I drove up to Walkie’s in the morning. He told me to come back if my check engine light came on, and it was. The truck was running a lot better. It sounded good and was getting better gas mileage.
He wasn’t there, so I poked around the yard for a while. It’s always fun to see old abandoned vehicles. One old Ford sat without an engine. A cool, old Jeep truck sat waiting for a total restore. Engines that had been removed were lined up. Transmissions rested on a wall. I figured Walkie had other business, so I headed back to camp. I stopped into Peterson’s Foods for a few essentials. I counted 19 turkeys on the way.
We decided to go to Cornucopia and visit the General Store. It is a cool store, very neatly kept. We poked around a while, then went across the street to Siskowit Farmhouse for lunch. They had a very good fish chowder and we split a chicken frittata.
Martha called Walkie. He had been helping his mother do some things, but said he would be at the garage all afternoon. Discussing the options, we decided to take a reasonably quick hike. At Myer’s Beach is a Sea Caves hike, so we drove back north.
First we had to pay, going online to get a pass to leave in the truck. Well, that took a precious 15 minutes. The hike is very pretty, and on a nice afternoon, it attracted a number of hikers. Mushrooms were everywhere. I could have spent the day photographing them. An hour later we came to the first sea cave.
Martha once again got close enough to the edge that I got nervous. It was no doubt cool. There were mora ahead, but if we were to get back to Walkie’s, we had best turn around.
We arrived at Walkie’s about 3:30. There were four other trucks being evaluated. A lady paced in front of a Ford, while her husband was watching Walkie work. Walkie saw us and said, “Let me go help Gary (Greg), because that won’t take a minute.
He grabbed his code reader and plugged it in. Whenever the check engine light comes on, it is almost always a …… problem. You won’t get throttled back or anything. He did something and then reset the code. He and the fellow with the Ford advised me on code readers and which ones would work. “It’s a good thing to have, so you can see what the problem is.”
I reached for my wallet, and he refused any payment. “You paid more than you needed the other day.” They leave Wednesday for Richmond, Virginia for their niece’s wedding. “Maybe we’ll pass you.” Looking around, he said, “I got an international business today. We got one from Wyoming, one from Florida and you from Virginia.” I went inside to get Martha and left $60 on the bench. It might have gotten a little oil on it, but he won’t mind.
At first I thought this was an Ojibwe sign, but it was Brooke’s cat making its own litter box beside our trailer. Very neat though. Brooke and John are our great campground hosts. They went for a float trip down the Brule River. I asked how the float was, and she replied, “Good.”
From Wikipedia: In 1928, United States President Calvin Coolidge maintained a summer residence, known as the “Summer White House”, at the Cedar Island Lodge, located on the upper Bois Brule River. Since then, the property has been purchased by the founders of 3M, the Ordways.[2]
The river is known for its trout fishing and white-water canoeing, and is revered by fly fishermen for its prolific mayfly and stone fly hatches. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has a fish hatchery and a ranger station that operates the state forest and nearby campgrounds
Walkie told us to return in the morning so he could install a new air filter and clean the sensors. He called in an order for the filter yesterday, saying it would be delivered about 9:00. We arrived at 9:45. I wondered how he could get reliable deliveries in his remote location on Fire Tower Road.
It was a little cooler this morning – about 60 degrees. His garage door was closed, so I walked around to the side door admiring an old Ford truck parked beside it. The shop was warm and soft music was playing. Two trucks were parked inside and Walkie slid out from under the one on the right. I told him to finish what he was doing, but he said, “I got the filter. Let’s go put it in.”
I asked why he doesn’t have a lift or two. “I can’t because the floor is heated. Besides I like working on the floor. Keeps me limber.” He grabbed the filter and an old, wire milk grate to which he had neatly attached a board. He used that as his step stool.
Outside I popped the hood. He went to work loosening the cover as he explained what he was doing. “Big engine like this needs air, a lot of air. Restrict the air and she won’t burn right. We’ll clean the sensors. They can get dirty too.” I asked if we could just take all this stuff off. “Sure, we do it all the time. The military trucks don’t have it. Many state and police trucks don’t have it. Imagine a military truck in combat and it suddenly gets throttled back like yours because a sensor was dusty.”
He replaced the filter and tore off the label from the box and handed it to me. “You should do this regularly.” He went inside to get a can of spray sensor cleaner. I should have videoed the whole thing. He was talking while he removed three or four sensors and sprayed them all. “These things get dust and dirt in them and should be cleaned every time you change the filter.” I took the old filter and the box inside and put them in the trash in the back of the shop. There were cans of Stella Artois in the bottom.
