Whoopsie. We landed back home in New Hampshire and I promptly forgot to make this post. Of course, as the time passes the details feel a little hazy, but I will do my best to piece together the last week or so of our whirlwind US/Canadian travel adventure.

We had a few days to spend in the Great Lakes Region. This may be the part of the country we have explored the least in our lives. In fact Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan were our last three states left for us to visit to complete our set of all 50 states. So we set out a plan to at least visit them while returning back to the east coast. The forest fires ravaging Canada affected some of our plans, but we pivoted and repositioned ourselves such that we could enjoy as much as possible in the days we had allocated.

TL; DR Duluth, Lake Wisconsin, Madison, Chicago, Ann Arbor.

We left Theodore Roosevelt NP, hauled ass across the great plains and made our way to Minnesota. En route it was evident that the forest fires in Canada were terrible and the wind direction was sending the smoke south. We had plans to go to Marquette, but we received a fire warning from the campground and thought it best to pivot. We overnighted in what I imagine would normally be a perfectly fine Harvest Host in Duluth. A cidery on one side and a well regarded detroit pizza style pop up on the other. We screeched in on two wheels after 7 or 8 hours of driving, arriving a mere 30 minutes before they closed. Stools were already up on most of the tables, but we were able to order a flight of cider and two pizzas. The air was thick and hazy. Our eyes and throat burned just walking from the van to the building. This was going to be a rough night of sleeping. It was hot, and as we were dry camping in their parking lot, we had no electricity for AC. Normally we would open the windows and run the fan, but the air outside was too acrid. In the end we took advantage of the MAX Fan’s reverse setting. We were able to blow out the warm air enough that we could sleep and breath at the same time.

The next morning we made our plan to head away from the smoke and move toward Lake Wisconsin. Before we left we walked a little of Duluth, along Lake Superior. We could see a little better than we could last evening, but it was still pretty smoky. We thought it only fitting to have lunch at a sandwich shop called The Smoke House. Creative sandwiches up front and a killer butchery in the back. Sandwich fillings were delicious. Bread was not. Sausages from the butchery were outstanding.

We drove to an interesting little campground at Lake Wisconsin. There we could breathe freely again and relax a little. Well, sort of. We knew that Elliot was in Kyrgyzstan on a travel adventure and was about to propose to his beloved. Having major things happening when we are half a globe apart is challenging to keep up with. We went to sleep hoping we would wake to good news. And indeed we did. Such joy!!!

Jumping back to the interesting campground. Because I have not spent anytime in these parts, what I was observing may in fact be quite common there, but I’ve never seen anything like it. And that’s such a fun sensation. To see something new. Something different. To observe people approaching things in a way that’s novel to you. Or maybe a lot of where we are traveling has lost some of its regional quirks as it becomes more homogenized. Regardless, the Great Lakes region seems to be holding fast to traditions and cultures that really make it special. Small ways, perhaps, but ever so charming and important. Like these campers turned homes that were the majority of the campsite where we stayed. It took me a minute to figure out why they were breaking my brain. They were RVs in the truest sense. Driven in and parked on the campsite. But here they built walls, rooms, decks, porches around or adjoining the vehicle. So you would see the cab, the wheels, the slides, but then a sweet tiny front porch built off the side, or a large roof over it all with extra rooms built against the back. They were absolutely mobile homes that were walled in to be permanent seasonal homes. And it was a very new concept to me. And I’m still not sure how the engine, gas, tire conditions, etc get managed. Like, do they remove a wall and drive away at the end of the season? Does the vehicle just stay there forever? Either way, fun to see new things.

We left Wisconsin Lake and passed through Madison where we were lucky enough to catch a street fair set up all around the Capitol building. It was a very hot summer day. We were a long way from cool Alaska. We were also a long way from sparsely populated Alaska. I got over-peopled very quickly. We popped in for a Mediterranean lunch before heading to Chicago. Once we were in the Windy City we got ourself settled in our Old Town Airbnb and tucked Louie into an on street parking spot just outside our window. We were holding still for five nights and stretching out of the van. Living the life of luxury.

Chicago is one of my favorite summer cities. It captures your stomach the same time it captures your heart. We ate and we ate well. Tavern style pizza, Detroit style pizza, elevated Mexican, creative Lebanese, fish tacos, deli hot dogs, Small Cheval hamburgers, an indescribable smoked trout Ceasar salad at Armitage Pub, an elegant lunch at Blue Door. We experienced the World Cup final, The Obama campus, the Odessey at the Alamo Drafthouse, and comedy improv at The Second City. We got to see our friends, Leanne and Nick, and our long lost friend, Art. We had lovely weather the whole time we were there and we walked all over Old Town and Lincoln Park.

After Chicago, we made a very quick stop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Another little quaint walkable downtown. Another delicious meal, this time Korean at Little Kim’s. And with this overnight we have officially hit all 50 states! Then it was time for our roads to diverge. Larry dropped me at the Detroit airport where I flew back to Florida so I could bring our CRV up to NH. Larry drove east, first catching up with our friends the Wrubels and then seeing our friend Milan again. I drove north, overnighting in South Carolina and Maryland and then in Haverhill, MA to see my friend, Tammy. And then we arrived in our little slice of heaven and the US portion of our 2026 Faux Birds adventure is over.