Trip to Washington, DC - November 2013

Rita and I decided to fly to Washington, DC, since we would not be able to get together with our girls this Thanksgiving, Sophie-Claire’s birthday, or Christmas.  We flew from Austin on November 5 via Charlotte, NC, and arrived early evening in DC.  We took a taxi to our reserved hotel, the Marriott Courtyard near Gretchen and Chris’ condo.  Chris stopped by on his way home to pick us up as there is a Metro stop adjacent to the hotel.  Sophie-Claire was already asleep but we peeked in at her before Gretchen served us a nice dinner.

Wednesday we had breakfast at our hotel where four Ethiopian Orthodox Church leaders were having their breakfast along with their entourage and group of visitors.  They were dressed in their robes, turbans, and massive gold crosses like some of today’s rap stars have.

After breakfast we took the Metro to the US State Department offices where I needed to get a form signed to renew my expiring retiree badge.  That office was in the same building where Sophie-Claire goes to a State Department pre-school called Diplotots.  We asked our escort if she could take us to the school and she obliged.  The school vetted us and allowed us to go in and see Sophie-Claire who recognized us and came to us with hugs and kisses.  Obviously she remembered us and that made us happy.

In another building I went through the process to get my new badge after finger printing and then we had lunch in the State Department cafeteria.  Gretchen came down from her office and talked a while.  We took the Metro back to our hotel and rested a bit in the afternoon.  Gretchen and Sophie-Claire came to get us about 5:30.  We gave Sophie-Claire a bag full of clothes we brought her.  Most of it was Minnie Mouse themed and was a big hit, especially the Minnie Mouse slippers.  Once more Gretchen fed us a delicious dinner.

Thursday, November 7, was my 71^st birthday.  Rita and I had breakfast at Au Bon Pain where Gretchen, who took off work the next two days, met us with Sophie-Claire who skipped school.  We walked to Harris-Teeter grocery store where Sophie-Claire and I ran up and down the aisles to her mother’s dismay.  We spent the day playing with Sophie-Claire and watched her while Gretchen ran errands.  That evening Rachel called to wish me a happy birthday and Gretchen cooked a delicious meal featuring coq au vin and a chocolate birthday cake.  It was a good birthday.

Friday Gretchen and Sophie-Claire met us at Starbucks, where Rita and I had breakfast.  Then we all took the Metro to the National Museum of Natural Science with the main objective of seeing the dinosaurs.  Sophie-Claire loved the T-rex exhibit.  After lunch there we took the Metro back home for Sophie-Claire to nap.  During that time Rita and I walked to the Union Market which has several upscale food stores.

In the evening we all walked to TDB Burgers, a restaurant with gourmet burgers and pizzas plus several craft beers.  My distant cousin, Lydia Beyoud and her husband, Kwan, met us there for a pleasant evening of food and talk.  It was the first time for Gretchen and Chris to meet Lydia and Kwan.  My older brother, David, was supposed to meet us there but he called earlier to say he felt bad and wouldn’t make it.

Saturday we drove into the Virginia countryside to the Stribling Orchards in Markham, Virginia, near Front Royal.  It was the last day they were open for apple picking and we picked a variety of different apples off trees using long poles that looked like lacrosse sticks.  Sophie-Claire had a short pole and with a bit of help she managed to get some apples off the low branches.  Rachel Love and her dog, Lola, came as well to join in the fun.  My brother, David, met us too as he didn’t live far away in Winchester.

After apple picking we all drove to nearby Naked Mountain winery and had a snack platter with a bottle of their red wine.  Sophie-Claire had plenty of energy and could barely slow down to sit.  After a while we said good byes to David and Rachel Love and drove back to DC.  Rita and I went to our hotel and rested.

In the evening Rita and I went to their home and we all, along with Sophie-Claire, walked to a nice neighborhood restaurant with gourmet food – the Red Hen.  Rita and I had crostini spread with a soft cheese and honey for starters.  For my main dish I had seared scallops on greens with roasted Brussels sprouts.  I had pecan pie with ice cream followed by espresso for a delicious meal.

Sunday morning we all walked to a nearby farmer’s market where Gretchen bought produce while Chris and I took Sophie-Claire to an adjacent playground.  She loves swings and slides and running with other children.  We returned to their home but Chris and I took Sophie-Claire to a new neighborhood playground while Gretchen made apple sauce and chili and Rita made an apple pie.  While Sophie-Claire napped Rita and I worked the Washington Post crossword puzzle.  When Sophie-Claire woke up Gretchen and I took her back to the new neighborhood playground as Gretchen hadn’t seen it yet.

