Becks Takes a Vacation
CHAPTER TWO
It had been a mostly uneventful drive from the Avis Rental counter to the Kettle River Rest stop off I-35 just past Sandstone, Minnesota. Once out of the Twin Cities and their surrounding suburban sprawl the scenery had been mostly grassland and trees interspersed between the occasional off ramp leading to some smaller community.
Her flight from New York had landed at MSP Airport in the mid-morning and after a quick pick up of her luggage, and a trip to the car rental desk to pick up the SUV that she had reserved, she was on her way north toward Duluth.
She hadn't been particularly hungry so she just kept driving. After a few hours on the road she needed to stretch her legs and maybe get a cup or two of vending machine coffee. Beggars couldn't be choosers.
The rest stop she pulled into was the last one outside of Duluth's purview so Becks figured it would be a good place to stop. She parked the black Explorer and went inside the clean, well-managed building.
She took care of nature's needs, then obtained a candy bar and a cup of something that looked like it was trying to pass itself off as coffee. It wasn't very good, but it was warm and had caffeine in it.
She took her 'lunch' with her as she wandered out and found herself on one of the walking paths. She enjoyed the gentle breeze as it played with her freshly trimmed and newly restored copper colored hair. She was wearing a light wind breaker and was happy that it was past bug season.
She followed the path as it wound about amongst the trees. She knew there was a river nearby but she wasn't going to go far enough to reach it. From what she'd seen in looking up the North Shore, and other places in northern Minnesota, she would not be at a loss for rivers…and lakes. She just needed to stretch.
She got back into her rental and got back onto the freeway heading toward Duluth. She had planned on getting to Duluth in the mid-afternoon, which was going to be the case. Then she would get a room and stay the night. Take what was left of this day and part of the next to do a little touristy sight-seeing.
It wasn't long before she found herself coming over a hill and having the city spread out before her. There was no doubting that Duluth was a sea port. It may sit smack in the middle of the North American continent, but thanks to the St. Lawrence Seaway and a chain of Great Lakes it was by any definition, a sea port.
She had to pay attention to where she was going. The highway system was one of the strangest she'd ever seen. Roadways went every which way, as they went under, or up and over, then off to the right or left. If you weren't paying attention, you could find yourself on a bridge that would take you into Wisconsin before you knew it.
Becks decided to find her motel first. Then once she was settled, she would wander around town and see what she could see.
She found her motel relatively easily and had picked up several of the brochures that were openly displayed in the motel office. She sat on the bed and shuffled through the various adverts. After looking though a half a dozen different brochures she decided she'd just head out toward the port and take it from there.
The first thing she came upon was the lift bridge that spanned the channel that the 'Laker' ships would take into port. And as luck would have it, a large ship was coming into port while she was nearby and she was able to watch the large trestle style bridge being raised high in the air so a larger sea faring Laker ship can pass under it.
Being over in 'Canal Park' she wandered over to what appeared to be a former train depot. It was an old train depot, which had been transformed into a County Heritage and Arts Center. There were some interesting exhibits, and four different museums. There was also the Lake Superior Maritime Museum which easily occupied more time than she'd have originally expected.
But for Becks, the biggest payoff was the SS William A. Irvin. An actual Great Lakes ship in its entirety in its own slip and turned into a museum showcasing the great 'Laker" ships that have navigated the Great Lakes for a hundred years.
The ship had been launched in 1937. It was over 610 feet long, had a berth of 60 feet and was over three stories deep. It had a 14,000 ton capacity. But what interested Becks the most was being able to see how the crew lived on board ship during those weeks and even months while out to sea. She had to shake her head to get the Gordon Lightfoot song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" out of her head.
On her way back to her motel, she stopped in at "Grandma's". It was a night club which featured live music. Mostly from local bands or bands from the Twin Cities. She decided to stay for a while and just relax with a few drinks and listen to the music.
She was pleasantly surprised by the band that was headlining that night. They were a band called Blue Liars and they were good. Their playlist was quite interesting. They weren't locked into any single genre, but just played a varied, fun evening of music. They played a lot of original songs, but made sure to throw enough familiar tunes to keep the dancing crowd happy.
