Last Post From Minnesota Trip

It is hard to put a finger on what was the best part of our trip to Minnesota. The time together that Nan and I had was such a blessing. Seeing old friends and catching up on the years in between was fun too. Being able to spend time in God's grand creation is certainly faith building. Having family and friends to come home to is obviously a blessing that we count high on the list.

So without identifying a specific, we'll share some final scenes that we enjoyed together. Okay, at least I enjoyed them. I was reminded when seeing some of these shots that Nan was asleep in the van while I took some of them. Don't tell her I said that.

Early one morning we caught the fog rising over one of the small rivers.

On another afternoon we stopped at an overlook to view the little village of Grand Marais (Ma-ray) which sits on Lake Superior.

We saw all these gulls circling and it turns out they were helping a fisherman clean his catch.

One night we were treated to a great sunset over a lake/swampy area where we looked for moose. It started out this way with several clouds.

As it progressed it got better as you can see from these.

But during the middle we saw this special treat. This picture doesn't do justice to what we witnessed but perhaps comes close. The tree looked as if it were on fire from the sun.

On our last day we traveled north into Canada. At the border is Grand Portage State Park on the US side. Separating the US from Canada is the Pigeon River. On the Pigeon River are several falls. These shots are of High Falls, the highest waterfall in Minnesota. The right bank is in Canada.

That the last shot was taken at a slow shutter speed to blur the falls. You photographers will appreciate knowing that this was hand-held using my 70-200 VR II lens. Not easy and I took several shots before I got it right.

Over in Canada the topography changed into more farmland surrounded by mountains rising up steeply out of the ground. The only shot I got that depicts a little of that is this nice farm. The crop all around is wheat.

On Friday morning as we started our drive back to Tennessee, it was a bit rainy. I stopped on the highway and took one final shot. We saw aspen trees everywhere and I thought this one looked pretty good.

We sure enjoyed having you ride along and hope you enjoyed being with us. Who knows where the next moose quest will take us. This we do know. The Lord has created such a wonder place for us to live in and enjoy. And heaven is supposed to be even better. I'm looking forward to that. I don't believe we'll need a camera to remember those images!

Moose! Finally

To see a moose, you generally have to get up early or stay out late. We've done both. We were out until 10 last night and up at 5 this morning. You also have to look in the right places. Small ponds, bogs or rivers with their favorite grasses are the best locations, though a moose might just meet you on the road. Here are some picture perfect places to find a moose.

On the Gunflint Trail there is a moose observation platform. You walk about 1/3 of a mile, take a right, and about 20 yards down the path is the platform. We found no moose at the platform but on the way back to the car, we finally spotted our moose. I even photographed it for all to see.

Admittedly this is a much smaller moose than I hoped to see. So the moose quest goal is being modified to include a "large moose with a full rack." The quest is still on!

No Moose Yet...

Our moose has evaded us so far and this trip may well be like many trips. Probably the best time to see moose is the dead of winter from a snowmobile. During winter the moose will often be in the roadways because it is easier for them to get around using trails packed by humans than to walk in the deep, unpacked snow. If we really want to see a moose on this trip, we should hire a guide and go out by canoe for a couple of days. That would be exciting but I'm not likely to put my camera gear into a canoe and neither of us would enjoy being a constant meal for the mosquitoes. Bug spray helps some but that smell...

So let me bring you up-to-date. Here is the view we have as we eat here in the condo. We are right on Lake Superior.

We had a great sunrise on Sunday morning but I was too busy getting ready for church services to get a picture. Here are a couple of shots of the one we saw this morning. I didn't wait on it to get much better because we were off to Ely, Mn exploring.

The GunFlint Trail is supposed to be "the" place to see moose. You can tell from the trail logo that they want you to believe that. Here is the logo in big print.

We didn't see a moose on the trail Saturday when we went up the trail. In fact, it was cloudy and even rained a bit. The trail is cut right through the forest and there is little open space, and open space is what I've come to believe is what animals like. They have had some forest fires in recent years and everything looks like new growth. That may explain why it is so thick.

