Grey Wolf Lodge

We've arrived in Orr!
Before I detail our wonderful day, I must rave about our digs for the rest of the week! The Grey Wolf Lodge is the shizzle (awesome)! This cabin is just perfect! We’re literally ON THE LAKE. There’s the cabin, maybe two feet of earth, rocks and trees, and then the lake. The weather has been off and on sunny and rainy all day (and quite cold), the kind of weather that is so cool to watch rolling in over a massive lake. Sunny on one side, and rain streaking into the water on the other side, I love it! There are a flock of giant pelicans, a loon couple and a group of 4 quacking ducks that have already graced us with their presence. We can’t wait to grill out tomorrow evening, have a fire in the fire pit and roast marshmallows for s’mores!



So, to the highlights of the day! We started our day out with the free breakfast of waffles and hard boiled eggs (and a couple of bananas for the road) and made our way in the rain up to Ely. We came upon the North American Bear Center almost as abruptly as the Wellstone memorial yesterday and screeched into the lot around 10:30 am. There must have been over 30 televisions all with video clips of Lily and Hope (if you haven’t been following Lily and Hope the bears, you must Google for the cuteness), and of the resident bears at the center, Lucky, Honey and Teddy. Lucky was an orphaned cub that has adopted Honey, an adorable, rotund, honey-colored female, and Teddy, a large, soft-eyed, gentle black bear, as his foster parents. They are all just sweet as can be, and it was cool to see all the video clips of Lucky getting used to the big bears as he grew into the adolescent bear he is now, but not half as neat as getting to see them all up close and in person!! They have an elevated outdoor observation deck and an indoor glass observation area at ground level. We took a boatload of photos of the bears, and even got to see the crew feeding the bears grapes, apples and nuts!! There were tons of birds (including a snappy little bluejay that was dominating the area, even stealing some of the nuts from the bears!), tiny red squirrels and chipmunks everywhere! It felt a little like Snow White’s forest creature’s frolicking in the wild, all that was missing were the dwarves. Well, and the Disney princess ;)

Honey


Teddy


Lucky


Red Squirrel


Blue Jay


Then we went to the International Wolf Center, had a quick lunch in the car (mmm, leftover pulled pork for me and peanut butter for John), and got to take a ton more pictures! The wolves were incredible, I have to say. There was an unidentifiable carcass that they were sharing, in turn, and it was exciting to see the four young wolves interact. Their pack nature is apparent as the subordinates always step down to the alpha male and females. We learned a whole bunch of interesting things like: only the alpha male and females will lift their legs to pee, the betas (males and females) always keep four paws on the ground and squat! And only the alpha male and female typically reproduce, the others only help the care of the pups. They had a large exhibit indoors, too, with tons of cool stuff, including a book with different folklore stories about werewolves (which I couldn’t read through because I was too excited about seeing actual wolves, but maybe I’ll look up the folklore books in the library this winter when there’s nothing else to do) and an exhibit with all the different sounds, whimpers, calls and howls they make. We also watched a video on coyotes which was neat. There were tons of movies, lectures and exhibits to see, but I pretty much only had eyes for the actual wolves :)







A dinner of brats and baked beans, a wander around the lodge grounds and hanging out on our dock, and now it’s late and John’s already curled up with his depressing Kurt Vonnegut book (Slaughter House Five), so I’m going to join him and read my children’s fantasy by Julia Golding (Secrets of the Sirens) before we cash in for night. John stepped outside but said it was too pitch black to see anything, all he could hear was the water lapping against the dock. Ahhh. Peace.

Nitey-nite, bitey-bite!
Love to all, R&J

Eveleth Photos

The Frank Lloyd Wright gas station in Cloquet!


John's slapshot clocked in at 30 mph!


Me trying my skill with the stick!


John in action at the US Hockey Hall of Fame :) Look at that form!


Sadness :*(

Eveleth, Minnesota

The ride to Eveleth was uneventful and beautiful. The roads were quiet, even deserted for most of the way, and the air is perfectly cool. We stopped at one of the most gorgeous rest areas I've ever seen that had a glimmering lake behind it, and an expanse of trees spanning beyond. A lady there had the most adorable baby Beagle, which made up for all the roadkill we saw, especially the dead wolf on the road. *Sadness* Hopefully we'll get a chance to see a live wolf (and maybe bears, moose and giant pelicans!) once we get to the Grey Wolf Lodge, but for sure we will see live wolves at the International Wolf Center! Whoohoo!

