Casa Blanca: White Iron Lake and Rusty's Birthday

This July we decided to alter our paradigm for our Boundary Waters trip. The mosquitoes are always quite pesky this time of year, so I pleaded to have an experience that included a cabin with screens on the windows. When we eventually get a dog, the cabin will allow us to bring the dog along.

Shortly after we left home and headed north, our air-conditioner decided not to work. We were pretty hot and exhausted by the time we got to our first-night hotel in St. Cloud, MN. After dinner, Cable TV went out so we turned on our NOAA radio. Hail, wind, tornadoes and flash flooding were predicted. We spent some of the evening abandoning our 4th floor room for the lobby. Luckily, the worst of it went around us.

On July 13th, we drove HWY 1 from Ely to a boat ramp on White Iron Lake. Our host used a Jon Boat with racks to haul us and our canoes across the lake. Our cabin was located at the south end of the lake on a very secluded spot.

The cabin is surrounded by forest and only accessible by water.

White Iron Lake covers 3,429 square acres. It's deepest part is 47 feet, but the average depth is only about 11 feet.

After landing at the dock, we portaged our food and our gear up to the cabin.

The portage was a narrow, rocky, tree-root-bumpy path, mostly uphill.

It took me 645 steps to make it to the cabin.

Our cabin was a lovely, hand-crafted building with knotty-pine walls, ceiling and floors. It is designed to sleep six people, so we had plenty of room.

Check out the big windows, WITH SCREENS!

The living area had a wood stove, which we didn't use. The stairs lead to the loft, which we also didn't use.

The kitchen area had a gas stove and a gas refrigerator. Quite an up-grade from what we normally have.

Nice dining area.

Bedroom with queen-sized bed.

There was a storage shed with lots of wood, an outhouse, and a fire pit.

There was also a sauna for our use. We had perfect weather, but July is just a bit warm for us to venture into the sauna.

Yup. It is what you think it is.

This cabin had a bonus room, built especially for the ladies. When one needs to go pee in the middle of the night, this comfortable spot (with a peat-filled bucket underneath) is the place to go. No more mosquito bites on private parts!

I especially enjoyed this amenity.

From the front porch--- forest, everywhere you look.

We were so secluded! Clothing optional. Mosquitoes the only deterrent.

The cabin had some gas lights, no electricity and no running water.

We paddled our canoes every single day. Most days we paddled twice a day.

I love being able to paddle my own canoe!

Rusty changing his lure.

On the very first evening Rusty caught a nice-sized Northern.

Cleaning the fish on the paddle he made.

Most days we had an hour or so of rain.

So we put on our rain gear and paddled.

I'm wearing a headlamp in the middle of my forehead on this evening paddle.

Most of the time it was sunny, bright, and beautiful!

So we paddled...

and paddled some more!

Water lilies covered the shallow areas of the lake.

One day we paddled to a special spot and went swimming in the water. The water was too cool for me to stay in very long.

We enjoyed the outdoor fire pit.

And just hanging out on the porch.

What a great get-a-way!

After five days the jon boat arrived to take us back to our car.

Rusty does an excellent job of getting everything tied down for our 700 mile trip home.

With no air-conditioning, again it was a hot, 700 mile ride. There's always a good side, right? I enjoyed the smells of the hayfields being mowed! (channeling Willa Cather) I'm sure I would have missed that if the windows had been up.

Two days after we got home we celebrated Rusty's birthday. We went to dinner with Karl and Lou, Lorvey and Peggy.