In the evening Rachel Love and Peter came over as well as Kelly Newton.  We had fun playing with Sophie-Claire and then eating a nice meal of chili, corn bread, and salad followed by apple pie and ice cream.  It was a pleasant evening.

Monday was a holiday, Veterans Day, and the weather turned much colder.  Rita and I slept in late and brought our breakfast up to our room.  Mid morning we went to Gretchen and Chris’ home.  We all drove to Lincoln Park near the Capital Building where Sophie-Claire ran and played on slides once more.  She also saw a school mate there to play with.  Rita and I kept watch over Sophie-Claire while Gretchen and Chris went to a movie.  In the evening Chris grilled nice steaks for dinner.  We finally had to say our good-byes as the next day Gretchen and Chris had to go back to work and Sophie-Claire to school.

We returned home Tuesday after a big breakfast in our hotel and a late checkout for our afternoon flight home via Philadelphia.  Everything was fine at home and certainly much quieter and calmer without a little one.  But we missed her dearly as well as her parents.

Big Bend Hikes - October 2013

For the past five years Rita and I have hiked with the West Texas Trail Walkers in their sanctioned American Volkssport Association hikes over the Columbus Day weekend.  Last year we hiked in Caprock Canyon State Park and on the last day they announce where next year’s hike will take place.  This year it was supposed to be in Big Bend National Park so Rita and I made reservations a year ago at the Chisos Mountains Lodge located in the heart of Big Bend National Park not knowing, of course, that the US government would shut down and change all of the plans.

Starting mid-September I contacted the West Texas Trail Walkers and asked if they had alternative backup plans.  No, I was told, and many did not think the government would really shut down.  Well, surprise, they did.  Credit the club with making fast last minute plans for three days of hiking in the adjacent Big Bend Ranch State Park which was not shut down.  We had to scramble to make new hotel reservations and the Chisos Mountains Lodge was good about refunding our deposit but it was a hassle for us too.

We left home early Thursday morning, October 10, and stopped in Fredericksburg for a good, hearty breakfast at the Old German Bakery which we like.  We headed west to Interstate 10 west and stopped in Junction for a short side trip to the Native American Seed Company who sends us a beautiful catalog each year.  While they are mainly a mail order business the people were very friendly and sold us a package of seeds for a butterfly garden.  They also had a nice, friendly dog that liked us.

Back to I-10 west through Sonora to Ozona for another stop to see if we could spot the monarch butterflies we have seen twice in the past on Columbus Day weekend.  We drove to the nice green park in the town center but unfortunately no butterflies to be seen.  We hope they are just late and this isn’t a harbinger of the demise of the monarchs.  We returned to I-10 and drove to Ft. Stockton where we filled the car with gasoline.  Just past Ft. Stockton we took US highway 67 south to Alpine and state highway 118 to state highway 170 to Terlingua and Lajitas where we stayed at the only hotel in town, the Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa a quarter mile from the Rio Grande. 

As we were checking in our friends Jo Ann and Lee just pulled up and were checking in as well.  After a short rest we all piled into our car and drove west on highway 170 which National Geographic called one of the prettiest drives in the US.  We checked out where the trail head was for tomorrow’s hike then turned around and returned to the hotel.  We had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant and retired early for tomorrow’s early hike.

Friday morning we drove to the Barton Warnock Visitor Center to register our car with the state park and check in with the West Texas Trail Walkers.  We decided to hike the Rancherias Trail and needed to start early because the temperatures would heat up into the 90s soon.  We had clear skies with no clouds and lots of sun.  While temperatures were in the 60s at sunrise it soon heated up especially while we were hiking.  Rita is still recovering some from her back operation and we told Jo Ann and Lee to go ahead and hike without us as they were faster and planned to do a 10 kilometer hike while we only planned to do the 5K hike.

This is the Chihuahua desert and there are no shade trees – only ocotillo and several other types of cactus plus plants that did not need much water.  The hike went up and down hills and through dry creeks with occasional blooming flowers which caught the eye.  We saw several lizards, gnats, flies, bees, and an occasional bird but not many of those.  Thankfully we did not see any rattlesnakes or anything else that was harmful.  Rita had enough after the 5K hike and we returned to the car to wait for Lee and Jo Ann.

