Making of a Melee

As the month has begun to wear on, our present locale much further delayed than we intended we began to realize that making it to our friends wedding come August 15 could induce a bit of an epic adventure to our current status. Our present lifestyle has involved greyhound buses, rental cars, friend visitation, car poolage, little children, more friends and a glorious union of Craigville and Schaeffer Nation.

This wild inducer of surreal actuality has been our reality:

8/11/2008
Arrive Wawa, Ontario at Naturually Superior Outfitters to pick up food box, logistisize our options. In this present locale we are treated with unpresidented hospitality, generosity, a delicious lunch and amazing accomodating energy. We figure out our travel options, plan for a Greyhound ride away from the eastern Lake Superior back towards the other side of the lake. We pack up our essentials and head store our boats on their rack. They've got a groovy concert going on, which we indulge upon and then a staff member takes us to his home to revel in the olympic games until we are dropped at the bus station around 1:30AM style.

8/12/2008
It's bloody early. No one is around here. The bus station = bench on sidewalk with a Greyhound logo behind us. Bus arrives late (after 3:00 AM). Due to nature of our travels we were unable to purchase a ticket before hand, on internets we are instructed to pay the bus driver. He seems slightly confused by all of this and takes some of our money, which he will then give to the other bus driver when they switch over and then at our final desitnation will walk with me to ticket counter and settle up the proper ammounts... Little sketched with this, but sleep deprived and needing to get on that bus we take what we can get.

Still early, but we stop (4:30AM) to swap bus drivers. I get pulled out by the man, and chat with the new lady bus driver. Seems all right and we board our transportation station on wheels. The next six hours are a blur of sketchy highway, bashing on Americans (bus driver and her sister-who, far as I could tell was just along for the ride, had lots of solid material against the good 'ol U.S. of A- good times). Ok so here we are on this bus, its cruising, sub consciously I am hearing all these 'great' things about the states, blah this and that, thinking, as awkward as this is, we are in the middle of bum diddly um nowhere so there is no way we are going to say we are from the states and have this driver (who may be a timebomb) leave us and our belongings on the side of the highway. Back to sleep for a little while.

Not so exactly sure, but I am quite positive our 90+ minutes of lateness was created largely in part by the several smoke breaks the 'bus' had to take. Despite the ridiculous nature and desire to get out move on I actually found myself feeling that anticipation of somehting amazing about to happen, like on that T.V. show where they hook people up with homes and mouthing "Move that Bus!". Very few times in my life will I say I was anxious to get to Thunder Bay- this was one of them.

We arrive in Thunder Bay, where our next objective was to get to Minnesota... I know what you are thinking, why didn't you just take the Greyhound? Good question, probably because it would have taken us BACK to Toronto, crossed at Buffalo New York and then journied for two days until it made it to Duluth. In Tunder Bay (as the locals call it, or maybe I just fell for it, "oh yah, you wanna sound like a Canadian eh, you'd better get rid of da H in Thunder Bay") there is this ironically named business called "Happy Time Tourism" which was recommended to us by the Tunder Bay tourism folks. They were reccommended because they have a bus that travels down to the Grand Portage Casino and service to Duluth... We were told folks use it all the time. So we're here thinking, well heck, its our best bet to get to Minnesota and then on our way to the glory land. Talking to this company (and I will refer to it as the company so not to disclose the individuals name), they made no mention on the phone that this bus was for CASINO customers only, that was told to me in a quite non professional, agitated profiling demeanor (denouncing the bus was for PAYING CUSTOMERS not TRAVELERS) after we took a 45 minute city bus ride over to their place by the airport. (sahhhwwwwheeeet!) I even offered to pay this place to take us on the bus, but to no avail she told me we could come back tomorrow and pay $75 each way to get to Duluth. We're sitting in the mid day sun, menacing what to do next, when I see an Avis car rental...

Long story short we went to lunch at this place 'Penalty Box', bar with a hockey rink in it- WILD, did some economical figuring and determined all things aside, plus convenience (as this was Tuesday and the bus would not leave until Wednesday) it was indeed cheaper to rent a car. Avis, of course did not have the kia rio they orgionally enticed me with, and provided us with a 2008 Red VW Jetta, which meant of course this car would be going the speed limit or slightly under. Ok, so we're cruising down to meet with friends in Minnesota to carpool to this once in a lifetime event, when BAM!!! Just kidding, nothing happend, wanted to make sure this story was worth your while... Got a little hasseling at the border, but that's to be expected eh?

Tuesday before sundown we are in Ely Minnesota with some friends and a bed to sleep in. For the next few days we would enjoy the North Country, learn about wildlife sounds, owls, a beaver and wolves before proceeding down to the Mason area for da weddin.

8/15/2008
Make that journey a down to the land we all know so well - clear skies, not much wind, sunny. Perfect day for a wedding. Don't exactly know how to bust out a play-by-play of our experience, but it was glorious. Perhaps we'll leave it at that. Some damn fine people making a damn fine couple fixing to spend a bountiful life together.

8/16/2008
Amidst the haute sun we clamber back into the car (eventually) after meeting friends, replenishing the caloric necessity, swimming in the lake and head to Ely to pick up the rental car for the next days' journey. Nothing too eventful on this stupendous Saturday, some travel, beautiful MOONRISE.

8/17/2008
Bid our Northern Minnesota experience farewell for now and retrace our steps back around that there lively lake to get in and PADDLE!!! Yowsa. Hopefully no issues at the border, and a plesant bus ride back to the land of WAWA.

So do we close this tale like a mastercard commercial?
Bus from Wawa to Tunder Bay: Canadian Dollars
Rental Car to Ely: More Canadian Dollars
Delicious Mexican food in Ely: US dollars
Seeing two amazing people commence and begin a glorious life together and getting to write a biligerant tale about the entire thing: priceless

As of this point in time we are thinking we will be out for another 3.5-4.5 weeks; weather dependent. Communication will probably be spotty, but you can always leave a messege, which we will check periodically.


Other than that, do what you do, be who you be and keep those days filled with health, happiness and laughter...