Category Archives: Travel

Parks, Sights, Travel

Devil’s Tower

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Devil’s Tower – Wyoming WY-110, Devils Tower, WY 82714

The Devil’s Tower in Wyoming is a bit off the interstate, but absolutely worth the drive.  I have made a point of stopping 3 times to take a stroll around this big boy or at least snap a few shots.

Take advantage of this natural oddity, and the first national monument in the United States.  How did it come into being?  The legend is 6 or 7 little girls depending on the tribe were out and saw a bear or bears.  The ground rose up lifting the girls away from the bear(s).  The bear(s) tried the climb the tower, but could not reach the girls and clawed the sides.

The tower is amazing from a distance, but once you get close to it you will see the true awe.  There are 2 trails around the tower and you can climb the side of it.  It is really climbing and you need to check in before you start your climb.

2006 devil's tower rock climbers
The white dots are people.

You can just walk up and take a few snap shots without walking around this tower at all.  The best views of the tower are from the entrance.  It shows the scratched sides the best.  The boulders around the front are pretty interesting as well.

2006 devil's tower front view

The inner trail is of course shorter at about 1.3 miles.  The front and and the right side have the best views and pictures so if you can only do part of the trail do this section, counter clockwise.  You can also get a great view of the climbers in this area.  Some of the rocks around the base of the tower are huge.  Don’t fall into one of the cracks.  As long as you stay on the trail you will be fine.

2006 devil's tower inner circle

The outer trail is a bit longer, but has some other amazing views at 2.8 miles.  This trail heads away from the tower and gives you an outer view of this enormous structure.  We took this one to the left, clockwise.  devil's tower 2015 outter circle 59You will walk part of this in the grassy area and part of red soil.  You will find yourself stopping ever couple of steps just to snap another shot.

devil's tower 2015 outter circle 44

The views around the back away from the tower are fairly spectacular as well.

devil's tower 2015 outter circle 50

This trail gives you both some close views and some distant views of the tower.  It is worth the trek around nature.  You may even get to see a few deer like we did.  Just check yourself for ticks when you leave.  The trail brushes by a few pine trees and it is easy to pick those little bugs up as you pass by.

I cannot quite express how amazing Devil’s Tower is to view.  If you get a chance to see this national monument make sure you take advantage of it.

Parks, Sights, Travel

Big Horn Mountains

Big Horn Mountains – Wyoming via highway 14 or highway 16.

The route through 16 is the easiest one to pass.  Only a small portion of it is twisty and winding.  That portion is pretty neat and not too scary.  We usually take this route as we pass through.

Bighorn Mountain sky

The route through 14 is more scenic and I believe there are hiking trails on one of the offshoots.  Honestly there are a million trails in this area, but we found an easy one along the river on one of our trips through here.

Big Horns River along trail

I have seen bikers (cycling) traveling through the Big Horns.  I cannot imagine taking a bike up or down this mountain.

The views are amazing.  Stop as often as you can to take in those big skies and beautiful canyons.

Big Horn scenic view

Enjoy your trip through the Big Horns.  There are some neat little towns along the way.  You can make a trip out of traveling through the Big Horns, but more than likely you will be on your way to Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Devil’s Tower, or Harney Peak in the Black Hills.  Happy travels.

Parks, Sights, Travel

Beartooth Pass

Beartooth Pass – part in Wyoming (northwest corner before Yellowstone), part in Montana and all so beautiful.

Wyoming welcome sign tug of war between Montana and Wyoming Montana welcome sign

This drive is not for the faint of heart.  It twists and turns, it circles up and circles down, and all the while the view is amazing.  There are plenty of places to turn out and take a photo and you will want to stop and take those photos.

View of trees and mountains from Beartooth Pass

The bridge has a view to make your stomach drop.  It is horrifyingly beautiful.  I might be afraid of heights and that honestly almost makes it even more beautiful.  Those rock faces are incredible.

 

The bridge on Beartooth Pass

Even the valley portions of the drive are so incredible.

Green valley on Beartooth Pass

You can reach the top of the world on this road.

Sign for the top of the world

You can take as long as you want getting through this drive.  There are just so many beautiful shots that you can take it will be difficult not to spend hours driving on this pass.

View of mountains and valley from Beartooth Pass

Parks, Sights, Travel

Yellowstone National Park

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Yellowstone National Park – northern corner of Wyoming.

