Way back, (if memory serves me correctly - circa 1986) I made a new friend. Actually, this “new friend” was actually a former co-worker. As co-workers, we primarily worked opposite weekday shifts, but we worked together on the weekends. I think it is safe to say that we got to know each other as “acquaintances”. Our stint of being “co-workers” was (relatively speaking) short lived. Eventually Ed followed other opportunities - but would still stop in to shop and say hello to his former co-workers from time to time. One fateful summer day he came to the store for some bicycle parts. I helped him find the parts while we made small talk. While we were catching up, he asked what I was doing for lunch. I thought it odd (and almost declined), but in the end I agreed to meet him after my shift for pizza. We had lunch, and my life was forever changed. If you have spent any time here on the blog you should recognize know him as “Best Bud Ed”. This is the story of how it all began.
One of the things that happened after meeting Ed was that I learned how to play cribbage. I had never played, and Ed needed an opponent, so he taught me. Over the next several years whenever we hung out, we would often end up at his house at some point – and when we did, the deck of cards came out, and we would be “throwing down fifteens”. Over the next thirty years the frequency in which we played cribbage would (as they say) wax and wane – affected by things like proximity, availability, interest, weather, and more. Through it all, there has been one pretty consistent aspect of playing cribbage with Ed. A deck of cards. Not just any deck of cards. No. A deck of Remington cards. The cards depict a slough in what I always perceived to be the fall – during duck hunting season, with their slogan… “Remington, first in the field”.
(They look very similar to the photo to the right)
Last weekend, I made a trip to visit Ed (we live several hours apart nowadays). As you may suspect, during this visit we broke out the cribbage board and the deck of cards. As we played the first (of many) games that weekend, we both noted how much the cards have “yellowed” (with age) over the years. It was actually quite noticeable. About half way through that first game we had both also commented on how degraded the actual “structure” of the cards have become. The cards were actually kind of difficult to shuffle due to how broken down they have become. Finally, towards the end of the game, Ed made a suggestion (a suggestion that I agreed was due…) Ed suggested that the game we were currently playing may need to be the last for the infamous deck of Remington playing cards.
He suggested (and I agreed) that the time had come to retire the cards from use.
Yup… The deck of cards you see in this photo (staged and then taken while Ed was retrieving a new deck of cards) is the very same deck of cards Ed used to teach me how to play cribbage. It is the same deck we have spent COUNTLESS hours and a staggering number of games playing cribbage with. It is the same deck of cards that will forever be etched into my memories. Memories of good times, with a great friend. This deck of cards has earned its well-deserved retirement.
It had been a couple of years since my last GeoCaching adventure in Duluth. MUCH earlier this year I asked Best Bud Ed what he thought about doing it again. Ed was all for it, so we scheduled a weekend (several months in advance) to ensure it would work out.
Ed lives in one of the hardest hit areas of the 2012 Duluth Flood. (For more photos, check out here.) While I have been to Ed’s place since the flood, and have seen some of the damage done (from a distance) – I had not really had a opportunity to see the damage UP CLOSE and PERSONAL.
We decided to GeoCache around one of the nearby Trail Heads to the Superior Hiking Trail. This trail starts at Mission Creek Trail and winds in and around the creek gorge until it meets up with the SHT. This area was one of the major sources of flood damage to the area. According to the Mission Creek Trail web page…
“Mission Creek trailhead is just above the DNR holding dam which was built to catch and hold logs and other debris from spring runoff or heavy rains.”
That holding dam caught TONS (literally) of debris from several significant mud slides. Once the dam was blocked, the creek flooded and filled the town with flood water.
As you can see from the “terrain map” (and/or Topo map) below, Mission Creek cuts through a DEEP gorge in the landscape, and is subject to some “significant’ elevation changes.
Last year after the flood, we visited Ed and his family. He took us around and (as best as he could) showed us much of the damage that occurred. Many areas were completely inaccessible – so we could only get so far in to see.