We came upon the Wellstone Memorial Crash Site rather abruptly, and I made a *bit* of a careening turn onto the road. It was a beautiful site, a lovely, wild and living tribute to those who died that day with loads of huge trees, and the most unusual red and white mushrooms everywhere (and no, we didn't sample them to see if they were magic mushrooms!) Lots of people had left little memorial trinkets on each of the stone markers. I didn't want to leave anything environmentally unsafe, so I found a little sprig of pine that I left on Paul & Sheila Wellstone's marker. I wasn't expecting to become emotional, but every time we visit a memorial, the appropriate sadness and empathy finds its way to the surface. We loved Wellstone. He was just a very genuine person who didn't bullshit about his stance on things. While I may not have agreed with everything he did or said, he epitomized what I think a politician should be. Sometimes you need to stand hard on things that aren't popular, and it takes a commitment to change and compromise with people to make things work with so many opinions and complicating political, economic and social factors. I admired and respected him for his tenacity and spirit. He was always that strong oak tree that you could always depend on to keep you dry. He is still greatly missed in this democratic household.

We sat on the stones and shared a picnic together as the wind whistled in the trees. It was an eerily beautiful sound, fitting for the mood of the place. We left and made our way to Eveleth and checked into the Super 8 to loaf a bit with some coffee and Twins watching before heading off to the US Hockey Hall of Fame, which is across the street. The building is a bit neglected, but the inside is packed with fun hockey memorabilia, pictures, videos and even places to practice your slapshot!! There's tons of stuff about Herb Brooks and the 1980 Olympic team, they have a video running constantly with the highlights of that game that we checked out. I think I may actually remember watching that game with Mum!! We had fun practicing our slapshots in the real net and stick area they had set up, and one net was set up with a radar gun! My shots went in twice at a whopping 17 mph (one simply rolled into the net on it's side), but John clocked at 30 mph!! We didn't realize that the documentary they had was an hour long, so we ended up missing out on it, but the nice little ladies at the register gave us a slip to get in for free if we wanted to stop back and see it on Saturday as we leave town. Minnesota Nice in action :)

We stopped for dinner at a little drive-in (the K & B Drive-In) that had the most incredible pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, then drove back to the hotel with the dark rain clouds behind us. Our first night down, and we are ready to check out the wildlife at the Wolf & Bear Centers in Ely!! YAY!!!
More to come, love to all :)
R&J

Up to Orr!

We're off on another Minnesota adventure tomorrow! We'll be heading out for Eveleth for one night and then to Orr Minnesota to stay at a quaint looking cabin at Grey Wolf Lodge on Pelican Lake. Among the things we're planning is the Hockey Hall of Fame, Wellstone crash memorial site, lots of hiking and photo ops at Voyageurs National Park, The North American Bear Center, the International Wolf Center, Bob Dylan's childhood home, the Paulucci Space Theatre, and if there's time we may take a mine tour at the Soudan Underground Mine, visit the Minnesota Museum of Mining, and do some hiking in Superior National Forest! Above all, we're excited to watch the sun rise every morning on the lake, grill our dinners every night, make s'mores for dessert and make lots of wonderful, Schmoopie memories :)

Dallas and the trip home

There And Back Again

Whew, we made it back to Kansas City in one, long-ass haul. Remind us never to drive that much in one day again. It's 8:30pm and we've been on the road since 9am. John drove us most of the way, except for a very small stretch during which it was pretty clear I wasn't going to be able to drive much longer because (long story short) I'm high-maintenance. He's so even, it's amazing :)

After John's conference yesterday, we loaded up and drove into Dallas to check out Dealy Plaza, the place President Kennedy was assassinated. After being amazed yet again at the politeness of drivers and a slight hassle with parking spots for the rental Prius (GET one of these if you can), we got a ton of helpful information (a map, restaurant recommendations and buyer-beware tips!) from the friendliest cop-on-a-bike you could ever possibly meet. We set off to The Sixth Floor Museum, which is literally the 6th floor of the Texas Book Depository building where Lee Harvey Oswald parked himself to commit his horrible crime. They've got a comprehensive history of President Kennedy and Jackie O, in addition to simply covering the assassination. They give you a little headphone set for an audio tour, there's tons of information, pictures, videos and even certain realia. We could've easily been there for a few hours, but since we got there only an hour and half before closing, we hustled through it. It was pretty amazing, and though I've read about it and seen all the movies and historical accounts of the assassination, I still wandered through the place with my jaw hanging open in disbelief. I've always found the controversy surrounding that day to be most intriguing, but no matter how many times I ponder it, I'm always struck by the profound horror of it, and an incredible empathy for Jackie in the aftermath.

What struck both of us right away is the simplicity and scale of the scene. When you see it in pictures, I guess it seems like it would be a larger area, but it's literally just a little grassy knoll directly next to the freeway on-ramp. That's all it is. And that fence, the creepy, infamous fence where some reports and pictures put an unidentified, possible accomplice to Oswald...man, it just LOOKS like some creep-oid extremist would be hangin' around back there totin' his firearm! And the view of the window from the ramp is also very eerie. Personally, I'm a bit persnickety about proper behavior when visiting sites such as these, so it irks me a bit when people are acting a-fool, too jovial, or selling bogus information to make a quick buck around a place that is such a well-known scene of a brutal crime. Yes, I know people die everywhere, and place is, in the grand scheme of things, completely irrelevant, but it's like Pearl Harbor; it's a graveyard, so you act like it. It's a huge piece of our history, and you treat it with dignity. Anyway, I found it to be an important, and chilling, place to visit.

