Thursday, May 21, 2009

With Samantha fast asleep I started going through plans for the next 24 hours. Our adventures would get us to North Country Canoe Outfitters in Ely at about 2 PM today. 14 hours away! We got to Superior, WI at about sunrise and stopped for breakfast at the Perkins right on Lake Superior. I had told her about the iron boats and had her listen to a Gordon Lightfoot song on you tube months before. She was amazed at the size of the ore boats in the harbor and was asking questions so fast at times I could not get out an answer. We finished our breakfast and head up the north shore to Two Harbors.

I had made some plans to take her to Gooseberry Falls State Park and Split Rock Lighthouse on the way to Ely. She had fell back asleep by the time we arrive at Two Harbors, MN. Driving as smooth as possible I tried not to wake her with bumps and sudden stops. We pulled into the parking lot at Gooseberry Falls just as they were opening. Samantha was still kinda groggy as we walked the path to the falls. As we got closer her eyes started to light up and I could see that her excitement level was getting ready to shoot off the charts. We spent two hours exploring and taking self pictures at the park.

We then proceeded to head north to Split Rock Lighthouse. Samantha decorates the house with little lighthouses and had never been to a real one. I thought this would be a good stop for us to visit. We took the tour and enjoyed the air off of the lake. We walked down to the shoreline to get pictures of the lighthouse and hear the sound of the waves on the rocks.

We both had worked ourselves into an eating frenzy after another 2 hours of touring. We gandered in the gift shop and then we were off to Ely. Before we lost cell coverage I dialed up my friends John and Kathy at North Country Canoe Outfitters and let them know we were with in 2 hours of seeing each other again. It had been 2 years since my last trip and I could not wait till the next morning.

We arrived at NCCO at 2 PM. As I parked the car and got out to stretch I was greeted by Gennis his golden retriever carrying a stuffed animal. I said hello to my friend Gennis and tossed his toy for him. John came out and greeted us and showed us to our cabin. We then walked up to the gear house and went over gear, watched "the movie", and then John grabbed the maps and we went over routes. John went over portages, possible campsites, fishing hotspots, day trip ideas, and exit possibilities. We shared some stories of Samantha running her first tollbooth then we headed into Ely.

We stopped in to the Wolf center I had told Samantha so much about. After about an hour we headed into town to walk around and shop. We eventually made our way to Burntside Lodge for some dinner and drinks then headed back to Ely and then to John's to repack gear and get some sleep.