Linda and I have long discussed a trip to Winnipeg, Canada. While it is only a day's drive from the Twin Cities, neither of us had ever been there. Asking around among friends, we discovered that very few had ever visited this northern plains metropolis either.
Now that we have finished photographing all fifty of the U.S. Capitols, Linda suggested that we begin visiting the provincial capitol buildings (legislative buildings) of our northern neighbor, Canada. We decided to start with Winnipeg.
It's about a six-hundred mile trip from our home to Winnipeg, but of course, we would be stopping at sites along the way. I wanted to make sure we passed through International Falls, perhaps visit the famed Voyageur's National Park and maybe see a few other sites. We didn't expect to make it out of Minnesota on the first day.
We got off to a fairly early start, expecting to stop for breakfast/lunch at Tobies' restaurant in Hinckley, the traditional "halfway point" between the Twin Cities and Duluth. We were disappointed to find that the dining room at Tobies doesn't open until late afternoon on Tuesdays. We explored a few options nearby before settling in for a lunch at Buffalo Tracks bar and grill at the Askov exit from I-35. The food was good and there are numerous bird feeders just outside the dining room windows to provide lunch entertainment.
Our next stop was the Thompson Hill Information Center high above Duluth, where we expected to pick up a few pointers for touring between Duluth and International Falls. The sky was very hazy (perhaps smoke from Canadian fires?) so the usual stunning view of the harbor from the hill was poor. There was no staff on hand, and brochures were in very short supply. So far we were not doing well!
We passed through Duluth and turned onto U.S. 53 heading northwest past the Miller Hill Mall for the famed Minnesota Iron Range. After about an hour, as we neared Eveleth and Virginia, I saw a sign pointing out the Paul Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site. We swung around and headed east for two miles to visit the site.
In late October of 2002, a chartered plane carrying Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife, a daughter and several others crashed here due to the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during landing maneuvers at the Eveleth airport. NTSB report with details here; $25million settlement here; epilogue and conspiracy theories here.
Another hour's drive up U.S. 53 brought us to the La Croix Ranger District visitor information center not far south of the town of Orr. We pulled in for information just five minutes before closing time. A very nice ranger on duty took time to tell us about several points of interest in the area. She recommended a "Bog Walk" not too far ahead, right on the highway and also a visit to Vermilion Falls about twenty miles to the northeast. We've always found it worth a visit to information centers. You can do hours of pre-trip internet research and still miss some interesting spots.
We stopped at the Bog Walk to explore it.
Linda started up her Merlin bird-call identification app, but all we found was a red-eyed vireo.
By the time we completed the loop through the bog, a pretty good storm had come up which we watched sweep across nearby Pelican Lake, whipping up whitecaps on the water.
We pulled into a small motel in Orr (population 300), noting the prominent Bluegill sign nearby.
Power had been knocked out in the area by the storm and the couple running the motel was not optimistic about it returning any time soon. After paying for a room we headed out a few miles east to Lake Vermilion for dinner. After dinner, we returned to the motel and noted the "black bear" theme in the lobby and hall.
We discovered that there is a nearby black bear observation area but we had missed our opportunity to visit it that evening - looks like an interesting stop, however.
In the morning we headed out toward Vermilion Falls via the town of Buyck and Crane Lake.
At Crane lake, we encountered our first Voyageur!
Crane Lake has a number of resorts and trails for outdoor enthusiasts.
Vermilion Falls is not a huge waterfall, but it does have a nice viewing platform that puts a visitor right above it.
Crossing the Vermilion River provides a great view of a typical northern Minnesota scene - we just wished there was a moose nearby that would wade out into the water to make a perfect picture.
Back on U.S. 53, we were soon approaching Voyageur's National Park, unique as Minnesota's only true National Park and the nation's only water-based National Park.
We stopped briefly at the southern, Kabetogama gateway to the park to take a picture of the large Walleye guarding the entrance. Note the saddle, in case you are inclined to riding!
The main entrance to Voyageur's and the Visitor Center is a few mile east of International Falls on Rainy Lake, home to the many houseboats which provide the best access to Voyageur's waters.
Here, we met a second Voyageur, Big Vic, on the outskirts of the lake in the town of Rainier.
Big Vic is a symbol of the years of struggle between local land owners and the Federal Government as the National Park Service acquired the property to form Voyageur's National Park.
After greeting Big Vic, we journeyed back through the town of Rainier to International Falls where we spent our second night.
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