6/10/06    13:15  odometer 93256  Overcast and cool.  Mel, Mary, &  Lady.

Drove all day, but stopped to let Lady out & to take a walk.  Stayed at Saganaw Campground, about 20 miles north of Duluth.  It was a nice campgroung - had every thing we needed.  They even provided the wood.  When we go north, we usually go through WI because it's shorter, prettier, and we don't have to contend with Twin City traffic.  Cost of camping:  $19.17.
 

6/11/06  Sunny &  cool.  Lower 60's

Had breakfast in the motorhome. List of  stops:

1.  Virginia, MN
     a.  a no- longer used iron ore mine which was full of water. b.  bought pasties  and cooked them in the motorhome, c.  the town is surrounded by mine tailings.  Looks like
          it is surrounded by hills.

2.  Orr, MN
     a.  Stopped at a tourist information center to pick up a State Park guide.  There was a board walk through a bog, but dogs weren't allowed so we didn't go on it.

3.  Continued north to Franz Jevne State Park.  In 1989 when we started our state park passport game, we went to north west Minnesota to get the parks up there but this park was out of the way, so we didn't visit it, so we made a special trip to go there this time.  It is on the Rainy River & very secluded.  Since there were no other people there, we decided not to stay so we headed south to Big Bog State Recreation Area.South of Baudette we saw wild rice growing on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Big Bog is a nice park, but the black flies, which are BIG, and the mosquitos were terrible.It is a fisherman's park.  Almost everyone was fishing on Red Lake.

$22.00.  We bought our yearly pass here plus a second car pass.
 

6/12/06  Overcast and upper 60's  Pancakes in the motor home for breakfast.

Walked Big Bog Boardwalk. Flies were still bad.  We wore our insect net hats.  They sure helped with the fly problem.  Lady was afraid to walk on the boardwalk.  It was a plastic coated grid on an aluminum frame.  She soon learned there was nothing to fear and she walked right along.  She also jumped off once to chase a bird and we had to pull her back on. We went to the Red Lake shore before we left the park.  Tonight we camped at Lake Bemidji State Park.  They also have a Bog Walk which is actually boards.  Lady had no trouble walking on it.  Mel cooked hamburgers & we had a fire.

6/13/2006  & 6/14/06 had a thunder storm overnight
slept till 8 then decided to stay at bemidji SP for another night we walked the bog boardwalk which required
5 miles saw Lady Slippers in bloom.  A girl scout troop was holding a day camp so we saw a lot of little girls of all ages.
Lady like to wade in Lake Bemidji so every time we went for a walk she headed for the lake. We stayed two consecutive day at the same park so we receive a free night at some less used SP. must be used by labor day.I developed a blister and had to change Shoes and rest my feet for a day because of the long walks.

6/15/2006 at breakfast at Mcdonald in Bemidji then drove on to Scenic SP. it was quite woody compared to the times
we used to go there 10 yrs ago. it was buggy. we decide not to stay two days here Bemidji was better.
 
 
 

6/16/2006

we stayed at the city RV camp in Cloquet.  It was on the St. Louis River.   They provided free firewood for the campers.   We saw a pair of loons on the river.  Thought it was strange to see Loons on a river.  After breakfast we headed for the Apostle Islands.  Along the way we stopped at the rest stop in Duluth.  While I was walking Lady, I saw a small fawn in the woods.  We very carefully turned away and Lady didn't even know it was there.  After we left Superior, WI, we took a county road that ran along  Lake Superior.  I saw a black bear crossing a   side road off  to the left. we drove to the Apostle Island park and visited the Rv park at Randall, WI,  where Jeff will embark on his Kayak trip.  We stayed at a Bayfield Rv camp ground.  There was a thunderstorm with a lot of wind that came up very  quickly and was over just as fast as it started.  Lady & Mary were walking.  Needless to say we got soaked and Lady didn't care much for the wind and thunder. Mel had just started to cook hamburgers outside so he had to quickly go in and finish them in the motor home.  Cost $20.
 
 
 
 

6/17/2005 woke up and ate oatmeal for breakfast
drove to the Apostle Island Visitor Center in Bayfield. There we met Jeff  Rennells and his daughter Tiff and her husband Josh.
They were signing in to kayak the islands for the coming week and then return to Sand Bay camp ground on Fri  6/23.
We then drove home stopping at the Great Lakes visitor center near Ashland WI. we got home at 3 PM