Sunday, July 29, 2007

Driving Home

Bruce and I have just returned from taking Grandson Zach back to Missouri. It was a long drive but worth every mile just to get him up here for a bit. The same was true when we returned Granddaughter Emma and her friend.

On the way back we planned our menu for an upcoming canoe trip. Last year we took a 10-day trip with our friends, Tom and Melissa, from Tucker Lake. This year we will be taken an 8-day trip with them into the Quetico. It is always fun to just get away for a bit.

We drove up the Trail during sunset which lasted the entire trip home. The beginning of this show was seeing an airplane high in the sky with the sun reflecting off it. It was probably a flight from Minneapolis taking the polar route to Europe. We have flown over Gunflint Lake several times on return flights from Europe along this same route.

After the plane flew out of sight, the main show continued. There were a few winding clouds in the sky that quickly caught our eyes. First they were yellow with some grays. Then they turned to peach. On the lower Trail the road and trees make it impossible to view the clouds all the time. Each time they came into view it was another section and another color. By the time we got to Poplar Lake the pinks and magentas were contrasting with grays in the clouds. Bruce and I would talk about exactly what color the clouds were. Before we could agree, they had changed color before our eyes. At the top of the Gunflint Hill, all the clouds were gray but the sky above them was still lit up. What a great way to drive home.

It must have been warm while we were gone. The house was hot and muggy. We quickly opened all the windows and turned the fans on. In just a few minutes the cool night air filled the house. Even on the hottest days, it always seems to cool off at night. What a blessing!

There are still some fire stories around. Bruce heard this one from Don up at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. It seems that at some point Don was manning a fire truck on the main Gunflint Trail. They were slowly working their way fighting a fire alongside the road. Don noticed a red fox came to sit right next to the fire truck. Pretty soon the fox was joined by a rabbit. Both the predator and the prey ignored each other. They moved with the truck as if sensing that it was safe for them. Don got caught up again in his job and lost sight of them. It is interesting how emergencies change relationships.

It looks like another hot day today. Bruce and I are going up to Chik-Wauk Lodge for a planning session for the museum. Slowly the museum plans are starting to take shape. We plan on opening in June of 2010 but time seems to be flying by. Even now we are all beginning to feel the pressure of opening.

Raspberries and blueberries are still ripe all over. Bruce went out and picked several cups of raspberries just around the house while I was making breakfast. We need to get more blueberries since they go into both jam and pancakes. My back hurts just thinking about bending over for them. However, in January the blueberry pancakes will taste mighty good.

A quick look at the newspaper before bed told me that the canoe races raised just over $18,000 for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department. That is the most we have ever raised and the department deserves every penny of it. Now it is time for everyone on the Trail to clear up the debris and downfalls around their homes. We can’t expect the fire department to protect us if we don’t protect ourselves first. Meanwhile, don’t forget to personally thank people in the fire department when you see them.

Time to move on to other projects. I’ll be back in touch soon.

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