We signed up to go on the afternoon boat tour to the Ellsworth Rock Gardens, located on Lake Kabetogama, almost due north across from our resort we are staying at, across the Lake. We wanted to take the boat tour to Kettle Falls which is a 5 1/2 hour trip but that tour is booked up until the beginning of August. We will just have to hire a private tour company to do this, if we choose.
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| Our ride for an hour and half to the gardens |
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| Tucked in, we can see our RV waving at us |
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| Remnants of home, only rock chimney stands |
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| Oh, I love the water |
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| Eagle staring us down |
Got to Voyageurs National Park's Lake Kabetogama's Visitor Center by 12:30, the time we needed to be there to check in. The tour can have as many as 18 guests, plus a park ranger and the captain.
Jack Ellsworth spent 21 years coming to his little island where he and his wife spent the summers. He was obsessed, I suppose, to build lots of rock gardens, each summer making more sculptures, planting flowers, and clearing the land from the previous winter's encroachment.
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| First glimpse from dock, cannot fathom how he did this without any aid. |
We left the dock and immediately turning the corner of the peninsula, in front of us was the resort we are staying at. And - we got a great picture of our RV sitting there watching us go by. Came up to remains of another home, all that stands now is the rock chimney, a little farther along on another island we saw an eagle. We did get to see a couple of eagles and also yearlings in their nests while on the tour.
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| Tiers upon tiers of gardens, most planted with flowers |
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| He did everything by hand, no power tools, no electricity, just raw determination |
Swung over to the island were we disembarked and toured the rock sculptures. Had about 45 minutes to walk around and look at what this man did. Amazing. We learned that he would host over 6,000 people each summer who came to visit his gardens, more then than the amount of people who visit now. The only way to see these gardens and many other features of VNP is by boat. No boat? Either you hire someone or you rent a boat or purchase tickets on the national park's tours available to see all the sights in the park.
Winters are brutal. Our captain lives year round on an island north of Rainy Lake's VNP Visitor's Center and he and his wife leave for 3 weeks in November when the lake is just beginning to ice over and the ice is not thick enough to drive on, and then returns for the winter until mid April when again the lake begins to thaw and it is too dangerous to drive on, so they leave until the ice is melted and they can boat over. Only way to their home is by water boat or ice boat. Yikes.
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| Not a sculpture, the real thing |
Our ranger said that it will get colder here than in the Yukon. Must be the polar winds flowing directly down, we think. But we do not want to experience that so we will make sure we are south by October. Seeing these gardens gave Dave some great ideas for future projects.
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| In the nest is 2 yearlings, one can be seen easily in this photo |
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| Almost back |
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| Lovely |
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