Sometimes I'm a little slow to connect the dots. Several times in our travels we've heard the term Boreal forest. I just figured it referred to the types of trees that grew in that particular kind of woods, but then we came to northern Minnesota, and I began checking daily to see if we had any chance of fulfilling a long time ambition of mine- to see the Northern lights. Northern MN is one of the better places in the lower 48 to actually catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis or Northern lights. It finally clicked with me that a Boreal Forest is" a forest located in a Northern region". Much to my disappointment, solar activity is very low right now, which means I probably won't see them, but I found a great website for checking the activity level (http://www.softservenews.com/Aurora.htm) , so I will continue to check it every day while we are here in the “Boreal states”.
We've spent the last few days in the awesome little town of Grand Marais MN. It's right on Lake Superior, and has a small harbor and a cool little waterfront area with shops and restaurants, all within walking distance our RV park. We were extremely tempted to put the boat in the water, but didn’t.The other night we went to one of the seafood restaurants right on the water, although our plan of eating outside on the deck was foiled by the wind and the sudden temperature drop.
We spent one afternoon hiking to two waterfalls in nearby Grand Portage state park. The falls were ok, but nothing spectacular. The hike, although not too long- 4 miles- was difficult due to the heat and high humidity.While exploring the area, we stopped at the Grand Portage Heritage Center, even though I thought I had learned enough about the Voyageurs at Voyageurs National Park. I was so glad we stopped though- turns out there was a lot more interesting information to be had about that time in history.
In the 1700s, Grand Portage, MN was at the center of the fur trade. This is the spot where the Voyageurs left the water and had to carry their goods along a 9 mile stretch of land. It was here that the Montreal Voyageurs would rendezvous with the western Voyageurs and swap goods. At the Living History exhibit several of the North West Company buildings have been reconstructed.
We chatted with a fellow making a birch bark canoe in the same manner they were made hundreds of years ago. While showing us how they were put together, he taught us about how amazing the birch tree is and why it is uniquely perfect for building a canoe.
So, here are some interesting facts:
Birch bark can be peeled from the tree without causing damage to the tree, if done correctly (and he explained how to do that).
Birch bark will rot in the sun but will not rot in water, in fact, water makes it stronger. If a canoe is stored in the dark or used in the water regularly, it will last for hundreds of years.
The bark is used "inside out" for the canoe because the outside, white bark is dead, rotted by the sun, and the orange bark is fresh and waterproof. A birch bark canoe can carry much heavier loads than it’s aluminum counterpart. The wood of a birch tree is digestible by humans, and is non-toxic. It is used to make popsicle sticks and tooth picks.
Birch bark can be peeled from the tree without causing damage to the tree, if done correctly (and he explained how to do that).
Birch bark will rot in the sun but will not rot in water, in fact, water makes it stronger. If a canoe is stored in the dark or used in the water regularly, it will last for hundreds of years.
The bark is used "inside out" for the canoe because the outside, white bark is dead, rotted by the sun, and the orange bark is fresh and waterproof. A birch bark canoe can carry much heavier loads than it’s aluminum counterpart. The wood of a birch tree is digestible by humans, and is non-toxic. It is used to make popsicle sticks and tooth picks.
