Mike and Roxanne travel east

25 Miles of Bad Road Aug 6, 2007

Aug 6. 2007 46138 8:10 a.m.

We are headed across the top of Minnesota today and will be on Lake Superior this afternoon at a State Park.

Our scenery changes from forests, to farmland, to rocky hills and back again. The lakes here are both big and bigger. The road is smooth and winding. We will make a stop in Ely and see the wolves.

We just hit a detour. Carl, get out the Streets and Trips. We had left International Falls on US 53 to SR 1. Follow this until almost Peyla, turn left onto CR 476 make the right turn in about one mile and join up with CR 77, turn right again and head back down to SR 1, turn left and continue on to Tower. It seems the bridge was under repair. The first two legs of the detour were gravel, but not as bad as Top of the World.

We are in iron country. Many prospectors came into this area looking for gold and instead found iron ore.

Ely, Minnesota, The International Wolf Center. This center has 6 resident gray wolves. 2 are older and in a separate enclosure and the other 4 comprise are the now resident pack. There are 3 males and 1 female. All have been neutered but they still via for dominance with one of the 7 year olds as the alpha and one of the three year olds and the second in command.

Ely is also the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. This chain of lakes and rivers was another part of the waterway utilized by the voyageurs during the 1700's.

Ely also lends its name to a rock formation known as Ely greenstone, which formed 2.7 billion years ago when lava flows solidified underwater.

We are on a twisting country road with lots of trees and lots of lakes. We go from one state forest to another and every once in a while a National Forest is thrown in.

We just went over a bridge on Birch Lake, a new bridge is being constructed and the sign just before the old is "Trucks must not meet on bridge." Too narrow, can't take the weight or both?

Another detour. This one is on CR 1 just before Tomahawk Road we exit to the east and the sign says gravel road next 25 miles. Take Tomahawk Road to Forest Road 373 and turn south. We come back into SR 1 at Isabella.

Not only is the road gravel it is washboard, just like Top of the World.

We finally make it off the detour and continue on to CR 6 and then North on SR 61. The campgrounds at Cascade River State Park are full so we go on to Grand Marais. We get a site at the Grand Marais Municipal Campground and RV Park for $33.00 and then head into Grand Marais to get information for the boat trip to Isle Royale tomorrow.

Another stumbling block, Lake Superior is too low for the daily tour boat to run, the only boat leaving tomorrow requires an overnight stay on the island. We do find the Grand Portage Monument headquarters, get my stamp and talk with the operator. We will run up to Grand Portage tomorrow morning and then head into Duluth. Oh well, what good are plans if you can't be flexible and change them when necessary.