The Enchanted Highway

Come along with me on a photo story of an enchanted place in North Dakota.

August 17, 2023 – Traveling With Rich & Julie

Did you know there is an enchanted highway in North Dakota full of some of the world’s largest scrap metal sculptures in the world? It starts at exit 72 on I-94 for Gladstone and continues for 32 miles south to the town of Regent. The road has no actual highway number. It is just called the Enchanted Highway. You can’t miss the exit off of I-94 because there is a huge scrap metal sculpture marking the way.

Geese in Flight

The first sculpture at the exit is titled “Geese in Flight.” This sculpture is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture. It stands 110 feet tall and 154 feet wide. It was completed in 2001. Just look at how small Rich looks standing in front of it in the photo below. Can you even see him?

Each area has a nice parking area for vehicles to stop so you can get out and take photos. Some have picnic tables and a kiosk, but there are no restroom facilities or porta-potties available anywhere.

Deer Crossing

The second sculpture along the road is about twelve miles further down the highway and is titled “Deer Crossing.” You can’t miss it as it appears over the small hill. This sculpture includes a 75-foot tall leaping buck and a 50-foot tall doe standing on the ground. The sculptures were all the vision of local Regent artist Gary Greff to increase tourism traffic to the dying town of Regent. “Deer Crossing” was completed in 2002, one year after the “Geese in Flight.”

In addition to the famous sculptures, driving this road is a great way to see tons of sunflower fields. North Dakota is one of the largest producers of sunflowers and they are all blooming and reaching their peak in August.

Grasshoppers in the Field

The next sculpture along the road is titled “Grasshoppers in the Field,” which was completed in 1999.

This display includes one 60-foot-long huge grasshopper with smaller grasshoppers surrounding it. This display is located near the small town of Lefor about halfway between Gladstone and Regent. In Lefor you can see the remnants of the Lefor State Bank that was in use from 1913 to 1934.

Fisherman’s Dream

Continuing on down the Enchanted Highway you will see the “Fisherman’s Dream” sculpture next that was completed in 2006. The rest of the sculptures are each only about 4 or 5 miles apart from here to the town of Regent.

Closer to the town of Regent, this sculpture is magnificent to see in person. It is so much bigger than it looks in the photo above. The 70-foot tall trout is jumping out of the water and there are several other fish to see swimming around and jumping. I’d say the small fisherman in the tiny boat on top has his hands full.

Pheasants on the Prairie

The fifth sculpture in the series is the “Pheasants on the Prairie.” The male pheasant is 40 feet tall. He is best viewed from the side to get a true sense of his magnificent tail. The hen stands 35 feet tall and the family is complete with two chicks to the side. This sculpture was completed in 1996.

Theodore Roosevelt Rides Again

Just a few miles down the road is the sixth sculpture titled, “Theodore Roosevelt Rides Again.” This is a fun one for the kids because the stage coach is able to be entered and used as a photo opportunity.

Theodore Roosevelt himself rides a bucking horse and waves his arm.

This enchanted highway passes through some beautiful scenic countryside dotted with buttes like the Black Butte with an elevation of 3,112 feet according to the posted sign. A butte is simply a large mesa. There are several hiking trails to the top.

They say when viewed at sunset the butte appears to be completely black.

Tin Family

Reaching the seventh sculpture along the highway brings you to the first sculpture Greff completed. The World’s Largest Tin Family is just two miles away from the town of Regent.

The dad stands 45 feet tall while the mom is 44 feet tall. The young boy stands a mere 23 feet tall. Greff began this sculpture in 1989 and completed it in 1990.

Reaching the town of Regent you will first see the Enchanted Highway Gift Shop with a sculpture of whirlygigs beside it.

Enchanted Castle, Knight, and Dragon

And clear down at the end of the road is an enchanted castle complete with a knight fighting off a huge dragon with his sword. Greff turned the abandoned school into a fancy hotel and restaurant where weary travelers could eat and possibly stay in town for a night or two.

The restaurant was not open when we arrived early in the day so instead we grabbed a sandwich across the street from the gift shop.

I hear the artist is working on some more sculptures, one of them being spider webs and spiders. It will be interesting to see what they are.

I highly recommend driving this road from beginning to end if you are ever in the area. It is places and scenic drives like this that make traveling across America fun. I will always stop and see anything that holds the title of “World’s Largest.”

I hope you enjoyed this drive down the Enchanted Highway in North Dakota. Thanks for reading.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Day 2

North Unit

August 10, 2023

An unusual fact about “Theodore Roosevelt National Park” is that the South Unit is in Mountain Time Zone, and when we traveled to the North Unit we noticed that we entered Central Time Zone and lost an hour. We visited this part of the park on Thursday, August 10.

