Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Painted Canyon

My first stop was at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This park is one that I had heard of before had always meant to visit at some point but never had any specific plans to do so.  So when I saw the sign for Painted Canyon along I-94 in western North Dakota I stopped.

The Painted Canyon section is more like a rest area.  There is a parking area, a small visitor center with an information and gift shop areas, some picnic shelters and a hiking trail down into the canyon.  It was mid afternoon when I arrived so the colors weren't that great.  Still, it was my first park and a taste of what was to come.  There is no admission fee to this area of the park.

The view northwest from the visitor center area.

Looking north.

From the trail looking down into the canyon.

Looking back the way I came.  The top of one of the building is just visible on the skyline.

Looking north from along the trail.

Heading West

After departing Manitowoc, I headed west.  I didn't stop to take pictures in Wisconsin or Minnesota.

I've seen this place name on maps before but never really expected to be there.  It is a far cry from the Ypsilanti I hail from.  The appears to be the focal point of the town.  I didn't see any gas station, restaurant or really anything other than this and houses.

I don't remember where this was, but the large cow on the hill caught my eye.

A rest area in Minnesota or eastern North Dakota.  There were bodies of water all over the place and it was very pretty.  The line across the water is the railroad.

One of the rest areas in North Dakota.  It was a nice building and had displays inside regarding Native American life in the area.

Manitowoc

After arriving in Manitowoc I headed to my hotel which was right around the corner.  I walked out and took a picture of her from the parking

The Badger in Manitowoc.

Next to the hotel in Manitowoc there is the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.  Moored there is the U.S.S. Cobia, a WWII Gato Class submarine.  Here the main deck gun is illuminated at night.

   

The Cobia is open for tours, overnight stays and is very well preserved.  Her diesel engines, radio room and radars are all operational.

Departure - S.S. Badger

I decided shortly before leaving to take the Badger across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc.  I sailed on her last year returning from Wisconsin and enjoyed it so figured I'd do this time round trip.  There is a possibility that this will be the last year the Badger will run and you never know when these opportunities will disappear so I took it.

The Badger tied up, while waiting for boarding.  The Badger is the last of the car ferries built and she is the last one still plying the Great Lakes.  She operated between 1953 and 1988 when she was taken out of service because of the economy.  In 1992 she returned to service sailing between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  

The Spartan.  This is the Badger's sister ship, although she is non-operational.  She was launched and entered service in 1952 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.  She was taken out of service in 1979 and has remained tied up since then.  She is owned by the Lake Michigan Carferry Service and is used to provide spare parts for the Badger.

The Spartan from the stern of the Badger.  Both ships were designed to operate all year and have reinforced bows allowing them to sail through ice pack.

The bridge from the bow.

The Captain was enjoying himself.  He opened the window, called down to "Watch your ears," and sounded the ship's horn.

Leaving Ludington.   I chose an evening sailing so I could watch the sun set from open water.

 The North Pier Light.

 Big Sable Lighthouse from the deck of the Badger.

Smooth sailing.


If you have a chance to take the Badger, I encourage you to do so.  There are factors in play that my have the ship laid up after this sailing season.  She is a beautiful ship and an icon of another era.

Updates

Updates have been few and far between this year. There will probably not any updates for the next few weeks. I'll be acquiring new material which I hope to post once I return.

Dodge Dart

I like cars. One of the upcoming cars that I was pretty excited about was the 2013 Dodge Dart. Pictures are plentiful online, but I saw one at the rest area just east of Rawsonville Road and snapped a pic. Nothing fancy. I just took it from the driver's seat of my car.

The Dart should be hitting showroom floors this month.

The oncoming storm and after the passing.

I have to work this weekend. So I took my camera with me hoping to get some pictures.  As I got ready to go to lunch I checked the ais site and saw a couple of boats nearby.  I walked out to the parking lot and saw a boat passing by.  I took a few pictures, but was shooting through a fence and didn't like the shots I got.  I looked to the west and saw that there were some storm clouds moving in.  I thought I could get some shots of the boats and get then get the clouds.  What I didn't realize was just how fast the clouds were moving.  By the time I got around to shooting them they were much closer and didn't look as nice.

A shot to the north from the southeast corner of the parking lot by the river.  At the lower right you can see an ice cooler.  This is in front of the Diamond Jack boat tied up by next to the parking lot.

A shot to the southwest.  This is the Wyandotte power plant which is next to where I work.

After work I saw there was another boat downbound.  I headed to the club and marina behind where I work and saw one of the Diamond Jack boats heading south.  This is not the one normally tied up behind work.

The Birchglen downbound.