Author: Priya Nayar

Arriving in Grand Rapids, Minnesota saw our 3 day, 1223km/760 mile partnership with the US 2 E highway come to an end. Aside from the great sweeping views of North Dakota and Minnesota it offered us, it made for an easy straight drive. As we entered the state, it quickly became very clear why Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. To be precise it actually has 11,842 lakes and it seemed that every lake we drove past had people out on it enjoying the views, the fishing and the serenity. In Grand Rapids we had dinner at the Pickled Loon Saloon on Pokegama Lake with beautiful sunset views and great people-watching as folks arrived at the restaurant in their pontoons from their lake houses.

From Grand Rapids we headed to Lake Minnetonka for a two-hour cruise on the paddlewheeler Lady of the Lake. A stone’s throw from Minneapolis, Lake Minnetonka is Minnesota’s ninth largest lake. And we have to admit that as beautiful as the lake is, the lake houses we passed were what grabbed our attention. From the aged and graceful to the new and modern these houses, complete with manicured lawns and private moorings, are magnificent. 

Heading into Minneapolis we made a stop at Minnehaha Falls. The Falls, which are located in Minnehaha Park, drop 16 meters/53 feet into a gorge before running into the Mississippi River. Minnehaha Falls gained fame in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic 1953 poem Song of Hiawatha:

“Hark!” she said; “I hear a rushing, Hear a roaring and a rushing, Hear the Falls of Minnehaha, Calling to me from a distance!”

The Park itself was so pretty to walk through and this was clearly agreed upon by the crowds of people walking, jogging and cycling through the park and savouring Labor Day weekend.

Next up was the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The Garden is located in Parade Park and features over 40 pieces of art, all positioned throughout the garden around the main centrepiece, Spoonbridge and Cherry.

The Garden is just near the Basilica of St Mary. Consecrated in 1941, St Mary’s is America’s first basilica and joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. 

Anyone visiting Minneapolis needs to make a visit to the Mill City Museum. It is built within the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, the flagship mill of what was to become General Mills. This museum is awesome – it gives a fantastic overview of how Minneapolis came to be the city it is today in the cinematic tour Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat. It also offers a quirky elevator tour of the “Flour Tower”, which demonstrates what made Minneapolis the flour milling capital of the world up until 1930. The staff are knowledgable and friendly and the observation deck gives an amazing view of the Mississippi River and St Anthony Falls.

We finished our Minnesota chapter with a visit to Mall of America. With 555 shops to choose from, we managed to exceed our daily step count without even going near the 18-hole miniature golf course. 

Wisconsin, we’re on our way to you ☺️

S&P

We decided a day at the Minnesota State Fair deserved a blog post of its own. Before starting our road trip, many people told us that we had to try and get to a state fair in America. By sheer fortuity, our arrival in Minnesota coincided with the last day of the fair and so with no further ado, we bought our tickets and joined the thousands of other people flocking to the fair.

The Minnesota State Fair, also known as “The Great Minnesota Get-Together” is the largest state fair in the country based on average daily attendance and runs for 12 days every year ending on Labor Day. The attendance total in 2018 was a record 2,046,533 people and 2019 looks well on the way to beating that.

For those familiar with the Ekka in Brisbane, we can only say that this State Fair is like the Ekka on steroids. Taking in everything from livestock exhibitions to art and culinary demonstrations, bull riding to barrel racing, music concerts to product displays, and fairground rides to the crazy array of food, (especially whatever can be fried or served on a stick or both) we did not stop for a rest until we were ready to collapse.

Enough talk. We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Minnesota State Fair, thank you – you were outstanding! We can happily tick “Attend a State Fair” off our road trip bucket list.

P&S

And we’re back! After taking a week-long detour over the border to Calgary to get a little admin work sorted out, we are making our way across to Minnesota to pick up our original road trip itinerary. We’ll be making a slight backtrack in October to complete North & South Dakotas, Wyoming and Nebraska which we have missed out on over the past week. But in the meantime, that means we’re getting two bites at the North Dakota cherry. Part One is now as we head from Montana to Minnesota. Part Two will be in October when we come back.

Our first North Dakota stop was the oil boomtown of Williston. In 2010, Williston was a quiet agricultural town and had a population of 14,000. With the discovery of crude oil in western North Dakota, Williston’s population surged over the next few years to nearly 60,000. Driving eastwards out of Williston, we were fascinated by the flaring of natural gas in the fields surrounding us. This natural gas is the byproduct of oil fracking and the fields are dotted all over with bright yellow flames. North Dakota produces the second largest quantity of crude oil after Texas.

