Return to Bob Reid Island....

...only I don't think it had a name when we went there as kids, lol. This is the island we used to canoe over to when we stayed at the former Fall Lake Resort as kids. Skinny-dipped on the far side, camped out on it during a storm, loads of fun, lol. It was fun to go back there today and look around. Looks as though it's still a popular place.

View of the island from the resort.

The resort I stayed at with my family for many summer vacations, as viewed from the island. So many good memories of that place! Wish it was still operated as a resort, but it's now part of Vermillion College.

Fire ring.

Somebody has good taste....

As I look out over Fall Lake tonight, I can't believe the week has gone by so quickly. We've had a great time - done a lot, had adventures, seen a lot of wildlife and explored beautiful country, relaxed, laughed. I'm going to miss this little cabin, I could be content here all summer....

Re-Discovery!

"Don't pay the ferryman"...or your 17yo son, LOL!
Dylan and I were tootling around in the boat this morning since the fish weren't biting. Found a nice little cove we pulled up into and noticed a trail. Followed it up the hill and discovered Kawishiwi Falls. I had totally forgotten about it but now I remember exploring the area with my childhood friend, Drew Szoka - they used to stay at the same resort every summer.

Heron

Spectacular view!

Not-so-spectacular view, lol!

Sure, Kelly - go ahead and dive in!

View from the top of the falls.

Underground Physics Lab in the Soudan Mine

The open pit area which was first mined, before they started underground.

Donning the oh-so-fashionable hard hats....

The carts the miners used to ride in to get to the work area.

Mural on the wall in the lab. There are all kinds of little images to discover in it, including bats - both painted and live ones!

The 486 steel plates that receive muron neutrinos from Fermilab in Chicago, which make up the Minos experiment. Like I know what any of that actually means....

One of the many furry residents of the lab/mine.

North American Bear Center, Goldeneyes

Yesterday we visited the North American Bear Center near Ely. This is the bears' pool.

How about a bear hug?
This is Lucky, a resident of the bear center since he was 10lbs. He's now around 250.

Meet Ted, another resident at the center. There is a third bear, Honey, but she prefers her own company and we didn't see her. Ted and Honey were both quite overweight when they came to the center in 2007. With the help of a more natural diet and activity, they have lost a lot of weight, but Ted is still heavier than he should be. However he can move around much better now.

This seemed to be Ted's favorite perch, lol.

I think I found the bear from The Great Outdoors! LOL His former owners had him in a concrete-floored enclosure and he sat on his butt a lot, and still does, so the hair hasn't grown back yet.

Mama Goldeneye above, babies below.

A day of canoeing & wildlife...

Momma Loon sitting on her nest, playing dead. When Kelly first spotted her, we thought she was dead, until we paddle up real close and she moved and scared the daylights out of Kelly, LOL! She started freaking out and trying to back-paddle and saying it's red eyes were staring into her soul, haha!

Kelly and I out for a 2nd venture in the canoe after supper.

Kelly on the island we left her on while we fished. She's in the upper pic, too, but you probably can't see her, lol.

Mr. Camera-Shy

Closest I have ever been to a bald eagle, he was magnificent!

Sparkling Sunlight

Don't know if you can tell it from the pics, but the sunlight is sparkling like diamonds on the water....

Kelly and I had a nice day - shopped all day and had lunch in Ely. Dylan lazed around here watching episodes of Mythbusters on his computer.