SOI Bird: Grand Marais

It took a while, but after a few days I'd mellowed enough to let the old guy (and Mrs. Old Guy) take me up the North Shore to Grand Marais.

After Duluth, Grand Marias is my favorite place in Minnesota. Or, maybe it's my favorite place. I guess it depends on where I am at the moment. At this moment, I was in Grand Marais, soaking up the view of the harbor! It doesn't get much better than this . . . !!

Grand Marais! I love it!

And then, and then(!!), the old guy (and Mrs. Old Guy), took me to the Naniboujou Lodge for lunch after a hike in Judge C. R. Magney State Park to the falls at the Devil's Kettle.

The old guy took this photo and he was pretty shaky after that hike to the falls, what with exhaustion and hunger and all.

Naniboujou Lodge for lunch

I've almost forgotten about "The Enger Tower Incident".

SOI Bird: Duluth

Well, what do you know? The first place my new traveling companions take me to is Duluth, MN!

Duluth! Maybe this new gig won't be so bad after all. First place we went was to visit the Aerial Lift Bridge, one of my favorite places in Minnesota. It was a great day to be there: bright and sunny, a cool breeze off the lake.

 

Aerial Lift Bridge

Then, the old guy said we were going to visit Big Bird. Big Bird!! I love Sesame Street! And, Big Bird - well, Big Bird is the best thing about Sesame Street. I was so excited. I thought we were headed to New York! The Big Apple! Sesame Street studios!

Didn't happen. Instead, we headed across the bridge to the Lakehead Marina and a boat. A boat?!! Yes, a boat. A big yellow sailboat named "Big Bird". Imagine the disappointment . . . !

I will admit, however, that it was a very nice sailboat. Maybe one day the old guy and I can catch a ride on "Big Bird" out on the big lake!

Visiting Big Bird

Then the old guy said that we were going to Enger Park to see the flowers. I guess he likes flowers. As for me, "Meh". Flowers are OK, I guess. But, you see one, you've seen them all. Since the old guy had the car keys, we headed off to the top of the hill and Enger Park. And flowers . . .

Warm hand, cool flowers

When we got there, the old guy asked a nice lady tending the flower beds if she could help me get a closer look at the flowers. You know, up close those flowers ARE pretty cool. Plus, (and this is a big one) her hand was sooo soft and warm!! After being out in that cool lake breeze it felt SOOOO good!

Then, the old guy said, "We're going to the top of Enger Tower."

Heading to the top of Enger Tower

I thought, "Cool! As a bird, I like high places. I'll bet the view from up there is pretty spectacular. I'll just fly on up there and meet the old guy once he makes the climb."

But, no! The old guy, for some inexplicable reason, put me in his pocket and started to climb the tower. A long time later, he finally made it to the top and let me have a look at the view.

View from the top

I was right, the view was spectacular! But, it was hard to really enjoy it. The old guy was huffing and puffing and wheezing like an old Case steam tractor with a leaky regulator! Talk about annoying!

So, I told him, "Listen, if you'd just let me fly up here by myself, I could have caught a thermal off that nice warm rock you set me on for the photo. I would have soared up here effortlessly. I could have enjoyed this wonderful view with peace and quiet. But, noooo - you had to haul me up here in your pocket! Can you keep the noise down? Just a bit?!"

He said, "Watch it, Soy Bird! Don't push your luck. I hear soy is can be pretty nutritious and tasty. If you're not careful, you may just find yourself in a Soy Bird omelet come morning!"

I said, "Soy Bird?! Soy Bird?! Hey, numbskull, I'm not a "Soy Bird", I'm the SOI Bird! That's S. O. I! Not "Soy"! Geez! And, you'd better be careful, yourself! See this beak? It ain't for pecking at seeds and bugs on the ground. I'm a close cousin to the white-rumped vultures of India. You know what they are and what they do, right? No? Well, Google it, buster, keep it in mind then next time you think you've got something to say!"

