We arrived at Mandi's place very late that evening after stopping at the "golden arches" in Hinckley so Natalya (my three year old daughter) could play in the funpark. I don't think I even remember my head hitting the pillow that night. Frighteningly enough, I don't remember the last hour of the drive, except that I was struggling to keep my eyes focused and the car between the white lines. Had a deer jumped out I probably wouldn't have even seen it (if my mother is reading this I'm grossly exaggerating for effect!).
After a night of heavy slumber I stumbled out of bed to brilliant sunshine through Mandi's significant windows. Deer were in her field and red-winged blackbirds and mallards were in the cattails and other vegetation around her pond. A flicker perched on a fencepost surrounding her garden. The grass was long, but not for long as I soon had her new lawnmower going and got stuck in. It was satisfying to plow through that long, virgin grass and I soon had a lawn carved into the prairie surrounding her log home.
With that task out of the way we headed off to nearby Bear Head Lake State Park, just outside the town of Ely. It's typical BWCA (boundary waters canoe area) country with more water than land around the place and evergreen pines the major trees. We had a picnic prepared by Mandi with three different types of delicious salads, followed by a swim at the beach (well Natalya had a swim). We were watched by a loon that was busily fishing, appearing only briefly between long forays under the water's surface. As we sat and relaxed the weather rolled in and chased us back into the car but we'd already done what we'd come for and were ready to go anyway.
Next on our busy agenda was a visit to the "Root Beer Lady" museum in Ely. For those of you that aren't familiar with her she inherited a small resort in the northwoods many years before it became the BWCA. When the government declared it National forest she refused to sell her land to the government and she was granted permission to remain in her cabin. She lived in the wilderness until she was into her eighties and used to make home made root beer for any travelers that came through Knife Lake. She became somewhat of an icon of the northwoods and dearly loved by those that met her. Her original cabin and outbuildings are now on land just outside Ely and it's well worth a visit, and make sure you sample the root beer.
Jessica, Mandi and Pierce approaching the summer cabin
The kitchen
The steam train in Tower
Some family time for Pierce and Mum 
We skipped back to Mandi's for dinner after a brief stint playing in the park and checking out an old steam train, then back onto the road to head for the township of Orr. Apart from the famous walleye lake, Pelican Lake, the main attraction in Orr is the bear center. It started as a lumber camp with poor garbage handling practices and this in turn brought in bears. Shooting them didn't work very well so the owner resorted to establishing a feeding area away from the logging camp. This worked and he came to love the bears. Upon his death the place has become a national facility for research and visitor education. The bears are wild and come in to feed when natural food sources are limited. Dusk is the best time to see them but they come through all day. Just a note, early fall is a bad time to visit the place as the bears prefer natural berries and don't visit the center.
The kitchen
The steam train in Tower
Some family time for Pierce and Mum 
In the couple of hours we stayed we saw numerous bears feeding and playing, climbing trees and just being bears. They were oblivious to us on our elevated viewing platform. It was also cool to see the hummingbirds feeding at the feeders only an arm-length away. The mosquitoes were frightful but no worse than you'd expect in the northwoods in June. It was a huge day and it was only because it was the longest day of the year we could fit it all in. What a day, but the kids and we adults had a really good time.
Next morning we rolled out of bed and packed up. We got to feed the donkeys in the field next door before hitting the road towards Grand Marais and Jessica's parent's house. On the way we stopped at Soudan Mine State Park. We didn't have time to take the underground tour but we checked out the above ground stuff extensively. Natalya particularly liked being in the engine room when they started the motors to release the cable and allow the cars to descend down into the mine. There were some fantastic views across the iron range and it was far more worthwhile than I was expecting. Hopefully next time we can take the tours.
Our drive through to Lake Superior was somewhat held up by a procession of touring bikes that slowly wound through the forest and we met up with Jessica's mother at Cascade State Park for another delicious picnic lunch. It was hot but a cool breeze was blowing off the lake and made things very relaxing and just the thing after a long drive. Natalya then headed off to a party with her grandmother while the rest of us dropped the dogs off at Jessica's folks place before heading up the Gunflint Trail to visit Marja and Skinner. The original plan was for skinner to accompany me fishing but he had other engagements so I skipped off down to the river by myself. The water was raging but clear and it wasn't possible to wade in many places. I knew large streamers would be needed and I tied on the most traditional brook trout pattern I know - the mickey finn. Within two minutes a beautiful brookie danced across the pool and down into the rapids where he earned his escape. Within five minutes I was redeemed and brought to hand another of the streams wonderful brook trout jewels.
With the raging current I was limited in how much stream I could fish but I managed six brookies to hand, the largest probably the long side of twelve inches, possibly thirteen. Most were between eight and ten inches. They were amazing as they'd shoot up from the depths to smash the fly streaking through the clear water. There was nothing dainty or subtle about their takes and they left nothing in the tank trying to earn their liberation. They were truly a pleasure on my three weight and it was a fantastic couple of hours.
It was Jessica's father that picked me up from a small meadow near the stream and we drove some of the back roads to check the damage after the monster floods that had rolled through a week or so earlier. It was impressive with some of the washouts over eight feet deep. After a big dinner we sat around and talked in the usual manner but bedtime came a little sooner.
Morning saw us again heading up the Gunflint Trail to Marja and Skinner's place, this time to get ready for the baptism. I was apparently no use and set free to fish for an hour or so. I got another nice brookie but then the skies opened and it poured. Things didn't look good for the baptism on the stream. Anyway, just minutes before the baptism was ready to begin the sky cleared and the guests made their way from the house down to the river. In fact the baptism was the very same hole I'd pulled three of my trout from. It was hard to concentrate on the ceremony knowing there were fish in that stream.
The ceremony was a simple one and Kaj was calm and quiet (mostly) as one might expect being Marja's child. I think everyone enjoyed it before heading back up to the house for a feast prepared by a good friend of Marja. All in all, it was a great show - perfectly reflecting Marja and Skinner and who they are. I was glad I attended but we did have to skip out early to get back home.
We bought subs on the way and stopped at St. Croix State Park to eat them while I watched fish rise in the pond and Natalya played on the playground equipment. The mosquitoes were again frightful. We rolled back into Plainview around 1am and hit the sack hard. In the morning I'd prepare for two days of work and then get ready to head off to Montana. What a life I lead and I certainly don't want to look back and think I didn't take advantage of the things offered to me, because you never know when it might suddenly end.
The St. Croix River at dusk
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