Boundary Waters Revelations

I want to start my first input to this blog by stating that I feel it is a little arrogant to believe that other people could actually give a rat's buttocks what we are doing and I have mixed feelings about this "blogging", but I have been assigned the task of updating on this go around, so I am going to do my best to make an exciting venture for us actually sound exciting for anyone who might check up on us through this web page.

We left Arkansas without the R.V. due to the fact I couldn't get all of my chores done in time to take off for good. We had a July 10th entry date to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota and could not change it, so we took off in the new Mazda Tribute to d nortlands of Minnesota. We got a late start, so we had to stop for the night in Iowa. By pure chance we chose a very nice town in Northern Iowa called Clear Water Lake. We went the wrong direction off the Interstate and stumbled into the downtown square, which happens to be right on the lake. There were several nice restaurants, families playing in the square, lovers kissing on the breakwater and an assortment of boats sailing in the sunset. We had a nice dinner at a busy pizza place (pizza is always my default dining choice) and headed to our motel. When we approached the motel check-in drive through area I noticed that the overhang was lower than normal, but decided I could clear it with bikes atop the Mazda. I remember remarking to Kim "after years of driving that service van, I know my clearances!" That remark was followed by a "screeeehhhhh, clunka, punka" and a "Shaka!" from Kim. My commentary wasn't exactly Mom-in-law friendly, so I am leaving it out. The seat from my extra-tall cannondale bicyle had done a greater than expected amount of damage to the aluminum soffit material of the portico. I remembered that there was a bike tool in the bag below my seat, so I quickly jumped into exit-embarrassment mode. I loosened the allen screw that held the seat post and it allowed the seat to lower and at the same time the car suspension to raise. I then did the obligitory "this never happened" move the car forward four feet. The girl at the desk couldn't have cared less, so no harm to my wallet at least, just my ego and the soffit.

We spent the next night with my sister Robin and her husband John. They took us to a nice dinner at a family style Italian joint with my niece Jessica. They serenaded us by the Mississippi River with their lovely three-part harmony, it is very cool that a family can sing that well together.

The next day we took off to the Timber Trail Lodge in Ely, Minnesota. The folks at the Timber Trail showed us our adventure gear for the Boundary Waters and gave us the low-down on how to camp and travel in the Boundary Waters. Basically don't leave a trace that you have been there and stay in the designated camp sites. All travel in the million acre area is done by canoe or foot, no motors. There are thousands of lakes and with the help of Bill the outfitter we chose a moderate path for our six day venture. They let us stay in the bunk house for the night, which is equipped with four bunks and a fly swatter only. When we woke up it was raining. We put on the water in the rain, we paddled five lakes in the rain and chose a camp site on a point in Lake Hudson. We were able to set up camp and make dinner with no rain. It was clear at night, then the rain came back in the morning. It ended up raining most of the time. I decided that our prayers for sunny weather were far outnumbered by the locals prayers for an end to the drought. I caught a nice Norther Pike, Walleye, and Small-Mouth Bass and several other fish, but the wind and the rain made it tough. We hiked over about 20 portages without incindent, but on the 21st portage I slipped and slammed the kevlar canoe on a rock and punctured it. Luckily it was above the water line. We left a day early after enduring 8 hours of rain, a night of stiff winds and no promise of improving weather. On the way out the clouds lifted, of course, and it was not too windy. We returned to the lodge where I fessed up to the canoe damage. Every person present had to take a look and comment in their thick Minnesota accents, "oohhh, I've not seen a hOle like that before, I dOn't knOw if that can be fixed." They are going to check with the canoe fixer and let me know how much is posted to my credit card, they assume about three hundred bucks. We came out of the Boundary Waters without injury or a divorce, so that was good. Kim was a trooper, she paddled hard and trolled me around with my fishing rod. She had a small meltdown on the third day of rain, she looked so cute and pathetic under the tarp in the rain with her rain coat hood hanging down in front of her forehead and tears on her cheek that I couldn't help but give her a hug and a kiss. We allowed as that this was good prep for the R.V. life. The R.V. will seem like a palace compared to canoe camping.

We went to Duluth for a night in a very nice hotel on the banks of Lake Superior and then headed to the Twin Cities to spend a few days with my good friend Ed from my vo-tech days at Dunwoody Industrial Institute. Ed has found a special woman, Mary, after years of being a bachelor. We had a lovely walk around the lakes of the Twin Cities and some nice meals together. After a trip to one of my childhood haunts, Willow River State Park in Wisconsin, and a nice bike riding day around the lakes and up the banks of the Mississippi River we loaded up to head back to Arkansas. Sorry about the lengthy update, hopefully we will make shorter more frequent updates in the future.

James