I had wondered if changing a air filter could solve my problem, but Walkie was changing my mind. He said, “These things add up. Could be several things that lead to the overall problem. We’ll test it and see if the codes come back. If not, we’ll have to run the exhaust clean program. I hate to do it, because it runs the engine so hard.”
He hooks up his computer to the truck and starts it. “Using a computer to talk to the truck’s computer! Crazy isn’t it?” He deleted the codes. Although I was standing right next to him, I couldn’t read the screen, but the computer reads the codes and gives suggestions for treatment. Every time he deleted them, the codes came back.
Throttling back power.
Check engine light.
Door open.
Hood up.
“Well we are going to have to do a regen. If that doesn’t solve it, you will have to take it to a dealer.” “OK, I said. As he started it, I told him they did that after they installed the catalytic converter. “Oh,” he said. The regeneration runs the engine, building to 2600 rpm’s. He went around back to check the exhaust. “Sometimes smoke will come pouring out.”
This was about a 20-minute procedure as Walkie thumbed through the computer looking for readings for exhaust carbon content, but couldn’t find it. “GMC won’t give people like me the software. I can use generic software, but it doesn’t tell me everything. Ford gives us all the software. Dodge doesn’t give us the software either. I like Ford. They have their problems too, but at least I have access to all the tools.”
As we sat waiting, I asked him about the Ford truck next to the door. Sometimes a truck passes the beaten-up look and goes into a level of respect just because you know it has endured a lot. “That’s my truck,” he said. “It’s an ’03. It has 400,000 miles on it. That rust is what all the salt does to it. I drive it every day – use it for plowing snow too.” It too was a diesel.
I asked how he learned all this stuff. So many mechanics come from dealers. “My dad was a mechanic, had a shop. I learned from him and many of the old timers.” He’s a very neat mechanic. His yard is clean and neat. The shop is clean. His work on the bench and under the hoods is neat and clean.
Finally the regen was complete, and he cleared all the codes. “Take it for a drive and see if they come back. He shoved the computer on the dash and went in the shop. I hesitated backing up, wondering if he was coming with me. I started to back out when he came out of the shop and got into the passenger seat.
“Let’s go down through Bayfield and back up the other side. There’s a steep hill over there.” Apple orchards were on both sides of the road. “You don’t want to be here during the Apple Harvest Festival. Way too many people.” As we passed by the little town, he said, “Look at all the people. Wonder what’s going on.” We went up the steep hill with ease, no engine light, no throttling back. I told him we had seen 9 turkeys this morning. “We have lots of turkeys, and more every year.”
“Turn at the trash can. That’s my road.” I was grinning as we pulled up to the shop, giving him a fist bump. “Well, it could come back, but you’ll be here for a few days. Just come back if the problem continues.” I asked how much I could pay him. “I’ll just charge one hour – $150,” he said. “Well, that’s not enough,” I replied. “That’s enough.”
It was now 11:30 or so. That’s four and a half hours including yesterday, not to mention letting me watch while he was teaching like a college professor! I had given Martha all the cash I had. She had been sitting comfortable in the back of the shop the whole time. She said it was in the truck. so I went out to get $300, adding another $40 from my wallet. I grabbed the two six-packs of Stella Artois and went back in.
I didn’t see Walkie, but Martha said he went out back to open the dumpster. He has had a bear getting into it, so he put a bar across it. I gave him the cash and Stella, thanking him profusely. Looking at the Stella, he said, “Maybe I’ll start on it now.” I waived and smiled as we left. I felt like I was walking away from a good friend.
We drove into Bayfield, thinking we could make the 12:00 cruise, but the wind was so bad, they were cancelling. Very nice people in there. I especially liked the guy for his understated humor. I asked if Captain Gilligan was going out tomorrow. That was not the captain’s name, just what he called that cruise because it was an old boat, taking twice the time to do the cruise. I asked him for a lunch recommendation. Never looking up from the computer work he was doing, he said Manypenny Bistro, “because they have a variety of things.”
Oddly, we had parked right beside it. After much deliberation, we ordered a 10” pizza, called “The Works”, a beer and coffee. Martha asked the young waiter if it would be enough. “Oh yes.” Perhaps he thought it was just for Martha. Best pizza I have ever had….. well, there was a deep dish pizza in Chicago years ago. It had pepperoni, Italian sausage, onion, mushrooms, green olives and mozzarella. Then he put down a nicely-organized box of condiments. Martha put red pepper on hers, while I used parmesan.
Across the street, we looked around a cute little shop, buying a candle, a card and chewing gum.
