Robert to the rescue

A typical scene was Robert baiting the line, untangling the line, retrieving a snag, taking the lure out of the fishes mouth with fliers, retying the line, exchanging poles, and saying, "Cast near the grass in the deep water but not in the grass." I caught a lot of grass. We all caught a lot of fish too. This is one of the many pike I caught. Robert caught 5 bass 21+ inches right in a row. I can't tell you where we were, it's a fisherman's secret. I guess it's like mushroom picking.

Picking Rice

Near Vermillion Falls we were privileged to be able to pick some wild rice. It was just beginning to ripen and it came off the stalks by the handfuls. It was so fun. My Indian blood came to life. The Ojibway and the Odawa (my tribe) used to survive on the rice, and even pop it. Kathy filled her fleece with it and then had a hard time getting the husks out of the fleece. We had no idea how to husk it or how to parch it.........but thankfully there is google.

What are friends for?

We spent a day or two exploring the water falls along the shores of Lake Superior between Duluth and Grand Marais. The water levels were kind of low, but the falls were so pretty. You'll notice that Kathy is trying to snuff me out and that I had to use my elbow for balance (that's all, just balance).

Indian Bob

Thanks to Jenica, Bob is sporting a Tilley hat. They have a reputation of turning the average man into a super hero. Tilley hats have supposedly been eaten by elephants and lived to tell about it. They make you a better fisherman, hunter, explorer, lover, etc. etc. Robert was so upset that Bob had a Tilley, that he went out and got one for the trip too. We met another Voyageur that also was a Tilley man. He was older and said he always had his tilley with him. We were glad Bob had the Tilley cuz he shaved his head before we left. Kathy said he was taking his "Make-a-Wish Dream Trip" before he died. I'd post a picture of his bald head, but he'd kill me and then no one would be able to post to my blog.

Voyageur Mania

Ed started to get a little stir crazy after eating at the Voyageur restaurant. We were at the beginnings of Voyageur national park. So Kathy decided Ed should experience what gear feels like inside a dry bag. No, it's not a giant summer squash with legs, it's just Ed. After trying to take a few awkward steps, he begged to be free. He was getting way too hot in the dry bag, so Kathy set him free. Bob the Photo man, took his picture.

Ely Stores

We terrorized the stores of Ely, Minnesota. Kathy bought the game, Farkle (and it's a good thing, it might have saved our sanity). Ed put purses on his head thinking they were hats, which made us laugh. We ate at the Chocolate Moose, a great place to eat if you are ever way up north. We stocked up on fry bread and few essentials for our wilderness adventure. There had been a drought there for several weeks. We cured that by going on vacation. We hit dairy queen because Ed says, Red sky at night, dairy queen in the morning. Red Sky at morning, dairy queen at night. Cloudy skies now, dairy queen later. Sunny skies ....you get the picture.

By the shores of Gitchigumi

We arrived at the shores of the beautiful Lake Superior. It is like coming home for me to be on it's banks. It was here that I first met God and heard Him speak to me. It was here that my heart was changed, my life improved, and my outlook renewed. Every visit restores my soul.
The weather was so nice over Labor Day weekend. Our plan was to hang out at Superior and then go to the boundary waters on Tuesday.