Gophers and Cheese

The 50th Annual National Truck-In , also known as the Van Nationals (aka "Van Nats" or just "The Nats") are going on right now and the official start date is today July 5th.  I was there and am already home.  More on that later...  I had a really good trip out there.  I booked campgrounds in Sioux Falls and Custer, SD so I could meet up with some members & friends of Twin City Vans .  I pre-registered for the Nats including 2 early-camping days (Mon & Tue) so my plan was to stay for the whole thing, Mon-Sat.  Before leaving, I put some painters tape on my back windshield so it was clear to the rest of the world where I was headed.  I'd been looking forward to this for a while and was doing a ton of last minute projects on my van.  I left home Saturday July 1st with 98,805 miles on the odometer. 

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 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 ...

Last Sunday was a really nice day - close to 60 degrees.  I took a short ride north along MN-47 and then cut east on Viking Blvd.  I stopped at Fatboys in East Bethel for the first time in quite a while.  I just popped in for beverage and headed across the street to take some pictures. I've been many times but I don't think I've posted anything about Fatboys.  It is a motorcycle-themed bar and grill.  All the barstools are solo motorcycle seats, which is kind of cool.  They have a number of motorcycles on display.  They occasionally host live music and events.  They have a decent amount of dedicated motorcycle parking and a burnout pit.  One important note is that the address on their website is very misleading.  Fatboys is actually at the corner of MN-65 and Sims Rd NE (Cty Rd 86) in East Bethel, MN. Here's a pair of pics of Fatboys from across MN-65. Next to where I took those photos was an old gas station. On the way home, I ...

After checking out the festivities in Anoka on Saturday, I took a short ride down some nearby backroads. I spotted a pair of deer by the side of the road but only managed to snap a photo of one of them.  Look close. I found a gravel road with a fantastic name, Zanzibar Lane North. Apparently there isn't much to do around here except shoot stop signs. Come back for color pics...