The Apostle Islands that weren't

David and I cooling off, waiting for moonrise

Our next destination was the Apostle Islands, north and east of Duluth. They are a group of islands in Lake Superior that you really need a boat of some kind to explore.  We opted not to rent a boat or go on a cruise boats and come back to visit another time (yeah, right.). The ferry to Madeline Is seemed overly expensive as well.  We had a nice time in Bayfield though, its a cute little town with old homes, a large marina, interesting stores, and, my favorite, a community sailing program.  Just as we drove into town we saw the sign for a free concert in the park so we were happy.  We parked in the overflow ferry parking lot, right on the beach, and quickly made dinner.  We walked to the beach to eat and started visiting with a fellow who looked a LOT like my brother Robb.  He was in his swimming suit (bald, swimming suit – ring any bells?) and had his cameras  to photograph the full moon rising across the water, but didn't know where it would be coming up.  We all placed two sticks in the sand to line up where we were betting the moon would rise and sat back to wait. The music from the park wafted down to us as the sun set, and drinking a bottle of wine had nothing to do with any of this.

David, that was his name, is on a quest to swim in every river and near-to-the-edge lake of Lake Superior. It is a BIG lake, doncha know! It was very hot and muggy and David was enjoying the water so much that I put on my suit and joined him.  Because of the heavy humidity and haze it was not the spectacular moonrise he had hoped for, but it was fun watching it anyway.  A sailboat and airplane flew by at just the right moment for some great photos.  By the way, none of us were close in our moonrise location. Once we got the moon to its proper height we walked down to the park to finish up the music and then strolled the marina looking at the sailboats. There were many boats owned by folks who come for the weekend so it was pretty quiet. Chatted with the young Coast Guard cadets who were standing by to watch for drunk boaters.

The next morning, while Thayer was working(!), I wandered the town, found a nice park with WIFI nearby, the smoked fish shop, the Maritime History Museum, and the North Coast Community Sailing Center. We moved the rig to the park and went swimming – really lovely water! Cooled off nicely before heading to our next destination. Unfortunately, there was no activity at the sailing center-would have been nice!

Lake Superior and Duluth, MN

The rest of the plains went by, not much more description needed there. They were beautiful and we were lucky that they have had above normal rainfall, because they were very green, with many small lakes, interesting birds, and nice little towns. Thayer was eager to get into Duluth to pick up his mail consisting of the batteries and chargers for his camera that he left behind.  Thanks Sarah!

Duluth is a cargo loading town! A huge part of their waterfront on Lake Superior is devoted to gigantic silos for loading grain from the plains, and amazing coal and ore loading areas. The harbor has a long spit (5 miles?) called Minnesota Point, that protects the inner harbor from the huge lake and the northers. The huge cargo ships come into the inner harbor around the end or through a arial bridge build over a hundred years ago by the Army Corps of Engineers.  

On Minnesota Point are lovely and funky homes and a large park with bike trails, beaches, picnicking, volleyball and, best of all, a small community sailing center! The Duluth-Superior Sailing Association has a tiny toe hold on the edge of the park. They have about 8 Optis, 10 Lasers, and an assortment of small keel boats. Tim, the program director, was happy to chat with us about their program. They have two small sheds and a wire cage to keep their gear in. There were not a lot of people going out for such a beautiful day so he took us out in a Yingling (20ft keelboat.)  We had a lovely evening sail learning about the various features of the city, their little sailing program, and the lake. We were delighted to get out on the water away from the heat!

Duluth industrial from Minn. Pt.

Duluth Superior Sailing Assn.

The next morning we did a quick bike ride down the path and then headed into Duluth. We visited the Army Corps of Engineers Visitors Center where we learned about the history of trade and shipping in the Great Lakes, the arial bridge that controls traffic going to the loading docks, shipwrecks, engines, and all the cool boats used on the lakes. We were able to see a big freighter come through the canal, under the bridge and on to its docks. Nowadays, it takes only two workers to load a giant ship with ore, one on the boat to watch the loading and one above the ship controlling the conveyor belts that deliver the ore to the various hatches.  Two people can load 60,000 TONS of ore in 6-8 hours.

bike path on Minnesota Pt.

Across the Great Plains

We left our friends the Sorensons on Saturday the 17, bound for Theodore Roosevelt NP. It is a beautiful, rugged badlands area, where the rock formations have been eroded from the surrounding flatlands. The cliffs with their bands of colorful rocks, open green meadows and the Little Missouri River make for lovely views. We listened to a ranger (visualize William Macy in "Fargo") give a talk about the CCC projects in the park and the history of the CCC. Very interesting, though I kept wanting to finish his sentences for him since he spoke so slowly and sparingly. It was HOT. Thayer had me scampering along the road to take pictures of buffalo, funny how he would drive off just as the animals started staring at me and making huffing, grunting noises at me. Not funny. I tried to bring home a nice concretion to add to my rock collection but it just wouldn't budge and Thayer wouldn't help me.

I want this rock!

We drove up to Lake Sacagawea St. Park for the night, beautiful and a little cooler. 

