Winter Driving on the Gunflint Trail

Driving on the Gunflint Trail in the winter can be challenging.  In recent months, I have seen people engaging in many dangerous practices which put their life, and the lives of others at risk.  As a member of the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department, I have seen the results of this carelessness, and know that many of those accidents could have been prevented.  Here are some basic tips of how to drive safely on the Gunflint Trail in the winter:

1. Don't drink and drive in a car or snowmobile!  In the state of Minnesota, if you get caught over the legal limit drinking and driving, drinking and snowmobiling, or drinking and boating, you lose the right to do any of those activities.  Many of the worst accidents I have responded to have involved alcohol.

2. Remember that your 4-wheel or all-wheel drive can get you going faster, but your brakes don't work any better.  If the conditions dictate it, drive slower.

3. If you are driving slower, and there is a line up behind you, pull over in a parking lot, turnaround, or side road to let them pass.  People generally don't mind if you drive slow, but they may not want to follow you for 40 or 50 miles at that speed.

4. If you see an animal or some beautiful scenery, look behind you before you put on the brakes!  I have had multiple cars slam on their brakes in front of me this past year and nearly cause an accident.  The first time I was driving a red fire truck with the emergency lights on, when someone saw a moose, and slammed on their brakes in front of me.

5. Follow other cars at "country distance" instead of "city distance."  In the rural areas, we give the vehicles about 3 times the distance as in the city.  When I had vehicles slam on their brakes in front of me, any one of those incidents could have resulted in an accident if I had been following at "city distance."

6. Don't stop in the middle of the road.  There are plenty of spots to pull off the road if you want to get pictures.

Picture from Gunflint Lake Scenic Overlook Parking Lot

Gunflint and Magnetic Lakes from the Gunflint Lake Scenic Overlook Parking Lot

7. Don't stop in the middle of a curve or on a hill.  Other cars will not have the time to stop if the drivers do not see you until the last second.

8. Don't come up the Gunflint Trail with bad tires.  It doesn't matter if you have 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive if your tires cannot grip the road.  I started out a winter with worn tires once, and it made a huge difference.  Shortly after the first winter driving conditions, I went to Duluth to get some new tires, making the driving much safer and more relaxing.

9. Put your phone away and enjoy the scenery.  American cell phone service disappears as you pass the George Washington Pines just outside of Grand Marais.  If you pick up a signal after that, you will be paying international rates since your signal is bouncing off the Canadian towers.  Besides, it is illegal to make calls on anything but a hands-free device while driving in Minnesota.

10. If you see emergency lights, be prepared to stop!  Please keep first responders and others at an accident scene safe!  Since the Gunflint Trail is only a 2-lane road, there will most likely be someone stopping you if there is an emergency incident.  Have patience, we will let you continue your drive as soon as it is safe.

Magnetic Rock in the Winter

Monday was a beautiful day on the Gunflint Trail, so I decided to take Ellie on a snowshoe hike to Magnetic Rock.  The sky was a deep blue, and the temperature started at about ten above, and ended at about two below zero Fahrenheit.

It was the first time I hiked on snowshoes with Ellie.  I tried walking in front, but Ellie kept stepping on the back of my snowshoes, so she ended up in front a little ways into the hike.

The snow off trail was deep, and the trail was relatively hard packed.  I probably could have gone without the snowshoes, but it is better to bring them along when you don't know the snow conditions.

Magnetic Rock and Border Route Trailhead

Magnetic Rock Trail First Pond

Ellie on the Trail

After about an hour of hiking, we came to Magnetic Rock.  It was shortly before sunset, so there was a nice golden glow over everything.

Magnetic Rock with the Setting Sun

Magnetic Rock

Ellie at Magnetic Rock

 Magnetic Rock is actually magnetic.  It contains magnetite, the most magnetic of the iron ores.  Compass needles are also made out of magnetite.

There are a plethora of lichens on Magnetic Rock.  Lichens are 3 forms of life living together symbiotically.  One part is a larger fungus.  The second part is algae or cyanobacteria.  Part three is a yeast type fungus.  The cyanobacteria or algae provides sugars/carbohydrates as a byproduct of photosynthesis, and the fungi provide mineral nutrients and a home outside of the water.  Lichens are a great bioindicator, since they are so sensitive to pollution.

Snow and Lichens of Magnetic Rock

 The last picture shows ice and lichens on Magnetic Rock.  Can you see which one is which?  The white on the peak is mostly ice, and the bottom 2/3 is mostly lichen.