It was sprinkling and cloudy as we traveled north from the campgrounds but the countryside is beautiful and breathtaking whether it is cloudy and raining or not.

The North Unit Entrance and Visitor Center is located on Highway 85. The small visitor center doesn’t contain much but you can get your National Park book stamped here and purchase stickers or small souvenirs. They also show the same 17-minute video that we already watched at the south unit.

The rugged solitude of this wilderness is not to be missed or underestimated. This section is much less visited than the south unit, probably because it is more than 50 miles north of the interstate. But don’t let that fool you into thinking it isn’t worth the trip. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

The scenic drive here is 14 miles long one way to the end at the Oxbow Overlook and then you have to turn around and come back the same way. The first half of the drive stays low in the badlands and the first sight to stop and see is the Cannonball Concretions.

These large round rocks littering the ground and protruding from the side of the cliff are mysterious and bizarre. It seems they simply formed this way from the sediment, and erosion is slowly exposing them within the walls of the mountains. Eventually, they fall out and land on the ground.

The rain and clouds cleared away and a blue sky appeared. I just love the look of the photos when the sky is this blue.

As we continued down the path, we did see one buffalo lying by the side of the road and one deer up on a hill. We were told that the deer in the park were mule deer. I can never tell the difference from a distance.

The middle area of the park is filled with grasslands and prairie. It’s almost like leaving one world behind and entering another totally different landscape. Sometimes the change is as quickly as you can drive around the bend in the road.

Here we saw some more prairie dogs, which some countries, I think, call ground squirrels, and even caught a glimpse of a few wild turkeys in the distance.

We were told to keep our eyes out for bighorn sheep on the steep cliff ledges, but it just wasn’t our day to see any, even though they say driving is the best way to view wildlife.

Most of the road through the park is paved, with a few small exceptions where it must have been washed out and temporarily fixed.

The Little Missouri River winds through the countryside and there is a short 0.7-mile easy nature trail that explores the river valley, or you can hike the longer 1.4-mile moderately difficult long loop trail.

Other trails include the 4.2-mile Caprock Coulee Trail loop which contains some of the most scenic views in the park. The River Bend Overlook has a wheelchair-accessible viewing deck or an overlook shelter down a short trail. And at the Oxbow Overlook, there is a 2-mile round trip trail up to Sperati Point by way of the Achenbach Trail. You can also take a short stroll up a sidewalk to the rim of the badlands.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit is remote and rugged. The landscape is beautiful and I want to see as much of this country as I can while I can.

Thanks for coming along with us on our travels and journeys. I appreciate the time you spend reading my articles and stories.

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

August 7, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

We woke up from sleeping overnight in the Walmart parking lot and traveled about 155 miles to the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site in Stanton, ND, knocking another place off the list in my National Parks Book.

This site was established in 1974, to preserve the historic and archeological remnants of the Northern Plains Indians called the Hidatsas, of North Dakota. This area was a major trading area for these peoples. There are three distinct villages known to have inhabited the area. They are the Big Hidatsa Village, the Lower Hidatsa Village, and the Awatixa Village.

Just behind the visitor center is a replica of one of the large earthmound dwellings. It was much larger than I expected it would be. It smelled as soon as you entered and pulled back the heavy buffalo hide hung across the opening. I’m not sure what the smell was…dirt or hot air. It would take some getting used to.

If you walk the trails to the village sites, you will see large circle indentations in the ground where the mound dwellings were. Established earthlodge settlements along the Knife River date to circa-1525 CE. They thrived until 1837, when smallpox greatly reduced the population of Indians living here.

The Awatixa Village was the village where Sakakawea (also known as Sakagawea) lived. This is where Lewis & Clark first met her. The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail is also here and you can drive the trail and follow the signs.

We left here and headed to our home for the next week near the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Thanks for joining us on this traveling journey.

The World’s Largest Buffalo

August 6, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Sunday, August 6, we left the Pipestone Family Campground and drove Hwy 29 from South Dakota up to Fargo, North Dakota where we got on I-94. Heading west on I-94 we stopped at Jamestown, ND to see the World’s Largest Buffalo and the Frontier Village and Buffalo Museum.

The parking lot at the museum was large enough to get the motorhome in and turn around. If the parking lot had been completely full of other vehicles though, there might not have been room.

The sculptor’s name is Elmer Paul Petersen. The bull was erected in 1959. His name is Dakota Thunder. He weighs 60 tons, is 46 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 26 feet high. That is a lot bigger than our motorhome.

