Uneventful drive to Ely from my house in Apple Valley; about 265 miles and I made it in about 4.5 hours.

Checked into the Adventure Inn, turned on the air and started packing for tomorrow. Had a late lunch-steak sandwich and fries-and a couple of brews at the Boathouse. Nothing special, but, then again, nothing to complain about, either.

Stopped into The Great Outdoors and finally met Jim; great guy who was easy to talk and listen to! I bought a Leech King storage container and a half-pound of leeches, very much looking forward to fishing.

Next stop was Piragis to get my permit. Looked at a Wenonah Wilderness while there, and that boat has me interested. I need to see how the Magic feels after this trip; it was literally a pain in the ass, well hips, I guess, on my trip last week with Dave and Paul, so I am hoping the new seat I installed will be more comfortable.

I realized I forgot toothpaste, so that was the next purchase, and then I found a new coffee filter that I bought to replace the Snow Peak Titanium French Press that was an absolute bust on my trip last week. The new filter is a GSI Ultralight Drip Coffee Maker...we'll see how it performs.

At 9:52 I finally went to bed, tired and nervous, unsure what the next few days would bring.