Three strikes you're out...........

 The masks were only down for a short time while we took a couple of pictures.  It was a great but different kind of World Series experience!

We completed our long, not quite direct route back to Florida last Friday.  If you're a couple of blogs behind, check out the two previous ones to get up to speed.  When we woke up in Hill City, South Dakota that morning it was an unseasonably cold 7 degrees (not a misprint).  It snowed fairly heavily on us the first hour or so of our drive from Hill City to Denver.  Thankfully the roads were in great shape so there were no issues and we could relax and enjoy the snowy scenery along the drive.  As we made our way south towards Denver it did warm up gradually and it was actually hovering around the freezing mark when we arrived in the mile high city.

The snowy roads near Hill City, South Dakota........

........continued into the plains of Southern Wyoming.

We cleaned the inside and the outside of the Silver Bullet and left her in the capable (hopefully) hands of a Denver hotel that participates in the Park, Sleep and Fly program.  In our case the order was changed a little bit.  We parked the car, flew back to Florida and will spend the night at the hotel on November 21 when we fly back to Denver.  If you're going to be parking a car at an airport for an extended period of time you might want to check out this program.  It can potentially be much less expensive than traditional airport parking.

Park, Sleep, Fly

Arriving back in Florida was somewhat of a shock to our systems.  In the matter of a little over a three hour flight we were transported from being in unseasonably cold temperatures to unseasonably warm temperatures.  The highs in Florida since our return have been in the mid to upper 80's with high humidity, giving it a "feels like" temperature in the 90's.  A bit too warm for our liking, hopefully cooler weather will move in soon.

A couple of weeks back Ben called and said he had a serious question for me.  I wasn't sure where the conversation was going but of course I said "what is it"?  He proceeded to ask "if the Ray's make it to the World Series and there's a game 6 do you want to go"?  If you're not a sports fan, the Rays are the Tampa Bay Rays.  The World Series is the culmination of the seasons playoffs.  A team has to win 4 out of a possible 7 games to be "champions".  So there were a few things that had to happen for this to become a reality, but no way was I turning down such a great offer from my favorite son.  Everything fell in line and we met in Texas (where the World Series was held in this pandemic year) for a little postseason baseball.  

The setting was different than in "typical years", I'm pretty sure we're all in agreement this isn't a "typical year".  All games were played at a neutral site, in this case at the Texas Rangers new ballpark in Arlington, Texas.  The seating capacity was reduced to approximately 25% of the stadiums capacity.  Masks were required and there were more hand sanitizer stations than souvenir stands inside the stadium.  It was a different experience and even though the Rays lost, it was an enjoyable experience that I'm so thankful Ben and I were able to share.  In years to come we can talk about the agonizing loss as well as the unique experience of attending the World Series during 2020, the year of the pandemic!

Outside a chilly, rainy Globe Life Field getting ready for Game 6.  I'm not always a fan of domed stadiums but I was glad to have a roof over my head for this game.

Ben with one of his (and Sarah's) favorite Ranger players, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez

A batting practice gift from Brett Phillips, the Rays hero from game 4.

Now, about that agonizing loss.  This was the third World Series game that I have attended during my time on the planet.  I went to a game between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals in two different seasons.  One of the those games was with Beth and the other was with some work colleagues.  We were living in Texas at the time and went to quite a few Rangers games every year so naturally I was cheering for them.  I've always liked the Rays (Ben's a huge Rays fan) and we go to their games frequently, so of course I was cheering for them this year.  That makes three World Series games and in each case the team I was cheering for lost!  Maybe in the future if the team I am cheering for makes the World Series and I have a chance to go, in the interest of them having a fighting chance to win I should just stay home.  Three strikes you're out...........nah, it's too much fun, especially when they can be shared with family.  Besides, I didn't serve up any of those three homerun balls Albert Pujols hit against the Rangers.  Also, I didn't take Blake Snell out of the game when he was pitching REALLY well!

Not even my "Rally Cap" helped the Rays!

 

The not quite direct route back to Florida...........

Me and my new best friend from Custer State Park!

