Midwestern US
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri
-
On top of Iowa: Hawkeye Point
The one upside to our Black Hills trip falling apart – though truthfully, calling any part of this trip an upside doesn’t feel right – was the unexpected drive past the highest point in Iowa on our way back to Colorado. And when I say we drove past the highest point in Iowa, I mean… Continue reading
-
A scenic drive through Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota
As you read about last week last time I posted (whenever that was, it’s been a while), the first stop of our March roadtrip was Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Our afternoon at the monument was spent beneath sunny skies, slathering ourselves in sunscreen as the temperature rose to an unseasonably warm 82°F (28°C).… Continue reading
-
The roadtrip that wasn’t
About two weeks in advance, a change in my husband’s work schedule meant that we would both be able to take the same week off at the end of March. Obviously, that meant it was time for me to plan another last-minute trip. But where to? With such a short time until our planned departure,… Continue reading
-
A long weekend in Omaha, Nebraska
I’m not really a concert person. I can count on one hand, or maybe two, the number of concerts I’ve attended in my life. It’s just not something I’ve ever prioritized. Tickets are expensive, the concerts themselves are loud and crowded, and I’m very much not a night owl. But there are a few musical… Continue reading
-
Nebraska roadtrip: Fort Kearny and Lincoln
I never know what will be the next trigger that sends me into a travel planning spiral, nor can I predict when it will happen. But it does seem – with at least some frequency – to happen after my husband has gone to bed. Such was the case with our recent long weekend trip… Continue reading
-
On top of Minnesota: Eagle Mountain
Back in April, fellow blogger The Travel Architect contacted me with an invitation to join her and The Husband on a trip to northern Minnesota to summit the state’s highest point. Initially it seemed like a long shot, but as the logistics of our summer came into focus, I realized we might actually be able… Continue reading
-
Exploring Minnesota’s North Shore
If you look at a map of Lake Superior, you’ll notice that its northern shore is in Ontario. Minnesota actually forms the western(ish) shore of Lake Superior. But for whatever reason, Minnesotans refer to this region as the North Shore, so that’s what I’ll go with as well. After three days in Wisconsin, we were… Continue reading
blog buddy meetup, duluth, duluth harbor, duluth harbor light, duluth lift bridge, gooseberry falls, gooseberry falls state park, lake superior, lighthouses, minnesota, minnesota north shore, split rock light, split rock lighthouse state park, superior maritime visitor center, temperance river state park -
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin (part II): touring the sea caves
Geologically speaking, the Apostle Islands were formed through glaciation and erosion. Over thousands of years during the last ice age, the glaciers advanced and deposited layer upon layer of sediment, and then carved out the enormous bowl that is now Lake Superior as they receded. In the years since, the constant action of the waves… Continue reading
-
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin (part I): cruising Lake Superior
Until this roadtrip, Lake Superior was the one Great Lake I hadn’t seen from the ground. I’d flown over it before, so I had some comprehension of its immensity. But as I stood there on the lakeshore for the first time, I might as well have been gazing out over the vastness of the ocean.… Continue reading
-
On top of Wisconsin: Timm’s Hill
As our travel plans for 2023 took shape, it was beginning to seem as though it would be another year in which I maybe, possibly, hopefully squeezed in one single state high point. After only managing one high point in 2022 as well this was a little disappointing. But I had so many other things… Continue reading
-
On Top of South Dakota: Black Elk Peak
After summiting the North Dakota high point the day before, Chelsea and I set out to stand on the highest point of South Dakota. Our hotel was only about 30 minutes from the trailhead, so this one involved much less driving. The hike, however, was a little more substantial. The highest point in South Dakota… Continue reading
-
On Top of North Dakota: White Butte
Chelsea and I both have the goal to summit as many US state high points as possible. Up to this point, we’d both stood on a few of them… separately. This time, we decided we’d visit a couple together! The states? North and South Dakota. And so we set off for a long weekend in… Continue reading
-
Badlands and Bentonite – Toadstool Geologic Park, Nebraska
Following our stops at two of Nebraska’s national monuments, Chelsea and I made our way to the Oglala National Grassland for our final stop in the state – Toadstool Geologic Park. Basically, Nebraska’s version of the badlands. The formations at Toadstool date back more than 30 million years, to a time when now-extinct animals roamed… Continue reading
-
The Devil’s Corkscrew – Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska
After exploring Scotts Bluff and learning the history of the Oregon Trail, Chelsea and I continued north to our next stop: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Here, we would learn about a very different time in Nebraska’s history. I hadn’t really had time to do much research on these locations, so I assumed Agate Fossil… Continue reading
-
Landmark on the Oregon Trail – Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska
Back in May, Chelsea and I headed to the Dakotas for a long weekend to do some highpointing. Since we were driving all the way up there, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to detour through Nebraska along the way and visit some national monuments in the western part of the state. Our… Continue reading
-
On Top of Kansas: Mount Sunflower
In late April, we set out for our first camping trip of the season. Our ultimate destination was the Oklahoma panhandle to climb the state high point. As it turns out, though, when one drives from Colorado to Oklahoma there’s quite a lot to see along the way. So naturally, we stopped to see as… Continue reading
-
On Top of Nebraska: Panorama Point
The highest point in Nebraska, Panorama Point, is located just across the border from both Colorado and Wyoming in the middle of basically nowhere. The elevation at Panorama Point is 5424 feet (1653 m) – higher than I would have expected for a plains state. But one thing differentiates this high point from most of… Continue reading
-
Westward Bound, part II – Kentucky to Colorado
(Read part 1 of this post here) Day #5: I pride myself on being a pretty good vacation planner, but the logistics of this portion of our cross-country trip completely slipped through the cracks. I’d done my best to divide up the driving into relatively equal amounts – about 8 hours – each day. But… Continue reading
-
Fourth Time is the Charm – Chicago, Illinois
I’ve previously written about my travels to an annual conference in Boston and San Diego – trips that were a combination of work and exploring. One year, the conference was held in Chicago and, I must admit, I went into the trip with fairly low expectations. You see, my previous experiences in Chicago consisted of… Continue reading
-
Opt Outside
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all my American readers. I hope you’ll join me and many others today and #OptOutside for Black Friday. I’m so glad REI started this trend and I hope it continues to grow in the years to come. I spent my morning exploring the upper midwest, where I’m currently visiting family for… Continue reading