There is a gift shop inside the National Buffalo Museum. We walked around a little bit, but I have hurt my right knee and just can’t walk much right now. It was too far of a walk for me from the parking lot to the Frontier Town and to the large buffalo, so I settled for pictures from afar.

After a short visit here, we drove over to the Walmart parking lot in the Buffalo Mall and spent the night. We always call ahead and ask the Walmart’s if they allow overnight parking. This one does. See you tomorrow.

Pipestone National Monument

August 4th and 5th, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Friday, August 4th, we left the Don McLean American Pie Parking Lot in Clear Lake, Iowa and drove 208 miles to the Pipestone Family Campgrounds, which is right across the street from the Pipestone National Monument entrance.

In 1937, the US government declared this property a National Monument in order to protect the right of any American Indian to quarry the pipestone. American Indians continue to quarry the stone today. This national monument also protects over 300 native plant species – including 70 grasses – of the tallgrass prairies.

I am on a quest to visit as many National Parks and Monuments as I can. There are hundreds of National Monuments in addition to the 63 main National Parks.

The Pipestone Family Campground is a nice facility with clean restrooms, laundry, and a swimming pool. The workers were polite and helpful, and our site was wonderful. Sadly, we showed up on a stormy, rainy weekend and spent a lot of time inside playing cards and listening to the weather station. At one point we were under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and Tornado Watch.

On Saturday, we drove around to see some things in the rain. We went to the Visitor Center for my stamp and sticker and saw some of the Native Americans carving the pipestone.

Right behind the Visitor Center is the start of the Circle Trail that takes you back to Winnewissa Falls, but I was not able to walk this trail. I have hurt my right knee and was barely able to make it to the Visitor Center. Here you can see an example of the Quarry Floor. This red pipestone is what the Indians use to carve animal sculptures and pipes.

On the way to the Visitor Center there are some large boulders to your left. We stopped by on our way out. The Three Maidens are three large granite boulders that used to be one large boulder. There are smaller fragments here as well. Legend says that the boulders were deposited here by the glaciers. These are sacred to the local people.

On the opposite corner from the entrance to the National Monument is a full-size replica of Fort Pipestone. Fort Pipestone is an 1860’s palisade fort with a cedar log cabin gift shop and museum. Visiting the fort and gift shop was free.

We drove on into the town of Pipestone, Minnesota and found another fun gift shop with a huge peacepipe sculpture and horse outside.

In town there is a historic concrete water tower located in a welcome rest area setting with picnic tables, restrooms, and even a free RV dump station. This unique concrete water tower stands 132 feet high, holds 500,000 gallons of water, was built in 1920 and began serving the community of Pipestone in 1921. It served the community until 1973 when it was retired. It was restored, repainted, and fixed in 1990 and became a historical landmark.

No trip to Pipestone, Minnesota would be complete without seeing the gorgeous courthouse grounds and Civil War Memorial. The courthouse is made of the red pipestone quartz and has been kept as near as possible to its original condition.

The Civil War Memorial Soldier Statue is inscribed on all four sides with the names of more than 200 veterans of the Civil War and Spanish-American War, and joining the statue on the courthouse lawn is a WWII RA M4 Sherman Tank.

And last but not least, we drove the King of Trails Scenic Byway, which is Highway 75, from Pipestone north to Lake Benton. This scenic byway goes on for over 400 miles. It is miles of beautiful prairie lands untouched by man.

Thanks for joining me on this travel journey. I hope you enjoy seeing all the places we are visiting. Leave me a comment to let me know you were here.

The Buddy Holly Crash Site

August 3, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

On February 3, 1959, a plane crashed in a field north of Clear Lake, Iowa. I was not born yet. American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson all died along with their pilot Roger Peterson. This event later became known as “The Day the Music Died” after singer-songwriter Don McLean referred to it as such in his 1971 song “American Pie.”

The most famous song I know of Buddy Holly is “That’ll Be the Day.” He was born in Texas and died at the young age of 22. The crash devastated the Rock and Roll community.

This morning we left our campsite at Grant River Recreation Area in Wisconsin and headed west across Iowa. Sometimes when I am planning a route, I find the coolest, strange and unusual places to visit as we pass through.

We are headed to Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota, and the Buddy Holly Crash Site came up on my Google Maps. Right beside it is the Don McLean American Pie Parking Lot. As soon as I saw it I clicked on the website and contacted the owners through email. They were quick to respond when I asked if there was room for us to get in with our 38 foot RV towing a car.

There is plenty of room for an RV towing a car but be aware it is over a mile down a gravel road just to get to the parking lot and crash site. They allowed us to park overnight for free.

