2019 Trip 6: Voyageurs National Park: Oct.4-8

Sunrise looking at one of the many inlets of Rainy Lake from our deck at Thunderbird Lodge

International Falls, MN. Tuesday Oct. 8

We have completed our first four day stint as volunteers at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center of Voyageurs National Park. Initial trepidation has been replaced with a growing sense of confidence. Our mentor has gone from explaining everything to allowing us to tackle our assignments, checking in and verifying our work as needed.

Rainy Lake Visitors Center view from lakeside

For those of you who have been to a National Park, the tasks are pretty standard. Greet visitors, explain the exhibit area, run the park movie on demand, sell items from the bookstore, and discuss various national parks around the country. Since Voyageurs is a water based park with much of the land only accessible after you boat over to an island, the challenge is to explain camping sites and how to reach them. Luckily for us, it is not peak season so we have time to look up answers and obtain assistance.

I apologize here to two visitors that I gave inaccurate information. The local paper mill does make paper (Boise Cascade brand-buy it if you see it, will help the local economy) and not cardboard. And to the couple driving into Canada, one no longer needs the separate Canadian proof of insurance. Chris and I keep reading and learning, we have already picked up a great store of local knowledge.

The weather for our four working days has been cloudy and/or rainy. Most visitors already had Voyageurs as a planned destination so the weather has not stopped them. We, however, were stopped once again by a dead battery on Friday afternoon as our shift ended, less than 48 hours since the first problem. Instead of waiting for our scheduled appointment on this upcoming Wednesday; after a jump re-started our car, we bought a new battery at O’Reilly’s Auto which was still open and installing batteries on a Friday late afternoon. It has now been 96 hours without a problem so I am feeling a little more confident-although I still park the car in a manner that would allow for an easy jump if needed.

Sights along the trails

In the Woodenfrog state forest area

The car issue has meant that we are spending our days off closer to International Falls than we initially expected. Visiting state parks within a two hour range was part of our initial plans. So, we are hiking locally. Luckily our three days off appear to hold promise for the best days weather-wise for the next ten days. On one of our hikes we visited the Woodenfrog State Forest campground on Lake Kabetogoma. It is the nearest public campground accessible by car, a good 50 minute drive from the Visitor Center and one we mention to visitors. The name Woodenfrog comes from a local Ojibwe Indian Chief. We had lunch on a point jutting out into Lake Kabetogoma and then enjoyed the day by walking through the woods and along the shoreline.

Some more hiking shots

Leaving Woodenfrog we stopped at Echo Bay, a series of hiking and cross-country ski trails just minutes away. The trails were wet from all of the rain over the weekend so this hike was probably only 45 minutes or so. However, it does add to our background knowledge of the park when visitors ask about hiking trails.

A gift store that was having end of season sales was our next stop. The owner was of Finnish descent and discussed how the area is losing its stock of Finns. I bought a nice Christmas ornament at 40% off. The gift store owner referred us to another retail establishment down the road, one his parents had started. We stopped there and discovered that their ice cream was 50% off. Ice cream season has ended and they need to make space for the soup and stew season. Chris and I enjoyed a dish of ice cream each while listening to the local chatter in the background.

Along the Rainy Lake Recreation Trail

Todays hike took us back around the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. We walked the four miles round trip from the Thunderbird Lodge and then added on some distance as we went off into the woods on the Oberholzer Trail. For Minnesotans it is not a big deal but we saw a bald eagle soaring above us.

Besides hiking during the last few days, we attended the local International Falls City Council meeting Monday afternoon. Some highlights included the proclamation honoring a local woman on her 100th birthday. She emigrated here with her GI husband after WWII, still plays the harmonica in a traveling band, and speaks three languages. On the touchy side, there was a debate whether to agree with the state’s recommendation that a traffic signal be removed on a stretch of road to be repaired over the next two years. The state: is paying 90% of the almost $14,000,000 road cost, would not share the cost of a replacement traffic signal, and would make I.F. shoulder all ongoing maintenance and replacement cost for the traffic signal in the future. I felt sorry for the council members; local people always believe that a traffic signal will enhance safety. Studies have shown that is not the case for low volume intersections like the one being discussed in I.F. The state won. The traffic signal will be removed and not replaced.

26 foot tall statue of Smokey the Bear in International Falls and Koochiching County Courthouse

Spending considerable time in an unfamiliar small town has its ups and downs. On the up side, after a visit or two you are recognized. We are on a first name basis with the head of the local visitor center. Our waitress at the Thunderbird this morning gave us two carmel rolls she had made for the staff to take back to our room-after we discussed her and her husband’s day off journeys on Monday. People give you knowledgable recommendations, such as the guy in the laundromat (wearing a MN Wild hockey team T-shirt hand drawn by his niece) who told us about two places to eat. One, Almost Lindy’s Swill and Grill, by its name seem doubtful but proved to be quite decent. People wave to you as you are out hiking. You do not get lost.

