Put in 1300miles driving and 36.75miles walking in 6days plus 2.5hrs...
aye, it rained every single day and never more than an hour or two without clouds the entire trip
but, by gods, it was such a wonderful roadtrip !
already posted several of the vids I took en route, but here's the play-by-play in a li'l more detail ;)
( you can see a basic 'map' of my trek on my prior posting, if you want to see the 'loop' I made itself )
traveled from the Cities to the RRV and up ( ND side, but within a couple miles of MN ), seeing a good friend in GF and then stopping where I saw my fathre, sister, & nephew - wonderfully surprising the 7 hells out of 'em *laughs*
they had no idea I was coming and, aye, I ended up helping them set-up for a weekend rummage sale ( where I saw some people I hadn't seen in years that stopped by before I left :) )
as I posted in a video, I found the location of the farm I spent my pre- and early-teen years at - it was always 15miles from the nearest town, but those 30yrs ago there were woods everywhere and you couldn't even see the river through the trees, let alone the nearby lake
now with fields for miles and miles ( and miles ), you can see where the lake and river are clear as a bell... no homes to be seen, even though the nearest neighbours were miles, they're long, long gone
the graveyard a quarter-mile up must've flooded, as the few original stones had been lain in concrete and new stones set up in the now much-smaller lot
to my annoyance, every grave with a deathdate older than 1900 was completely gone - not even listed on the one marker! - and of the baby section only one was mentioned :(
I understand records may've been lost, but c'mon! - the entire older section and baby section not even recognized ?! there were such beautiful stones there upon a time
saddening, to be certain, that there really IS nothing left to come 'home' to - even the closest town(s) are dying, nearly-ghost towns *sighs*
I left my fathre/sis/nephew and head up towards Lake Of The Woods, meeting some old friend and some new ones for an enjoyable evening in the little town of Salol :)
that area has changed very little, except for it seeming like fewer people were out-and-about than there used to be...
though maybe that was because of the rains ? *shrugs*
either way, I was treated well - and told I haven't changed much *laughs*
( other than being a bit greyer and 50lbs more than I'd been last time up )
from there I travelled east to Voyageurs National Park at the western edge of the Superior National Forest for a short but pretty trek and a visit at their Center
found a ( very! ) cheap place to crash in Int'l Falls completely by accident - an extended stay where when I pulled in a guy was just picking up trash and asked if I needed help
offered me a room for the night for 20$ - couldn't beat that rate, free wi-fi and room in good state, so nothing to complain about
headed from there to Hibbing to see a friend for a few minutes ( I guess some people have to work even when I'm on vaca *laughs* )
then I decided to head east for the helluvit... and the moment the north shore of Lake Superior came into view, I knew I'd found the right place !
spent most of the day just checking out trails and little state/national park as I drove along the north shore until I reached Grand Marais and stayed for the eve...
laughingly, en route there, at Caribou Falls as I started down the steps to the Falls I... interrupted... a couple o'kids - never seen a girl button-up her shirt so demn fast *laughs*
oddly enough, Caribou Falls is one of those where it literally takes your breath away - sucks it outta ya!
after talking with the locals and hotel staff, discovered there was so much more to see than I'd known, so decided to stay for two nights :)
'course, a kick-ass metal-loving manager who was training her new bartender 'chick' also helped make the stay more complete *laughs* ( so I witnessed the 1st and 2nd night of the bartender 'chick' :D )
good... gods... - the Upper North Shore is absolutely gorgeous !
I could see Artist's Point from my newly-remodeled room's deck, so ( of course! ) had to walk that in the first morning light
the trails and natural beauty of the area is absolutely amazing... I can only imagine how much more beautiful it is when it's not cloudy and raining !!
relaxing at Devil's Kettle/Devil's Kettle Falls, I was told about High Falls before I reach Canada, so absolutely had to check it out
holy hells, the highest falls in MN, High Falls acts as part of the MN/Canada border, so you can see Canada across the way
I would've missed it if I hadn't seen a rest stop a mere 1/8th of a mile from the Canadian border crossing
...sure enough, it was the trail entry and - oh! - the easiest trail to walk ( it was paved ) but the Falls itself... whew!
absolutely gorgeous - and, yes, you WILL get wet on this ride *laughs*
the spray from the Falls, even before you can see it, soaked me more than the light rain :)
the most amazing natural sight I've seen on any trip yet ( yes, moreso than the Badlands, I admit )
so much power yet this relaxing feeling, as if nature is actually happy there - if not a wee bit violent
as I made the last bit o'the loop back, I so much did not want to leave
( though, I admit, I seriously doubt I'd want t'be there in wintertide )
so... I've still got roughly 4days + 15hrs or so before I return to work, with my 3day weekend with my girls to end the vaca itself
time passes so fast, but I definitely think I need to make these roadtrips a yearly endeavour...
who knows where I'll end up next ( though any lengthy driving will be broken up, to be certain )
Farethee well for now, my Lovelies and Gentlefolk - with much Love and Living to all !
broken twittage:
5/18 : looks like parts of the Cities are flooding... good day to leave ;)
5/24 : Roadtrip Totals: 1300miles driven, 36.75miles walked, over 6d 2.5hrs
Worst Of Trip: around Duluth
Best Of Trip: Upper North Shore Superior
...seriously, around Duluth had shittiest roads & drivers the entire trip - if I wanted to play near miss bumper cars, I'd find a demn fair
5/25 : Is there a "How lazy can you be the day after returning from a roadtrip?" Challenge ? I'm thinkin' I might be up for it today ;)
watched recently :
ownedflix:
Logan
Underworld: Blood Wars
via theatre:
Alien: Covenant @ Cine5 Int'l Falls
-thom Wolfox sR Rhose
unusualist - I have yet to find a religion and/or spirituality that fits my own personal beliefs... other than, of course, the fact I am a (fallen) god.