After the tour, we wandered along Market Street and patronized a great BBQ joint, Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse, that the cop recommended. It was delicious!! We took a bit more of a walk, then headed back to the hotel for a little reading and hit the sack.

As we left Kansas City, it was raining and thundering a bit, so I was apprehensive about our luck. Some of the roads already seemed to be getting a little flooded, but we forged ahead and made good time out of the rain and into the sunny, green wonder of Iowa. I have to say, I've come to really adore Iowa. There's just something very Hobbiton about it, it's lush and a bit slower paced than the states surrounding it. Quiet simplicity. I could envision running a little bed & breakfast there :) We made a stop off in Des Moines for lunch at a funky place called Hessen Haus, a nice German pub with tons of cool decor, good food (yes, more big sausages!) and we even picked up my niece the coolest shirt! John will post pics soon, but it has the restaurant name and logo on the front, and then on the back it says, "Schnitzel Happens". I can't stop giggling about it :)

We then went to the Des Moines Science Museum and caught another Omni Theatre movie: Greece. This one wasn't nearly as interesting as it could have been. It wasn't very cohesive, but the photography was beautiful, and I didn't feel like puking during this one, so that's a bonus! We were running out of steam, but we managed another planetarium showing which was a "Native American Stars" viewing, where the guy narrated some of the Native American stories around the constellations. It was very nice, although I fell asleep during the last part of it. Then we poked around the space stuff for awhile before heading on home.

The drive was uneventful, and our furbabies, as usual were happy to see us, though they acted a bit aloof at first in punishment ;) We're already planning our next adventure, likely to be in Canada! WHOO!

Thanks for tuning in! Next time we'll remember to do a podcast, cuz we're dorks like that ;)~
Love & hugs, R&J

Photos from Texas

Cowpoke

I just had to say "cowpoke". Moving on...

Getting up to a sleepy last day of John's conference. The hotel has this awesome "Wake up to your day" feature on the TV that you can set to automatically start up, and instead of a blazing alarm sound, it's really gentle music set with a gorgeous video montage of nature shots, starting with a long shot of the sun peeking through the clouds. Stunning scenes of water falls, blowing trees, time elapsed video of the sun shifting through a forest and the stars rotating through the night sky with flashes of the Northern Lights, and still prairie fields against blue, blue skies are so pretty, I wish this were a feature on our home TV. It's the most glorious way to be woken up :)

We caught a Ranger's game the other night after John's day was done, and it was awesome! Outdoor baseball is just the way it should be (I say that sitting pretty here in the hot sun of Texas and not the 40 degree chill of Minneapolis, however...). Click here to see how cute we are! (If the link doesn't work, it's www.texasrangers.com/fanphotos, select the May 11 Rangers vs. Oakland game, select Gallery 5). The stadium's got nothing on our new beauty at home, though, but it's always cool to tick off another stadium on our list of must-sees. We had fun watching a group of harmless drunks that security seemed to think were worthy of most of their attention because they spent the last 5 innings bugging them. That's called "too much time on the hands", my friends! The game itself was good, and they tied it up in the 9th at which point we decided to head out so as to miss the traffic and John could get some decent sleep. It's amazing how easy it was to get to and from the ballpark, a straight shot on 30 that was one of the most leisurely intercity drives we've ever experienced. Drivers here are, overall, very mellow. I have to say, I'm impressed. I haven't cussed uncontrollably once ;)

John had a busy day yesterday so I sat around reading most of the day. Have I mentioned to you (because I know I've bored John to tears with this) how much I adore Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix? It's my favorite of the 7 books, and it was very nice to drag my book around and have my nose in it all day. I sat out for an hour and a half at the Water Gardens reading, the sounds of water and trees blowing was a lovely atmosphere for utter relaxation. It's been hot, in the 90s, here but the breeze has helped. Later in the afternoon, I FINALLY braved the pool!! It was completely empty, and a wonderful break in the day. They've got the temperature a bit too warm for my taste (85 degrees, the pool guy informed me). I paddled around a bit, did my version of water aerobics and then spent 5 minutes in the boily, bubbly whirlpool before nestling onto a lounge chair with my book. I felt a bit silly as a group of fully clothed business people came through on a tour, and shortly after that I noticed my skin was all red, likely from the mondo-chlorination of the hot tub, so I decided it was time for a shower.