This GeoCaching trip would take us deep into Ground Zero of the flood, and over / through / around many of the mudslides that ultimately caused the flooding of Ed’s town.
It’s been just under a year now since the flood – and unfortunately due to the economy – the cleanup is only partially complete, and there has been little (if any) actual repair to the damage. The trail we walked is still “officially” closed (photos below will indicate why) – but hikers, sightseers, and GEOCACHERS still regularly use the access.
In these two photos, we are past the most significant obstruction. Here you see the trail has been completely washed away. We are looking back toward the parking area which is way off in the distance. From the left edge of that photo to where the trail would have been is another wash out. That is a tiny little “stream” coming down from the hill. In the second photo (the one with Ed poised on the edge of the washout) you can see a portion of the culvert that USED TO run under the trail and out to where it would spill into Mission Creek. This is (I believe) one of the primary areas / reasons why the trail is closed. We had to navigate up that little stream until we could find a safe crossing, then make our way back down the stream to where the trail picked up again.
That was not the the only place the trail disappeared. Further down the trail we came to another area where the trail ended, and we had to ‘bushwhack” our way around a number of obstacles. (Downed trees and some significant mudslides… I call them “mudslides”, but the were actually “clay slides”. Very dense, wet, and VERY SLIPPERY clay…)
Here, you see me on the edge of yet another wash out. This one was further down the trail from the first one. The photo was taken from ahead on the trail, looking back.
As we progressed along the trail (and often off-trail), we were ascending the gorge. The further we ascended, the less trail washout we encountered. Instead we found ourselves having to cross a number of the mud clay slides.
Once we made it to the top of the gorge, it was very interesting to see where these mud clay slides originated.
They start relatively small, but as they progress down the hill, they wipe out more and more, cutting a wider and wider swath of devastation as the travel.
From this vantage point, you could hardly tell how significant this mudslide really was. The results all but decimated a small town.
Here we are. at one of the highest points of elevation. It’s difficult to see in the photos, but one wrong step and it’s going to be a quick (and I would suspect, painful) trip to the bottom.
Left: Another portion of the trail. Right along the ridge. Center: The same trail – with Ed a few yards ahead of me. Right: Ed, logging a cache find. LOGGING a cache find from the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! It’s amazing what technology will allow us to do.
We stumbled upon one anomaly. Something we both found pretty interesting. Think about this one. How does this happen?? I know how a tree braches off and becomes two trucks as it grows up, but how does two separate and distinct different trunks grow back together into one tree??
All totaled on our first outing… Five caches found for five caches attempted. A total of four hours, 4.2 miles and assent / decent of over 600 ft (highest elevation point was 984 feet and the lowest was 335 feet).
Thanks to my GPS and Everytrail.com – you can follow us along our journey!
Once we made it home, we enjoyed a well deserved (and amazingly cooked) dinner of Stuffed Pork Chops from Superior Meats while #3 of 5 and I tried to warm up / dry off near the fire.
Ed and I had previously discussed the possibility of trying to find a couple of “night caches”.
Night Caches are GeoCaches with night time attributes – such as reflective tacks - that lead you from waypoint to waypoint in order to aid you finding the GeoCache.
We never found any Night Caches in the immediate area to attempt, but Ed had another idea! Once we finished dinner and got the younger kids settled into bed – Ed, #3 of 5, and I headed out to find a couple of nearby Caches that Ed already knew about.
We Geoached by the light of the moon – only since it was so cloudy and overcast, we actually GeoCached by the light of our flashlights!!
One hour, nearly two miles, and three found GeoCaches later – we headed back home to call it a day!!
During my second and final day in Duluth, it was raining. It was very wet, cold, and windy. Much of the day was spent in Ed’s garage, playing cribbage, smoking cigars, drinking beer, and watching episodes of Sherlock and Dragnet.
