July 29th thru August 4, 2009

We now have electricity so I can get some stuff from the last few days ready to enter when I have internet again.

After we turned back we decided to take our time and just make our way back east and down into Minnesota.

After a couple of delays leaving Medicine Hat we left on July 29^th heading east on Highway 1 out of Medicine Hat. Near Morse, SK we visited some “dry” wetlands (Reed Lake) with a really nice viewing area. No birds and no moisture as far as we could see. Then on to Chaplin where there is Sodium Sulphate mining. It is used in laundry detergents, dishwasher soap and carpet deodorant just to name a few. Looks like piles of snow along the road. That night we camped at Moosomin, SK. There was a fireworks festival going on that weekend so we were lucky to find a spot at all, ended up with a nice spot down by the lake in the group camping area (the group had not yet arrived). It rained hard that night, but happily no leaks!

July 30^th we woke up early and just lazed around and than went for a walk. Than took 709 east, saw lots of oil wells, many of them looked fairly new. Where we stopped for lunch Dale counted 13 of them from our parking spot. Another thing we were seeing all along was a pipeline being laid for oil. (We think, or maybe natural gas.) We made a stop in Reston for me because there was a quilt shop. I was not impressed, so it was a short stop. We camped that night at Spruce Woods Provincial Park.

July 31^st Dale wanted to walk the sand dunes trail at Spruce Woods so we moved the camper to the trailhead and both of us started out. I saw the soft sand and the dark skies and headed back to the camper. I am not a stout walker and do not like getting wet so Dale went on by himself. He returned wet as could be (really it just drizzled off and on most of the time so just the outside layer was wet) and tired but made the round trip of the trail about 9 km. Most of the sand dunes were grassed over, so the walking was not too bad most of the way.

August 1^st, 2009 we crossed the border back into good ole USA. They checked out our passports, asked about citrus fruit then we were on our way. Stopped at Warroad, MN to eat lunch and discovered we had internet, so answered some emails before the computer ran out of juice. Our data card has been pretty useless. Although we had phone service in much of where we have been in Canada, the card uses a different signal and did not connect anywhere. So the coverage map they show you of Canada is only for phones not data cards and they did not tell us that when we bought the data card. Live and learn I guess. When we got back to MN the card works in some towns, but we have been staying in state parks and it has not worked there. Aug 1^st we camped for the night in Nelson State Park, on the Rainy River, a very small park but free. No trails to walk, but we had a spot right on the river so that made Dale happy! Rainy River is a big river between two lakes and they say it is one of only two second larger rivers in the US (actually it is on the US/Canada border) that flows North (the Red River being the other). In looking at the map it looked like it went more South than North, but that is what they told us.

August 2^nd we drove thru International Falls and on to Voyageurs National Park via highway 11. Dale decided to take a 2 ½ hour boat tour, as just about the entire park is only boat accessible. While not part of the official Boundary Water area, the US and Canadian border is in the water of the park and according to the guide it is a lot like the Boundary Waters area. Dale saw several Bald Eagles, a deer, a loon and it’s young’un and heard about the gold mining, timber harvesting, commercial fishing and the park. I was content to stay with the camper, read and do a crossword puzzle. He had a good time and took lots of pictures for me. We left there about 4pm and headed down 53 to 1 and are staying the night at Scenic State Park off of 38 near Bigfork, MN. Got here late but walked on the board walk along the lake in the evening and will take a hike tomorrow morning out on a peninsula between the lakes.

Aug 3^rd, 2009 Today we had made a stop in Grand Rapids to find a visitor center, no visitor center but I did find a quilt shop. We stopped at Crosby, MN at their city park campground for the night. Pretty area but the bugs are non stop!

August 4^th, 2009 we headed south to Brainerd, MN to look at some RVs. We spent most to the day going to RV places. Found a pretty spot in Litchfield, MN to camp beside a lake. Also found a pretty arboretum to wonder thru on our nightly walk.

August 5^th, 2009 we are down in Mankota, MN looking for some RV places to look at.