We went for dinner at this rockin' place called The Flying Saucer. They had a FOUR PAGE beer list (none of which I had ever heard of), and we both had brats with hot German potato salad which was delicious. We then caught Iron Man II in a nearly empty theater (highly entertaining, but in keeping with the latest trends in movie making, a little over-the-top). We had an exhilarating walk back along the festive Main Street, which was alive with celebration: an outdoor band, dancing in the streets and late-night happy hour crowds milling about. It was all sweet and romantic except for the furious wind which brought that all to a grinding halt by blowing something directly into my eye....good feeling gone, I whined the whole way home with my eye pouring out tears and no way to deal with the situation. We went to bed directly without any preamble :*(

Today is John's final day of the conference, and we are looking forward to a final evening here, then setting off as early as possible tomorrow to make some good time on the way home. I'm going to do a little art journaling (yes, I brought all my paints and crap!), more Harry Potter, looking over my Container Gardening book, more time at the pool and then we may try to hit one more touristy-type thing tonight. I'd like to check out the Botanic & Japanese Gardens. Or maybe we'll just try for another romantic evening, without something lodged in my cornea!!

Ok, enough of my blather! I'll have John upload more photos later.
Love & hugs :)

Fort Worth

After much driving, and just missing the storm that spawned a deadly tornado in Oklahoma, we're in Fort Worth. John's off doing his conferencey thing, and I'm chillin' in the hotel. We were able to check out the Oklahoma Science Museum/Planetarium before we left which was great fun, except for when I almost puked in the Omni theater viewing of Air Fighter Pilots which was a little too realistic. We stopped for a brief stroll around the Nat'l Memorial which was a really beautiful place. We got a little choked up, as we both remember that day--John especially since he was still working at the Fed where they got locked down. Very scary, and serves to remind us that violence never solves anything. The weather didn't seem that ominous, but it did feel like storm weather, and the wind was crazy wild, so we're thankful we left when we did! We got a little rain, but we could see lightning off in the distance and the dark clouds. The wind has been the biggest challenge since Kansas, and it has not slowed down at all. I wonder if this area is usually this windy, sorta like Chicago is always windy, or if it's simply the spring stormy systems.

Well, I feel a bit like a little suburban house frau. I had a leisurely morning after kissing my Hubby goodbye for his meetings (and SO CUTE in his business-casual clothes :) fooling around on the internet and having some oatmeal with honey. I just got back from a little walk in the neighborhood, though it's always a bit freaky for me. I seem to attract weirdos on the street wherever I go, so I made sure to not make eye-contact with anyone. I meant to simply read my Harry Potter in the lovely Fountain Gardens they've got right outside the hotel, but I chickened out. There's just too many wandering lone men around. I had to pee anyway, so I came back to the room.

I think I'll have lunch at Shula's (got a hankerin' for a Black Angus burger) and then a little later I'll brave a swim and a soak in the hot tub. I'll bring my book, too, then I can really house-frau it up by lounging by the pool :) Love & hugs to all!!

Oklahoma City!

Wow! What a long day of driving!! We set off before 9 am, and we're just settling into a newly remodeled Days Inn in Oklahoma City at almost 9 pm! Lots of bloody, gory roadkill out there today, so I was sad for all the dead things. There are TONS of cattle roaming the hills (cowboy country, of course) and all the little baby calves tagging at their mamas sides are super cute :) We must've seen 500 hawks, they're like the pigeons in the city out here. I wish it were easier to snap photos from a 70 mph car, because we've gotten some up close looks at them diving for food!

We stopped in Kansas City for lunch at Arthur Bryant's for some down home BBQ sammies (um, yeah, if I had that every day, I'd be a deuce and a half!!!) and visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum. They squeeze a ton of information into that baseball museum, and it was all kind of painful to read about, but uplifting, too. Amazing to think that players still alive today went through that struggle, it's sad and incredible. I got a bit choked up standing in their silent replica of a baseball diamond with life-size statues of some of the old Negro League players. You can walk right up to them and it felt kind of eerie. We didn't have a whole lot of time for the jazz museum, though I did insist on checking out all the glittery dresses on display in the Women Of Jazz section. Lots of sequins, beads and glitter! We were very glad we made the stop.

The rest of the day was spent driving, with a few stops to stretch our legs. The stormy skies were gorgeous, and I had a brief thought of the movie Twister as we watched the skies get dark across the vast landscape, but it only produced a little rain. John kept seeing lightning, though I kept missing it, and John even saw one of those Storm Chaser trucks! The trees, when there are trees, seem really unique out here, almost like they're permanently wind-blown and leaning.

Tomorrow we're going to try to get to a few sites around Oklahoma City, the Federal Building Memorial, the planetarium, and maybe I'll try to find some funky place to have lunch before we head out for Texas. I've eaten far too much already, and I'm actually looking forward to a lot of hotel time in Fort Worth so I can use the gym and pool!! I NEED IT!!