Wow! And, it started off to be such a pleasant day.

SOI Bird: The Hand-Off

Hello. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm SOI Bird. "SOI" stands for "Scamp Owners International", or so I've been told. My purpose in life is to keep folks company as they travel around in their Scamp or other fiberglass trailers.

SOI Bird

Most recently, I was in the company of "Pete" Peterson and Jackie Diamond, as nice a couple as you'd ever hope to meet. And fun! Boy, did we have fun! Music, too! Lots and lots of music! They even took me to the Minnesota State Fair. How cool is that?!

At the Taylors Falls gathering of the Scrambled Eggs, it was time for me to say goodbye to Pete and Jackie and to meet my next set of traveling companions.

I met Fred and Nancy Hartman at the Saturday night music jam session. Now, these folks seem to be nice enough; but, and I mean this in the kindest way possible, booorrriiing. No music, no State Fair . . . prospects are looking kinda dim . . .

Great Smoky Mountains Trip - Being There Part 1

There's Always Music

Jam Session

One of the things we most enjoy about the gatherings of fiberglass trailers that we've attended is the music. Each evening a jam session develops. The music and the musicians are always surprisingly good. Even wandering around the campground one is likely to come across someone playing a tune; occasionally on an instrument never before seen.

Unusual Instrument

The selection of songs varies with the location of the gatherings. Here in the Smokies, the music tended toward Appalachian mountain songs. Since we were in Tennessee, they even threw in a couple Tennessee Ernie Ford songs: Sixteen Tons and Big John. It's fun to try to sing along - although almost none of us can remember all the verses to anything!

If there was a way to get the musicians from the various gatherings together for one grand jam session, the music would be amazing!

Cades Cove

Cades Cove Homestead

A popular feature of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Cades Cove. Cades Cove is a broad valley surrounded by mountains. Historic buildings are found along an eleven mile one-way road that encircles the cove. My favorite building in Cades Cove is the grist mill. It is a working mill that is still used to grind corn.

Cades Cove Grist Mill

As you might expect, there are also old cabins in Cades Cove.

Cabin in Cades Cove

Great Smoky Mountains Trip - Getting There

Departure morning

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

It was a dark and stormy night... nope, that's been done.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of.... nope, can't use that either.

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking.... Dang! All the good openings are already taken! Guess I'd best just get on with it....

March had been unusually warm and sunny. By the time we'd prepped the Scamp and hauled it to Duluth for the start of our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park things had changed. The night before our departure from Duluth we received a couple inches of snow followed by freezing rain. Come morning, all the locks on the Scamp were frozen solid. I had to break ice away from the tongue locks and beat (lightly) on the door lock to open the Scamp and hook up to the Odyssey. As you can see from the picture, the trees were still in "winter mode".

Illinois River

Our first day was a long driving day. We stopped for the night at Starved Rock State Park near the intersection of I-35 and I-80 in northern Illinois. I hadn't realized the Illinois River was the size it is.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Another driving day. This time we got as far as the campground at Kentucky Dam State Resort Park near Paducah, KY. On the way, we stopped in Paducah to visit the National Quilt Museum, which was amazing. The quilts they have on display are truly works of art.

In one room, off to the side, there was a surprise - a quilt hanging on the wall - a quilt carved from wood! We weren't allowed to touch it. We had to get our noses right up to it to see that it wasn't fabric but really was wood. Even if you do no quilting, if you appreciate art, a stop at the National Quilt Museum is worth your while.

"Old Downtown" Paducah

The Quilt Museum is located next to "old downtown" Paducah. Fine old buildings with lots of galleries, restaurants, and boutiques. Although, it seems they roll the place up at 5pm on Wednesday evenings. We did find a bakery that allowed us to purchase red-velvet cupcakes (50% off) just before they locked up for the day.

