Minnesota Archives

Natural Wonders of the USA

So sorry I missed a couple of posts this week. We’ll get back on track with more Natural Wonders from the list today. Wednesday was my birthday. How old am I? Never ask a lady her age! Then the last docs for my taxes came in so I spent the rest of the time getting everything together for my tax guy. He’ll have fun this year…there was a severance payout, unemployment, and a cash out of my 401K all because of the layoff. He’ll earn his fee this year.

But lets get back to the fun things. We are winding down on the Natural Wonders of the USA. In my last post we reached #41 that was South Carolina and Congaree National Park. 9 more to go to make our 50 Wonders. So what’s next?

#42 Minnesota – Big Bog State Recreation Area

That sounds real inviting. What do you want to do for vacation? Lets go visit a big swamp but not the Everglades. Lets go north to the Big Bog! Big Bog has only been a designated area since 2002 so it’s kind of young. The area is comprised of wetlands with jackpine forests, nearby lakes and of course a big bog. The bog is about 500 square miles. There are approximately 300 species of birds, white-tailed deer, black bears, gray wolves and other animals. They don’t mention mosquitos but saying bog brings stinging insects to mind. Big Bog State Recreation Area has been called Minnesota’s last true wilderness.

The mystery of Big Bog | Columnists | ellsworthamerican.com

Photo Credit- Internet

#43 Colorado – Rocky Mountains

Oh my, The Rocky Mountains – Colorado. Been there. I stayed in the heart of the mountains in Breckenridge but I never got into the National Park. Admission to the park is by reservation and has to be booked in advance online. I tried everyday to get a reservation and was never able to get one. I asked locals about it and they said the reservation system never worked right. It was very disappointing. But this is what I know about the Rocky Mountains. John Denver sang wonderful songs about them. They take your breath away- literally- Beware of altitude sickness! The are beautiful and majestic. The Rocky Mountains are the biggest mountain range in the western United States. They stretch approximately 3,000 miles from northern part of British Columbia, all the way to New Mexico.

Colorado 2022 – Photo Credit Deb Neumann

Rocky Mountains 2022- Photo Credit Deb Neumann

#44 – Wisconsin – Cave of the Mounds

I’ve been to Wisconsin but I was there for my brother’s retirement from the Navy. The ceremony was in Kenosha. It was a quick trip and I don’t remember much about the state. I definitely didn’t see the Cave of the Mounds. How many cave systems have we seen so far under Natural Wonders? What’s one more? This looks really pretty. This limestone cave is believed to have started forming around 488 million years ago when the earth was covered in shallow seas

Cave of the Mounds | Cave of the Mounds, Dane County, Wiscon… | Peter Gorman | Flickr

Photo credit- Peter Gorman/Flickr

Well folks, that’s it for this post. Only 6 more states to check out. Back soon!

Minnesota’s North Shore Scenic Drive

In my last post I mentioned Minnesota’s North Shore Scenic Dr. I am still sorting out my new life in retirement but I am sure I won’t be able to keep my time share. It is just too far outside the budget. With that in mind I need to re-think how I approach my travels and explorations.

One of the options that caught my eye was Minnesota’s North Shore Drive. Once I heard about it I wanted to know what it was. I see Scenic drives on almost all of my trips but they are not always that scenic. This one does sound worthwhile. It runs 154 miles along Lake Superior to the Canadian Border. I learned that it is also called North Shore All-American Scenic Dr.

And We Begin in Duluth

The Scenic Drive starts in Cabal Park, Duluth where you can watch the huge ore boats and ocean bound ships enter the harbor by passing under the Aerial Lift Bridge. I thought the bridge looked familiar.

Historic Bridges - Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge (Bridge L6116)

We have one too. Ours crosses the Cape Cod canal and is now the second longest lift bridge in the United States, the longest being the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge between New Jersey and Staten Island, New York.

Cape Cod Lift Bridge- Photo credit Deb Neumann

The Pink Beach

Have you ever seen a pink beach? I saw one in Hawaii but they sure aren’t common. I would hate to have to search for it like we did the green sand beach in Hawaii but according to the guide books you can drive right up to this one. The beach is bordered by cliffs of rhyolite which breaks off and crumbles when Nor’easters sweep through. The rhyolite gives Iona’s Beach it’s unusual pink color.

Split Rock Lighthouse

Are you a light house fan? Located on a 130-foot cliff on the rocky coast of Lake Superior, Split Rock Lighthouse is an intact 1910 light station that guided ships across the often stormy waters of western Lake Superior. You may have heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald . Each year the light house is lit to commemorate the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and all the lives lost to the Great Lakes shipwrecks.

Grand Portage

You’ve made it. Grand Portage is almost the end of the drive. A mile down the road you’ll reach the Canadian Border. But getting back to Grand Portage, Grand Portage National Monument tells the story of the North West Company fur trade. The monument includes a reconstructed depot and 8.5 mile portage (hiking trail) to Fort Charlotte that bypasses waterfalls and rapids on the Pigeon River. To see High Falls, make sure to visit Grand Portage State Park six miles north on Highway 61.