Viva Las Vegas! July 2017

Welcome!

July 13 to July 16, 2017

Another trip!!  This trip was for my side hustle job with a great company called KEEP Collective. 

We had a Thursday evening flight to Las Vegas via Delta Airlines, it was a nice smooth ride.  We took a taxi to our accommodation for the trip, Polo Towers.  We were on the 15^th floor and were rewarded with a great view of the strip.

The KEEP Collective “Hoopla” took place next door at the MGM Grand Convention Center. It was about a 20 minute walk – the hotels/casinos are so massive! 

Bellagio Fountains

My lunch break was long enough that we were able to get some lunch at the Stage Deli, which was right in the MGM Grand. I had the Rueben and it was very good. On Friday night, we had dinner with my team at Carmine’s Italian Restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace. It was an Italian Family Style restaurant.  The food was okay.  After dinner, we got to see the fountains at the Bellagio. We had attempted to do a few other things but, we should have booked them in advance.

My training sessions ended on Saturday evening.  We ate at Nine Fine Irishmen at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino that evening and it was tasty.  It was getting late (time zone change caught up to us) so we just headed back to Polo Towers and called it a night.

Part of the Strip - view from our room

We took Lyft to get to the airport for our mid-morning flight.  It was our first time using Lyft and it worked really well. It was a little cheaper than a taxi.  We flew Spirit home and again were pleasantly surprised about the leg room on the plane. 

Up North - July 2017 - Days 7, 8 & 9

 July 7, 2017 (Friday)

Welcome to Isle Royale

Isle Royal here we come (via Grand Portage, MN)!  It was about an hour drive from the campsite to the Isle Royal ferry location.  The place was very low key. There was a little office area, a bathroom, a grass parking area and of course the boat dock (which has seen better days).  We were loaded onto the boat based on when we signed up for the trip ($75/adult).  I had booked as soon as reservations were being excepted so we got prime picking!  We choose to sit inside – excellent choice!  The boat was full and soon after we left dock people were looking to find space inside because they were cold. The 22 mile one-way boat ride takes about 2 hours and drops you off at Windigo (southwestern end of the island). On the way to the island we got to view the Spirit Little Cedar Tree (“Witch Tree”) which is 400+ years old. We also passed old shipwreck site of the 182’ steamship America. Once we arrived to the island we were greeted by a Park Ranger and given a brief overview of activities that were going on during our visit.

Rock of Ages Lighthouse

First things first, we went into the very nice visitor center to take a look and get the NP passport stamp! We then opted to take the ranger guided nature hike. After the nature hike we took off to the Feldtmann Lake Trail to see the Grace Creek Overlook (1.8 miles one way). The hike back tracked a little bit of the nature hike and then lead us along the lake and eventually turned us upland. We returned from our hike in time to catch the last ranger program about the animals of the island – moose and wolf. It was crazy to see just how big the bones are of a moose! The island is very peaceful, clean and calming.  It also provided great photo opportunities – especially if you are luckily enough to see a moose!  The return trip on the boat was loaded the same way as the way to the island.  Apparently we got really luck with the smoothness of the water. A few people on the return boat had come to the island a few days earlier and the water was choppy enough that people were getting sick. On the return trip the boat took us by the Rock of Ages Lighthouse, which is going to be restored in coming years.

Grand Portage NPS

Once we were back to land we high tailed it to the Grand Portage NPS site.  The visitor center was one of the best that we have visited. We did not have time to watch the film, but we had adequate time to visit the displays. Across the road from the visitor center was the old village, which had open buildings and people portraying life in the day.  The building that housed the canoe maker was very interesting! We spent about an hour at the site.

Oh the way back to the camper we stopped at Dairy Queen yet again for some yummy ice cream!

Bond Falls

July 8, 2017 (Saturday)

Time to head back towards home. For the most part we drove straight back to our destination for the night – Straits State Park.  We did make a stop at a road side park for some lunch and we also visited Bond Falls. Bond Falls was busy, but we were able to find parking for the trailer.

