Ely MN

We left Eau Galle Lake on Sunday morning and headed for Minnesota. 

We love Minnesota

I love Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, but there is no Red Robin restaurant near where we live, either in NC or FL.  Dorcas and I each have Red Robin loyalty cards that offered a $3.00 discount and that expired this day.  A Red Robin in St. Paul was directly on our route, 100 yards from the interstate, and we would pass there at lunch time.  It was fate.

We pass thorough Minnesota every year in the fall.  We always stop at Precision Frame & Alignment in Elk River for coach maintenance.  Dick Lorntson, the owner, is well known in the RV community for his knowledge of tires, suspension, shocks, handling and alignment.  In addition to an inspection of the whole suspension system we got a lube job, solved an air leveling problem and installed a new air dryer cartridge.  Dick offers free parking with 50A service for his customers.  We spent Sunday and Monday night there.  In our off time we did some shopping and went to a movie "Rikki and the Flash", which featured some good rock and roll.

PF&A RV Resort

We left Elk River about 10:00 am on Tuesday.  There was a severe thunderstorm approaching which  was forecast to hit the area about noon.  If we headed north quickly, we would would likely miss it entirely.  We struck out for Ely and did, indeed miss the storm.  We arrived in Ely about 5 hours later and checked in at Fall Lake Campground, a unit of Superior National Forest.  While we did miss the storm, we still experienced a strong cold front that produced rain and low temperatures.  During our 9 night stay at Fall Lake it rained almost every day and the lows were generally in the forties.  BRRR!!!

Cheap diesel?

As long as we have been driving a diesel coach, the price for diesel has typically run 20-30% above the price of gasoline.  Not so on this trip. However, less than a week after this photo was taken the price of gasoline had dropped to $2.499 in Ely.  The price of diesel hasn't changed.  Go figure.

Matilda showing off her balancing skills on the shores of Fall Lake

A Franklin ground squirrel.  Pretty common at Fall Lake.

Homeless Schnauzer at the Ely Public Library

Those crazy Minnesotans will paddle ANYTHING!

WELY broadcasts the news and plays the tunes in the North Country

Matilda looking for a ground squirrel or other critter.  Matilda loves culverts.

Ely is canoe country.  Fall Lake CG is canoe country.

Why did the grouse cross the road?  To show the possum it could be done (or more likely the porcupine, in the North Woods)

On Wednesday the 26th the weather improved, with sunny skies and 70 degree temperatures.  The forecast suggests fine weather when we put in for the Boundary Waters on Thursday August 27.  This year our friends Wayne and Lynda are not with us, so Dorcas and I are traveling on our own.  We will put in at Lake Isabella, about 45 miles south of Fall Lake.  Our route is undetermined; we may loop back to our put-in, or we may take-out at SR 1 on the South Kawishiwi River, and hitch a ride back to the car.

We will take out on Wednesday September 9 and, during that time, there will be no updates to this journal.  For those who want a Boundary Waters fix, you can read these two past posts:

This post is from our trip in 2011, the only other time we went in alone.  Click here. 

This post explains our methods and techniques for traveling in the Boundary Waters.  Click here.

Remember the Photo of the Week Sweepstakes where the Amish buggy is in the fuel lane? The winners are Bob and Lynn, who say "The Amish want to try and increase their horsepower".  Bob and Lynn, your prize s in the mail.

See you in a few weeks.