North Woods Camping

Brett and I both took last Friday off and pulled the boat up to Lake Vermilion to do some fishing and camping. Our friends Bobbie and Lowell also pulled their boat up to camp with us. We took our time driving up, and arrived at a boat launch on the east side of the lake (not far from Tower, MN) later in the afternoon. We loaded everything up in the boat, because you see folks, we were camping on an island!














Brett and Lowell have been coming up here for years, and last year Brett and I camped on what they call "the big island." It's really not that big, maybe 3/4 of an acre. This year the big island was occupied (first come, first served) so we headed to "the little island" which is slightly smaller but can still easily fit 3-4 tents. We only had 2, so it was perfect.

As you might guess, this is a more primitive campsite, but there is a fire pit and some rough "tables" constructed between trees. There is also a um...latrine...and I use that word loosely. Bobbie actually brough toilet seat covers to put on it!



But you can't beat the view at Lake Vermilion. It is just a beautiful lake, and the leaves are starting to turn up there, so every once in awhile we'd see a burst of bright orange, red or yellow along the shoreline. There are lots of birds - we saw 3 mature bald eagles and one youngster. One of the adults flew right over the boat. You can't beat the view of that stark white head and tail against the bright blue sky! But of course my favorite by far are the loons. They are wonderful birds with a unique call that can be heard echoing across the water. I especially love the sound of them at night. Speaking of sounds - in the later afternoon/early evening we heard a wolf! We heard one last year too, and went to the International Wolf Center in Ely to confirm what we heard. Such a eerie, but cool sound. Of course one of the benefits of camping on an island is that you don't have to worry too much about bears, wolves, and other wildlife that are lurking along the forested shores.

The other critters we were coveting were of course, the fish. We took Brett's boat out for awhile on Saturday morning/early afternoon, and didn't have much luck except for a smallmouth bass. He did teach me some different methods of fishing, like drifting and trolling. I also baited my first leech. We came back to camp and took a little nap, snacked and went back out around 4:30. Brett caught another smallmouth, but we really didn't have good luck until around 7:30, close to sunset. I was trolling and got something on the line - my first walleye! I was pretty excited. Shortly after that I caught a good-sized perch. Brett wasn't fishing at this time, so that's why I got all the glory - of course I couldn't do it without him, because he nets the fish and takes it off the hook! I tried again but got caught on some rocks and lost our last Shad Rap. The fish didn't like the other lures so well. It was getting dark so we went in. We photo-documented my walleye before turning the fish loose. Not enough of a catch to really go to the trouble of preparing them to eat. Bobbie and Lowell caught a few, but no keepers for them either.

We had a nice, relaxing time and enjoyed some good conversation around the campfire. All in all it was a good trip, but a little chilly! It got cold out on the water at times, but in the sun it wasn't too bad. Nighttime was the worst - it was in the 30s! - but we came prepared with sleeping bags and a lot of blankets. Good times, and we'll definitely be back!



Remembering 9/11

After returning from Lake Vermilion last Sunday, I turned around and left early Monday morning for a work trip to Chicago (talk about a change of scenery)! It was, quite frankly, a little weird flying on 9/11, at the same time of day the terrorist attacks occurred exactly 5 years ago.

So how is flying different these days? I flew to Washington DC about 3 weeks before the actual 9/11 events, and I have flown on average 2-3 times a year since. It's probably changed in a lot of ways we don't necessary see (i.e. they say there are many more air marshalls engaged now than there were then). But there are also obvious changes. Five years ago a loved one or friend could also greet me as I stepped off the plane. Now I catch up with them in baggage claim or the outdoor pick-up area. And of course now there are greater restrictions on what we can and cannot carry on a plane. Five years ago I could carry scissors, nail clippers, etc. Not so now. Five years ago I didn't always have to take my shoes off before going through security. Now I'm required to take them off every time. Five years ago I could carry on a single bag for an overnight work trip. Now I have to check that bag because it contains hair gel, lotion, and other products that are considered a potential threat because they could house bomb-making materials.

I'm not complaining. Granted, it is a bit of a pain to not have some of those items on the plane, and there is more of a chance of my luggage getting lost now, but checking and picking up a bag only takes a few minutes. I haven't really encountered any long lines for security - airports have staffed up and it doesn't take too long. But there's always that chance of a long line tugging in the back of my mind, so I'm often at the airport plenty early (which actually, I like to be anyway).

Consequently, I made it to Chicago and back again safely. But it is true that the way we travel is changed forever. We will always be reacting to the next event and attempting to avoid such a tragedy again. As I walked out on Navy Pier in Chicago with a group of people on Monday night, I looked back at the Chicago skyline and saw a tall office building lit up with an American flag and the date "9/11." We remember, and we won't be forgetting anytime soon.