7/27/06

I can't decide if Thursday or Friday was my favorite day of the camping trip. It's a toss-up.




The day started with corned beef hash in the dutch oven. With plenty of fried eggs. Did I mention we did not give a moment's thought to our fat and calorie intake all week?



After our large and leisurely breakfast, we headed up the peninsula to find Hungarian falls. But first a stop at the Jampot for some thimbleberry jam and assorted baked goods to sustain us on the hike needed to get from the vehicle to the actual falls. We're so glad to see the Society of St. John monks are still busy making delectable preserves and baked goods all these years later. Last time we'd been there was 1994. The monastery was bigger and beautifully surrounded by vegetable gardens and flowers. The shop itself looked exactly the same. Then we stopped by a scenic pull out near a sandy beach and had a tailgate lunch. Miss Elise looked so pretty in pink.



It was a few miles in to see the falls. Scott and Ann had been here before, but this was new scenery for me and Tim. We passed some 'ruins' of an old bridge from the copper mining days.



Not the biggest waterfall we've ever seen, but still charming and secluded. You could also climb the slope to the top, and view it from above.



The most logical thing to do after we got back to camp: Go swimming. The boys went in immediately, and I decided to go in, too. How could we not? This was the calmest I had ever seen Lake Superior. And the warmest, too. Placid as a bathtub. The water and sky seemed to melt into infinity. The boys had fun improvising 'yachts' out of driftwood tree trunks.

What could make all this better? Not having to cook! The guys took over dinner duties at the campsite, putting together a succulent dried fruit braised pork loin and a corn casserole. While I sat in the lake, my pint glass of beer kept immersed in the water, refilled at intervals by Tim making trips down to the beach to check on my beer level or get consultation on the casserole.




Dutch oven efficiency: stack one atop the other!

That night, we got treated to a unique sight for us 'trolls' (that's Michigan residents who live below, or south of the Bridge). I had gone down to the bathroom building for my nightly shower. Have I mentioned the bathroom building was a quarter mile away from our site? We had pit toilets immediately nearby, which we were really thankful for, but for any more involved hygiene, you had to make the trek to the center of the campground where the running water was. I was on my way back in the darkness when I noticed a subtle glow to the northwest. Odd, since there are no big cities anywhere in that direction, only Isle Royale, and the Canadian wilderness. When I noticed clouds in front of it, and stars through it, I knew it was northern lights. Other people were standing out on the bluff above the beach, observing the spectral grayish green glow, too. I started running for the campsite, not knowing how much longer it would last.

Tim had already gone to bed, so I woke him up and told him his wish to see northern lights had just been granted. Then I went next door and tapped on Scott and Ann's camper door and roused them out of bed too. We stood on the sandy bluff and watched the glow slowly shift and sway, reflected on the calm lake. Shooting stars pierced the sky overhead through the pines. Magical.

Scott managed to get a pic.