Aug 18, Saturday
McCarthy State Park
McCarthy Beach State Park was just a little over an hour away from our last campsite. Our only challenge was that we missed the detour into the McCarthy Beach State Park, so we had to turn around in the town of Side Lake. We still made it to the park around 2 pm.
We had site #29 and could get into the site without much difficulty, but there were annoying wooden posts we had to maneuver around. The previous occupant found one too annoying and sawed it off. The campground was situated between Side Lake and Sturgeon Lake, and we had views through the trees of Side Lake.
We had no utilities at this campsite, but I had chosen this park because I needed a campsite near Voyageurs National Park, and this was the best I could get. It was a dirt site that was mostly shaded, which was nice since we were expecting an abnormally high temperature of 88 degrees and a low of 64 degrees. We were going to make use of the battery-powered fans we bought back in Duluth. I had filled our freshwater tanks about half full before we left Duluth to have plenty of water for showers and drinking.
Iron Man Memorial
After we set up, we drove a little after 3 pm to explore the area. Near Chisholm, we found the 85-foot-tall Iron Man Memorial consisting of a 36-foot tall brass and copper miner perched on a 49-foot steel structure. It was erected in 1987 as a tribute to the men who labored in the open-pit iron mines on the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. The work is titled The Emergence of Man Through Steel, and the iron worker’s posture represents the weariness of a day spent working in mines.
Minnesota Discovery Center
Across the highway from the memorial was the Minnesota Discovery Center. It was closed for the day, but we visited the large Veterans Memorial just outside. We also drove to the large BMX track beside the museum, built from an old iron mine pit.
Leonidas Overlook
We then drove over to Leonidas Overlook. This dirt road turnoff took us to an overlook of some past and current iron pits. The current mine was hard to see because it was a long distance away. The colorful sheer walls surrounding the lakes formed in the old pits of the mines were very beautiful.
Worlds Largest Free-Standing Hockey Stick, Eveleth
We then drove to Eveleth to see the World’s Largest Hockey Stick.
Eveleth unveiled the World’s Largest Hockey Stick in a downtown vacant lot in 1995. It weighed over three tons and was 107 feet long. In 2001, it developed a crack and had to be taken down. Their claim was controversial since Vancouver has claimed to have the world’s largest hockey stick since 1985 at 205 feet. Critics state that this hockey stick was just a wooden sculpture bolted to the side of a building. In 2002, Eveleth transformed the vacant lot into “Hockey Plaza” and unveiled a new hockey stick, three feet longer and 3,000 pounds heavier than the first one. The “Big Stick” now stands 110 feet tall and is poised as if it’s about to slap the world’s largest hockey puck, which weighs 700 pounds. Eveleth now politely calls theirs the “World’s Largest Free-Standing Hockey Stick.”
Eveleth is also the home of the US Hockey Hall of Fame. Despite its modest population, the city has produced a disproportionate number of hockey stars during the 20th century. Though the Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto, this Hall of Fame is dedicated to US players, who only make up 25% of the hockey players in the NHL.
Bimbo’s Octagon
As we looped back toward our camper, we saw a lot of trees that looked rather sickly. We did enjoy the beautiful bright yellow ferns that lined the roads.
For dinner, a park ranger suggested a local restaurant called Bimbo’s Octagon, just outside the park in Side Lake, MN. Its unusual name was derived from a previous owner’s nickname and unique eight-sided shape. We got there at about 6:30 pm, and the place was hopping, so we were surprised that they closed at 8 pm. We ordered their specialty, pizza, which was really good. As we left the restaurant, we caught the sunset over the lake.
We got back to the camper at about 8 pm.
Aug 19, Sunday
Voyageur National Park
We left the campground around 8 am to meet our guide at the Voyageur National Park Visitor Center in Kabetogama. We had booked the Grand Voyageur tour with Border Guide Service several months after learning that most NPS tours were closed because of COVID. It was expensive but a great way to see the whole park. The guide was a native and a part-time Park Ranger, and since he owned the company, he was able to give us an unfiltered perspective of the park. The 6-hour tour encompassed most of the scenic and historic areas of the park.
About 15 people and their dogs were on the tour, which started from the Lake Kabetogama NPS Visitor Center, which was closed. He gave us an orientation of Voyageur National Park for about 30 minutes before we were loaded into his powerboat. One of the more interesting stories was how the government tricked the previous landowners into selling the property. The Park was fairly new, having only been in existence since 1975.
We then started clockwise along the shoreline, where he pointed out several resorts and told us stories about the people operating them. We also saw the first of many eagles that we would see on the tour. At the most western portion of the lake, he went up the Gold Portage for a short distance before heading over to Ellsworth Rock Gardens.
Ellsworth Rock Gardens
At Ellsworth Rock Gardens, we docked so that we could walk around.
