decades. Later this area became Siloam Springs State Park. This history is hidden among the picnic pavilions and hiking trails.
In the valley today. The spring is still there. The huckster who sold the water built this pavilion and a lodge. The park has also added a reservoir lake the sycamores are beautiful. The sycamore leaves fill me with awe – they are large and the patterns are cool A sunny day on Halloween is a treat indeed. We found a forgotten pavilion filled with mystery We saw no people. It’s like Western Illinois is abandoned. A ruin from an society long forgotten. Serenity or spookiness?
We left Siloam Springs for the biggest town in the region – Jacksonville: the county seat of Morgan county. When we arrived, it too was a ghost town.
Live Downtown with the ghosts of the…Trail of Death March of Death
Or…
Memorial to the Abolition of SlaveryClosed today…
I don’t know if the coffee shop was really closed today or everyday. I don’t know how it could survive with no people. I walked into the bakery to see if I could find a doughnut. The door was open but nobody was inside. I could see cakes and cupcakes – but no doughnuts. And no people.
The missing people of Jacksonville – at least had a cannon.
We wandered to another remote state park – Beaver Dam State Park. We heard there was people there.
But there were none. Not even ducks. Or Beavers. The observation deck was inaccessible and frankly looked like a good place for zombies. The concessionaires were gone but supplies were available. The people of western Illinois were simply gone
Freshly "Pic'ed" 