Mooooooose!

I woke this morning to a misty fog that dissipated by late morning.

My journey today will take me through vast wilderness forests off the Gunflint Trail in search of a moose.

This was my view this morning leaving the campground.

The town of Grand Marais, Minnesota

And the beginning of the Gunflint Trail

The trail is relatively new, but the history in the area is old. Native Americans lived and hunted in this area a long time and later traded with the Voyageurs.

The road was originally used by the Native Americans as a hiking trail that was 45 miles from Grand Marais to the end.

There are many activities on the Gunflint Trail. There are lodges, outfitters for overnights in the boundry waters or a day trip canoeing, hiking trails, a lot of lakes to fish in snow skiing, snow mobiling, dog sledding and there are your wildlife encounters.

I started my search on a few side roads that took me to a couple of lakes. Nothing!

Well ok lets get adventurous and take a road less traveled. Nothing!

Ok maybe the Brule River? Nothing!

By now it was past noon and the moose, if there are any, won’t be out until dusk.

I was ready for lunch so I stopped for a sandwich at the Travel Center. Best food is at this place!

I ordered a sandwich to go and made my way to Clearwater Historic Lodge.

In 1913, Charlie Boostrom and his wife Petra built a cabin on Clearwater Lake. In 1915 they opened to visitors surrounded by several tent pads.

Charlie then began building the lodge which he finished in 1926. People come to the lodge seeking adventure and relaxation.

Today the lodge is listed on the National Historic Register. This is a picture of Charlie and Petra and their ten children.

Here are some old pictures that I took on my visit tothe lodge of the lodge, cabin and grounds.

Clearwater Historic Lodge is the oldest original hand built log structure in this region. All the furniture was hand made by Charlie. The same furniture that sits in the lodge today. This is the lodge today. Nothing has changed really except upkeep.

The outfitting

The boat and canoe docks and Clearwater Lake

There is a gift shop

There is plenty for the family to do together.

This is the sitting/living area

And the dinning area

I love the big wrap around porch

Then there is the totem pole

I bet this original old stone hearth fireplace is cozy to sit beside on a chilly fall evening.

The lodge itself offers three bedrooms and two suites. They also have eleven cabins to rent, five of which were built by Charlie.

Guests to the lodge and cabins can enjoy swimming, hiking, fishing, boating and canoeing.

You can also plan a trip to the Boundry Water Canoe Area Wilderness. They take care of getting everything ready for your adventure. If you would like to plan a trip or learn more check out http://www.clearwaterhistoriclodge.com and tell Erik the blog lady told you about it. Oh you can follow them on Facebook too!

So, I did finally find my moose! Too bad it was just his head.

My friend Michael, who I have mentioned before, retired back in April and took a position here at the lodge. He knows his stuff too. He has been bringing his three boys here for many years. He brought me here in the fall of 2013.

Here are some of my pictures from that amazing trip.

Tonight I had dinner with Michael and his son Christian (who is the lead morning cook at the Travel Center where I got my lunch)