Becks wound up staying later than she'd planned, and wrote down the names of several of their songs. She'd look into getting them on her streaming service when she got back.
It was a relaxed, but still tired Becks who finally made it back to her motel. She'd had a good time. She even flirted a bit with a couple of grad students from the local university, and had a few dances before she called it a night.
She got up early and packed up her stuff and hit the road shortly after the sun had risen. She set her course on north highway 61. The road that followed the North Shore. She found a small restaurant at the outskirts of town and had breakfast. She did it mostly for fresh brewed coffee. But she also had some french toast to fill her belly.
After breakfast she pointed herself north and drove. She drove through Two Harbors, a small community on a harbor created from an indentation in Lake Superior. Soon after Two Harbors she found herself pulling into Gooseberry Falls State Park. There she secured her state park pass, which would allow her entrance in any Minnesota State Park for the calendar year, not that she'd be back again this year.
This was Becks first falls among the myriad of rivers and falls that eventually wound up in the largest fresh water lake, by surface area, in the world.
It being autumn, the water wasn't rushing like it would in the spring, but the lesser volume of water rushing down the rocky landscape allowed for a better look at the basalt bedrock form of the river bed as the two level falls water flowed down toward the sea sized lake.
She'd been told that Gooseberry was probably the most popular with the tourists of the parks and she could see why. There were boardwalks and stairs that followed the falls on both sides of the river and even overlooks that looked down on the falls. Because the water level was down, people even left the wooden walks and ventured out on the rock shelves that made up the river banks. She wandered the boardwalks, taking in the slightly brisk fresh air, but didn't stay long because she preferred less crowding.
Next on the road north was the Split Rock Lighthouse. It had been called one of the most picturesque lighthouses in the country. Rather than go into the park itself, she found a place to turn off and park where she could go down to the shoreline and look up at the majesty of the building standing proud on the huge cliff face 130 plus feet above the water.
She went back to her SUV and got back on the highway and headed northeast along the shoreline of the great lake.
The next state park along the way after going through the towns of Beaver Bay and Silver Bay was Tettegouch State Park. This one required walking inland on a hiking trail to see four separate falls on the Baptist River as they made their way down from the higher ground. As before, with the water flow lessened by the dryer fall season, she was able to see the formations in the rocky river beds much more than she would in the high water times of early spring. She could only imagine how fast the river must flow in the spring.
Becks continued on her way along the North Shore. She didn't stop at every State Park along the way as she was now in the Superior National Forest. She did make short stops at both the Temperance River and Cascade River parks to stretch her legs on the trails along those two rivers and admire the falls and the rapids on those water ways.
As she continued her trip up Highway 61 she came across Grand Marais, a small town which mostly lived off tourism provided by the lake in the warm months, and by winter activities like skiing and snowmobiling when it got cold.
She stopped at a small café and had a filling lunch. She really just needed more coffee. She saw that they would fill her thermos with coffee for a reasonable price, so she made a deal with her waitress to put that on her tab and she'd be right back after she went out and bought herself a thermos jug.
It was a happier Becks who pulled out of the café parking lot with her new thermos filled with hot coffee.
She gazed at the surrounding countryside as she moved ever northeast along the shoreline. More and more she was seeing the colors decorating the landscape to her left. Brilliant yellows and oranges dominated. But interspersed evergreens added their hues to the palate. There were also patches of deep red here and there. It was beautiful.
It wasn't too long before she came upon the Judge C.R. Magney State Park. This was one she had been looking forward to. She had read in one of the brochures she had collected that this park held a waterfall that had been a mystery for many years.
The falls named the Devil's Kettle flowed down the Brule River until it reached a significant outcropping of volcanic rock in the river bed which split the water's path in two. The east side of the river would plummet fifty feet into a pool at the bottom, then join the river the rest of the way downstream. The west side water would be split by the outcrop and plunge into a cavernous hole in the rock bed and vanish. They had never been able to measure the depth of that cavern, and no one knew what happened to the water up until a couple of years ago.
