Dan and I set out for our 1986 Summer vacation on
Sunday evening, June 29th. We didn't drive too far
the first evening, we spent the night in Fort Wayne.
Our first full day of vacation began a bit on the wet side.
It poured rain as we left Fort Wayne and headed north into
Michigan. By the time we got to Mount Pleasant for lunch,
the weather had cleared. It was a beautiful evening in
Mackinaw City, which was our final destination of the day.
Pictured above is the mighty Mackinac Bridge which connects
the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan and also
separates Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
On Tuesday July first it was across the Mackinac Bridge
and over to the upper peninsula. Our first stop was just
across the bridge and four miles north of St. Ignace.
We got a sweeping view of the area atop Castle Rock.
This was an ancient lookout of the Algonquin Indians.
Next it was off to Sault Ste. Marie. The picture above
was taken from atop the Tower of History. From the top
of this 21 story structure you get a panoramic view
of the locks, the St. Marys River and Rapids,
and the city's historical sites.
After lunch in Sault Ste. Marie we headed west. Our first
stop was at Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Then later we
visited a couple more waterfalls in Munising before ending
our day in Marquette. The picture above was taken just
before sunset at Presque Isle Park near Marquette.
We continued west on Wednesday, making our first stop
in Ironwood, Michigan. The picture above is Dan standing
in front of a statue of Hiawatha. We also took in the
view from the top of Mount Zion also in Ironwood.
Northeast of Ironwood we enjoyed the Black River
National Forest Scenic Byway, a scenic 11-mile drive
which follows the winding course of the Black River to
Lake Superior. Above is Potawatomi Falls, one of many
waterfalls along the drive. We stopped for lunch in
Ashland, Wisconsin and ended our day in Duluth, Minnesota.
We headed north out of Duluth on Thursday, stopping for
brunch in International Falls, Minnesota. This 26-foot
tall likeness of Smokey The Bear can be found there.
After brunch it was across the border into Ontario,
Canada. Our first scenic stop was Lake of the Woods.
Not far from Lake of the woods was Kenora, Ontario.
Above is a 40-foot "muskie" symbolizing the many
record-breaking catches in the area.
Next is was onto the flat plains of Manitoba. We got
into our downtown Winnipeg hotel just before the
Thunderstorm hit. The next morning we walked around
town a bit before continuing west. The picture above
is the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg.
Friday was a 357 mile drive across the plains of Canada
on Trans-Canada Highway 1, with nothing much to look at
but a myriad of grain elevators. We ate lunch in Brandon,
Manitoba. After lunch we crossed into Saskatchewan and
ended our day in Regina. Above is the Saskatchewan
Legislative Building in Regina. It was the fourth of
July, but we were in Canada, so there were no fireworks.
By Saturday's end we would be at the foot of the
Canadian Rockies, but first we had to cross another
476 miles of Canadian Praire. Shortly after crossing
the border into Alberta we ate Lunch in Medicine Hat.
Three hours or so after lunch we arrived in Calgary.
The picture above was taken from observation terrace
of the 626-foot high Calgary Tower.
On Sunday it was into the Canadian Rockies. After over
1000 miles of Canadian Praire, those beautiful mountains
were a welcome site. Our first stop was one of the
prettiest spots on earth, Lake Louise.
We walked part way around the lake. The above view
was taken out toward the center of the lake
looking back toward the chateau.
We spent two nights in Banff, Alberta.
Above is the Bow River in Banff.
The view above is looking down the main street in
Banff with Mount Norquay towering above the town.
Above is the park administration building of
the Cascade Rock Gardens.
On Tuesday July eighth we crossed the Continental
divide into British Columbia (pictured above).
From there we headed south back into the United
States. We spent the night in Kalispell, Montana.
We spent a good portion of Wednesday exploring Glacier
National Park and "the Going to Sun Highway."
After Glacier we headed east through Cut Bank,
and then south to Great Falls for a late lunch.
We spent the night in Helena, Montana.
 |
   |
Thursday. Pictured above is the north entrance to
the park near Gardiner, Montana. Pictured to the right
are three of the animals we saw in the park. We viewed
the Grizzly bear from inside our car. We had to climb
a small hill to see the moose, and then about broke
our necks running back down the hill when he chased
us away. And this was one of about a dozen buffalo
that we spotted in the park. While in the park we
also saw the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Old
Faithful, and many other natural wonders.
We spent the night in Cody, Wyoming about 50 miles
east of Yellowstone. The next morning we would cross
the remaining 250 miles of Wyoming. The picture
above shows the scenic splendor of that area.
After lunch in Gillette, Wyoming we visited Devils
Tower. This huge monolith rises 867 feet above its base.
We then drove to Rapid City, South Dakota for the night.
Our first stop on Saturday July 12 was Mount Rushmore.
We had some car trouble this day, after working out
that problem we drove through Badlands National Park.
Below is my oldest video. You wouldn't believe the huge machine
I had to lug around in 1986. That's why I don't have many
videos from this time period.
We ate lunch at the Wall Drug Store in Wall, South
Dakota. With all the advertising this place does on
Interstate 90, we thought they would have to charge
twenty bucks for a hamburger to pay for all the
billboards, but we were wrong. Pictured above
is Dan under the Wall Drug Dinosaur.
We spent the night in Pierre, South Dakota.
Pictured above is the state capitol building.
On Sunday we would cross the other half of South
Dakota, stopping in Mitchell to see the Corn Palace.
And stopping in Sioux Falls to see the falls.
And then ending the day in Omaha, Nebraska.
Above is the view from our hotel room at the Red Lion.
On Monday July 14 we began the day by visiting
Lincoln, Nebraska and the state capitol.
Later that afternoon we visited Jesse James'
home in St. Joseph, Missouri.
And we ended our day in Kansas City, Missouri.
On Tuesday July 15 we drove across the state of
Missouri, stopping to see the state capitol
in Jefferson City.
We spent the last night of our vacation in St. Louis.
Above is the view from our hotel window
of the St. Louis Arch and Mississippi River.
| TIM'S HOME PAGE SITE INDEX | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Area: | Description: | # of Pages | |
| About Me | Pictures of me and my home. Information about myself. | 2 | |
| Biography | Pictorial biography of myself. Pictures range from birth to adulthood. | 4 | |
| Family File | Pictures of my family and a little information about them. | 12 | |
| Local Spotlight | Pictures, Links, and Information for Indianapolis, Richmond, Plainfield, and Mooresville, Indiana. | 6 | |
| Tim's Travels | Pictures, videos and travelogs from my travels around the world. | 409 | |
| Vacation Videos | Over 1500 videos from my travels around the world. | 1 | |
 |  |  | |