NW/WWF-Day 7-Grand Portage, We Have Arrived!

This was our “campsite” last night. We woke up to fog, so everything was soaking wet again. 

We started the ride in the middle of a climb. Not being warmed up, and it was pretty chunky, we both had to push for the steep part. We still had three more climbs. No more pushing, but it was slow going. Finally, the road improved somewhat, and we were able to move a little faster. Interestingly, we never saw the sign for Otter Lake (our planned destination for last night).

This was a very nice section…very storybook-like. Note the colors. 

We finished climb 29 of 29, but still had some steep rollers. They just weren’t very long. The last one was quite steep. As I was huffing and puffing my way up, I happened to look to my left. 

A nice view!

Before too long, we popped out onto pavement, and had a nice downhill ride into Grand Portage. We arrived right at noon. First we stopped at the Trading Post. Grand Portage is on Ojibwa Tribal Lands. We asked the clerk where we checked in for the RV Park and Campground. He said at the Lodge, which is also a casino (the casino part is pretty small, unlike some of the Tribal casinos we have in Washington).

The tent site was $28. Not bad, considering it is the only camping available. 

Nice view of the marina and the lake. The sun and breeze dried out tents quickly. The showers were hot and quite nice. 

We decided to walk to the Grand Portage National Monument. We really had no idea what it was. First we stopped at the Visitor’s Center. We arrived right as an informational movie was about to start. It was about the origins of Grand Portage. It started as a trading post where furs and other goods were transported to and from the area by the British Northwest Company (which later merged with the Hudson’s Bay Company). The French “voyageurs” carried beaver pelts that were shipped to Europe for hats and clothing. The explorers were also looking for a way to the Pacific. They went up the Pigeon River, but just two miles in, there were major falls that had to be portaged around. Hence the name, Grand Portage. Eventually the area became a reservation for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Tribe. 

After the movie, we looked at the exhibits. We even saw a moose!

Hopefully, this isn’t the only moose we see…

From the Visitor’s Center, we walked over to the Monument. It is a reconstruction of the old trading post buildings. 

Teepees. 

Sunflowers!

Across the water is the ferry dock where we have to be at 6:45 tomorrow morning. 

The kitchen on the left, and the great hall on the right. 

Me after a hard day of riding!

Beaver pelt hats. I didn’t know they made these kind of hats from beaver pelts. There was a room in the great hall that showed the process. It was very interesting. 

We walked back to the campsite. Lani went up to the trading post to get something to go with her dinner. I went to the lodge restaurant for dinner. I wanted a good meal after 7 days of riding. 

Swiss and Mushroom burger! Yum!

We’ve made our plans for our early departure tomorrow morning. We want to get to the dock by 6:30. We are getting up at 5:15, and leaving the campsite at 6:00. We have about 3 miles to ride. Shouldn’t be a problem.