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JUNE/JULY 1986 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. 
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