Prepping for the UP

Tuesday morning started with a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes made by Don accompanied by home made pork sausage patties made by Chef Nate. Great way to start the day.

After struggling with updating a website I finally figured out the problem was with the wifi and ended up at Brewed Awakenings Coffee Shop in Grand Rapids where I got the job done quickly. Back at Twin Lakes I attacked the bug laden front end of the Winnebago using a trick I learned in Dawson Creek, British Columbia in 2008. The trick is to use wet dryer sheets and a scrubber sponge. The bogs come off easily. The front end done I also cleaned the rest of the motorhome. Mary had already attacked the inside and we solved a water drainage problem on the refrigerator.

The Winnebago is ready to go and hopefully we won't have any flat tires this time.

We were blessed with a beautiful sunset tonight. Red sky at night is a sailor's delight. So maybe we will have another lovely day tomorrow. Nate spied two baby owls in the woods near the house but it was too dark to take their picture.

Twin Lakes Sunset

Back to Twin Lakes

We hand a leisurely morning at Indian Point Campground on Monday morning and finally got on the road back to Twin Lakes at just after noon. I began the day by capturing more images at the Lift Bridge hoping for some good light as the clouds cleared. Not as exciting as I hoped but got a few good shots.

Lift Bridge in the Morning Light

Light House

Light House

We got back to Twin Lakes just a few minutes before Don returned from his Nascar racing weekend with daughter Rachel & friends. Now out thoughts are turning to preparations for our adventure to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Exploring Duluth

Sunday morning we packed a picnic lunch and left on our expedition of exploration going west on Highway 23 toward Fond Du Lac. The translation of Fond Du Lac to English is "Bottom of the Lake" which is where it is located geographically. The St Louis River was the primary corridor of travel for the Voyageurs heading to the Mississippi River and the Northwest. The American Fur Company established a fort here in 1817 on what was the site of an Ojibway village. The route took the fur traders up the St Louis River to Floodwood (My home town) and then west along the East Savanna River, over a seven mile swamp portage and onto the West Savanna River which took them to Big Sandy Lake and the Mississippi River.

Historic Sign

Landing at the American Fur Company Post

St Louis River

We had a lovely picnic lunch on the banks of the St Louis River and then headed for the Lake Superior Zoo. The zoo was hit by a flash flood last summer and they are still doing a recovery effort. Many of the animals had to be moved until the work is done. We did enjoy seeing animals we have never seen before and seeing baby Colobus monkeys.

Angolan Colobus Monkeys

Look Milk

Callimico

Cotton Top Tamarin

Mexican Porcupine

Pallas Cat

Reeves Montjac Deer

Tiger

After leaving the zoo we headed back up to Skyline drive for another look at the city.

Lift Bridge

Ore Docks

Back at the Winnebago I barbecued some chick thighs for dinner and we enjoyed watching our first movie of the trip.

A Superior Visit

I got up early and went for a walk on the Waterfront Trail which runs for five miles near the campground. The walk was lengthened by a lengthy phone call from English daughter Carrie and her husband John.

I returned to the Winnebago in time to dress for our adventure in Superior, Wisconsin. During last evenings dinner someone mentioned the outstanding hamburgers at the Anchor Bar in Superior. Dave & Sharon picked us up and we headed for the Anchor Bar. Not an easy feat as Tower Avenue, the main drag in Superior, was being rebuilt. We eventually found our way to the bar and ordered our hamburgers. They were great as advertised.

Sharon and Mary at Anchor Bar

After lunch we drove to Barker's Island to check out the wooden boats on display. The workmanship on the new wooden boats and canoes puts my woodworking efforts to shame. The antique wooden boats were also interesting and beautiful.

Hand Made Wooden Cat Rigged Sailboat

Wooden Cedar Strip Canoe

ChrisCraft Bow

ChrisCraft

We then drove over the high bridge to Duluth to check out Park Point.

Waiting for the Bridge

Crossing the Bridge

After Dave & Sharon dropped us off at the Winnebago we ran some errands and then drove to Skyline Drive for a view of the city.

View of Dulth & Park Point

Ore Boat and Lift Bridge

Blatnik High Bridge

We got a couple of salmon fillets for dinner and headed back to the Winnebago to relax and eat.

To Duluth Again

Our planned departure for Duluth on Friday morning was thwarted by a water leak and a flat tire on the motorhome. I discovered the source of the leak at 9:30 AM and headed to Grand Rapids to purchase a new hose clamp to replace the dysfunctional one on the coach. With the leak stopped we pulled in the slides and lifted the jacks to find the right front tire devoid of air. Using Don's air compressor I replaced the air in the tire and headed back to Grand Rapids with a stop in Bovey to empty our tanks. Acheson tire did an exemplary job of finding the source of the leak and repairing the tire. With lunch consumed whilst waiting for the repair we hit the road at 1:00 PM for a non-stop drive to Indian Point Campground in West Duluth. We were settled in to the campsite by 3:30 PM and began preparing for dinner with brother Dave and his wife Sharon, cousin Shirley Wilson and cousin Donna Burns and her husband Steve.