We called Mum to wish her a happy Mother's Day (sounds like she got a nice lunch and surprises today, YAY!), and she's informed us the kitties are a little perturbed! Our little nutters!! We miss our babies!!!!!
Love to all, R&J

Des Moines, Iowa

We made it to Des Moines! Not a whole lot to report, as we midwesterners know this landscape is very beautiful, but not terribly exciting. It was ded peaceful, though, and we had fun gabbing and later in the drive, grooving to our tunage. John was a good sport about listening to all my kooky theories about life, the universe and everything :)

We had a brief stopover in Clear Lake to see the site where Buddy Holly met his untimely end where we took a few photos of the giant Buddy Holly glasses that stand as a memorial in the cornfield. We also snapped a few shots of the Surf Ballroom where he last played. We had a simple supper at the local Perkins before hitting the road to Des Moines.

Tomorrow: off to stay a night and see a few choice sites in Oklahoma City! Hopefully we can upload the few photos we got today. Let me turn the computer over to John....
Sleep tight :)

PS: I miss our furbabies already!!!!

Southern Journey

We're off on another mini-vacation today! John's got a conference in Fort Worth, Texas, so I'm tagging along for a bit of a respite from our normal surroundings. We're planning on staying in Des Moines,then Oklahoma City and down to the Lone Star State. Hopefully we'll be able to catch some AAA baseball games along the way, check out some planetariums and other sites. Since most of our Texas sites will be relegated to visiting after John's work days at the conference, we are going to plan carefully.

It's hard to conceptualize the fact that it's in the upper 80s in the Dallas/Fort Worth area right now, and here we've got snow in the weather reports. I rather enjoy these cool, puffy cloud days with peeks of sun making interesting shadows across the land, it's going to be weird plunging into the air conditioning! Anyway, we'll be off soon, so stay tuned for photos and stuff!
Love & hugs, R&J

Last of Itasca

John made brekkies again today, and Brownie came by to sleep on our couch all morning to stay out of the rain. Another morning like this and I could get just too used to this kind of living. Since it was to be pretty dreary all day, we opted for a long, lazy morning of double pots of coffee and lots of lake gazing. Around 12:30, we left for the Douglas Lodge Boat Tour of Lake Itasca. What an amazing way to spend the afternoon!! It was beautifully overcast, clouds of white and grey all over an expanse of sky that seemed to literally be half sunny, half storm cloudy. We saw a bunch of loons, an Osprey, a Bald Eagle and many beautiful trees starting to change color. They had a narrator on the boat that I feared might be a little annoying, but turned out to be pleasant and interesting. It was 2 hours of pure natures beauty.

Then it was back to the state park to try hiking again. Nope. We got all excited, started off on the trail, and within seconds we were turning back because the mosquitoes were eating us alive. John is covered in bites, itching miserably, and I even though dressed in long pants and hoodie, was getting annoyed with being so hot and unable to even remove the hood lest the bugs get right into my ears. Back to the car, back along the 10 mile scenic drive. We did take one .5 mile hike up to the observation tower that was a very wide, clear path and was nice despite a few mosquitoes. I got a little too wigged out about climbing this immense tower and wussed out about halfway up. John was a gentleman and just came down with me. We decided that between the mosquitoes, consistent rainfall and the fact that the afternoon was quickly turning into the evening, we left the park for the last time.

Dinner was on the grill again: chicken brats with spinach and sage, corn on the cob, baked beans and S'mores. Brownie the cat was there for more mooching; he loved sweet corn and snubbed everything else!! The corn really was fantastic, and it all hit the spot. The mosquitoes drove us in again, and we've been packing, cleaning and getting ready to head out tomorrow morning. We're excited to see our own kitties again, though it was nice to have a surrogate here :)

A Perfect Day

Waking up was another wonder today: a delicate fog clung to everything, the tips of the trees, the wild rice reeds, the cabin awnings, the very surface of the lake as if it were dry ice. As we marveled at the site over steaming coffee, we took many cool photos as the fog then descended heavier on the landscape and made it difficult to see past the grassy marsh at the waters edge. The moisture in the fog seemed to start dripping over the campsite as if it were rain, and the eery sounds of blurping fish, dragonflies and the calls of loons across the lake unseen were a bit unnerving, but short-lived, as the sun rose above and seemed to simply wave the fog away with a majestic sweep of his arm.

There are some things up here that have been a little...disturbing, and though I don't want to linger enough to speculate too much, I feel the need to record it because this is, after all, our travel blog of experiences, and where I believe the small details of our trips belong. As I sat on the dock, there was a long while where the peace here was filled with some sort of animal distress. What sounded like a duck or bird of some sort, its calls coming from across the lake somewhere were mixed with what sounded like terrible suffering. I can only assume that a hawk or some other predator had found its prey that morning, and I shudder to imagine that horrible end, regardless the details. We've also heard a number of dogs getting into some sort of scrap, and at one point, among the snarling, growling and ferocious barking, another animals' noises could be heard in the scuffle, and it weren't a pleasant sound, either. Again, I assume a fox or some other poor thing lost its battle that day to its enemies. Anyway, there that is, and moving on.