Straits State Park was mostly full, did not have too many misquotes, and provided great views of the Mackinaw Bridge.

A view from the Straits State Park

July 9, 2017 (Sunday)

The trailer was packed up and we were out of the park by 8am!  We made it home early afternoon and then gave the trailer a good cleaning inside and out.

Up North - July 2017 - Days 5 & 6

July 5, 2017 (Wednesday)

Rainy Lake

Lots of driving…luckily not a lot of traffic and just a small amount of construction.  We headed out early enough to be able to visit all three of the Voyageurs National Park visitor centers. The Ash River Visitor Center was the first visitor center that we came to. The visitor center was housed in the historic Meadwood Lodge that over looked Kebetogame Lake. There were a few hiking trails around, but since we were in a time crunch we passed (it was also really buggy).  Next up was the Lake Kebetogama Visitor Center that was also quite small. Lastly we reached the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. We had some time before the Rainy Lake Grand Tour (boat ride - $30/adult) so we watched the 20 minute film. The boat ride stopped at Little American Island, which explored the 1890’s Rainy Lake gold rush, and we got to view an old commercial fishing camp from the boat.  We saw numerous eagles on the 2+ hour ride.

Leaving the park we stopped at Dairy Queen for a sweet treat before heading back to the campground.

July 6, 2017 (Thursday)

Heading out early we visited the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Visitor Center.  We watched the short film and checked out the displays before taking a peak of the river. There are lots of canoeing, kayaking, and tubing opportunities along the river.  We did not have time to take part in any rides, but it is an area we would like to revisit.

Two Harbors Lighthouse

Once back to the campground we hooked onto the trailer and headed to the next campground – Cascade River State Park in Lutsen, MN. There were numerous pit stops we made along the way. 

Our first pit stop was the Two Harbors Lighthouse. There is a fee to go into the lighthouse, but there are plenty of opportunities to take photos through the fence. There is even a little trail around the site. It was a beautiful place to stop to take in the scenery.

Gooseberry Falls State Park

Gooseberry Falls State Park had gorgeous waterfall views. Parking was crazy and there were a lot of people in the water by the middle and lower falls.  The upper falls was clear of people.

We came across the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. There was a $10/adult fee to get to the lighthouse, which I thought was a little steep. There was a vista point south of the light house that provided a lovey view and we took photos from there. The entry fee does allow you to watch a film and explore the exhibits.

Split Rock Lighthouse

Cascade River State Park

We made it to the Cascade River State Park late afternoon. Mike got us checked in and we located our campsite and then it
started to hail!  The weather was bad for about 15 minutes before clearing. The weather had made the campsite a little muddy.  The campground must have been redone the previous fall. The bathhouse was like brand new. A bonus perk was that it was a short walk to the waterfalls! The trail was a bit muddy but we did get to see the falls. It was a very nice place to take photos.

Up North - July 2017 - Days 3 & 4

July 3, 2017 (Monday)

Mike and I headed out early to head back to the Visitor Center that was closed the previous day.  The Visitor Center was really good – one of the best we have been to.  There was a video (about 20 minutes) and two floors of displays to look at.  We managed to get through the building and watch the video in about an hour.

Back at the campground we had a quick lunch and packed up the camper. Our next destination was Indian Point Campground in Duluth, MN.  We hung out at the campground for the evening were we also got a chance to check out the Western Waterfront Trail.

July 4, 2017 (Tuesday)

Apostle Island Boat that did make the tour

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore here we come…or maybe not. Our first stop for the day was Bayfield to get our tickets for the Apostle Islands National Park Grand Tour boat ride (about $45/adult).  We found parking (free) on a side street a few blocks from the ticket building.  Restrooms were located about a block away from the ticket building. There were two boats going out for the 3.25 hour long tour. The guy scanning the tickets told us we could get on either boat, but that one boat had more comfortable seats that the other so we picked that one. BIG MISTAKE!  We were almost out to the first National Park Island – Basswood and the transmission on one of the motors went out. The boat limped back to shore and we were refunded our money since there was not a time that worked well for us available.