Sure Yellowstone National Park is just a huge volcano, but really who doesn’t enjoy risking their own lives walking on the crust of a giant volcano.  No risk, no reward and let me tell you the sights inside Yellowstone National Park are worth every moment of risk.

Bring your sunscreen!  I cannot stress this enough.  You will be outside walking around near pools of water all day.  Oh, and how incredibly beautiful these pools of water are, and dangerous.  A pool of water in Yellowstone National ParkThe water is so hot and deadly that if you fall in you are dead.  The microbes that live in the water are nothing to be messed with either.  They are what gives the water its beautiful coloration.

Beautiful light blue pool in Yellowstone

Let’s walk you through the park.

The first thing you need to know is do not try to get near the wildlife!  The locals take bets on whether the first tourist injured will be eaten by a bear or gourd by a buffalo.  DO NOT BE THAT GUY!  You can get out of your vehicle if the animal is far away, but not if they are close.  Do not get closer in an attempt to take a selfie with the nice buffalo.  They may look peaceful, but they are a huge destructive force of nature.

OK, now I can take you through the park.  You could easily spend a week in this park taking everything in.  There is both food and lodging in the park, but get a reservation for the lodging.

I will take you in through the East entrance.  The first thing you will come across is the fishing bridge, which you cannot fish at ironically enough.  Park, get our, and walk across it.  Take a photo, get back in your car.

Yellowstone Lake

Now you have a choice.  You can travel north to the mud volcano and Uncle Tom’s Trail or south to Old Faithful.  I would go north first.  Stop at the mud volcano.  It sticks of sulfur so prepare yourself for that.   Once you have your fill of the bubbles move north.

You are heading to Canyon Village and upper and lower falls.  This is where you will find Uncle Tom’s trail.  328 steps down to the bottom.  I hope you are in shape.  Really I have done this trail twice and the second time nearly killed me.  On the other hand I have seen a 60 year old make it all the way down and back up with less trouble than I had.  I tend to overheat and it was just too hot for me that day.  The upper falls are easier to get to if you want a short walk.  This hike is something to brag about so try it.

I am  not a huge fan of the northern loop.  If you have time check it out.  The mammoth hot springs are kind of neat.  Lots of animals along the road.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

OK, now get yourself down to the main attraction, Old Faithful.  You can tell your friends to what you on the webcam.  Wave and smile.  Wait for Old Faithful to go off so that you can say that you saw her.  OK, now for the cool geysers.  What?  Yeah, behind Old Faithful is a trail that walks past some of the coolest geysers out there.  Sure Old Faithful is big and regular so you know you will see her go off, but some of the ones on the trail are amazing.  It takes some luck and timing to see these guys in all of their glory, but there are many smaller ones to see as well.  Sunscreen, I must reiterate, have sunscreen for this walk.

No this isn’t everything.  There are so many things to see in this park you really do need about a week to see it all properly.  If you are short on time hit the big attractions:  Old Faithful and basically any place along the lower circle.  These will be your must sees.  Check out the lake.  Stop and walk around whatever looks interesting to you.  Maybe take a quick pass through the top half and check out the mammoth hot springs.  I feel like you see more animals in the top half and more water attractions in the bottom half.

A bridge and steam in Yellowstone

Stay on the trails at all times.  Bring a camera.  Enjoy yourself.

*Camera tip:  to get your camera to focus in steam include a railing or something that it can focus on and the rest will magically become clear.

mist and a wooden walkway

Entertainment, Museum, Travel

Buffalo Bill Historical Center

Buffalo Bill Historical Center – 720 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414

You could easily spend days in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.  In fact it is more than just one museum.  There is all of the history to the left and a gun museum to the right.  Museums can be boring in my opinion, this one is not dull at all.  I enjoyed my walk through history.

A sign for Buffalo Bills Wild West show

The museum is in Cody, WY where William “Buffalo Bill” Cody had a ranch outside of town.  Large map with Cody Wyoming on it.The museum itself is in town and easy to get to.  The museum is filled with historical information and items from the past.

Animals represent a large part of the draw of Wyoming and this museum has tons of them.  From buffalo to the elk and bears of the area.

Display of buffalo

Did I mention the guns?  guns on the wall in cases

I do not believe I have ever seen so many firearms in one place.  There are walls of guns from riffles to hand guns to shot guns and more.  I have heard of men spending an entire day or two just looking through this section of the museum.  It really is quite impressive.

If you find yourself in Cody, WY with a day to spare I highly suggest checking out the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.  I promise you will like it.