Raven has stolen someone’s keys
We were relieved to be through with this truck problem. Of course it could come back, but I doubt it. Really, I got a little choked up thinking about it. What a special guy he was! How did we stumble onto him? Martha said, “Well we might as well go get the oil changed.” Walkie had recommended Quick Lube or Walmart. He couldn’t do it because he didn’t have a lift. “Also stop at Ron’s Auto Repair, but he’s busy.
We came to Ron’s first. There was a graveyard of ancient vehicles scattered around a yard that was very cool. Going up one more driveway, we came to the shop. There was a whole lineup of all sorts of vehicles. I knew we had no chance. As we walked toward the garage, Ron met us. “Can I help you?” I asked if he could do an oil change, and he said, “Come on in and let’s see.”
A man sat in a line of chairs, and a lady in a separate room looked up. I greeted both as Ron thumbed through his scheduling book, sighing. “Can you come on the 30th?” We said we would only be here three days. He thumbed and sighed some more. We said we understand, and did he have a suggestion, telling him Walkie had sent us here along with his other suggestions. He smiled at the name and said to try “Superior” first.
He walked us back out. I stared at a nice, little sailboat beside the shop. “A guy dropped that here, leaving a note to fix the brakes on the trailer. Didn’t matter when we got to it. A lady left that golf cart. She’s an attorney. I told her we don’t work on golf carts, but she said ‘you will mine.’”
In Ashland we drove main street, looking for Superior Auto, but only found it on the second pass. Mike greeted us, asking how he could help. I asked if they could do an oil change on this diesel truck. He looked quite perplexed, finally saying, “Well I won’t be able to put it on the lift with that kayak on top.” I told him that was no problem, we can take it off. “OK, pull it around back.” I drove around back. Before I could get out of the truck a young man was on the back loosening the straps. I took the other one off and he picked up the kayak and handed it to me. Martha and I both grabbed it and set it down. He hopped down and set the ties on the ground.
Another man, Greg, came out to drive onto the lift. I said Hi Greg and said that’s why he’s such a handsome guy. “Liar,” he smiled. Before I knew it, the truck was on the rack, so we walked through the 3-bay shop to the office. “What kind of oil have they been putting in,” he asked. “I don’t know.” I asked him to put the best stuff in. He suggested a synthetic that would last 10,000 miles, and I agreed. Staring at windshield wipers on the wall, I asked him to put those on. He grabbed two and took them to his workers.
Several people came in for work or to schedule work. Everyone seemed to know Mike, and he knew them. Several packages came, a receipt exchanged, and they were gone. Mike likes to fish, putting in on several bays. He said it was quiet, peaceful out there on the water, cruising between the islands. He catches lake trout, brown trout and salmon, though not many salmon, and they’re not too bit, maybe 30”! The brown trout can be 30” or more and taste as good as the small ones. He also catches large brook trout, “Coasters, you know.”
In short order they were done. I thanked Mike very much, paid the bill and walked through the shop. The kid had already put the kayak on the rack. We talked as I tightened the back strap. He is a duck hunter. The mostly shoot wood ducks and geese. “We have a lot of geese….and swans. Can’t shoot the swans though.” I turned around and he had gone back to work.
My goodness, I thought as we drove back in a truck that was running great and oil that was good for 10,000 miles. My GMC dealer has me back every 5,000 miles. We passed a national wildlife preserve and stopped at a historic marker about Madeline Island and how it was named. We took a “wrong turn”, driving “The Fruit Loop,” with apple orchards, blueberry farms, cherry farms and wineries, seeing another 9 turkeys. What a great day it was!
We are staying southwest of Duluth in Spirit Lake Marina and RV Park. It’s a great spot really, backed up to the water with electric water and WIFI. It has good showers and a great store. It has antiques, boat supplies, RV supplies, coolers, fishing gear, nets and just cool stuff.
Driving into the city, there is a great road system, except there are orange barrels everywhere, but very people working. Trying to get to the William A. Irvin Ore Museum was nearly impossible. Roads right at the museum were blocked. First we parked on a downtown street, but the meter only allowed one hour parking, then we had to walk back over the railroad tracks, down a hill where we could see a large outside parking lot.
Walking back to the truck, we carefully made four turns to get to that parking lot, which was mostly empty. A pretty, young lady greeted us, asking where we were going. We said the Ore Museum, since we forgot the man’s name who dedicated it. She said we could turn around, drive down the street and park for free. Not wanting to get lost again and getting to a parking garage we couldn’t get into in a truck with a kayak on top, we paid the $10 fee. She said, “OK, then go into the lot, turn left, go around the something building, turn left and you will be close to the museum.” We thanked her and tried to remember what she said.
We parked in front of a movie theater, and in front of us was a huge freight ship. I said, “I think that’s the museum.” Well it was closed and not to reopen until a ghost tour in October. GEEZ!