Yes, before call me out on this, let me be the first to point it out… The deck of cards we were playing with do say “Sexy Girls” on them. But, it’s not what you think! They are reproductions from classic paintings of “Pin Up Girls” by well known artist Gil Elvgren. His work spans from the late 1930’s to the early 1970’s.
Honestly, between the beer, cigars, and these cards - I truly believe that Ed was trying to distract me from my most excellent cribbage playing skills!!
We decided that rain or shine, we would make one more attempt at GeoCaching before I had to head for home. We scoped out a nearby Multi-Cache (a GeoCache with two or more components to it) that was also near another traditional cache, and headed out.
The first phase of the Multi-Cache was located in a nearby park, located near the mouth of the St. Louis River and Mission Creek called John Jacob Astor Park. It required us to locate some data from a plaque within the park about the park’s history in the Fur Trade of early America, decipher that into data that was converted into GPS coordinates.
Again at John Jacob Astor Park, the mud, clay and damage from last year’s flood was still very prominent. There was still a layer of mud, silt, and clay from the previous mud slides all around us.
We took the deciphered coordinates and headed off to the final phase of the multi-cache. Here is Ed, again logging his find on his uber advanced technical smart-phone with installed geocaching app!
Our final cache for the weekend was located in Chambers Gove Park. Chambers Grove park is a beautiful park located along the St. Louis River above the mouth of Mission Creek. It too saw a significant amount of damage from the flood. Damage that has yet to be repaired. Most notable was the boardwalk that runs along the river.
In the first photo, we are standing near the beginning of the boardwalk, looking NW along the river. In the second photo, we are looking back SE towards where the first photo was taken. You can see the warping of the boardwalk in the first photo, and the washout of the support under the boardwalk in the second photo.
This short outing lasted just over 30 minutes and added another mile and two more caches out our weekend GeoAdventure!
All totaled, Ed and I spent more than 5 hours traveling over 7 miles to locate 10 GeoCaches. We had a great time and made some fun memories! I want to thank Best Bud Ed and his family for their hospitality, and good times!!
I am looking forward to being able to do it again sometime soon!!
I was fortunate enough to be able to join Best Bud Ed up at his cabin for another deer hunt this year.
It was the last weekend of the season for this area of the state, and (for me) a last minute trip. I left directly from work, and after a couple of stops I arrived to the cabin around 10pm. In addition to Ed, two of his nephews joined us. It was one of his nephew’s first trip deer hunting, so Ed really took him under his wing and spent the weekend mentoring him. We spent some time catching up around the campfire, but since “pre dawn” arrives pretty early – we all hit the sack not long after I arrived.
After a short slumber, we all got geared up and then headed out to our stands in the darkness and chill of the pre dawn hours in the northern Minnesota woods. We walked along the trails until various “forks” in the path took us to the various deer stands. It was not long before I found myself walking alone down an ATV trail in the darkness. I would click on my flashlight momentarily to get a glimpse of the next reflective marker that would lead me through the woods to my stand.
About three quarters of the way to the stand, during one of those “flick on the light” moments – I scared up the first of four deer I saw this weekend. Actually this doe started me as much as I startled her. I stood still as I watched as the tell tale “white tail” flick up, then bound through the woods and into the darkness.
Eventually, I made it out to the deer stand (located in the yellow circle on the map below) where I climbed up, situated myself and my gear, then nodded off until legal hunting hours.
A couple of hours into my vigil of the northern woods, I spotted another deer (the second one of the day) off in the distance walking my way along a ridge line. It was off to my left, and quite a ways out. I sat up, focused my attention, readied my gun, and waited. As the deer drew closer I was able to determine that it was a doe. I did not have a doe permit but since Minnesota allows for “party hunting” there is an option to take the doe. That’s when I realized that I had not asked if anyone else had a doe permit – so I set my gun down and decided to simply enjoy the experience. I watched as the deer came closer and closer, pass behind me, and then I nodded off again.