Meyers Beach

Since we did not get to see the island via the boat we checked out the Bayfield Visitor Center, where there was a 20-minute video. The visitor center was quite small and did not offer a lot of displays. The ranger on staff did make suggestions of other places we could visit.

We had lunch at a place in Bayfield called Maggies before heading to the Little Sand Bay Visitor Center. The restaurant was a cute little place that was all decked out in Flamingos! The food was pretty good, but the service was quite slow. 

The beach at Little Sand Bay was really small and again the visitor center was really small. We did not spend much time there since there was not really much to do.  The visitor center told us there was more to do at Meyers Beach. Once we arrived at Meyers Beach ($5 parking fee) we hit the trail! The trail was boardwalk for the first portion (0.7 miles) and then it turned into a mostly dirt trail.  There were a lot of gorgeous lake views from the trail. We also got to see a bunch of kayakers! The full trail goes 4.5 miles (one way), but we only went to where we could see some of the sea cave overlooks (about 2 miles from the trailhead). So pretty!

Amnicon Falls State Park

Leaving Meyers Beach we headed back towards the campground. We did make a stop in Cornucopia  (Wisconsin’s northern most Post Office location is located here) for some ice cream at Siskiwit Bay Coffee & Crsts!  Yum!

While we were out we decided to check out Amnicon Falls State Park, where as the name implies we were able to view some waterfalls! There was a fee to park – the fee depends on how long you want to stay. There were some bridges and trails around the falls.

Leaving the State Park we decided to check out the nearby lighthouse Superior Entry Lighthouse.  There was a boardwalk out to the lighthouse. After the fact we discovered there was another lighthouses we could have visited, like the Minnesota Point.

Superior Entry Lighthouse

Duluth has a huge 4^th of July festival and boasts as the biggest firework display in the state of Minnesota.  There were lots of fireworks going off all around us.

Up North - July 2017 - Days 1 & 2

July 1, 2017 (Saturday)

Mackinac Bridge

On the road again!  Our adventure started early since we had a pretty long drive up to Baraga State Park. Traffic was not too bad with exception of the Mackinac Bridge toll booths. Gas prices were about 40 cents higher in Mackinaw City verses Baraga. (Our past experience was that Baraga had cheap gas and the same was thru this time.) For this trip we took our camper.

It must have rained a lot in the Baraga area prior to our arrival – the ground was very saturated.

July 2, 2017 (Sunday)

Fort Wilkins State Park

It rained more over night!  Luckily for us it was out of the area by the time we left the campground. The day started with driving up to Fort Wilkins State Park.  We checked out the buildings and then headed down to the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse.  There was a $5 per person fee. There are four museums at the light station – a keeper’s museum, a maritime museum, a fishing museum and the Keweenaw history museum. The history building that had a neat display about how the freighter named the City of Bangor shipwrecked in a storm. The ship was carrying over 200 brand new Chrysler cars. Most of the cars were able to be driven off the ship once the ice froze – one is on display in the museum. We were able to go into the lighthouse; however, we were not able to go to the very top. 

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

Leaving the lighthouse we continued to drive south where we had a picnic lunch at a roadside park. After lunch we headed to McLain State Park (we had camped there years ago and loved the views at the park). We checked out the beach/lighthouse before continuing our journey.

In Calumet we checked out some of the old buildings and churches. The Keweenaw National Historic Park visitor center is closed on Sundays so we were not able to stop by for a visit.

We did stop by the Laurium Manor for a self-guided tour ($8/person). The building serves as a bed and breakfast so some of the rooms were rented out so we couldn’t see them.  The neatest part of the building was the top floor where they had before and after photos of the repairs that were needed in the structure. It is recommended to allow 30 minutes to an hour to check everything out.

