Hi Everyone!

Since our last update in Michigan, we've quickly traveled along the coast of Lake Superior in Wisconsin and Minnesota and through the middle of North Dakota. While briefly in Wisconsin, we rode a ferry to see the beautiful Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. In Minnesota, we enjoyed the historical aspects of Duluth, and enjoyed many nature stops along the North Shore Scenic Drive. North Dakota had two highlights; spending time with the owner of Red Trail Vineyard while we camped there one night, and visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the park named in honor of thr “Conservation President” and where the bison picture above was taken. 

This leg of the trip was seasoned with various encounters with residents in small towns, which was fun because we enjoy interacting with the locals. Many of our dining-out experiences in towns with fewer than 200 people have been amusing. One time we chatted with a man and his son who had just returned from paying respects to their dying grandmother. The priest had been called, and she expectantly would die any minute. While the men were there, she completely woke up and spryly got out of bed to take family photos with her grandsons! Now with us, they were still relishing in the miracle— "…if you believe in miracles," the man said…" or who knows!…maybe she just needed a 30-hour nap!" 😄 Another day, an older man playing an electronic casino machine in a saloon won $1,400 and paid the tab for the whole place. (All four of us!) 🤑 In North Dakota, a delightfully dapper 75-year-old corn farmer/vinedresser went with us to dinner and introduced us to nearly everyone in the restaurant/saloon, including a lovely friend from high school who was revisiting her hometown. She graciously invited us to stay on her property when we got to Idaho—and she meant it…we got a call a few weeks later asking where we were.🤠 Lastly, there was the man in a restaurant who told all the patrons about his fantastic pheasant hunting dog—a "puppy" that happened to be in the car. "She's a real beauty; want to see her?"  The manager: Oh, a puppy? I love puppies! Yes, let's see her! He then brought into the restaurant an 11-year-old, worn-out, partially grey pointer for all of us to admire. Hmm…😏

In this portion of our trip, we were surrounded by water—a lot of it, so forgive us if we have told you everything you never wanted to know about lakes, bridges, and ships! We did reach dry land in North Dakota and are still on our way to Montana. When we get there, we have family coming to stay with us to visit Glacier National Park. We are very excited about their upcoming visit. 

We hope you are all doing great, and we look forward to hearing from you anytime! Much love to you all! Glenda and Craig (and Clay) 🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♂️🐕

Well, that wraps up this portion of our traveIs! We thought we’d leave you with this fun National Park System wildlife petting guide 🤣🐻 ….and another video with more pictures. 😁 Thanks for watching! See you soon! 🧡