After seeing the International Wolf Centre, we were very excited to be going to the Bear Centre the next day. It was also in Ely. Luckily Trev, then Flynn will share their thoughts on the Blog. Hope you enjoy reading about Bears. Cath

Today we were going to see a bear! Like our hunt for a wolf, we had trecked all over the place hoping to catch sight of one. But today we knew we would get to see a real live bear at the International Bear Centre.

We packed up and left our forest camp and headed back into the town of Ely. Arriving at the centre we saw a group of people being lead up a forest track behind the building. Quickly we joined the excited group and were lead to three holding pens where they had three stunning Black Bears. We were only a couple of feet from them. They weren’t scary at all. In fact they were like big teddy bears and very tame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards we learnt all about bears in the centre. I was amazed to learn about an extinct American Carnivorous bear (Short Faced Bear) that stood twelve feet tall, weighs more than a ton and has long powerful running legs for running down large animals. These creatures were apparently one of the most ferocious predators of their time. Imagine camping in the forest and having a Short Face poke his nose inside your tent!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another fact that astounded me was that the leading cause of Black Bear deaths was due to being shot. Bears can live for 30 years, yet the average lifespan is only 3.8 years. It is hunting season at the moment around Ely and everywhere you look there are hunters kitted out in camouflage gear looking for bear, moose, deer and beaver.

The Black Bear is a very placid, shy bear that has a very important role in the forest ecosystem. The inbuilt fear humans have around bears is unjust. I think our visit to the centre took away our “unfounded” fear we had of bears. They are truly unique creatures.

By Trev

Not that we have met a “Grizzly” Bear yet. But the Centre for Bears also had a section on Grizzlies and how they have often been portrayed as ferocious killers in movies.

The exhibit behind Chayse is specifically to show people how these bears are seen and why so many of us have an irrational fear. The ferocious look is one humans expect bears to ave when they are about to attack. This is however, just how movies portray the bears. Apparently the movie makers dubb the sound of a roar/growl whilst the bear’s mouth is open like this.The Centre really separated fact from fiction and as a result are really serving to educate people about all bears and how to co-exist with them. Having said that, I still wouldn’t want to run into a Grizzly in the forest!

Below is a Report on Black Bears that Flynn as researched and written. His information is from the Bear Centre and books.

 

Black Bears

Black bears are mostly found in Northern America.
Black bears like to live in the forest because there’s lots of trees with nuts and berries.

Black bears like to eat berries, ants, grubs, nuts, leaves, roots, carrion (dead meat), fish, dear, elk calves, garbage, fruit, vegetables and many more.

As a cub, black bears eyes are blue and when they grow up they slowly change to brown. Even though they are called “black” bears they come in many colors such as black, brown, cinnamon, grey, yellowy grey and white.
Even though black bears have razor sharp claws and teeth and look scary they are not aggressive to humans unless they are cornered,  have cubs or have been aggravated.

Black bears use there claws to climb trees and to rip tree trunks apart to get food.
Black bears hibernate from December to February.
And if you don’t now what Hibernating is, it is were the black bear goes to sleep for a long time and the black bears heart beat goes really slow.
Black bears mate from March to May.
Black bears eat most of the day getting ready for hibernation.

Even though black bears look fat and slow they are actually as fast as a baby dear and an old dear. Black bears have been known to hunt baby dear.

I can’t believe that people still hunt black bears just for trophies.
Black bears most common course of death is by people hunting them.
Hunting has been passed down for many generations but there are Bear Centers that have helped educate people about what bears are really like.

By Flynn

Hope you liked finding out more info. That takes us out of Minnesota now and into North Dakota where we made our way to the Theodore Roosevet National Park. Hope you like seeing Pioneer style villages and animals in the wild, ’cause we certainly did! See you then……

Next part of journey…………

It rained all day, so we decided it was a good day to travel after the Mountain Trams. We wanted to see the Wolf Sanctuary, so headed North East towards Ely. Apparently a massive fire (98,000 acres) had closed the Highway two days previously. We had to detour several times as side roads closed. Made it into Ely where we ordered pizza and found a camp ground for the night called Falls Lake. Quite an interesting system of booking in and paying. Ate pizza and watched a movie. We went off to the International Wolf Sanctuary the next morning. (You’ll notice we spell “gray” like this instead of “grey” because it is spelt with an “a” in America).  This is where my family take over writing the blog…………… Enjoy. Cath

The following is written by Trev.

Finding wildlife in America hasn’t been that fruitful. We’ve seen plenty of birds, squirrels and chipmunks, but spotting a bear, wolf or moose has been a non-event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been looking though! The evidence is in our RV. It is caked in mud and dust from taking off road tracks through mountain forests in the hope of coming across these elusive animals. We travelled up into the mountains in the wild Northern parts of Minnesota where the last of the remaining Gray Timber Wolves were holding out back in the late 1960’s (now reintroduced in other states of America and increasing in numbers). Black Bear and Moose were also well established in this area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In our desperation we even trecked up into an area where there was a raging forest fire, only to be turned back due to road closures.

