At this point in our travelling life we were very focused on the National Parks. We would occasionally take a detour but those detours were becoming rarer. When we did take one, it was usually a big detour. Stay tuned for stories yet to come. We decided our next trip was to Voyageurs and our travelling buddies were game. I have found memories of camping trips with the girls in the UP of Michigan so we decided to take a road trip via the UP and upper Wisconsin and ultimately ended up in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. Little longer way for us to go but we avoided the shear joy of driving through Chicago, BONUS! Upper Wisconsin was a surprise, nice state parks and a lots of waterfalls.
Snake Pit Falls in Amnicon Falls State ParkWe all enjoyed this state parkBig Manitou Falls in PattisonThe Wandering Whytes at a waterfall in Wisconsin, ten times fast, go!#49, I just realized I am wearing the same blue shirt in a lot of pictures. I only take it on longer trips but maybe it’s time to replace it.The Castors suggested a combination canoe/backpack trip, uh oh. Could this be a repeat of the Algonquin canoe trip? They assured me there was only one very short portage at the end of the trip. What they didn’t day: the canoes weigh a lot. They were so heavy we could not throw them on our shoulders, we basically had to drag them for the entire portage. Actually the trip sounded interesting. We threw our backpacks into the canoe and started offAfter a reasonable paddle we reached the start of the backpacking trip. Pulled the canoes on shore (hopefully they would be there when we get back). Threw on our backpacks and headed off to our first camp in Voyageurs National Park.The hiking section reminded me of Isle Royale, boardwalks, rocks and nice views of the lakeCamp 1, we were late in the season so we were the only one’s in the camping area. The camp sites were clean with nice tables, not exactly roughing it.First sunset of the tripBack to the canoesWe had lunch by this little waterfallCamp 2 after we got back to the canoes and did a short paddleI have 2 memories of this night. First it rained all night, second I had a major gear failure. Some of my friends purchased a jet boil and loved it. I bought a mini-mo system and tried it on a backpacking trip, I loved it. Fast, fuel efficient and compact. Basically it was everything you look for in a backpacking stove. Only problem, it totally quit working at this point in our trip. I tried everything and could not get it to light. I was pi@#ed. Fortunately our friends also had a stove so we could still have hot dinners and more importantly coffee! I took the stove back to where I purchased and they said: we have to send it back. Jet Boil will determine if it is defective and if you should get your money back. Excuse Me? the f*&king thing does not work. After about a month I did get a refund but promised myself two things: only buy from REI and never get another Jet Boil again. Gear failure on a trip is not an optionBack in the divorce boat and on to our next campOnce again, I love bear boxesLeann watching another nice sunset, we spent two nights at this site.We did a day paddle to the Steven’s resort.
Fixer UpperSteel canoes, not sure what these were made of but they were heavy.End of the trip and back to the carsThis place was awesomeThis was a beautiful area, I would go back again.Back over the Mackinac Bridge and headed home
Another great trip with the Castors and number 49 is in the books, what will be number 50?
