“Peace, prosperity, liberty and morals
have an intimate connection.”

- Thomas Jefferson

I'm still on vacation and resting up right now for the final leg of my break, the weekend fishing trip. I won't be at Keegan's for Thursday night trivia, but I'd be remiss not to mention that last Thursday the Women of the Night, Uncle Ben and myself pitted our store of semi-useless knowledge against all comers at Sven & Ole's weekly trivia competition in Grand Marais. Had Ben and I been able to reach consensus on which U.S. president had the longest retirement (we were going back and forth between Ford and Hoover, we picked Ford and it was Hoover) we'd have likely finished first. Our team, The Out-of-Towners, finished second.



The scoring format was different from Keegan's, and the questions were pretty arcane (local knowledge would also have been helpful), but the biggest difference between Sven & Ole's and Keegan's is that second place is worth a $50 gift certificate! Sure, it's for Sven & Ole's which isn't that handy, but it's good indefinitely. If we don't loose the gift certificate in the meantime we'll use it in our next trip to Grand Marais. Either that or it might make a great White Elephant gift at the holidays, or my wedding present to the Mall Diva and Ben!

After logging off at Neptune's Cyber-cafe in Grand Marais yesterday I walked around the harbor area enjoying the sights and the sunny fall afternoon. I'd have taken some photos but the camera went with the girls and Ben on the hike along the Cascade River and up Moose Mountain. That didn't keep me from "snapping" some shots into my memory of small boats bobbing on the water and the slower pace of commerce during an weekday in the off-season. At one point, however, I looked out to the lake and suddenly realized that fog had arrived, not on little cat's feet, but like an invading continent about half-a-mile out and moving steadily inland. Other than knowing that Lake Superior weather can change quickly and dramatically, I wasn't sure what a sudden fog might entail, but I thought I might soon have some wet hikers on my hands so I headed out to the rendezvous a little ahead of schedule.

All was well, however, as their six-mile, five-hour hike up the mountain hadn't taken as long as they expected. They, too, had seen the fog move in and climb up through the forest. Rather than wait for me at the pick-up spot they had gone to the restaurant at Cascade Lodge, about 100 yards from where I was waiting for them. We eventually hooked up, and they showed me photos from their hike.

The terrain around Lake Superior is rugged and dramatic, as the rocks try to stand against the combined forces of water and gravity.


Apparently there was lots of lovely scenery as well.

Girls in the trees.


Hey, that's an interesting mushroom. I wonder what it might taste like.


Mmmm. Tastes interesting, too. Oh, calm down...what's the worst that can happen?


Hey! (Photos by Uncle Ben.)


Sisters.


The Reverend Mother on the rocks.


Mall Diva and What's-His-Name.


This fog comes in on moose feet.


Home safely in time to view Superior by moonlight. (photo by Tiger Lilly)

Friday morning, Grand Marias. The Reverend Mother, Tiger Lilly, Mall Diva and Ben have set off on a five-hour hike. There's no wi-fi on the Cascade Trail, however, so I can't "live-blog" the hike. Therefore I left them at the trailhead and "hiked" myself to the cyber-cafe. Having hiked with this group before, however, here's a sample of the conversation:

Tiger Lilly: There's a boulder!
Mall Diva: That's a niiice boulder.
Rev. Mum: I need to find a potty.
Ben: Take your pick of any tree.

Personally, I don't do five-hour hikes unless there's a golfball involved. You'd think the girls would have figured this out by now, and brought golf balls along. Then they could just throw a golf ball out ahead and I'd take off after it like a Labrador. Don't tell them.

Anyway, I have an opportunity to upload some photos of our vacation so far. After a late getaway Wednesday afternoon (when you've borrowed a minivan you simply can't leave until every available inch of space has been filled with indispensable supplies) we were as far as Duluth by dinner-time. That's okay, Duluth is one of our favorite places, especially around Canal Park. Evening light is also great for taking photos. The hikers have the digital camera today, so photos from Grand Marias and vicinity are yet to come.

A couple shots of the Duluth canal lighthouses.




The Mall Diva and Ben gaze out over Lake Superior, perhaps wondering if it's even as big as their future together.


Hmmm. Birds are flying south, leaves are beginning to turn, there's a nip in the air. That can only mean...it's wrist-sweater season!


A meditative moose.


A couple of years ago the ACLU threatened to sue Duluth because there was a 10 Commandments monument in front of the courthouse (donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles back in the 1950s) on public land. The monument was then purchased by private interests and now sits on private land — where you can still visit them and, perhaps, even read them! Living by them is still up to you.