Here at Grand Portage I have been able to give programs on a regular basis. All the rangers have at least one program that they write and give. Tom’s program is “Stone vs Steel: The Irony of Progress.” He also does a program where he demonstrates three historic ways of making a fire (no matches). …
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Repairing the Rocking Horse
As soon as Tom started working here at Grand Portage, the Rangers discovered he was good at solving problems. Ranger Carl, in particular, gave Tom lots of odd jobs that involved solving problems. one example of that problem solving was repairing the rocking horse. The rocking horse was built years ago by Ranger Carl for …
Mist of Avalon at Grand Portage
Because of the National Park Service Centennial, the Mist of Avalon was a special attraction at Rendezvous this year. The Mist of Avalon is a Grand Banks schooner that started life as a fishing ship in Nova Scotia before being abandoned. It was salvaged by George Mainguy in 1992 who converted it into the schooner. …
Stopped at the Border
Recently, Tom and I were stopped at the border. Tom and I go regularly to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. We have been heading up there every other week to do our grocery shopping at The Real Canadian Superstore. We also needed to get the truck serviced and chose to do it in Thunder Bay as …
Fisherman’s Picnic in Grand Marais
Last week was the Fisherman’s Picnic in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Usually we don’t get to attend local festivals because we have to work on weekends but the Fisherman’s Picnic started on Thursday, so we went down for the afternoon. We heard mixed reviews from the folks at Grand Portage about the Fisherman’s Picnic. Mostly about …
Northern Lights
Every night while we have been in Minnesota, Tom has checked out the Northern Lights prediction. There is a web page you can go to, The Space Weather Prediction Center, which tells how likely it is that you can see the northern lights. They use a five point G scale to describe the environmental disturbances …
Passionate about Recycling
Most national parks recycle the usual things and Tom and I appreciate the opportunity to recycle while we are living in the parks. Chickamauga was the exception because Georgia doesn’t really have a recycling program and the park had to pay to have its recycling collected. Consequently, they just collected certain plastics and aluminum. Grand …
James Townsend and Son
Among Living Historians, James Townsend and Son is the mecca for buying period correct clothing and accessories. When Tom and I made our quick trip back to Ohio in June, we stopped each direction in Pierceton, Indiana to visit the actual James Townsend and Son store. James Townsend and Son is a manufacturer and retailer …
Temperance River State Park
Yesterday I mentioned that Tom and I rode the Gitchi Gami Trail beginning at Temperance River State Park. After we were done riding, we spent a little time hiking and exploring the river which constitutes the center of the park. Temperance River State Park is so named because it does not have a “bar” across …
Quick Visit to the Emergency Room
Tom and I already had our adventure day this week and it was more adventure than we care to repeat. It culminated in a visit to the Emergency Room at Cook County North Shore Medical Center in Grand Marais. But here’s how it started. I woke up Sunday morning with a sudden, severe, and painful …