It felt good to get on the road for our long awaited trip. Crossing the Mackinaw Bridge in the RV is interesting and it felt like we were really on our way!

First stop is the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior in Munising. The National Parks Services began operating the lakeshore in 1972 in order to preserve the natural area for public recreation.

The KOA campground we stayed at in nearby Wetmore was full to capacity with late summer vacationers, and offered spacious wooded sites.

We purchased tickets in advance for the “Spray Falls Cruise” offered by Pictured Rocks Cruises LLC in Munising. The 2 1/2 hour boat ride gives you the best view of the cliffs and we were thankful for the warm sunny day. Kayaking is very popular along the cliffs and there are several companies that offer this option.

A short drive up the shoreline to the Miner’s Castle Overlook and Miner’s Beach gave another perspective of the cliffs. There is an information center there along with walking paths along the shoreline. We did not venture farther up the shoreline that extends northeast all the way to Grand Marais.

After the two night stop, we headed west through the Upper Peninsula for an overnight stop in Minnesota – Gull Lake Recreation Area. This is a Corp of Engineers park at the headwaters of the Mississippi River with a dam that forms Gull Lake.

Unfortunately, very rainy weather keep us from exploring, but Corp of Engineer campgrounds are nicely done and reasonably priced. Our site for the overnight stop was great with 50 AMP service.

Meeting up with I-94 near Fargo ND, we crossed the state to Medora, ND, the location of Theodore Roosevelt National Park; a section of the Badlands along the Little Missouri River.

The town of Medora has been developed to offer entertainment with a western theme, including musicals, shows, rodeos, ect. A little too “touristy” for me, but we had a nice campsite and enjoyed visiting the Park.

Theodore Roosevelt Park is not one of the most visited parks, making the scenic drive in the south section of the park very peaceful. It’s easy to want to compare this park to Badlands National Park in South Dakota which is much more popular with more colorful and diverse landscape, but the vastness of this park and endless vistas, definitely had an appeal.

We were pleasantly surprised by the wild horses we saw throughout the park as well as bison. There are several hiking and camping opportunities within the park.

Now on to Montana; anxious to get to Glacier National Park!!

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

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