The beer's not cold yet, and here I am typing away.
This is a long one, but if you like my stories, that's good. if you don't, there's always that 'back button'
It's not too late to escape.... lol
Well, the platform on the back of the van worked like a charm, one-hand loading of my scoot, just let it drive right up. Fold up the ramp, back down the drive.
There was six of us, me and Beck, My daughter Ang, and her man Frodo, Beck's sister Rosie, and Ang's little brother Delbert.
(not his REAL name, of course, I have been annoying him by calling him Delbert McWeiner for some time)
At the bottom of the drive, the platform demonstrated it's insatiable appetite for pavement by eating a chunk of the road.
I laughed. My truck was in intensive care, I was fresh from the 'load the van' tension and bickering marathon' and had been rode hard and put away wet the last few days, heheheheh.
Phuck the pavement.
then came the interminable small stops before you can actually get out of town, but we got em done.
Then the road stretched out before us and we flew merrily down it playing an MP3 CD I had made just before we left containing all my favorite country tunes, some odd stuff, and my favorite ELO albums.
Put it on shuffle and get the dirt band's 'Dance Little Jean' followed by the butthole surfer's 'shame of life', then ELO's 'livin' thing.'
Eclectic, just like me.
Blah, blah, highway highway... Duluth, yeah so what, then....
The scenic north shore drive.
It was at this point I could feel the tension lift off me like an electric blanket that had grown too hot but you'd only just realized. I began doing this half hysterical laugh/giggle noise that I can't help, but which has come to be called 'happy noises'
We didn't stop for anything except groceries in two harbors, which was an arm and a leg. Oh, and Ang and Frodo popped in to Pamida and got little pirate ships for that game we all play. I got rooked outta mine cuz they didn't take Amex.
Then on we drove, the lake was beautiful, the trees were just starting to turn.
And on we drove, the wind whipped up, the sun went down, and the vacation rental people couldn't say what mile marker, just an address.
And on we drove, getting more and more tired as we flew through the darkness counting off miles and addresses.
Then we saw it go by and had to turn around. seems we had reached the end of the address range for that town, and it started at the end of the address range for the next town so we were somewhat blindsided by the one we were looking for.
The driveway was a steep, rutted, dirt affair, and led to a double garage naxt to a brown geodesic dome.
Way kewl.
After some fiddling with the keybox, the 'official photographing' began. This is where Beck walks though and get shots of everything as we found it before anything may be touched. For some reason, she never fails to get good shots of all the toilets. I have pictures of the toilets from every place we have ever stayed in various places in my vast and extended network file-system.
Then the unloading, and the relaxing.
In the large open greatroom there was a raised platform for the sitting and watchingness of TV. One of the provided seats was a big leather chair. Now, I don't fit into single-person seats and haven't for a long time, but for some reason I tried it and sank into comfort such as I could only have dreams of. As I tilted my head back and surveyed the natural wood paneling of the dome interior do it's best to be both wall AND ceiling and pass quite admirable by tesselating itself into pentagons and hexagons a wild laughter escaped from me and everybody stopped whatever they were doing. above me, a head popped over the side and looked down at me, it was Rosie who said "ooh! Dave's found 'his chair'"
I had come home.
The days passed agreeably enough. Beck and I went exploring to the north and made one of my overly detailed maps. we had dinners at the table as a family, bonfire on the beach, movies till way late, and nothing but rain.
The scooter parked in the garage and in spite of my manic need to bring it along, there was simply no place we wanted to go in the rain.
(beer's cold, havin one.)
Then we repeated the trip north as far as Marais using my map. We saw a really nice public water access, better bring the boat next time. Watched Delbert climb on various retired mining equipment that was set out as a display. Ooohed and Ahhed over the Temperance River waterfalls in Schroeder that is RIGHT NEXT TO the highway. I mean, the fricking bridge goes right over the river just below them. Got to use my scoot finally, and boy am I glad I did!
The water roared and I could feel the power of it in my bones, very awesome!
Then we were in Grand Marais, what a stinking dismal little hole. Glad to get back to the dome.
But mostly, I sat in the leather chair and pondered either the triangles the dome was made of, wishing for a protractor, or watched the five foot waves wash over the 'whale rock' just offshore and the lightning dance on the water. or sat on the couch with my Beck and cuddling and watching waves break on the shore just fifty feet from our warm cozy couch next to the roaring wood stove.
On the night before we left, we feasted. We had food to eat up and that meant steak and LOTS of it. I grilled it over a mostly wood fire along with brats, and chicken and we all ate to satisfaction then slept.
We awoke to the day we had to leave and totally clear weather for the first time since we'd been there. The sun was on the water like handfuls of scattered diamonds and we were all recharged for our return voyage.
Traditionally we do all our stopping and looking at stuff on the way down, and this trip was no different. Agate shops, gift shops, no attraction escaped our notice or failed to get our money.
I was at the gift shop in the historic station at Two Harbors thinking how clever it was of them to have a soundtrack of steam trains when I realized that soundtracks don't smell like that.
There it was, an honest to God steam locomotive pulling into the station like it was yesteryear all over! I immediately got out on the platform and got as close to the behemoth as I could. Those with me knew that it would be no use trying to pry me away from this, the Holy Grail of mad tinkerer's and that they might as well just take photos.
It smelled of coal, oil, and metal and I was in heaven! There is something so wonderful about putting fire and water together and getting such magic! I love live steam, we are going to go back and ride that train, I got the schedule!
Then I got the two packs of little ships I got rooked out of on the way up.
(havin another beer, my they go down cold and smooth!)
Stopped at every beach while the kids looked for agates and Beck and I smooched.
Finally, dinner at Grandma's in Duluth, where I officially proclaimed the Rueben Sandwich the King of all Sandwiches, as I often do, and enjoyed Chili.
Then I proclaimed Tiramisu the King of Desserts and paid the tab for all six of us.
A stop at my Ex's. Much talk, most of which I can't repeat. Then we picked up beer and got back on the road.
Oh it was nice to hear that horrible scrape that meant dragging the platform onto our drive!
Then finally, I put the beer in the fridge, noting it was warm, and clicked on JWD.
This is where you, my dear reader, came in.
Oh what a wonderful getaway!
The upsides: The scenery, where we stayed, the food, the company.
Downsides: the rain, miserable sleep conditions, and no chance for any, uh, 'private time' with my beck.
Next year, we either rent the same place but get a whole seven days and then only have the kids up for three of em, or rent a fifty foot houseboat on Birch Lake for a week.
http://www.kinseys.com/newhouseboat.html
Either way, we are enforcing alone time cuz nookie works better that way.
Now to go find a way to upload pics. I'll put a link in when I have one.
I certainly encourage Mrs Roller to chime in with her thoughts, I like her thoughts.
Thanks for reading, time for another beer while I proofread before submitting,
RD
