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Small Cabin Forum / Properties / I'm now serious, I'm selling my land in central MN.
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OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:00
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I probably won't make it. The weather is going to turn hot again, I'll stay close to the ''Big Lake''. I'd like to take my 21 year old daughter to the Sea Caves just east of Cornucopia in a canoe. Look at this picture of my wife and oldest daughter 20 years ago.
my old boat
my old boat


trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:16
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Wow! I still want to see the sea caves too, and I know naturelover66 wants to kayak there...canoeing would be fun. It isn't going to be that hot I didn't think...mid 80's right? but low humidity. Is someone a little spoiled by our recent wonderful weather???

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:19
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Oh yeah, it knocked down the skeeters quite a bit, deer flies, not so much.

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:22
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It has been awesome for walking at night...dare i say, last night i even got a bit of a chill! lol.

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:24
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Haven't you been there?
sea_caves_1.jpg
sea_caves_1.jpg


trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:34
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No, never...only seen pictures! I'd probably tip the canoe!!!

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:35
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I bet the bats love hanging out there.

You got the day off?

Dillio187
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 13:29
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wow, the caves look cool! canoeing or kayaking there would be awesome.

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 15:23 - Edited by: OwenChristensen
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I take a few. Waiting for lumber from the sawmill, working on the house and painting the Bronco. Now taking a coffee break.

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 15:33
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I'm glad you are getting a little down time. I have all three kiddos napping right now! Its amazing!!!!!ยก

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 16:54
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Quoting: Dillio187
wow, the caves look cool! canoeing or kayaking there would be awesome.


Yeah, it's cool. Years ago I scuba dove into some of the caves below the waterline. It's not too dangerous as with the clear water of Lake Superior it's light as day in there. There are also some air pockets if you want to come up and talk with your dive buddy.

Troll, I guess I should talk grownup talk to you , as you might need it now and then. I'm back for another cup of coffee for a few minutes.

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 17:51
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I do need grown up talk....my brain tends to wither away to nothing after too many days with toddlers

The sea caves are something I have wanted to go see...we keep saying "When the cabin is done, when the cabin is done", but it has already been 6 1/2 years!!!

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 15 Aug 2013 18:00
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If it's calm, we plan on setting out from the beach just a half mile away on Sat. afternoon. Maybe stay in the area long enough to see the beautiful sunset. It's a very small trip.

O

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 16 Aug 2013 19:11
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Have a good time tomorrow, Owen. You are right about it being a short trip. We need to just do these things instead of always waiting to have the time. I bet the sunset is gorgeous from Cornucopia. Don't forget to take your camera!

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 16 Aug 2013 23:04
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Thanks, I think I have Claudia talked into going too. Pictures to come.

O

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 17 Aug 2013 11:43
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Well, it's a beautiful day for your trip. I hope Claudia decided to go. I showed my 10 year old the pictures and she was begging to go sometime. How long is the drive from Duluth? I hope you stay for the sunset and the moon has been fabulously bright the past 3 nights. When I was out for my walk last night it was gorgeous. I sat on the road and took a break at the top of the hill soaking up the moonlight. I was looking at the stars and one shot across the sky. It was perfect timing for a shooting star!!!

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 17 Aug 2013 15:56
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Too windy today, dang! I suppose it's 50 miles from my house on the north side of Duluth. I just made a run down to Sturgeon Lake to see that next cabin site, looks good. I called my cousin to see if he was up from the cities at his cabin, close to mine. He was there, but shell shocked. His place had been broken into and his new side x side was gone , as well as other things.

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 17 Aug 2013 21:52
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Well I had a long day. This morning before the trip to Sturgeon Lake, we went down the shore of Lake Superior with a thermos of coffee and watched the sun come up. Then the trip to Sturgeon Lake. This afternoon we went back up the Shore to Knife River harbor and Two Harbors then north to a backwoods restaurant for a burger, then fifty miles through the back country to home just before dark. This afternoon was all with the convertible. Fun!

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 18 Aug 2013 13:23
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There was a brisk wind yesterday. Too bad, but it sounds like you made up for it with other fun! Hated hearing about your cousin such a feeling of violation. I think we better not be leaving ours at our place. Did you see any wildlife on the back roads? We haven't seen many bear this year-I miss them. You are lucky to live in Duluth. The lake has such a calming effect and there is so much to do.

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 18 Aug 2013 21:09
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We have seen a few bears. A week ago we saw a sow and three cubs cross the road.
I do like it here. When it's hot here over the hill, we can go down by the Lake where it's cooler. When I was young and lived down on the farm, there was no way to escape the summer heat.
Do you like boats? I've had a longtime love of boats. I like to travel on them, fish, eat and sleep on them. I have gone on several 400 mile plus trips on Lake Superior. You would not believe the special places that so few have seen.

Martian
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 08:36 - Edited by: Martian
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Quoting: OwenChristensen
I've had a longtime love of boats. I like to travel on them, fish, eat and sleep on them.


