I had the pleasure of visiting the Minnesota State Fair this past Thursday and I have to say that it was a lot of fun. I have not been exposed to a crowd of people like that in a long time, but I managed to keep my anxiety attacks to a minimum. The Double-Ferris Wheel is the only ride I attempted that night, but my wife and relatives rode them all.
I attend for the people watching. On the North Shore we are so sheltered from the strange and unusual people out there. I could not help but stare at some of the crazy outfits and piercing that people were sporting. I saw a lot of man bags or “murses” being shouldered by the trend setting fellows, but I just don’t see myself ever carrying a purse.
Saturday we had a family reunion at Valley Fair in Shakopee. I know, two crowded places in the same weekend, what was I thinking? I actually did not have any say in the matter, but, it too, was a lot of fun. The roller coasters are pretty darn impressive. I have not been to an amusement park since high school and they have certainly evolved. The “old school” wooden roller coasters are still around, but they are slowly being replaced with some extreme high velocity iron monsters. There is one called “Steel Venom,” located by the park entrance, and I cannot even explain how utterly insane it really is. You will just have to go see for yourself.
Valley Fair’s infamous “Wild Thing” steel roller coaster is still my favorite ride, but my tenyear old niece kept her head buried in my sisters’ lap the entire time. I would have too at that age. It is pretty intimidating to be that high up in a little cart with a lap belt. My brother sat in front of me and when we reached the peak of the first hill and slowly began to descend I noticed his cigarette lighter jumped out of his chest pocket and suspended in mid-air as the cart began racing down the hill. It sat there for so long that I finally reached out and grabbed it with two fingers. It was not spinning or anything, just motionless in mid-air, descending at the exact same speed we were.
The vacation ended with some appliance shopping which caused us to get home late on Sunday night. When passing by the George Washington Pines, I noticed the outside temperature dropping to 35 degrees and could not believe it. My headlights were reflecting a very faint shimmer that appeared to be frost. I thought I was just getting tired of driving but it was actually frosting up in different spots. As we got further up the Trail, the temperature began rising into the mid-forties. This morning I went out to check the garden and sure enough the squash leaves are showing signs of frost damage.
I was told by Jon Schei, Gunflint Lodge Fishing Guide, that the walleyes bit really well through the bad weather this past weekend. He has been finding his fish down deep in the 25 to 30 foot range. The bigger fish are still up a little shallower, but some nice schools of eater-sized fish are down deep.
Cory Christianson, a 2000 Graduate of the University of Iowa, has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail for nine years. If you have any fishing reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@ hotmail.com or call 218- 388-0315.
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