Jim is back at Sisters Farm in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Check out the map for the SPOT LOCATOR coordinates from his trip.
Jim is back at Sisters Farm in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Check out the map for the SPOT LOCATOR coordinates from his trip.
Jim's Photo Gallery
July 2008 added! May 2008 and June 2008 digital camera pictures are also online. Some of them will need futher explanation from Jim upon his return, others you can make out some wildlife or picturesque scenery.
Thank you for all of your Jim-sighting reports. Details can be found here.
Details from Jim from the last two weeks of his trip:
To sum up the Canadian part of the return trip, after canoeing north to St. Joseph Lake, I went west on it to find a dam and the Root River, went downstream to Lac Seul, stocked up with client leftovers at the Lac Seul Outpost Resort (wonderful generosity!), canoed upstream a little on the English River to Sioux Lookout, continued upstream to Barrel Lake, left the English and went up the Agimak River and Indian Lake to Sandbar Provincial Park on Sandbar Lake, got a ride from the mayor of Ignace, Ontario, through his taxi company to Lake Agimak, got great advice from Dennis Smyk and took the Eye River chain to the Seine River, up the Seine a little, up the Atikokan a lot to Little Falls, a half mile from the Quetico Park Headquarters where I got a permit, free ride and ice cream from Doug Chapman of his Canada Quetico Outfitters to the Quetico, through the Quetico in 7 days to Prairie Portage where I picked up my portage wheels, Minnesota and Wisconsin maps, and other things.
August 24
I canoed to Moose Lake, then wheeled to Lake One and the Kawishiwi River, taking the pretty south fork downstream to Birch Lake and its SW end on August 26 where I found Babbitt and its friendly people and grocery store. (First time the young clerk had ever carried out groceries to a canoe!) While the bank teller watched my canoe and the grocery lady made sure I didn't leave without my cell phone, I accompanied Bill Demich to his house to meet Sherry, start his pickles cooking and get his truck. Bill then drove me about 20 miles to Embarass where I put in on the Embarrass River at the Post Office. First half mile rocky with a big tree to portage around but then much better to camp close to dark.
I was close to the Giant Ridge ski and resort area and actually portaged a half mile rocky length of river partly through a golf course to Sabin Lake but dragged the near empty canoe over the rocks, about 4 hours total for the portage. I took a break at a park at Giant Ridge and packed up the food I bought in Embarrass. Then I paddled to Embarrass Lake and walked a half mile into Biwabik where I charged my phone and bought treats and a Northeast Minnesota mapbook, having somehow lost my Minnesota atlas during the ride. It was getting dark on Lower Cedar Island Lake when I saw a canoe and a light and asked Bernie and Eva Schain if I could camp on their lawn--no problem after they figured out that it was the back door bell. I left a turquoise ring with them that I had found in the river; we'll see sometime if they were able to find the owner.
August 28
Esquabana Lake no problem but the next 5 miles of the Embarrass River were a definite problem--36 times I had to use my saw (Irwin Marathon, but I call him/it just Irwin) to cut through log jams and 6 times I had to empty the canoe and drag it around the jam. Finally was able to canoe for an hour on the St. Louis River without log jams, the 2 rivers about the same size. I camped on a sand/stone bar.
August 29
I canoed down the St. Louis River all day, talking with Rob from Cloquet, finding a little current and a nice signed campground towards the end of the day. August 30 was when I met Bob Briskie as I wheeled the canoe to avoid some long oxbows, then a nice chat with Jay Jukich and his daughter, then a cold beer from the Lavelle Bunch fishing on the river (I still don't like beer but they had no soda and it was cold.), and an evening talk with Brett and Becka Schelde as they were out for a kayak stroll. Brett came back at 11 pm with a wonderful CARE package. I gave him a sample of my fry bread dough to test by frying in the morning.
August 31
I had a hard time lighting my fire to cook the fry bread, but my efforts were worth it. Paddled all day against a stiff wind on a flat St. Louis River to Floodwood and up the river of the same name about a half mile to camp at Riverwalk Park, talk with Jim Erickson, and buy some treats at the BP. The next day I canoed against the wind again about 4 miles to Laurin and Debbie Lindstrom's farm (thanks for the snacks, Debbie), where I started wheeling the 14 miles to Cromwell. I gave the diet Coke from Becka and some of the Lindstrom's cold water to a couple of stranded motorists. John offered me a ride at about half way to Cromwell, just before Hwy 72; I didn't think I needed a ride or break, but when I say a patch of grass at Cross Lake, I had no trouble taking an hour-long nap! I met Nicole and her dad Art in Cromwell and camped at the Island Lake boat launch they told me about.
September 2
In the morning I was wheeling to the weed-choked but floatable Kettle River. The “floatable” condition eventually changed to log jammed and a bad rock-to-water ratio and I was relieved to reach a bridge and a newly cut hay field just before dark after about 5 miles on the river. Other highlights of the day were 3 hours of hard rain and leeches that bloodied my socks before I found them. The next morning I ate peanut butter sandwiches with Becka's health bread and had a nice walk to the town of Kettle River around noon. I stopped in at Korpi's Bar, where Vedra served me her Mexican-Wednesday fare with Dr. Pepper, while trying to drum up some river-walking tennis shoes as a side dish. Steve came through with 3 pair of wonderful shoes that I am still wearing, using one pair for basketball. Vedra gave me a CARE package of Dr. P and snickers and we think a sneaky Pederson from the Lake State Federal S&L slipped a S&L bag with pizza, blueberry juice and a Heinikins into the canoe while I was in Korpi's! I limped about 2 miles to the Highway 27 bridge on the Kettle where my feet felt better in the water even though I had to pull the canoe about 10 times over rocks during the 2 miles before camp on someone's clearing on the river.
