Chocolate Cake and Fishing- (Sioux Narrows, Canada)

Here is Caleb and Grampa with his first Bass of the season. He caught this (with a little help) off the dock at Grandma and Grampa's cabin. The sun is shining today (Monday) and the boys went on a Walleye fishing trip. I'm sure this afternoon will bring some lake swimming for Caleb, despite the shivering temp of the water. And he is determined to go tubing and learn to water ski!
We had a break in the rainy weather on Sunday afternoon and the dogs enjoyed the lake! There is a definite order to their water retrieval. Russell is much faster and takes a flying leap into the lake to get to the toy first. And although he's getting better, he often loses interest on the swim back to shore and drops it. That's when Laser is on the prowl, following Russell to retrieve the toy! The dogs are definitely enjoying the unlimited swimming opportunities!
Caleb decorated the chocolate cake below for his 8th birthday! He has also decided that he likes Rhubarb....bars that is. First we had to tell him it was a fruit, and a couple hours later we told him that it actually is a vegetable!
According to the locals, it has been an unusually cold and wet summer here. We're hoping today's sunshine will break the cold spell. A little history about Sioux Narrows visits for our family: I've been coming to Lake of the Woods since I was 3 months old. One year we figured it out and I had only not been here, I think, 2 summers since that time. At first, we stayed at our friend's cabin on an island. Then, when I was 7 or 8, my mom saw a cabin for sale at the flea market and bought it. Hmmm...it had to be moved and we didn't have any land. We moved it onto our friend's island where we had been staying. How do you move a cabin? It was pulled over the ice during the winter. We spent summers in that large, single room cabin (with no indoor facilities, electricity or phone) for many years. Another set of friends decided their days in Canada were about over, and my mom and dad purchased that cabin. It is on a smaller island and has all the facilities! My mom and dad spend their time here from mid-May to mid-September. Lake of the Woods has great Walleye, Bass, Northern Pike and Lake Trout fishing and the clear water is great for all your water sports. Hopefully the guys will catch some Walleye for dinner.

Sioux Narrows, Ontario- Canada

We arrived in Sioux Narrows, Ontario early in the afternoon today, the 11th of July. We stayed at Lilac Resort last night, which is East of Winnipeg. The resort has mostly seasonal sites with a variety of set-ups, but there are a few spots for over-nighters like us. They have an extensive array of entertainment options. Unfortunately I was too tired to snap any pictures. Our route yesterday took us across the USA/Canada border without any difficulty. We took route 10, which is North of the International Peace Garden. We encountered Canadian Construction. Ten kilometers of highway completely torn up...we were driving on a dirt/mud road! We did make it up to the Transcanada 1 at Brandon, Manitoba. There is one thing for sure, we're not going back the same way we came! The frost heaves in the roadway make for a great back and forth chucking action which is not pleasant. Lilac Resort had paddle boats, and three swimming pools complete with water slides, sprays, and lily pads for climbing! Caleb enjoyed it! A full hook up site was $28 canadian.

We left this morning amongst raindrops. We drove through a bit of rain and the rest of the time it was overcast. We had reservations at the Sioux Narrows Provincial Park, where we stayed last summer. Assessing our site, there was no way our rig was going to fit! The area has also had alot of rain, and there were standing puddles. We knew if the tires hit the puddles, there was no getting out. So we s-l-o-w-l-y made our way back to the office. The park could do for a bit of maintenance and the roads were very, very tight with trees. Chris got us out without any damage and the office shrugged their shoulders at the idea of a different site. We came to Tomahawk Resort in Sioux Narrows. We couldn't ask for a better spot! And internet! Caleb called grandma and grampa to come over, but the storms are blowing in and there was no getting off the island. The chop on the lake was way to bad! So we're setting up...and did I mention cleaning up and locating our mouse infestation? Ok so it's probably not an infestation, but the poison will surely take care of them. It's spring cleaning...in the summer. The rain is coming down hard and it is lightning. So I better go! I'll post some pictures soon.

No internet access= beautiful places!

We've had quite a few days without internet service, which is definitely a test of my patience! My cell phone is no longer connecting as it used to, so I'm relying on campground wi-fi. Fort Welikit had very spotty and often, non-existent service. Our final day in Custer was on Sunday, July 6th. We took another drive through Custer State Park and toured Jewel Cave National Monument. Here is a parting shot of Mount Rushmore! We traveled on Monday into Medora, North Dakota. Medora is the home of Theodore Roosevelt National Park's South Unit. The photo below is on the Wind Canyon Trail. From this overlook we could see both a herd of bison and on the butte above, a herd of horses.
Here is one of the horse herds we found! The park has approximately 130 horses which are descendants from old ranch stock which were possibly let go in the area. The horses have developed some distinct traits, although they are not a separate breed. Many are roan colored; grayish bodies with an undercoat color and a colored face. Many also are Ovarro paints; having white patches on their faces. They also have a characteristic white apron on their bellies. They are considered feral horses and their wild instincts are evident.
This bachelor stallion was hanging out at the entrance to our campground.
We attended the famous Medora Musical. It was a great show! Prior to the entertainment, we enjoyed the Pitchfork Fondue dinner adjoining the amphitheatre. They "fondue" steaks and it has all the cowboy fixins. The musical was very well done and gave a history of the area within the production. There was also a special feature, Mark Nize, a professional juggler. He was funny and had some amazing stunts. Caleb loved the show!
We stayed in the National Park at the Cottonwood Campground for $10 a night. It is a primitive camp, but there is water throughout the park with a station to fill up across from the check-in station. Last night we attended the campfire talk and there was a special guest...a bull bison about 100 feet away decided that was his spot to enjoy the show! Ranger Dan kept an eye on him while the rest of us glanced back to make sure he wasn't going anywhere. The animals can and do roam freely through the campground. Chris and Caleb were riding bikes and almost rode up on a bull bison. Good thing the nearby tenter gave them a heads up! At one point during the campfire talk, our bull got up and was swishing his tail...a sure sign of irritation. At that point Ranger Dan said, "If he comes this way, start going that way!" Caleb and I had already planned our escape behind the building :-) Medora is quite an enjoyable little company town. It is very family friendly. The temperature was in the low 80's while we were there.
We got a late start this morning. Our plan was to head to the International Peace Garden near Dunseith, ND. We made it to Minot for a Wal-Mart stop...and after shopping I decided we should park for the night. So we are staying at the Roughrider Campground in Minot, ND for the night.