|
June 15, 2001 We drove west on Wisconsin 13, a scenic loop around Chaquamegon Bay and the Apostle Islands. We wondered if Chaquamegon was just a different spelling of Tahquamenon. We were surprised to find it quite chilly at our first rest stop compared to the Walmart parking lot this morning. The front we heard about must have come through. We reached Bayfield, Wisconsin, on the eastern edge of this peninsula. It is an older community with many wonderful houses to ooh and aah at. The road here takes many interesting and unexpected twists and turns and ups and downs following the contours of the steep graded shores of Lake Superior. We could have taken US Route 2 (yes, the very same Rt 2 Lise crosses everyday on her way to work – but it is merged with I-90 there), but we are on vacation after all and are leaving the highways for when we have to high-tail it home just in time for school to start. That’s not until October or something, right? Sigh. It’s good to remember what it is like to not be in a state of constant stress. We’re definitely not in that state. We’re definitely in Wisconsin. But not for long. Here comes the I-535 bridge over the mouth of the St. Louis River as it empties into Lake Superior’s western most point. Lise was driving this time and could swear this bridge was higher (translate = scarier) than the Mackinac Bridge! The very beautifully sculpted sign at the other end says, “Welcome to Minnesota”. We followed Minnesota 61 northeast through Duluth and toward our destination of Two Harbors. We are planning to meet up with at least three other Aistream families there. For Clevelander’s reading this, imagine a drive along Edgewater Drive with many beautiful houses to ooh and aah at, including one called the Fair-something Mansion. (I know it started with Fair, but it might have been Fairlane, Fairpark, something like that. I was still driving and didn’t catch it completely.) It was a gorgeous red brick or stone structure that beckoned us to come back and take a tour sometime! Along came a fork in the road. We had a choice to make: Expressway to Two Harbors or the Scenic Byway. We chose the Scenic Byway and enjoyed the slower vacation-like pace through wooded shoreline and smaller towns. We were intrigued to find lengths of orange plastic snow fence along the sides of the roads in spots, along with little wooden “no parking no parking no parking” signs staked into the ground. Then, twice actually, we drove by multiple rows of what must have been fifty port-a-potties. Eventually we figured out that the road would be used for a race of some kind. This occurred to us just slightly after we drove over a large white line painted on the pavement with the word “START” under it. Hmm. Yes, I think it must be a race of some kind they’re planning on having here! We are college-educated vacationers, after all! Sure enough, we passed a sign advertising the Grandma Run for June 16, that’s tomorrow. We are not sure if the town of Two Harbors is always this bustling or if it is because of the upcoming race, but there seemed to be people everywhere. The shops along the main street look very interesting. Our campground for the next two nights is just outside of the “downtown” area. From our campsite we can see Lake Superior and can watch the various ore ships come to and go from Duluth’s port. I got to back the trailer into the site (with Scott directing of course). Jim and Mary Ann Chellman came to meet us at our trailer. We had seen their Airstream in a different loop of the campground and were glad to see they were here already. The women chatted about Girl Scouting and the men did some wrench work to adjust the hitch (Scott found that our dual cams had been scraping over bumps, so he changed the angle of the hitch up a bit) and we made plans to meet with them after dinner. Scott and I went in search of fuel and a grocery store. We found diesel for $1.59 (yay) and bought various food stuffs. I smiled a broad smile when the cashier read us the total. “Twinny-seven oah ny-yen?” It was just about the cutest thing I’ve ever heard! Back at camp we found that Ed and Sandy Emerick and their two girls had arrived and were parked right across from us. Their Airstream is a 1968 thirty-foot Sovereign. We chatted up to dinnertime and parted just long enough to prepare and eat our separate spaghetti dinners (during which Scott and I took in another Star Trek episode). After dinner we heard that the girls had seen Kevin Allen pull in. He had a 1964 twenty-six foot Overlander, the same model as ours, only a few years newer. We met up with him and all the adults went to the Chellman’s trailer at the fashionably late after-dinner hour of 9:30 p.m. Knock knock knock. Trick or Treat! We all climbed in their 1984 thirty-one foot Airstream and gabbed until about 11 p.m. We were all relieved to discover that none of us are early morning folk! Before departing for our respective homes-away-from-home for the evening, we made plans to meet there again tomorrow around 4 p.m. to spend the evening together at some festivities on the shore by the lighthouse near here. Lise has her earmuffs on. Fantastic stars. Great sleeping weather. –Scott & Lise <>< S.L.SCHEUERMANN@WORLDNET.ATT.NET |