fdkoh99
Junior Ranger
Ramble Inn's Second Long Haul
The Midwest National Parks.
I have been very negligent in submitting for this award as our trip was in 2019 the same year as our first Long Haul to the southwest and Texas. This trip was part of our quest to visit all the National Parks and was targeted at all the “middle” states parks.
Off we go from Seattle with a short stop in Montana on the way to our first park Teddy Roosevelt NP. For those that don’t know Teddy’s history, when he was a young man of 26, both his mother and wife both died on the same day. As part of his recovery he purchased a ranch in North Dakota as a way to get away from NYC and those memories. He was an avid outdoorsman, responsible for many of our National Parks and the start of the Forest Service. The park contains his Elkhorn Ranch and more.
From here it was off to Voyager NP in the upper parts of Minnesota. We spent two days here and hired a fishing guide to get us out on the water and catching Walleye! Amazing network of connected lakes – we even did a portage with his fishing boat – a local provides the service of loading you onto his trailer – driving across the island and launching you on the other side. Walleye is an amazingly good eating fish – Linda caught her first ever fish.
Next it was off to Necedah to have our trailer get some routine maintenance. Got to visit with Cary, Craig and the crew. Isle Royal was next on the list – an island in the middle of Lake Superior. We took the ferry from Copper Harbor on Michigan’s upper peninsula’s upper peninsula! A 3 hour ride and we left the camper in Copper Harbor at a ranger station. Spent 3 nights on the island hiking and relaxing, the third night being forced on us due to high seas that prevented the ferry from running that day.
We cruised south through Michigan’s west side along the east side of Lake Michigan to a new NP called Indian Dunes – basically across the lake from Chicago. Heavily populated but amazing dunes right on the lake. Next was our farthest progress east to Cuyahoga NP just south of Cleveland Ohio. This was a river valley that “on the edge of the wilderness” in the early 19th century and was eventually the site of the Ohio and Erie Canal allowing canal traffic to and from the Ohio river.
From Ohio we headed south through Louisville to Mammoth Caves NP in Kentucky. Very different “Dry Cave” versus Carlsbad, a wet cave, in New Mexico. From here it was off to Hot Springs NP but first we stopped in Nashville for a 2 day visit – what a special place Nashville is, so much music – it seemed like every building had a band on each level, party town for sure. We took a short side trip to the plantation of Andrew Jackson, a beautiful Greek revival home which wasn’t too far out of town.
Next up - Hot Springs and it is just that – hot water flowing out of the ground – there are fountains in town where people come and fill water bottles with this 10,000 year old water (at least that is what the scientist say it takes for surface water to make the cycle down and back up). In early 1900s several luxury bath houses were built and tourism flourished. Several of those old bath houses have been restored and are open as museums, one is actually available for you to use.
Gateway Arch in St Louis is there to represent how St Louis was the gateway to the west for the mass migration of the 19th century into the western US. It has a weird combination for transport to the top, part elevator part Ferris wheel lift to the top – amazing view of the Mississippi river and the city. A very complete museum at ground level of the history of our nations movement west.
Next was supposed to be a stop at our very first Camp Inn Camp Out but we got the call to come help with the new grandchild so off we went – straight from St Louis to Denver. The return to Seattle was quick and uneventful.
As you all know, the CI is a joy to tow and we averaged 20 mpg for the entire 6512 mile trip.