I’m not a fan of cities in the first place, but this one seemed to be putting up obstacles to keep people out. The other main attraction is the Lift Bridge, which is pretty cool. Instead of a drawbridge that opens to let ships through, it goes straight up. Duluth is a shipping port, and the freight ships are huge, so the bridge needs to go up high.
By now it was lunchtime. Martha’s friend, Kasia, has a sister-in-law who lives here. A text soon came in suggesting we go to Grandma’s because they have a chicken tetrazzini special on Tuesdays that is great. Unfortunately, the outside deck overlooking the bridge was closed, so we sat inside.
We ordered the special. Martha ordered hers with pasta, while I ordered mine on a bed of wild rice. It’s a pretty cool place with all kinds of old pictures and objects hanging on the walls and ceiling. Our meals came. which were big enough for four people. We would have leftovers for two nights.
Walking outside we heard a bell ringing. “The bridge is opening,” Martha said. Three or four fishing boats and two sailboats were lined up on the other side as the bridge began to raise. Whoever controlled it must have known how tall those masts were, rising enough to give adequate clearance, but not a lot more. Then it came gently down and back into place.
Across the bay we could see a freighter being loaded beside huge silos with 8-10 chutes. I would have loved to see that ship come under the bridge, but we had other things to do.
I was sorry to miss the Ore Museum. I have read a little about shipping on the Great Lakes and the Taconite Man statue in Silver Bay. The land around the west end of Lake Superior were huge iron deposits. Most of the high grade ore has been mined, but taconite is a low grade ore that is still mined and processed for making steel.
Then I looked for where the top steel mills are. From Google AI: Gary, Indiana is one, and is on the shores of Lake Michigan. I was surprised to see Mississippi County in Arkansas, considered a leader in low-carbon steel. Middletown Works and Cleveland-Cliffs are in Ohio. Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh, including the Irvin Plant. Other areas are Alabama, Fontana, California, Nucor in Charlotte has facilities across the country, US Steel in Lone Star, Texas and more.
Iron is not the only product mined in Minnesota. There are large deposits of copper and nickel are found in the Duluth complex. Northeast Minnesota has significant deposits of ilmenite, a titanium-rich mineral. Gold and diamonds are present in certain geologic areas. Manganese and zinc are present, but not currently mined.
Duluth-Superior port is the #1 tonnage port on the Great Lakes, handling more than 35 million tons of cargo each year. Grain is the port’s top export, though iron ore and coal make up a larger portion of the total tonnage shipped. (Google AI)
With all this mining and shipping, it is little wonder that Duluth Trading Company became a great clothing company, except it didn’t start here. From Wikipedia: It was originally founded by two brothers, Bob and Dave Fierek, as Portable Products, Inc. in 1989. It focused on those working in construction and a tool accessory known as the “Bucket Boss.” The business grew to incorporate more tool accessories and storage equipment in a catalog under the banner of Portable Products. “As it grew, its headquarters were established in Duluth. by 1993, the catalog was expanded and entitled Duluth Trading Co.”
In the 90’s the company was bought by Fiskars and was sold again in 2000 to Gempler’s, moving to Belleville, Wisconsin. “The company created a successful line of shirts called “Longtail T-Shirts” which were designed to get rid of plumber’s crack. In 2003 it was sold to Lab Safety Supply. Duluth Trading Company’s parent, Duluth Holdings, went public in 2015 and they are still expanding today with plans to build 15 more stores this year.
Next we went grocery shopping at Whole Foods Co-op. Martha asked our waitress at lunch if it was a good store, and she said it was. It is an excellent store, well-organized with a nice staff. Martha asked if it has anything to do with Whole Foods, by Amazon. The lady bagging, who seemed much more than a bag lady, said it was not related and that they have been in business for 50 years. She was quite proud of the store and a good promoter.
“Since 1970, Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth, Minnesota, has been a community hub for quality food. Our Co-op started when an ambitious group of friends started a buying club in the basement of the Chester Creek house to buy and share bulk grains and other organic foods that weren’t available in regular retail stores. Over the past fifty years, the Co-op has grown to over 13,500 Owners, 150+ employees in 2 retail locations, and over $21 million in annual sales.
WHAT SETS US APART?
We pioneered local and organic groceries in the Twin Ports and are known for great customer service, a wide selection of local products, scratch-made deli foods, specialty diet offerings, and a strong commitment to community.”
After putting groceries away, we went to get propane. Martha asked in the camp store for suggestions, and he said Kimmes Oil & Tire in Superior, Wisconsin. It seemed a ways to go for propane, but I’m sure the shop owner knows best. We headed east past our laundry and across a very old, narrow bridge over the St. Louis River. The views down river were so pretty, I wanted to stop and get a better look, but that was not possible.