After they returned we drove a bit further west to see the Hoodoos from an overlook.  Then we turned around and returned towards Lajitas with another stop at the Closed Canyon trail.  Rita waited for us while Jo Ann, Lee and I did a short hike into the slot canyon.  We walked about a mile then turned around.  We were told that the trail leads to the Rio Grande but the last bit of the hike needs ropes and special climbing equipment.  It was a beautiful, narrow canyon with sheer rocky sides straight up several hundred feet.

We returned to our hotel for a shower and short rest.  Then we headed to the Starlight Theater and Restaurant in Terlingua for dinner.  The beer was cold and the food was good.  I had chicken-fried antelope and it was tasty.  Draft beer was from a microbrew in Alpine called the Alpine Beer Company.  There were plenty of colorful locals on the “Porch” and at the bar in the restaurant. 

Unfortunately here our story turns south.  In the night Rita got up to go to the bathroom and fell down, cutting her right arm and bruising her right temple.  She said she was fine and, after patching her up with band aids, she fell back asleep.  We woke at 6:00 am when the alarm was set and told Lee and Jo Ann that we would not be hiking any more.  In fact, we decided to return home.  I was thinking that if Rita had any symptoms of a concussion we would stop in Presidio at a clinic or doctor to have her checked out.  She did not have any symptoms and just turned more colorful as her bruises expanded.

The hotel refunded us our unused nights and we drove west on beautiful highway 170 to Presidio, Texas.  We stopped to tour Fort Leaton which is a Texas state historical site.  The Spanish were in this area establishing missions long before the Pilgrims landed in Cape Cod but you seldom hear of this in school text books published on the East Coast.  The fort was a trading post on the old Chihuahua Trail which eventually led from Indianola, Texas, on the Gulf Coast to the city of Chihuahua, Mexico, with its silver mines owned by foreigners.  The Comanche War Trail led south through this area and they would raid into Mexico each autumn to collect horses from the Spanish.

After a tour through the fort we headed north on US highway 67 to Marfa were we stopped for lunch at a fairly new gourmet restaurant called Cochineal.  One wouldn’t expect this good dining in such a small town but there are three or four great restaurants recommended here.  We could only eat one lunch however.  Also in Marfa is the pretty restored Hotel Paisano where the cast of the movie “Giant” stayed many years ago – Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean and more. 

It was getting late and time to press on.  We headed east on US highway 90 which used to be the main highway from Houston to El Paso before I-10 was built.  Rita and I drove this highway back in the 1960s in our Chevrolet Corvair – BC or before children.  We drove through Alpine (again), Marathon, Sanderson to Dryden where we took a lonely back road, state highway 349, north to Sheffield.  East on state highway 290 a short distance one comes to Ft. Lancaster, another state historical site, established in 1855.  Only ruins remain of the old fort which was on the San Antonio to El Paso road.  Later when the US government built several forts along the road it became known as the Government Road.  It was close to closing so the park guide let us use a golf cart to get around the ruins quickly. 

We soon made it to I-10 again and headed east through Ozona to Sonora.  We thought we had better eat some dinner but very little was open in Sonora except a Pizza Hut and a Sonic.  Pizza Hut won.  Back on the highway between Sonora and Junction we saw big black clouds ahead with fierce lightning.  Sure enough about 15 miles outside of Junction not only were we getting low on gasoline but the storm moved right over our path.  It was a real cloud burst and in the middle of it, just as it was sunset and dark, the windshield wiper on my side broke – stopped working completely.  Panic!  I put on the emergency flashers and pulled over on the shoulder lane.  Many other cars and trucks were stopping as well because of the heavy downpour.  We found an overpass and waited until the rain slowed down.  We finally made it into Junction as the rain stopped and stopped at a gas station to refuel. 

We cautiously pressed on with more lightning all around us.  Would we hit more rain?  We made it through Fredericksburg, Johnson City, Blanco and eventually home about 10:30 pm with the smell of rain in the air.  Sure enough as we settled into bed about 11:00 the rain came down hard.  We needed rain but does it all need to come at once?  Sunday morning I checked our rain gauge and  it was over the top – more than 5.5 inches of rain in the night. 

