Day 28: "Go The Distance"

July 20, 2012

Today we have hit two milestones in our trip: we have finished the fourth week of travelling, and we have entered into the USA – Minnesota to be precise. The crossing of the border has brought renewed vigor and excitement to our trip as we are in a place completely new to all of us.

Crossing the border caused the usual stress and worry that crossing any border brings to my mind. I have a deep-seated fear of people in uniforms with guns and whenever I go into a new country I worry that I will be denied entry for some minor reason. This stress is intensified when returning to Canada as I have an irrational worry that I will be denied entry back home, left with nowhere to go, destined to be stuck at the border crossing indefinitely.

Combined with a reunion with the bikers travelling across Canada, crazy drivers passing us on a single-lane highway with a double yellow and windy road, and a pickup truck that left a propane tank rolling across the highway in front of us, the border worry caused the drive to the border to be quite stressful and tense. Luckily, we all made it to the border none the worse for wear, without even Owen crying.

I believe my stress may have shown at the border since after the requisite questions about fresh fruit, where we are from, and where we are going, the border guard put in a radio call for further checks. A second guard comes out and leads us to the long-term waiting area and takes our passports to the back room, leaving us in the car for about 10 minutes. We had just enough time to make Plan B (head east towards Thunder Bay and then down to Toronto) when the guard came back, passed us our passports and welcomed us to America.

We made a small stop in International Falls to exchange money and purchase the promised cheaper US gas (did not seem any different in price to me) before heading on our way to Bear Head State Park in North-Eastern Minnesota. The state highway south proved to be horrible, full of cracks and bumps from the biting cold winters, which made the driving somewhat slower.

Shortly before our turn-off we passed by a sign that made me very excited, and Haifa very confused. I bet she was wondering what the heck I was up to with a huge smile and giggles over passing the exit to Chisholm, Minnesota. Bonus points awarded to any reader who can determine why I was so giddy with excitement about this seemingly non-descript place.

After the turnoff we expected a short-drive to the town of Tower, Minnesota, and then an even shorter drive to the campground. As we passed the 20 minute mark with no sight of either we got a bit concerned, after consulting the map again and determining that indeed we were seemingly on the right path we realized our mistake and cursed the heavens over the blasted imperial measurement system. Miles and Pounds I can figure out when pressed, but for the life of me I have no idea what is up with the Fahrenheit system of temperature.

For the first time this trip we experience disappointment upon arrival at a campground; a large “Campground Full” sign greeted us at the entrance. Haifa jumped in to ask about overflow camping or a campground close by and was met with a grumpy women who suggested trying another state park. Which state park, and where they were located was apparently beyond her knowledge base. Her attitude certainly didn’t help with our disappointment.

After a brief discussion we decided to head back to the town of Tower, stop for lunch and then find a visitor centre to help determine our next move. We had turkey sandwiches in the town of Soudan – home to the very first Iron Mine in Minnesota,  which is now a modern day Mining museum complete with a tour of an old mine shaft. We determined that in order to go to this, and the Tower Railroad museum, tomorrow that if we couldn’t find any campsite close by that we would get a motel in town.

On our way through town we caught sight of a sign promising camping and followed the directions to Hoodoo Point campground just outside of town on Vermillion Lake (for those following at home this is the third Vermillion Lake we have visited). The manager said he had one site left, but that it was a pretty bad site and advised us to take a look before paying. Driving past shade-less fields full of RV’s we got quite worried about what the bad site would look like. To our pleasant surprise this bad site is easily the best in the whole campground. We are surrounded on three sides by trees, have a large space to fit our tent, have a kitchen, play area, and living room. We quickly booked for the night and will hopefully be able to extend our stay in the morning.

The stereotype of Minnesota, even for us from up North in Canada, is one of a deeply cold and empty land full of lakes. It is full of lakes, but it is not empty or cold (at least not in summer). Today was the hottest day of the trip by far. The extreme mugginess did not help, neither did the complete lack of any cooling wind. A dip in the lake helped a bit, but the sweat came back just as soon as we were out. Then, at about 8:00, a 10 minute thunder shower rolled in. This was literally greeted with cheers from the campers. Booming “Yeah’s” could be heard from around the campground as the sky caved in on us, pelting us with as much rain as it could muster. Big shaking thunders and flashes of lightning caused quite the show, and the rain cooled us down for the rest of the evening. Walking to the bathroom later I was awed at the sight of the thunderstorm to the southeast of us, reflecting the pink of the setting sun as the flashes of lightning could be seen from inside its belly. It was a wonderful sight.

Tomorrow, with luck, will be a relaxing day. We hope to extend our stay here so that we can visit the sites in town and jump into the lake a few times. We have booked a hotel in Duluth on Sunday and then have three days to traverse Wisconsin before we get to Chicago for Thursday. Given the busy 4 days ahead of us, we are all looking forward to taking it easy for the first time since the Okanagan.