A view from Baraga State Park

Before returning to the campground we stopped for some ice cream at the Frostie Freeze in L’Anse. Back at the campground we had a campfire and then headed to the bay to wait for the fireworks.  We waited and waited and finally gave up at 11pm.  Finally at about 11:15 the fireworks started.

Philly - April 2017 - Days 2 -3

Independence Hall

April 29, 2017 (Saturday)

The hotel had a huge breakfast spread! After breakfast, we headed to the Independence Visitor Center to get tickets for the Independence Hall. We were able to get tickets for the 9am tour (free). If you visit this site, you will need to get there 15 minutes before the tour time to go through security. There are a few other buildings to check out in the Independence Square area – Great Essentials Exhibit in the West Wing, Congress Hall, Old City Hall and the Museum of the American Philosophical Society (not open during our visit).  Honestly, I did not find any of the buildings to be overly impressive on the inside, but the guides were very informative in letting us know the importance of the buildings.

Edgar Allen Poe NHS

Leaving Independence Square, we headed to Washington Park. There was a fountain and a memorial. Once we were done at the park, we walked to the Edgar Allen Poe NHS. It was a bit of a walk and the neighborhood was not nearly as nice as the Old Town area. The Poe House was interesting. The visitor center is in the neighbor’s house, where there were a few displays and a short video before entering the Poe House. The house was just bare rooms, which was different than most historical homes that we have visited. There was a guide sheet that told us a little about each room. The house was only occupied by Poe for six years, but during those years is when Poe write his more well-known books.

Society Hill 

Leaving the Poe house, we made the trek across town to the Society Hill area – gorgeous homes!! Our destination was the smallest Nation Park System Unit – the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial. Again there was a short video that shared the background of Kosciusko – highlighting his military engineering success. He was an interesting guy that you probably have not heard much about – probably because his last name is tricky to pronounce. He rented a room out of the house where he received notable visitors like Thomas Jefferson.

Prior to leaving the site, we asked the Park Ranger for recommendations for lunch.  He suggested that we check out DiNic’s Beef & Pork in the Reading Terminal Market. The sandwiches we had were awesome!  We also got cookies at the Famous 4^th St. Cookie Co. – yum! The Market was very neat, similar to the place we went to in Napa only much larger! There were lots of food options among other things like bakerys, ice cream, chocolate, seafood and fish markets, and produce! More than 100,000 people visit the Market on a weekly basis!

NFL Draft Experience!!

Near the Reading Terminal Market was the Hard Rock Café. You guessed it, Mike needed to add to his Zippo Collection! Continuing on our journey, we arrived at the NFL Draft. We arrived at a good time, with no lines at security. There were a lot of activities for fans to check out – Superbowl Rings, Statues, Locker Room displays, Hall of Fame stuff, 40-yard dash, kick a field goal, pass the ball, autograph signings, the NFL store, and of course viewing the draft stage. While we were there Detroit selected the 165 pick, we were able to get really close to the area behind the reserved seats. We had a great time at the draft! We could have spent more time, but it was 87 degrees out and we had other things to do.  The draft took place right where the Rocky stairs were so we were not able to run up them, giving us a reason to visit the city of brotherly love again! There were also a few other things that we would like to check out on a future visit – apparently the Penitentiary has a really good tour and there were a few other NPS sites we did not get to visit.

NFL Draft Experience!!

Liberty Bell

Once we were back to the Old City area, we got in line to see the Liberty Bell. Again, we had to go thru security (3 times in one day – might be a record). The line was short and we made it to the bell in no time. As expected the bell was roped off. The building that the bell is located in has a few displays to look at before you reach the bell.  There are also displays outside of the Liberty Bell Center.

