The road goes on and on and on and on

After 2 nights at Fall Lake Camp Ground it was time to hit the road.  We departed Ely on September 3 with our camping gear finally dry and secure in the storage bay under the coach.  Our first stop would be for mechanical service at Precision Frame and Alignment in Elk River MN, about 30 miles north of Minneapolis.  We normally take US 53 to Duluth, then I-35 south to "the Cities", which is the quicker 4-lane route.  Today we had plenty of time and took the scenic route, US 169 from Virginia MN directly to Elk River.  That was a mostly 2-lane route that took us through Hibbing MN, the home town of Bob Dylan.  We arrived at Precision Frame about dusk, where they have RV hook ups, and set up for the night, ready for our 8:00am service appointment the next morning.  We stop at Precision Frame every year for coach lubrication and an alignment check.  The owner, Dick Lornston, is a nationally known guru on motor home tires, handling and suspensions.  This year the Element also needed some attention.   While Dick worked on the coach, I went to get badly-needed new tires for the Element.  The Element has a problem with the rear end and has been chewing up tires.  Dick checked the alignment front and rear and inspected the rear end, but was unable to definitively identify the problem.  Ultimately he seemed to agree with some other mechanics I have spoken to that said we needed new struts.  Unfortunately his schedule was such that he would not be able to get the parts and install the struts before we needed to leave.  He gave me some tips on how to mitigate the unusual tire wear and told me how to inspect the tires to help detect and diagnose any issues.  The new tires will make this easier.

Set for long distance driving

We departed Elk River about noon on September 5 with nothing but long miles ahead.  We had no other stops planned before our scheduled arrival at Virginia Beach for a Country Coach rally on September 10, a mere 1500 miles down the road.  We had options: we could do shorter days and take longer daily breaks, or we could make longer days and spend more time at a single camp.  Ultimately we decided to bust ass, then spend three nights at Thousand Trails Chesapeake Bay, just beyond Richmond VA and close to our ultimate destination Virginia Beach.

Matilda's place when we are driving

Our first day, actually a half day, we made 270 miles and spent the night at a very nice Passport America park (half price camping for members) called Black Hawk Valley CG, near Rockford IL.  The next day we made 370 miles and spent the night at Thousand Trails Indian Lakes near Batesville IN.  This is a favorite stop for us, and there is a hairdresser on site that Dorcas likes.  It is also free for us since we are Thousand Trails members, so this stop was a no-brainer.  We arrived only a few minutes before Goldilocks' scheduled hair cut, so I dropped her off at the shop and then made camp  while she was being shorn. The next day, continuing to gain momentum, we made 510 miles and spent the night at the Walmart Supercenter in Waynesboro VA.  We had dinner and then breakfast at the nearby Cracker Barrel.  Finally, we had a short day of only about 150 miles and arrived at Thousand Trails Chesapeake Bay near Gloucester VA, where we will spend the next three nights.

Whew!   Time to chill for a few days.

Out of the Boundary Waters - 2014

We put in the BWCAW on August 19 at Little Indian Sioux entry point and took out 14 days later at the same point.  We have used this entry several times before and had intended to travel basically the same route Dorcas and I did when we went by ourselves in 2011.  We had planned to make a leisurely loop with plenty of layover days.  At our second camp we all realized that we weren't as young and fit as we used to be, and that the portages were longer and steeper than they used to be.  Consequently, we shortened our planned route considerably to make an easier trip.  Ultimately we had a LOT of layover days.  We made a total of 4 camps: 1 night on Upper Pauness Lake, 3 nights on East Loon Bay, 3 nights on Heritage Lake and 6 nights on Lynx Lake. 

The weather was moderately cool; much the way we remember it being the first few years we came out here.  Most days the highs were in the mid 70s and the lows were in the mid 50s.  One night it did get down to 42 degrees.  That was the good news.  The bad news is we had more rainy and windy days than during most of our trips.  This put a damper on some of those layover days, and we spent more days on shore, rather than fishing and exploring, than we would have liked.

Our longest paddle day was actually our last day as we made our way from Camp 4 to the Little Indian Sioux River Entry Point.  That day was also a dreary day, and we were soaked in a down pour within 100' of the take out.  To add insult to injury we had a flat tire on the Element and had to carry our gear an extra hundred yards since we couldn't move the car.  Thankfully, I was able to inflate the tire with a portable compressor I carry in the car and then limp into Ely for repairs.

We drove back to Fall Lake where we found our motor home in the same condition as we left it (always a concern). We checked into the camp ground and took much needed showers.

The next day was sunny and clear, and we were able to spread out all our gear before packing it all up for our trip south.  We had a a nice dinner at the Chocolate Moose, a tradition for us.

For those that missed it last year, click here for a detailed description of our Boundary Waters techniques.

