No Reservations

Part of the concern when we left Tourist in Florida was whether or not I'd go crazy with no boat for the summer. Fortunately our friends have been very gracious in having us on board from time to time. As an additional pacifier to keep me from seeking professional help we decided to take a road trip.
We left last Friday and headed north into the hinterlands of Wisconsin. Our goal for the first day....Moose Jaw Lodge near Fifield, Wisconsin. Why you ask? Because Pam's parents once owned Moose Jaw and Pam herself spent quite a bit of time living and working there.

Before our arrival at Moose Jaw we had to make a stop for popcorn at the Rural Route 1 popcorn outlet in Montfort, Wis. for guess who?

Moose Jaw was somewhat the same and but still a bit different than Pam remembered. Of course we checked out the bar and looked around the grounds. Our visit brought back many fond memories for Pam but it's safe to say we won't be buying a resort anytime soon even though MJ is for sale.

Since we were so far north we decided to continue on to Ashland, Wis. on the shores of Lake Superior where we stayed in an overpriced motel complete with spiders in the room. Fortunately Pam didn't spot them until morning when we were leaving. The good part of our stay was the view of the lake.

From Ashland we made the short drive to Bayfield, Wis. to take a boat tour through the Apostle Islands. The 3 hour tour took us around several of the 22 islands. We passed a couple of light houses and one island named Bear Island because someone long ago and obviously under the influence thought it looked like a bear. Neither Pam or myself saw the resemblance but then neither of us were drinking at the time.
After we docked we had lunch at a waterfront restaurant before moving on to Duluth, Mn. What a pleasant surprise Duluth was. They have done a great job with their waterfront as well as the entire downtown area. What a place this must be in the winter. The hills rival those in San Francisco for steepness and length. The only negative we had is that everyone else has already discovered Duluth. We went to six or seven motels before we found one with a vacancy!

Sunday morning we toured the William A. Irvin. A retired lake freighter berthed in Duluth. Just over 600 feet in length but compared to today's freighters way too small.

Following our tour we blew out of town headed for Lake Itasca and the Mississippi headwaters. After paying our $5.00 at the park check point we made our way to the source. Of course being here at the source of the river that has been such a big part of my life meant only one thing... I had to go in! It's hard to imagine the powerful river that it becomes as it flows south from here. We snooped around the visitor center and drove around the park on our way out.

We did make one stop to take a mile round trip walk to climb a fire lookout tower. And no. Pam wasn't wearing heals today! The view was pretty cool if you like tree tops.

Upon leaving the park we strolled into Bemidji, Mn. for the evening and to see the statue of Paul Bunyan which was made in 1937 and of course Babe the Blue Ox. Definitely worth the trip!