Mille Lacs Minnesota to Brandon Manitoba

No wifi at the last 3 campgrounds so sorry no blogs. We left mille Lacs and travelled to the Detroit Lakes area distance around 190km. We stayed at a simple camping with great people and a 'pub':  a huge industrial building all done up inside with a bar in the middle, a stage in one corner and room to dance all round. We had a great happy hour and more, good conversation and cold beer.   Marvin & Sally are the hosts here, what a great job they are doing.                                        

  A couple or 3 of pics I managed to take after leaving the pub.

We left the next morning to drive to Jamestown, North Dakota, a distance of 225km.The scenery in this part of Minnesota, was beautiful, the road seemed to go through the middle of the lakes!

The camping in Jamestown was tatty and tired, and you could reach out the window and shake hands with  the camper next door, still it was within walking distance to  "Frontier Village"; and shops, lakes, and two rivers only a short drive away.

 Bet this mode of transport was not very comfortable.

 Great old log cabin

 this old f

ella looks over the village

 Ruth checking to see if there are any Robinsons on this board (as it used to be one of the family sidelines a couple or 3 hundred years ago.Last look down the street.

Jamestown is built on an old Sioux Indian meeting place of two rivers. The Indians were moved on in 1863!

 The James River on the left and The Pipestem on the right, just look at that sky! This original summer meeting place of The Sioux, is now a park, with a board telling the sad tale of a lost nation.                                                 

We had two nights here, really enjoyed this smart little town, spending some time bird watching at the various wetlands.  

`We then moved on to a camping just north of the village of Harvey called the Haven -  - small, just 8 places in contrast to Jamestown (they would get maybe 50 campers on this hill) It was  a little paradise. We were amazed by the vast skies in this prairie landscape.

 Entrance to The Haven. Here we are at the top of the hill trying to make our minds up where to park, we had a choice of 7 places.  What about that sky? 

This is Gus the Gopher their pet "greeter"

 

 An American Goldfinch

Birds every where.

 Gus again, he is the star at The Haven. Thank you Barb. & Larry for a wonderful stay,  one night was far too short.

The distance Jamestown to The Haven 182km.

Mille Lacs Minnesota

Monday evening and we are at Pete's Retreat, Mille Lacs, Minnesota. We left Ishpeming on Saturday and drove 196km to Bessemer - which is just before the

Wisconsin border - a very quiet campground beside a river and small lake.                                  

 A very fast flowing river, we are parked on high ground but the lower part of the camping is a small lake because of all the rain.

 We are high up above the river.

 Some more unusual wild flowers

 This little thing is lovely, not sure what it is. Must look into an app for insects, dragonflies etc!      

On Sunday morning we left Bessemer travelling west into Wisconsin and then south to Hayward where we stopped at a KOA camping. We have passed a few of these campings so thought we would give it a try. Not our cup of tea. Very big but well kept, clean and lots of things to do for families: water slides, tubing (rubber ringing) down the river, play grounds etc. etc. (we are too old for all that stuff) but it did have good wifi, so were able to face time and skype family and friends back in Europe.  Distance 162km.

The countryside is changing from wild forest (Michigan) to a rolling forest and grassland (Wisconsin) to farms and lakes (Minnesota) The camping we are on tonight I think is the best yet and today has been the first day without rain for a week.

 This little chap enjoying his dinner outside our window.

 Looking out of the window on the other side of the trailer .

 Looking towards the dry part of the camping. The big holiday season starts this coming weekend, lets hope the rain has finished and all this will dry out. Todays distance 190km.

Tomorrow heading for the Detroit Lakes area and then North Dakota.

Ishpeming Michigan

Left Newberry and drove to Ishpeming 178klm. not a good drive raining boring scrubby countryside until about 50k from Marquette when the sun came out and everything looked better.  Again we just got set up and the rain came again lasted all afternoon, just let up for us to rush to the brew pub next door to the camping for bbq ribs and their own beer. Not so lucky getting back to the trailer though like a couple drowned rats when we got back, beer was worth the wetting.

 The reason we came to Ishpeming was to visit the grave of my great aunt Eva. I first came here in 1968 with my first wife Jill my sister Lynne and cousin Stephen. Jill and I were living in Canada at the time and Lynne and Steve came over from England on a visit. the second time was in 1969 with my Mum and Dad. My aunt and uncle had come to Michigan in 1906, the iron ore mines in Northern Lancashire were coming the end of there life where here in Upper Michigan they had only just started.

 My Great Aunts grave above and the three family graves. The larger one are the two children, the first child born in 1908 and died only two days old and the second child Margaret born in 1910 and died in 1913, the middle grave is  Great Uncle John died in 19663.

John and Eva went to England for a visit in the early 20s my Farther was 7 or 8 years old at the time and could just remember them so the 1969 reunion was a special time.  My fathers sister Margaret who was born in 1918 is still going strong at 95 I wonder if she was named after her cousin.