Old Legends, Old Friends, New Plans

Day 16 - We left Grand Forks, North Dakota on a bright, sunny, warm (72F) morning and headed across the Red River into Minnesota. The state line didn’t change the geography at all, the flat grassy prairie lands continued as did the cultivated fields and grain elevators. The volume of fat, yellow-gutted bugs splatting on the windshield increased exponentially the further we moved into Minnesota. In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, mosquitoes are the state bird.

We didn’t stop at Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River since we’d already ‘been there, done that’, but still, crossing the Mississippi a few miles later was a little thrill as it always is.

We did, however, stop in Bemidji to pay our respects to the legendary lumberjack, Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe. Some things you just can’t pass up even if you’ve done them before.

Near Bena, we passed the Big Fish Supper Club and did a double-take which necessitated a u-turn for a photo opp.

As we drove and chatted, the clouds moved in and sprinkles began appearing on the windshield and the wind increased. It just so happens that US-2 passes right through Grand Rapids, Minnesota and our good friends live close by and had invited us for a visit. We arrived at Diane and Steve’s late afternoon. It’d been quite a while since we’d seen them… the pandemic and all. They’d had their ‘cabin’ on Lake Pokegama greatly enlarged and totally remodeled. We hardly recognized the place. We loved the old cabin, but the expansion and remodel were totally gorgeous especially the wall of windows looking out over the lake. Their attention to every little detail was notable and much appreciated. Wow!

We chatted, drank, went to dinner, chatted some more, drank some more, chatted some more and then it was after midnight and we retired till morning at which time, we started all over again. Old friends are like that. No matter how long the intermission between visits or calls,  you can just pick up where you left off as if no time had passed at all.

Day 17 - We’d hoped to take a pontoon ride on the lake, but the high winds continued and the white caps on the lake dissuaded us. Instead, we headed to the Forest History Center and its recreated logging camp which was a fascinating historical walk through the 19th century logging industry of the Minnesota Northwoods.

We checked out the museum exhibits first, but our tour was leaving almost immediately… and lucky for us, it happened to be the last tour of the day. We walked down a path through a forest of white pine and red pine, our tour guide dressed in appropriate garb for the era, providing lots of colorful facts and trivia. Once in camp, we visited the bunkhouse and learned about the different jobs and positions within the camp with associated wages.

The men worked six days a week, 14-hour days for only a couple of months a year… usually January and February when there was snow on the ground and the rivers were frozen. Ice and snow facilitated the use of sleds drawn by draft horses to move equipment and the logs. Logs were placed at the riversides so when the river ice melted, they could be rolled into the river and floated downstream to the lumber mills.

The foreman made ~$70/month while the jacks made $40. Other laborers made $30 and even $20 depending on their job titles. The cook made $50 and lumbermen were known to switch camps based on the expertise of the cook.

We visited the dining hall and kitchen, the company store, the stables and the blacksmith shop. Each stop was hosted by a costumed docent who explained the duties of each member of the camp and a typical day in logging camp. A most enjoyable experience and all new for us We topped off the evening playing cards. More chat, more laughter, more good company.

Day 18 - Sometime after we were in bed last night, Todd, Emilee and Amelia arrived. We hadn’t seen Todd, Diane and Steve’s son, since he was a teenager… 20+ years ago. Now we got a chance to meet his wife and 2-year old daughter. Wow… time really flies.

We could have stayed a week enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and great company, but the road beckoned us to move on. We were heading for Duluth, a city we’d never visited before, with the thought of spending the day and night and then continuing along US-2 into Michigan. We stopped at the Thomson Hill Visitor Center just west of the city which offered an outstanding overlook from which to photograph the city’s iconic Aerial Lift Bridge.

Unbeknownst to us previously, it was Duluth’s marathon weekend and there was not a hotel room nor a campsite to be found close to the city. Todd had suggested going north a few miles for better views of Lake Superior. We took his suggestion and though the views were indeed great, we still found no campsite availability.

We stopped at the Visitor Center in Two Harbors, a scenic lake town a bit further north. Keith, the center’s host, had no suggestions for campsites, but talked enthusiastically about the Lake Superior Circle Tour and even provided brochures. We discounted his suggestion… the Circle Tour was 1300 miles long, way out of the way up through Ontario, and definitely not in the plan. It would delay our arrival in Maine, take way too much time and… ? But then again, we do have a penchant for going around things… New Zealand, Tasmania, South America, the world. After a bit more discussion, the Lake Superior Circle Tour became the new plan du jour. We continued further north and found an adequate, though expensive, campsite in Grand Marais and never looked back.

Next time, let’s continue north on the Lake Superior Circle Tour. Come on… it’ll be fun! As one friend put it, the only predictable thing about you two is your unpredictability. Life’s grand, ain’t it?