Last week our hunt for a sighting lured us up a winding dirt forest road in Wisconsin that was more suited for 4 wheeled motorbikes than a car, let alone a thirty one foot RV. We were unable to turn around, so we just plodded on, ending up at a beautiful little lake in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by little mountain cabins and thick forest, but no large animals. Although we all thought that we spotted a beaver’s dam in the river!

So after days of searching we decided to head towards the mountain town of Ely where there was The International Wolf Centre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wolf Centre was all about education. They had a bunch of wolves in a huge forest enclosure. The problem was that it was a cold, rainy day and the wolves were hiding in their caves and weren’t going to show themselves for neither love nor money. So we listened to the talks, viewed the documentaries, studied all the fantastic exhibits and the kids checked out all the interactive activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We learnt a lot about these feared creatures. You’ll have to read Amber’s blog post to find out what we learnt. Here are a few facts to add…

There are only two species of wolf. The Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Wolves almost became extinct in the USA due to hunting. A wolf can crack open a moose leg bone with its teeth. Loggerhead turtle numbers increased when they reintroduced wolves. Why? The wolves ate the racoons who love roaming the beaches digging up turtle eggs!

 

We’d been at the centre for over two hours and were getting organized to leave when we noticed some excitement going on near the wolf enclosure. Our wolves had decided to show themselves! … and they were beautiful!

What a perfect ending to a very interesting day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following is a Report on Gray Wolves. It was written by Amber after she researched her information at the Centre and from books.

Grey wolves come again

A Grey wolf is a wild canine that is scared of loud gunshots and noises. They eat moose, deer, beaver, rabbit, squirrel and more.

Grey wolves live mainly in Northern Minnesota and Northern Montana. They are usually found hiding throughout the forest and scrubland hunting for food and water.

Did you know, Grey wolves are the largest wolf weighing up to 120 pounds even though females weigh less they are still quite big. When pups are just born they weigh 1 pound. A Grey wolf can be many colours such as black, grey, cream and white. Grey wolves have webbed feet for running in deep snow, they have an oily coat designed for water.

Grey wolves live in packs of 7 or 8. The dominate pair are the only ones who can breed, the rest of the pack help protect and raise the pups as well as support the two dominates. There is one pack leader that the other wolves must obey to what he says. If the other wolves want to breed they have to leave the pack because only the dominates can breed.

20 years ago Grey wolves were nearly hunted down but the government clarified wolves as endangered so they became protected. Now there are a lot more wolves then before. I’m so glad the government introduced that law.

By Amber

I hope you enjoyed finding out more about these majestic creatures. Below I have added a map to show you roughly where we are now. You will notice that the Wolf Centre is in Minnesota, but we have travelled through North Dakota into South Dakota now. The next blog will be about Bears, then you can follow us on our journey to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota where we see a lot of wildlife like Bison (buffalo), Mule Deer and Prairie Dogs. Then we can take you to see the Four President’s heads on Mt Rushmore in South Dakota. Until then, take care and thankyou for sharing our journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After finishing at Spirit Mountain, we planned to head North up the coast on a well known tourist drive. After following the coast line (following Lake Superior) we could easily see why so many tourists make the trek in summer. Fall holds a different attraction with the colours of the leaves changing (from green to the most beautiful oranges, burgundy, coral, red, burnt umber and yellow). I’d imagine Winter holds an even more different, yet appealing one.

Whilst Trev had to use the internet, (some of the camp spots don’t have great coverage), we stopped at a park along the way and made the most of the gorgeous sunshine by playing and walking along the shoreline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More of a chillin’ out kind of day with a bit of food shopping to do as well. So we didn’t cover many miles before stopping at Lamb’s Resort Camp Ground, north of Duluth,  for the evening. Trev went on a 10 minute walk with the boys only to come back an hour and a half later after talking to all of the local campers. That is where you learn about the best sights to see and pitfalls to avoid. A lovely lady called Sandy gave us a lot of information about bears in the area. It’s times like these that you wish you were staying longer to get to know people like Sandy better, but I guess that’s life and you just have to enjoy the interactions you have at that time.

The advantages we have had travelling at this time of year (after the Summer break, but before Winter kicks in) is that many attractions are still open, but without the long queues of people trying to access the same things. The disadvantage is that as the Winter approaches, many close certain rides for maintenance. We were hoping to go on two rides this particular day, but only managed to find the Mountain Tram open, not the Lutsen Mountain Alpine Slide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we chose to go on the tram anyway as the views on the top of Moose Mountain were pretty awesome. We could see Lake Superior in one direction and the tops of the forest in the other. The leaves were starting to change colour, but we were told in another week, the colours will be amazing as Autumn firmly takes hold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had some lunch in the restaurant, then caught the tram cars back down the mountain to where our Chariot RV awaited! We could only imagine what these ski resorts must look like in the Winter………pretty magical is my guess!

