Things We Saw on Our Vacation

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As remarkable as it might seem, sometimes extraordinary things just aren't happening on Gunflint Lake. What is a blogger to do then? Well, in my case, I am going to post some more pictures of our recent trip to Hawaii. One of my loyal readers commented that she has been waiting to see some of these photos, so here is another sampling.

As I was going through my album, I was again reminded of how we Minnesotans love water. I thought about a trip that my boys and I took in 2004, down to the high desert of New Mexico. We were intent on backpacking, which went fine, until the stream we were following ran dry. At that point, we decided it was time to head on back out. It just feels natural for us to be near a body of water. The ocean, as seen above, is a major body, no doubt about it. I've visited the Pacific and the Atlantic before, but had never really gone swimming in either, and hadn't done any snorkeling. It took some getting used to, as well as becoming comfortable with salt water. I didn't realize how spoiled I am to live on such a great freshwater lake as Gunflint. The ocean was warmer than our lake, but I was surprised that it wasn't as warm as I expected.

Probably because we traveled in a bus for so many years, these vehicles are near and dear to our hearts. We always notice them on our journeys, and quite often take pictures of them. Though we did not buy a smoothie from this vendor, we did enjoy those tropical fruit delights in other places.
I often say, when asked why I would want to leave Gunflint Lake to vacation elsewhere, that it is to see other peoples' trees. We were not disappointed. These are painted eucalyptus, an amazing tree. There does not seem to be any bark as we know it, and they have vivid colors growing right in their trunks. Definitely not like any we've ever seen before.
Without a doubt, the most exciting part of the trip for me was to see the whales. I should probably write a separate post about that, though I think I'll wait until I can use some of our friend Ruth's photos to illustrate it. This is the best I could do for a tail shot...

Finally, for now, this flower's structure makes me sigh with the perfection of its beauty. I love the spiral of the petals. My eye follows it around to the tight inner circle, and I am truly amazed. I don't even know what it is called, but it has me spellbound.

More pictures in a few days, unless something big happens around here!

A Paddling Sort of Moment

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If it is a dead-calm moment on Gunflint Lake, it's best to quickly grab a canoe and seize the opportunity. That is exactly what we did on Saturday night, after making pizza in the bread oven. I looked down at the lake, and asked Greg what he was doing. I told him that it was time for us to slap the stickers on the Wenonah, and take it for a quick spin. He bought the canoe several years ago at the North House's boats-to-tools auction. As far as my memory serves, I could only recall taking one short ride in it. Last year, I renewed the license, and never even got around to putting it on the craft. Now that's bad. I wasn't going to let that happen again this year.

He found the wooden paddles, we dusted the cobwebs off of the canoe, and launched from the side of the dock. It was so peaceful as he steered us towards the point, and then around. Suddenly, though, I could feel the power in his paddle strokes, as we began to lunge forward. I picked up the pace from my own rather relaxing paddling, and I asked if we were suddenly in a race. He said no, it just felt really good to be out there. Just ahead, I could see a loon, and we headed in its direction.

We are so fortunate to hear the loons often throughout the summer. I also get to observe them swimming near the main dock, or past the beach when I am walking by. If I get out on the lake, it is usually by motorboat, and the loons are off in the distance. What a treat, then, to be able to drift near this fellow. He circled us several times, and uttered a few soft calls. With the aid of my zoom lens on the point-and-shoot camera, I was able to get a fairly adequate shot of him. Then he headed off to the north, and we turned towards home.

We continue in the pattern of cloudy, grey skies, occasional showers, and cooler temps. But while we were out on the water, none of that mattered. The moment of quiet, surrounded by the shores of Gunflint Lake was enough to make me forget all about the weather, and just enjoy the riches literally at my doorstep.

Rainy Day Fun

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The rainy weather yesterday inspired us to take a trip to Grand Marais. Since we couldn't do much outside work, it seemed like a good time to run the errands that were waiting on the perpetual town list. Before leaving, we launched a boat, and while we were pulling it up at the beach, we got to see the eagle come flying in. We were partially hidden by the trees, so he didn't see us right away. That allowed for a fairly close fly-by, and excellent sight of the eagle dropping his "landing gear" so that he could settle on a shoreline rock. No matter how many times I see these guys, it is always a thrill to experience their size and wingspan up close.

Rain on a vacation is probably one of the last things people picture in their minds as they are planning their trips. Imagine sitting around in mid-winter, drawing out the plans for a BWCA trip or cabin visit, and seeing rain in the images that come to mind. It just doesn't happen. That's because when we are thinking about it, we can choose whatever weather we want! While Greg and I were thinking about and reading up on Hawaii, we only saw sunny skies, blue oceans and sandy beaches. Fortunately, we had those for the majority of the trip, but we also had some days of rain. Imagine that--we all know it rains in Hawaii, of course, but certainly not while we are there! By the way, tomorrow I will post a few pictures of what we did on the island when it was raining. Like most folks, we didn't let the weather stop us.

But back to the Gunflint Trail. It's grand when it doesn't rain, but if it does, it's great to know that we will soon have another option for something to do on a wet day. If you read my post yesterday, you saw that I mentioned the Chik-Wauk Museum. This will be an excellent place to visit, and learn all about the history of the Gunflint Trail and its people. Here at Heston's, we are often in conversation about the early settlers and what it was like for them. Everyone up here is interested in the stories. Thanks to the work of a very dedicated group of volunteers, in partnership with the U. S. Forest Service, a home for housing the history and the artifacts will be up at the end of the Trail.

The grand opening is scheduled for July 4th. Beginning the 5th, the museum will hold regular hours through mid-October. Signs are in place, so it will be easy to find. Make plans to include Chik-Wauk in your vacation while you are here, but in the meantime, stop by their website and blog, and get to know a bit in advance. You can picture your own weather, and then when you come, you can tailor your activities accordingly. Nature trails make up a portion of the grounds of the museum, and so sunny days and rainy days both will be good times to visit.