Technically we're on our way back to Florida.  We left the Upper Peninsula of Michigan very early Wednesday morning.  The most direct driving route would have been simply to make our way to I-75 and point the Silver Bullet south.  In a couple of days we'd be back in the sunshine state.  Even though Florida is our current "home base", the journey isn't ending.  After some time in Florida we'll be making our way towards California for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

So we're on our way back to Florida by way of Sioux Falls and Hill City, South Dakota and Denver.  So far our journey back to the sunshine state has been quite snowy.  About an hour out of Munising the evidence of a fresh snowfall began to show on the ground and trees.  It continued as we made our way south towards Green Bay (it's rare one gets to drive south to Green Bay) and then across Wisconsin.  The accumulation seemed heaviest in Minnesota, especially near St. Paul.  I learned later that St. Paul had actually had around 6 inches of snow earlier.  As we made our way into South Dakota there was less snow and even a little bit of sunshine.  We reached Sioux Falls, our destination for the night, around 4:00 PM.  It had been a long travel day but we wanted to check out Falls Park in the downtown area.  

A couple of images from out the window as we drove through Wisconsin's dairy land.

Falls Park is a 120 acre public park through which the Big Sioux River flows.  As the river runs through the park the water cascades down numerous waterfalls of various sizes that have been carved in the natural rock.  There are a number of trails and observation decks, each providing different views as the close to 7,500 gallons per second make their way downstream.  Even though the sun was occasionally peaking out, it was quite chilly so we didn't stay too long.  We were impressed with what we saw of both Falls Park and the city of Sioux Falls.

Falls Park near the downtown area of Sioux Falls.........

it may have looked sunny but it was around 30 degrees with a little bit of wind.......

the park is described as "a thousand waterfalls in one".........

the description seems accurate!

Remnants of the Queen Bee Flour Mill along the Big Sioux River in Falls Park.  When operational it was the largest flour mill in the area.

The Arc of Dreams Sculpture over the Big Sioux River in downtown.  The gap in the sculpture represents the leap of faith required to turn dreams into reality.

Day One of our drive towards Denver we enjoyed seeing the snow on the ground.  Driving from Sioux Falls to Hill City we were a part of the action.  It snowed pretty much the entire day, although thankfully not enough to impact the drive or the activities we had planned along the way.

Hill City is a very small town located in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  It's about 30 miles southwest of Rapid City and centrally located to a number of amazing places to visit in this area.  Nearby is Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial and much more.  We had visited this area previously and stayed in Rapid City.  We found it to be an interesting city that we'd like to visit again, but that will have to be somewhere down the line.

We had an ambitious "things to do" list for the day.  Thanks to an early start we were able to get all three in and make it to the hotel before sunset.  First up was Badlands National Park which is conveniently located just a few miles off I-90 between Sioux Falls and Rapid City.  Badlands is nearly a quarter million acres in size and is known for it's unique geological features that were a few million years in the making.  The National Park Service describes it as "the land of stone and light".  For our visit it could have been described as "the land of stone, not much light and a lot of snow".  The snow enhanced the large buttes and valleys that have been carved by wind and water erosion and a whole lot of time.  The heavy snow had closed the Badlands Loop Road at one of the higher passes so we had to exit the park through the entrance we had used (Northeast Entrance).  No problem, the scenery was spectacular both directions.

If you're my age you probably remember the cartoon character "Badlands Meanie"....this isn't him

We ran across this big horn sheep less than 5 minutes in the park.

A kind heart in the heart of the Badlands!

A Badlands Selfie!

We made a quick stop at the Wall Drug Store in the town of Wall because that's what all travelers through the area do.  The drug store is actually a collection of stores and restaurants under one roof.  Yes, the drug store that started it all back in 1931 is still open.  It's quirky and fun to spend a little time at Wall Drugs.  You won't be alone, it attracts over two million visitors per year!

The World Famous Wall Drugs!

Fudge is medicinal, isn't it?

From Wall it was on to Custer State Park.  The park was named after Lt. George Armstrong Custer who was famously killed in the battle of Little Big Horn (which is actually in Montana).  The Civilian Conservation Corps built miles of roads through the park in the 1930's.  It now has several lodges, campgrounds, lakes, hiking trails and more.  It is also known for it's abundant wildlife including a herd of over 1,500 buffalo that roam freely in the park.  The Wildlife Loop Drive through the park was amazing even though the buffalo had decided to freely roam away from the drive while we were there.  We did get up close and personal with the "begging burros", enjoyed watching a coyote try, with no luck, to catch a prairie dog not paying attention, numerous deer and turkey.  As much as the wildlife was a treat, just the drive itself was enjoyable as it passed through both prairie land and snow covered pines.

