Tuesday July 14th Gooseberry Falls State Park

Brrrrr…they said that it can get very cold beside the lake, especially when the wind comes off it, and it certainly did this afternoon, along with the rain. I have had a sweater on all day.

We left camp at 7 and straight to Blaine Brothers to get Ruakiwi serviced. We left it there and walked over the road to a diner for breakfast, weren’t too sure about it from the outside, but quite a delight. There were quite a few people having breakfast, looked to be a gathering place for the guys. Loved the décor with low stools at the bar, we got a table right beside the window, a good spot to watch the world go by. Enjoyed our breakfast and the coffee was good.

It was after 10 before we got away, and the sky looked pretty grey. Stopped at Walmart and Ian bought a small compressor for $56 that runs off the generator and is capable of 100 psi…or in my language, enough to pump up the tires. The rain started while we were inside and it was very heavy for awhile. Evidently it has been dry for over a month and the locals were very happy.

Drove back through Duluth and headed north along the shore of Lake Superior. The weather had really deteriorated, such a shame as it was a great drive. Stopped for lunch at a wayside stop beside the lake then onto Two Harbours. By this stage it was really wet and we just about froze when we poked our nose out the door.

Decided to head for the first state park and hunker down and hopefully the weather will have cleared by the morning so that we can take advantage of the drive. The roadsides are covered in wildflowers, lots of blue lupins and white daisies.

Our campsite is set in the trees, and only a short walk to the lake. Looking forward to checking it out in the morning, as the lake edge is ancient lava flow, quite a neat form. Somehow watching the waves beating in, it felt like a rocky coastal shoreline in NZ.