Duluth, Minnesota
We rolled into Duluth for dinner. After a day of rushing to make a bunch of stops before leaving Minnesota, we were ready to relax and enjoy a meal in this historic city along Lake Superior.
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Monarchs In Minnesota
There are monarch butterflies in Minnesota. To locals, this is no surprise. But to me, I was impressed. Monarchs can travel up to 3000 miles to their winter grounds in Mexico. These are the only butterflies to travel such great distances. And yet, in the summer, many return to Minnesota, where they were born.
Lake Country
Minnesota comes from the Dakota word for "clear blue water." It's an appropriate name for the Land of 10,000 lakes. The Dakota, along with the Ojibwe, eventually found themselves contending for these lakes with the state's early European settlers: emigrants from Scandinavia and Germany. The communities that sprouted from these northern European roots became fodder for Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon and other portions of his celebrated radio show: Prairie Home Companion. Despite the Olly and Lena jokes, the state is ranked among the best educated in the United States. Even so, with winters recorded as low as −60 °F, there's a reason we crossed the border in the summer.
Rainbow
Monticello, Minnesota
River Road
While much of the Grand Teton National Park is paved, there is a rare off-roading opportunity on the River Road. Join buffalo and elk along the Snake River. This 12-mile gravel and boulder route winds through tall grasses and sage brush with clear views to spot wildlife and the Grand Teton Mountain Range constantly visible in the background.
Poulsbo, Washington
Poulsbo, Washington could be called "Little Scandinavia." There is no shortage of viking images, Ollie & Lena jokes, and so very many baked goods.
Lake Tahoe
After days of camping and a pungent reminder of the warm showers we had been missing, we decided to wrap up this leg of the journey with a night's stay in a hotel. Given our trajectory, we figured Lake Tahoe was the logical stop. I was determined to not step outside of the hotel from check in to check out. It would be a lazy evening of food, wine, and meditating on our adventures thus far. Happily, we were upgraded to a room on the 12th floor. From it, we could see the lake and the mountains on the California side.
Bodie, California
Bodie is the gold standard of ghost towns. Where other ghost towns have ten or so old buildings in varying degrees of disrepair or renovation, Bodie may only have 10% of its original structures but that still accounts for 110 structures preserved in a state of arrested decay. There is a stamp mill with it's original machinery literally falling through the floor, off kilter structures, and occasional doorways that lead to...nowhere.
Oh! Ridge
It's hard to believe that just a few days ago we were sweating it out in Death Valley. Now, we are perched above June Lake, with a view that takes reservations to procure, and a smug sense of satisfaction. The only down side with the picturesque Oh! Ridge Campground, though, is the wind. It sweeps over the lake and hits us with a ferocity that I though was reserved for a response to the dozens. I haven't said anything mean about June Lake's mama, but the wind is certainly fierce.
The Columns, Pillars, and Caves Of Bishop Tuff
The Bishop Tuff is one of the more unique volcanic formations in the world. It was formed over 700,000 years ago when an explosion settled tons of ash over Owens Valley and then covered the ash with molten lava. The heat from the lava converted the ash into rock. While the Tuff stretches between both Mono and Inyo counties, the point of greatest interest is where the Tuff comes up against Lake Crowley. Here, continuous wear from the lake's tides has cut away at the weaker ash-stone to form columns, pillars, and even caves.