Boundary Waters Day 5

Tuesday, July 19

When I got up at 5:15, the lake was covered in mist.

Morning mist

Later that morning, we watched a pair of loons feed two babies. These babies were much larger than the late chick we’d seen last year. We felt better that these two would be big enough to migrate when the time came.

Loon feeding two baby chicks

We had the mixed fruit cobbler for breakfast, warmed up in the microwave.

I packed up lunch in a cooler, and we took off to have an adventure. Every year we drive around the dirt backroads to Hovland, looking for wildlife. This year we saw many rare and exotic species. No, no really. We saw many robins, a pair of blue jays, a chipmunk, a rabbit, a deer, and a roughed grouse.

Deer

Ruffed grouse

“I wonder how many things we are driving by without seeing,” Jane said.

“Lots, I bet,” I replied. “They’re all looking at us and laughing.”

We turned right from Arrowhead Highway on Otter Lake Road as we always do. I picked a handful of wild blueberries at the Otter Lake canoe access.

Wild blueberries

On the other side of Arrowhead Highway, Ester Lake Road goes to the left. “Have we ever been to Esther Lake?” Jane asked.

“Not that I remember. Is today the day? We are trying new things.”

So off we went to Esther Lake. I followed along as best I could on the Forest Service map, but it was confusing because no private roads were shown. Esther Lake Road was deserted except for a pickup truck that came tearing up behind us. Jane pulled over to let him pass us in a cloud of dust. We came to a fork with a sign pointing to the left that said only “Lake Access.” Both roads looked equally maintained, and there were lakes other than Esther along the way. Was this the spur to Chester Lake? The pickup had gone to the right. We followed him, thinking that he would surely be on the main road to recreation. And we ended up in a gravel pit where the man in the pickup worked.

We turned around and took the left fork. We found the Chester Lake canoe access, which had a nice dock suitable for fishing—deep water and no snags.

Chester Lake canoe landing

I saw a small toad at the edge of the parking spot. Add that to the list of wildlife.

Toad

At length, we found Esther Lake. It was a pretty spot and totally isolated. We were the only people there. Not a boat on the water, not a house on the shore. I walked out on the boat dock access the fishing conditions, which were also good.

Esther Lake

I saw a picnic table across a small bay which seemed like the perfect spot for lunch. The picnic table was at one of three campsites at Esther Lake. Someone had left neatly stacked firewood by the fire ring.

Lunch at a campsite overlooking Esther Lake

They just don’t make days better than this one. It was cool, calm, and sunny. There was just enough breeze coming off the lake to keep the bugs down. We ate cheese curds, summer sausage, crackers, and cherries overlooking the water. There were no human sounds other than our own voices. It is often not possible to get to places like this in a car.

We drove up almost to Canada to hike to Pigeon Falls. I remembered correctly that the second platform offered a wider view of the falls without climbing any stairs. As we were attempting a selfie in front of the falls, a woman with a “Hello Kitty” head tattooed on her neck offered to take our picture for us, which was very nice of her.

Jane and me at Pigeon Falls

Jane waited for me in the shade as I climbed the stairs to the first platform. From this vantage point, there was a rainbow in the spray, and I could see the remnants of a sluice built a long time ago to get lumber around the falls.

Waterfall with rainbow--video below

On the way back, Jane noticed a pretty white star-shaped flower nodding on a stem from three leaves that were flat to the ground. We later identified it as one-flowered wintergreen.

One-flowered wintergreen

We also passed a number of fungi growing in the damp, deep shade of the forest. A little girl in the family ahead of us drew our attention to a “gianormous” mushroom down an access road at the side of the paved trail. Gianormous indeed! The cap was perhaps 8” in diameter.

A gianormous mushroom

We got back to the cabin at 5:15. Jane started the charcoal while I made an experiment foil pack of broccoli, garlic, butter, and Parmesan cheese. We had margaritas, chips, and salsa while waiting for the charcoal to be ready. We grilled the Zup’s brats and the broccoli and microwaved the last of the foil pack potatoes from Sunday. The foil pack was a success. Some of the Parmesan browned on the broccoli and garlic. A lot of it burned on the foil, but Jane gamely picked it off and declared it the best part. We ate dinner on the deck, another first for us. It helped that Dave and Nancy have added a small table to the deck furniture this year.

Brats and broccoli

Another lovely day on vacation.