June 24

Today was too long, having to get up at 3:15 AM to make the Sea Hunter III boat for Isle Royal NP, out of Grand Portage, MN. I will add comments about today’s discoveries and people tomorrow.

It is now “tomorrow”. There are more local hotel options along route MN 61, between Duluth and Grand Marais, than I remember such that I might have been able to stay closer to Grand Portage, and not have had to awaken at 3:15 AM the other morning. Anyway, that is in the past. The drive, along route 61 is supposed to be scenic, but not yesterday. Rain, fog, and the smoke from the Canadian fires were causing havoc on the views. The signage from route 61 to the boat dock was nonexistent. I wound up at the wrong marina, but a lady politely told me how to get to the right marina. Two young women were getting out of the car next to mine. One asked me if I had $1 to spare. Turns out she did not have a reservation for the ferry. But the folks had told her that if any cancellations happened, she could “walk on”. The roundtrip ticket is $99, but she only had $98 in cash. I said $1 was worth the price for another person to enjoy one of America’s National Parks. Turns out the two women are on the quest to visit all 63 of the “National Parks”. Have you seen that before in my blogs? Many people are traveling the country to get to those 63 park units. That is great. On the boat ride over to Isle Royal I met more people who are also trekking to those 63 parks. Each were at various stages, like 47 or 56 down. Terry, a man who was sitting next to me, was unaware that many of the NPS parks he had been to are part of the official #424 count. It can easily be overlooked or unknown. When one thinks of a “National Park” they are not considering a “National Battlefield” to be in the same category. If Terry does some research, he may be surprised to find he is well on his way to all 424.

Windigo Bay was the destination on Isle Royal for the Sea Hunter III boat. The dock area also has a section for float planes. A nice VC sits up above the shore. A small general store was a bit to the north, offering food, liquid, and other items. This would allow one to not have to bring any food on their person; just buy it at the store. I noticed one family enjoying one-person pizzas from the store. What caught my attention between those two buildings was the restroom/showers/laundry structure. Now that is comfort. One can get a shower each morning, or after a day of hiking/canoeing. And no need to bring too many clothes in your backpack. The hiking trails in the park are relatively flat. This is not mountain country. Distance is up to the hiker. Day-Trip folks, though, only have four hours, so cannot get in more than six or eight miles before having to be ready to reboard. One of the trails passes by the camp’s absorption trench field. Just think sewage. A septic system was installed to allow for park rangers to live in Windigo Bay, and to accommodate tourists.

I met more people on land who were interested in my Quest. And if you do not think this is a small world, these next comments may change your mind. As the crowd was waiting for the 1:45 PM reboarding, many of us listened to a park ranger give a presentation in the picnic area. There was a husband, wife, and three boys. The mother asked me if I was the Tom Wright from Uniontown who was going around to all the parks in 2023. I replied I was the guilty party. She said she had seen my name in the VC logbook a bit earlier. This is a large book that most VCs have, where people add their name, date of visit, home town/state, and a comment. The family put two and two together when seeing my tee-shirt. Turns out they live in the Hartville area, and the boys attend Lake Schools (I had coached girl’s soccer and basketball in the Lake schools in the 1990s). They had seen the front-page article of the Akron Beacon Journal a few weeks ago about my Quest, and were completely surprised that we were crossing paths at the same park. What are the odds? What is not luck is the enthusiasm to get out and enjoy our National Parks.

A ranger said the park now has about 30 wolves. When I visited in 2017 there were only two. The answer is that the NPS relocated all these wolves in 2019. The park now has roughly 2,300 moose. Many of the people who attended the 12:30 PM ranger talk said they had already seen one or more moose on the trails since getting off the boat. I was not so fortunate. My only mammal sighting was a Red Squirrel. Turns out, the Red Squirrels on the island are now considered a separate species, since they have been isolated for so long from the mainland populations. That is pretty cool.

The ride back included a short stop at the Rock of Ages Lighthouse. A few ships have broken apart at the rocky outcroppings over the decades, but the lighthouse has prevented many more wrecks. Lake Superior can be unforgiving. Ask the families of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald. Once past the lighthouse visibility went down to 200 yards at some points. The boat captain must have blown the ship’s horn 15 times to make sure anyone in the vicinity knew we were in the neighborhood.

Rain reappeared as I entered the VC for Grand Portage National Monument. This park is only a couple miles from the boat dock for the Sea Hunter III. Many people run the math and say I have to do about two parks a day to get them all done in one year. Math does not lie. But today was a perfect example of how that can be accomplished. Very little effort to see these two parks on the same date due to their proximity. The Northwest Company set up shop in this area back in the 1700s, to take advantage of the fur trade. The “Grand Portage” is an 8.5-mile trail that connected Lake Superior with the inland waters of Canada, bypassing falls, cascades, and treacherous terrain. One can even make it to Hudson Bay after portaging from Lake Superior. The fort visitors see today is a recreation, though it is built on the original site. Structures reflect the buildings which were inside the stockade, including some Indian lodges. The interior of the main house shows the opulence the NWC managers and skilled tradesmen enjoyed. Low paid laborers survived on corn, beans, and other low-end food products.

The park has a collection of canoes. A large Birch Bark Canoe was on display across the lawn from the main house. The native peoples were experts in this craft, and passed along their knowledge to the white men in exchange for metal, guns, etc. Without the large canoes plowing the waters of the Great Lakes, expansion in this region would not have been successful.

The return drive to Duluth was again with little viewing of the lake. We all hope the fires in Canada come under control as soon as possible. The clouds and fog in the sky looked a bit brown. More rain further hampered visibility. In two days I will be in International Falls, MN. Curious what the air will be like up there.