Further on, we started passing enormous fields of sunflowers. North Dakota is also a leading producer of sunflowers and while we were at the end of sunflower season, it’s not hard to imagine how glorious these fields must look when ablaze with full bloom. And how big the faces on these flowers are, even without their crown of petals!

North Dakota gave us our first taste of roadside diner pie. And it was just as good as it looks in the movies.

Driving along Highway US 2 E, we continued to witness North Dakota’s rich agricultural heritage as cattle, corn and bales of hay rolled past us. We also drove through Rugby, the geographical centre of North America.

We arrived in Devils Lake, our last stop before heading into Minnesota. Taking a drive around Sullys Hill National Game Preserve, we captured views of the lake, prairie dogs and bison and got eaten by insects the size of dinner plates.

A great introduction to North Dakota and we’re looking forward to coming back in October! ☺️

S&P

Entering Montana was like driving into a scenic painting. Mountains, rivers, pastures, lakes, wide open spaces…. I really also want to say cowboys as well but much to my disappointment they were sadly lacking. 

We found our Airbnb in Coram which was not only cosy and comfortable but also only 15 minutes from Glacier National Park. Our time here was again spent in awe of America’s landscape as we explored the park and drove along the Going-To-The-Sun Road, also known as the Sun Road.

An 80km/50mi scenic road that runs along the Rocky Mountains from the west to the east side of the park, the Sun Road opened in 1932 and is classed as one of the most scenic drives in the USA. And deservedly so. The scenery is like artwork and the hundreds of tourists who flood the park by 8.00am each morning during the summer are testimony to the beauty the park offers. The vista from Logan Pass (which at 2,026 m/6,646 ft is located on the Continental Divide and is the highest elevation point on the Sun Road) is spellbinding. I’m afraid photos do not do it justice.

Our day in Glacier National Park was nicely finished with huckleberry ice cream. We LOVE huckleberry season.

P&S

We have to be honest. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect in Idaho, especially after almost three hours of driving through Washington wheat country to get to the state border. Arriving in Lewiston we found our Airbnb and briefly commiserated that our cruise days were over and we now had to get in the car to go and find dinner. For anyone who happens to be in Lewiston, Idaho, go and have a meal at Mystic Café on Main Street. Great service and food and while I know that our priority is to support local produce, they also had Marlborough’s Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc on the menu and I confess this won me over.

The next day dawned sunny and warm and we sprayed on the sun block for the day ahead. There are several companies who offer tours of Hells Canyon. We chose Snake Dancer Excursions and what a great choice it was. With our guide and driver Clayton at the helm, and 12 other passengers, we set off for a six-hour trip down the river and back. Hells Canyon has been sculpted by Snake River, a 1,735km/1078mi river that runs along the western border of Idaho. Hells Canyon itself is, at 2,436m/7993ft, North America’s deepest river gorge.

From the start, the landscape towering up on either side of us was impressive. From basalt columns to Native American petroglyphs to mountain sheep, we did not run out of sights to look at.

We had a stop at Cache Creek which gave us a great view of the canyon while we had a homemade lunch provided by the tour company of chicken, beans, pasta salad and cookies.

The river was filled with holiday makers and weekend goers in everything from rubber tires to huge inflatable rubber duckies to entire convoys of rafts. The banks of the river are made up of either limestone rocks or beautiful little sandy beaches. We were also impressed with the houses that have been built along the river which, with no road access whatsoever, have had to be built with materials brought by the river.

The river was an adventure to navigate. Between gliding through calm waters as still and clear as glass to jetting through rapids, the boat ride made our tour of Hells Canyon a trip to remember.

The morning after our day in Hells Canyon we have packed up and headed north and then east across Idaho as we make our way towards Montana. Leaving Lewiston we immediately found ourselves back in wheat country, also known as the Palouse region, which covers southeastern Washington and north central Idaho.

Between the wheatlands and the forestry Idaho flew past us. And while we were apparently in the wrong end of Idaho to eat potatoes, we did partake in the offerings of huckleberry season starting with a huckleberry milkshake for breakfast and finishing with huckleberry glazed ribs in the diner at Rose Lake.

Over the border into Montana we go!
S&P

Our Alaska cruise was nicely rounded out by port calls at Sitka and Ketchikan. Again, the weather held firm for us with no rain and mild temperatures. Well for us it was mild. For the locals 19C/66F is being considered a heatwave and they told us they are in the middle of a drought.

