Bad to the bone

Disclaimer:  the pictures we took in no way capture the awesome grandeur we wittnessed...no way.  But this is our effort to create a semblance of our experience in the Bad Lands.  We stayed in the Bad Lands KOA which was pretty much empty this time of year....great location tho for touring the area.

 

 

We were just at the "edge" with the view below....

 

This is the "wall" that you see as you approach the Bad Lands...an early indication of the landscape to follow

 

 

 

OK, so this photo is pretty darn awesome, huh?  Gives you a bit of an idea...so come see for yourself, you will not be the same person afterwards!

 

Paul got this great shot of a big horn sheep, there were several just laying around on some incredible out croppings.

The prarrie dogs had huge towns along the road and they really weren't particularly interested in us so they ignored our car and we got lots of photos which don't worry, we won't share...but they sure were cute!

Lots of great areas to pull off and have a look at the view!

 

We picked a great time of year to be in the area as there were lots less folks and we were able to get out and see the sights with ease, parking could be a hassle if there were big crowds...

 

I have a few more photos to share and a whole blog post about Wall Drug, so just hold on, there's more "Bad" ahead!

Tally ho,

Cathy

We left North Carolina June 10, 2012.  As of today, we have been on the road a bit over 4 months!  We have put a lot of miles on MiniPearl.  I will not take up your time with statistics, suffice to say...we have seen a lot and done alot and are still having the best time ever.  We left Michigan taking the Scenic Highway 2 around Lake Michigan and the Upper Peninsula heading toward Minnesota.  Our goal was to be in the Minneapolis area by Sunday in order to attend Redeemer Bible Church in Minnetonka.  We have been listening to their pastor for several years now, and were really looking forward to hearing him in person...not to mention seeing The Mall of America and visiting Ikea and of course Minneapolis is the home of Target....oh boy....

 

 

 

Paul is standing with Pastor R.W.Glenn who is one gifted Bible teacher.  www.solidfoodmedia.com

 

 

 

 

Down the road just a bit from church is the Mall of America.  Four floors of stores, restaurants and even a huge amusement park inside!  I took this picture of Paul to remember where we parked our car! 

 

 

We had the best time watching everyone ride the rides, they were really cool.  The had a water ride and also a putt putt golf course.  We walked and walked, had some lunch and walked some more.  Didn't buy anything, but was fun to see it.

 

Mackinaw/Mackinac

Kinda like "you say potato and I say potata"  but Mackinac/naw is pronounced as naw....so now you know!  However you say it, Mackinac Island is out of this world lovely with sights to see, history galore and photo ops everywhere....

 

You get to the island by boat, of course....

 

 

View of the harbor on the island

 

 

Horse-drawn carriages all over the place.  We took a carriage tour of parts of the island.

 

 

This was one stop on the tour...can't remember the name of the stone formation, but it was beautiful and great view of the beach way below.

 

 

Can you see the Olympic Symbol and 2012 in the sand?

 

 

We left the carriage tour to visit Fort Mackinac

 

 

Don't know this lady....

 

 

We had a nice lunch of soup and sandwich with spectacular views of boats and water and green green grass and lovely flowers.

 

 

Lots of great info by knowledgable interpreter in great uniform...

 

 

 

They shot some rifles...

 

 

They shot a cannon...

 

 

Paul was having a good time!  Then we left and walked the half mile to the Grand Hotel

 

 

This is one GRAND HOTEL!

 

We actually paid $20 to get inside just to walk around...it was worth it, but we were on awesome overload by that time....

 

 

Geranium is the signature flower for the hotel...see the carpet?

 

Afternoon tea is served here in the parlor....

 

A perfect view of the Lake....

 

The famous front porch...

 

The dress code is posted!

 

We left the hotel and walked back to the harbor....passing the Little Stone Church

 

 

Below is the house of my dreams....

 

 

 

Isn't it too wonderful? 

 

 

 Farewell...until next time!

Tally-ho

Cathy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little of this and that

 

When we get ready to put our bed together every night, Fiona knows where she must sit so she is out of the way....our trailer/home is a tight squeeze and she knows it is safer for her to hide out in the bathroom!

 

 

 

 

We had a nice lunch at one of Michigan's beautiful rest stops.

 

 

 

Fiona thinks she can "guilt" me into sharing my lunch....it might work too!!!

 

I think it is impossible to take a bad photo in Michigan...lovely Lake Michigan

 

Another view of the lake...

 

While at the rest stop...lo and behold....another Casita!  We are few and far between, so it is so nice to see another and such warm friendly folks...hello to Len and Shirley, headed out to Yellowstone for three weeks, we just might meet up as that is where we are headed too.

But first, we need to share our time on Mackinac Island....

That is coming up next

Tally-ho,

Cathy

Nature Walking in Michigan

While we were in Michigan we stayed in state parks and they were wonderful.  Beautiful sites on level ground with lots of space and shade.  Both had electric which is all we really need and both had the best bathhouses and restrooms I have seen so far!  Besides all this...they were located in some of the most scenic areas with lots of trails, paths, parks and scenic views...well, we were very pleased with our stay.  Right across the street from our park in Bay City was Lake Huron.  We took a short walk, about a mile and a half around the lagoon and here's a bit of what we saw.  I have a nice little camera, but nothing fancy, no lenses or extras, just point and click, but I managed to capture some good photos!

 

Lots of informative signs throughout the area of our hike.

I think this may be a wood duck!  I didn't even know I had actually gotten his photo, I am thrilled!!!

Another very lucky shot!  A heron...so beautiful

A nice view of the lagoon.  The weather was sunny and quite warm

 

 

Fiona enjoyed the walk too

 

 

This might be boring to you, but it was fascinating to read

 

 

See above Paul's head is a nesting box for wood ducks!

 

 

Nice shot of these swans...wonderful walk....tally ho...Cathy

Impossible to resist

Back in our storage unit in NC I have quite a collection of Wee Forest Folk....these adorable little mice.  Anyway, when we were in Concord, MA...waaaaaaaaaaay back in July, I stopped by the little shop where I used to buy them when we lived in the Boston area in the 80's.  They were not all that expensive and each one I purchased had a special meaning too, so that was nice...Over the years, my collection outgrew the display case I had purchased for them and their prices went up out of my reach, so, I stopped buying them....until I saw this little guy!

 

 

The camper is a Hallmark Christmas ornament

I KNOW.....I KNOW...

But who could resist?????

 

Tally ho,

Cathy