The state line is the middle of the river. I felt like I was in a different country as we drove a nicely-paved highway lined with grass and forest. Going into the cute town os Superior, we found Kimmes Oil. Around back was the propane fill area, and a nice man came quickly out to fill the tank. He had a large “Believe” tattooed on his arm. While he was filling, Martha went inside to pay $17 for a 30 pound 9-gallon tank!
“Kimmes Oil is a family-owned auto repair shop delivering honest and professional services to Superior, WI. Duluth, MN, and the surrounding areas. Schedule your appointment with us today!” I should have had an oil change there.
Back at the Marina, Martha sat out on the dock in the shade for about an hour and a half. I went out to join her for a while. Two ladies paddled into the cove in their kayaks. I waved, but they were not distracted from their conversation. On their return from the end of the cove, I waved again and got a return wave. “Did you come down from Thunder Bay?” “No, we live here. We are doing a duathelon. We biked this morning and paddling this afternoon.” “No drinking this evening after all that good exercise,” I said. “Well that ain’t going to happen,” she said as she passed behind a boat.
Finland State Park Campground was a great place to stay, peaceful, quiet, pretty. At first national forest and state forests, make me a little nervous. They are remote, and you don’t know what crowd will frequent them. This one couldn’t have been better. It is well maintained, clean and good facilities.
Martha made Mr. Sutton scrambled eggs using bacon, peppers and left-over french fries – yum!
It’s only an hour and a half to Duluth, but first to the dump station in Silver Bay. While preparing to hook up, I noticed a missing nut on the awning arm. I don’t care how many nuts and screws you carry, you can’t have them all.
After dumping, I did Sandra Wheless’ blackwater treatment, putting soap and Borax down the toilet, then giving a generous flush. During travel this will slosh around and clean the tank. Probably should do it to the gray water tank too.
In Two Harbors we turned onto Scenic 61 that runs right on the coast. It is very pretty, with rest stops and picnic tables all along the way. You can ooh and ahh at the cute cabins and grand houses. Do they just come in summer? Certainly some are here year around.
As we entered the city, there were many magnificent homes. Then it merged into apartments. We turned onto I35, which is under heavy construction, but the traffic wasn’t bad. We turned off of that and wound our way to Spirit Lake Marine and RV Park. Mostly, it is an eclectic boat harbor on Spirit Lake.
We backed into site #4 and setup. When I went in the trailer, the water pump was going! I must have left it on when I treated the black water tank. Fortunately, no faucets turned on, or it could have been a very bad day. The galley faucet is usually the culprit, so we take the drain out of the sink and put a rubber band over the on/off lever. I had that problem in Oregon years ago when learned the hard way. the drain was in the sink and all that bouncing around closed it and opened the lever. I entered the trailer with a full sink of water and water all over the floor.
The probably was the pump was dry. I turned the pump off, removed the back panel of the storage cabined under the refrigerator and the little, clear bowl in front of the pump was dry. Once I added a little water, it ran fine. It was an easy fix that could have been much worse.
We had lunch looking out the window at the water and boats. We loaded up all the dirty laundry and went to another eclectic place, a laundry that used to be a car-side fast food restaurant. Two old carseats were outside. The neighborhood was a bit rough, but the machines were great. $5.50 for a large machine wash – in quarters. We filled two of those and sat in the only chair on that side of the laundry. The other side had smaller machines and one more chair.
As Martha said, it would have taken into the evening if we had used the marina’s single washer and dryer. Besides, the people watching is good. One nice fellow brought four large trash bags full of clothes and loaded them into two even larger machines. He probably has nine children. He knows the routine and was very efficient.
Back with clean clothes and sheets, we put them away and made the beds. Having showered in the trailer for the last three nights, it was good to take a real shower. Then we fixed a drink and walked around the harbor, gawking at some beautiful boats. There were more sailboats than motor boats. One big, beautiful sailboat looked like it had many stories to tell. Similarly, one old Airstream got my attention. After a little investigation: The J in the serial number means it was made in Jackson Center, Ohio; 1 means International model (top of the line); 30 means 30ft; 5 means 1965. From https://www.airstream.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/1959-to-1980-Airstream-and-Argosy-Serial-Number-Decoder-2020-06-16.pdf. That is 61 years old and still in use!! I must say the quality was better then, when it was a family-owned business that employed local people who took a lot of pride in what they made.
Martha warmed up the chicken pot pies from Agostino’s, which were very good.