Leaving the Liberty Bell, we headed back to the Independence Visitor Center to watch the two videos that were available. Also in the Visitor Center were other displays, as well as a snack bar, and ticket counter for other sites around the city.

We visited way more stuff than we had anticipated and walked a lot of miles. We headed back to the hotel for a little break before heading to dinner. For dinner, we picked a place right around the corner from where we stayed, called Race Street Café. The place was busy and the food was just okay.

April 30, 2017 (Sunday)

The newly opened Museum of the American Revolution

The Museum of the American Revolution opened a few weeks before our visit and we decided to check it out.  Tickets are given out on a timed basis. The museum was $19 for adults, but there is an AAA discount available that will save you a buck or two. Youth (6-18) were $12. I personally think kids would be bored at the main museum – however there is a kid friendly area on the main level that they would probably enjoy. The museum visit begins with a film titled Revolution. We arrived in time for the 9:30am film – the film is shown on the half hour.  We spent about 2.5 hours checking out everything the museum had to offer.  The place is divided into four main galleries – Becoming Revolutionaries (1760-1775), The Darkest Hour (1776-1778), A Revolutionary War (1778-1783) and A New Nation (1783-present).  Each gallery had short films that were played. The highlight is Washington’s War Tent (original).

I’ll wrap this post up with a few fun facts about Philadelphia! Philadelphia was the first of many things  - first “planned city”, had the first public library, the first capital of the United States, first Mint in the United States, first zoo, and first computer  - just to name a few!

Philly - April 2017 - Day 1

April 28, 2017 (Friday)

Here We Go! 6 A.M. American Airline flight to Philadelphia! 3 A.M. sure did come early! Smooth sailing to the airport – we probably could have slept for another 30 minutes! Lines were very short at the airport – huge relief since last trip they were quite long.  Again, we parked in the Big Blue Deck at Metro Airport – it is so much faster (if you remember where you park – which we did this time – end of the row right by the elevator helped).

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

My prior coworker, Morgan, graciously picked us up at the airport in Philly.  The pick-up area was very deserted, which made finding her super easy!  Our first stop for the day was the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site.  The site was established in 1771. We started our visit with watching the short video before venturing out to the buildings. There are also some displays within the visitor center that we checked out – lots of furnaces!  The iron created during the American Revolution played a critical role in supplying the army. George Washington took his army to nearby Valley Forge to protect the supply lines along the Schuylkill River.  After the war, the owner, Mark Bird, had difficult collecting debts from the newly formed nation. Hopewell Furnace struggled for a bit, and then the Civil War brought some relief in the 1860’s, but then it ultimately closed in 1883. The site was free to visit. There are a few hiking trails in and around the park. We spent about 2.5 hours at the site.

Valley Forge National Historical Park

Heading back towards Philly, we stopped for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in King of Prussia. Yum! Near there was another National Park Site – Valley Forge National Historical Park. Again, there was a short video, we watched and a large number of displays to check out.  After checking out the displays, we hoped back into the car and drove the battlefield loop. There were a few stops along the way – check out the huts, Washington’s Headquarters, and monuments. Again, this was a free site to visit!

Back to Philly, we went, again we hit some traffic.  We checked into our hotel – Holiday Inn Express Penn Landing.  Using our saved up reward points made the stay quite affordable.  We ended up with a river view – very nice, but a little load due to train traffic over the bridge and motorcycles loved to race along the road in front of the hotel.  We were so tired out from either getting up so early or all the walking we slept great!

View from Holiday Inn Express Penn Landing

Once we got everything dropped off at the hotel, we hopped back into the car and headed to Morgan’s apartment – awesome location, cute, but small!  We checkout the area near her place – the area is known as Old Town.  We grabbed a bit to eat at a place called Nick’s Roast Beef Bar & Grille. They had amazing happy hour specials and the food was good. I tried the French Onion Soup and Mac & Cheese bites. After dinner, we walked back to our hotel, which was a short walk away.