Driving from Voyageurs National Park to Lake Superior was a half-day drive that took nearly all day due to back country slow speed limits on the road. Highway 67 was pretty good, and so was the first part of Highway 1, but then it turned bumpy. Not just a little bumpy, but a lot bumpy. So bumpy they put up highway signs indicating that there was road construction for the next 54 miles. Another sign conveyed the same message for the next 37 miles, but again there was no construction, and it was really an apology sign for the bumpy roads. Windy. Bumpy, We are at our northern-most point of our trip here in Minnesota and we are now only a few miles south of Canada on the coastline of Lake Superior.
Four and a half hours after we started we made it to Lake Superior and found the Voyageur Brewing Company in Grand Marais and got lunch: pulled pork sliders and smoked trout flatbread. Sadly, this is the third stop that had no hard apple cider for Sue. No apples in Minnesota or what? However, there is good news as this is the third time that Ted got some great brown ale.
On the way up the coast of Lake Superior, we went through the tiny town of Schroeder, so it was right and good to get a photo of Sue with a town sporting her family name.
After unhitching our trailer at the Grand Portage Marina RV Park, we visited the Grand Portage National Monument. Wow. These French-Canadian travelers carried 180 pounds of supplies as they hiked eight-and-a-half miles from Grand Portage Lodge on Lake Superior to Fort Charlotte in the spring. After this ‘grand portage’ (to avoid the river cascades) they then continued their journey in canoes, paddling 60-80 miles a day deep into the Canada territories through the summer to trade with the natives. In the fall, they went back to Grand Portage loaded with beaver pelts, per their contract.
On Saturday, we have made reservations to take a 2.5 hour boat ride to Isle Royale National Park from Grand Portage, leaving at 8:30 am and arriving back at 3:30 pm.