Circling Lake Superior--Entry 4

Sat. Sept. 8-Sept. 10: We managed to get up, break camp, and leave by 9:00 without eating breakfast at the campsites. We wanted to go to Hoiko Finnish Restaurant in Thunder Bay for their highly recommended breakfast. It took a little longer to get to Thunder Bay than we expected but we had no trouble driving downtown to the Scandinavian part of town and finding the restaurant on Bay Street in the basement of the Finnish Temple. The old guys on the benches outside were speaking Finnish, so we knew we had the right place. Begun in the early nineteen hundreds as a place for the men who worked in the area to come for a good meal at a low price, it has persisted to this day and at 10:00 there was a waiting line for tables. We all had the “Big 2”, their Sat. morning special of coffee, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 pieces of bacon, and 2 Finnish pancakes (like large crepes). Stuffed full, we felt we wouldn’t need to eat again until an early dinner. Ross wanted to drive the length of the harbor front, which we did, but it was hard to see much of the ship traffic he was hoping to see. From there we drove to Fort William Historical Park. The old Headquarters for the North West Fur Company has been reconstructed near their original site. We took a shuttle with one other visitor from the Visitors Center down to the outskirts of the Fort, where our guide, Anton, told us we would wait a few minutes to see if anyone else would be joining us, but said we could chat with the Ojibwa woman in her encampment while we waited. Everyone from this point is a Character Interpreter who, without fail, stayed in character for the time period of the height of the Fur Company’s trade in 1815. We were told that the Big Rendezvous had taken place for nearly a month in mid-summer and now those who remained are preparing for autumn and winter. Anton showed us around the fort buildings, including the room full of beautiful furs waiting to be packed and taken to Montreal. There must have been thousands of dollars of pelts in there still but he assured us it was a fraction of what is processed during the Rendezvous. We toured the Director’s summer & winter quarters and the massive main dining hall, which was only for the Director, the Bourgeois Share Holders, the agents and the interpreters. As a canoe builder, Anton and the other tradesmen would not be allowed to eat in there. They ate in a separate building and had their workshops and quarters behind the dining hall. The Voyageurs and Ojibwa wouldn’t even be inside the fort except for the processing and trading of furs and goods. Anton left us after an hour and a half but encouraged us to walk around the area and visit with other tradesmen. We spent time with the Tinsmith and the Gunsmith. They are truly craftsmen and their work showed their skill. It was a fascinating two or three hours spent there and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the attention to detail that has been given to the reconstruction. We regretfully left and headed out to see Kakabeka Falls, about 20KM away but as we drove, the threatening skies finally began to drizzle. We didn’t stay long and were surprised to note how late it was getting. We made our way down to cross the border back into the USA near Grand Portage, MN, and went through customs without a hitch and picked up an hour as we entered Central Daylight Savings Time. Our truck was very low on gas but we were happy to find it for $3.92 in Grand Portage. We were sorry not to be able to spend time at the Grand Portage National Monument, but knew it would be very similar to what we had just seen at Fort William, and not on such a grand scale so it wasn’t too bad. However, it was getting dark and our “early dinner” was becoming a thing of the past. We made our way to Grand Marais and The Gunflint Trail, where my family camped every summer when I was a kid on Devil’s Track Lake. The Trail is now paved all the way to the end, running between the two large Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Areas and dead-ending just short of the border with Canada. After buying groceries we got to the Tourist Information place just as it was closing and got a phone number for the Golden Eagle Lodge. Marv had found it on the Internet and thought it would be a good place to camp since the National Forest Campgrounds on the Trail are all primitive with no electricity or showers. I called and was relieved to find out they had room for us and we should come on out. Ross checked out a kayaking outfitter to see about a carrier but nothing would fit on the truck so they reconciled themselves to traveling with the kayaks inside the camper for the rest of the trip. As we prepared to leave Grand Marais there was a rainbow, which we took to be a good sign. And it turned out that we really landed in the butter with The Golden Eagle Lodge. There are only 9 campsites but they are large, private and have electricity and water. This and a small National Forest campground are the only things on the long, narrow Flour Lake. There are 14 cabins available to rent and a tiny “Lodge” that was built 60 years ago but in it we can have free WIFI and coffee. This was the first chance we had to check in and blog about the trip and since we had some confusion about whether there might be a problem at Sarah’s house (there wasn’t) we were happy to get that straightened away. We also got a hold of Ken and Jen to find that their move had gone very well and that MSU was winning its football game.  Pat made spaghetti that we ate at about 8:30 our-bodies’-time and then we fell, exhausted, into bed.

Despite the long exhausting day before, our bodies hadn’t gotten word of the time change and we were awake at 6:45. After French Toast we took computers down to the Lodge and got caught up on the world outside and posted the first 3 entries on The Savage Traveler. Ross & Pat wandered down to do the same thing. Marv & I took the trail next to the lake and along the cabins until we were afraid we were headed all the way around the lake and headed back the way we had come. We came across a berry-filled pile that was obviously bear scat, right in the middle of the trail—clear indication of the resident bear of which we had been warned. While we walked Ross biked along the old logging trail. We ate an early, quick lunch and then the three of us went to the far west end of the lake on our kayaks, past the National Forest Campground. We shared the large lake with only one small boat with a silent electric motor and three loons. A bald eagle was wheeling above us and the beauty was stunning. After an hour and a half we returned to the boat ramp and rested a bit while we enjoyed a cold beer in the sunshine. Then Marv & I paddled east for awhile on the lake. One boat from the Lodge headed to the west end of the lake and then it was just the two of us and a loon. The sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky and we kept in mind the stiff breeze to our backs so were careful not to go too far, knowing we’d have to head into the wind to return. Back at the camp I showered and washed my hair then the four of us drove to the Trail Center’s Black Bear Bar & Grill for their full rack of ribs special. There were 7 Corvettes in the parking and the 7 drivers were gathered around a large table in the Grill. All the tables were full but we were encouraged to enjoy the free samples in the store just outside the grill. They make their own “Camp Chow” freeze dried foods and have a wall full of items. Sarah was cooking up their grilled cheese & tomato basil soup, bread pudding with pumpkin syrup, and macaroni & cheese. All were delicious. Then we were called in to be seated. We all got the rib special with wild rice pilaf and salad. Ross was the only one who cleaned his plate—the rest of us took half home for another time. We left just before sunset and drove part of the Old Gunflint Trail and another side road searching for moose but sadly didn’t find any. It was dark when we returned and since we’ve decided to stay on Michigan Time we went to bed.

Watching a Mama Loon feed & train her youngster