Over the next couple of hours I saw two more deer.
The third deer crossed right in front of me, from my right to my left. This deer was close enough that I was able to immediately identify it as a doe. So instead of readying my gun, I whipped out my iPod and readied the video camera! I was amazed how close this deer came to the stand. I watched as she passed off to my right and towards the same deer trail that the first deer traveled along. She then continued down the path behind me and out of site.
The fourth deer followed the same path as the third one.
Same scenario. I identified the deer as a doe, and grabbed my iPod.
After the forth doe passed, I decided to sit tight and wait. With that many doe around there is a strong likelihood that there is a buck somewhere not too far away. Forty minutes (and no activity) later I packed up my gear and headed back to the cabin to share my experiences (and video) with the rest of the group.
Back at the cabin I also learned that Ed’s youngest nephew (the one he was mentoring this weekend) did have a doe permit. This being his first hunt, and with the heavy doe population around the cabin, I am glad I didn’t “fill his tag” – and had high hopes he would get his first deer!!
Between the morning and evening hunts, Ed and I ran a couple of errands and stopped off for a nearby GeoCache too! I also checked out the early ice on the lake!
Just before sunset, we all headed back out for the evening hunt. I took up a position at the same deer stand as I did in the morning (yellow circle in the photograph) – unfortunately, I saw no activity.
Ed and his nephew on the other hand, DID see a deer. Not only did they see a deer, they bagged one. It was a great lesson for Ed’s nephew – after taking the shot, and waiting patiently (as a good hunter does)they trailed the deer for a bit until it was located. Ed taught his nephew how to field dress the deer, and they pulled it about half way back to the cabin before Ed’s older nephew and I met them. He and I then took the deer back to the cabin while Ed and his younger nephew went back to the deer stand to collect their belongings.
Afterwards, we celebrated around the campfire!
The next morning we all got up and once again headed out into the darkness and chill of pre dawn hours in the northern Minnesota woods. This morning we switched deer stands and I headed off to the stand that Ed and his nephew took the deer from the previous evening (the blue circle on the map). I sat and watched for any signs.
After several hours the only thing that I had seen suck up on me from behind. It was blaze orange and had a big cheesy grin on its face!
Ed had left his stand and met me at my stand. We located the site where the deer was hit, and (for practice) tracked the path the deer ran to the site where the deer fell. Ed and I took an off trail path (bushwhacking) through the woods locating another older site that he would like to update with a new stand.
We headed back to the cabin and helped the nephews pack u. They were heading out a little earlier. Once the nephews left – Ed and I once again took to the woods. This time instead of sitting in a stand, we decided to make the HUGE loop you see in the map. We left the cabin, walked along the trail, then went off trail and “bushwacked” our way around the swamp, to the creek, north along the creek back to the lake and then back down the trail to the cabin. I had seen many areas of the back woods that I have never seen before.
There were some breathtaking views!!]
The rest of day was pretty uneventful.
We arrived back at the cabin, and loaded up our belongings. We packed our cars, and then headed out for the final evening hunt. Once again, Ed took a spot at the yellow circled stand and because I left a number of items at the blue circled stand, I headed back there.
Once sunset hit, I trudged back to the cabin, loaded up the last of the items that needed packing, and we closed up the cabin for the winter.
After a very relaxing and pleasurable weekend, it was time to say goodbye to Ed, and begin my long journey home.
The old saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words, right?
This picture represents FAR MORE than a thousand words.
You may see a man feeding a chipmunk. I do too, but I see SO MUCH more.
I see a mentor. I see a friend. I see a husband, father & grandfather. I see an outdoorsman. I see so many scenes from my life played out in my mind that I do not even know where or how to begin.
The photograph above is one of my favorite pictures of Best Bud Ed’s dad, John. In fact, when I think of John, it is this image (or something similar) is what pops into my mind. This photo represents so much of who he was, and what he was about to me.