We stopped and ate lunch at the Gunflint Lodge. This is a rather remote place so they get whatever food prices they want to charge..$10.95 for a hamburger. But, we were very hungry and the food was great. We sat next to Gunflint Lake watching a couple of folks canoe and a couple of momma ducks keeping watch over their ducklings. Here is the lodge.

I wish I had more to show but this isn't the most scenic place we've been to. For example, they have no "scenic view" pull-overs and with so few open areas, pictures would pretty much show a road with trees on either side. Don't get me wrong, we are having a great time and really enjoying just being away for a little while. Here are a couple of shots I've taken along the way.



So that is about all I have to "show and tell." Remember that you can click on the photos to see a larger version. Hope you are enjoying the ride with us.

From Duluth to the North Shore

Iron ore is a major export from the Lake Superior area. You can see its evidence in the industry you find here as well as the way the harbor is built around that industry. You can also see its influence in the buildings. Take a look at the brick in these two old churches and another older building in downtown Duluth.

We travelled up the North Shore of Lake Superior on Friday heading to our home for the next week. The Lake has a huge influence on the area. It produces significant weather changes even in the same day. We started out with a beautiful sunny day with blue skies but that all turned to thunder storms later in the day.

Toward evening fog began to come in across the lake. Every change has its own beauty and unique look. We're enjoying our time here.

 By the way, you can click on any of the pictures to see larger images. Still no moose. Perhaps one day this week.

Day 3 - Finally In Minnesota

As the Mississippi River flows between Arkansas and Tennessee, it look about the size you see below. Up here in Minnesota there are locks and dams that form the lake you see below. We have seen the Mississippi just before a dam and it is probably not as wide as the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. This is the lake at Rend Landing.

We drove through parts of Wisconsin today. The farmland is gorgeous. It is hard to believe how much corn is grown here. Every possible place they can plant corn they do. My first thought was corn for food but probably a lot of this corn goes into our gas tanks.

We saw about 10 bald eagles today. Several were immature so the population is growing. I didn't get to photograph an eagle today. Maybe tomorrow. I did manage to catch two other fliers that appear below.

Tonight we worshipped with the group where Rick Lanning preaches.  The study was on Daniel 4 and Rick did a wonderful job teaching the class. I wish we were going to be here for the entire study. The group is very friendly and folks had lots of suggestions about what we should see and do while here.

A funny thing happened after church. We went to Perkins for a bite to eat. Coming out we went to our van. When Nan opened her door a woman screamed which prompted an equally loud scream from Nan. Then they both broke into laughter when they realized Nan had opened the door of a similar looking van and not ours. The woman said, "I think I scared you more than you scared me." We laughed all the way back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we head toward Duluth and then on up the North Shore. We are a  bit tired of riding and are looking foward to being out of the van some tomorrow and for the next few days. Hopefully I'll have some better pictures to show later on.

Day 2 - In Iowa

After driving past the mostly flat cornfields of Illinois we came to Davenport, Iowa having crossed over the mighty Mississippi. We detoured from the GPS directions to drive up the banks of the river. The GPS protested for nearly 10 miles insisting on a U-turn while we looked at some really beautiful scenery of rolling hills of corn fields, cattle and horse ranches. We ate at the Hillside Stables restaurant and cafe. This place is on a farm that is 46 acres, has a 3 bedroom house, 2 apartments, stable, hanger, and restaurant for sale at only $595,000.

By days end we finally made our Dubuque in Iowa.

Cross-eyed Crickets

Nan and I are eating dinner at the Cross-eyed Cricket in Evansville Indiana. Homemade chicken and dumplings, homemade rolls. Yum-yum!

MooseQuest 2011

So Nan and I are off again on another Moose Quest. This time we are headed to the Border Waters area of Minnesota, specifically to the Gun Flint trail. Sure hope the rain that is in the forecast dissipates. Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures along the way. We hope you'll enjoy the ride.