Voyageurs National Park 2023, Saturday, 9/23 (Layover)

0645-66F/63F, warmest morning of the trip. Woke up in the middle of the night to what I thought was mouse activity but was just wind rattling the forward Bimini against the cabin. Solar 15%. Down from 43% after the transfer from the backup battery yesterday. Warm temps are not helping the fridge/freezer in terms of energy use. House 12.2v.

Layover Day 11

Not sure what to do today. Move or stay? It is supposed to be cloudy all day with wind up in the afternoon.

Making coffee cake this morning, but before I did that, I realigned the boat is case of morning sun to maximize watts. Not raining yet.

0740-Coffee cake is baking.

1000-Coffee cake was delicious. Study, prayer, and reading time is done. Verse for the day: "I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." (Psalms 91:2). 

Beginning to sprinkle. Will read some more out of Yancy's book.

1120-Decided to get the dishes out of the way while it is not raining. 70F/65F. House 12.2v, Solar 8%. Will have to make another transfer from the back up battery to the solar battery. Cloudy. No sun!

Getting Chased Back To The Boat By Rain

1230-Did some reading then went out to shoot some video of the site and some exploring while the rain was on pause.

Note Stump Right Center - Close Up Below

Stump Close Up - Marked As Good Fishing Spot

1440-Took a nap. 68F/64F. More clouds, wind, and rain. Solar steady at 8%. House 12.2v.

1620-Pizza is baking, salad, and cold beer to accompany. Listening to "Lord Huron" station on Pandora (download).

1715-Finished dinner and put out strawberries to thaw for dessert. Did the transfer of power from the backup to the solar battery which runs the fridge system. Will have strawberries and ice cream later. Back up battery says 68% but I'm not sure that is accurate.  Brought the solar up to 45%.

Sandy Isthmus 

1845-Had my dessert, now reading my paperback. 

Had to go out a couple times to realign the boat to the wind and add another bow line as the bow was sliding downwind. I made the guys tight to prevent the stern from working back and forth which helped stabilize the bow to some degree. All seems secure at this point. Wind is blowing as forecast.

Bed time will be early tonight.

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Voyageurs National Park 2023, Friday, 9/22

0600-Day 10 of the trip. 63F/58F. Solar 17%, House 12.4v.

0735-Study verse of the day: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalms 90:12)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." (Psalms 111:10)

Cloudy, rainy. 67F/59F. May need to move. High winds tomorrow.

0820-Finished my prayer and reading time. Started a new book I read before but thought I should re-visit it. It is called "Disappointment With God" by Philip Yancy.  Time for breakfast.

0840-Breakfast finished so I will prepare to move on since weather is not favorable for staying here. Wind will be strong tomorrow and I will be on a lee shore in this place.

0900-Departed the site. Stopped enroute to wipe down the solar panels which were covered with rain drops. 

Arrived At New Boat Site

1030-Arrived at the new boat site. Leg 10 was 6.6 miles. Mostly overcast now with a light wind 69F/70F. Solar 13%. House 12.6v. Site has a large sandy beach with an isthmus between two bays.  I'm oriented east/west so it is ideal for any sun, what there is of it! I tilted the panels to maximize the watts.

Junction Bay North - N50

Great Beach!

Navionics Chart

Park Map

Destination Detail

Changed the panel angle twice as well as modifying the boat angle to keep it as aligned with the sun as possible.  There is very little sun but the solar did reach 25%.

Angled Solar Panels For Best Watt Input

I went ashore with my chair to read but the rain chased me back to the boat.

1500-Began the dinner routine. Grilled steak tenderloin, potatoes, salad, roll, and red wine.

Went ashore to read again but once again I was chased back tot he boat by a rain shower.

Tried To Read Ashore Twice But Rain Chased Me Back To The Boat Each Time!

1750-I pulled the gang plank to make it more difficult for my furry friends to come aboard uninvited.

Very cloudy. Will make use of the back up battery to get through the night. Solar power is only 25% which will not be sufficient power.

Will read for a while but I plan on an early bed time. Just finished strawberries and ice cream. Great as usual.

Large Pines Draw Bald Eagles To This Area

Need to use up the last of the ice cream and pizza so I can shut down the freezer if necessary.