We left the Ski resort and travelled along Maple Leaf Drive. Probably there a week too early as their full colours hadn’t come through, but still very pretty. Had to change direction to get to the highway as there was a fire that had cut off access on the minor roads. The next blog will be centred in Ely, home of the International Wolf Centre (Center if you are American) and the bear Centre. Amber and Flynn have written a report on the Grey Wolf and the Black Bears, so I hope you will enjoy reading about them in our next blog……..

 

 

 

 

 

There was a lot to do around Duluth, so we moved camp grounds to one on Spirit Mountain. It was in walking distance to the Timber Twister Alpine Coaster and the Zip Line Attractions.

Even though the weather was overcast and wet, it did not dampen our enthusiasm to try out two great rides that went down the mountain and through the forest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first was the Timber Twister. Amber wasn’t keen at all, so she and I sat out with Akaisha whilst the rest of the family went on the ride. As with anything though, when Amber saw how much fun her brothers and sisters had, she wanted to go. Trev must have had fun also as he bought more tickets to give everyone a second go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went with Amber this time. The Timber Twister races along a 3,200 foot track, through the forest, and down the mountain (with wondrous views of Lake Superior in the background).We had complete control of our speed (up to 26mph or about 60 km/h). Amber, who is a bit like her mother, preferred the “coasting” speed, whereas all of the others went as fast as they possibly could. Kit and Chayse were with Trev and Kaitlin respectively and had an absolute ball racing along at those speeds. As explained in the brochure, this ride is unique because the alpine coaster makes hairpin turns, is elevated off the ground like a rollercoaster and has a unique track system. There are only 4 other Alpine Coasters in the US and this ride was indeed a unique and fun experience.

Afterwards, the “fast freaks” went on the Zip Line (which is like a “Flying Fox” chair lift). That proved to be a worthy attraction also. We decided that Spirit Mountain in Minnesota must be a fantastic place to be in the winter, especially going on the rides in the snow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked back to camp and warmed up in front of a toasty camp fire (in between the rain!). We were still waiting to see a bear or moose, but settled for a squirrel instead!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota are two sister cities, Superior and Duluth. Duluth is a port city and the second largest city located on Lake Superior. The twin city Superior and Duluth are the Great Lakes’ largest port transporting coal, iron ore and grain. Duluth happens to be a great tourist destination, even though we didn’t find some areas of the city very pretty. But it does have one of America’s only all-freshwater aquarium. The city is also the starting point for Minnesota’s famous North Shore drive (which we are on at the moment).

 

 

 

 

 

 

We loved the Great Lakes Aquarium as it was so educational for the children and had many interactive exhibits. In particular I thought the 3-D waterway exhibit where kids could play with the boats on the various loch systems, was particularly good as it showed the path of water flowing from Toronto into the USA. It allowed children to work the Lochs by first-hand experience. Did you know that Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake by “surface area” on earth. Pretty awesome to see in real life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The aquariums were very well done and allowed kids and adults alike to follow underwater by operating a mini camera.

We saw many Sturgeons and Flynn has provided me with a few facts to share with you. “Sturgeons are 9 foot (in the aquarium we saw), and they can get up to 28 foot in Russia. They live in deep, cold freshwater lakes.” By Flynn

Trev added that the caviar is greatly sought after and as a result, Sturgeon stocks are very depleted in the Great Lakes. The young ones get poached before ready to breed, but sturgeons take about 20 years before they start breeding. They go to the streams to breed and thats where fisherman catch them easily to harvest the eggs. Genetics are such that they were around when the dinosaurs were on earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were in time to hear a talk about Otters and see them swim and eat in an enclosure. There were a range of exhibits including birdlife and other animals around the Great Lakes area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids (and we adults) had fun mucking around with the “Masters of Disguise” exhibit. The idea was to show how easily animals and water creatures can camouflage with their surroundings to disguise themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Aquarium wasn’t the only attraction to hold our interest. Next door was Duluth’s version of the  Oktober Beer Festival. Trev took the kids to have a look at some of the fun activities to do, whilst I took the opportunity to sort some things in the RV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kit and Chayse came back with a spider painted on their cheeks. I nearly fell over when Trev said they were charged $4 each for that! (He thought it was going to be free).  Kaitlin can do better than that for free!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a pretty full day, we went back to our KOA Campsite in Cloquet (20 minutes from Duluth) where we built another fire.

The kids were very excited at this camping ground as it was the weekend and there were a lot of other children their ages to play with. And if you thought our family was large, our kids made friends with a family that has 15 kids in it (ranging from 26 years to 2 years). We didn’t ask if they were a blended family, but our kids were suitably impressed anyway.