Travelin'...

We're in traveling mode and on our way to Paul & Kay Cross's Indiana Interstate Enterprises/Cross RV (Lagrange, IN) for needed service and repairs.  We checked out of & left Voyageur's Natl Park on Monday.  Made stops at Duluth, MN and Oakdale, WI before arriving here at Hickory Hollow Campground in Utica, IL today.  If all goes well, we'll make it to Shipshewana, IN tomorrow for the weekend.  At least that's the plan!

Later, David

Le Done @ Voyageurs Natl Park

Fall has arrived.

We worked our last day of the 2014 season, today.  Ghosts of Voyageurs was great, but got us a little off track with the unusual hours.  Hence we're just a little late with this week's blog.  Would have forgotten it completely if Dad hadn't reminded me!

Colors are beginning to kick in.  Weather's cooler.  I've added one of Melissa Carlson's pics of Justin Olsen showing the quartz vein in Bushy Head Mine.  The quartz is what the miners were looking for.  Once they found that vein, the Bushy Head mine was drilled downward (vertical) along the quartz vein looking for gold.  The vertical shaft is now filled in, so you're now limited to just to walking (wading?) along the horizontal portion of the mine.

Plans are to move Monday after checking out.  Stops planned in Duluth, MN; Oakdale, WI; Utica, IL; and Lagrange, IN.  Of course that assumes things work so we can move.  We'll have the trailer & truck serviced at Lagrange.  At least that's the plan.

Later, David

We had a great group of rangers & volunteers to work with this season.  Gonna miss 'em!

And the weird hours begin...

Like any gov't agency, it can get pretty deep around here - you have to be prepared for anything!

Actually, we got a chance to visit the Bushy Head Mine Shaft.  It's a horizontal mine shaft and after the dams were built at International Falls, it's usually at or near the Rainy Lake shoreline (and below water during the summer flood.)   Since no one had visited the mine since the flood, we had to be prepared for anything.

The huge, condo-type beaver lodge is just across Black Bay from the visitor center.  The beavers started it during  high water.  As the flood waters receded, the beavers had to build it lower to the shoreline. This was a stop (weather permitting) during the Rainy Lake North Canoe programs this summer.

The Ghosts of Voyageurs programs begin today.  These are outdoor, evening performances, and our working hours have shifted to 1:30 - 10:00 PM to accommodate the new programs.   Tonight's show will be interesting as tonight's low is 29*F & two people are suppose to jump into the water.  I guess it's OK - do ghosts feel cold?

Anyway, that's our week.  Later, David

September arives

View from the decks at Sha Sha Resort

Daylight is getting shorter, temps cooler, and the trees (maples) are just beginning to turn - though probably not for the best of reasons.  It's the last three weeks of our season here at Voyageurs NP.  Only programs left are the tour boat runs and the upcoming Ghosts of Voyageurs evening program.  Consequently, our schedule is getting a little weird.

Some color in the maples

Starting next week we work 1:30-10:00 PM on Thursdays and Fridays, then back to 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM on Saturday & Sunday until the visitor center begins to close on Sundays.  We plan to be moving on by the 22nd.

Some of the motley crew of law enforcement & interpretative ranges (and a volunteer or two thrown in)

Randy and Shirley left last Sunday and experienced some issues on the way home.  They're fine and we think they made it home OK, but our frig decided it needed to go on the fritz (again) in sympathy.  (It did this earlier this summer when Randy & Shirley had an AC unit go bad.)

It's the stinking thermocouplers that turn on/off the frig's cooling fans, again.  We heard a couple of pops yesterday afternoon while Donna was cooking.  By late afternoon we could see the fridge temp begin to climb.  Our quick, easy fix to the fans didn't work (replace the existing thermocoupler), so we had something a little more serious.  The local RV tech came out and help us troubleshoot the thing.  The thermocouplers work, but not when installed in the frig.  So we have the fans now wired to run full-time & will install a manual switch in a week or two to turn them on/off as needed.

In the mean time, Donna's farmed out our frozen stuff to one of the rangers, and both ice chests were full for the night.  All is OK now, though.  Maybe the ranger will give us our food back.  We did leave our ice cream with him (mouse tracks flavor), so we can only hope.

Anyway, that's our week.  Hope you had a good one.  Later, David