And finally, here are some pictures:

Our put-in at Little Indian Sioux River

Our route

We love our new chairs!!!

Chef Wayne cooking the fish

A dreary day on the lake

A dreary day at camp

Ducks on the pond

The day's catch

This lamprey was attached to a Northern pike I caught.  He immediately dropped off the pike and fell into the boat when he figured out all was not well.

Like a mirror.  A rare calm evening.

Matilda says "Hurry up .... let's go."

Matilda says "Hurry up .... let's go."

Matilda chillin' out at camp

A smallish Northern pike .... Certainly not a trophy catch.  But hey .... it's a fish!

A sloppy portage path.  Actually a beaver dam backed the water up over the trail.

A fair-sized small mouth bass

Wayne and Lynda enjoying the view from camp

A 5-star Boundary Waters kitchen

What are y'all looking at?

Another glorious sunset

ELY!

We departed camp Sam's Club and headed to the great north woods near Ely.  Along the way we crossed the Laurentian Divide, where falling water will flow south or east to the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico or the St. Lawrence seaway, or north to the Hudson Bay or the Arctic Ocean.

I always like to show off a nice picture of the coach!

 

Ely is one of my favorite places, a true canoe town.  It is a primary jumping off place for folks entering the western part of the Boundary Waters, and has dozens of wilderness canoe.outfitters.  A car driving through town looks naked if it doesn't have a canoe on top.

 

Canoes Galore

We headed for Fall Lake Campground a unit of the Superior National Forest, about 8 miles north of Ely.  We have stayed at Fall Lake many years.  It is a wonderful camp ground on the shores of Fall Lake and is a major entry point into the Boundary Waters.  They have a huge paved and lighted parking lot, overseen by the on-site concessionaire, where we can leave the coach while we are in Boundary Waters.  Such safe and secure facilities are rare at Boundary Waters entry points, and we will leave the coach here, even if we enter the Boundary Waters at different entry point.

We needed a space for 6 nights until we put-in on August 19.  However, when we made our reservation about two months ago, we could only get one night, due to the park being full over the weekend.  Our plan was to get there early and snag a non-reserveable site for the duration of our stay.  Unfortunately all the non-reserveable sites were also filled.  Setback!  We got parked on our reserved site, and the next morning we were able to move to a vacated non-reserveable site, for the remainder of our stay.

Happy hour at Fall Lake

I couldn't let the tomato and leftover bacon go to waste, so I made a "Dagwood". 

While in Ely we kicked back and enjoyed some down time.  We also did some chores.   Upon arriving in Ely we stopped at the Spirit of the Wilderness, our favorite outfitter, and dropped the boat off for some hull repairs. We also rechecked and repacked our gear in preparation for the put in.  One night we visited a new restaurant we have never been to.  Stony Ridge Cafe is on the banks of Shagawa Lake and has the biggest hamburger I have ever seen.  It was delicious, but later I regretted not eating only half.

I can't believe I ate the whole thing!

Yesterday we paddled on the Dead River, not far from camp. We put on in a bay on the east end of Burntside Lake.  We paddled north up the Dead River to Twin Lakes and explored the western arm of Twin Lakes.  It was very scenic, although, not being in the Boundary Waters, there were some motor boats and some private property with some houses.

Paddling the Dead River

Wayne and Lynda on the Dead River

Our route on the Dead River

Today, our last full day in camp, we went to town and picked up our permit, bought fishing licenses, and perishable groceries for our trip.  Tomorrow we will put in at the Little Indian Sioux entry point, up on the Echo Trail.  We will take out on September 1 if all goes well.

Adios!

A Most Leisurely Day

Today was perhaps the most leisurely day we have spent while actually moving from one point to another in the coach.  We spent over 8 hours just to move 120 miles.

It was a breezy day!

This morning was glorious.  The sky was clear and bright and it was comfortably cool.  Our destination today was Duluth MN only 120 miles to the west, so we knew we should drag our feet a bit.  We took a walk along Sunday Lake and enjoyed the morning.  When we finally departed we were able to drive around the back side of the building, which meant we never had to unhook the car.

The "Stormy Kromer"

Shortly we passed through Ironwood MI, the home of the Stormy Kromer cap.  The Stormy Kromer is named for George "Stormy" Kromer, a semi-professional baseball player who later worked as a railroad engineer. Kromer lost many hats to the wind while working on trains, and in 1903 he asked his wife Ida to make him a warm hat that would stay on more securely. She modified a baseball cap into what became the Stormy Kromer cap.

 

Welcome to Wisconsin

We stopped at the Bad River Casino in Odanah WI where we spent a night several years ago.  When we stayed before they offered free RV parking with water and electric, but now they want $21.00.  There were no RVs camping.  There was a post office, and we needed stamps, but it didn't open until noon.  Dang.  We eventually entered Ashland WI where we spent several nights in the city park last year.  We stopped at the Walmart to stock up, then moved to a city park overlooking Chequamenon Bay on Lake Superior.  There we cooked a lunch and walked out onto a pier where some kids were diving into the waters of Lake Superior.  They said the water was a colder than yesterday. BRRRR!!!!

