On day 15 of the Vapor Trail we left Glacier at a respectable 7:00 a.m. planning to follow U.S. Route 2 all the way to Michigan and Interstate 75. Many miles lay between us and I75 as we started out in the morning morning! We logged 674 miles the first day, ending up in Minot, North Dakota at a private campground. Along the way we stopped for a quick look at the geographical center of North America. Day 16, continuing on the homeward journey, found us at Lake Itasca State Park, Minnesota, by 2:00 p.m. with plenty of time to see the headwaters of the Mississippi. When the kids were young, this was a favorite stop-over where we rented bikes and rode the miles of incredible bike paths. Biking wasn’t on our agenda this trip, and we settled for a nice walk back to the headwaters after a walk-through of the Visitor Center. As we approached the headwaters, we crossed a bridge where the newly birthed Mississippi River was shallow and narrow enough to walk across in a few steps! At the headwaters, where Itaska lake meets with the Mississippi, the opening widens a bit and becomes very shallow with a perfect little rock dam across the length. Tom walked out to scoop up a little water sample for our collection of waters from around the USA! The location is a perfect wading and rock-hopping spot for young children . . . who are able to wade across the Mississippi River! Day 17, following a 612 mile trek, still on U.S. Route 2, we arrived at St. Ignace Straits State Park in Michigan. It was a sentimental night as we were reluctant to stop vacationing, but excited to get home! On the last day of the Vapor Trail, day 18, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge with an easy 6 hour drive home! We gave Grandma and Caleb plenty of updates on our progress, and they met us in the driveway with a welcome home sign! Before I close up the Vapor Trail blog, here are some stats from our 18-day journey: 4,330 miles on the Silvermine
5057 total miles (average of 280 miles per day) 367 gallons of gas (14 MPG average) $1,359.38 on gas Total cost of the trip . . . . PRICELESS!
1 Comment
Tom
7/31/2014 04:16:26 am
Excellent! Truly, we did now schedule enough days at the national parks to "see it all!" That means we will have to or get to do it all again. Thanks for recording our wonderful experiences.
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |