Deer Statue & ATVs at Cabellas

This big Cabellas store had an enormous statue of two record bucks. I thought they were elk because their racks were so big, but when you read the inscription, you realize that they were supposed to represent two of the largest whitetail deer bucks ever taken in the state. Zach had me read the sign warning us not to climb on the statue about 10 times.

There was a long line of ATVs outside that Zach just had try out. I suppose they looked suspiciously like baby-sized cars from his viewpoint.

We did complete our Bear Hunt again. I'm always glad to satisfy a baby obsession.

Guns & Bikinis

On the way back home, we finally nabbed a picture of the most excellent store seen on the trip.

Farewell Photography Session

June 22, 2012
We would be leaving in the morning, which is when I realized I did not get enough pictures.

The rain from earlier in the week had finally cleared up and we had bright skies for the last evening's smores cookout. It was finally clear enough to see all the way into Walker. As the sun set on a beautiful day, I tried to record it from the balcony of the cabin overlooking the scene.

Kid's Photo Session

June 22, 2012

As the time to leave drew near, everyone decided to put the children together to see if we could get that iconic vacation shot of the children.

Mission Accomplished.

Bridges & Inlets

6/21/12

Zach and I went in search of Kobekona Lake. We saw some nice inlets and portions of the Paul Bunyan Trail, but we only got brief glimpses of the big lake, which was surrounded by private cabins and thick woods.

We ended up spending a long time at the waterway between the Kabekona Bay of Leach Lake and Benedict Lake, which had a nice rail/trail bridge and a small boat ramp. Like all narrow connecting waterways I saw in this area, there was long streamers of seaweed like grass in the channel, all streaming in line with the current.

Walker's Farmer's Market

Zach and I went into town to go to the store and noticed that there was a little Farmer's Market near the store.

Zach was more interested in the ditch and culvert swollen with the recent rain water than the little market.

After a quick look, I had to agree.

Bald Eagle

After driving all over the area and beating the bushes looking for a good sighting of a Bald Eagle, we returned to the resort one day to find one perched at the top of a pine tree next to the playground outside of our cabin

Misty Shrouded Shores

We returned to Cass Lake to try to find out a little more about it. The map had a mention of a Bald Eagle study area. The Chippewa lady at the Ranger's Station told us that it had not been open for years, she barely remembered it.

We headed in that general direction and quickly found some freightening looking, but nice firm roads in the damp and thick forest. It didn't feel quite like going offroad, because there were cabins every few hundred feet, but the forest crowded the road and made it feel completely overgrown and wild.

We kept trying to get a glimpse of the shore, and from the light through the trees, we could tell we were only about 100 yards away, but it was never visible through the thick trees. Finally, we found a road to a campground and boat ramp on the lake and arrived just as it began to rain. We put on our rain coats and walked the shore as a gentle rain came down. There were two men on a boat about 200 yards offshore doing something strange with some long poles. It almost looked as if they were taking depth readings or sampling the lake bottom.

Cass Lake has an interesting feature that is very striking if you view the satellite photos of the area. The glaciers carved a bunch of bowls out of the ground that shaped the lake into a bear print pattern. Inside the lake is a huge island, and this island has a big lake in it. A lake within an island within a lake. There must have been a bridge going out to it, but we never found it.

Cass Lake

Just north of Walker and the Shores of Leach Lake was a little community on the shores of another Lake.

Cass Lake is a sleepy little town, with signs of coming to life. We found a fantastic Ranger's Lodge there. I looked like something straight out of a Lincoln Log catalog. Inside was no disappointment, either, with lots of wood and large rooms, the style of a 75 year old WPA project.

We stood outside the offices the first day when they were closed, parked between three enormous bushes that smelled like honeysuckle. Zach was fascinated by the trains that kept chugging slowly through the town, and the helicopter that circled overhead.

We stumbled across a state-of-the-art Visitor's Center, with animal tracks cast into the concrete walkways and a well-lit atrium.

Zach and I drove around the lake, trying to see on the ground what I could see on the maps. While we did cross over the Mississippi twice, as it flowed into and out of the lake, looking like a wide stream, we did not see what I was most interested in. It was intriguing enough to return a few times and explore it further.

Rest & Relaxation

That's what a vacation is for.

Tourist Stores in Walker

I found myself enjoying the tourist kitch in the little shops in Walker. From the ancient chocolate machine to the indian drum that matched the one that I had when I was a kid, there was an abundance of fun and interesting diversions. Much of it was oriented to the outside life. There was a lot of photography and painting, as well as a wide variety of jewelry and crafts. I found several interesting maps in the guise of art.