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| View of "most" of the RV park. |
Last week I mentioned that there had been a bear sighting
here in the park. A live bear trap was set, but so far he hasn’t returned—at
least if he has he’s steering clear of the trap!
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| Live bear trap -- empty... |
We attended Cornerstone Community Church in Grand Marais on
Sunday, where we were blessed by the ministry of The Faithful Men Quartet—a
service of southern gospel music. After church and a quick bite at Subway we
headed to the Grand Marais library Wi-Fi to catch up on emails, etc. There was
sun sighting off and on during the day, but it was mostly cloudy and foggy. As
soon as we returned to Grand Portage the heavens opened and it rained—again.
(Good thing we have a supply or reading material and indoor projects to keep us
occupied!)
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were much the same…early
morning sun followed by heavy rain and fog by noon. By late in the afternoon on
Wednesday the sun decided to show itself and the temperatures warmed up to the
mid-70s. Sure could use more of that! We had originally planned to drive up to
Thunder Bay for pizza and a concert that evening at Marina Park but because of
the rain we cancelled. At a little after midnight we lost power for about 7
hours, and we heard reports that this happened throughout much of Cook County,
where we are. Thanks to propane, I was able to make coffee (egg coffee!) the
old fashioned way—boiling water and adding the grounds. Just about the time it
was done, and we had downed our first cup, the power came back on.
Our park neighbors, Rogene and Dwight, invited us and another
couple, Don and Gloria, for dinner Wednesday evening. She served beef
stroganoff, fresh fruit salad, fresh cardamom bread and warm rhubarb crisp—YUM!
Good to get together with friends over
good food and conversation. (A gal after my own heart, Rogene loves to cook and bake!)
That night the rain started once again, with heavy downpours
and continuous thunder and lightning. Neither of us can recall every hearing
thunder roll continuously for over 36 hours. Quite unbelievable! The rain! By
Friday morning 4” to 6” was reported throughout Grand Portage. There was no
let-up! We discovered a couple of leaks in the trailer (bedroom and couch side
of the living room slides without slide covers), most likely due to the many hours of torrential rain, and possibly
due to the fact that our trailer isn't quite level (little high in the front).
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| Flute Reed River before the storm. |
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| Flute Reed River after the storm |
Wes and Caroline, folks that Dick met in Welcome, Minnesota
last fall, showed up in the park for a week, and got set up just before the
heavy rains started on Thursday. (Whew!) They’re parked directly across from
us, so we’ve become acquainted and have shared stories of our travels. Also joining
us is Bob from Florida, a full-timer who lives and travels in his camping van.
We met him here last year.
Friday we decided to head to Grand Marais to get propane (in
case the power went out again we wanted to be covered). At the library we heard
that a portion of Highway 61, the only road along the north shore of Lake
Superior, connecting Duluth with Thunder Bay had washed out in the Cascade
River area, causing major headaches for those on the road. We also heard that
in the same spot a pick-up truck pulling a boat was almost washed into the
lake. The highway was repaired and one
lane made passable by late Friday; both lanes were open by Saturday. Never
underestimate the power and strength of gushing water.
There was sun in Grand Marais, just 34 miles from Grand
Portage, so we took advantage of the day to take a couple photos of the
downtown and harbor area. These are just a few of the places that keep Grand
Marais hopping.
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| Coast Guard Station at Grand Marais harbor |
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| Grand Marais harbor |
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| "The" place to get pizza in Grand Marais. They say, "Yew haven't been to Grand Marais unless yew've eaten at Sven & Ole's!" |
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| You an get almost anything here. It's been around since at least the 1950s when my family and I lived in Grand Marais. |
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| "The" meeting place in Grand Marais. |
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| Sailboat in Grand Marais harbor. |
Fog was so dense here in Grand Portage this week that it was
impossible to see most anything. There was a fishing derby scheduled for Isle
Royal Friday through Sunday, so fishermen were “grounded” for most of the
Friday as they prepared to head out. Our neighbor Dwight and his three
passengers did leave for the island in the midst of the fog but he went real
slowly, he said. They returned to Grand Portage on Sunday, with the report that
they caught lots of fish.
Saturday: sun, Sun, SUN! Beautiful! We could see Isle Royal
in the distance, and Lake Superior was calm as glass. NO FOG! NO RAIN! Everyone
was out, and boat after boat launched into the lake. Temperatures reached the mid-70s by the late afternoon. Again, I say, beautiful! This weather is
supposed to hold through Sunday. Here’s hoping!
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| Photos above and below are views from our site this year. Beautiful! |
Dick decided to check out the top of the slides to see if he
could identify where the leaks were coming from. Somehow the ladder twisted and
collapsed under him, causing him to fall and get pretty banged up, especially
his right side and hip. Thankfully, he didn't break anything—the grass created
a bit of a soft cushion—but the bruises are quite colorful!
Saturday afternoon we watched four eagles as they “played”
with seagulls down at the marina. Seagulls can really squawk!!! Was pretty
entertaining. So fun to watch the eagles soar and float on the air currents.
Hope the sun is shining where you are, and you’re enjoying
the last few weeks of July. Our time in Grand Portage is almost half over. Regardless of the weather, we’re so blessed
to be here to enjoy God’s creation.
Blessings and hugs to you!
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