 

The next day we were up early and headed across the plains in a serious way. It is very flat, and very agricultural. When we got tired of looking at wheat we were refreshed by the sight of corn or sunflowers or an occasionally herd of cows. We pulled into tiny Sykeston, just for a fun photo with my namesake town. Ralph, from the cafe, quickly came out to greet us and invited us in for breakfast, home cooked and delicious, he assured me. We ordered up some eggs and carmel/cinnamon rolls as the locals started arriving after church. We met lots of nice people, including John and Rosemary, former Rialta owners and 15 years of RVing experience behind them. They are residents of Florida who "homestead" in ND during the summer. They were excited to see the rig and share their many stories. When I went to pay the bill John had already paid for our meal! It was a very fun stop! (wish I'd ordered another roll!) Turns out that the town cafe is supported by the "town fathers" because it is not profitable in any way. They support the cafe with funds and time. 

 

A Moment to Reflect

It's sometime past midnight and the heat plus a slight upset stomach has kept me from sleeping, so I thought I'd walk it off. Slipping quietly out of the rig, I find it is already a bit cooler as a slight breeze flows past. The Sorensons have a long driveway so I've decided to walk down to the paved road and back. From the top of the hill I can see and hear the big rigs in the distance as they race past the far end of the drive. There isn't a moon out but the stars overhead add to the burning gas flares to give ample light to see my way. Just moving around helps settle my stomach.

Walking along in the semi-dark also gives me some quiet time to reflect on the past week. The bearing repair cost a lot more than it should have due to the local NAPA outlet jacking the price 175% over NAPA list with a cavalier  "take it or the road" attitude. The repair shop guy could have easily ordered it much cheaper elsewhere had he recognized opportunist slime-balls, but we've now waited nearly a week for this bearing, it's already installed and we need to get going. We returned the spare we had ordered and will pick up another along the way.

Looking out as I walk, I gaze at the bright flares on the stacks (burning off a reported 25% of collectable natural gas) as they illuminate the night sky. In addition to the noxious fumes  they produce in the air it seems to me a big waste of energy. Literally "energy to burn". We've also noted that many drivers of large trucks around here just keep their engines running when they duck into the stores or businesses. We still can't understand that.

The many bright lights of the nearby processing plant reminds me of a space port, and it will soon be joined by another presently being built. All within clear view of the Sorenson's home. The contrast to the traditional farming life that oil is replacing couldn't be more stark, and reminds me of the days I just spent helping rake hay and herd cattle. I really sympathize with any farmer who is trying to make a living while being bulldozed off their land and having their groundwater tainted by oil drilling. We Americans allow big money to be the decider. So what's new? I think about this every time I pull up to the gas pump, ...hypocrisy withstanding.

As I crest the hill coming back to the house, the drone of a thousand crickets tries to compete with the roar of venting gas from a nearby rig that has just come online. The warm night breeze dances around me again as I look back up to the sky just in time to witness a large 'shooting star' scribing its straight, white trail between the stars. Its short display is a reminder of our ephemeral existence here on earth. Gone in a flash. We are harvesting the eons of what has gone before us with every gallon of oil we pump and minute of gas we burn. And yet we are so transitory and short sighted that I'm sure humankind's contribution to the big picture may not even be recordable a million years from now. Or less.

Oddly, what comforts me as I climb back into bed is the thought that the taint of humankind will be cleansed by time. In the long run it won't matter at all. But likewise, this lends even more urgency to continuing our travels so that we may meet more wonderful people like the Sorensons and see the beauty that still exists in the world – while we still have a chance.

We're Repaired and Ready

After more than a week of hanging out on the farm the port rear bearing has been replaced and after a short test drive appears to check out. The stbd bearing seems to be OK, no noise or anything, so we've decided to leave it in until there's a reason to swap it with the spare bearing we are now carrying.

cleaned up and going out to dinner!

We have had a wonderful week meeting new friends and really learning about an interesting and quickly changing community.  It has really helped us see the whole picture of fracking, not only from our tree hugger, knee-jerk liberal point of view but the perspective of hard working farmers and landowners sitting on top of the gold mines of natural gas, oil, sand, and gravel. It was sad to see the beautiful farmland being scraped away for oil rigs, man-camps, disposal sites, sand and gravel pits, roadways, stores and services and the astonishing rate at which it is all happening. 

Thayer driving the tractor and Larry supervising


We stayed an extra day so that Thayer could help Larry get the alfalfa crop in on one of his many properties that he owns/manages.  He spends so much time bird-dogging the oil companies on his land that it is really hard to get his farming done.  It is also difficult to find hired help because of all the high paying oil jobs.  

typical NG rig

...and then we thought...

where else would we rather be?

Religion, lunch & bath, and a musical

Jill spent the morning attending church with Larry and Carla, grocery shopping and wandering around the farm.  We had the treat of taking a real shower up at the house and being invited in for burgers with the family.  After the family dispersed Larry and Carla invited us to see the renowned Medora Musical, performed in a lovely outdoor amplitheater about 80 miles south of here. We toured the historic little town, got some ice cream and fudge, and enjoyed a warm, pleasant evening watching the show. You can see the beautiful setting of the musical, they even had to chase 2 bull elk out of the background before the show.  Part of the show was a stand up comedian from Hawaii who was very funny.  Poked a lot of fun at North Dakota and getting old. "40 may be the new 30, 9:30 may be the new midnight, but 240 is not the new 180!" It was a very enjoyable evening. Got home late.

Carla and Larry Sorenson 

Sorenson spread

 Medora, ND Musical Revue!