Off to Itasca State Park once again to do some exploring in what we'd hoped would be a day filled with satisfyingly exhausting hikes. Well, it turned out we spent more time in the car on the 10 mile scenic wilderness drive than hiking because after a .5 mile hike and 50 mosquito bites later, we decided that humid end-of-summer days aren't that hospitable to hikes in a dense forest. We literally couldn't walk an inch without frantically swatting at the blood-suckers. It was quickly agreed upon that hiking in these conditions is horribly unpleasant at best, so we jumped back in the vehicle and had a very lovely cruise around the entire park. We did stop off at a creek and a couple of lake areas that weren't nearly as buggy, and frankly more spectacular than the forest. We took loads of photos and stretched our legs, enjoying the afternoon breeze mosquito-free! Stopping off at a couple of gift shops (there are several in the park), checking out the Douglas Lodges and the boat cruise schedule for the next day, we picked up a few things, then headed home for more pleasant recreation. After a leisurely nap, we used the cabin's paddle boat for a short excursion around our little corner of the lake. Though I'm well accustomed to swimming as its my exercise of choice, I've never been one for natural bodies of water. I'd like to say I'm not afraid and that swimming is swimming, and being in a lake should feel more natural to me than a pool and not completely foreign and frightening, but that's not the case. I'm actually quite terrified of natural bodies of water, and I've had several panic attacks in lakes and the ocean. John has only recently begun to really learn to swim, and so the two of us boating alone for the first time was kind of a big step. We were originally going to try the canoe, but after hauling the thing into the water and getting into it, we realized that might be above and beyond what we can realistically handle. The thought of that thing tipping us over was enough to squash our hopes of a romantic river "stroll" in an instant. After some debate, we opted to try the paddle boat (which also scared me because, let's face it, anything that floats on the water can also sink) for a quick jaunt. It was actually super fun, and only a little scary, although we stayed distinctly on our side of the lake. After a mere 20 minutes, we decided that was enough adventure so we made our way back to the dock. We had to make an awkward rescue of the other paddle boat which somehow got untied from the dock, and other than my khaki's being completely soaked in the butt, and poor John being soaked from the waist down, we returned unscathed. After the embarrassment of everyone at the resort witnessing our clumsy water antics, it was time for another cookout!

So this day was an adventure all around: we decided to cook directly on a campfire. I prepared some tilapia fillets with butter and lemon slices, skewered tomatoes, buttered apples and the leftover broccoli and cauliflower, all in foil packets as John readied the campfire. He had an awesome fire ready for the food in no time, and the food turned out better than fantastic. The fish was perfectly cooked (Brownie, to his delight, agreed, and sat with us for the rest of the night by the campfire), the tomatoes were again so juicy and delectable I ate them right off the skewers, and the apples with butter were like apple pie without the crust. S'mores were last on the menu, a campfire must!! We talked philosophically all the rest of the night and gazed at the stars through the telescope (we could see the swirls of Jupiter!) until the coals died out. This was my favorite day :)

Oh, and we saw a turtle making his way to the lake!! We even got video!

Headwaters of the Mississippi

Neither of us slept well at all. There was a steady, hard rain that was just loud enough on the logs of the cabin to keep us from deep sleep. We both laid there until about 2:30 AM, drifting in and out of hazy consciousness before we decided to just get up for awhile. The storms passed, leaving a beautiful sky above with a crystal clear view of a zillion stars, and the Moon and Venus gleaming bright as anything. We awoke late to the sound of drips on the cabin, and just when we were about to shrug and say, "Let's stay in bed, it sounds gloomy out there", John got up for some water and looked out to the lake. He called me out to see the most gorgeous morning, sunny and bright, fluffy clouds dotting the morning sky, the suns' rays beaming over everything in just such a way that made our hearts leap to be alive. We spent a long while just listening to peace on this exquisite lake.

After brekkies, we made our way to Itasca State Park to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi. Firstly, the drive into the park's South entrance is spectacular enough: rolling by our windows were endless trees, bogs, leafy traces of autumn, and lakes of such a great number it's hard to believe they're all contained within one state park. It was cool just driving in, and we hadn't seen a fraction of all this park had to offer. The headwaters were surprisingly serene. A couple of ducks cleaned themselves along the rocks at the crest, and a few tourists who were respectfully mellow. We took many photos on either side of the bank, and then took a very lovely hike along the humble stream that becomes the great river.

Many photographs later, we headed out for Bemidji to get some groceries (I decided against getting jeans) for the week's meals. In a word, Bemidji was lame. I'd been there many times as a kid and never thought much of it, and after John saw it, he felt the same way. It reminded us a bit of "the suburbs" back home with all the same shit: jocks, backwards attitudes and hick-ness that I never seem to figure out how it befalls people. No offense to anyone, but it was just another one-story town. Actually, it looked so similar to Sioux Falls, ND that one might mistake it for the same place, if it weren't for Lake Bemidji sitting right there. It being too much like real life after dealing with Target and the grocery store (and me getting crabbier every second) we headed back to the cabin promptly for some grilling!

