We’ve Been MN Residents for 22 Months.

 

We slip our canoes into White Iron Lake from this lovely spot.

As many of you know, our dry cabin (no running water) was purchased in July 2020.  The following year we hired Froe Bros to dig our well and have enjoyed having water available at the hand pump.  It takes 10-12 pumps to bring the water up to the surface and another 80-90 pumps to fill a 3 gallon bucket.

This summer Froe Bros returned and installed an electric pump at the base of our well.

Digging through rock, always.

A trench is dug for water to get from the well to the cabin.

We hired Schulze Excavators to install a septic system.

Cody pushed over many trees and then began digging a trench.

This trench will be about 100 yards long and connect the waste from the cabin to the septic system.

Lots and lots of huge rocks were removed from the trench.

Then a giant hole was dug for the septic tank.

Dump trucks filled with Class 5 (fine rock & dirt) were needed for the project—30 loads!

A raised mound system is needed.

Finished mound with new grass on top.

Now that the septic has been completed, we are working on getting our cabin hooked up to the septic.  Our carpenter, Chad Carlson, is building a utility room (about 7’ x 9’ x 41” tall) under the corner of our cabin.

Eventually this crawl space room will be fully insulated and heated.

Cement floor is completed, so Froe Bros installs a pressure tank.

Room is now fully insulated, water heater and pressure tank and water filter installed.  Some plumbing work has been done, but not everything is fully connected yet.

MEANWHILE…

Rusty relied on a wood rack and tarps for firewood last year.  We decided to have a dedicated woodshed for the upcoming winter.

Builder Mark Olson is watching as the cement truck fills the base for the woodshed.

Mark and Wade begin the framing.

Now we’re chopping wood for winter storage.

Even though our outdoor project seems to consume much of our time (and money), we still find time to have fun.

I rode all 50 miles of the annual Mesabi Trail event.  This trail is my favorite place to ride.

We support Save the Boundary Waters and enjoyed the annual Garden Party.

Glen and Jane Witte, good friends from Lincoln, spent a few days with us.

We attended the one-woman play about Jeannette Rankin.

We rode to Eagles Nest in Toby’s classic (1987) Jeep Wrangler.

Kurt and Barb took us on a pontoon cruise of Eagle’s Nest, drinks and snacks aplenty. Kurt provided a running narrative as we toured the lakes.

Toby and Alison on the cruise with us.

Naturally, we had to go on another Boundary Waters adventure.  This year we went in Fall Lake, up through Newton Lake and camped on Basswood.  Seven miles of paddling and 1.5 miles of portaging (one way).  On the way in we stopped at a sandy beach and collected 33 muscles, which were delicious at supper time.

Our landing spot was easy.

But the campsite was high up a cliff.  Here I’m hefting one of several 40 pound bags up a steep hill.

Luckily we got tents and tarps all put up before the skies opened up and poured torrential rain.

Our resourceful guide, Steve, made sure we had plenty of dry wood for warm fires, and fish to eat.

It was fun to canoe on this reflective water.  Sometimes it felt like we were canoeing in the sky.

I spent a couple hours one day soaking up sun.

After four days of enjoying the wilderness, it was time to pack up and head south.

Carrying packs down the hill was much easier than going up.

It was a great trip!

This is the road into Hubachek Wilderness Resource Center, a 350 acre place where I took a two-day class.

It was an all-women chain saw class.

I learned so much!  Now I can use our chain saw with confidence.

Me in my protective pants.

Our instructors, Cheryl, Tish, and Holly.

I also took a class at the Ely Folk School and learned to make this woven birch bark basket.

We each made a basket, all of them unique.

I just finished painting the inside and outside of our two cabin doors, the outhouse door, and both of Rusty’s shop doors.

Got to get these jobs finished before winter.

We have a game trail that goes down to the lake, which we (and the deer) use year round.  I’ve spent some time digging out rocks and roots that are tripping hazards, then laying down Class 5, and eventually some wood chips.

One of my biggest thrills of the summer was getting to meet Congressman Jamie Raskin.  He is the Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee.  His daughter is married to a MN native and Raskin agreed to speak to our weekly Tuesday Elyite group.

Congressman Rankin signing Unthinkable.

Rusty and I replaced our 2009 mini-van with a 2018 Toyota Tundra.  With 4-wheel drive it should have an easier time getting up our driveway in the winter.

Each of you has an open invitation to come and visit.  I really think fall is the prettiest time of year.  All visits include free lodging at the Grand Ely Lodge and meals in our cabin.