Ashland, WI

 The previous post has not been updated because I wanted to do it full justice.  Right now, we are continuing on our trip East.

We gassed up Zelda and gave her a bath, then loaded her up with all our luggage.  Normally, we travel fairly lightly; however, this time because of the myriads of events and different clothing requirements, it was a different story.  Thankfully, there was a big trunk and back seat to take the overload.

Michelle and Adrian were going to Sonny Jack's christening, so we said good-by before they left. y  Theey did make sure Colen and Ryan were there to make sure we didn't make off with their patio furniture which we all enjoyed so much.  We also had some extra time with Tim so that was a bonus.  They helped load up, always nice to have extra help in loading luggage!

We had made arrangements to travel with Dave and Wanda over to Leech Lake, MN to meet Hank and Diane (Diane is Wanda's aunt - Mary's sister).  It's almost a straight run from Fargo over to Walker.  Met for lunch at Benny's Establishment and Emporium in downtown Walker (population 966) - not sure whether that's the winter or summer population.  The lake towns in Minnesota tend to get over-populated in the summertime.  Winter is mostly ice-fishing!  Had a fun lunch and we took several pictures.  One we took out on the sidewalk was with the huge poster from the anniversary dinner.  Have to wait for Dave to send that one to me. I'll include it in an amended post later.  Vi and Wanda had driven together from Fargo to Leech Lake while Dave and I followed.

After lunch Vi and I reunited, and we headed for Duluth.  Good weather and a neat drive on 200 and US 2 heading East.  We crossed the mighty Mississippi - of course, it was only about twenty feet wide at that point.  Stopped at a rest area overlooking Duluth and Lake Superior.  Awesome view from the hilltop. Drove down from the hillside and went over the bridge to Duluth.  We had originally planned on spending the night in Duluth but decided to get on the other side of town.  It was then we found there were no hotels on that side of town.  We ended up in Ashland around 7:30 - much later than we had planned.  The good news is that we have a fantastic suite overlooking the lake.  Tomorrow we'll try to reorganize our luggage and repack the car.

Good inner at the El Charro restaurant next door and now it's time for a hot tub and some sleep.  It's been a great week, and we'll recount it for you in the post - 55th Anniversary.  Our love to all and thanks to everyone who made our anniversary so special.