September 4
A new day brought steady improvement in canoeing, being able to run most rapids by 2 pm. Camped just inside Banning State Park on a high cliff above the water and sand bar, about a half mile upriver from the I-35 bridge. During the day I saw eagles, ospreys, mergansers, wood ducks, deer, and the next morning a family of 4 otters playing on the sand bar. The next day I gawked at the rapids in the park as I carefully walked my canoe down them, one of them named Hell's Gate; I ran a few of the easier ones or parts of them--I can't imagine canoeing these drops in higher water; this was during a drought! That night I camped and ate with Jason and Garret, bear hunters without a shear pin for their motor boat.
September 6
I canoed and often walked to the St. Croix River as the Kettle spread out into a rocky bed; thankfully always enough water to float the canoe, albeit without me in it. I met Shane Tomczyk at the junction; his friend John gave me a nice sandwich. The St. Croix was the same upriver for about 5 miles and I was about to exit at the Fox Landing when Doug Hanson advised me of the bad and hilly road out with sand at the top, and that upriver things flatten out. I took his advice and mostly poled 2 miles up to my camp at the Nelson Landing where Joe and Bonnie gave me 8 hot dogs and cold Mountain Dew--Yum! The next day after talking with Jeff, I left during a Sunday Baptism event at the landing and paddled, poddled, and poled 17 river miles to a camp at the Highway 77 bridge.
September 8
I wheeled about 4 miles into Danbury, had breakfast at the Homestead Cafe, bought groceries and WI fishing license at Wayne's IGA where I met Pam and Jim the butcher, both real interested and enthusiastic about my trip. Upon suggestion of a local lady, I wheeled down the Gandy Dancer Trail to Webster where I timed it just right to remeet Pam and watch the early Packer-Viking game on Monday Night football at the Black and Orange Bar. I also caught up on my email at the Webster library. I camped at the Fairgrounds upon advice of the friendly local cop.
September 9
I continued wheeling down County X to Gaisler Road and its bridge on the Yellow River. I poled about 3 miles up, took out at Emerson Road Bridge to avoid an oxbow, then couldn't get access to the river again until the Yellow River Road bridge at about 6:45. I expected a boat launch at Highway 70 but found nothing; camped at a vacant cottage in the dark--thanks folks!
September 10
I poled and paddled up the Yellow River to near Tozer Lake, then wheeled into Spooner about 2 miles, ate at the Quick Trip, couldn't get my squeaky wheel fixed at the Springbrook Cycle shop, continued to Lake Spooner, canoed across it about a mile, then wheeled to Trego along Highway 53/63, where Jack Canfield of Jack's Canoes let me camp free. Jack liked my trip plan and personally knew the great people I met at English River in Canada. It rained overnight but the next day I started poling and paddling up the Namekagon River but soon chose walking the canoe as the current was too strong. I got out at the second Highway 63 bridge and wheeled along Highway E towards Windigo Lake and the Chippewa River system until one of my wheels just gave it up, bearings and broken spokes. Kevin Zeien and his dad had stopped to talk with me earlier, so I gave him a call with my ailing but working cell phone and he found me in a half hour. He took me about 6 miles to a boat launch on Big Lac Courte Oreilles where I camped a little early as it was raining and the wind was (surprise) against me again. Mr. Hendricks on County E had given me an old bike wheel with a good bearing; I probably should have tried changing the bearing before I broke spokes, but if it was the wrong bearing, I wouldn't be able to put the old one back in....I just wanted 6 more miles....whine, whine, whine.
I got a good start in the morning of September 12 and paddled hard across Big LCO, Little LCO, Billy Boy Flowage, portaged the dam easily, walked the canoe about a mile along the Couderay River but was able to pole or paddle most of its ten miles to Radisson, lunched there at about 3 pm, portaged the broken dam, paddled happily down the next 2 miles to the Chippewa and floated the Chip for a couple of miles until Steve Ross and Cheryl innocently asked if I was camping. They were great spontaneous hosts as they fed and watered me. Steve cooked me a sirloin steak and Cheryl entertained me with her parrot, bearded lizard, tortoise, and 2 dogs.
September 13
It was 23 miles by road to Bruce so I figured without wheels I would go another 13 miles to Flater's Resort and come up the Flambeau the next day to my house on the Flambeau. As I hustled down the Chip, Tom Gifford, ran out to see if I was the guy he had talked to in the Spring, beard or no. I was and we had a nice chat about trips, exercise, and the future of petroleum products, a nice break from paddling for me. It was misting all morning, then cleared up around noon but humid. At about 2 pm as I was meeting Leif Peterson fishing on the river, wondering if we were related through a Jez/Kurz connection, the sky fell in and by the time I got to Bruce and the new landing there, I was soaked, cold, and miserable. I called Debbie Ziemer who came right away and took me 7 miles to my home and a hot shower and dry clothes. Kevin and Jon Smith took me back with their trailer to get the canoe around 5 p.m.
So ends "Out My Backyard, North". Great to have gone, good to be home!
Sisters Farm Dried Foods will re-open for business soon, thank you for your interest.