Trip back from Upper Peninsular, Michigan - August 11-12

August 11 – After spending the night in Houghton, Michigan, on the Upper Peninsula, we departed Sunday morning about 8:30 am in partly cloudy weather with temperatures in the 50s.  We headed south to US highway 45 into Wisconsin into the Land O’ Lakes area.  We drove through pine forests south through Eagle River and Rhinelander – hunting and fishing activities from the signs we saw.  This is Hiawatha country. 

We continued south through Tomahawk to Wausau where we headed east on Wisconsin highway 29, a fast moving four-lane highway.  In the little town of Abbotsford we stopped at The Medo’s restaurant for lunch.  It was nothing special but large portions of mid-west favorites like meatloaf, potatoes, steaks, potatoes, ham, potatoes and so forth.  Did I mention potatoes?  The food was good and their home-made pies added a little extra.  To our waistlines too.

The area from Wausau to Chippewa Falls transits the middle of Wisconsin and is very agricultural looking.  There are lots of dairy farms with Holstein cows, some corn fields, big barns with several silos, and a fair amount of Amish people.  We saw the Amish horse and buggies, young Amish boys and girls riding bicycles, the boys in black slacks, white shirts, and straw hats, the girls in long dresses.  One horse and buggy was on the shoulder of the highway while cars and trucks passed at 70 mph.  We also came across several cheese shops and had to visit one.  In fact we stopped at the first one we saw which was called Nasonville Dairy.  Two cute farmer’s daughters ran the shop and they had cheddar cheese aged from one year in increments up to 13 years old.  We bought four different kinds of cheese to take back with us on the airplane. 

Around 3:30 pm we pulled into Minnesota taking the ring road around St. Paul and Minneapolis to our hotel near the airport.  It was a long day’s drive and we were ready to crash.  One last task was to turn in the rental car at the airport and catch the shuttle bus back to the hotel where we kicked off our shoes and relaxed.  In fact we ordered Chinese food in and didn’t go out any more.

August 12 – After a good night’s sleep we had plenty of time to relax, eat breakfast and clean up before catching the hotel shuttle to the airport around noon.  We had a light lunch before boarding our flight that departed about 2:00 pm and arrived in Austin about 4:15 pm.  We took the shuttle bus to where our car was parked and it started up just fine.  But it sure seemed hot in Austin.  Hell, it was hot!  We had less traffic than expected and stopped at a Tex-Mex restaurant for dinner, then at the grocery store to pick up basic necessities of food.  We arrive home about 7:30 pm and all looked fine.  I filled up the hummingbird feeders and was immediately greeted by hungry hummers.  Same with the other bird feeder as well.  We were missed. 

Michigan and Isle Royale National Park - August 2013

August 9 – We woke early to get packed for our early boat trip.  First we drove to The Pines where we had a hearty breakfast.  Then to the parking area at the little harbor of Copper Harbor where we left our car with big suitcase in the trunk.  We boarded our boat, the Isle Royale Queen IV, for the three and a half hour journey to the Isle Royale National Park.  We started out with cool temperatures, sunshine, and little wind.  About half way to the island we encountered gusty winds and rain but it wasn’t too rough.  When we docked at Rock Harbor about 11:30 am the sun was back out but the air was fresh and breezy.  We checked into our room at the Rock Harbor Lodge and soon were ready to explore the area.

We hiked a short distance to Tobin Harbor and the seaplane dock but no seaplanes were there.  We hiked back to the lodge and had a meal of pizza.  After lunch we hiked the Stoll Memorial Trail for about two miles.  We saw beautiful flowers, exotic mushrooms, lush forests, and beautiful views of Lake Superior.  We also heard loons, saw a bald eagle, a red squirrel, and a snowshoe hare.  No moose or wolves but then we didn’t expect to.  Finally it was getting time for dinner and since the nicer restaurant closes at 7:30 pm we ate early.  I had a nice tasting lake trout with wild rice and local Michigan KBC (Keweenaw Brewing Company) amber ale.  

August 10 – I woke at 3:30 am with the thought that I heard someone say the northern lights may be visible tonight so I walked out on our balcony but could see nothing but billions of stars.  I did see one meteorite in the short time I looked at the sky.  Other than that we slept like a log and slept in late.