Tuesday afternoon, we attended a local session of Great Decisions. It was among a long list of local activites published in the twice weekly newspaper; hospital gift shop open, city council meeting, narcotic anonymous, card playing at the senior center, etc. Great Decisions is a national group that encourages discussion of important topics. The group publishes a book giving background on each topic and sends along a 30 minute video providing more information. (We have attended some of their discussions in the Cities.) The group of attendees then discuss the topic. This month’s topic was migration on a world wide basis.

I mention this not to go into the topic of migration, interesting though it is. But we were welcomed warmly at a group that did not know us. At the end of the meeting, the couple leading the discussion invited us to go out to dinner with them at the local Mexican restaurant. We accepted and had a grand time. As in many discussions with new people, there were a number of interconnections between us, them, and various family members on both sides. Their ties to International Falls provided us with a rich background to the community.

On the down side to being in a small town, most restaurants serve the same menu. There are not a lot of exciting things to do. (Hence the city council meeting.) And, employment opportunities are fewer.

We have one more nice weather day to explore the area before we return to “work”.

Lake Kabetogoma and shoreline from Kabetogoma Visitor Center in Voyageurs National Park

Ed and Chris Wednesday October 9

2015 Trip Five, Voyageurs National Park and NW MN, August 21-23

International Falls MN
Friday August 21

The sound of the calling loons is a clear indication that we are back up north in the land of woods and waters. We have left behind the primary agricultural use of the land and are now in the logging, fishing, and tourist activities. Two of our stops on the way to international Falls were at Minnesota State Parks.

Road tripping in northern MN, On our way to Zippel Bay State Park, we came across this unique deer hunting stand

Friday morning we left Roseau Minnesota, driving again through Warroad on our friendly two lane roads. Our first stop was to be at Zippel Bay State Park. This park looks out onto Lake of the Woods, in that area of Minnesota that sticks out like a sore thumb at the top of the US border with Canada. Zippel Bay is primarily used for fishing, although camping is also possible. On this part of the lake, there is a sandy shoreline.

Lighthouse at Zippel Bay State Park

We hiked along the shoreline out towards the lighthouse sticking into the waters. The sun is starting to peek through the clouds, where it will remain out for just a brief portion of the day. At this park, as we have been doing previously, and as we will be doing for the remaining days of this trip, we keep looking for moose. Moose are declining in Minnesota although the reasons are not fully known. We keep hoping to see several, even just one, but our hopes are not to be fulfilled.

VFW fishing lunch for disabled vets at Zippel Bay State Park, MN

The fishing docks are busy as boaters arrive for the lunch hour. The local VFW post is sponsoring a luncheon. Numerous boat owners are taking disabled veterans out to fish for the day, with lunch provided here at the docks. These boats are much larger than most of the ones seen previously on the other lakes so far in Minnesota. It seems as if everyone knows each other as they yell back and forth as the boats come in. The food smells great.

Zippel Bay State Park, lake shore view

This lake is large, the 100th largest in the world, stretches into Canada, and produces heavy wave action.The fishing is evidently quite good here, according to the head ranger who was here visiting with the anglers. He provided us with a luncheon suggestion in Baudette Minnesota, the next town on our way to International Falls.

In the town of Baudette, we came across a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, ANI Pharmaceutical, that employs 100 people. Amazing the variety of small businesses located in these smaller communities. Why we seem unable to get some of these small business locations on to the Indian reservations is beyond my knowing.

Willie Walleye in Baudette MN

Baudette also had its local motto and mascot. “Walleye Capital of the World” and Chris took a picture of the statue of “Willie Walleye”. Every town wants to have some motto or claim to fame. How about “We are just normal”?

International Falls is our home for the next two nights. One of the three main entry points to Voyageurs National Park is located here. As is our custom, we stopped at the park today to check out the area prior to our boat ride tomorrow. Outside of the office is a park volunteer, tending the garden and talking to people like us.

This gentleman has been doing volunteer work here and at other parks for nine years. He lives out of his RV. On this trip, we also met a couple who sold their home and have been living out of an RV for 18 years. A third couple have been living out of an RV for three years. Makes our periodic vacation rambles minor in comparison. The three-year couple were from the Harrisburg, PA area and we knew several people in common.

We asked the Voyageurs volunteer, and have asked several other travelers, their impressions of Big Bend National Park in Texas. All of them have been universally in acclaim for the beauty of Big Bend, if you avoid the hot months. Chris has been resisting traveling there. It really is a long distance from anything else. Now however, it looks like she has agreed to add this to our list.

Looking north into Canada from the Rainy River at Franz Jevne State Park

Voyageurs National Park is another water based park. The Minnesota border with Ontario from Lake Superior over to Lake of the Woods is a series of lakes and rivers nestled among land masses. Parks are located on both sides of the border. Due to the vagaries of land, water and international borders, you can view Canada from the Kettle Falls area of Voyageurs by looking south-, yes, south.

Looking SOUTH into Canada from Kettle Falls in Yoyageurs National Park, MN

Lake of the Woods is primarily water, much of the land is privately owned. Voyageurs National Park has 218,000 acres which combine lakes, rivers, and land which is usually only accessible from water. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is further to the east, and is a 1,000,000 acre wilderness within the Superior National Forest. There is a mosaic of green park land and blue water from International Falls to Grand Portage, MN/Thunder Bay, Ontario, a distance of about 200 miles.