The Paducah floodwall

Downtown Paducah is protected from the Ohio River by a tall concrete floodwall. The floodwall is a canvas hosting dozens of murals depicting the history of the region. On the other side of the floodwall, the Ohio River is fronted by a wide park-like embankment with walking paths, shade trees, and benches. We passed many gorgeous beds of flowers as we walked along, including some unique and vibrant snapdragon displays. Unfortunately, I took no pictures of flowers.


Thursday, April 19, 2012
At the Tennessee Welcome Center on I-24, we stopped to ask about the best route around Nashville and possible scenic routes on the way to our destination - Townsend, TN. The nice woman suggested a good way to get past Nashville (just stay on the Interstate!) and that Highway 70 might be more scenic than the Interstate.

Getting past Nashville was a breeze. Highway 70, on a Thursday, seems to become one continuous yard sale! It is a narrow, twisty, two-lane road with a yard sale in progress at (what seems like) every house. There is not much for shoulders, so drivers on both sides made a gesture at getting one tire off the pavement. Some, however, were satisfied with just getting close to the edge of the pavement. Not quite the restful, scenic, not-Interstate ride we were hoping for.

We abandoned Highway 70 at Crossville in favor of I-40 (no yard sales!). I-40, it turns out, is a very scenic drive. Due to exquisite timing, we attempted the transit of Knoxville at rush-hour. It probably wouldn't have been too bad had there not been some incident that tied up the Interstate for miles in both directions. We never knew what the problem was.

Our rig in site C-9

At last, we arrived at Townsend, TN, and the Tremont Outdoor Resort - the site for a gathering of fiberglass trailers. We set up on site C-9, which is in their "tent site" section. Their tent sites all have electricity and water. Their "RV" sites have electricity, water, sewer, and cable TV. The premium sites, where most of the trailers were, were in loops A and B, and especially, those sites that fronted the river. As it turned out, there were several Scamps and even a brand new Park Liner that joined us in C loop.

View of a portion of A Loop

One estimate that I've heard is that there were more than 71 fiberglass trailers at this gathering. It was organized by the Egg Camping Club of TN, GA, and AL.

Aug 1 - Aug 5, 2010 - Returning to Minnesota

Sunday, August 1
We bid farewell to Peggy's Cove and head west.
We stopped for the night at Sebasticook Lake Campground in Newport, ME. This is a pleasant campground whose host, whom we rousted from her dinner, was quite gracious.

Monday, August 2
We stopped at My Cousin's Place in Norridgewock, ME, for breakfast. This small cafe by the side of the highway served up a huge and tasty breakfast. From there we headed across New Hampshire and into Vermont.


Our route took us through Waterbury, VT. Since both Green Mountain Coffee and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream are located there, we stopped to have a look. Each was a bit of a disappointment. Green Mountain Coffee was really nothing more than a storefront - at least, that's what the public gets to see. Ben and Jerry's held more promise, but the crowds of people were off-putting. The factory tour would have been fun, but the hour-plus wait for a ticket was more than we were prepared to endure. Some of their famous ice cream would have been fun, but the half-hour long line to the serving window was, also, more that we wanted to take on. We did, however, enjoy the walk through the "Flavor Graveyard". 


Bank on the road, we continued on US 2 north on Grand Isle in the middle of Lake Champlain. On Grand Isle we had to pull over and stop to wait out a ferocious rainstorm. It was a deluge, a downpour, a toad-strangler of the first order. We had to wait for a half-hour for the rain to let up so that the wipers could clear sufficient enough for us to see the road. 


Our camp for the night was at Coles Creek State Park in New York on the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is a lovely campground. Nicely spaced sites and very, very clean facilities. Plus, if you're lucky - as we were, you can grab a site with a great view of the shipping traffic on the seaway. We recommend this state park.


Tuesday, August 3
We crossed the border at Ogdenberg, NY, into Ontario, Canada. 


We stopped for the night at Chutes Provencial Park near Massey, Ontario. This is a nice park and has some trails that we would have liked to explore. But, it was just too danged HOT! 


