I made it to my Dad's house in Wichita after having a blast in Fort Scott, visiting the fort, discovering one of the coolest museums, and eating a spectacular Reuben at a local deli.
A fast blast across Kentucky landed me in Indiana, where I explored the memorial to Abraham Lincoln's childhood and formative years on the frontier and found a great city park.
Portaging a train over a mountain? Yes, we have! It was a short-lived, fascinating business model captured by the Park Service. And I also took an underground boat tour of a cave!
After the weekend at the Long Pond, I rolled into Pennsylvania to check off another national historic site, with a trolley museum across the parking lot, then headed into the woods.
On my way to find a quiet, secluded spot to ride out the holiday weekend, I bagged another National Monument and found a cool old church, but then found disappointment in Rome.
Talk about a couple of crazy, packed-full days of hitting destinations of national importance and learning more about the one National Park Service unit dedicated to Conservation.
I am so fortunate to have friends like MaryBeth and Tommy, who will host me in their homes and show me the sites! Plus, I visited the home and studio of America's most famous sculptor.
Bennington, VT, was so much more than I expected. From the sixth largest monument in the United States to Early churches to the Bennington Museum and even CHOCOLATE!
Checking off another incredible National Treasure was only part of the joy of my day on Cass Island, which included a ferry, wineries, a Biergarten, a cave, a golf cart, and some hiking.
Pressing eastward, I stopped in Monroe, MI, to visit a National Battlefield Park and found a Catholic Church with an impressive painted ceiling before camping by Lake Erie.
With all that I've been learning about taconite and iron mining over the last few weeks, I decided to visit one more historic site connected with iron ore mining around Lake Superior.
A few packed days found me exploring a mine, a lighthouse, a sculpture park, and Korean Tacos before leaving the Keweenaw Peninsula and heading to Michigan's lower peninsula.
After leaving Ashland, WI, I headed into Michigan and up the Keweenaw Peninsula to begin exploring this area at a lighthouse that is part of the Keweenaw National Historic Park.
To say I enjoyed myself with my friends Lynn and Erik would be a monstrous understatement; leaving was difficult, but I had a lighthouse and waterfalls to visit on Lake Superior.
One of the fantastic things I was introduced to while visiting Lynn and Erik was canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. And we saw pictographs by the water!
