Another Great Day in Lac La Belle

Day 18, August 17, 2012



The Dock at Lac La Belle - Panache in the background



We had another really windy night, however, our boat is tightly tied and, except for the slapping of various lines against the mast and minor rocking, it was a peaceful night.  The weather channel confirmed that there had been 40 knot winds in Houghton, which by the way the crow flies is only about an hour south of here.  They also confirmed 11 foot waves out on the big lake just outside of where we are moored.  We are glad to be here.  The forecasts are calling for calming weather tomorrow so we may be able to continue our journey toward the Sault.  We will make the decision tomorrow. 

We awoke to a cold boat.  We fired up our alcohol heater and soon had the cabin temp up to 70 degrees.  We both made a trip to the local outhouses and were impressed that the wind in your face is really cold.  We had discussed going for a walk but decided to put it off until later in the day.  At around 9:00, Wendell stopped by the boat on his way to help a neighbor who is building a deck around his house.  He offered an invitation to dinner of pork roast at 5:30.  I eagerly accepted.  We enjoy Wendell and Audrey and it will be an interesting event. 

The rest of the morning was spent reading and tidying up the boat.    



Mountain near Lac La Belle



As we were finishing lunch, Wendell came to the boat and offered that I join him on a trip to Houghton so that he could pick up a load of blocks.  I jumped at the chance to take a look at the interior of the Keweenaw Peninsula and discuss the history with a native of the area.  And, that is what we did all of the way there and back.  We passed a number of old copper mining towns and the ruins of a number of copper mines and processing plants.  Wendell had taught for about 33 years in Calumet and as we passed through the town he pointed out the many beautiful buildings that were the hub of a huge mining concern in the area.  The buildings were all made of native stone and were truly amazing.   Back at Lac La Belle, we stopped by to see a couple of commercial fishermen who Wendell planned to help launch a boat.  These folks, like all of the others we met in this area, were really friendly.  One of them offered that he had an extra cabin that had showers that we were welcome to use.  I thanked him and declined the offer. 

While we were gone, Janine spent the afternoon doing many chores around the boat, most of which were my responsibility.  It was great to come back to a neat tidy boat.

Back at the boat, I dug out a pair of long pants and a long sleeve shirt and Janine put on the best clothes that she had and we made it to the Carlson’s by our 5:30 appointed time.  We were greeted as before very warmly and offered gravlax, pickled mushrooms, and pickled trout.  We had great conversation and then were treated to a delicious meal of pork roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied carrots, cole slaw and special fresh homemade bread  that Audrey calls dilly bread.  After dinner, Wendell took us on a tour of his 27 foot C and C sailboat named “Dawn Treader.”  Wendell had made many modifications to the boat to make it an ideal comfortable cruising boat. 

Back in the house, Audrey dished out outstanding tapioca pudding topped with strawberry jam.  It was not a surprise to learn that she was in the top 100 in the national Pillsbury Bake-Off. Locally, she has edited and typed recipes for three cookbooks for the volunteer fire department. We said our goodbyes to our great new friends and made quiet promises to stay in touch.