Magnetic Rock

To get to Magnetic Rock, drive up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais for about 50 miles.  You will pass the South Gunflint Lake, North Gunflint Lake, and Warren's (Gunflint Narrows) roads on your right before passing the Round Lake Road on your left.  About 100 yards beyond the Round Lake Road on the left will be the Kekekabic Trailhead.  In about 100 more yard on your right will be the Magnetic Rock about Border Route Trailhead.  There is a small plowed parking lot in which to leave your car.

Bring snowshoes, water, sunglasses/goggles, snow boots, layers of clothing, and your camera.  Plan two to three hours for this moderately difficult hike.

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving.  It is a time to make great memories, spend time with friends, and spend time with family.  If you work in the hospitality industry (like I do), it is another work day with a large meal at the end.  It is also a day to be thankful for the many blessings in our lives.

I'm thankful for: an amazing family; friends old and new; pets past and present; being able to live and work in such a beautiful place; funny moments; music that moves me to the soul; the amazing work my relatives have done with the Hope for Annabel organization; the birth of my niece; the ability to play music with some great friends this summer; volunteers; Christmas with my family; learning to make lefse with my family; people who put their lives on the line to save others (military, firefighters, law enforcement, and medical responders); the honor to serve on the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department for the 15 years; 10 years as a host on the WTIP Radio Station; great stories; learning something new every day; skiing and snowshoeing in the winter; canoeing and kayaking in the summer; a passion for birding; road trips; audio books; native plants; interesting geology; the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings; living in a free country; camping; scientific advances; the beauty of Lake Superior; great food; Irish tea; house plants in the winter; wind chimes; great hikes; Celtic Music; Classic Country Music; Gospel Music; Folk Music; Christmas Carols; Concordia College in Moorhead; great vacations; a passion for learning history; family recipes; being a part of the Grand Marais Writers' Guild; good movies, and so many great memories with my family and friends.

This list is in no particular order.  It is by no means complete.  I encourage all of you to make a list of blessings in your lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hike to Two Step Falls and High Falls on the Baptism River

The North Shore of Lake Superior is full of surprises.  I've lived near this Great Lake for over 17 years, and still find many hidden treasures.

I have been visiting Tettegouche State Park for longer than I have lived here, but always went to see either the mouth of the Baptism River, or Palisade Head (both of which I highly recommend).  This summer, on a whim, I changed from walking to the river mouth to taking the hiking trail inland to see the High Falls on the Baptism River.  Upon arriving at this gorgeous waterfall, I had to ask myself why I had never come before, and why I left my camera in the car.

A few weeks ago, I decided to take my boxer Ellie for a walk to both the Two Step Falls, and the High Falls.  I parked in a small lot just beyond the Tettegouche State Park Visitor's Center, grabbed the dog and the camera, and hiked the relatively long, muddy trail to each of the falls.

The first falls I came to was Two Step Falls.  There  are a lot of stairs to traverse to get down to the river at that point, but it was worth it.

Two Step Falls on the Baptism River

Ellie the Boxer Enjoying Two Step Falls

After viewing the Two Step Falls, we climbed back up to the main trail.  The two people who ascended the stairs before us were sprawled out on the bench at the top.  In my life as a naturalist, I am blessed with plenty of exercise on hills, so the climb didn't really bother me.  However, if you live a sedentary life, you might want to skip the Two Step Falls, and go right for the High Falls.

A short hike brought us to the High Falls on the Baptism River.  It is 70-feet tall, and is the tallest waterfall fully in Minnesota.  The High Falls on the Pigeon River is taller, but half of it is in Ontario, Canada.

High Falls on the Baptism River

Frozen Spray from the Waterfall

High Falls on the Baptism River

The path I took to these falls was a little over 3-miles round trip, and by many standards, it was a strenuous hike.  If you are looking for a shorter hike, you can park at the trailhead parking lot closer to the campground.

I am sure the hike looks different from a few weeks ago.  We are in the midst of a snowstorm in Northern Minnesota, which has already given us at least 6 inches of snow on the ground, with more coming down.

50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing

50-years ago today, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin set foot on the Moon, while Michael Collins circled overhead in the Columbia.  The goal of getting to the Moon by the end of the decade and returning safely to the Earth had been set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961, only 20-days after the first American (Alan B. Shepard) had flown in space.  Approximately 400,000 employees and 20,000 industrial firms and universities worked together to make this goal a reality.

Imagine what we could accomplish if we worked together that well again today!