Apparently some hydrologists had somehow been able to measure the amount of water flowing in the river above the falls. Then went and measured the amount of water a distance from below the falls. They found the amount virtually the same, which meant wherever the water from the west side on the split went, it somewhere found its way back into the river. Probably from some underground access point they've yet to find.
So Becks entered the park and hiked the somewhat daunting mile and a half back to the falls. The trail included over 200 stair steps up and down along the trail to get to the falls. It was impressive, though again because it was autumn the water didn't flow with the violence it would in the spring.
When Becks got back on the road she realized she was getting closer to the Canadian Border. She had just passed through Grand Portage and had traveled just a few miles when she came upon a pull off overlook. She pulled over and parked. She got out of her car and walked out to the wooden platform, leaned on the railings, and looked out. It was amazing. She was looking out over the steep sloping of the rocky ground. There were trees growing up through rocks and soil that she was looking down onto the tops of those trees.
The information plaque said that the overlook was over 400 feet above the level of the lake. She could look out over the lake and it was like looking out over the ocean. There was no distant shore to be seen. She looked to her left and was able to see Isle Royale. The chunk of rock, dirt, and trees that made up the 'eye' in Lake Superior when seen from the sky.
Becks took a deep breath of the cool fresh air and just shook her head. As much as she loved New York, there was no place like this at home.
She didn't know how long she stood there just looking out over the landscape and the lake, but the wind finally chilled her enough to force her to go back to her car and continue her trip.
There was only one more place she planned to check out and she had a hunch it would be the best one yet.
She was so close to Canada now that it didn't take long to come across the last state park along the North Shore, Grand Portage State Park. She quickly pulled in and parked. She made sure her jacket was zipped up because it was late in the afternoon and the temperatures were beginning to drop.
She found the ever helpful signage that pointed the way. She found herself on a trail that at times was a wooden board walk and other times was just a dirt path. As she went toward her destination she could see the Pigeon River flowing off to her right. On the other side of the river was Ontario, Canada.
After following a well-kept boardwalk with stairs leading to her destination. She came around a large bluff and suddenly she was confronted with the spray and the turmoil of the highest waterfall that was in Minnesota. It dropped one hundred twenty feet to its base where the Pigeon River continues on to form part of the border between Minnesota and Ontario.
It really was an impressive sight to see the water rushing over the ledge and fall so far down into its basin. It wasn't like seeing a waterfall like Niagara. But here you were only twenty yards away from the violent movement of the falls. If you chose to, you could throw a rock into Canada from your perch.
Becks, for all its churning and powerful rushing of water, thought it was somehow peaceful. The majesty of nature really came through watching something like this, even though you were standing on a wooden platform that someone made so you could watch. It was just so obviously a natural wonder. The fast flowing water, the rocks and the trees, the spray coming back up like steam. There was no concrete, no interference by man other than a humble platform to watch from.
It was as nature meant for it to be.
Becks stood and stared at the falls for twenty minutes, only moving a couple of times to get a different perspective.
It was getting dark, and it was getting hard to see so she decided to walk back to her car and decide what she was going to do for the night.
Becks managed to make it back to Grand Marais and found a motel that still had a room left. Fall was a good time for the North Shore. Not as good as the spring, but the color up here was a draw this time of the year.
She brought her stuff into her room and threw her bag on the other bed. She went back out and made sure the SUV was all locked up. She'd been a bit spooked when the desk gal had 'warned' her to make sure her vehicle was locked and no windows were open. And to definitely not leave any food in your vehicle.
Apparently the local black bears had gotten to know that garbage sites, and food left in vehicles, were easy food sources. These were problems that had come about because tourists had a bad habit of feeding the bears, which makes them more likely to come into town looking for free food.
Confident that the local bears won't find anything in her vehicle she leisurely took a nice hot shower and dressed for bed.
Lying on the bed with the firmer mattress of the two, dressed in just an oversized T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts over her underwear she dialed in the news. She noted that it was from a Duluth station.
Since nothing earth shattering seemed to be happening in the world she decided to turn in early. She had done a lot of walking along trails and such today and had managed to tire herself out, so a good night's sleep would be welcome.