This part needs it's own paragraph, because those of us condo-dwellers who've been stripped of grilling capabilities due to new fire regulations are seriously missing out on one of life's greatest gifts: cooking on an open flame. We made teriyaki marinated chicken kebabs with new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, green peppers and a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. There is something about fire roasted tomatoes that is pure heavenly bliss, and pair that with a mouthful of perfectly cooked chicken, zesty bell peppers and creamy new potatoes in each delicious bite....yum. Just, yum. The resident kitty (who goes by "Kitty" or "Brownie") was in attendance as well, and though skeptical at first of teriyaki chicken (he prefers fish, and from the sounds of it, everyone spoils him rotten with their leftover minnows), he finally had a taste of it and approved. He hung around the rest of the evening with us as we watched the sun sink, the lake turn still and glassy, and while we viewed Jupiter through the telescope. Another perfect day!!

Wilderness Bay Resort

We're reporting from Wilderness Bay Resort in Park Rapids, MN! After a nice long, relatively quiet drive, we arrived to a quick and friendly check-in, and promptly sat on our picnic table directly overlooking the serene Little Mantrap lake. It's got to be one of the clearest lakes John and I have ever seen in our lives. There's just no murk whatsoever, seaweed yes, but the water itself is crystal clear. It's so quiet out here, all we can hear is the wind and a donkey off in the distance, and even a wild turkey gobbling across the other side of the lake :) We've already seen quite a few wild turkeys (and a host of not wild ones that I won't describe, but I will give a solemn nod to) along the journey up here, along with tons of cows and horses. They've got the cutest, friendliest, hairiest kitty that lives here, and she just ran right up to us, sat on the picnic table and has been hanging around the cabins, stalking along the banks, and she even came into the cabin with us for awhile when the thunder was roaring close by.

This place really is an "up north" marvel. It's perfect for our tastes (running water, bathroom, shower, heat, fully stocked kitchen, etc) but more rustic than the last place we stayed with the family. I think this place will be where I recommend us all to come next year because there are two log cabins right next to each that would be perfect for mum and my sisters family to all stay in. We're in the bigger one, which I think would be great for the family and then another couple snagged the little one that we originally tried to book which is also right on the lake but only one queen bedroom. They're downright quaint.

Since the skies are cloudy tonight, we won't be able to use the telescope, but we've just spent the entire evening staring at the rippling waters, listening to an amazing wind, and talking the evening through. We're tucked in having tea and reading now that it's too dark and buggy outdoors. Tomorrow we plan on heading into Bemidji to get some jeans (since I didn't re-check the bag after we did laundry and forgot to pack them) and get a few more groceries to grill up for supper. Tonight we just had a breakfast-dinner of eggs, sausages, toast and bananas, followed by coffee and a walk around the grounds. We also bought fixins for S'mores that we'll have to settle on the gas stovetop tonight since it's supposed to rain out.

What a perfect evening!!

Coming in September: Itasca!

Yes, we think we may actually have solid travel plans again! We're planning a week-long jaunt up to north country to hopefully stay at a cabin in Itasca State Park in early September. It sounds like there's tons of lakes, and we found these cabins that offer rooms for whatever amenities you might need. I would prefer the four-plex since it's a bit more rustic (and romantic!) than the others, yet has a bathroom. A kitchen would have been nice, or at least a fridge, but we can live without it. There's a firepit which I find pretty cool and it would be good for us to learn how to properly start up an actual camping fire. I'm guessing that's one of those skills that Hubby can pull out of nowhere when he needs to but that I would somehow turning into a disaster if left to my own device. John never ceases to impress me with weird stuff like that :)

Anyway, we're syked to have some plans that won't break the bank, but that will get us away for awhile. I'd like to stay in one place and do a lot of hiking and maybe even rent a canoe to cruise a serene lake, but counter that with John's wanderlust! So maybe some day trips to Bemidji and the surrounding areas would be in order, photo shoots, birdwatching and exploring a bit, but then we can come home to the same place and not have to be packing and unpacking so much. YAY! I can't wait to be blogging our inane details here in September!!

More Photos From Duluth

Here's a random selection of more vacay photos that include scenes from: Hawk Ridge, the balcony view of the Inn on Lake Superior, Goosebury Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, Iona's Pink Stone Beach, Two Harbors, the woods near the Northern Rail hotel, and a whole lot of Schmoopiness :) Thanks for reading!

Leaving Las Duluth

Welp, it's our last day here in this lovely haven of tranquility. Sigh. We enjoyed some complimentary s'mores last night out by the fancy fire pit, lakeside. It was a cool night, the s'mores, crashing waves and relaxed visitors felt reminiscent of times long ago when life was sweet, simple, youthfully fleeting. We took a stroll along the rocks until we were too chilly to continue, then slept like babes in the fluffy, warm bed.