This book has been the perfect bedtime read. He is a hunter and fisherman, who was a writer for Field and Stream Magazine. The stories are a page or two in length, sometimes a series of these. Last night it was how he loves coking in a Dutch oven. One was about how we use GPS on our phone so much, we can no longer use a map and topographic features (as our canoe friend said in Quetico).
Exploring Rt. 61, we drove south to Split Rock Lighthouse, an icon of the western shore of Lake Superior.
“Standing as a sentinel on the North Shore, the Split Rock Lighthouse was built in 1910 in direct response to the catastrophic gale of November 1905 that wrecked nearly 30 ships along Lake Superior’s coastline. Over time, the Split Rock Lighthouse became known as the “Guardian of Lake Superior.” This lighthouse played a significant role in preserving lives and preventing further disasters. From https://goodhomegarden.com/facts-about-split-rock/. After it was built, not another ship was lost at that location.
Housing for lighthouse keepers
From the website showing split rock
From there we drove south to Gooseberry State Park and drove through their very nice campground with a great-looking shower house. We were going to look at Gooseberry Falls, but couldn’t quite figure out where to park, so we went on south.
There are two tunnels, cut right through granite walls. There is an overlook before the first, so we stopped. Walking up to the side of the cliff, there was a group of climbers making their way up the wall. Views of the lake were great. Our entire time in Minnesota has been wrapped in fog. As we drove through the second tunnel, the sky was clear blue!
Minnesota and Michigan are known for their pies. After one restaurant touting their pies, we pulled into Betty’s Pies. There was a takeout window on the side. Although it was crowded, they were very efficient, and we were seated shortly.
A very nice waitress named Colleen acted like she had all the time in the world answering questions and taking our order. After much discussion we split a club sandwich, which was very good. It still surprises me when I see this on a menu, as I thought the only place to get a club sandwich was at Farmington Country Club, where I had many.
tomato Basil
The big decision, requiring a lot of discussion and questions for Colleen, was what kind of pie should we order. I mean there was a tote board on the wall listing all the pies. Bumbleberry is my very favorite, but a note beside it said, “Coming soon.” I asked Colleen what that meant. She said she would check with the baker.
Well it could be Key Lime pie, but we are not in the Keys, and surely they don’t have Key limes. Then there was a raspberry rhubarb, which sounded wonderful. They also had strawberry rhubarb, another favorite, but I have never had a raspberry rhubarb. Of course there was apple, but Martha makes a great apple pie.
The board now noted they were out of Coconut Cream Pie. Colleen said the Bumbleberry would be ready in an hour. We settled on Great Lakes Crunch, with apple, blueberry, rhubarb, strawberry and and raspberry. $5.25 a slice, $22.50 for whole pie, $59 to ship, and they ship all over the country.
We were filled from the club sandwich, so we took our pie to go. We asked Colleen how to get to Scenic 61. She said go to the second K station and turn left at the liquor store, adding “It’s a beautiful drive.” Great place, great service, great food in the Great Lakes.
We drove the cute town of Two Harbors, and turned left at The Bottle Shop, a unique name for a liquor store. We were surprised to see a big, straight road that we could drive while pulling the Airstream. It was 3:30 and we had an hour drive back to Finland, so we cut over to the 4-lane expressway with a 65 mph speed limit that ends in Two Harbors.
Back in Finland, we went into the General Store. There was a group of about 8 people sitting on the porch talking about tires. It turns out they were talking about bike tires, and these were serious bikers, traveling distances. The store had some of everything – food, drinks, motor oil, an electric section, car section, plumbing and more. We bought some authentic Finnish Snacking Toast in cinnamon raisin flavor, of which there were several.
Martha made an excellent salad for dinner. We nuked the pie and shared it. The Great Lakes Crunch was great. We rated it a 10.
We straightened up, hooked up, dumped, filled the fresh water tank and were on the road by 8:30. TCan 11 wasn’t so daunting heading back east. The road reconnected with TCan 17 west of Thunder Bay. Before the city, we turned south on 61. It was unexpectedly different and beautiful. Great farmland adorned both sides of the road before winding its way through small mountains and valleys. We crossed lovely streams and creeks.
Finally, we wound our way down to the border. “Where do you live,” the agent asked. “Did you buy anything?” “Alcohol? How long have you been in Canada? Where are you going? Have a nice trip.”
At first the road was similar, but by Grand Marais, it got busy. It was socked in with fog, so we couldn’t see the sights of Lake Superior on the left. There were lots of lodges, especially on the lake side. Cabins sat right on the lake, with some sitting 50-100 feet above it. We had a nice lunch at The Sisters’ Restaurant. I had a walleye sandwich while Martha had a whitefish sandwich. Both were good.
