BEMIDJI, MN TO MEDORA, ND

After we left Grand Portage we stopped for 2 days in Bemidji, MN.  Bemidji is the site of the headwaters of the Mississippi River so, since we were so close, we had to dip our feet into the source of the "mighty Mississip".  We also remembered that it was the home to Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox.

After Bemidji, we drove into North Dakota with a lunch stop in Fargo and a stay in Jamestown, ND which is referred to as "Buffalo City.  Jamestown is the home of the National Buffalo Museum and a Frontier town. Frontier town was very deserted since it was a Monday and the first day of school for the local kids.  The Buffalo Museum was interesting and brought back what we had learned about the fact that our ancestors had brought this animal to the edge of extinction less than 150 years ago.

We then drove to Medora, North Dakota which is in the western part if the state.  Theodore Roosevelt National Park was not on my radar as a place I had to see but, since we had time to spare, we decided to visit.  After driving the 34 mile loop through the park and seeing the beautiful scenery and the wildlife, both Ken and I were glad that we took the time to visit.  Teddy Roosevelt came there to hunt, fell in love with the area and subsequently, became the "conversationalist president".  He was responsible for naming more national parks, forests and monuments than any other president.

On our final night in Medora we went to the outdoor performance of "Medora Musical".  It told the story of the area and paid tribute to Teddy Roosevelt.  What I thought would be a "corny" performance turned out to be a very enjoyable event.  

ITASCA STATE PARK MINNESOTA THE LOCATION OF THE HEADWATERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

THIS IS THE HEADWATERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. WE WERE GOING TO WALK ACROSS THE ROCKS BUT BETTY DIDN'T WANT ME TO FALL IN AS WE DIDN'T HAVE DRY CLOTHES WITH US

FIRST LODGE AT THE PARK BUILT BY THE CCC DURING THE 1930s

BEAUTIFUL INTERIOR DOORWAY

BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA

DO REMEMBER THIS?

JAMESTOWN NORTH DAKOTA

WORLDS LARGEST BUFFALO
NOTE SINCE WE WERE HERE WE HAVE ALSO PASSED THE LARGEST COW AND THE LARGEST SANDHILL CRANE

FRONTIER TOWN

ALBINO BUFFALO
                                                                                           

SHE FINALLY GOT ME UNDER CONTROL

THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH COMPLEX, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA

TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S MALTESE CABIN

 TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S DESK

TRUNK IN CORNER ALSO ROOSEVELT'S

ORIGINAL MALTESE CROSS BRAND OF ROOSEVELT'S USED ON ALL HIS LIVESTOCK

PETRIFIED STUMP OF CYPRESS TREE

ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THE HOODOOS OF GOBLIN VALLEY UTAH

I SEE YOU YES I DO

THIS IS THE SITE OF THE "MEDORA MUSICAL" THIS VENUE IS A MODERN, WELL KEPT FACILITY IN THE NORTH DAKOTA BADLANDS. IT  IS HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM THE NEAREST SIZABLE CITY BUT DRAWS SELLOUT CROWDS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. THEY EVEN HAVE AN ESCALATOR TO TAKE YOU FROM THE RIM OF THE CANYON DOWN TO THE SEATING AREA.

AND NOW HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SHOW

THE BELOW WAS A GUEST ACT CALLED THE CHICAGO BOYZ WHO HAVE MADE VARIOUS PERFORMANCES IN NFL HALFTIME SHOWS AND OTHERS. THE GROUP IS MADE UP OF AT RISK INNER CITY YOUTH. THEIR PERFORMANCE WAS VERY GOOD.

THE TRIBUTE TO TEDDY ROOSEVELT AND THE ROUGH RIDERS

GRAND FINALE

GRAND HAVEN MICHIGAN AND GRAND PORTAGE

After we left Craig and Ann's house, we drove we drove to Grand Haven to visit "Coast Guard City, USA".  It has had that distinction for about 70 years.  It started out as the city giving a picnic for the Coasties on Coast Guard day (August 4th) to show their appreciation and has blossomed into a week long festival that draws thousands of people to the city. We missed Coast Guard day but enjoyed the visit.

After Grand Haven, we drove north along Michigan's Upper Penninsula (the UP) and visited Munising and took the Pictured Rocks boat tour.  As we drove to Munising, we realized that we had done it before (in 2009 on our way to our Polar Bear trip) but, since the tickets were paid for, we went anyway.  I think we have seen too many rocks.

