Day 8 - Friday - July 10 - Up around 6:00 to start getting ready for the paddle out. We had Coffee and oatmeal, packed GORP, leftover candy bars and anything else that looked like it would be easy to eat on the way out into our day packs. Then we broke camp, loaded the canoes and started the trip out. Kind of bitter sweet knowing the adventure was ending. We made the portage into Horseshoe with no problems. The day started out really foggy and hazy, it had pretty much cleared up by the time we were paddling on Horseshoe - clear, calm, warm with low humidity, awesome. Spoke to a couple of campers on the way out, some reported better fishing results than we had seen, at least someone caught some fish. Also, noticed that there were more people in the camp sites the closer we got to Poplar lake. Horseshoe didn't take to long to paddle and we were at the next portage into Caribou. No delays and no problems, quick portage and into Caribou, seems like we are paddling as a team, the steering is getting better (My nickname was zig all week) we are trimmed out and really enjoying this paddle - it's definitely not work, it's fun. As we round the last bend heading into the portage to Lizz we see a group bringing gear to the portage. They weren't real fast as it turned out, they were really nice and liked to talk! But, so did we! As we were talking I noticed an elderly man coming down the trail carrying his pack with a big old aluminum coffee pot swinging off the back. We learned he was 83 years old and never went camping with out that coffee pot, funny how these small coincidental meetings with other paddlers are some of the best memories, it was a lot of fun talking with that group. There's hope for me to get in a lot more trips to the Bdub and I'll just carry a plastic drip coffee maker - it's lighter! Made the portage and loaded up in Lizz, which was real quick and we were ready for the last portage back into Poplar. Everyone was turning and burning now, ready to get a hot shower and a Coke! We made it into Poplar and started paddling when we came across a Loon momma and her two babies - to much to pass up - out come the cameras and we have a photo shoot! It was amazing, she had the babies on her back and let us take two canoes right past her 15 - 20 feet apart with her in the middle, Joe got some great pictures. Then it was paddle, paddle, paddle and before long we come between the islands and there is Rockwood's beach straight ahead. We slowed down and enjoyed the last few minutes of the trip. It only took a few minutes to get the gear and canoes up on the beach, take pictures of everyone and sort things out for the trip back home. We got towels and our drive clothes and hit the showers, Justin got a Coke and enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed the shower. After getting cleaned up we stuffed everything into the cars for the drive home, some of the gear was wet from the storms the night before. after settling up our bills and visiting with Mike and Lynn we jumped in the cars and started the drive back into Grand Marais for a well earned lunch. Joe took us to My Sisters Place restaurant and we have a burger feast! Double quarter pounders, bacon burger and hot dogs. After fueling up our bodies we headed on down the road knowing we wanted to put miles behind us so the driving on Saturday would be shorter. Ended up in rush hour traffic in Duluth, dead stop for about 20 minutes but we eventually got going and made it to Tomah Wisconsin for dinner at Arbys and Madison Wisconsin at the Days Inn for sleep, it had been a long day.