Next door, we did a little grocery shopping. A car wash across the street that would accommodate a trailer tempted me, but we opted to move on. Hiking in Tettegouche State Park is highly-rated, so I wanted to stay in Baptism River Campground in the park. The website was confusing, and I thought it was a first come, first serve campground. When we pulled into the packed Visitor’s Center, I knew it wasn’t good. Wednesday, and it was a very busy place.
We drove across a very narrow bridge and followed a very rough road to the campground. We asked a lady, who was walking from the shower house if it was first come, first serve. She said no, you have to go to the Visitor’s Center and book it. No sites were available, so we drove down 61 to Silver Bay and the Black Beach Municipal Park. We booked two nights. It was completely full on the coming weekend. We were glad to have a place to stay for the night. Too many people, but we will try some of the hikes in Tettegouche.
All the stars were out this morning! I should have gotten a picture, but it was too chilly to lay on the picnic table. We waited until 10:00 to go exploring the park, hoping for a little warmer temperatures.
There were lots of trees down, some being twisted around. Others were uprooted. We saw 7 grouse this morning, some just walking down the gravel road, tame like a ptarmigan.
With an appetizer of smoked trout and spiced mustard crackers, Martha made dinner of roasted vegetables and pickerel cheeks. It was a good day.
We booked a campsite at Fort William in Thunder Bay on advice from Airstreamers at Terrace Bay and from Sandy at the Silver Islet store. There was no need to hurry, so I went down to the South Kaybeyun parking lot to see if I could get some posts done. Nope. Surely it is a good idea to just allow enough to get messages and email. It forces you to concentrate on the outdoors.
It was a raw, cold morning as we started to get ready to travel. Our poor tenter neighbors were sitting outside all bundled up. I took our firewood out and offered to build a fire for them. They were thrilled. They were from Quebec on a trip across the country to Vancouver. Their names were Gatinau (?) and Leis. They met 32 years ago, each camping, so they are used to this.
They related their issues with their new GMC electric car that gets 375 miles/charge. They started to buy a Prius that gets 500 miles/charge, but they wanted more room. They searched for charge stations and travelled accordingly, but there were issues. They would arrive and the station wasn’t working, out of order or all being used. They had to be towed at one point, and had to backtrack a few times. I told them they need to write this up. I would love to know if they make it to Vancouver.
We hooked up and just barely made the turn out of the campsite. Our nice neighbor across the street offered to move his truck, but we were OK. Traveling with three young girls, I offered him the prize for neatest campsite in the park. They were there for 10 days and had a big time. Canadians are different. On a chilly morning with it spitting rain, one of the little girls, maybe 4 years old, was dancing around in her rubber boots, raincoat and little umbrella.
It was only an hour to Thunder Bay. Sandy, at the Silver Islet Store, had told us to go to The Fish Store, following a big sign on the side of the road. We did that and it proved to be a great place. Liisa owns it and showed us frozen, wild blueberries. She said it was a tough year for them due to several major weather changes. Bears were having a hard time finding enough to eat, so they have been coming to town.
We bought a bag of candied smoked salmon chunks. Sandy said it sounds weird, but they are great. We bought a smoked Rainbow Trout, Pickerel cheeks, blueberries, a loaf of bread and some local Gouda cheese. She was interesting to talk to as she meets all kinds of people, many coming from Europe to do the big loop – across Canada, down the west coast of US, across the south and up the east coast. Some do an even bigger one, using the Pan American Highway that goes all the way to the tip of South America. This one takes two years. We thought we were doing well to go around the big lake. Martha asked what to do with the smoked trout. Another customer named Laura was contributing to the conversation.
It was a bit of a trick getting out of the parking lot, but we made it. Across town, we found our site at Fort William. After getting settled on a damp and chilling day, we went to the Visitor’s Center to register and look around. It’s a very interesting place that was in competition with the Hudson Bay Company for this part of Canada. We watched a good video on how they carried furs and other goods in big canoes with 8 or more men on board. They paddled incredible distances this way. We never did see the fort, as we had a lot to do.
First, we were off to a laundry. It seemed like everything useful was dirty. It was a busy little place with the owner, Cosmo, coming in to help people. Someone came in with a great-looking sandwich from next door. After loading the wash, we went next door to Cosmo’s other business, an italian bakery, deli and grocery store – Agostino’s Deli.
We were like kids in a candy store looking at all the good things when we saw Laura from the Fish Store. That started a whole conversation about the great food in the deli. Martha asked about where to get a “Persian,” and she told us. She told us about a local coffee roaster. She told us about the best hot sauce, so we bought some. And then she told us about a good fresh seafood market. She had come in to look for some little round red peppers in a jar that a friend had put on a salad. She found it and showed us. Then she gave us her phone number in case we had any other questions.