After breakfast we puttered around taking it easy.  We did a short hike on our own looking at more abundant flowers.  We also took a hike with a park ranger to the American Dock and heard the story of the ship SS America that used to visit the islands three times a week starting in 1903.  There were several private resorts on the island then before the island became a national park in 1940.  The ship sank on a reef near the island in 1928 but no lives were lost except a dog that was tied to a railing and couldn’t be saved.

We caught our 2:45 pm boat back to Copper Harbor arriving about 6:30 pm.  We were soon in our car and driving to Houghton, Michigan, where we had reservations for the night.  Our plans to see more of Michigan were changed when we received news of my Mother’s death.  Tomorrow we plan to drive through Wisconsin back to Minneapolis and fly home Monday from there.

Wisconsin - August 2013

August 7 – We woke up in our cozy little cabin at Burntside Lodge near Ely, Minnesota, and heard the call of a lonely loon as we snuggled down in the cold room.  We turned on the gas heater and enjoyed leisurely waking up with coffee in bed.  We walked to the main lodge dining room and had a light breakfast of blueberry scones with lemon curd.  It was the start of a gourmet day.  We learned that this year marks the 100^th celebration of Burntside Lodge.

We checked out of the lodge and drove through Ely and scenic highway 1 to the coastline with distant views of Lake Superior – my first views of this great lake.  We stopped in Beaver Bay where a quilt shop was calling Rita’s name.  Eventually we arrived in Duluth, Minnesota, and the northern end of Interstate 35.  I can say that I have been on both ends of I-35, Laredo in Texas and now Duluth.  We drove down to the area called Canal Park that is adjacent to the Aerial Lift Bridge, a strange bridge that rises up horizontally whenever a large boat passes under.   

We had lunch at Grandma’s Tavern, a Duluth icon and the sponsor of Grandma’s Marathon, which means something only to marathon runners.  The lunch was great.   I had one of their Grandma’s pale ale with two dishes that Rita and I shared equally – their special macaroni and cheese dish and their chicken pot pie.  Both were delicious and lunch was a hit.  Afterwards we drove over the Aerial Lift Bridge and did a U-turn to drive back over it again.  Then we headed east into the state of Wisconsin, my 49^th state.

We headed northeast along the Scenic Byway, or highway 13, to the pretty little town of Bayfield and the entrance to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.  We stopped at the park visitor center then checked into our stay for the night, the Rittenhouse Inn.  This inn is also in the “1000 Places to Visit Before You Die” book.  It is a beautifully restored Victorian house with dozens of stained glass windows.  We walked into Bayfield and had a drink at Morty’s Pub before returning to the inn.  We had our dinner in Rittenhouse Inn at their award-winning restaurant.  I started with foie gras while Rita had a salad of smoked trout with Wisconsin cheddar cheese.  For mains Rita had champagne chicken while I had local fresh trout with pearl couscous.  A nice bottle of chardonnay washed everything down well.

August 8 – Breakfast at the Rittenhouse Inn was also very nice and filling.  We made it to our 10:00 am departure on the boat, “Superior Princess”, to cruise the islands of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.  Once more the weather was cold and a bit rainy but Lake Superior was generally calm.  The three-hour cruise took us between most of the 22 islands.  At Oak and Devils Island the captain, who gave a great running commentary, pulled up very close to the shore to see the strange rock formations created by wind and sea erosion.  We circled Devils Island then headed back to port at the town of Bayfield.  A quick lunch at Wild by Nature café and another short visit to a quilt shop by Rita and we were on the road again about 2:30 pm.

We took US highway 2 east and soon crossed the border into Ironwood, Michigan, and our 50^th state to visit.  We were surprised that we changed time zones as well back into Eastern Time.  We headed northeast on roads with slow speed limits which made that trip much longer.  We passed several copper mines along the way.  We stopped in the town of Calumet and had good beer and burgers at the Michigan House Café & Brewpub which also went by the name of Red Jacket Brewery.  Finally we made it to our little motel in Copper Harbor and crashed.  Tomorrow we park the car and take the boat to Isle Royale National Park.

More Minnesota

August 4 – We left Fargo and headed north on Interstate 29, a fast, flat expanse of highway with little scenery.  This is in the Red River Valley, the border between North Dakota and Minnesota not to be confused with the Red River Valley where that Red River is the border between Texas and Oklahoma.  Soon we arrived in Grand Forks, a livable community that made the national headlines in 1997 when after the worst blizzards in recent history the town flooded in the spring with over 75% of the homes and buildings being inundated.  Today it looks like a new city although quite a way away from the river.