The iconic glasses of Buddy Holly mark the entrance to a trail that is near a quarter of a mile back to the memorial spot. Many visitors leave a pair of sunglasses at the entrance. I wonder how many pairs of sunglasses the family has collected over the years.

As you walk the path, you can see a bare spot of weeds and dirt in the field to your left where the plane landed. It was cold, snowy, and icy on the night of the crash and the plane skidded 558 feet across the field and everyone on board was ejected from the plane.

We were surprised to see cars pulling in and out of the small parking lot all day long. It was a steady stream of people from all across the country wanting to pay their respects just like us, and to remember an icon of Rock and Roll. Some people just park on the side of the dirt road. At one time I think I counted 8 vehicles.

The memorial at the end of the path is worth the hike. This is the spot where Buddy Holly’s body landed after being thrown from the plane. We met people from Canada, Kansas, and Louisiana as we hiked the trail. Some people leave flowers or trinkets or more sunglasses at the memorial site.

The small memorial to the right is for the pilot. If you aren’t familiar with Buddy Holly’s music, or Don McLean, take some time to listen to the songs and refresh your memory or find some new favorites.

The owners of the parking lot are trying to create a nice place for people visiting the site to park. Parking is free. If you are ever in the area, this is one spot you should take the time to see. And take time to talk to the owners of the parking lot, and to the people you pass along the path. We meet some of the best people in the country by just saying hello.

Thanks for coming on the journey with us. Stay tuned for the next adventure.

Effigy Mounds National Monument

August 1 and 2, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Yesterday, August 1, was spent driving from the Iowa 80 Truck Stop to Grant River Recreation Area in Potosi, Wisconsin, and relaxing after a long day stranded by the side of the road waiting to get the RV fixed. $700 later, we arrived at the campgrounds.

I wanted to stay along the Mississippi River, but close enough to visit Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry, Iowa. The goal of this trip out west is to see as many of the National Parks and Monuments as we can.

Grant River Recreation Area is run by the Army Corps of Engineers. Reservations had to be made online and with Rich’s lifetime National Park Pass it was only $10 per night to camp.

Our site had 50 amp electric hookup but no water or sewer. Drinking water is available throughout the park and a dump is available when you leave. The view of the river was absolutely stunning.

On the way to Effigy Mounds today, Wednesday, August 2, we stopped at the Fort Crawford Museum in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Zachary Taylor, who became the twelfth president of the United States commanded the fort from 1829 to 1837. Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederate States of America, was stationed at Fort Crawford, and the Sauk leader Black Hawk surrendered here and was held prisoner after the Black Hawk War of 1832.

On to the mounds. Effigy Mounds National Monument holds 206 known prehistoric mounds with 31 of them in the form of animal effigies. Some of the other mounds are conical, linear, or compound. These effigy mounds are not the result of nature, but were built by American Indians between 850 and 1,400 years ago. I wasn’t able to hike to the individual mounds, as many of the trails are anywhere from one to four miles long.

After exploring the Effigy Mounds Visitor Center we drove on down the river to the Marquette Scenic Overlook at the Pontoon Bridge. What a beautiful view this was.

The next stop was Pike’s Peak State Park in McGregor, Iowa. I do want to mention here that all of the State Parks in Iowa are free entrance to anyone. Some of the state parks are the most beautiful places in the country. Please take advantage of this if you are ever in Iowa.

Known for its majestic views of the Mississippi River, this is a must stop place for anyone. It was a short walk to the platform. The view of the river and surrounding area is gorgeous, and several bald eagles soared above our heads as we stood in silence enjoying the view.

It was a glorious day exploring another small corner of America. Stay tuned for the journey as we travel further west.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

July 31, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Herbert Hoover was born on August 10, 1874 in a small town in Iowa. He served as the 31st President of the United States from 1929 – 1933. The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is located in West Branch, Iowa and we were only 30 miles away while we were parked at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop & Museum.

We hopped in the car and drove to the Visitor Center. I got my stamp and sticker for my National Park Book. From the Visitor Center you simply walk the old wooden plank sidewalk to the small cottage where he was born.

This 14 foot x 20 foot home was built in 1871. It doesn’t take long to go from the front door to the back door. With two adults and three children, there was not much room in the small dwelling.

Out the back is another wooden plank sidewalk leading to the outhouse and across the street to the Blacksmith Shop where Herbert’s father, Jesse Hoover, worked.

Next is the one-room schoolhouse built in 1853. It served as the primary school for the children of West Branch when Herbert was a boy. It used to be a couple blocks away but it was moved here beside the Blacksmith Shop.