1830-Connected the backup battery and brought up the solar battery to 43% from 25%.  Only took 32 minutes to do that.

Remnants Of Tree On Mini Island

It is raining steady now. Not much to do but read and I have plenty of resources.  Sipping some Bailey's while I read.

1920-Still reading. Getting dark. I will climb into bed soon.  69F/61F. Solar 40%. House 12.3v. Solar did rise from a 13% low today to 25% during a cloudy day.  Good but not enough. Tomorrow does not look any better and could be worse in terms of weather.

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Voyageurs National Park 2023, Thursday, 9/21

0630-58F/55F. Solar 33%. House 12.3v.  Three traps sprung, two mice caught.

0750-Bible study finished. Verse for the day: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)

0830-Finished my prayer time and the final chapter of "Why God Makes Sense In A World That Doesn't" by Gavin Ortlund. Time to make breakfast.

0900-Getting prepared to kayak over to the portage. I put down the solar panels and wiped them off to get rid of the rain drops. Retrieved my chair from up on the hill. Stowed full garbage back in the aft bin.

0945-I was about half ready to go kayaking and hiking when thunder sounded to the SW. I decided to wait and see if the line or cell would pass so I could go, or not.  I re-covered the kayak in case of rain.

Re-baited three mouse traps and put them out. It is that time of year!

Navionics Chart - Kayak Track

Grassy Bay Cliffs

Navionics Chart - Hike To Little Trout Lake

Portage Trail Head

Large Pine Trees

Hike Destination - Little Trout Lake

Back At Trailhead

Returning To The Boat

1230-Back from my kayak trip to and from the trailhead to Little Trout Lake.  .7 miles one way and the hike was about .2 mile one way.  Very pleasant conditions. Calm to light wind with lots of sunshine. Now preparing to depart the site but I need a cold beer first.  70F/71F. Solar 31%. House 12.3v.

1300-Departed the site heading east, then north, then west. I wasn't sure of my destination.

Namakan Narrows

Observed three houseboats on Sandy Point Lake, two were moving.  I observed five more houseboats on Namakan, three were moving.

Attempted to go to N6 but once again there was a boat there. Three times I've tried to go there on two different trips!  No luck.

N6 Boat Site Occupied - Had To Move On

1520-Terminated at a non-designated boat site near N9 where I stayed in 2021. A nice site with sandy beach and high rock overlook. Leg 9 was 16.1 miles, a record day. Water temp is 70F so I went swimming. It felt good.

Nice Undesignated Boat Site - Was Here In 2021

Navionics Chart

Park Map

Chili is on the dinner menu but I'm not in a hurry.

1715-Had the chili salad, hot roll, and a cold beer.

I set up the fire ring after dinner for this evening.  79F/76F. Still warm! Solar 45%. House 12.6v.

2050-Went up on the rock hill and enjoyed the view, drank a glass of wine, and read my book. Observed a bald eagle unsuccessfully dive on a fish. He went back to his post and continued to watch for another to surface.

View From The Rock At Sunset - Time To Head Back To The Boat

Before dark I hit the trail back to the boat because it was not well marked. Lit up the fire ring and sat some more enjoying the evening view as it became dark. T-storms are threatening.

Video Time Lapse - Sitting By The Fire

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At dark I bundled up everything and returned to the boat. Had a glass of Baileys and read for a while. A T-storm passed over with heavy rain.  Fortunately, no leaks.

I will hit the sack and read my e-book until I fall asleep.

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Voyageurs National Park 2023, Wednesday, 9/20

0650-No more mice caught last night! 60F/56F. Solar 51%. House battery 12.3v. Clear, light wind.

0800-Finished Bible study. Verse for the day: "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33)

0830-Reading finished. Time for breakfast.

0900-Preparing to depart boat site.

0915-Departed site. Sun is out bright and it is already warm. South breeze blowing about 10 mph.

Big Rock Island?

Went past Little Trout Lake portage and Grassy Bay Cliffs on the way to the boat site. Observed another boat coming from the head of Grassy Bay but they did not take the boat site I was after. I was concerned they might not have taken it because it was already occupied, but it wasn't. 

Motoring By Grassy Bay Cliffs

1100-Arrived at the site. It was a very steep tie up on a rock outcrop. Leg 8 was 7.2 miles.  The boat site is called "Leech Bay" S22.  Not a very attractive name! Dishes are next on the agenda.

