This picture is one of the reasons for the trip.Before describing all the details, may we interest you in a video highlight (explanation below).
The Pictures in order:
1. Laurie lounging on Mackinac Island 2. Joe and Laurie with Tulips in bloom on the island 3. Natural Bridge on Island 4. Sunset on the Island 5. Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan 6-8. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore 9. Joe entering state #48 (He only has Hawaii and Alaska to go 10. Visit with Jason and Summer Evans and Family in North Dakota 11. Joe wearing a fur coat (think Chevy Chase from "Spies Like Us") 12. Mitchell Corn Palace Museum in South Dakota 13. Badlands 14. Wall Drug in South Dakota- Laurie on a jackalope 15. Mount Rushmore 16-17. Custer State Park Wildlife Loop 18. Kissing prairie dogs near Devils Tower 19. Crazy Horse 20-21. Foggy day at Devils Tower Wyoming 22. Ben and Rose looking cool 23. Winter Quarters Omaha Nebraska 24. Buckingham Fountain in Chicago (Remember the opening to "Married with Children"?) 25. Chicago city view 26-27. The Bean in Chicago (reflective sculpture in the middle of the city) 28. Strange sculpture that changed colors near the bean. 29. Hilton Palmer House 30. Joe and Laurie posing as the Blues Brothers in front of the Joliet Illinois Correctional Facility (where Joliet Jake Blues was released at the beginning of the film)
About our Trip:
On Monday June 1st we started our 3 week road trip after Joe finished classes. That night was the only night that we had bad driving weather. We drove to Detroit which was only about 3 hours away. The rain was a little scary - we spent over an hour unable to see anything but the single set of tail lights in front of us. The hotel people gave another person our room number and key by accident at 2am. They meant to give him the room next door to ours. Thank goodness Joe put on the chain because the person opened our door at 2AM. At least it was not foul play.
The next morning, when we rolled out of bed, we went to the Henry Ford Museum. That was more fun then I thought it would be. It was more then just old cars. They had all different models of gigantic trains, horse and buggy exhibits, planes, sports cars, even the limos that Presidents Kennedy and Regan were shot in (and near). We had a great time there.
We then drove up to the ferry to take us to Mackinac Island. This island was pricey, but worth it. We had to take a ferry and there are no automobiles allowed on the island. There was only walking and biking. The island is only about 8 miles around. We decided to rent a couple of bikes and rode three or four of those wonderful miles (pregnant Laurie did great!). It was absolutely beautiful. The dinner we had there was divine. We had king crab cakes and also a lobster and crab bisque pasta. It was wow good. We stayed at a B&B and not the grand hotel for that would have cost us $275 per person. So we were content with looking in the windows.
The next day we made a short stop in Canada just to say we have been there. We looked at the locks and had lunch there. We then drove to Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan. The mosquitoes there tried to carry us back to their nest and eat us alive, but the falls were beautiful. The water cascading down them were different colors of brown, not from pollution, but from the tannic acid from the cedar trees. That was interesting to see.That same day we went to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. There where the land meets Lake Superior, it is a long stretch of cliffs that just drop off into the water.
The next day was our 5th anniversary (June 4th) we spent that day driving to Marinette, WI (where Joe's mom used to live), we only drove by her house, we stopped at a few of the many cheese stores along the side of the road that Wisconsin has to offer. We got cheese curds, (which were not as good as the fried ones from A&W, they were just waxy chunks of cheese) smoked mozzarella cheese sticks (yum), some other assorted cheese, and Joe's favorite, the smoked sausage. He wishes he got more. They looked like the beef sticks you get at a gas station, but so much better. They even had little yellow beads of fat in them. I only ate one so he could have the rest (my anniversary gift to him :)) We stayed that night at a camp site, the only night that it didn't rain thank goodness. We were also the only campers there.
The next morning we drove to Minneapolis MN where we spent an hour walking the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail. It was 2.5 miles long and went past some historic places in downtown Minneapolis. We didn't go to the mall of America while there, since we had gone during a layover years before. That night we drove up to Grand Forks, North Dakota where Jason and his family live. We spent the weekend there just catching up and hanging out. We are proud to say that for the whole 3 weeks, we never once traveled or spent money on Sunday, we made sure to go to church wherever we were.
On Monday the 8th, we got back on the road and traveled to South Dakota where stopped at the Mitchell Corn Palace Museum. This building is known for being totally decorated with corn in a different theme each year. On Tuesday, we started our day visiting a historic site that depicted an Air Force nuclear missile silo. Joe took his time learning about it while Laurie used the opportunity for a potty break. We then drove to the badlands. This was like nothing I have ever seen before. It was like a rugged terrain and formations that resemble a science fiction landscape of another world. We then booked it to see Mount Rushmore, Crazy horse, and took a wildlife loop that had several donkeys that stuck their heads in our car. That was very entertaining. I can't wait to do that again with little ones in tow. We also saw Bison, Antelope, and a bunch of other wildlife.
It was raining just before we got to Mount Rushmore, so it looked like they all had runny noses from where the water ran off the mountain. On Wednesday we drove up to Wyoming to see Devils tower. This is the place that the aliens landed in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". It was very foggy that day so we only got a few pictures. The tower is a natural rock formation that looks like a big bear clawed his way around leaving long vertical gashes.
We then drove all the way to Laurie's parents house. Joe, Daniel and Ben launched rockets at the academy while the ladies had a baby shower for the twins. We loved holding Laurie's new cousin Lilyanne, whose baby blessing we were able to attend. Our last day, we all flew kites, including mom and dad.
On Wednesday we took off for Omaha Nebraska. We stopped in Winter Quarters to see where the pioneers of the church lived before pressing on to Utah.
Thursday we drove to Chicago where that night we went to Buckingham Fountain which is shown in the Married with Children opening song. That was neat to see. We asked a security guy how often they turn on the big fountain (the fountain is always going, but they only turn on the main part on the hour) he said, "every so often" That was a great help, not! Once it turned on, it stayed on for about 20 minutes which was great since Joe had plenty of time to get many pictures.
Since we waited until that day to book our hotel in Chicago, we went to a website the hotels use when they just want to fill the rooms. We ended up staying at the Palmer House Hilton that was right in the middle of downtown where everything we wanted to visit was for less then half the price. The parking was crazy though. It cost $36 per night to park. It was like that for the whole city. That is one reason why I would not want to live in a big city. Friday we toured all through Chicago, mostly going to sites where the Blues Brothers was filmed. Joe is a big fan. I just shook my head and went along with him. There was a lot to do there and a lot to see. Saturday we called the vacation over and headed home. It was nice to finally be back in our own bed.
