So let's catch up. We left Norman's One Stop and Motel in Orr, Minnesota (Home of the Giant Blue Gill) this morning after I took care of a conference call and Daniel dropped his Android in a scum pond near the motel while collecting plants. Not a great start to the day. The phone dried out nicely after a while (fingers crossed) and we left, stopping 75 miles away at a Ford dealer to have a fan belt pulley replaced while we had lunch. Turns out the dealer's owner was a cousin of the owner of Norman's. There was a train track and some nice weeds, I mean wildflowers, nearby. We collected there and then had lunch at the Adventurer. I had Puttin' on the Ritz Walleye (coated in Ritz crackers and deep fried - we have both developed a taste for walleye on this trip) and Daniel had elk steak. After lunch I made an arrangement for the lady at the dealership. The boot container was picked up at a tag sale in North Dakota. We weren't sure if the boot was bisque fired or just dried out clay and told her she ought to keep an eye on it in case it gets soft. You can see how the water has seeped through in the photo. I'd hate for it to melt all over the counter.
Yesterday and the day before were really great. We visited the Voyageur National Park. I had never heard of it. Had you? It is named for the French voyageurs who traveled throughout the islands in 30' long birch bark canoes, bringing cookware, guns, and supplies to trade for furs with the Indians. They were major suppliers of pelts to fashionable Europeans. Anyway, the area we visited was on Rainey Lake and the Park part is only accessible by watercraft. The ranger at the Park visitor's center told us generally about the islands, where to look for campsites and cautioned us about the bears. He said we were to find a site with a bear box and put our food in it. Or we were to hang the food 8 feet high and at least six feet away from our tent. He was quite specific about it.
We inflated our kayaks and loaded Daniel's backpacking tent and sleeping bags as well as food, water, and other gear. Really, he has everything in that truck. We kayaked about an hour to a place called Dry Weeds Island. Not sure why, as it is all green trees. We went to the north side of the island and did not see any campsites. We stopped at one place that looked inviting but we didn't see any bear box. We decided to move on. We kept paddling but did not see any more sites. At most places along the shore there are large rocks so there were few places where we could even land. Finally, as the day was ending, we saw a small island and decided to try it. Daniel went ashore and deemed it adequate and probably bear-free. There were no Park signs and no evidence it had ever been used as a campsite. But the sun was falling fast and we needed a place to sleep. So we settled in and hoped we wouldn't get booted out by a ranger. It was an amazingly beautiful little island. It is essentially a domed rock with trees growing in little grooves and pockets. The bare rock was so covered with moss and lichen that we placed our tent on it. We could see the lake on both sides. I think the whole island was only 40 feet wide and a few hundred feet long. Since we arrived as it was getting dark we weren't able to see how long it was. Visually it looked connected to the next island so we were still a little bit concerned about bears. The next morning we saw it was a tiny island that would never support a bear.
Our tent pad -- pretty nice, huh? The lichen is soft and spongy.
We were well above the water. We could hear waves lapping and gurgling against the shore all night.
The lake was close on both sides. It really was a tiny island. Later, we felt nice cool breezes all evening and could watch the Milky Way through a screen window in the roof of the tent.
Daniel built a fire between two rocks so that we could eliminate any trace of it when we left and then made us a nice dinner. We had provisioned for a camping trip while in Spokane so we had freeze-dried soup and such.
We watched an amazing sunset while I occasionally fretted about bears. Would they swim over to our island, tempted by the scent of our lentil soup and carrots? We decided they wouldn't.
In the morning I explored the island. I have a crazy fondness for moss and found it in abundance. It contrasted so prettily with the lichen, ferns and blueberry bushes.
I snacked on blueberries, but there weren't enough for our cereal.
These cute little lichen are called red soldiers.
This little pool reflected the beauty of the island nicely.
There was coffee to get me up and going and a fire waiting to warm my toes.
We also discovered that the island had some nightime visitors. Beaver. Lots of fresh beaver poop - unmistakeable because they look like chewed up fiberboard. Who knew that beavers swallow the chips?
We both bathed in the lake which was nice and refreshing. Daniel showed me how to filter water. We refilled all our containers before we headed back to the mainland. Good thing because we were going to need it.
We paddled around. Off shore I looked back while Daniel launched and could see how little the island really was.
We circumnavigated the Dry Weeds Island and then headed back to mainland - a nice three hour paddle into strong headwinds. We stopped along the way to rest. Now we see why it's called Dry Weed Island. We reflected on how we were so lucky to find our own little private island with soft lichen and moss rather than dry weeds.
Going back really was tough. We don't have rudders on the inflatables. The wind was strong so when it hit us laterally it was tough to stay on course and tough to stay together. I would try to shortcut it across channels and Daniel sought the shelter of the shore. I would get too far away and fall behind. Finally Daniel tethered me to his kayak so we could stay together. I guess that's what it takes to make me follow... anyway it worked and it was much less stressful for me. We took another break but the waves kept bouncing us off the rocks so we didn't stay long. We could't really take breaks in open water because the wind blew us back. See Daniel's kayak? I under-inflated it I guess. Oh well. Next time.
Back on the mainland I made some business calls while we waited for the equipment to dry. Then we packed up and drove until we got to Norman's
This map shows where we ended last night. Orr, Minnesota.
Now, as I finish this post finally (the network was very unreliable along the way so I gave up) we are in the Wonderland Motel in Ishpeming, Michigan. Lake and moose country and I am hopeful about seeing a moose in the morning.
I close this post with a question for you. What do you think General Mills does with all these wood chips? We saw this as we passed through Duluth and wondered. Boxes? High fiber cereal? I'm going to start checking labels more carefully.
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