Day 27

We started the day with showers. Whenever we change our clothes that’s usually a good indication that we stayed at a campground with showers. Kati would love to shower more often. G3 doesn’t seem to mind infrequent showers.

We spent a great of time in the car today. By the time we reached Duluth we were all hungry so we stopped for lunch. Since sandwiches are in the menu for this evening we thought “real food” for lunch might prevent us from having a cranky child. I went online and found a relatively inexpensive burger place not far from Superior. Yes, I had a burger…a really good meatless one. But first some history.

The Ojibwa People originally lived in the Eastern part of North America along the Atlantic coast. Due to tribal warfare, about 1,500 years ago, they started moving west, following the Great Lakes. Then the French arrived in the 1600s and invaded their land to trap animals. Displaced from their homes, they heeded a prophecy telling them they needed to travel west until they came across food that grew on the water. Eventually, they settled in Minnesota. There they found wild rice or what the Minnesotans call wild rice, only it isn’t really rice at all. It is the seed of an aquatic grass that has more protein than most grains. As a result, it makes for a perfect meat substitute and it’s what I had for lunch today — a wild rice burger. Kati was just excited that it looked as if we were all eating the same thing for once. Oh, and of course we needed to add an order of cheese curds. What would a mid-western meal be without them.

Following lunch, I wanted to take a walk down the the water. We are back. Back at our favorite non-salty body of water and I couldn’t wait to see it. G3 couldn’t wait to stick his feet in it. But once again the heat was too extreme for Kati so she stayed behind while G3 and I strolled down to Canal Park. We had a bit of culture shock. After three weeks of being out in nature, being in a city was a bit jarring. All those people. And cars. We actually had to look both ways before crossing the street. I enjoyed the walk and my spirit smiled to be so close to Superior. Unfortunately, a swim will have to wait until Wisconsin since Kati is starting to feel anxious about finding a place to camp.

As we walked down one street we came across Lake Superior Art Glass — a glass blowing studio. G3 is almost as fascinated and interested in glass blowing as he is in forging and black smithing. There is just something very alluring in the way a potentially destructive force — fire — can be used to create beautiful art. Needless to say, we stopped and I called Kati to tell her we were going to be awhile. The guy blowing the glass was very personable. He described what he was making and the process of making it. But, as always, I started asking questions and he seemed happy to answer them. He’s been blowing glass for eight years and he has a bachelor of fine arts in glass blowing. I had no idea one could get a college degree in it. And yes, he has traveled to Murano, Italy the birthplace of glass blowing. And the reason — I found this fascinating — Venice exiled glass blowing artists to Murano is because they were causing too many fires. It was safer to give them their own island. And the artists didn’t mind because it enabled them to better keep their artistic secrets.

We crossed into Northern Wisconsin — one of our favorite places. We planned to camp at the same place we camped last summer but when we looked online it appeared to have gotten more expensive. So we ended up at Herbster. Not only is it cheaper, it is right on Lake Superior. We can roll out of our tent into the water. I cannot imagine a better place to camp. In fact, if I don’t come home and I appear to fall off the grid you might find me right here.

Tonight, in memory of Dad, we went to see the first Marvel movie released since the pandemic shut everything down. (I am so happy G3 is vaccinated or we wouldn’t have been able to go.) G3 and I have been wanting to see Black Widow since it opened two weeks ago but we haven’t been anywhere near a movie theater. However, Bay Theater in Ashland is only forty minutes from where we are camping. When we gave G3 the option of a swim or the movie he quickly chose the movie. There will be plenty of time to swim tomorrow. As I’ve said, I am in no hurry to leave that campground. I can’t believe how cheap the tickets were — $8:50 (for a nighttime show). And a large popcorn is only $4. When I asked for tickets the guy at the counter made a face and I thought he was going to tell me it was sold out. Instead he said the movie wasn’t for another hour and a half. I guess things don’t sell out like they do at home.

After we purchased our tickets — we showed up early not wanting them to sell out — we went down to Superior for a picnic dinner. Near the lake is an artisan well with water that was allegedly delicious. We tried it and it’s the best water we’ve ever had. G3 was so super excited he not only filled up our reusable water bottles, he dumped out the water in the jug we had purchased in the store to fill that up as well. G3’s quote of the day, “Superior makes me happy.” He also said this might be the best stop all summer. That says a lot considering how much we have done, how much we have seen. I would move here — but there is no ATA taekwondo. And he would miss that.

We need not have worried about the movie selling out. There were only seven other people in the theater.

The movie was fantastic — the best Marvel movie I’ve seen. Daddy would have loved it. He should have been here to see it with G3. They would have had an incredibly wonderful time together. Life is so unfair.