The help in the Deli were great – friendly, helpful, patient. We kept adding things and putting them on the counter. The girl said that was fine, as she called out to Cosmo for a price for a box of plum tomatoes a regular customer was buying. A man in line said we were going to love that hot sauce. Martha asked what he put it on. “Pork chops…everything,” he said.
It was like a friendly whirlwind of regulars who all knew Cosmo. Back to the laundry, then back to the deli. Even the people in the little laundry started friendly conversations. Martha spun the washing machine drum because she heard change in there, but couldn’t find it. An older guy sitting behind her said, “Oh that doesn’t come out. Only Cosmo can get that money.” A lady found a sock on the floor and asked Martha if it was hers. There was some debate about no, it wasn’t hers because it has an L on it, and she wore a medium. “Maybe it’s your husband’s.” I said, “Maybe it’s for Left foot.”
We loaded up our laundry, deli meat, pasta, bread, chicken pot pies, frozen meatballs and sauce, and biscotti and headed out. We went to the LCBO for wine and our favorite bourbon, Makers Mark. “We don’t buy anything from the states,” the nice salesperson said, but she recommended some good wines.
Next was the fish market for some fresh steelhead trout for tonight’s dinner.
Then off to the grocery store for a few things. I mean we are only going to Quetico Provincial Park for 5 days! I was ready for a drink when we got back, but Martha said, “Don’t you love that kind of day? It all fell into place and we got so much done!”
On the last morning, we needed to pack up and get out of the cabin because all the St. Marie family was coming. There were a couple of messages about the float plane not being able to get out due to low ceiling. Thankfully the flight from Labrador City to Montreal was moved to 6:30. Once packed, I took my last tour of the lodge with interesting things in every corner. I walked down the dirt road to a bay, then walked the other direction to the sawmill. It’s pretty amazing to get all this stuff to this remote location. There is no Lowe’s. Yves had to cut trees before milling them into lumber to build the lodge, cabins, docks, generator house and workshop.
I’m going to miss this!
“The office”
All those dots on the hillside are Caribou
Communication system
Smoldering smoke stove to keep bugs away
The above picture is a story! Yves discovered this WW2 B52 bomber on the bottom of the lake. Divers. Divers attached airbags and floated it to the surface and it was pulled 90 miles, very slowly to town. The U.S. took it, rebuilt it and put it in a museum. Apparently the navigation system failed and they missed landing in Goose Bay.
Expanse of water, lakes, bays, islands and smoke from distant fires.
This has been an expensive trip, but a great one. We didn’t catch a hundred of the great Brook trout, but we caught some beauties, and they are an amazing fish. This vast expanse of water, lakes, islands, trees and bears is a wonder. I was appreciative of our guide, Michelle, who guided us safely every day. I am in awe of Yves and Pattie St. Marie for all they have done to build this place and to keep it going. They are two of the nicest people I have ever met. Their season is only two months long, and most things have to be flown in, or brought on sleds on frozen ice of winter. It was great spending time with Ron. I always learn a lot, and the stories of his many adventures are legend.
I would like to explore more of Labrador. Two months of driving the only road in Labrador would be very cool; then back on a ferry on the St. Lawrence. I’d like to explore Torngat Mountains National Park, and I’d like to catch more Brookies!
Our last day would be our best fishing day. We caught 15 Lake trout and 6 or 7 pike. In the bay where we caught most of the Lakers, a bear cub followed us around the shoreline. We were about to give him a fish when we saw his mother with two other cubs. Michelle said these were likely the ones we had seen a couple of days ago.
It was a weird day. the sun poked through a hole in the clouds, but the hole didn’t move. About 2:00 Michelle told us to put on rain-gear as it was pretty dark in the west. At one point Ron said he smelled smoke. Michelle and I didn’t smell it at first, but later we got a whiff of smoke.
It’s a little sad to think this was our last day and our last wonderful meal by Patti. Like all adventures, it wasn’t how we envisioned it, but in many ways it was so much more than we could have imagined. Mostly it was the kindness and humility of these people. What they have built here is amazing. The vastness of these waters is cool on one hand and frightening on the other. Yves said many have gotten lost on these waters. Without the right equipment, you could be in serious trouble. Even Michelle used a Garmin GPS at times, and he has a satellite phone in his backpack and a lighter on his belt. with the waters being so low, islands of rocks popped up in the middle of the river where they are usually not seen. Hit one of those going full speed and things could go bad in a hurry. I admired Michelle’s vigilance, always paying attention, reading the water and the sky.