After lunch we left Ashland and stopped at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, which is perhaps the nicest visitor's center we have ever been to.  We stopped there once a few years ago, and now we stop every time we pass by.  It is jointly operated by a number of federal and local agencies.  We watched a very informative documentary film about Aldo Leopold, a leader in the development of modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness conservation.  Finally we climbed to the top of the observation tower.

Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center

View from the observation tower NGLVC

We topped off with fuel in Superior WI before entering Duluth.  We hit Duluth just before rush hour and headed for the Sam's Club for more supplies and an overnight stay.  Tomorrow we will be in Ely MN, one of my favorite towns, and the major destination for this trip.

Welcome to Minnesota

Duluth Harbor and the famous Aerial Lift Bridge

Monday Evening on Sunday Lake

We departed from our camp at Kewadin Shores Casino shortly after 9:00 and continued westward.  It wasn't long before clouds rolled in, and it started to rain.  The temperature dropped from about 70 degrees to about 60 degrees as the day passed.  Our drive was pleasant and uneventful as we drove through a dreary light rain.

Dorcas lounging in the coach

Gogebic Chiefs storage building????

Our intended destination was Ashland WI, about 220 miles to the west, where there is a city campground that we really like.  However as we entered Wakefield MI we saw a long old stone building with two signs.  One said "RV and Boat Storage" and the other said "Welcome Overnight Parking".  There was a very small camping area next to the building on the shore of Sunday Lake, and it looked very inviting.  We pulled over to take a look.  We found a very nice RV park with only 4 sites, all with 50 amp electric and water, and two of which were vacant.  As we were looking around, a fellow drove up from around the other end of the building and stopped to talk.  It turns out we were welcome to stay, as the sign said, and there was a box by the lake if we wished to make a donation.  I asked who owned or operated the park, actually wondering who the donation would go to.  He said something that sounded like the Gogebic Chiefs (Wakefield is in Gogebic County and in the Gogebic Range).  I wasn't sure if he was referring to a native American organization, a local civic club or a the home town hockey team, but I didn't ask any more questions.  We pulled into a vacant site, a pull-through, and set up.  The rain soon let up, but the wind blew steadily off the lake and the temperature continued to drop.  We had a very quiet  and restful evening on the shore of Sunday Lake.

A Gogebic chief???

Our camp at Sunday Lake

This is Nee-Gaw-Nee-Gaw-Bow (Leading Man), by Peter Wolf Toth (1988), created to honor the Chippewa Indians.  It is located on the lakeside pier on Sunday Lake next to the Wakefield Visitor’s Center and was carved from one piece of pine donated by the Ottawa National Forest. It is one of Toth's Whispering Giants.

Nee-Gaw-Nee-Gaw-Bow

What the Heck is a "Pasty"???

We knew the time would come, and we couldn't delay it any longer: it was time to leave Clementz's Northcountry CG and move along to the west.  After a leisurely morning we departed about 11:00 am.  Our destination was only about 70 miles west, just past Munising MI.  We parted company with Wayne and Lynda, well, sorta.  They ended up camping at the Bay Furnace CG in the Hiawatha National Forest, while we parked at the Kewadin Shores Casino.  Actually, the two sites are within walking distance, just across the highway from each other.  We debated staying at Bay Furnace with the Charles', but after carefully weighing all the pros and cons (Casino: free, flush toilets, 50 amp electric vs. Bay Furnace: pit toilets, $16 [actually $8 with Federal geezer pass], mosquitoes) the choice became clear.  We visited with Wayne and Lynda shortly after lunch and again at happy hour.  We will be departing again in the morning, but I think the Charles will stay one more night here, and perhaps paddle the Au Train River tomorrow.  We will meet up with them again on Wednesday in Ely MN.

This is a "Pasty"

There is a local delicacy throughout the UP known as the "Pasty".  You see signs for them at many small bakeries and shops all over, but we have never had one before today.  It was after lunch time when we passed through Munising, and we saw a shop advertising pasties as we drove through, and we were hungry.  After parking at the casino and doubling back to town, we pulled into Muldoon's Pasties and ordered a chicken pasty, a beef pasty and some homemade chocolate raspberry fudge.  We enjoyed our treats at a picnic table outdoors on the Lake Superior shore.  It turns out a pasty is a mixture of a little bit of meat and a whole lot of diced potatoes and some other veggies, baked into a dough bread.  I ate mine with my hands like a sandwich, and it fell apart.  Dorcas was more civilized and used a knife and fork.  It was pretty bland and could have used more meat and some Texas Pete.  The fudge was great!