On Wednesday, we had lunch in Bemidji, home of the statues of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe.

That night we spent the night at our first KOA, in Cloquet outside of Duluth. The mosquitoes were so bad despite the citronella and the DEET that we retired to the tent to read. It was hot. It was humid--a first on our trip. I had to suffer a soliliquoy about this guy's "rig" and how he got it. Other people call them "Bagos."

Thursday morning we split just as it started to rain. We spent the day in Duluth, a beautiful town nestled on a hill. Since some of the buildings were old and made from brownstone, it reminded me of Heidelberg. There was even a tower where the Konigstuhl should be.

We visited the aquarium, had a private tour (as it turned out), and learned about the history, geology, and wildlife of the region, including fish, of course.

While Lynn toured a freighter, I visited the Maritime Museum and learned about how the Aerial Bridge (Duluth's landmark) and the breakwater were built. There were also relics from the various shipwrecks in the region. I walked out onto the breakwater and was amazed to see ocean-like waves in Lake Superior which have been able to claim many ships when the weather turned nasty.

We also got to see the bridge operate several times and watched the freighters pass through while a couple of waverunners buzzed around like gnats.

We arrived at the Buffalo Bay Campground last night, and will be staying here a few days more.

Today we took a walking tour of Bayfield, an old and cute little town that boasts Queen Anne Architecture (gingerbread houses).

Then we drove through the heart of the peninsula of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on dirt fire roads. I got the Jeep sideways a few times and Lynn even enjoyed it. We stopped to pick some sweet and delicious blueberries and to skinny-dip in Horseshoe Lake (Lynn passed, as expected).

Saturday, 2002-07-20

17:37: Drove down to Hayward for the Lumberjack World Championship. Only one problem--it is next weekend. We went to the site where the championship is to be held and found that they have a daily lumberjack show, so all was not lost.

Training for PG&E

Running across logs (although it looks like he's surfing)

Hacking a stump on a tree

That's what you call being out on a limb

You're going down, bud!

Teamwork

Then on to Ashland and the South Side Brewery where we had some fine brews.

Sunday, 2002-07-21

17:03: Took a kayaking trip with the Adventures in Perspective outfitters. The trip explored the Sea Caves, which is a beautifully colored--mostly reds and browns--and sculptured sea wall. There are caves and arches you can paddle through.

An encroaching thunderstorm cut short our trip, so we headed back and had lunch. Once the threat of lightning had passed, we played around and practiced water exits and self-rescues.

This evening we had a classic "fish boil" at Gruenke's, where we met a nice group from Madison who invited us back to their campsite for a beer.

Tuesday, 2002-07-23

We blew off our plans to take an early boat out to the Stockton Island yesterday where we planned to hike, and swim and pack a picnic. The operative word here is "early."

Instead, we lounged around the campsite, had lunch, and then went back out to Meyer's Beach where we took a hike above the sea caves. Coincidentally, we bumped into the group from Madison in the parking lot. Afterwards, I rinsed off the sweat from our exertions by swimming in Lake Superior. Cold, but warmer than our ocean--at least on the surface.

Then it was back to the campsite for reading and a nap, dinner and a campfire while we watched the full moon rise, casting silvery reflections on the lake.

12:11: This is snowmobile country. Indeed, we just drove through Sayner, WI, home of the first snowmobile.

Along the road the are snowmobile tracks, complete with tiny traffic control signs.

12:14: The heat wave seems to have passed us by. It's now 68 at midday. This is quite a relief from the 100- and 90-degree heat (coupled with humidity in Minnesota and Wisconsin) that we have been suffering.

Wednesday, 2002-07-24

10:35: Took a walk along the shores of Lake Michigan this morning. It was rather curious for a coastie. This was a lake, but it had the feeling of an ocean: soft sand, seaweed, shells, waves, water all the way to the horizon. The only differences were the smell wasn't the same, and the water didn't taste of salt.

We spent the night at the campground in the Point Beach State Forest. Very pretty spot. Nice campground. Almost nobody on the beach. Compare to Outer Banks.

Friday, 2002-07-26

18:33: Yesterday we started with a very leisurely morning. We then drove around Racine and then saw the animals and exhibits at the county fair. We did not pass on the bratwurst.

Today we had another leisurely morning. Then we drove to Milwaukee and visited the Milwaukee Art Museum. They had a pretty impressive collection including Rodin, Renoir, Monet, and even our own Arneson.

Wind Point Lighthouse

Now THAT'S a tractor

The Milwaukee Art Museum with operating wings

Looking up at the wings through the glass ceiling

Looking out at Lake Michigan

That's all blown glass

Our very own Arneson

After lunch at Nola's, we took the Miller Brewery tour. That was a waste of time.

Sunday, 2002-07-28

14:14: We got talked into staying another day. After going out to breakfast again, we had another relaxing morning hanging out and talking.

I then walked to the library to check on email. Unfortunately, the library closed shortly after I arrived but I found a cafe downtown with some terminals.

While walking home, I encountered the gang driving in the mini. They were headed for the local museum which showed the local industries in town such as In Sink Aerator, Case, Twin Disk, Mitchel (wagons and cars, bankrupt since 1923), Johnson Wax, and so on.

Picked up an ice cream on the way home. Then we putzed in the yard, read some more email, and then made dinner. Angie's son Jim and his wife Sherrie visited for a spell.

I cooked breakfast this morning. I'm not very good at omelettes-maybe I should flip them to cook the inside without burning the outside. The potatoes were fantastic of course.

We did manage to leave Uncle Terry and Angie's house this morning, however. Our first stop was the Kettle Moraine National Park. Here are many features of the retreat of the glaciers 18,000 years ago.

14:59: Just drove past Green Bay. What a surprise: all trees, no skyscrapers. Only the stadium and a few smokestacks mar the treeline. With a population of 96 thousand, this city isn't that big. We're making an exception to our rule--unfortunately--and am booking on the interstate so we could only view the city and the bay from the bridge.