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Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon: Program Registration & Orientation: 4:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation. Douglas Wood will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Douglas is also our primary instructor and will lead field trips with our Assistant Group Leader. Unless noted otherwise, transportation for program-related activities will be via 15-passenger vans. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner: At Tobie's Restaurant
Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; driving about 120 miles throughout the day, approximately 3.5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 3 miles; crushed rock trails, paved trails, forested trails with roots and rocks.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: We will check out of the hotel, hop into the vans, and set out for Lake Superior’s North Shore to explore beautiful Gooseberry Falls State Park and its trails. From the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: “Gooseberry Falls is the gateway to the North Shore. It is known for its spectacular waterfalls, river gorge, Lake Superior shoreline, Civilian Conservation Corps log and stone structures, and north woods wildlife.”
Lunch: Along the shore, we will have sack lunches.
Afternoon: Back in the vans, we’ll continue exploring exploring the North shore with a pull-off and scenic overlook of Split Rock Lighthouse, Lake Superior's most famous lighthouse. It is an iconic view that has inspired countless artists and photographers. It was built because of a storm in November 1905 that wrecked nearly 30 ships. When construction was completed five years later, it became an iconic focal point, thanks not only to its life-saving light but also because of its location with breathtaking views. Next, we’ll ride to Tettegouche State Park and hike out to Shovel Point. The park — formed by ancient lava flows — comprises rugged, semi-mountainous terrain; stretches of Lake Superior shoreline; lakes, rivers, waterfalls; and pristine forest. At Shovel Point, we’ll have stunning views of the shoreline, sea caves, a sea stack, the mouth of the Baptism River, and Palisade Head. After our field trips, we’ll ride to the AmericInn Lodge and check in.
Dinner: At the lodge.
Evening: After dinner, time and energy permitting, famed author and woodsman Douglas Wood may read from his memoir, "Deep Woods, Wild Waters."
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; driving about 150 miles throughout the day, approximately 4 hours total riding time. Getting in/out of canoes, paddling less than 1 mile. Walking less than 1 mile; forested trails with rocks and tree roots.
Breakfast: At the lodge.
Morning: We will check out, board the vans, and ride to Ely. We’ll continue learning about the geology and natural history of the area with commentary by Douglas Wood as we go. Arriving in Ely, we will visit Sigurd Olson’s house and writing shack. Olson (1899-1982) became a conservationist in the 1920s and many years later helped to write the Wilderness Act that became law in 1964. Living in Ely for most of his life, he was a prolific writer, dedicated to the conviction that provided vital spiritual experiences. His house on Listening Point and “The Shack” — a small cabin on Burntside Lake where he wrote — are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lunch: At the Sigurd Olson House.
Afternoon: Next, we will take a short ride out to Olson’s cabin and personal retreat on beautiful Burntside Lake, gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We will explore the legendary Listening Point and rustic cabin and listen to essays from Olson's books. If wind and weather permit, we will walk to Olson's beloved wilderness beach (subject of a whole essay) and put canoes into the water, paddling the beautiful shoreline and getting a loon's-eye-view of the Point.
Dinner: At a local restaurant.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; driving about 30 miles throughout the day, approximately 1 hour total riding time. Hiking up to 2 miles; forested trails, inside exhibit areas of interpretive centers.
Breakfast: At a local restaurant.
Morning: We will ride to the trailhead for Kawishiwi Falls and hike the trail--extraordinary for its little-known but iconic examples of Northwoods trees and forestation. “Kawishiwi” is an Ojibwe name that means “river full of beaver or muskrat houses.” The trail around it has been used by Native Americans, explorers, and voyageurs for many generations. We’ll then ride to the International Wolf Center that advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wild lands, and the human role in their future. We’ll have an educational session with members of the staff. After our field trips, we’ll ride to nearby Ely City Park.
Lunch: At the city park, we’ll have sack lunches.
Afternoon: We’ll ride to the North American Bear Center, a wildlife educational facility that helps people learn about bear behavior, ecology, and relations with humans. We will meet and hear from Center staff and have time to view and explore the exhibits independently. Then we will make the short drive to the Dorothy Molter Museum. Known as the “Root Beer Lady,” Dorothy (1907-1986) was the last non-indigenous resident of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The museum that honors her preserves and interprets the Northwoods wilderness heritage she lived.
Dinner: At a local restaurant
Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; driving about 140 miles throughout the day, approximately 3 hours total riding time. Getting on/off a boat; riding 60 miles round-trip. Walking up to 1 mile; graded crushed rock trails.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: .We will check out of the hotel and ride to the Lake Kabetogama Visitor Center, gateway to Voyageurs National Park. We will then board the park boat and set off on a 60-mile round trip with stunning wilderness vistas, scores of pine-masted islands, some containing Bald Eagle nests, and vast swaths of wild country, giving passengers a real feel for the North Woods wilderness and real meaning of a water-based park in Canoe Country. We will reach the historic Kettle Falls Hotel, accessible only by boat or plane and a fixture on the landscape for more than a century. A National Park ranger will provide expert commentary.
Lunch: At the historic Kettle Falls Hotel.
Afternoon: Back aboard our boat, we will begin our return voyage back to the Lake Kabetogama Visitor Center. We’ll have a different look at the lake and learn more about this incredible part of the planet. Returning to the hotel, we’ll have some time to freshen up and relax before dinner.
Dinner: At a local restaurant
Evening: Time and energy permitting after our big day, Douglas Wood may share a song and/or read from his book Fawn island.
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; driving about 30 miles throughout the day, approximately 1 hour total riding time. Walking up to 1 mile; forested trails.
Breakfast: At a local restaurant.
Morning: We will get in the vans and ride to Rainy Lake with commentary by our Group Leader as we go.
Lunch: At Fawn Island, we will get a feeling for this rugged outcrop of granite, topped with pines and birches. We will have sack lunches in the 1925 cabin, or on the deck or the dock. Doug will share a story or song or two and explain more about the history of his own island and of Ernest Oberholtzer's Mallard Island--his "university of the wilderness"--next door. A boat outing will give trippers a chance to see Mallard and the extraordinary, whimsical buildings that inhabit it. We will learn about Ober's magnificent role in protecting the areas that became the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park, and about the foundation that now manages his estate and continues his work.
Afternoon: Our next field trip will be to boat around historic Mallard Island, home of wilderness warrior Ernest Oberholtzer (1884-1997). We’ll learn about his role in protecting the Quetico-Superior area and explore his residence, now under stewardship of the non-profit Ernest C. Oberholtzer Foundation that maintains the island home as a place of inspiration, renewal, and connection to the natural world. After the field trip, we’ll ride to nearby Thunderbird Lodge on Rainy Lake.
Dinner: At a local restaurant
Evening: Free
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; driving about 150 miles throughout the day, approximately 4 hours total riding time. Getting in/out of canoes; paddling up to 2 miles, approximately 2 hours. Walking up to 1 mile; forested trails.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: We will check out of the hotel, hope into the vans and ride to Lake Kabetogama for a field trip by canoe to explore Lake Kabetogama and the Grassy Islands. We’ll learn about the geology and natural history of the lake and the area as we paddle along 2 billion year old rocks.
Lunch: At Woodenfrog Point we will have sack lunches.
Afternoon: We will hop into the vans and begin our ride back to Hinckley and check in to the hotel before dinner.
Dinner: At Tobie's Restaurant. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening: We will gather for a wrap-up session and closing remarks.
Activity note: Hotel check-out 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast: At the hotel. This concludes our program.
Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
JOOOB
