Thunder Bay and the North Shore

Erin and I had dueling dentist appointments on Friday.  We both took the day off of school so we could make the appointments and when finished cavity free we headed East.  We rented a room at the Cliff Dweller on the North Shore of Lake Superior.  The view out our room was spectacular.  There’s something about looking over a body of water with no distant shorline.

We basically just checked in and then headed back down the shore to Duluth to catch a St. Scholastica Hockey game.  Erin’s cousin Brennan is one of the goalies for the team.  He unfortunately for us was not playing in the game we attended, but the saints put on a good show winning 6 to 3.  Brennan ended up starting the next night which turned out to be a televised game.  He came ready to play stopping all 29 shots thrown his way.  The saints won the second game 3 – 0.

We got back t the Cliff Dweller at about 11:30 and crashed right out.  The next morning we were leaving the country and we needed our sleep.  After our continental breakfast we were on the road by 10:00 heading up the highway to the Canadian Border.  After a couple hour drive we found our way through the border and at Kakabeka Falls just 25 Kilometers outside of Thunder Bay.

We found out that the falls were in a park of some sort and we needed a parking pass to displayed in our car window to park there.  We unfortunetly didn’t have any Canadian currency so we went back into the little town of Kakabeka to find an ATM machine.  After a quick withdrawal we broke our newly acquired 20 at a local gas station for the Loonies we need to plug into the machine what would render us a valid parking permit.

The falls were amazing with a huge drop to a canyon floor below.  The frosty trees that lined the picturesque falls looked like they’d been dusted with powdered sugar.

After checking out the falls from both sides of the river we headed into Thunder Bay.  The town of around 110,000 people is just as you guessed it like any other city.  We contemplated going to a movie, because that’s what we do in foreign countries but the show times didn’t quite match up with our “schedule”.  After driving around town a little and checking out the Bay part of Thunder Bay we headed back to America stopping off at a cheese farm and picking up some smoked Gouda from the only cheese place in Canada that makes Gouda.  The smokey flavor is very strong and tasty.

For dinner that night we drove up to the top of Lutsen mountain to a resturant we’d been to last year with Jesse and April.  Dinner was very good and with full tummies we went back to the lake where we ended our weekend by watching Iron Man back in the hotel.

It sure was a nice weekend get-a-way.  Now we have a week and a half sprint to Christmas break.

Hokey Pokey Camping

Our feeble attempt at camping this weekend began Thursday night after work.  We pulled together most of the gear we would need for a BWCA camping trip in the fall.  We were pretty tired, so we didn’t get finished with the packing, just got a decent start to the venture.  Friday morning I helped Erin get the canoe on her car and threw what we had ready into her car as she left for work.  I still had to pull together the rest of the gear hoping against hope that I wouldn’t forget anything.  I finally got on the road about a half an hour later than usual, but I made it to school with a few minutes to spare.  So to follow the hokey pokey theme Thursday night we put our right foot in and took our right foot out.  Friday morning we put our right foot in and shook it all about.

After work that day Erin and I met up at the Y-store and drove to Soudan where we dropped my car off at Erin’s grandparents house.  We transferred the rest of the gear from my car to hers and headed to Ely.  Mind you at this time of the year dusk is showing up earlier and earlier each day.  We pulled into Ely and had to pick up some last minute things that we had forgot to pack for the trip and grab something for dinner.  At this time we assessed how much time it’d take us to actually get to the Moose Lake entry point and decided we would be just putting into the water when the darkness would be settling in over the lake.  We made the decision to hold off actually starting the trip till the next morning.  We ended up staying the night in Ely where we watched the twins throw their game two against the Yankees away in the bottom of the 9th inning.  The next morning we awoke to a blanket of snow on the ground and a pretty brisk wind whipping across the tree tops.  We decided to push on and headed down the Fernberg Road to the Moose Lake entry point.  As we approached the lake I was beginning to second guess our trip.  There were some fairly decent waves rolling across the lake.  Now if this had been a summer day it wouldn’t have been as big a deal, but since the temps were below freezing it added a whole new level of concern.

We pushed on and loaded up our canoe and headed out in the waves.  The wind was blowing in the same direction we were paddling, so we were making some pretty good time without much effort.  Our concern was that if we had to paddle back against this same wind the next day it would make the 8 or so miles pretty tough.  We paddled about a mile and decided it be smarter and safer to call the trip off.  There’s no reason to force on when things could turn quickly for the worse.  Truly we probably would have been fine, but it would have been a chilly wet trip.  So back to the hokey theme, we started our trip Friday night, then stopped it not too much longer, only to start it the next morning and stop it again an hour or so after beginning.  Lots of back and forth.

Instead of camping we went to a tea shop in Ely, and then to a movie in Virginia.

Spring Cleaning and a Bike Ride

This weekend with the absense of the cold white stuff all over the yard we decided it’d be a good idea to spend a day cleaning up the yard.  We still had some left over building materials from our re-roofing project last fall, so that along with some other things that needed to head to the local dump we loaded up two pickup loads.  We still have a little left to deal with, but its a step in the right direction.

