A true “Banning” is what we accomplished this past month. A good friend of mine (Rick Roethke) called our trips a “Banning” because we do so much. Read on: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, and more. One week of traveling!!!
We decided to take a National Park trip as well as get away from some of the heat and humidity. With that said, we headed north to take in some sights. Our intended destination was Voyageurs National Park, which is located in northern Minnesota on the Canadian border.
Question: Have you heard of this place? I found that 90% of people were unaware of the park’s existence, with only 10% having prior knowledge.
What is your answer? Let us know if you’re one of the 90% or the 10%. Vote here
Before we discuss Voyageurs, I would like to share a couple of locations we visited on the way—little nuggets that were so fun to find and explore. We wandered our way northwesterly through Indiana and into Illinois.
Our first stop was in Freeport, IL. This is quite the historical community (through research, you’ll find that most communities are historically significant) that hosted one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858. Freeport is a good ole midwestern community that, like several other more rural communities, has fallen on some hard times; however, it’s still a place to take a few minutes and explore. Freeport used to be considered the pretzel capital of the world, and their high school mascot is a pretzel. Who would have thought? We ate at Big O’s on the Hollow and had a nice burger and outdoor dinner. One of my favorite types of places – eat outdoors and get “comfort” food. We’re always finding places that we definitely can’t find at home. Another interesting tidbit about Freeport is its Little Cubs Field—a miniature Wrigley Field. Who would have thought?
Onward to Galena, IL. Galena is a rock/mineral. I knew that, probably from high school science class. I didn’t understand the significance of the mineral until I reached the City with the same name. What a cool place! It is unbelievable the places you can find and the things you can see when you make the time, take the time, and just explore. Driving down Main Street was like going back in time. The quaint storefront buildings, filled with retail and restaurant areas, were fantastic. So much history and so much to see. We are going back! While there, we took the trolley tour to understand the history of the town. This is a must before you start doing too much wandering around. We learned how they mined the ore and loaded it onto boats that then shipped it down the Mississippi River. Looking at the Galena River, you would think how in the world did they accomplish getting these big steam ships to the River, which was 3-4 miles away.
The Galena River is only 50-100 feet wide. What we found out is that the River used to be dredged out and was 3-4 times wider than it is today. Cool stuff!
As a big surprise, we found out that Ulysses S. Grant’s house was in Galena as well. There is a story related to that as well, which you should research, or better yet, take a drive and find out how and why it is there. Take the tour of the house, the grounds, and the small historical park. You won’t be disappointed if you are a history and architectural buff. Did I say we will be going back?
Onto Superior, WI, and Duluth, MN. We were blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate our Nation’s Birthday in Duluth. Watching the fireworks overlooking Lake Superior was fantastic. Not only did we see Duluth’s, but also Superior’s. A great twofer! Couldn’t ask for a better view. Duluth has an iconic Aerial Lift Bridge that allows boat traffic to traverse from Lake Superior into the harbor and the St. Louis River. They have created Canal Park, a nice recreation and eatery area that is a must-visit while in town. Check it out.
Apparently, Minnesota SR 61, which travels along the coast of Lake Superior, is a highly recommended road that shows up in many travel magazines. We drove it, and I would agree that it’s quite the opportunity to see many quaint little villages, restaurants, historic sites, and a lot of beautiful scenery. We stopped at Two Harbors for lunch, looked around at one of the many lighthouses, hiked at Gooseberry Falls State Park up the road, and took the tour of Split Rock Lighthouse. If you go another couple of hours northeast along the road, you will come to Grand Portage, which is one of the options for ferry/flights to Isle Royale National Park. Not an adventure for us on this trip, but we will one day.
Minnesota SR 1 through Superior National Forest is beautiful and very rustic. You’d better have gas and supplies when you travel this road. It is wilderness, and it is quite the route to take. This is getting into the Boundary Waters area, where many canoeing and backwoods/wilderness activities occur. Ely is the biggest town for miles, and when we drove through, they were having a very spirited celebration. I wonder what else you do when you are so far away from what we might consider a “typical” life.
International Falls, MN, was our home for three days. A City of 6,000 people or so, and a laid-back community, my kind of community. There were several restaurants that fit our fancy in town, a couple of fun gifty shops, and you have to experience the drive into Fort Frances, Canada. I wasn’t sure what to expect crossing the border. It actually wasn’t too bad. Make sure you have your passport. Also, while in Canada, make sure you understand speed limits. KPM vs. MPH is a must-know so that you don’t get caught speeding. International Falls used to have a water fall until the Rainy River was dammed up for a mill and then ultimately for hydroelectric power.
Voyageurs was a very interesting National Park. A good majority of the park is water, so plan to take a canoe trip or a boat tour. Getting out on the water is well worth it, and we were able to try a canoe trip and a boat tour. There are several visitor centers (4). We visited three of them. Each visitor center had different offerings, and we enjoyed them all. It was interesting that the park didn’t have many hiking trails.
Those that were available were worth the hike. A lot of the trails within the park are really set up for winter sports. Fyi. There are very few visitors, and if you like to get away from the crowds, this is the place to go. I highly suggest taking a trip here, and you might look into backcountry camping. Take a boat to the islands and camp out in the wilderness. Rainy Lake, Lake Kabetogama, and Ash River Visitor Centers are the places we visited. Voyageurs, a French name, for the men who traded with the Indians to take beaver pelts back to Europe.
Well, this article is getting really long, and I could go on and on.
I didn’t even mention Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Mackinac Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and all of the neat towns along the Michigan coast of Lake Michigan. So much to see and so many things to discuss. Maybe in a future newsletter. Let me know your thoughts and favorite places to visit. We plan to head back north in the future since one of our sons lives in Muskegon, MI. Can you say winter sports???
~ Jeff Banning