I have written and re-written this post so many times, I lost count.
I have struggled over and over and over again to try and come up with post about a man that I held in high regard. A post that honored a man who lived life as John did. On his own terms – with the determination of a bull. A post that treasured so many fond memories… In the end, I couldn’t.
I realized that I won’t be able to meet my own expectations, that I am not going to find the right combination of words to honor and celebrate his life – nor will I be able to express my gratitude to Best Bud Ed and his family for having shared their husband, father, and grandfather with me as well as I wish I could.
Instead, I decided to post the photo above. A photo that is (to me) worth a thousand (or more) words (and fond memories). I could go on and on about the countless hours I spent at Ed’s place hanging with his dad. The times we spent in his (meticulously kept) garage or shed while he tinkered on an old radio or tuning up a chain saw. I could talk about the memories of the times we spent in the basement while he reloaded shotgun shells or just hanging out in his living room while he “tolerated” us playing cribbage, ordering pizzas, watching movies, and listening to loud teenage music.
This photo takes me back to memories of “Roly Poly Tobacco Tins”, antique firearms, and trips to the cabin. It floods me with memories of hours spent around the campfire, smokin’ cigars, and drinkin’ Leroux Black. I can’t help but think about ATV’s, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Freshly made Donuts from the Aitkin Bakery, antique collections, cribbage, and Coast to Coast Hardware.
On the 27th of February this year John left us and was welcomed (open armed) into the embrace of our Heavenly Father.
John’s memory and legacy lives on. He lives in the hearts and minds of his family, and his friends. I am proud and thankful to be able to say that John was my friend and truly believe his influence has helped make me a better man.
So John, as you transition to whatever comes next after our lives here, I want to wish safe journeys to you my friend, until such time that we can meet again… You remain in my thoughts and prayers.
Today, Best Bud Ed and his family had to make the very difficult, yet ultimate selfless act of sending their beloved four legged family member Jake to a better place.
My heart aches for the pain they are going through, while at the same time I commend them for having the courage and fortitude to make the most difficult decision to put Jake's needs before their own pain and sorrow. It is the ultimate gift.
I am comforted in knowing that Jake is free from the pain that he had been experiencing, and is now running the eternal trails - chasing squirrels, flushing up pheasants and grouse, and eating the occasional ice cream cone.
Jake became a constant companion for my Best Bud Ed. Wherever you saw one, there was the other. Hiking, picnicking, hunting, camping, fishing, hanging out by the fire, heck Jake even has his own GeoCaching handle!
“Jake the über Geo-Dog”
I spoke briefly with Ed after work today. I called him to see how he and his family was holding up, and to let him know I was with him in thought, and in spirit. While speaking to him, I could perceive his heavy heart, but could also sense a feeling of relief, knowing that Jake was free from his suffering. I don’t know if he could tell from his end of the phone, but I shed tears for him.
Ed only spoke with me a few minutes. He was packing his family up and heading to a specially chosen resting place for Jake.
Ed, rest well my friend. You and your wonderful family have given Jake the best thing a dog so deserving could ever receive – thanks to you, he lived a full and amazing life and will be forever honored in our memories.
With the decision to sell the boat and use the funds to purchase a canoe made – it was time to put words into action.
I spent the better part of a day off breaking “The Boat” out from its five year slumber by excavating it from its burial spot in the garage. No, not buried as in underground – buried as in under five years worth of “garage stuff”. The boat (placed upside down on it’s trailer) became an all too convenient storage shelf for long boards and other hard to store objects.
On a side note, one added benefit to having the boat out of the garage was a bunch of newly established “real estate” space in the garage for “stuff”
Before being able to sell it, I needed to obtain a new trailer license sticker. With the State of Minnesota’s Governmental Shutdown – that became a task I could not complete. So I turned my focus on to craigslist – watching for a good deal on a used canoe. (Actually, I had been watching (casually) for a couple of months now. I wanted to get a vibe on what was selling, and for how much.)