Wednesday, August 4
Finishing our trek across Ontario, we crossed back in to the US at Sault St. Marie. This time we spent only one hour and twenty minutes on the bridge from Canada to the US. This time we had the foresight to gas up and make a potty stop before getting on the bridge.


Our stop for this night was at Van Riper State Park in Michigan. This is another very nice park. The sites with hook-up were pretty full and we decided to park in the "rustic" area. A nice site and quiet. We'd like to stay at this park again and explore the part of the park to the north of the highway. There looks to be some scenic trails there. 


Thursday, August 5
We return to our condo in Duluth. We collected seven thousand miles, hundreds of photos, and many, many memories of people and places. 


That ends the tale of our trip to the East Coast.

July 31, 2010 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Saturday, July 31, 2010

This time it's a day trip from our campsite to Halifax, Nova Scotia.


View Peggy's Cove to Halifax in a larger map

Saturday dawned with a mix of sun and clouds and very pleasant (read, cool) temps. This will be our last day on the south coast of Nova Scotia and we decided it would be wrong to leave the area without visiting Halifax, even 'though large cities are not our favorite places to be.

Pictures for this day are here.

Halifax harbor

Our first impressions on arriving at Halifax were that the city combines the best of Duluth's hillside location with Boston's chaotic street plan and Chicago's "there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-too-small-parking-spot" parking culture. But, the sun was shining and we soldiered on to find easy parking in the huge lot that services the docks for the cruise ships. The lot was empty as there were no ships due in port that day.

At the parking lot we met FRED. FRED is a shuttle bus service for the downtown Halifax area. FRED stands for Free Rides Everywhere Downtown. FRED is a very nice fellow to have around. Our visit to Halifax was much more pleasant having met FRED.

Our first stop was the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This museum is worth the stop. We particularly enjoyed the Titanic exhibit. The museum exhibits include the CSS Acadia, the only ship still afloat that served the Royal Canadian Navy in both World Wars. I took several pictures of the harbor from the fantail of the Acadia.

On the waterfront, Halifax, NS

We strolled the waterfront boardwalk with just a few thousand of our closest friends and stopped for a quick lunch of fish and chips. I had asked ticket-taker on the Acadia if the crowds were often this large. He said, "Nope. Actually this is a light day. When the cruise ships come in, then it gets crowded. Sometimes as many as five of them are in port at the same time. You should see this place then!" Thanks anyway. I think I'll pass.

Finished with the waterfront, we met up with FRED and he took us up the hill to the Citadel. The day was getting warm so Nancy stayed under shade while I explored the nooks and crannies of this large fort. Many college students were on duty portraying soldiers and other characters in period costume of the time of the Citadel's operation.

The Citadel

 I was surprised when I came across a school room. The "teacher" told me that the school was for the enlisted men, not for children. The opportunity for an education was one of the draws for military service at the fort. According to the "teacher", many of the soldiers took advantage of the school to get an education.

Out on the parade ground, a squad of soldiers was practicing their drills. By this time, the day had turned hot and I felt sorry for the men in their woolen tunics marching in the blazing sun. Then they stopped and loaded their rifles. "This is going to be good!", I thought. I got myself to the front of the crowd in a place just ahead of the line of soldiers. "This'll be a great place for a picture!", I said to myself. It would have been, too, if I had used a tripod - and, maybe not even then. The blast of sound from the rifles was so strong that it shook everything in front of the line of rifles, even those of us off to the side.

Meeting FRED

As we waited at the entry to the Citadel for FRED to return, we got to witness the changing of the guard at the gate. This was one time on the trip that I wished I had a video camera.

FRED showed up and took us to the Public Gardens, where we relaxed for a while in th shade amidst the flowers. This gave me my final opportunity of the trip to take some flower pictures. After this respite, FRED took us back to our car and we bid "so long" to Halifax.

This was our last full day in Nova Scotia. On Sunday morning, the first of August, we broke camp and began our trek west, back to Minnesota.

Farewell to Peggy's Cove