Boating on Rainy Lake, Voyageurs National Park

As a national park, Voyageurs allows motor boats. Boundary Waters does not. We watched a constant parade of motorboats traveling along the lakes. Voyageurs National Park has four primary lakes; Rainy Lake, Namakan Lake, Sand Point Lake, and Kabetogoma Lake. Houseboats can be rented here and we saw numerous boats going in and out of port as well as along the various landing points allotted to them. The waters here flow primarily northwestward through International Falls, along Rainy River, to Lake Winnipeg and then out to Hudson Bay.

We are staying for two nights at the Thunderbird Lodge across the road from the Kabetogoma Lake visitor center. We had a great dinner at the lodge Friday night and at Saturday morning breakfast we met two other couples that were going with us on the 6 1/2 hour boat ride to Kettle Falls Hotel.

Saturday, August 22

Our boat for the trip to Kettle Falls Hotel at Voyageurs National Park

This boat ride was much smoother and more comfortable than the ride to Isle Royale back in June. A park ranger accompanied us and provided information about the park and the history of this area. If you have read this blog previously, you may recall the history of the French-Canadian voyageurs. This park is named after them. The French-Canadian voyageurs were active in the 1700s and 1800s; collecting beaver and other animal furs and sending them back to Montreal to be shipped to Europe. Europe was in the midst of a beaver hat frenzy. The voyageurs brought European made products to trade with the Native Americans who hunted beaver and other animals. The route they followed also became part of the border between Canada and the U.S.

Mine shaft dug for gold rush in 1893 in Voyageurs

The Voyagers were not settlers, however. Settlement by European immigrants came late to this area. There was a brief gold rush in 1893 which did not last long. The Klondike gold rush started in 1896 and attracted most of the miners who came to this area with a greater promise of wealth.

Logging was the next economic driver for the area. The red and white pine would be cut down and sent along the lakes and rivers to International Falls where the hydropower drove saw mills and paper making plants. Some of that industry continues to this day. We were told that the paper plant in Fort Frances, the city across the Rainy River in Ontario, had shut down, while the plant in International Falls was operating, but on a reduced basis.

Kettle Falls Hotel in Voyageurs National Park

Commercial fishing was the third business in the area but was prohibited beginning in the 1930s. Tourism took over along with recreational fishing. The lumber industry wanted to build more dams but this was denied and in the 1970s, Voyageurs National Park was created as the 36th US National Park. Our boat ride mainly went through Rainy Lake to Kettle Falls Hotel. The hotel was begun in 1913 and continues to this day. Overnight lodging is still available here during the summer months. We had looked at that option but decided to pass on it. Instead the boat ride and lunch at the hotel took up our Saturday.

Rainy Lake

While Rainy Lake is large, we were normally in view of islands or the Kabetogoma peninsula. So land was normally a reassuring visage. People were out fishing and the houseboats here are tied up to trees or iron rods driven into the ground. None of that hole digging for anchors that we had to do at Lake Powell. The morning ride was generally with sunny skies. By the time of our afternoon return journey, the skies were dark, some rain came down, and the wind and waves had picked up, but still at a tolerable level.

Starting to get stormy in Voyageurs National park

Houseboat heading out into stormy weather

Sunday August 23

Driving the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway, MN

International Falls is 300 miles from Saint Paul so our Sunday journey was able to allow us a few stops along the way. Chris wanted to stop at Scenic State Park. On the way there, we drove a scenic byway that was one of the first 20 created in the country. It is called the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway. To be honest, we had driven this 47 mile route once before and while it is a pleasant drive, it is not spectacular.

Local history displayed at Bigfork MN

It is well-marked and has story boards in several of the small towns along the route. Of course, the mosquito statue in Effie MN is always worth a look and a few comments. Again, lumbering and modest agriculture rules the area. Railroads used to come through here to transport the lumber, but they are long gone. Much of the road goes through the Chippewa National Forest and there are a plenitude of lakes on either side of the road, normally hidden by the forest of trees.

Scenic State Park shelter constructed by the CCC in the 1930s

Scenic State Park is located just a few miles east of the road. It was created in 1921 after local residents asked the state to preserve the remaining pine and birch trees. The Civilian Conservation Corps created beautiful wood structures here in the 1930s which are still standing and in great shape. Our hike here was not long, Sunday was continuing the overcast, windy, and rainy conditions of Saturday afternoon. We had stopped at the park office and in talking to the ranger, learned that the clothing merchandise offered for sale was primarily created by a local guy who goes around to numerous local parks and businesses and creates unique designs for them. It was refreshing to hear that local business was involved; we were impressed with the designs available. However, there were no T-shirts with pockets being offered.

A late lunch in Grand Rapids, home of Judy Garland and Blandin Paper Mills, and then St. Paul by 6 PM. A pleasant visit to parts of our state we had not visited previously. We were able to obtain several more park stamps to add to our collection to eventually complete the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources State Parks Passport Club.

Ed and Chris
Saint Paul, Monday 10 pm