We had beautiful weather both Saturday and Sunday.  It was a bit windy on Saturday, but the sun was shining so it was a nice day to be out working outside.  Aside from cleaning the yard, Jim and I worked on the motorcycle.  The back tire was pretty old and had some cracks in it.  We decided it’d be a good idea to get it replaced before it pop on one of use out on a ride.  It was a bit of a wrestling match to get the old tire off, and the new tire on, but after a little elbow greese we had it back together in no time.  We also installed a new winsheild that had a little better coverage then its predicessor.  So with the new upgrades to the bike all in place I got a couple of rides in over the weekend.  Sunday morning Erin and I took it into town for a trip to McDonalds.  I am looking forward to some warmer weather in hopes of driving it to work.  Right now its  pretty chilly out in the morning.  I need to find my rain pants before I brave the frosty mornings.

Vermilion Falls

Stacy and Dylan drove out to the house this morning to join April, Jesse, Jim, Erin, and I out to Vermilion Falls.  We hopped in the car and took off towards Crane Lake.  Its a bit of a drive, and since we took the back gravel roads which are pretty sloppy with all the snow melting it was even a bit longer.  We got to the road heading towards the falls only to find it hadn’t been plowed yet.  We put the vehicles in 4-wheel drive and continued down the 4 mile road.  When we got to the “drive way” into the parking area it was even more covered in snow and was heading up a hil, so we parked the cars and began our hike there.

We were hoping to catch the ice breaking up and being forced through the narrow gorge, but when we got to the river we found it already open.  It still is a fun place to visit.  There is a ton of water rushing through there.  We took some pictures and had lunch on a picnic table.

All throughout our day in at the falls we were having mini snowball fights.  The snow was the perfect consistency for making snowballs.  Dylan was a fierce competitor and was always ready for a battle.  After we finished eating Jim had the idea of making a snowman.  It didn’t take too long and we had a very respectable snowman to greet any visitors in the next couple of days.  I don’t know how long he’ll last, but as long as the skies continue to be covered with clouds and the temps stay in the 30′s it could be some time before he withers away.

We then headed back to the cars and drove to Orr where we filled our car with gas and our tummies with A&W root-beer floats.  They sure are tasty, but make it quite difficult to drive and work the spoons filled with the bubbly ice cream to your mouth.  We headed back to the house where we relaxed and had some dinner.

It sure was a nice way to spend a Saturday.

A weekend in Duluth

Erin and I had been pretty busy the last few weeks.  Erin traveling all over the place, and I was shooting video for bwcacast.   We decided to take the weekend to get away and hang out together.

We headed to Duluth and stayed down by the lake in the Holiday Inn.  Its not right on the water, but its very close to canal park.  We relaxed in the hotel, went out to eat, and caught a couple showings at the Imax theater.  The first one was on the Alps follwing a man who was preparing to climb the north face of the iger.  His father had died attempting to climb the same rout.  It was some really amazing video and with such a large screen it made you feel like you were right there.  One thing that had me wondering is who was packing the Imax camera up the side of that mountain.  The second one was about the great lakes and how the sturgeon fish is on the brink of extinction.  That there is a scientist that is working to save the species.  It seems like they are close to having things under control.  Another fun show to watch.

We didn’t stop our big screen viewing there, we ended the evening by going to SlumDog Millionair.  It was a pretty good movie.  It sure makes you apreciate your childhood.

The weekend went fast as it always does, but I came back feeling a bit refreshed and relaxed.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Half way there…

Yesterday a new pipe was installed between Jim’s house and ours.  This new pipe would bring the ever precious clear liquid used to not only replenish ourselves, but our poor dehydrated Christmas tree.  Unfortunately even though the line was good to go coming into the house, since the pipes under the house hadn’t been used in a week they had all frozen solid. 

Last night I worked at the Virginia High School Hockey game against Princeton.  The final score was 9 – 3 with a Blue Devil win (Virginia).  I was in charge of taking tickets at the door.  Erin gave me a call to let me know that the pipe had been installed, but we still didn’t have running water.  I told her that I’d pick up a heater at L&M before coming home.

My friend Tony came to the game with me.  I asked if he’d watch the door for me while I ran off to buy a heater.  He was kind enough to leave the stands and tear tickets apart.  I drove over to the store and found that there were a few different options for heaters.  I knew that I needed one that put out enough heat to heat the whole underside of the house, but one that wouldn’t burn the place down.  Its kind of a catch 22.  The two “bigger” heating options were a diesel heater and a propane heater.  I knew that diesel would be easier to obtain, and not require a special tank.  Since it was already 7:45 in the evening, I figured getting a propane tank filled would be a bit of an ordeal, so I opted for the diesel heater.  Turned out to be a 40,000 BTU “ReadyHeater”.

I went back to the game an let Tony head back to the stands, and finished taking tickets till the second intermission at which point I joined Tony and Steph (another teacher at VHS) to watch the third period.  Since Virginia was so far ahead, the Princeton team seemed to play a bit more dirty.  There were a few questionable hits and ensuing penalties assessed to curb such behavior.   The game was a lot of fun.  Hockey is definitely my favorite sport.

