July 2012 Page 6

Friday July 20 - Friday July 27

This was the week we had off between the two projects in Minnesota. We went east from Trout Lake Camp to Moose Lake for the Agate Festival on the weekend, followed by a trip to Duluth Sunday afternoon and then up the north shore road, Rt 62, along Lake Superior. Drove up 62 past several state parks and towns to Grand Marais, then up the Gunflint Trail to Trail's End and back. On the return, we drove back to the intersection of Hwys 1 and 62, then through Ely and further east to Scenic State Park, followed by several county roads to Camp Dellwater, a few miles west of hwy 89 (south of Lower Red Lake).

Here are some highlights of that trip:

On Friday evening, we sat in the City Park on Moose Lake for a picnic meal, and watched this loon, who seemed to be still in the water for at least a half-hour. Sleeping?

Below are pictures of some snowballs, as my mother used to all them. Quite common in the north.

Saturday, July 21- Agate Days at Moose Lake

About 2 pm in Moose Lake, two dump trucks filled with gravel, 400 pounds of agates and $400 in quarters, dumped and spread their loads on two blocks of Elm Street. At the starter cannon, people (some said 3000) ran to the street to pick the goodies out of the gravel.