Restaurant, Travel

Dragon Jade – Minnetonka

Dragon Jade – 14406 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345

Website (Facebook)

Dragon Jade is a sit down Chinese restaurant with no buffet.  It is rather nice.  The music is set at a low enough level that you can easily converse.  The decor is very Chinese.  I love their dragon arch which you pass through to get to the main eating area.

Dragon Jade archway

The staff at the Dragon Jade is the best.  Quite possibly the most attentive waiters and waitresses that you will find anywhere.  Plus when you like things a certain way you need only ask once and then you will get it that way from that point forward.  Of course that depends on getting the same waitress.  They do everything that they can to make sure your meal is just right.

The pricing are low, but the quality does not seem to reflect the low prices.  At the Dragon Jade you get more than you pay for.  They have full meal choices which include soup, egg roll, and the main dish for less than ten dollars.  You can also order dishes and appetizers to share.

Try the cream cheese wantons.  Maybe with fresh spicy mustard.  It is intense.

wantons with sweet and sour and fresh spicy mustard

The garlic chicken is pretty good.

garlic chicken

Two people should not be able to eat that well for that little, but at the Dragon Jade you can.

Parks, Sights, Travel

Afton State Park

Afton State Park is fantastic for hiking and outdoor activities.  Website

Afton State Park has some of the best and most challenging hiking trails around the twin cities area.  They have wooded areas, prairie areas, riverside, and some paved.

The park is huge.  It will take you more than one day to walk the entire park.  Granted most people do not take advantage of the long trails away from the riverside trail, but for those of you adventurous enough to explore these trails have a lot to offer.

Trail map of Afton State Park

You will need a pass to get into the park.  If you plan on going more than a couple of times to any state parks in Minnesota get the yearly pass.

At the entrance there is a ton of parking.  There are picnic tables and open areas that you can put down a blanket and enjoy the day.  picnic tables at Afton Park

I have seen weddings held at this park, or at least the pictures.  The background is beautiful.  If you adventure down the steps (there is a handicap trail too I think) you can see a bridge and past that leads to the riverside eating area.

Afton State Park 21

A little bit further you can walk the trail that runs along the river.  To the right (north) the trail ends eventually.  To the right (south) the trail eventually goes up a very large hill and circles back around to the main area.  Most people just turn around at the bottom of the hill, but if you can walk up it the sights are nice.

The hill that leads up to the backpack camping is a brutal.  At the top past the camping area is a little building and some old farm equipment.

Shelter in Afton AlpsIf you head past that there is a single person trail through a heavily wooded area.  It is a bit precarious when the leaves have fallen.  it makes the downhill walk slick and hides rocks on the trail.  This leads back to the picnic area near the river.

Afton Park leaf covered trail

The trails in the Northwest section can be rather intense.  Both in difficulty and distance.  Although Prairie Loop trail is really easy and a little boring the trails off of it are the ones to watch out for and take the time to hike.  The northern portion of prairie loop that is just hiking is really fun.  It gets down to single person trails in this area.  I would say it is good hiking without being too intense.

Trout Brook Loop is a beast.  There are parts of it where they put in steps.  This might be my favorite hiking area in all of Afton State Park and the most likely to kill me.  The climb/walk up is intense.  The big hill down seems like it will go on forever.  When you get out you can stop and rest at the picnic table and stare at the last hill you will need to climb to get back.  Challenging, but rewarding in my book.

The hill that leads away from Trout Loop

There are some simple trails in the southern area.  You can avoid walking up the giant hill at the end of the river trail by approaching it from this direction.  Bench in Afton ParkYou will walk down instead of up and there is a bench at the bottom as your reward.  Then you can walk along the river trail and the only difficult part is the end with the steps to get back to the main area, but you can walk up some, rest and walk up the remaining ones.

Deer Valley Loop in the southwest part of the park is a real hiking trail.  It is a lot of single file hiking, but there are a lot of neat things to see in that area.  I suggest making sure you can handle this one before you try your hand at Trout Brook Loop.  On separate days of course.

A bridge in Afton State Park

Not sure how you take the tractor ride, but I did see some people on one when we finally made it out of Deer Valley Loop.

tractor giving a trail ride

The park also offers camping, cabins, and yurts to stay in so that you can get the full experience.  It is also nice to be able to just get up and go hiking.