Starting in the 1940s, Jack Ellsworth created a terraced flower garden on a prominent rock outcrop using natural elements and then accented his garden landscape with over 200 abstract rock sculptures. He created pathways through the garden using stone gateways, stairways, stepping stones, simple bridges, grass paths, and painted stone signs. By the 1960s, his health kept him from maintaining the gardens, which became overgrown.
The NPS acquired the gardens in 1978 but did not begin renovations until 1996. Only some of its former glory remains today, but it was interesting and fun crawling around on the rock terraces.
Eastward
We returned briefly to the Kabetogama Visitor Center to drop off three passengers who, I guess, were only there for part of the tour and headed east. He pointed out several eagles and their nests, popular camping locations, important natural features, and many other things along the way.
Stevens Resort
Our next stop was Steven’s Island.
In the early 1900s, Edward Hines and the Virginia and Rainy Lake Lumber Company dominated the lumber industry in the area. During that time, Edward Hines housed the company’s retreat on then Williams Island, present-day Stevens Island. Amidst this picturesque scenery, Hines invited and entertained many lumber buyers at this cozy retreat.
In 1929, pine logging ended, and Hines put his land holdings up for sale. In 1932, Ingvald Walter (I.W.) Stevens purchased the island to build a summer resort to help with his stress-related health problems in the solitude of Namakan Lake. In 1937, Pine Cove Resort welcomed its first paying guests. In 1959, he gave up the resort business and lived solitary as a symbol of self-sufficiency and independence until he left the island in 1979. Stevens’ cabin, a guest cabin, a sauna, a woodshop, and a root cellar are now open to the public to explore.
Our guide recommended this lunch spot, so we ate our packed lunch at one of the available picnic tables. We then walked around the abandoned buildings and shoreline while imagining what it would have been like living in isolation out here.
Kettle Falls
We continued east toward Kettle Falls while skirting the Canadian border. We disembarked at Kettle Falls so that we could explore the area.
Kettle Falls is the outlet from Namakan Lake into Rainy Lake. The portage between the two lakes had historically been a key gathering point from the time of the voyageurs to the miners, commercial fishermen, and lumbermen at the turn.
We first walked down to the dam built over the falls in 1910-1914 to control the flow of water needed to float timber to the sawmills. It straddles Kettle Island, which sits on the US-Canada border. It is one of the few places where Canada is south of the United States. We could walk to one end of the dam, but there wasn’t anything special to see.
We then walked over to the Kettle Falls Hotel. Around the time the dams were built, a scandalous hotel was constructed to entertain travelers through the area. Until it was acquired by the park service in 1976, it had a reputation as a place for prostitution, gambling, and illegal alcohol at various times throughout its history. This historic hotel was renovated by the National Park Service in 1987 and is the only lodging within Voyageurs, and it is only accessible by water.
We first visited the lobby, which was full of antiques, and then went to the hotel bar, where we ordered a few beers. The hotel bar is nicknamed the “Tiltin Hilton” because it has a sloped floor. They even had to mount their pool table on a special platform to keep it even.
We took our beers outside to the patio area, where we could socialize and talk with other tourists before returning to the boat.
Southern Shore
When we left Kettle Falls, we started heading back east. Besides the usual animals and natural features, he also pointed out various Native American burial grounds. One, in particular, had been washed out by the waves and they had to contact the local tribes to have the remains reburied.
We did not leave the boat again until we were back at the Visitor Center. Overall, I felt very satisfied with the tour.
Giant Walleye
When we left the visitor center, we stopped at a nearby gas station, where there was a giant walleye with a platform next to it so that you could mount it. Near the walleye is a Snobear snow track vehicle advertising an ice fishing guide service.
Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary
On our way back to the camper we stopped at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary because it was highly recommended by our guide. The Sanctuary is only open in the evenings from 5 – 8 pm.
This sanctuary was created to care for the bears that a logger named Vince Shute started feeding to keep them from breaking into his cabins to look for food. He had decided to stop shooting the bears when he realized, “The bears aren’t mean, just hungry!” He passed away on July 4, 2000, at 86, but The Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary was formed to feed the generations of black bears that still visit his former homestead. The sanctuary continues its mission through education on coexistence between bears and people.
When we turned into the sanctuary, we had to drive down a long dirt road to a parking lot. We were greeted by some incredibly friendly parking attendants who directed us where to park. We then had to buy some tickets and take a bus to a raised observation platform to watch the bears being fed. There were a lot of visitors, and the bus had to make frequent shuttle runs back and forth. Most of the staff appeared to be young adults referred to as interns. They just walked around the bears, dumping large buckets of food in various piles below the platform. There were probably at least 100 bears and no time limit on how long we could stay. We were told the staff lived on-site in cabins that supposedly had no running water.
We got back to the camper around 8 pm.
Aug 20, Monday
We left McCarthy State Park around 10 am and headed south to Lake Bemidji State Park.