Here we headed east on US highway 2 through Crookston to Bagley where we turned south.  Again the scenery was unimpressive until we turned south to the Itasca State Park, the oldest state park in Minnesota.  Here we encountered lush forests with tall trees.  We entered the park and made our way to the historic Douglas Lodge built in 1907, a large log cabin building with a huge stone fireplace.  We had lunch here, Rita ordering a local dish called wild rice hot lunch, a combination of wild rice, ground beef, water chestnuts and celery.  I had an elk burger along with a tankard of local Summit pale ale.  It was a very nice lunch.

Next Rita and I visited the attractive visitor’s center then headed north along Lake Itasca with occasional stops to view the lake.  We made it to our main goal of the headwaters of the Mississippi River where a crowd of families with children were in the water wading across the short expanse of the river.  Actually it isn’t a river here but a narrow creek.  After that accomplishment we returned to the highways and drove into the pretty town of Bemidji.  We checked into our hotel and set out to see the sights. 

Bemidji bills itself as the “first city on the Mississippi”.  Beautiful houses are perched on the banks of Lake Bemidji, a large lake of over 6,400 acres.  The original inhabitants of this area were the Ojibwe Indians and many of them still live in the area.  This is also the heart of the timber industry and a small park houses large statues of Paul Bunyan and his pet, Babe the blue ox.  We explored the downtown area and drove completely around the lake before having good salads in the restaurant next to our hotel.  It was another satisfying day in northern Minnesota.

August 5 – We woke to overcast skies and water puddles, evidence that it rained in the night.  It was a gloomy day in many ways.  We headed east on US highway 2 through the Chippewa National Forest.  We stopped in Grand Rapids, home of Judy Garland, for Rita to browse a quilt shop.  From here we headed north on the scenic “Edge of the Wilderness” highway 38.  Dozens of scenic, wooded lakes popped up on both sides of the highway but the road was curvy and rough.  We worked our way to International Falls, northern most town in Minnesota and often the coldest in the lower 48 states.

We parked the car and walked across into Canada and the opposite town called Fort Frances.  There was a recommended restaurant there where we wanted to eat lunch but we discovered that today was a “civic holiday” in Canada and everything was closed.  Bummer!  We walked back into International Falls and ate at a fairly nice coffee shop in town.  Up to now most Minnesota towns surprised us with their tidiness and cleanliness, but not International Falls.  The surrounding country is mostly logging companies and International Falls is dominated by the Boise paper mill spewing out ugly smoke into the sky.  Fort Frances was not much nicer looking either. 

We checked into our motel and later took a drive to Voyageurs National Park but because of government budget cuts the visitors center is closed on Sundays and Mondays.  While there we did walk down to Rainy Lake and while enjoying the scenery we heard our first wild loon calls and saw a couple of loons flying over us.  We drove a short distance to Thunderbird Lodge on Rainy Lake and had a nice meal of our first walleye fillets and with a window overlooking the lake. 

August 6 – It was raining when we woke and it rained most of the morning.  We drove to the visitor center at Kabetogama Lake in plenty of time for our 11:00 am departure on the boat, Borealis.  It was raining fairly hard at times and the temperature was cool.  For about two hours we cruised east and eventually ended up at Kettle Falls for lunch at a very remote hotel there.  After lunch we walked to the falls where Kabetogama Lake flows into Rainy Lake.  The rain stopped and we returned to our departure place about 4:30 pm.  We witnessed several bald eagles.  Some were juveniles in their nests and some were adults with white head and tail feathers.  All looked majestic.  In all we saw about two dozen bald eagles, several loons, Canadian geese, cormorants, seagulls and other birds.  We also saw deer along the coast but none of the black bear, moose, or wolves that are in this remote park. 

Upon returning to our car we drove (fast) to our lodge for the night.  We arrived at the Burntside Lodge near Ely, Minnesota, about 6:00 pm and checked into our remote little cabin in the woods.  Burntside is on the register of national historical sites and is listed as one of the places in “1000 Places to See Before You Die”.  This is mainly for their great restaurant.  Rita had buffalo hanger steak while I had fresh Lake Superior herring which is more like the local white fish and not at all like the herring people are used to.  Our meal was delicious as were our starters and desserts.  We can’t continue to eat like this.