From here you can walk to the Presidential Library & Museum or drive to it. We got back in the car and drove to it. The Presidential Library is separate from the National Park so there is a separate fee to enter. We chose not to enter the museum.

Continuing on the road past the Presidential Library we drove through a peaceful park leading to the gravesite of President and Mrs. Hoover. It is very simple and elegant. I have never visited the gravesite of a president before and I was extremely impressed with the simplicity of this one.

Herbert Hoover died on October 20, 1964 and was buried here – on this hill overlooking his childhood home – five days later, beside his wife Lou Henry Hoover who died in 1944.

From the parking area it is a short 280 ft. walk to the graves. The path will continue around to a Tall Grass Prairie Observation Deck or you can simply go back to your car.

If you are ever on I-80 in Iowa it would be good to take the time to visit this gem of a place.

Iowa 80 Truck Stop & Museum

July 31, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

We left home in Ohio early this morning and traveled 358 miles to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop and Trucking Museum. This truck stop claims the title of the world’s largest truckstop.

It was established in 1964, which makes it as old as I am. Stepping inside the doors is like stepping into a large shopping mall. There are shops and fast food restaurants galore. Other amenities include a barber shop, chiropractor, custom shop, dental office, laundry facility, showers, library, and even a movie theater. Who could ask for more?

You can eat and shop and visit the trucking museum. The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum is down the street, but we walked to it from the parking lot. Entrance is free but donations are welcome. What a wonderful display of old antique trucks, modern trucks, rare trucks, and toy trucks.

If you are traveling down Interstate 80 through Walcott, Iowa, you simply must stop and visit the largest truck stop in the world. Overnight parking in the RV is allowed and there is plenty of room.

Kelleys Island

July 28, 2023 – Traveling With Rich & Julie

Cooking outside when camping is one of the best things to do – especially in the morning. Scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and sausage patties made for a healthy start to the day.

The first place I dragged the grandkids yesterday was to the birthplace of Thomas Edison in Milan, Ohio. The house was built in 1841, and Thomas Alva Edison was born here on February 11, 1847. He lived in this house until he was seven and then his parents moved to Port Huron.

Statue of Thomas Edison sitting on a bench.

Did you know that Edison’s first patent was for a device that recorded legislative votes? He was only 21. You can read more about some of his key inventions at History.com.

From here we drove to Kelleys Island Ferry in Lakeside Marblehead, Ohio and drove our car onto the Carmen Lee, a ferry boat that took us across Lake Erie to Kelleys Island. The grandkids had never been on a ferry boat before and thought it was quite exciting.

Round trip cost us $140 for the auto ($40), one senior adult ($20), two regular adults (me and the 15-year-old grandson) ($24 each) and two children ($16 each). It might have been a little expensive, but it is an experience they will never forget.

Once we arrived on the island we headed to Kelleys Island State Park first at the northern end (only a two mile drive from the southern end) and saw the Glacial Grooves.

According to Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce website, “The glacial grooves are 400 feet long, 35 feet wide, and up to 15 feet deep. They were created by the slow movement of the massive glacier that created the Great Lakes and Lake Erie Islands.”

Lunch on the island consisted of pizza and rootbeer at Caddy Shack Square on Division Street. Shops closeby sell t-shirts, rocks, and souveneirs. The mini-golf course is $7 per person, or $10 to play as many times as you want.

On the way back to the ferry we stopped at Inscription Rock on the south end of the island.

Inscription Rock was discovered partially buried in the sand of the lake shore in 1833 and by 1915, it was appearing on postcards for tourists in the area and is still a well-visited site to this day. This rock is covered with native petroglyph drawings that are slowly fading away because of the soft nature of the limestone and the waters of Lake Erie.

The rock currently measures 32 feet by 21 feet. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Definitely worth a stop to see.

Back on the ferry, it took us back to the mainland and just 2 miles east is Marblehead Lighthouse State Park.

Marblehead Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses still in operation on the Great Lakes. You can climb the lighthouse for only $3. There are 77 winding steps to the top. They only take cash though. Don’t forget to walk through the free museum and visit the gift shop.

The park is beautiful. The kids played on the rocks at the edge of the water and watched boats go by. There are picnic tables available and clean restrooms. There is no fee to stop in and park and walk around. Don’t miss this amazing piece of history if you are ever in the area.

This day of our vacation ended with swimming in the gorgeous pool at Gotta Getaway RV Park, and sitting by a relaxing campfire eating smores.

Thank you so much for coming along with us on our RV traveling adventures. I hope you enjoy reading about all the places we visit and seeing some of the photos I take. Comment and let me know you were here. You can even share the posts on social media if you know of others who would enjoy the blog.