Our next stop was to visit our friends Carol and Jay and their son Scott who were volunteering for 4 months at Grand Portage National Monument in Grand Portage, Minnesota. On the map, Grand  is in the extreme northeast corner of Minnesota, about 6 miles from the Canadian border.  It was a great visit and we had a great history lesson on the fur trading period of our country's early history.  Grand Portage was the place where the French Canadian "voyageurs" or travelers carrying goods from the east for the Northwest and Hudson Bay companies would meet the local native Ojibawe people and trade their goods for furs.  This took place at Rendezvous every July. 

 While in Grand Portage, we had a wonderful lunch at the Naniboujou lodge.  /the lodge was built in the late 1920's as a private club with Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth as charter members.  It never was completed because the Great Depression happened.  It is now a restaurant and resort and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  The paint is original, the designs are Cree and the fireplace is the largest in MN of native stone.  Ken and I also drove to Thunder Bay, Ontario where we visited Fort William.  Fort William told the same basic story as Grand Portage but on a grander scale.  Fort William was built because the British found out that they were trading on U. S. land after the Revolution.  OOPS! They totally moved the fort at Grand Portage to Thunder Bay Ontario which is now a thriving industrial city.

 We had a great visit but the weather has not been the best.  It has been cool and rainy and the cold water of Lake Superior just added to it.  

GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN

COAST GUARD CITY USA

COAST GUARD, THE NEW

COAST GUARD, THE OLD

NOTE THE BOW SHAPED FOUNDATION ON THE LEFT TO BREAK-UP ICE FLOWS AND THE CATWALK THAT WAS USED TO SERVICE THE LIGHT IN ROUGH WEATHER

GRAND HAVEN BEACH 65 DEG WATER TEMP

LOCOMOTIVE USED TO HAUL COAL TRAINS

NOTE JUST IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED TRAINS AND BOATS ARE MY THING

MUSIC AND DANCE ON THE WATERFRONT

AND OF COURSE SUNSET

MUNISING, MICHIGAN

HOME OF PICTURED ROCKS CRUISE

COAST GUARD ON PATROL
Actually tied up to dock on other side for dinner break

THE PICTURED ROCKS

GRAND PORTAGE MINNESOTA AREA

TYPICAL OF THE ROOM PAINTED BY A NATIVE CREE

LARGEST STONE FIREPLACE IN MINNESOTA

ALL OF US DOING WHAT WE DO BEST

2 PICTURES OVERLOOKING LAKE SUPERIOR

DUE TO THE FALLS BELOW AN 8 MILE PORTAGE AROUND THE FALLS WAS DEVELOPED SO THAT BOTH CANOES AND GOODS COULD BE BROUGHT  FROM LAKE SUPERIOR TO THE RIVER ABOVE AND THEN PROCEED TO TRADING POSTS WEST. THUS THE NAME GRAND PORTAGE.

HIGH FALLS ON PIGEON RIVER

CAROL PLAYING HER ROLL AND GREETING US



 

A VOYAGEUR DEPICTED CARRYING HIS 200 LB CARGO

CARL STITCHING ON THE CANOE

JAY TALKING ABOUT THE CANOES  AND DOING SOME DEMOS BELOW

BEAD WORK ON LEATHER

TWO OF THE THREE TYPES OF WIGWAMS USED BY THE NATIVES

THE REAL JAY AND CAROL

THE GREAT HALL

SHAREHOLDER BEDROOM

CLERK'S OFFICE

BETTY, SCOTT AND CAROL

JAY CAROL AND THEIR SON SCOTT

JAY AT THE KITCHEN BAKE OVEN

THE GREAT HALL AND KITCHEN

FROM THE FORT GROUNDS LOOKING OUT ON LAKE SUPERIOR

THE VOYAGER ENCAMPMENT OUTSIDE THE FORT

FORT WILLIAM THUNDER BAY ONTARIO

INTERPRETIVE CENTER

THE SKIRMISH BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND HUDSON BAY PEOPLE

THE RINGLEADER CAPTURED AND TAKEN TO JAIL

COURT YARD IN THE FORT

GRAND HALL

SHAREHOLDERS ROOM

CANOE BUILDING

THIS DEVICE USED BY THE DR. TO DO THERAPEUTIC SHOCK TREATMENTS

NATIVE WIGWAMS OUTSIDE THE FORT