Afton State Park campsite

In the winter there is snow shoe trails.  There are also horse trails for you equestrians.  Did I mention the birds.  Plenty of wildlife to see here.  Pretty blue birds and the occasional deer.  Afton State Park is definitely a place to check out if you want to experience the outdoors.

Lodging, Travel

Afton State Park Lodging

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Afton State Park – a great place to stay if you like camping, cabins, or yurts – website and information

If you are looking for an outdoor adventure Afton State Park has something to offer you.  Sometimes you want to take advantage of both the trails and just sitting around with friends.  That is where staying at a campsite or renting a cabin or yurt comes into play.

Afton State park has both individual campsites for yourself or you and a friend and group sites in case you want to bring the whole family or multiple friends.  Each site is out of the way enough that you don’t feel like someone else will stumble into it (I only stumbled into a group campsite once I swear).  Most of the individual campsites are up the hill where a lot of the 200 yarders dare not tread.  They are out of the way yet close to the main section of Afton alps.

Afton State Park campsite

The cabins are all along the same little road and located a bit further south.  Only other cabin renters and yurt renters should venture into the area.  You get a parking spot or two right by the cabin so if you do not want to walk too far you can always drive from the cabin to the main area.

There are a couple of yurts just past the cabins.  They are setback and you will need to walk a short distance from your vehicle, but there is a little red wagon black wagon for transporting items to the yurt(ok it’s black) at the yurt for you to use.
What is a yurt you ask?  A yurt is a round building made of wood and covered in a canvas.  At the top there is a skylight which allows a ton of light into the yurt during the day.  The skylight of the yurtWhen the sun is out there is no place to hide; I mean it allows a ton of natural light into the room brightening up your day.
There is also a wood stove in the yurt to keep you warm, but you will need to add fire to it often as it is small.  Something to keep in mind if renting in the winter.

Wood burning stove in yurt

The yurts can hold a ton of people.  They come with 2 bunk beds and a futon bed.  There is even a kitchen table in the middle.  Bring your own bedding and pillow.

Futon and bunk in the yurt

Bunk beds in yurt

You can have a campfire.  Make sure you put it out completely before you leave.  Minnesota has some strange rule against alcohol in parks.  If you plan on drinking understand you cannot be rowdy, you cannot be obvious, and you may need to hide it and act sober like a teenager at a kegger.  The bathrooms are outhouses, but they are clean.  There are also places to get drinking water from a spigot.  What they do not have are showers.  I considered sitting under the spigot, but decided against it.  The best part about staying at Afton State Park is being able to get up and go straight out for a nice long hike.

Deer Run Trail wooded area

If you are looking for a place to setup camp and sleep close to nature I would highly suggest Afton State Park.  More for the close assess to great hiking trails than anything else, but also because the accommodations are well maintained.

 

Parks, Sights, Travel

William O’Brien, St. Croix

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William O’Brien State Park, 16821 O’Brien Trail N, Marine on St Croix, MN 55047

The park entrance is north of the city.  It took us forever to find it.  It was like an epic joke, signs everywhere that said William O’Brien State Park, but no place to park.  When you find the entrance you will discover tons of parking.

Go left or right it is up to you.  If you want the long trip go right.  If you want to see the pond with minimum walking take the left path.  It is a fairly nice pond.  If you choose the long trip and it starts getting to you there is a cut across.

William O'Brian State Park pond

Overall it is a bit flat for hiking.  It is a walking trail.  There are some birds that nest there that might be worth seeing.  If you are in St. Croix and want to go hiking it is worth a trip around the park once.  Get your hiking pin.

William O'Brien State Park 20

William O'Brien State Park 24

There is also cabins, camping, and group camp sites.  If you are looking for a place to stay in the outdoors this one is pretty nice.

For more details on the park check out their website: William O’Brien State Park.

Sights, Travel

Crazy Horse, Custer

Crazy Horse, Custer – 12151 Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD 57730

We seem to love to carve mountains into men in the United States.  First, Mount Rushmore and now Crazy Horse.

The first time I saw Crazy Horse I was a child.  There was only an armpit.  You drove by and donated a couple of dollars as you past the man holding the bucket.

Years later I returned and progress had definitely been made both on the mountain and with the visitor center.

At the center you can learn the history of the construction and of Crazy Horse himself.  You can see the small statue of what the end product should look like.

Crazy Horse mold

Here is a picture of the mountain in 2005, my second trip.

Crazy Horse Mountain

Getting to watch the progress over the years is really exciting.  If you want to learn more about the project or donate to it check out the website for Crazy Horse.