I spotted many different possibilities. Every time I found a canoe that met my criteria at or under my budgeted amount – it was sold (often sight unseen and within minutes of the ad going public). After several failed offers, I expanded my search parameters. I could make a “road trip” if the deal was good enough – and I could also recruit Best Bud Ed into being a set of eyes and ears for me if one were to show up on his side of the state.
Then, I spotted it. It was actually listed in the wrong “region” on craigslist, but just so happened to be a few miles from my home. The ad was for a wedding dress, a tiara, and a canoe. The canoe portion of the ad read…
Canoe original over $1,000 asking $___/OBO only used a few times comes with paddles and foam for top of vehicle. (Photo below is actual photo from craigslist ad)
Hmmm. It was a little bit over my budget, but as you can see from the photo, the boat looked like it was in wonderful shape, and included a few “accessories”. I sent off an inquiry email expecting to hear the typical “it’s already sold” message back, but in this case, I did not hear back from the seller (also not unusual on craigslist). Several days pass, and several other possible canoes come and go. Then, unexpectedly (having all but forgotten about this ad) I received an email that says the canoe is still available. Over the next two days we exchanged some info and I make arrangements to see the canoe. It looked even better in person than it did in the photos!
We settled on a price that fell right between my budget and their asking price, and made arrangements to pick it up the following day. My Facebook friends were deluged with a nearly constant stream of posts sharing my excitement.
Here are some details…
- The canoe is a 1983 17’ Osagian Classic. - It is 17’ long – 36” wide – 13” deep. - It is made with .050 Thick 6111-T6 (Aircraft grade) Aluminum. - It weighs 79 lbs and has a 780 lb capacity.
Osagian offers optional built-in “sponsons” (those bulges you see on the side of the canoe). They add stability and additional capacity.
I was nervous about “cartopping” the canoe. I knew it could be done, but with my smallish car, and this largish canoe – I did not know what to expect. The night before, I received an email from a friend providing me some tips (which, by the way, worked out great). When I brought the canoe home the following day, it rode “cartop” like a dream! I set the cruise control at 60mph and neither the car or the canoe protested whatsoever.
It was unusually warm that morning. Since I had a few hours before having to go to work, and the girls wanted to play on the “slip –n– slide” I decided to grab a bucket of soapy water and “detail” the canoe while the girls played (and helped).
By the time I was done, I could hardly believe my eyes. The hull was in pristine shape!
I was all amped up to take it out the next day, but quickly realized that I neglected to remember the pre-existing commitments that we have in our schedule. The canoe’s maiden voyage would have to wait at least one more day.
That night a thunderstorm hit, with the potential for “quarter sized” hail. I had the canoe (belly facing up) up on sawhorses in the back yard. The only thing I could picture that pristine hull looking like a golf ball. I ran out (at 4:45am, in the middle of a severe thunderstorm) and carried the canoe under the safety of the deck.
The plan was for set for Sunday afternoon. The boys were working at Scout Camp, the Mother of Five (unfortunately) had to work, but I had her blessing to take the girls and navigate the canoe on her maiden voyage!
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One of the things that happened after meeting Ed was that I learned how to play cribbage. I had never played, and Ed needed an opponent, so he taught me. Over the next several years whenever we hung out, we would often end up at his house at some point – and when we did, the deck of cards came out, and we would be “throwing down fifteens”. Over the next thirty years the frequency in which we played cribbage would (as they say) wax and wane – affected by things like proximity, availability, interest, weather, and more. Through it all, there has been one pretty consistent aspect of playing cribbage with Ed. A deck of cards. Not just any deck of cards. No. A deck of Remington cards. The cards depict a slough in what I always perceived to be the fall – during duck hunting season, with their slogan… “Remington, first in the field”. 