Sitka, with its one stop sign in the entire town, was the former capital city of Alaska before the title went to Juneau. Like Juneau, it is only accessible by air or sea; there are no roads leading into Sitka. Our shore excursion here was an opportunity to see local wildlife and we weren’t disappointed. Otters, stellar seal lions, whales and bald eagles all made an appearance and our time in Sitka was completed with a visit to the local bear sanctuary for bears who cannot be returned to the wild due to injury or abandonment by their mamas.

Ketchikan, the salmon capital of the world, was up next. Ketchikan is also known for its collection of totem poles and so off we went in search of them. In Potlatch Park we found totem poles galore and spent time wandering amongst them and checking out the carving house where the totem poles are created.

Our final cruise destination was a quick stop in Canada’s Victoria, B.C. Apparently the cruise liners need to make a stop here in order to deem the cruise as ‘international’ and be able to sell duty free goods and services. Who knew? Regardless of the reason for stopping here, Victoria is beautiful and somewhere we will return to for sure when we start to explore Canada.

Our top tips for anyone wanting to do an Alaska cruise to Glacier Bay:

1. Make it a Holland America Liner cruise. HAL were the first cruise liner to break in to the Alaska cruising industry and therefore they are always guaranteed entry into Glacier Bay. Other cruise liners are not guaranteed and only two ships are allowed in to the Bay each day.

2. If you can, go for a veranda room. There is just something special about being able to sit outside your room and watch the world pass by.

3. This time of year is the perfect time to make this trip because the whales are making their way back to Alaska on much the same route as the ship takes.

4. Bring a pair of very stretchy comfortable pants for your waistline. The food on Holland America is superb.

So now our Alaska chapter has come to an end and we return to the Lower 48 to reunite with Ruby and continue our journey by road. Idaho, see you soon!

P&S

We have to begin this post by sending up a thank you to the weather gods for looking after us. We have been extremely lucky on our trip so far and despite overcast clouds being forecast for Glacier Bay, the day dawned bright, sunny and perfect.

Glacier Bay is made up of 3.3 million acres of forests, mountains, waterways and tidewater glaciers. Tidewater glaciers are rivers of ice that connect to the sea and “calve” (or break off) large chunks of ice into the water. Cruising into this national park was spectacular. The sheer beauty of the wilderness that surrounded us as we glided through on the ship was breathtaking and quite humbling to think that this landscape has been here for hundreds of years before us and will be here for hundreds more long after we have gone.

We saw the Johns Hopkins, Lamplugh, Grand Pacific, Margerie and Reid Glaciers, all impressive in their own way with their beautiful icy blue hues reflecting in the sun. Plenty of time was spent in front of Margerie Glacier which, at 1.6km/1mi wide and with an ice face of about 250ft/76m high, is undoubtedly the jewel in the Bay’s glacier crown.

We were told to look out and listen out for the calving of icebergs from the face of the glaciers. I was beyond excited to be able to photograph a huge piece of ice being calved from Margerie Glacier and hear it land in the water with a resounding crash.

Along the way the wildlife was a treat to watch. From mountain goats to brown bears and otters to stellar sea lions, our day in Glacier Bay – complete with sunshine – was simply amazing.

S&P

With high anticipation we began our Alaska chapter by skipping onto the MS Eurodam, our Holland America cruise ship and home for seven nights. Alaska is the non-driving exception to our road trip itinerary and let’s be honest – why would we consider driving Alaska when we can live on a ship for a week? There were so many options to chose from but our goal for Alaska was to visit Glacier Bay and that’s why we chose this particular cruise.

Our first full day on the ship was a sailing day with no stops. Sammy and I observed the seasoned cruise goers around us and became one of them as we ran around the ship clutching our itinerary full of cruise activities and ticking off each one as we completed them. And how busy were we?!… Starting the day in the gym we then tackled breakfast, photography classes, nature classes, lunch, a cooking demonstration, bingo, trivia, a chapel service, dinner, the captain’s welcome speech, a dance show and a performance by the resident blues band.
This cruising business is exhausting 😂

Day Two saw us sailing in the morning at a much more relaxed pace which included watching whales from our cabin verandah. Then in the afternoon the Alaskan capital of Juneau welcomed us with sunshine as we got down to serious touristy business.