What kind of boats? Boats were my profession for 25 years. Sailed a bit of the Great Lakes on one yacht delivery from Miami to Lake Charlevoix, off Lake Michigan. The Erie Barge Canal was a blast!

If we make it to the Gathering, and can tear ourselves away from TB , we'll have to talk boats.

Tom

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:46
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I've had three boats in the last 40 years. My first at age 21 was a deep V cuddy . Ten years later a 28' Dupont steel hull cabin cruiser, see cave picture above. My last was supposed to be a 36' Trawler. On the day I was to give the money over, after a ride I backed off. It was a custom steel hull and it didn't seem to float right. In stead I went and bought a 29' Cavilier Chris-Craft, single inboard just to keep me in the water. I had that for ten years and learned to like it a lot. I could even trailer and launch it myself with my 1-ton work truck. At ten foot wide I was able to bring it up the North Shore hwy 61 to Grand Portage and Isle Royale. That saved me 160 one way miles at 1.25 mpg in the boat. Isle Royale and the Canadian Islands are fantastic. I will do my best to get to the get together, after all it's only about three hours away.

Martian
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 13:04
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Those old Chris Crafts are nice. That would be a nice boat to do the big loop down thru Chicago, the river system to Mobile, around Florida, up the East Coast, the Hudson River, the Erie canal, and back up thru the Mackinac Straits, Its a good way to spend a year! I've done most of it, and thankfully, I was being paid to do it!

All my boats, except one, have been sail, and I tried to stay with them as a corporate captain. But we did a lot of repairs on the old Chris Crafts at my repair yard down in Texas. My one wooden boat was a 1914 37' single screw bay boat. It had an old Chrysler Crown 6 cylinder. I'll try to find some pictures of the "King Louis". It was really a special boat!

Not sure I'll be able to make the gathering. Its about a 12 hour ride from me, but I would sure like to meet everybody.

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 14:50
Reply 


That Dupont was a Chrysler Crown with twin updrafts. You can't ware it out at the 1,400 rpm's, 8 mph, that I ran it at. I sure miss that sound of it gurgling, exhaust alternating in and out of the water during a early morning warm up. the rest of the family sleeping as I set off for a day of fishing Lake Trout or better yet a long trip of several overnights. I did many night crossings. With GPS, radar, auto pilot and their warning systems, at 8 mph, I got plenty of sleep too.

Martian
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 15:16
Reply 


And not a belt on the engine! All gear driven! When I bought it, the engine wasn't running, but it only took a little clean gas and a fresh battery to get going.

That was a heavy, heavy boat! Made from Black Cypress 1 1/2" planks on double sawn oak frames. The stem was white oak! The gas tank was soldered copper. It had a long sloping canvas covered roof with 21 windows that dropped down into the cabin sides. There were screens that lifted up and kept the bugs out. The rounded front of the cabin was 15" wide planks of Juniper bent around. I loved that boat! Lived on it for 4 years, and you couldn't go anywhere without having people come out of their way to see it. Even the Marine Patrol would stop by for coffee and a tour. Good thing I was working at the local Hatteras dealer! Having access to all the equipment was really nice; not to mention the discounts on materials.

When I was stripping the hull to paint, I'd sit in the dinghy every day after work, with a torch and 1" scraper, peeling of about an 1/8" of old lead-based paint! I'm surprised I didn't get lead poisoning!

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 16:39
Reply 


My Chris was glass. I never had a wood boat. Boats are enough work. That '' King Louis'' sounds cool. I hope you find the pictures. Odd, the steel Dupont had been called the ''Saint Louis''. We changed the name to ''NJordhr'' pronounced norder or at least close to that. It's the name the Norse goddess of fertility and the sea. It is funny how some of the old boats stick with you and leave you with strong feelings.

Martian
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 16:54 - Edited by: Martian
Reply 


I found my one and only picture! Yea!



This boat was built for a wealthy family in Mobile. It came with a black young man who took care of it and piloted it for the family. They used it to go up into the delta of Mobile Bay to hunt and fish. Louis would clean and cook the kill. He was with the boat for 60 years. I had pictures of dead ducks lining the deck. Those pictures went with the boat. I bought it from a Jesuit college in Mobile after everybody said they wouldn't sell it! It was one heck of a boat. I wish I had been able to keep it, but I sold it to a collector that could afford to insure an old wooden boat with a gas engine! They wanted an arm, and both legs to insure it!

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 17:16
Reply 


Very special indeed.

O

Popeye
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 17:48
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That boat is sweet!

Martian
Member
# Posted: 19 Aug 2013 17:52
Reply 


Thanks. The name was given to it after Louis died. Before that, it was simply known as "1914A" Road out two hurricanes on that boat up in the delta tied off to trees. One storm, I thought I was going to have to cut the roof off over our covered slip. Never stayed in the slip again!

After doing the paint work, and refastening, it leaked like a sieve until the old cypress swelled back up. Cypress absorbs 1.5 times its weight in water! The old shrimpers had me take her out into the bay and bash against the waves to work the hull to get it sealed up. After 48 hours, she didn't leak a drop!

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