Leech Bay Boat Site

Navionics Chart - Day 8, Leg 8, 7.2 Miles

Park Map - Leg 8

Navionics Chart - Destination Detail

1215-Finished the dishes. Vacuumed the boat to clean up the sand from the beach site yesterday.  Cleaned the solar panels but they are unfortunately in the shade due to tree cover.

I will relax a bit and later download videos and pics to the backup drive.  

I did downloads while I did reading up on the hill until the laptop ran out of power. Had to connect the backup solar generator (Kalipak) to charge it back up.

View From My Chair

Very hot 88F in and out!

1530-I made spaghetti dinner with hot roll, salad, and red wine. and continued downloading. 85F/77F. Thawed out strawberries for ice cream later on. Went up on the hill to read some more while I waited.

Strawberries and ice cream were great on this very warm day.

Watched the sunset on the cliff face across the channel.

Sunset Shining On Grassy Bay Cliffs

1940-Came back to the boat as it was getting dark and with all this heat mosquitos were coming out. 79F/73F. Solar 55%. I did not do so well on solar today. Too much shade during peak hours. House battery 12.3v.

Will have some Baileys and read for while until it cools off enough to sleep. Too warm!

YouTube Video

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Voyageurs National Park 2023, Tuesday, 9/19

58F/54F. Solar 63%. House Battery 12.5v. Clear with light breeze.

Early Morning

0740-Bible study verse for the day: "On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matthew 9:12)

0815-Prayer and morning reading finished. Time for breakfast.

0900-Headed out in the kayak for the portage.

Portage Trailhead - A Bit Muddy!

0930-Arrived at the trail head (.3 miles)  Hike to O'Leary Lake was only .1 mile. No wildlife observed except an immature loon.

Portage Destination - O'Leary Lake

O'Leary Lake

Arrived Back At Portage Trailhead

Kayak And Hike To O'Leary Lake

1010-Back onboard the boat preparing for departure.

Colorful Background

1045-Departed the anchorage in Hammer Bay. Followed my track in due to shallow water and possible obstructions.  The P2 camera pole unexpectedly fell down while motoring out! Not sure if it went into the water.  

 

Passed through Namakan narrows into Sand Point Lake. Two house boats near the upper entrance. One at a non-designated site on an island near N8 where the other boat was moored.

Met one boat in the narrows. Wind was up along with waves in Sand Point Lake so I decided to cut the trip short and tied up at S16.

1200-Arrived at S16. Nice sandy beach and a fire ring up on the hill overlook. Even a box of firewood left behind.  I will probably have a wood fire tonight. Leg 7 was 5.3 miles.

S16 Boat Site - Nice Sandy Beach

Navionics Chart - Leg 7, 5.3 Miles

Park Map Details

One drawback is that it is near the boat traffic channel up and down the lake.

Leg 7 Destination Detail

Dishes are next on the agenda. 68F/69F. Solar 74%. House battery 12.7v.

1320-Dishes are done, tightened the starboard camera pole mount since it unexpectedly swiveled down to the water. Fortunately the P2 did not seem to have been submerged. I will have to check the video footage to be sure.

Looking NW At S16

I should go up and cut up some firewood for tonight.

1530-Finished splitting firewood then sat on the beach and read a chapter from my paperback. Now it's time to make dinner.

Dinner was grilled chicken, potatoes, salad, hot roll, and white wine.

Plenty Of Firewood For A Fire

Went up on the hill and prepared the fire to start at sundown. Sat in my chair and read my paperback until it is time to start the fire.

Some bald eagles were making a huge fuss calling back and forth almost like loons do, screeching very loudly.  For what purpose I have no clue unless mom and dad were telling junior to get his butt home!

Note There Are Two Adult Bald Eagles

Lit the fire at sundown.

End Of A Great Day!

2115-Just got in from a nice fire and not too cold out 66F/61F. Solar 74%. House 12.4 v. Time to get ready for bed.

Had to dispose of two mice caught while at the fire and reset the traps. Active area evidently. A common problem in fall. I have 4 traps set.

2215-After disposing the mice and reading for a while I hit the sack.

Enjoyed A Peaceful Evening By The Fire

YouTube Video

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