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Enjoyed Grand Portage Reservation and National Monument

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Grand Portage reservation in taupe and monument in green

Henry and I had a quiet, restful night staying at the campground on the Grand Portage Reservation.  It is very close to the Canadian border and we were surrounded by many Canadian RVs.  From the time you see the sign for the Grand Portage settlement you drive 12 miles in this large reservation.  On the map, the campground, marina, and casino are on Grand Portage Bay.

I bought a small ceramic heater at the Grand Portage and had it going all night to help dry the carpeting.  No more new water so the new freshwater tank did the trick.  But the carpeting throughout and pad underneath will take some time to dry.

Slept so well and was glad I pushed to get this far.  I let my soul have its way and decided to head back south and not do the Canadian portion of the Lake Superior Circle Tour.  The delay and expense of a new freshwater tank meant I would have to rush and just not have the experience I want.  So after feelings of sadness, I came to deep acceptance and then happily moved on.

Stops today included views of islands, Grand Marais, huge Cleveland Cliffs facility in Silver Bay, and Split Rock Lighthouse.  I thought I might go all the way to Duluth, but I’m at Gooseberry Falls State Park in their visitor center charging my iPhone and Macbook Air.  I took a chance because I really wanted to stay here, but they didn’t have any reservable sites.  So we got here around 5 and they had one site left!  I’ll take it!  I used the $25 Minnesota State Parks gift certificate from my son and daughter-in-law, which was the exact cost.  So all good.  No hook-ups though, which is fine because I have water in my brand-new tank, plenty of food to eat (way too much, as a matter of fact), and I can bundle up under covers to stay warm.  So this is a brief posting before Henry and I get settled in for the night.

This is the view of Grand Portage Island that I enjoyed this morning before heading south. Pretty nice, eh?  I’ll post more about yesterday and today hopefully tomorrow.

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Up the North Shore to Grand Portage

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New tank tested fine so I unhooked and disengaged and headed out before 10 am. Returned unneeded items to Menards, got gas, and headed north on M-61.

I pretty much kept going, passed on Grand Marais after black/fly attack upon just opening my door, and kept going to Grand Portage where we are now.

Henry likes it here, and more and more he is enjoying our vagabond life on wheels. He makes new friends wherever we go and gets lots of pets.

I’ll try to post this. My Mifi is working just fine, but connection must be very weak. I’m on the Grand Portage reservation right near Canadian border.

I’ll decide tonight which way to head. I suspect backwards again.

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Unknown's avatar

Layover

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Out with the old gross leaky freshwater tank and in with the new. Huge job done expertly by Dean O’Brien. Felt he treated my RV as his own, and he was excited as each reconnected hose, fitting, and pipe was secure and tested.

I am doing this on my iPhone and hope the photo of some of what had to come out looks like. Note the mold in tank.

Tomorrow some local errands then to Grand Marais for the night. I hope to catch up here then. Also need to decide whether to continue or head home after the big expense and slight delay and do north shore in 2013.

But now time for a good night’s sleep.

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When the via point becomes the destination

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Yes, it’s true.  Today’s via point of Duluth became the destination.  So Henry Boy and I are in the waiting mode.

Good news is we think we know the source of the water on my floor.  Bad news is Ecovision needs a new freshwater tank.  And that might not be the entire cause.

Good news is the tank was locally available.  Bad news it probably will come tomorrow afternoon necessitating not just one, but two nights in Duluth.

Good news is the mechanic used his shop vac to suck alot of moisture out of the carpet.  Bad news is that is the entire length of the carpeting is still is sopping wet.

I did have a few fun things happen today that I’ll write up tomorrow with a few photos.  Lots of kindnesses took place.  And expenses. But I’m beat and we are heading to bed right now.

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Via points and destinations

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When I have my GPS set for a location then decide to go someplace else, it asks me if I want the someplace else  (in this case Duluth) set as a new destination or added as a via point.  Tomorrow Grand Marais, MN, is my destination and I had planned to stop at Whole Food Co-op and a pet store in Duluth.  But in the world of RVing, stuff happens and in my case a small wet area between my refrigerator and heat pump grew today.  By capillary action, the moisture spread down the entire length of carpeting.  Fortunately, I have a plastic runner much of the way, but when I picked up my purse next to the driver’s seat and it was wet, I said “oh no!”

I went straight to the Internet to see about RV repair shops in Duluth. So Duluth is now an official via point so that O’Brien’s Mobile RV can figure out what is wrong.  I had this looked at in Ispheming and they didn’t find anything.  They thought Henry’s water dish must have spilled.  I’ve looked and none of the pipes under the sink are leaking.  I think it has something to do with condensation from the refrigerator, but why it appears in the middle of the aisle and not next to the refrigerator is a mystery.  O’Brien said he would find out exactly what the problem was unlike the folks in Ispheming.  I like that attitude.

Whether or not this means I won’t make it to my destination tomorrow, only time will tell.  I think every single RVing friend I have has changed or aborted plans more than once due to get something repaired.

Here was the rest of my morning (plus a RV chore that will remain unmentionable);

I saw this on drive back from the laundromat in Washburn.  I learned that Arlo Guthrie is performing tonight–all sold out:

And here are a few images from a late afternoon walk with Henry around Bayfield (all images taken with my iPhone):

Seems like most vehicles are carrying kayaks on racks

View not quite as nice without the sparkly sun and blue skies

View of Bayfield from the marina

I love the lines of boats. This one looks like a Viking ship.

The city hall, boat museum, and coast guard were right next to each other across from the marina.

Was glad to see this on large display in front of city hall.

Henry and I went back to the campground.  We had dinner, walked, and I had a shower so we can get an early start.  Then I groomed him and checked out the water along the carpet.  Still there; darn.  A storm system is on its way so may be a little noisy tonight.  Since I started RVing, I keep three or four weather apps on my iPhone. This way I can travel before and after storms.  The winds are the big problem with RVs.  Winds=staying put.

So I’ll end with this photo of Ecovision at our campsite.  She’s up on a couple blocks on one corner to get her level.  This is essential for an RV refrigerator, which is completely different than our household variety.  The blocks will be a bit of a mess to clean up in the morning if we do get rain.  Ah, the RV lifestyle!