St. Patrick's Day Radio Shows

From this angle, Studio B is on the left, and Studio A is on the right.  I'm usually in Studio B.

I arrived at the radio station a little more than an hour before my first show on St. Patrick's Day.  My shows for the day were: Women in Music from 2 - 4 PM, Polka Time from 5 - 6 PM, and Classic Country from 6 - 9 PM.  When I do all three shows in a day, I usually do the vast majority of the preparation for the day before the first show even starts.  This includes organizing the studio, picking out music, pulling out the underwriter cards, doing a sound test, checking the board to make sure all the right buttons are pushed, starting a playlist, and looking up the weather.  While doing all that, we monitor the previous show in case it ends early.

This day, I had extra preparation to do in that I wanted to find as much Irish Polka Music as I could.  I pulled out the majority of the CDs in the Celtic section, and scanned the backs to look for any Polkas.  Then I listened to the songs off the air to make sure they would work for my show.  After choosing my songs from the library and my own collection, I wrote down some notes of what I wanted to play.

The Celtic section is the bottom three rows.

Women in Music was the easiest show for me to do the St. Patrick's Day theme.  I had more than enough music in my own collection to cover the show, and I know most of that collection like the back of my hand.  Most of the music I played was traditional Celtic, but I did put in some more recent songs as well.

When I started doing the radio shows ten years ago, I hardly had any female musicians in my collection.  Over the years, I have collected a lot of music.  In the Celtic genre, I think the majority of my music is now female musicians.  Having the Women in Music show has really exposed me to a lot of amazing female artists, and I will always be grateful for that learning experience.

I wore my Irish hat and sweater in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

After the conclusion of Women in Music, I took a short dinner break at Sven and Ole's in Grand Marais.  I had garlic cheesy bread with marinara sauce, and really enjoyed it. 

The key to getting dinner during my break is getting something fast, and getting back to the radio station.  It usually takes me about five minutes to get out of the station (I do the weather and basic announcements for Swing Session before heading out), five minutes to drive to a restaurant, and five minutes to get back.  I don't like to be walking in while the previous show's final theme is on, so I have to get back at least five minutes early.  That gives me about forty minutes to eat (if I'm lucky).

When I started out hosting Woman in Music, Polka Time, and Classic Country a decade ago, I was on for seven straight hours, since Classic Country used to be four hours long.  I would bring a sack lunch, and eat during the songs.  It is nice now to have that time for dinner, and go out one of the restaurants in Grand Marais if desired.

I was a little nervous about doing almost all Irish Polkas.  Most of the European Polka Music is from the central or eastern part of that continent.  The Celtic Polkas sound quite different than a Polka from Germany, Russia, Scandinavia, or the former Czechoslovakia.  In the past I did get a little negative feedback when I played what I think was a Viennese Waltz.  To avoid that on St. Patrick's Day, I stuck strictly with Polkas, and made semi-frequent announcements that it was a St. Patrick's Day Polka Special.

I did get one phone call.  Much to my delight, he said "I just wanted you to know that this is the best Polka Time ever!"  It is always fun to hear from happy listeners.  The vast majority of our callers are great; I haven't received any negative feedback in years.

Polka Time went really well.  All but five of the songs were Irish.  Two of the remaining songs were Scottish, and three were American.

When Polka Time was completed, I went right into the Classic Country show.  It was hard to find Irish Classic Country (although it is popular on the Emerald Isle), but I did play a couple of songs each from the Irish musicians Orla Fallon, and Daniel O'Donnell.

If you want to see the playlists from one of the shows, go to https://www.wtip.org/, and click on "PLAYLISTS."  On the scroll down menu, tap on the name of the show.  When the new screen comes up, tap on the date (March 17th, 2019) to access that playlist.  You can look at it during or after the show.  If you are viewing the list during the show, you will have to keep refreshing the page.

Thanks for listening!

Lighthouses and Lake Superior Ice

I was in Grand Marais on Thursday to host a Thirsty Boots show on WTIP.  Prior to the show, I ran several errands in town, and then stopped at the harbor to see the sunset.

There was ice in and around the harbor, which reflected the light from the two main lighthouses.  Frigid wind stung my cheeks, and dried out my hands.  I took pictures of both sides of the tombolo going out to Artist Point shortly after the sunset.  There was a beautiful mixture of blue, red, and orange surrounding the lighthouses.  In the other direction, the ice acted like a gigantic frozen mirror featuring and upside down image of Artist Point.

Grand Marais Harbor

Artist Point

The Lights Are On!