spider gate

It's halloween.  I saw this wrought iron gate recently while I was walking down a city street.  The gate looked like one big spider web and the staircase behind the gate looked kind of spooky, too.  It's kind of creepy.  BOO!

Hollow Rock

Just to the north of Grand Marais, Minnesota you will find the Hollow Rock.  This small island sits right off shore and features a natural stone arch.  The arch was formed over many thousands of years as the pounding waves from Lake Superior beat against the rock and the erosive action of the water wore the hole through the rock.  Nice to stop and see.

Fort Snelling National Cemetery

I've posted a picture in the past that is very much like this one I took recently.  I think it is fitting to revisit this hallowed ground as we approach Veteran's Day in a couple of weeks.  Several members of my family are buried here including my dear brother, Steven.  They served in honor.  May they rest in peace.

grand marais

One of my favorite small towns along the north shore of Lake Superior is Grand Marais.  I have been here several times while growing up in Minnesota.  I loved to walk by the stores on the main street and venture out on to the jetty.  Time certainly changes things and many of the old shops are gone.  The movie theater?  That's gone too.  But, the harbor never changes.  The waves still lap away at the rocky shore with a gentile, rhythmic sound.  I went up to Grand Marais this Fall just as the leaves were starting to change colors.  Like an old friend from long ago, meeting again after many years apart was such a lovely reunion.  I'll be back, again.

bird on the dock

Yup, that's what this is...a bird on the dock.  I took this picture on the dock that juts out from the fort at Grand Portage.  Looks like the bird was enjoying the day.  And, so were we.

Grand Portage

Just six miles south of the Canadian border in northeastern Minnesota sits the Grand Portage National Historic Site.  A fort was built here during the 1700's.  It was used by the Ojibwe tribe and the British North West Company for the fur trading business.  The Great Hall was the center of activity during the annual meetings of the North West Company.  The kitchen was located next door.  An upright timber barricade surrounded the fort.

The name Grand Portage comes from the 8.5 mile land passage that the fur traders made between this fort and Fort Charlotte to the west.  Between these two forts flows the Pidgeon River and at the point where the river empties into Lake Superior there are many waterfalls and rapids.  Skirting around these obstacles by using a land pathway seemed logical (and somewhat easier).  Thus, the grand portage was put into use.  Today the reconstructed fort tells of the history of the fur trading industry during the 1700's and the contributions of both the Ojibwe people and the British.  This historical park is under the supervision of the National Park Service and it is free for all to enjoy.

high falls

I had never been to the most northeastern tip of Minnesota before this summer.  The arrowhead country is the pointed section of land (it looks like an arrowhead) that juts out into Lake Superior just below the Canadian border.  There is a beautiful falls that sits along the border and is known to be the highest waterfall in the state of Minnesota.

The spray from the waterfall is magnificent as the water roars over the edge of the rock ledge.  At this point both Canada and the United States of America can be seen on either side of the falls.  So close, it's almost touchable.