Page 48 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000

We drove out into the countryside to bird watch. Sometime during

the day we had moved from open farmland into the edges of the
Boreal Forest. The lines of trees kept us from seeing any birds

from the car and the mosquitoes were so fierce we couldn’t get

out to wander around.

So we drove to a state park on the Lake of the Woods. We were
able to lather up with Deet and take a short walk along the slim

rocky beach. The Lake is 80 miles long by 50 miles wide and large
enough to give the feeling of being on the shore of an ocean.

Missing was the smell of salt. There were small waves and a
steady breeze that made for a pleasant evening. We enjoyed

seeing gulls, white pelicans and small shore birds. The sandstone

pebbles and stones are polished smooth as silk by the action of
water over the millennia. A big storm came up and we had to

abandon the out of doors and head in for the night.

BAUDETTE to INTERNATIONAL FALLS and VOYAGEUR NP

Monday - This was a disappointing day. The weather was bad with

rain off and on all day. The lack of sun always lowers the spirits.

The trip odometer hit 5000 miles.

We went to two different Ranger Information Centers to see if we
could get a guided boat ride out into the park. No such luck. There

is no failure of truth in advertising for this National Park. They
advertise themselves as a water park and that they are. If you

can’t or don’t want to get out in a canoe or powerboat, there
really isn’t anything to do.

There are only 20 miles of hiking trails and most of them are on

islands that you can get to only with a boat. We discussed renting

48