First on the agenda was Mendenhall Glacier. Mesmerising to look at, the surrounding area also kept us busy with scenery abound and wild salmon to watch.

Following the glacier we headed off to visit a salmon hatchery where we learned about the life cycle of the salmon, the five different types of salmon found in Alaska (chum, sockeye, king, silver and pink) and how the hatchery allows these fish to reproduce safely and then releases over 100 million salmon back into the waters every year.

We followed up the hatchery visit somewhat morbidly but very yummily with an Alaskan salmon bake experience where we dined on pink salmon. And it was amazing how different – and good – wild Alaskan salmon tastes to the salmon we get at home.

Next was the Mt Roberts tramway. Taking us 1800 feet above Juneau, we looked down on our cruise ship and the others in port like they were pieces of Lego. Super views and a great cultural lesson about the Tlingit, Alaska’s indigenous people are offered up here and worth the cable car ride up the mountain.

Back to the ship we go now as we look forward to our day of sailing in Glacier Bay tomorrow. Alaska, you have been majestic so far.
P&S

Oh Seattle…. you have exceeded yourself. As a city, you have everything we wanted: skyscrapers, gardens, waterfront, friendly folk, great shopping, yummy cuisine, amazing views, AND….. fully expecting grey overcast weather, you very obligingly turned on the sunshine for us 😃☀️

Our first activity as tourists was our favourite go-to: the hop on hop off bus to give us a lay of the land. Thanks to Frasier, Grey’s Anatomy and Sleepless in Seattle, we had plenty of expectations and between the red route (city sights), the green route (scenic taking in Seattle’s surrounding neighbourhoods) and the yellow (history) they were all met. From houseboats to Pike Place Market, the city skyline to mountains in the distance, and Dungeness crab to the Space Needle (though we have to admit it looks kind of taller in Grey’s Anatomy), Seattle kept us happily busy for the time we were here.

On advisement from others, we didn’t actually go up the Space Needle. Instead we went up to the City View Observatory which looked down on the Needle and gave us incredible views of the entire city including Mt Rainer looming over Seattle.

We loved Pike Place Market. Opened in 1907, it is one of the oldest farmers’ markets in America. If we lived here I would never leave the place. And my Mum would get fresh flowers every day. Flowers that would cost $80 at home are $15 here! And the fruit and vegetables? Almost worth becoming vegetarian for….. almost. I even talked Sammy into rubbing Rachel the Pig’s snout for good luck 😀

Walking from pier to pier along the waterfront was fun as we merged with the crowds and ate Dungeness crabs with twilight views over Elliot Bay.

And now Seattle, we bid you a fond farewell as we sail out of Smith Cove and head to Alaska on the Holland America MS Eurodam. See you back here in a week!

S&P

Our first stop in the state of Washington was at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, located in the heart of the blast zone of Mt St Helens’ eruption on 18 May 1980. After hearing about this eruption and seeing photos of the explosion as a child, to actually see where it happened was pretty amazing. The drive to the Observatory was, like every other national park drive we have done so far, spectacular in its scenery and catching the first glimpses of Mt St Helens made it that much more special. It was well worth the visit to the Observatory where they had plenty of educational displays as well as a movie explaining how the eruption happened and the impact on the environment around it. While it’s still pretty barren immediately close to the mountain, it’s incredible to see all the lush forestry growing today around the national park and to think that almost 40 years ago, it had all been completely wiped out.

From Mt St Helens we went to Aberdeen and stayed the night before heading up through the Olympic Peninsula. Meandering our way through the parks, we checked out Lake Quinault, Hoh Rain Forest and Lake Crescent. We’ve got to say, the best $80 we have spent has been on our America The Beautiful national parks annual pass. At up to a $30 admission fee to each park, we think this pass is absolute must for anyone roadtripping through America.

We eventually came to Forks, the setting for the Twilight series. With no vampires or wolves in sight (not even Bigfoot despite his statue being all over Washington state) we drove through to Port Angeles and headed for our next Airbnb.

Marrowstone Island is a tiny island off the coast of Olympic Peninsula that we’re still not quite sure how we found an Airbnb on. Upon reaching here we happily settled in for 36 hours of doing absolutely nothing but taking in the fresh air and views of Kilisut Harbour right outside our door.

Just a couple of things to add – we are completely taken with the highway road signs here in Washington that have the silhouette of President George Washington on them – love it.

Also – stand out meal for this leg of the trip: superb dinner of pork tomahawk in Aberdeen at Red Viva on the main street.

P&S