We called it "Vacation"

After the Wright family reunion, we headed to the capital North Shore of Lake Superior. Growing up in Minnesota, one looks forward to viewing fall foliage along this marvelous coastline of the largest of the Great Lakes. Our departure of Minnesota was in July so we got to enjoy the glorious summer wildflowers instead.

 

 

We reserved early and camped at Gooseberry Falls State Park between Two Harbors and Grand Marais.  Hiking trails abound in the area and we hiked parts of the most famous the Gitchi Gami and C.J. Ramstad/North Shore State Trails.

The first we hike parts of the 270-mile-long Superior Trail.  A part of the trail connects to the campgrounds and follows the Gooseberry River. The day warmed nicely and we found a family enjoying jumping from the rocks into the cool waters of the fast moving water, floating down stream to a place to climb out, and drying in the sun until warm enough to do it again.  This part of the trail snakes along the river and its beautiful waterfalls and pools among the basalt makes the area a summer favorite.  We hiked over seven miles and got home warm and tired.

The next day, we visited the Splitrock Lighthouse.  Built in 1910 before the north shore highway existed, this lighthouse was home to three lighthouse attendants and their families.  Before the highway, supplies were brought to shore on the beach 127 feet below the lighthouse.  A special rail tram system was designed to bring items up to the lighthouse. A staircase has been built beside the rails and part of the adventure is to climb the 174 steps back to the lighthouse.  After touring the lighthouse, we hiked down to the beach. This reminded us of the 1267 steps on the Red Trail at Bushkill Falls in PA.  

 

 

Our friend and coworker from Tamarac NWR, Emily was completing her summer volunteering in Superior National forest and learning about sustainable farming.  We invited her over for dinner and a short hike.  After sharing a wonderful meal, we watched a beautiful sunset from the bridges crossing the Gooseberry river.

Our final outing in the area was Betty's Pie in two harbors.  Trip Advisor will confirm our belief that the pies were Yummy!  I had blueberry crumble and Kathy dove into Carmel apple delight.  We wished we had room for more so we took another piece home for breakfast the next day.  It didn't last that long.  

We ended our time in Minnesota by buying two new tires in Duluth for the RV at Discount Tire, our go-to tire shop. They had a much easier time getting them off than our first tire purchase in Houston over a year ago.  It's nice finding a nationwide business who can keep up with rotations and maintenance no matter where we travel.  Discount Tire isn't everywhere but they've been where we need them.  

The day got late so we crossed into Wisconsin separately and spent the night in the Walmart parking lot in Superior.  Quiet except for the trains, it was a small step in our Great Lakes journey toward the east coast.

Grateful Camping, Part One

Since Joy had the whole week off and Kathy had time available, we decided to combine a trip to Mom’s for Thanksgiving with camping. We knew it was going to be cold, as she lives 200 miles northwest of Houston.  We planned to leave on Tuesday since Joy had a doctor’s appointment on Monday, and spent Saturday and Sunday packing and planning so that we’d be ready to hit the road first thing Tuesday morning.

We knew we needed to check the tire pressures and put it off, of course, until the morning of our scheduled departure.  The first two tires we checked were 20-30 lbs low!  After spending what seemed like an eternity filling them with our little compressor, we noticed that one of the new valve stem extensions was not allowing air in or out of the tire.  It was simply dead.  Joy suggested we go to Discount Tire, which is just a block up the road, to have them check the rest of the pressures and maybe fix the broken extension.  6 1/2 hours and $1700 later the RV was ready to go!

When I arrived at the shop, they were busy and said it would be about 45 minutes to check the extension.  Knowing that all 6 tires had to be replaced before we hit the road, I asked them how long it would take to put 4 new tires on.  Miraculously, they said it would be about 45 minutes.  Ha ha.  They had what we needed in stock so I called Joy, received approval, and told them to rock on.  I decided to wait at the store hoping that my sad little face would make it a rush job.  After paying for the tires, the tech told me I’d made the right decision as the tires appeared to have many aging cracks near the center.   

After about an hour, I walked out into the frigid air to check on the tech’s progress.  They had the passenger side tires off so I walked around the RV to the driver’s side – just in time to see the tech preparing to take a full swing at the outside tire with a sledge hammer.  He stopped mid-swing when he saw me.  “Problem?” I asked.  He said that he was having a difficult time removing the tire as it was corroded to the hub.  He said it happens and that they would be able to remove it with a little work.  I’m betting he didn’t guess he’d still be fighting with it 3 hours later!

Pre Fight

Joy began searching the Internet for possible solutions and found several YouTube videos showing how difficult it could be to remove fused tires from hubs. One showed a guy on a tractor trying to pull the tire off using a tow strap and eventually getting the wheels apart with a 2 x 4 wedge.  Joy sent the link to me to share with the techs as encouragement and I did.  

I called Joy to come get me, as I was cold and hungry.  When I left, they were reporting that the outside and inside tires had actually rusted to each other and the fight was more than they had bargained for.  They were spraying WD40 on them, banging them with a sledgehammer, and chiseling them apart.  On all three notes – I had to leave.

Joy picked me up for lunch and afterwards I decided to go to Advance Auto Parts to pick up some rust dissolver, thinking it would be stronger than WD40.  I drove back to Discount Tire and, just as I walked around the RV I saw the embattled wheel on the ground and a smiling tech.  “We just got it off!” he shouted with glee.  “How?” I asked.  Looks like the tractor video story encouraged them, as the tech used his own vehicle and a tow strap to pull the tire off.  Thing is – he had to do it from the other side of an iron fence that separated two parking lots. He pulled with his car while another tire tech lay under the RV and beat the tire with a large sledgehammer. Success!   

To reward them for all of their hard work, we went ahead and bought two new front tires as well.  I returned the rust dissolver unopened and came home to wait for the RV to be done. By the time it was, it was cold, dark, and rainy with freezing rain between Houston and our destination, Dana Peak Park.  Much like I do with flying, we decided to postpone our departure date and leave early Wednesday morning.  We spent the evening snuggled up with the pups and watching a movie.  Overall, it was a day of patience and gratitude. 

A year ago, I would have been livid about the entire situation, cussing the tires, the techs, the RV and anyone else who crossed my path.  However, this time I was calm and patient, reminding myself of the many people who are homeless, jobless or without family (and some experiencing all three.)  Was I really going to allow myself to get upset about having to buy 6 tires for my RV?  Please – the entire situation was petty compared to what others go through on a daily basis.  Life remains good, my friends, even with a little rust, a little delay, and a little expense.