Boundary Waters vacation, day 3

For breakfast on Monday, our third day of vacation, I sautéed mushrooms and green onions, poured in beaten eggs, and when the eggs were set, sprinkled chopped cheese curds on the top. Yum. Eggs with stuff.

Monday breakfast: eggs with stuff

It was quite blustery, ruling out any boating or even fishing from the dock. A few years ago, we took the Summit Express Gondola ride in Lutsen when the lake was fogged in. I know, I know, it was a stupid idea, but we kept thinking that the fog would lift by the time we got to the top. It did not.

We resolved to go down to Grand Marais and see how the lake looked. There was no hint of fog anywhere.

There were a great many more people at the ski resort where the gondola ride was located on a nice day than on a foggy day. The parking was further limited by construction on the bridge just before the entrance. The bridge was completely out. End of the road out. We got to the gondola on a walkway next to the construction.

The bridge was totally out before the gondola ride.

We found street parking halfway between the gondola and the Alpine Slide. The last time we were here, I’d thought about doing that too. It’s a luge course that I assume runs in the winter as well, probably with different sleds. It was $12 for a single ride. The gondola had a senior discount. The Alpine Slide did not. I wonder why. I wondered if I was already too old. But you know, I have done the zip lines in Belize. I could handle it. The brochure said you could control your speed. I would only be older next year.

The girl selling tickets spoke with a Russian accent. She explained that I could get a single ride bundled with the gondola ride for $30. That was not in the brochure. I had to sign a waiver for the Alpine Slide. This was the first time I wrote “59” in the blank next to “age.”

The girl did not judge. I don’t think she even looked. She took the money and printed the tickets, a receipt, and two coupons for $3 off burgers, sandwiches, or salads at the restaurant across the road.

The Summit Express was not so crowded that we had to share a gondola. 

Gondola loading platform

It was a beautiful day. The gondola swayed gently in the wind. 

Going down the valley

Here's a view of the cables and the oncoming gondolas.

The gondola cables

We went over a river cascading through the valley.

The river in the valley

We saw a deer amble through the clearing underneath the wires.

A deer heading for cover

And then we went up the mountain.

Up the mountain

We sat out on the deck admiring the clear view for a little while. I could see all the way to Grand Marais.

Lake Superior from the top of the mountain

Grand Marais in the distance

Jane on the deck

Me looking pensively into the distance

And we went back down.

Then it was time for my Alpine Slide. I was more than a little nervous. There were lots of small children riding down with their parents, so it had to be pretty safe. Right? Here I am with my ticket.

Before the Alpine Slide: me with my ticket

Jane walked up with me. We were delighted to find an observation deck where she could sit down to wait for me and take pictures.

I had never been in a chair lift before. That might have been the scariest part. A young man told me I would be in side one, pointing to a 1 painted on the deck, hold the center pole. The chair came up. I grabbed the pole and sat down. “Pull down the safety bar!” he shouted. Bar, bar, where’s the safety bar?  

Bar, bar, where is the safety bar?

I looked up, saw it, and pulled it down in front of me. I was off!

Up, up, and away!

Another young man caught the seat as it arrived at the top and directed me to put my feet on the shoe prints painted on the deck leading off to the left. I exited without injury. Whew!

“Your first time?” the man said.

“Yes,” I replied, wondering if I looked nervous.

He instructed me quickly on how to use the sled. Hold the handle in the middle. I thought he said pull up to go faster and push down to brake, which seemed counterintuitive. He showed me the best places to hold the sled to carry it to the track.

I’m bad at estimating distances, but it was farther to the beginning of the run than was comfortable while carrying a heavy sled. I was, thank God, alone at the top. I put my sled in the track and waited for a green light. And waited. I couldn’t see very much of the track from where I was. I assumed there was a sensor somewhere that changed the light when the previous sled reached a safe distance.

The light changed, and I pulled on the edges of the track to get started. I may have heard the instructions wrong, or the man may have misspoken, but the control went down to go faster and up to brake, which made much more sense. I was so glad to be alone on the track. I took it easy around the curves until I got more accustomed to how the sled responded. I got more daring toward the bottom, whizzing through a series of turns without braking at all. Soon I was approaching the bottom. Jane took some pictures of me, and then it was time to climb not very gracefully out of the track and lug my sled to the sled return.

Here I come!

Whee!

Look at me go!

I had done the Alpine Slide! I was proud of myself. Also vaguely nauseated, but I was sure that would pass.

Jane wasn’t very hungry either. We decided to have custard at Sydney’s for lunch.

The cones were ready soon and were alarmingly soft. It was a very windy day. Before it was all over, a big drip of custard landed in three places on my pants while more spattered my forearm. Jane fared better laundry-wise as she got sustained only one small dot of custard on her shirt.

We got back to cabin at 3:00. I was, as Jane would put it, “all gone” and had to sit with my feet up for a bit.

Jane volunteered for laundry duty and washed the custard out of my pants and the fish blood (from the perch that swallowed the hook yesterday) out of hers. She hung them over the backs of the dining chairs to dry. 

We had to grill the second steak, which had now been thawed for three days. I made a foil pack of new potatoes and an onion from the garden. While Jane grilled, I sautéed mushrooms in garlic butter. 

Monday supper: steak, foil pack potatoes, sauteed mushrooms

“Where did you put the pants?” Jane asked.

I pointed to the deer antlers mounted on the wall. I’d moved them from the chairs when I set the table, and my options were limited.

Drying laundry on the deer antlers

We played Marble Chase on the kitchen table after supper and had the last of the blueberry/peach cobbler for dessert.