spiderplanet

 Some more vacation photos, working sort of backwardsish.  

When we woke up on Tuesday, it was supposed to rain until 2PM.  Then around 1PM, it was supposed to rain until 3PM...  The forecast continued that it would rain for two more hours perpetually.  At about 4PM, we decided to go on a soggy walk in Bear Head Lake State Park because soggy is better than bored.  

It is a beautiful old forest with very old trees.  Because of the rain, we saw zero other humans on the trail, which was nice.  There were a few people in parking lots, but they were going where we were not.  




Image shows a forest canopy of trees.

There is a type of tree called a "white pine" that has a slightly whitish bark. This tree had damn well better be called a "Red Pine." It is, in fact, a "Red Pine."  The color is stunning in person, and somewhat noticeable in this photo. 

  

Here is a plant with red berries.  There are four leaves if the berries are not yet present, and six leaves if there are berries.  I am interested to know what it is.  Edited to add:  Google says the plant is a bunchberry!



Last summer, we had the window in the camper repaired.  There's still a leak, and it was managed with duct tape and a tarp.  Here's a view of some rain not getting in to the camper.  The fan and the towel are there to dry out the rain's previous, more successful attempt.  



Monday was a sunny day.  We went to Lake Superior and Silver Bay on Monday.  We briefly ran in to and visited with Rocky Taconite.  Rocky is not wearing a mask because the order doesn't take effect until Saturday in Minnesota.  I sincerely hope someone in Silver Bay makes Rocky a mask to keep our most beloved taconite mascot safe.  




If this picture had turned out better, it would be on the card you all receive in December.  As it is, it's difficult to make out who's in the photo behind us. 

Before TC Bear and Goldy Gopher were an item, Goldy and Rocky Taconite were in a troubled and complicated relationship.  They were both very young, and I've heard that they both have regrets.  Rocky was still willing to pose for this photo with us, even though I could tell that Rocky was a bit put off by my Gophers mask.  I'm sorry to have brought up old wounds, but Rocky is a professional and never actually mentioned it.    

On the way back to our campsite, we stopped at McDougal Lake in the Superior National Forest.  We saw zero other people there. 



A sign indicated that this Wild Rice is Manoomin Wild Rice.  We could hear ducks from where this photo was taken, but ducks are good at hiding.  



"Quack!  Go away and don't even think about eating my children!  Quack!"  

I'm going to the Minnesota State Fair tomorrow, and I'll take lots of pictures, so I should wrap up on all the KC pictures that I want to post.

I enjoyed Kansas City for the most part. I could have spent another two days in their museum and I will be sure to plan for more time in the museum if I ever get back there. The convention was fun, and I love spending time with people from this community, even if a few individuals drive me a bit bonkers.

On Monday after the convention, we had planned to take in more tourism. Turns out everything touristy is closed on Mondays, which is true in most major American cities, but it's something I hadn't needed to notice before. We did outdoorsy stuff, visited parks and played Pokemon Go.

There were more fountains, of course.



We also went to Case Park, in the Quality Hill neighborhood, the same neighborhood that we stayed in. The Quality Hill neighborhood was once the swankiest of swanky neighborhoods in Kansas City. It was a significant spot in the "Corps of Discovery Expedition," formerly known as the "Lewis and Clark" expedition until it needed to be recognized that there were many contributors who were not Lewis or Clark, including three other people in the expedition. Even the dog was a major contributor as a guard and a scout.

In the 1970s, the Quality Hill neighborhood became poorer, and many of the old mansions were bought up by an investor/arsonist named Arnold Garfinkle. The historic homes are no longer standing, the neighborhood is now a mix of public housing and expensive condos.

On the site where Meriweather Lewis journaled that the location would be a "commanding situation for a fort," there is a statue which clearly shows Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea. All three of those figures are easy to see in the sun. Sacajeawea carries Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.



On the other side, York faces the shadows, along with Seaman, the dog. This picture sucks, but after seeing in person how the work was placed, I think maybe the sculptor meant for people to have trouble seeing York.



William Clark was a slaveowner. York was a slave, owned by Clark, and a major contributor to the expedition. Little is known about his life. Years after the expedition, Clark was asked about the whereabouts of York. Clark lied and said that York had been freed, but had died trying to return to slavery because he was a failure at life on his own (Profoundly unlikely for someone who did all the dangerous human work in an expedition party, ranking only above the dog in status).

I hadn't heard of York before seeing this sculpture, and I'm glad to know a small bit of his part in American history. History that ignores the messy bits isn't history, it's a Munchausen's tale.

We did lots of walking that day, and finally ended up back at the apartment to pack up and get back to Minneapolis. This sculpture commemorates the Garment District. It was outside the apartment, and it's a Poke-stop.



On the return trip, we stopped about halfway back. We got gasoline and lunch, and looked at the ducks and geese. These geese may look Canadian, but they're Iowan. To be more specific, they're Des Moinesian.