Monday morning, July 1 welcomed us with bright sunshine and
warm temperatures. What a grand way to start our next voyage!
If you were with us last year, you probably remember how
much we enjoyed our first venture into RVing when we parked in Grand Portage,
Minnesota for two months. We decided to try to relive that experience, so we
made reservations there again, for the months of July and August.
After packing up the trailer, hitching up to the black beast
and loading the motorcycle, we left my mom’s in Cloquet at 11:30 a.m. for the 3
½ hour trip up the north shore of Lake Superior. Our niece MacKenzie presented us with
homemade brownies and chocolate chip muffins to ease hunger pangs along the
way. (Thank you! We love you!)
What a gorgeous day to travel.
The lake sparkled with millions of diamonds all the way up the shore, with a
slight breeze. Because of the late Spring and cool temperatures lilacs don’t
come into bloom until around the first of July, so they were in full flower the
entire way. As we drove north the colors of Spring flowers were in also in
abundance the entire drive, from the glossy yellow petals of the buttercups,
mixed with the bright orange of the orange hawkweed and varying purple hues of
lupine to the much subtler yellow hues of wild honeysuckle and goldenrod. I’m
sorry we weren’t able to stop along the way to take photos of the
colors—difficult when you’re on a 2-lane highway with traffic going both
directions, while pulling our trailer.
We arrived about 3 p.m., pulling
into a site with a beautiful view of Lake Superior. We were greeted by friends
Dick (the marina and RV park manager this year), Don and Gloria, and Dwight and
Rogena, whom we met here last year. They both have sites adjacent to us;
good to see them again. (We do
miss other friends Bea and Mike, and Char and Bob, though.) Setting up didn’t
take very long, but we were—I should say “I was”—too tired to cook so we took
advantage of the day’s special of chicken fried rice with egg roll at the Grand
Portage Lodge and Casino. Very good, and no dishes to wash!
Weather Tuesday through Thursday was sunny, but a breeze off
the lake kept us relatively cool; the sun was warm and intense. Every day we
rode our bicycles around the park, sat outside reading, and I started a 1,000
piece jigsaw puzzle (out on the picnic table). Dick rode the motorcycle a
couple of times, checking out the area. The restaurant at Ryden’s at the
Canadian Border has closed, we learned, but we can still get internet service
there. Because there is no internet service (or cell or TV) in the park, it’s
good to have somewhere closer than Grand Marais to access the internet. (Internet
is available at the Lodge, but it is quite slow). There are no schedules
here…nice.
The 4th of July dawned bright and sunny, with
temperatures of 60 degrees at 7 a.m. The park filled with campers and tenters,
anticipating a good holiday weekend. I helped our friend Gloria re-learn to
crochet and we spent a spell outside at Don and Gloria’s chatting the afternoon
away. Brauts, potato salad, baked beans and chips added a festive touch to this
Independence Day. Later that night, from our trailer, we were able to see the
fireworks that were being launched at the Grand Portage fort. Quite a
display!
By Friday, the weather turned colder, cloudy and foggy. It’s
interesting to see how Lake Superior can so quickly change the weather here.
The weather has been so much cooler and damper than last year. With occasional
sun sightings, we rode the motorcycle into Grand Marais to pick up a few
grocery items and visit the library to take advantage of their free WiFi. I
have relatives in Grand Marais, so we stopped to visit with my mom’s youngest
sister Fern and her husband Kenny. The sun was shining brightly at their home,
which overlooks Lake Superior, so we sat outside having coffee and cookies,
catching up on life. While we were there, Mom’s next older sister Bernice came
by along with her son John (visiting from Indiana). That evening I made rhubarb
crisp from rhubarb taken from my mom’s patch. Yum! I made enough to share with
our neighbors, which they appreciated.
Saturday and Sunday didn’t disappoint with the cold and
foggy weather. Within minutes fog can move in from the lake hiding everything
in sight. Then, the sun begins to shine again—for only a little while, until
the fog again settles in. Certainly puts a damper on the boating and fishing
plans many folks had for this weekend. It was a good day to stay indoors and
watch movies (videos from the library or recorded in Cloquet). These photos
were taken just a minute or so apart on Saturday. The fog only intensified, obliterating any view of anything!
Saturday evening the rains came—and it rained and rained and
rained, until early Sunday morning. Then again, the fog came in. In the morning
we headed to Grand Marais to Cornerstone Community Church, where we attended
last year when we were here.
That’s pretty much it for this week. The weather makes for
good inside activities, rather than allowing us to enjoy the outdoors.
Hopefully the weather will change soon so we can share more of this beautiful
part of the country.
Until next time stay happy, stay well.
With much love,
Dick and Gail
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