Guess where?

The begging burros of Custer State Park!

The ass end of a jackass!

Turkeys on the move........Thanksgiving is soon!

The prairie dogs were way too smart and communicate with each other too well for this coyote!

On the lookout for coyotes!

Custer State Park

We finished our day at Mount Rushmore.  Thankfully the "cancel culture" hasn't taken this spectacular monument honoring Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt down.  The sculpture which was designed by Gutzon Borglum took over fourteen years to build.  The 60 foot faces of these four early leaders are inspirational to see as they look out over the Black Hills, although I did detect a little sense of bewilderment on their faces as if they were wondering "what the heck is going on these days".

Next up we will be driving to Denver.  We'll be leaving the Silver Bullet at an airport hotel and flying back to Florida for the next few weeks.  I'm sure she'll enjoy the rest before heading on westward.    

The Silver Bullet looks like it could use a break!

Lake Superior...........a well named lake!

 

Lake Superior from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain in Marquette.

In our travels we've now seen all five of the great lakes.  Before visiting the Upper Peninsula we had spent time along the shores of  Lakes Ontario, Erie and Michigan.  We caught a glimpse of Lake Huron as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge on our way to the Upper Peninsula. Not intentionally but we saved the biggest and arguably the best for last.  It's hard to believe our time here in Munising is rapidly coming to an end.  Sadly, in a few more days we won't have Munising Bay/Lake Superior to enjoy out our back door.  

We've loved the sunrises, marveled at the changing leaves, been refreshed by the cooler temperatures, and absolutely amazed at how quickly the weather can change, change again, change again and again, all within a few minutes time. At night we stared up at what seemed to be thousands of stars on dark, clear nights.  The Upper Peninsula is everything we had heard it was and so much more.  We're already looking forward to coming back in the fall next year and we haven't even left. 

A sunrise sampler from our back yard.

I've mentioned Lake Superior in most blogs but I've also been learning more about it during our stay so I could do a blog just on this massive body of water. It's certainly worth it!

The Native American Ojibwe referred to the lake as "gitchi-gami", meaning "great sea".  You may have heard it referred to by this name in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem The Song of Hiawatha or in Gordon Lightfoot's song The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald.  I wasn't familiar with the poem, but I was familiar with the song that was released in 1976 about the shipwreck that occurred the previous year.  The song has been playing on a continuous loop in my head for much of our stay!

A few of the many lighthouses on Lake Superior........most are no longer active.

French explorers who visited the region in the 17th century referred to it as "le lac superieur" (Lake Superior).  At the time of their "discovery" they didn't name it Lake Superior because of it's size or depth.  They named it Lake Superior because the area they explored was above Lake Huron.  

At 31,700 square miles, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world.  It's approximately 350 miles long and 160 miles wide.  If Lake Superior was a state it would be roughly the same size as the state of South Carolina.  There are over 1,700 square miles of shoreline, meaning that if you drove non-stop around the perimeter of the lake at 60 mph, it would take almost 29 hours to complete the trip. On your loop around the lake you'd pass through parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario, Canada.  

As impressive as it's size, it's depth is equally impressive. It's average depth is is 483 feet and at it's deepest point it's 1,333 feet deep.  The lake contains over 10% of all the freshwater on earth.  There's enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America with one foot of water.  

It's big and deep, and as you would expect, the water is cold.  The high surface temperature in the summer only gets to around 55.  During the winter the majority of the lake is covered by ice.  Occasionally the entire lake freezes over.  The last time this happened was in 2014.

There are around 300 tributaries feeding water into the lake which then drains into Lake Huron by way of the St. Mary's River.  While there is no tide activity on Lake Superior, there can be significant wave action on the lake.  On several stormy days we've seen waves that looked in the 6-8 foot range, impressive but no where near the 28.8 foot wave recorded in 2017 near Marquette.

Tributaries include waterfalls, rivers and streams of all sizes.....