I got home around 10:30 after picking up some diesel from the Cook gas station.  Since it was kind of late, I didn’t mess with the heater and just went to bed.

Today Erin and I ran into town and visited with her grandparents and then stopped by the hardware store to buy a couple pieces of angled stove pipe to attach to the end of our ReadyHeater hoping to divert the hot air away from any combustible areas of the house.  We got back out to the house and found that neither piece of stove pipe would fit the heater.  We talked to Jim who was on his way back up from the cities.  He wasn’t too jazzed up about our new heater being a bit concerned that it might burn the house down.  He told us about a heater he had set out in the garage that we should try instead.  So I ventured up to the grage to find this miracle heating unit.  This is what I was presented with…..

I know… Like your thinking…. Really… this is going to heat up the entire underside of the house and thaw out all of our water pipes?  Here is the comparison between what I bought, and what was left in the garage.  Which do you think would handle the operation a little better?

So we plugged in the little one until Jim came home.  Unfortunately the breaker was popped by the heater and not much was accomplished in that time.  So when jim was there we set up the bigger heater.  We were still concerned that it might start the hosue on fire, so I stood outside for a while to make sure everything was under control.

After about 10 minutes of this über heater we had dripping in the kitchen.  After about 30 minutes we had running water in the kitchen.  At 1 hour we had dripping in the bathroom, and at 2 and a half hours we had running water at all faucets and our drains finally were thawed out.  We are leaving the water running and the heater going to make sure that all of the ice has been cleared out, but we are finally back to showering at home and having the ability to flush our toilet without dumping water from a 5 gallon bucket into the back of the toilet first.   I’d say that this was a successful weekend.

Ohh before the hockey game yesterday, Tony and I went out for dinner and then headed over to the curling club in Eveleth where we hung out with an Olympic bronze medalist and watched curling for about 45 min.  I think I’d really get into curling if I were closer to a curling club.  Its just not that feasible with a 50 mile drive.  I’ll probably go and throw a few stones this winter.  It was a lot of fun watching the “professionals” work their magic on the ice Friday night.  It sure is amazing how accurate they are.   I am looking forward to finishing up school this coming week and enjoying the Christmas break.  I hope you all have a very safe and enjoyable holiday season.

A Day Off

There was a pretty bad storm over the weekend that dumped quite a bit of snow as far as the Midwest is concerned.  The majority of this snow fell on Sunday causing the roads in the area to become essentially closed.  Because of all this most if not all of the school districts in northern Minnesota closed their doors for Monday.

This was very nice.  I was able to sleep in this morning which is always a treat.  When I got up I put on my winter clothes and went down to the lake in hopes of clearing the snow off to make a skating rink.  Well… there was at least a foot of snow if not a bit more and I was armed only with a shovel.  A snow blower or a serious plow would have been a nice addition to the snow removal process.  Lucky for me though Jesse came down to lend a hand.  We worked on it for a couple hours and then gave up for the day.

The afternoon I spent working on another show for BWCACST.  This was on our first day into Kife Lake.  This was our last multi day camping trip for the summer.  I am a bit behind as you can see on getting shows out.  I am hoping to get them posted a little bit more regularly if I can.

This evening Erin and I decorated our Christmas tree.  This is our first real tree we’ve had.  Our time in BSSD there really weren’t a plethora of trees to choose from in the villages we lived in, and last year in Baxter we weren’t allowed to have a real tree in our apartment.  The thing I like most about the tree is that it means Christmas break is just around the corner. 

An end to the week…

I was able to sleep in on Saturday which was great.  I didn’t get up till 10:00 AM.  It was a beautiful day out with the sun and bright blue sky making the new snow sparkel on the frozen lake.  I went out and did some shoveling to get the steps cleared off of both Jims place and ours.  I then fired up the snow blower and headed down to the lake in an attempt to get the skating area cleaned off again.  I quickly found out how out of shape I acutally am.  When using the snow blower you have to lift up on the handle bars the whole time so that it scrapes the ice as clean as possible.  In doing so my biceps were quickly tired out.  I then came up to the house and did some looking on craigs list for a four wheeler with a plow.  That would be the best way to keep the ice clear.

Saturday afternoon I headed over to Hoyt Lakes to hang out with Kate and Tony.  We went bowling with Kates three kids.  It was fun to watch them wrestle with the heavy bowling balls.  There were a couple of times the rolling technique looke like a shotput.  After rolling the one game we headed back to Kates for some Lasagna.  After dinner we watched 5 minues of “Back to the Future” with the kids and then they went to bed.  Kate Tony and I then played a game of Farkle and I hit the road.  On the way home I got a bit lost and drove about 10 miles towards Two Harbors before realizing I was going the wrong way.  I got back on track and then came across a car full of High School kids in the ditch.  I turned around to see if they were okay about the same time a police officer showed up.  So I continued on my way home.  I had to drive relatively slow because the roads were a bit unpredictable.

Today has been nice and relaxing.  April and Laura stayed the night, so we’ve been watching tv and pretty much not doing anything.  I think Im going to run into town and pick up a christmas tree.  We were going to go cut one, but with hunting going on I think it might be a bit safer just to buy one.

Photos of that to come soon.