Day 14 Saturday, September 6 – Tofte, Minnesota to Hibbing Minnesota – Today  178 miles – total  miles 3365

I was born in Hibbing, Minnesota. Hibbing is in the heart of the Minnesota iron range and is also where Bob Dylan grew up. Friday we left the shore of Lake Superior and drove to Hibbing. On the way we stopped and saw what turned out to be a highlight of the trip.

We stopped at the Soudan Underground mine and took the tour down into the  old iron mine that U.S. Steel closed in 1963 and gave to the state of Minnesota, First you put on hard hats and go down in the rickety old cage that the miners used. It goes down at a speed of 10 miles per hour and it goes down into the earth half a mile! When we got out of the elevator cage we were on the last level that was actively  mined, the the 27th level below ground, From the vertical shaft we got into a little ore train and rode out three quarters of a mile to the area where they were mining. It was pretty cool to be so deep underground.

In Hibbing we saw the first house I lived in and visited the Hull Rust Mahoning Mine View where we saw one of the biggest open pit mines in the world. My Dad's first job was as a an engineer for Oliver Iron Mining Company. Dad told me that he used to go down into the Hull Rust mining pit to collect samples when it was 40 degrees below zero.

Day 15 Sunday, September 7 -  Hibbing Minnesota to Eau Claire, Wisconsin- Today  229 miles – total  miles 3594

From Hibbing we drove to Duluth and into Wisconsin. We spent the night in Eau Claire with my Aunt Dorothy. It was fun to see her and catch up on what is going on in the family. We went out to dinner and did laundry.

On the drive to Eau Claire we stopped in Duluth and toured the S.S. William A. Irvin an iron ore ship . It was very interesting to see the ship that used to be the U.S. Steel flag ship. Now it is owned by the city of Duluth. Coincidentally they are using the hold where they used to put the cargo to set up a haunted house that will be open for Halloween.

Day 16 Monday, September 8 -  Eau  Claire, Wisconsin to Manchester, Iowa – Today  256 miles – total  miles 3850

From Eau Claire we headed south and a little west to Manchester, Iowa. where Duke grew up. On the way we stopped at  Effigy Mounds National Monument and saw some of the Indian burial mounds that are shaped like animals.

Day 17 Tuesday, September 9 – Manchester, Iowa – Today  0 miles – total  miles 3850

It was nice to stay in one place today. We visited with Duke's brother and his wife and with Duke's Dad. We also went out to the house where Duke grew up and mowed some of the yard and pastures. Duke cut down a tree in the fornt yard and hauled it out to the far corner of the property.

Day 13 Friday, September 4 - Thunder Bay, Ontario to Tofte, Minnesota - Today  136 miles – total  miles 3187

I am sitting in on a couch in front of the fireplace looking out at Lake Superior. I can hear the waves and see the rain in the distance. Did you know that Lake Superior contains 10% of the fresh water in the world? 

Yesterday we drove south along the north shore of Lake Superior. We entered the U.S. and stopped at Grand Portage National Monument. It is a fort on the shore of Lake Superior where the Northwest Company held its fur trading rendezvous from about 1790 to 1803.

We are staying at a resort called Bluefin Bay on Lake Superior. Our condo has floor to ceiling windows looking out at the lake which is only about 20 feet away. I could spend days here with no problem. Last night be got a pizza and had it for dinner by the fire.

Day 11 – Wednesday, September 3 -  Keewatin, Ontario – Today 47 miles – total  miles 2741

Wednesday we didn't move. We stayed on Lake of the Woods. We explored the Kenora and Keewatin area and just took it easy. Kenora has a wonderful farmers market right on the water and seaplanes coming and going just off shore. This part of Canada has lots of fly in resorts and private islands. It is fun to think about spending time on a private island some day.

In the afternoon we sat on the deck in front of our B&B and played cribbage. It was a warm day with no wind and no bugs! Other than the fact that Duke beat me it was a perfect afternoon. I highly recommend the Spruce Lake Bed and Breakfast in Keewatin.

 

Day 12 – Thursday, September 4 -  Keewatin, Ontario to Thunder Bay, Ontario – Today 310 miles – total  miles 3051

Thursday we drove to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior. Thunder Bay is in the eastern time zone and is the farthest east we will go on this trip. It is also Canada's biggest wheat terminal. The last several days we have seen lots of combines in the fields harvesting the wheat.

We have seen several wonderful waterfalls on this trip. Yesterday  we stopped at Kakabeka Falls just outside of Thunder Bay.  It seemed like the best but then I say that about all of the big ones.

Day 9 – Monday, September 1 -   Brandon, Manitoba, Canada to Winnipeg- Today  398 miles – total 2506 miles
Monday we left Brandon and headed north into Riding Mountain National Park. It started to rain soon after we got into the car and rained all day. In the national park we saw several buffalo and finally saw our first bears of the trip. We didn't see any bear in Yellowstone but we did see a mother bear and two cubs in Riding Mountain.
 

In the area north of Winnipeg we saw quite a bit of flooding. Apparently they have had a very wet summer and this additional rain had no where to go. We drove down the west coast of lake Winnipeg and spent the night in Winnipeg.

Day 10 – Tuesday, September 2 -  Winnipeg, Manitoba to Keewatin, Ontario – Today  188 miles – total 2694 miles

It is still rainy and overcast today. We decided to make a short day of it and and only drive to the Kenora area today. Kenora is at the north end of Lake of the Woods. We are stying at a lovely B&B overlooking Spruce Lake and have decided to spend two nights here. For dinner we ate at the top of the Best Western Hotel which is up seven stories overlooking Lake of the Woods. We had a wonderful view of the lake and al the islands many of which have cabins on them. The first picture below was taken from the balcony of our B&B. The second is from the restaurant where we had dinner tonight.