As I had mentioned previously, the weather in this area can change rapidly and very dramatically.  This makes Lake Superior a very dangerous lake.  More than 350 shipwrecks have been recorded on the lake, none more famous than the SS Edmund Fitzgerald which sank along with it's entire 29 person crew on November 10, 1975.   

Beautiful, huge, cold, mysterious, deep, dangerous and so much more.  It's safe to say there's plenty to see and do on the legendary big lake they call gitchi-gami!

Pete's Lake Recreation Area and Seney National Wildlife Refuge

The Moon and Venus at sunrise over Lake Superior (Munising Bay) this morning.

The Hiawatha National Forest is close to 900,000 acres in size and has the distinction of touching the shoreline of three of the five great lakes (Superior, Michigan and Huron). As we drove through it on Saturday we knew we'd be going back to spend more time and do a little more exploring. Obviously, there is plenty to see and do in a forest that size.  One of the places we stopped for a few minutes was at Moccasin Lake.  We noticed there was a trail nearby called Bruno's Run that looked interesting and we decided that would be our destination.

Hiawatha National Forest

Sunday afternoon we drove back to Moccasin Lake by way of a brief stop at Wagner Falls, a very nice waterfall just outside Munising.  Although it had been less than 24 hours and the leaves were still quite colorful it was obvious that they were now changing rapidly.  In places many of the bright red, yellow and orange leaves were turning to brown, although we would occasionally hit patches that were at their peak color.

Wagner Falls

Wagner Falls

We did a little hiking on the Bruno's Run trail but found that it was a little too muddy to enjoy.  Not to be deterred, we drove around the area a little and discovered Pete's Lake Recreation Area.  We were able to park in an area near the boat ramp and enjoyed a nice long walk along the paved (no mud) roads near the lake.  Occasionally there would be a passing car or bike but we could count both cars and bikes on one hand as we enjoyed our time among the tall trees and colorful leaves.

The Silver Bullet at Pete's Lake.

We barely scratched the surface of Hiawatha National Forest but Pete's Lake Recreation Area was a nice place to visit.

Monday was a kind of "stay around the house day".  This was partly due to the weather and partly because we are enjoying where we are staying so much.  We had a fire in the outdoor fire pit and I did a little fishing along the shore.  I'm still getting shutout by the fish in Lake Superior, although that hasn't made the fishing any less enjoyable.  

It's a big lake.......no fish has disrupted my fishing yet by swimming into the hook.  This picture was taken shortly after we arrived.  Now my fishing is done in long pants and a jacket.

Yesterday morning we hopped in the silver bullet and made the short (40 minute) drive to the Seney National Wildlife Refuge.  The 95,000 acre refuge, which is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Services, was established in 1935.  Prior to the establishment of the refuge the area was described as "barren and burned out"  Now it is a habitat and breeding ground for migratory birds as well as numerous other species of wildlife including moose, deer, beaver and porcupines.  As a result of it being near the end of the season (it closes Oct. 20) and the pandemic, the visitors center and some areas of the refuge were closed.  We knew this before heading that direction.  We were still encouraged by the nice things we had heard about the trail and seven mile marshland drive that were still open.  We certainly weren't disappointed.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge

The trail was a 1.5 mile pine tree lined loop trail around several ponds.  Although many of the migratory birds have already packed their sunscreen and headed south for the winter there were still plenty of birds including quite a few pairs of Trumpeter Swans.  These birds have a wingspan of close to eight feet, making them the largest species of waterfowl in the world.  They were not only putting on a show with their takeoffs and landings but also feeding on bottom with their butts pointing skyward.

Trumpeter Swans taking off.

The birds and natural decay of this tree trunk have turned it into a nice looking coat rack.

A couple of scenes from the trail...........

The Marshland Drive was a longer version of the hiking trail.  It's a one direction, seven mile loop drive.  There are numerous places to pull out along the drive as well as three observation platforms for stopping and soaking in the surroundings.  Although we were hoping to see a few more animals, specifically moose, beaver and porcupine we loved our time and highly recommend that if you're in this area that you take some time to explore the peaceful, but very different, Pete's Lake Recreation Area and Seney National Wildlife Refuge.     

We thought these places along the Marshland Drive were perfect places for moose, beaver and porcupines to hang out........I guess they thought otherwise!