After an ample and tasty breakfast, we took a long walk almost the entire length of the pier. I collected a few large stones to bring home as reminders of this time, also some driftwood that was interesting and flat. There was a light rain, and being a workday here the walk was only sparsely populated with friendly retirees. Reluctantly, we came in for some coffee, newspaper reading and hot showers.

I primped myself up with some gorgeous bracelets that I found yesterday for $1 each: two are round stones of Black Onyx and Aventurine, and three are gemstones chips of Amethyst, Amber and what I think is either more Aventurine or Aquamarine. I've decided I want to wear more funky jewelry, and I love gemstones. We're spending some final moments on the balcony listening to the waves before heading out to Hawk Ridge Observatory to see (finally) some birds of prey. We toyed with the idea of visiting the aquarium, but it's too lovely out here to be inside.

Then it's off home to the little furry nutters!
Love & hugs,
R&J

Duluth

Reporting from Duluth tonight! We're currently nestled into a room at The Inn on Lake Superior with a view directly out to the enormous Superior. It's serene, comfy and warm inside which is great because while it was short-sleeve weather here yesterday, it is two-layer and long-john's weather here today! It's a posh room in one of the "greenest hotels in the country" apparently. They have these awesome large rock soap holder thingys that's inspired me to find some for our bathrooms (that I'll try to remember to post a photo of), and "Bare Earth" toiletries with Eucalyptus & Lemon Myrtle. Yes, I get excited about the free stuff :)

Our stay at the Northern Rail hotel was quaint and restful, but we had loads to see so we checked out a couple hours early to get a jump on the mornings activities. We headed up first to Gooseberry Falls State Park where we had the nicest hike! It was nice and cool this morning, so we didn't get too overheated walking. As expected, we've got tons of photos. There were these cute little red squirrels (which only look cute, I've heard they're actually quite mean and nasty) that I kept trying to get photos of, but the little buggers are fast! Dodgy and mating, it seemed, as they'd make these loud clicking, chattery noises while chasing other red squirrels round and round the tree stumps. I only caught a couple of photos of birds, and surprisingly, we've hardly seen any hawks the past two days. And I'm still on my quest to spy an owl, but alas, none to be seen yet.

Off to Iona's Pink Pebble Beach just up the road, which we have few photos of because it was a disappointment. In my naivete, I envisioned a glittering, sparkling beach covered in shiny, bright pink pebbles, the kind you'd like to make a necklace of. What's there is rusty-pink-ISH, dull, flat stones that are less appealing than regular ones and there were funny little bugs crawling all over them. We didn't stay there long, and my imagination again proved more wonderous than real life. Sigh.

Split Rock Lighthouse! This was awesome to finally see, even though it was completely covered in scaffolding. Originally when we were planning our wedding, I had wanted to elope at Split Rock. I'd never been there, but I love lighthouses and water, and thought it would have been so romantic to exchange vows overlooking Mother Nature's glory. We finally decided that a wedding would quite possibly be the only adult rite-of-passage for us non-breeders (besides the final rite of passage-death-which really isn't enjoyable) and figured on a celebration near home to appease the family :) Anyway, the lighthouse was amazing, but not near so much as the view. It's a massive rock overlooking the lake, which looks like liquid tourmaline and gigantic rocks all around. They had a great hiking trail and also steps going down to the shoreline where we hung out for a long while. Again, I found myself not wanting to tear myself away from my element, the sea, but it is derned cold out there. I put a finger into the water and holy caca, FREEZING! I marvel that Gretchen and I once actually swam in Lake Superior. Brrr!

By this time, the day was getting on. I'd been up since 5, John not too long after that, and it was already past lunchtime. We'd already hiked a good several miles between the two parks. Our original notion was to visit Tettegouche State Park, then try to make it up to Grand Marais for at least a swing-through. Well, it's quite a ways from Split Rock, and since we've got to get John home for work by Wednesday, and also try to relax and enjoy some down time, we opted to skip the high North and just head back to Duluth for the night. Grand Marais will have to wait for another trip, sadly. But I think enjoying your surroundings, whereever they happen to be, relaxing, having fun and not being on too-tight a schedule is crucial to a good vacation. Duluth is serene, quiet, pretty and there's actually stuff to go do which is nice for us city-slickers who bore easily.

So we're here in our room overlooking the lake, enjoying our last night of this two-day excursion, and goofing around together. We're about to head to the Green Mill for some supper (this cool-sounding place, Thirsty Pagan Brewing, is just too far for such a limited menu and we don't feel like driving any more). Maybe we'll be in the mood for a drunken podcast :)
Hope all is nice & warm at home!
Love & hugs,
R&J

Scenic

Northern Rail Hotel, Two Harbors & Duluth