Oh, god said to Abraham, “Kill me a son.”
Abe said, “Man, you must be putting me on.”
God say, “No.” Abe say, What?”
God say, “You can do what you want, Abe, but
the next time you see me comin’, you better run.”
Well, Abe say, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”
God say, “Out on Highway 61.”
-Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan’s famous song, Highway 61 Revisited, depicts a long winding road that begins on the Minnesota/Canadian border right on Lake Superior, eventually picks up the Mississippi River, and terminates in New Orleans. The section from Canada to Duluth is the piece that we concentrated on.
Minnesota’s north shore is a waterfalls/hiking wonderland. We hadn’t been there in well over 30 years. It was time to return. What a terrific stretch of Americana this is. There are oddly colored beaches, tall palisades, little museums celebrating a historic past dating back to 1600s, 100 foot waterfalls, quaint towns, and a vast forest sporting miles and miles of wonderful trails following tumbling rivers seeking out Lake Superior as they plunge over dark maroon rock ledges.
We found a perfect “first-come, first-serve” campground to base camp, about 5 miles inland from Silver Bay, Minnesota, just about halfway between Duluth and Canada. It was a primitive Minnesota State campground, called Eckbeck Campground. It didn’t require the $35 annual state parks sticker, nor was the campground itself expensive. Most Minnesota State Campgrounds are pricey, ranging from $28 to $35, but this one was a reasonable $17 per day. Surprisingly, out of 30 or so sites, only 4 or 5 five were taken the whole time we were there.
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