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!

Michigan Week of Rivers

We departed Carp River CG and headed to a familiar spot, Clementz's Northcountry Campground near Newberry MI.  We have stayed here twice before; it is a very nice park and it is close to several good paddling rivers and a few other nice attractions.  Our objective was to paddle several local rivers while we were here.

Our camp at Clementz's Northcountry CG

By the time we got parked and settled, it was a little late to go paddling, but we did take a road trip about 25 miles north to Tahquamenon Falls State Park.   Tahquamenon Falls State Park is a very nice park, perhaps the most popular state park in the Michigan state park system.  It features an Upper Falls area and a Lower Falls area on the lower Tahquamenon River, near its mouth on Lake Superior.

Upper Falls

Your "Advanenturers" at Upper Falls

We spent a few hours walking and touring the falls, then had dinner at the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub,  on the park grounds.  We had a nice dinner and enjoyed a growler of Fall Tannen ale at our table.  When we left we ordered another growler of Black Bear Stout to enjoy later.  Or so we thought!  The next afternoon it was revealed that they had drawn us a jug of root bear instead of the stout we had ordered.   DANG!  We were disappointed, but both Wayne and Dorcas like root beer, and said it was very good.

One of the Lower Falls

The next day we paddled the Tahquamenon River.  We paddled the same section of the Tahquamenon River in September last year, but this day we put in at a spot about three miles upstream of our previous put-in.  The Tahquamenon is a very scenic river.  It flows through the Superior State Forest and there is no development.  It meanders through a mix of grass prairies and wooded areas.

Wayne and Lynda on the Tahquamenon

On the "Tahq"

Our route on the Tahquamenon

We had originally signed up for 4 nights at Clementz's.  We soon realized we could spend much more time paddling here, plus we decided we did not want to move during the weekend, so we signed on for 2 more nights.  After a layover day, where we lounged around camp and read books, we headed north to paddle the Two Hearted River.  Again Dorcas and I had paddled this river last September, but Wayne and Lynda had never been there.  The Two Hearted River was made famous by Earnest Hemingway in his short story Big Two-Hearted River.  Ironically, Hemingway was actually describing the near-by Fox River when he wrote the story.  However, he liked the name of the Two Hearted River more.  This paddle involved one of our more difficult shuttles, involving more than 32 miles of gravel and sand roads.  We dodged reckless 4-wheelers and aggressive timber trucks intent on putting us in the ditch.  We also passed through miles of area devastated by an intense forest fire.  After leaving a car at our take-out at the mouth on Lake Superior, Wayne and I returned to the put-in where the ladies were guarding the gear.  The river starts as a fairly tight, wooded stream, but opens and widens as it goes.  The river is a famous trophy trout stream, but we didn't see any trout and only one fisherman along the way.  About two thirds the way down the river we entered the burn area, where there were numerous charred snags, but we also saw a thick green mat of lush ferns along the ground, illustrating nature's rebirth.

The put-in on the Two Hearted

Our route on the Two Hearted River

On the Two Hearted River

Matilda's looking the wrong way!

Mouth of the Two Hearted at Lake Superior

After another relaxing layover day we paddled the Manistique River.  We had not paddled the Manistique before, but it looked very inviting in the guide book.  We put in at a DOT wayside on M-77 just south of Germfask and paddled 9.8 miles through the Seney Wildlife Refuge, taking out at Mead Creek Campground.  Unfortunately no significant wildlife was seen on the river, although Wayne and I did spot a porcupine while running the shuttle.  The river banks were mostly wooded, but the river was wide and there were no blow downs blocking the river. It was another outstanding paddle. 

Yet another picture of Dorcas' and Matilda's back

The whole week the weather has been outstanding, clear and sunny, with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s.  Of the rivers we paddled this week Dorcas said she liked the Manistique the best.  Wayne's favorite was the Two Hearted; mine was the Tahquamenon.  I guess they were all winners.

Can you believe it?  They named a river after a beer!!!

North to the UP

Our camp at Sturgeon Valley CG

We achieved a leisurely check-out at Sturgeon Valley CG and continued northward toward the UP.  We bought 50 gallons of fuel in Mackinaw City.  Diesel prices are fairly high in Michigan, and with this addition we can get to Wisconsin where the prices are significantly less.  We then set to cross the "Mighty Mac" the amazing suspension bridge that crosses the Mackinac Straits into Michigan's UP.  The crossing was exciting although uneventful.  We had seen an ambulance stopped on the bridge, but it u-turned and came back towards us before we got to it.

Crossing the Mighty Mac

We proceeded to Carp River CG in the Hiawatha National Forest, about 10 miles north of St. Ignace.  We are currently traveling with our friends Wayne and Lynda, who are in their Airstream, and who will paddle with us when we do our Boundary Waters trip in about 2 weeks.  We had expected Carp River to be a very popular camp, but when we arrived it was nearly deserted.  We picked out two very nice adjoining sites near the far end of the CG road and made our camp for the next three nights.

Our route on the Carp River

The next day we paddled on the Carp River, which flows by the camp.  The guide book suggested the river was small and advised to be on the lookout for blow downs across the river.  Sure enough, when we scouted our take-out, just above the campground, there were two complete river blockages within sight of the bridge.  Not looking good!  However, being the bold souls we are, and the majority membership of the Dumb But Tough Canoe Club, off we went.  We left a vehicle at camp and loaded up the Honda, and off we went to find our put-it on East Lake Road.

A pretty stretch on the Carp River

The guide book did not lie.  We found three huge log jams during the first two miles, but after that only a few relatively easy scoot-overs.  We did pass several sections of rocky shoals where we cringed as our Kevlar hulls screeched in agony.  I think we will have to visit Ginny, who does our boat repairs in Ely, before we put in for the Boundary Waters.  The paddle totaled 7.1 miles.  It was nice, but I doubt we will ever paddle that section again.

Log Jam

Another Log Jam

The next morning was threatening rain.  We briefly considered, and promptly rejected, the idea of paddling another section on the Carp River.  Instead we decided to visit the locks at Sault Ste. Marie.  The "Soo Locks" allow ships from Lake Superior passage around the rapids and access to the St. Mary River and the lower great lakes.  10,000 vessels per year pass through the locks during the 9 months they are open.

We lunched at The Antlers, a former bootlegger's joint during prohibition.  During prohibition they fronted as an ice cream parlor, but were busted when they showed a profit of $900, but no ice cream sales.  It is decorated with antlers and stuffed animals of all kinds throughout the building.

The Antlers

Dorcas in Poe Lock

After lunch we visited the visitor's center operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers and then took a boat tour through the locks.  We locked upstream through the Poe Lock towards Lake Superior, cruised the Saint Marys River and then locked downstream through the Canadian lock, a smaller lock operated by Canada, and used by most of the pleasure boaters.  It was all pretty cool.

Dorcas in the Canadian Lock

View upstream at Canadian lock