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Awoke to a note taped on the cover of my bike that said "good luck lady you'll make it to Key
West. We're taking the long way home because of you." Ah, those Gold Wingers! I
departed Bemidji, MN this morning (Wed 13Sep06) heading north on US-71 aka “Voyageurs Highway” en
route to Voyageurs National Park. I found myself being the only person on the road during
this mid-morning, mid-week ride. I would pass through very small towns and see a few people
but once I cleared the town I had the entire road to myself again. Birds are fascinating in
both color and type here; my knowledge of birds is minimal but I sure enjoyed seeing them
today. The smell as I glided through the morning air was just terrific and, as would be
expected, the sky is a brilliant blue here given all the water. The further north I went
the more the trees were starting to show fall colors. Birch and Aspens abound. These
were taken on US-71:
The little towns I passed through were clearly marked and indicated the area population... Tenstrike
had a population of 165, Big Falls had 265 people. I couldn't believe the number of “taverns”
I saw along the road. I'd be willing to bet that taverns and tackle/bait/gas stores make up
99% of the commercial buildings around there!
Arrived Voyageurs National Park and went inside the Visitor Center to stamp my book. Given the
park's proximity to Canada it wasn't surprising to hear French being spoken by other
visitors. Problem was that the ranger was speaking Yooper with “ya” and “eh” and I was
speaking, well, Southern (hey, you can take the girl out of the South but you can't take the South out
of the girl). We needed an interpreter since nobody could understand one another. Voyageurs
is a phenomenal place! It's 218,000 acres and 39% of it is water. Much of the park is only
accessible by boat which equates to it being difficult to take pictures representing the park. I
kept thinking how much my Dad would love to take a canoe out here (a very popular activity). The
Park Service offers a boat tour which I was hoping to take but it was sold out when I arrived (they
didn't accept reservations). It is comprised of hundreds of islands and extensive waterways and
is home to a plethora of wildlife according to a pamphlet I read on site since I couldn't understand
the ranger's Yooper speak..
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Not a bad place to eat lunch, ya?
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If you want to see exactly how far in nowhereville I was here are the GPS coordinates: N48°26.054',
W92°50.644 '
US-53 out of Voyageurs NP towards Duluth and very light traffic consisting of pickups pulling fishing
boats. At noon it was 80 degrees. First site of a city today was Virginia, MN which is
also where I saw a sign for the “US Hockey Hall of Fame” and that it was located on “Hat Trick Ave.”
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Came to Duluth, MN and crossed the “Bong Bridge” which crosses over the Duluth harbor, into
Superior, WI and where the Saint Louis River drains into Lake Superior:
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For those who are not familiar with Lake Superior here are some interesting facts that a guy
I met while getting gas told me.... largest of North America's Great Lakes, world's second
largest lake, and the world's largest freshwater lake. My response to him was simply “I
need a fishing pole.” Almost immediately after crossing into WI I started seeing the
letter “G” in green and yellow everywhere. These people love their Packers!
Took “Lake Superior Circle Tour” (WI-13) to Bayfield which offered a road weaving through
wetlands and heavy Birch forests and ultimately runs along Lake Superior.
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Most roads leading off the scenic byway are gravel. Of course I had to go exploring a bit... just fantastic!
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As spectacular as the ride was it would be even more so with the fall foliage colors at peak.
During a particular stretch I was coming out of a right sweeper and 50yds ahead of me a black
bear the size of a VW bug went jogging across the left side of the road. I quickly slowed
and then approached where it had just crossed. I then looked to my right to see where it
had come from and charging in my direct line were 2 juvenile cubs. Yes, straight at
me! I can't explain what this felt like to have 2 bears coming right at you but I can say
I think I used every one of the 1000cc of the Strom to get the hell out of the way!
Made it into Bayfield, WI tonight (so that I can acquire the WI stamp at the Apostle Islands
National Lakeshore Visitor Center in the morning) and upon arrival I went on a walk and took a few pics.
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Coming into Bayfield:
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Yes, those are Seagulls:
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This was the first non-major hotel chain hotel I've stayed during my trip and it has been delightful; it gets a gold
star just for having Wi-Fi that is operable:
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Not a bad view from the room, eh?
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Tomorrow I'm heading for “Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore” in Michigan and if all goes
as planned I should be sleeping in Canada tomorrow night (Thurs) and meeting Stromtrooper
“Oldgoat” on Friday in Montreal. Of course, that's assuming I make it across the
border with no problems or detours!
Over & Out,
AGirl
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