Gophers and Cheese

The trip my father and I took to the Gunflint Trail in August 2011 was a lot of fun.  Here are a few selected photos from the last 6 posts that I think look great in black & white. Day One: Day Two: Day Three: Day Four: Day Five:

Day Five: All good things must come to an end.  We cleaned up the cabin and packed the bikes.  Here's the trash can that clearly illustrated two guys stayed there (beer cans, beer bottles, soup cans, pickle jar, and a coffee container). We took off and headed back towards Grand Marais, where we had breakfast. Heading south toward Duluth, check out the fog rolling in off Lake Superior. Here's a rare self-portrait of me taken while riding.  I am glad I was wearing the bandana as I got plastered with a swarm of tiny bugs. Heading back through the tunnels towards Two Harbors. There were storms up ahead but we let them pass while having a beer in Two Harbors.  We thought we were going to run into them and even threw on rain gear for a short time but miraculously managed to stay dry.  The weather improved and the sun came back out. Somewhere along I-35 near a Burger King, I took this photo next to another giant fake walleye. By the time we arrived back...

Day Four: The morning started off cloudy but if you look really close, you can see the hint of a rainbow. The rainbow must have been good luck because while fishing off the dock, I caught my first fish of the trip!  It's just a pudgy little bass but I was really happy. We didn't keep any of the fish we caught but for those who did, I thought the "fish surgery" sign was funny. Once again, we headed out for breakfast, this time at the Windigo Lodge.  We stopped at the Trail Center for gas. We did more fishing (this time with the motorboat).  Overall, I only caught two fish and my dad caught the one pike and handful of bass.  Round Lake was beautiful to look at but didn't seem like a great fishing lake.  We were told there much better lakes to catch fish in.  Oh well - more fish would have been better but I really didn't mind. In the middle of the day, I rode solo to the end of the trail and back since the curvy road was a lot of fun.  Here ar...

Day Three: We woke up very early to do some fishing. Here you can see where the bikes spent the night. We took a rowboat out on the lake. We didn't know it at the time but my dad caught the best fish of the trip that morning - this pike. I didn't catch anything all day but I did manage to create giant knots in my line.  Give me a break - I haven't fished in over 15 years.  I still had fun though. We headed out for some breakfast.  There's a gravel road, maybe a mile or so long, between the Gunflint and the cabin. We headed northwest to the very end of the Gunflint Trail and ate at the Trails End Cafe. It was here, while waiting for our food, that tragedy struck.  The shoulder strap on my Sony NEX-3 camera hooked a shelf and fell out of my hand hitting the outdoor deck.  It wasn't completely broken but it was damaged.  The shutter covering the sensor wouldn't fully close.  Here is a photo taken after the drop. I have had the NEX-3 for ...