HOME TO DO LAUNDRY

We arrived home safely late yesterday afternoon after detouring around our normal highway which was covered in several places with the Minnesota River.  The ten to twelve inches of rain that fell in twenty-four hours last week has closed off several communities and flooded many roads, not to mentioned that it also ruined many crops that were just about ready for harvest.  We found our place was just as we left it, no water or damage.

First thing this morning was our Tuesday eight AM Bible Study.  The rest of the day has been filled with stinky laundry.  Yuk.

And tomorrow I am leaving again, this time for only a day.  My three sisters and I are heading to Wisconsin to wish our aunt, our mom's only sibling, a happy birthday.  We'll spend some time with Elaine, visit with a couple of cousins, stay overnight, and come back Thursday morning.  Not a long trip, but one we are looking forward to.

And when I return I have some more photos of our Up North trip to post.

HEADING HOME

We are packing up and heading home after a glorious week Up North.  We've had wonderful weather except for one day and I hope it continues for our drive home today.  We don't know what we'll see back home as they had over ten inches of rain one day last week.  One area just a short distance from our town had fourteen inches.  The Minnesota River is flooding, roads are closed, and even schools have had to close!

I'm sure I have another 500 or more pictures to share.....oh, okay, I'll cut it down a bit and just find some good ones.  We'll be home tonight, and I'll post if I can.  Bible Study at eight in the morning tomorrow, then laundry.  See ya.

GRAND MARAIS AND THE NANIBOUJOU LODGE

Thursday morning dawned windy and rainy, our run of sunny weather gone!  The lake by our campsite was a bit on the wild side this morning.

We didn't stay on the shore long, but climbed into the truck for a 12 mile drive to the Naniboujou Lodge for a special breakfast.  I've cooked all our meals so far, so we felt a treat was in order.

The Naniboujou was built in the 1920's as a "gentlemen's" club.  Members of this exclusive ad included Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth.

This massive fireplace dominates the dining room which is painted in the colorful Cree style.  The reds, greens and yellows are as bright as when they were first painted, and have never been redone.

And the breakfast was excellent!

We spent our windy rainy day shopping and remembering our mom who is celebrating her birthday in heaven with Jesus.

THE FAMOUS GUNFLINT TRAIL

Yesterday morning dawned bright and sunny once again, and the plan was to drive the sixty some miles up the Gunflint Trail.  This trail is paved the whole way, so the drive wasn't as long as the past couple of trails. 

This is Gunflint Lake, near the end of the trail.  Across the other side you see Canada.  These trails were used by the Voyageurs and Native peoples from the 1600's on. 

We always look for moose, and 99% of the time we are disappointed.  Not yesterday however!  A mama and her baby were on the right side of the road back in the woods.  Here is a shot of Mama with  Baby below her on the hillside.

We pulled off the trail at a spot where there were a couple of cabins.  Beautiful spot!

This bench is on the shore of the lake by a small museum, just opened this year, displaying the history of the Gunflint Trail.

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And we arrived back at camp to enjoy a glass of wine on the shore while we watched the dark clouds roll in.

LAKE SUPERIOR AND A HIKE

I should have time for another post.  Here goes..............

 The sky and lake were clear blue yesterday with 

lots of waves splashing along the rocks.

At times I could almost pretend it was the ocean! 

Isn't it lovely?

Lois, my sister who is along on our trip, and I went for a hike up the river.

The canyons and waterfalls are breathtaking.

I'd hate to trip and fall off these rocks!

This pink salmon is having a hard time trying to get over this waterfall.  I know for sure that three of those salmon didn't make it back to their birthplace.........they were wrapped in foil with butter and seasonings, and were cooked on our fire last night!  Excellent dinner!

THE HONEYMOON TRAIL

I just bought an hour's worth of access, so let's see how much I can cram into that time!

 This trail heads off of the Sawbill Trail and is absolutely beautiful!

 Probably the most beautiful display of fall color that I have ever seen.

 Of course photos never live up to the real thing.

The color was everywhere, on the hill sides, along the road, and on the ground. 

 Red, orange, gold, yellow, green......it was all there.

 The Garmin said the distance was 24 miles.  It took us 3 hours!  Someone had to stop and get out to take pictures every once in awhile!

Part of our drive was on very narrow dirt roads.  And we had very little traffic!  Just a few cars of other folks out leaf looking.

I could buy me a piece of this land and build a small log home, and live happily every after.  I love it Up North!

Don't you think you could live here?

THE SAWBILL TRAIL

Monday morning arrived with the sun shining and we made the decision to drive up the Sawbill Trail instead of "letting" Ernie go fishing!  Poor guy!  With me and my sister both with camera in hand, he didn't have much of a choice!  So off we went into the woods.

The sun then decided to play games and it disappeared every once in awhile, so some of the colors aren't as bright as they should be.  But you get the idea!

I love the contrast of the while bark and the orange leaves.

This trail is thirty some miles long, dirt, hilly, winding, and beautiful!

As I said, some colors are dull....

but some are vivid.  I love this red tree!

What do you people do that have green year around?  I need my seasons!

When we got to the end of the trail at Sawbill Lake, we saw two groups of guys packing their canoes and getting ready to take off.  For ten days in the Boundary Waters!  Note the guitar!  I asked the guy in the blue how he got so lucky as to be able to do that and his reply was "Because I need to."  I told him I understood totally!

And they're off.  Ten days living on what they catch.  Good luck guys!

So we headed back so Ernie could go fishing before it rained.

What a beautiful drive we had.

And when we got back to camp we found wonderful crashing waves at the shore.  But that's another post.

BLOOD PRESSURE DOWN AT LEAST 10 POINTS!

I am in my element.  I love the north, the big lake, the trees, the cool weather........I'm sure my blood pressure dropped ten points as soon as we hit the highway along the shore.

Our first stop on the trip was at our son and DIL's place.  It is as beautiful as any park, and we get to park right in front of their home and plug the trailer in.  Can't beat that service!  And we had a wonderful dinner of lasagna.  And apple crisp.  With ice cream.  And caramel.  Ummmmm!

 Isn't their yard beautiful?  DIL Molly does it all by herself.  Unless it's something that needs a hole dug or a tree chopped down.  Then she calls Kevin!

The drive up yesterday was uneventful.  It could have been a catastrophe this morning without my needed caffeine because someone forgot to pack my French press.  However, an outlet mall along the way provided a kitchen shop with a supply of French presses, so we stopped and I picked one up.  Thus a bad scene was avoided this morning!

There was a lot of construction in Duluth, so I didn't get much of a shot as we topped the hill and started down to the lake.  What a mess it was!  But we found an exit that took us to Canal Park, and I took the obligatory photo of a ship outside of the harbor.

The flowers are always so beautiful along the Park.  I think the cool weather intensifies the colors.

And we had the customary lunch at Grandma's Grill.  Okay.  Now we were ready to head up the shore.

The sun was shining, the lake was sparkling, and the air was fresh.  The absolutely best time of year for me!  And the shore at our campground was beautiful, as always. 

If I can't be at the ocean I'll have to settle for Lake Superior.  And it's a good substitute!

We ended the first day on the Shore with a nice campfire.  Tomorrow the Sawbill Trail!