I roasted two pork tenderloins on the grill and Mary made mashed potatoes, carrots with ice cream and bluebarries for dessert. We had a great dinner and a wonderful visit with family.

Dave & Sharon

Shirley

Steve & Donna

We capped the evening with s'mores on the campfire, coffee and conversation. Not a bad day after all.

Work, Work, Work, Play

Sorry about the lack of posts in the last few days. Just busy working on chairs. We got the two chairs assembled and ready for finishing yesterday.

Two Chairs

Don with Two Chairs

We did manage one early morning coffee cruise on the lake. We checked out the Bald Eagle and Loon families and even saw a nice deer on the shore by the Eagle nest.

Mama & Baby Loon

Loon

Doe Deer in Woods

This morning (July 18) I, with Nate's help, applied the first coat of spar varnish to the chairs. They are looking great.. and a little bit like thrones. At 11:00 AM Mary and I headed for Virginia to have lunch with my cousin Eleanor. When we left her house to head to the golf course for lunch she invited me to drive us there in her 1930 Model A Ford Deluxe Sedan. What a blast! I hadn't driven a Model A for years and got right with the program.  

Eleanor & Mary at Lunch

Elanor & Mary w Model A

Jack at the Wheel

Jack & Eleanor w Model A

On our way out of Virginia we visited their Veteran's Memorial. The centerpiece of the memorial is an incredible sculpture of an eagle protecting American servicemen. The walls of an adjacent building were painted with the images of actual soldiers from the Virginia area. Others were memorialized below where their names were painted. My cousin Robert Koskela (Eleanor's brother) and Phil Anshus, Eleanor's husband were among these.

Images of Servicemen

Cousin Bob's Memorial

Phil's Memorial

Eagle Sculpture

We arrived back at Twin Lakes to find Chef Nate firing up his super duper Weber grill to make grilled pizza for dinner. I managed to get the first coat of finish on the second side of the chair arms and seats before dinner. Then I took my adult beverage to the lake shore and anticipated the flavors of the impending pizzas. We loaded our own pizza toppings on the dough prepared by Nate and threw them  on the grill. They were outstanding.

Chef Nate Preparing to Grill Pizza

Grilling Pizza

Now I am headed to bed in anticipation of thunder showers during the night.

Rainy Day

I decided to dig my printer out of storage and print some things from the computer this morning. That simple move lead to a morning of delay and frustration. After all I just used the darned thing two years ago. Found out my printer drivers were absent from the computer so I checked for updates and ended up with a long download. I finally found the CD for the printer and loaded the drivers from that. Then the paper feed didn't work. Once I got that working it wouldn't print so Mary bought some new ink cartridges and now it works fine.

Rain started just after noon and hasn't quit. That didn't stop us from working on our chair project. It is coming along nicely. Frame for one chair is done and tomorrow we will work on the second one.

Chair 1 Front

Chair 1 Side

Still raining but supper is chicken stew and biscuits plus the sauna is heated and I am sure there will be a game of Farkel in the mix.

Catfish Festival

Wow! Another play day. Today we drove to Floodwood (My home town) to experience the wonders of the 31st Catfish Festival. This annual event provides an opportunity for people to get together, drink beer, eat food, play games and visit. We partook of everything except playing games. My favorite event, the cow pie drop, was scheduled for Sunday.

Main Street Floodwood

Tasty Treats?

We said hello to many people from the past, many of whom I did not recognize. Mary purchased a baby dress from Grandma's Attic a delightful store owned by boyhood friend Dennis Jussila and his wife. She also purchased a book, entitled The Harvest Moon Flight, from Carolyn Hosking and illustrated by her daughter Jen Myles. We were family friends of Carolyn's family the Beckmans. Carolyn's mom (age 95) and sister were there as well.

Harvest Moon Flight Book

Jen & Carolyn

Mrs Beckman & Daughter

I bought my mandatory Catfish Festival T Shirt and we spent the requisite amount of time in Mainline Station, the local powerhouse, sipping beer, eating lunch (thanks for the lunch Buck) and chatting with old friends.

Catfish Festival T Shirt

Our quest for excitement not yet satiated, we drove the back roads back to Twin Lakes via a stop at Target in Grand Rapids.

Our dinner was pasties, from Pasties Plus in Grand Rapids, cooked on the grill. We buy them half baked (yes, like me) and finish cooking them when we want them for dinner. Pasties were introduced to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Yuppers) and the Iron Range of Minnesota by Cornish miners. This treat of pastry wrapped meat, potatoes, carrots, onion, rutabaga, etc was adopted as a soul food of the Finnish cultures in this area. Accompanied by a nice glass of Chalone Cabernet Sauvignon it made a delicious dinner.

Pasties on the Grill

My Pastie

Don, Mary & Bobbi at Dinner

Nothing left to do but play a little more Farkel. I actually won a couple of games.