But before she let herself sleep she wanted to map out a plan for the next day. She grabbed up the brochures she had picked up in Duluth and started looking them over.
The trip up along the North Shore had been nice, but now she wanted to get away from the tourist sites. She wanted to get out into the wild a bit more. She wanted to see trees with the brilliant colors she had seen from the car, close up.
This vacation was just for her peace of mind. She didn't need, or want, to deal with a lot of other people around her. She rummaged through a basket by the door which held a lot of brochures like the ones she already had. She found a map of the northern half of Minnesota and she pulled it out and spread it out on the table by the window.
She was able to trace the journey she had taken today and found where she was currently. She looked at all the open spaces in the center of the state. That appealed to her. She bet she could find a lot of dirt roads out in the backwoods that would allow her to do her sightseeing in relative solitude.
She backtracked her route until it reached Silver Bay again. From there a State Highway No. 1 moved toward the northwest, going through a little town called Finland, then on up to a slightly bigger town called Isabella.
She did a quick internet search of the town and found out it was a pretty small town but it was big enough to deal with occasional tourists. Mostly winter tourists. People who come up to cross country ski, or snow mobile. Now was not quite yet their busier season. But because they did have the winter tourism, it meant they had facilities like a motel, and a restaurant or two.
She tapped the little town with her finger. That was going to be her base of operations.
She let her eyes do a bit more roaming about and she noticed the town of Ely not too far northwest of Isabella. For some reason that name rang a bell in her mind.
She shuffled through her cache of brochures and she found what she was looking for. It seemed that Ely was the home of the International Wolf Center. Becks had to smile as she scanned the pamphlet. Maybe she might take a trip up there also.
Having made up her mind where she was going to go in the morning, she gathered up her mess, and set it on the table in neat piles. She turned off the overhead light, and settled herself in bed.
Reaching over she turned the switch on the table lamp next to the bed and instantly it was pitch black. She immediately turned the light back on. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom to turn on the small night light over the sink.
If she had to get up in the night she didn't want to risk stubbing a toe because she wasn't familiar with the room's layout.
Satisfied she had everything under control, she turned out the lamp next to the bed, rolled over and closed her eyes. She was asleep in minutes.
Becks woke up to her alarm feeling refreshed, but her legs gave her a bit of grief for all the walking she did on the various trails and paths she hiked yesterday.
She decided that since she showered before going to bed she wouldn't need to today. She decided on a pair of well-worn jeans that Kate had given her and a roomy sweatshirt she also got from Kate. She'd be doing a lot of driving today, so she wanted to be comfortable.
Because she needed them for her job, Becks had purchased several business suits that fit her style, but she got a lot of her casual clothing from Kate. Kate had already informed her that she was making Castle buy her all new clothes after the baby was born, so she pleaded with Becks to take a bunch off her hands.
Glad to help out her 'cousin' with her plan, Becks took back to her apartment several bags of stuff. It saved her the time, trouble, and expense that replacing many years of clothing.
Of course she was also living in Kate's former apartment. It was the apartment that Kate had moved into after the one that she originally had which was like the one Becks had. That apartment was blown up by a serial killer who was fixated on 'Nikki Heat'. It was a nice apartment. She liked the new apartment a lot. It was one that she had never experienced in her old dimension. She had been stranded in this dimension before she ever got that case.
Becks slipped on her jacket and gathered her stuff and left the room. Once she had the car loaded she looked toward the small restaurant about a block away. She walked.
After a filling breakfast of eggs, a waffle, and some juice she was ready to head out. As one would expect from a Beckett, she had a large cup of coffee also, and she brought her thermos with her and was able to get it filled before she left.
It was a crisp, sunny morning as she pulled out and headed south on Highway 61. She knew she was looking for State Hwy. 1 which should junction with 61 around Silver Bay.
It wasn't long before she was on Hwy. 1 heading northwest toward Isabella. The sun was climbing higher in the clear, clean skies above, slowly pushing the temperatures to a more comfortable range.
She gazed at the scenery around her as she motored along. She saw very few other vehicles until she was passing through the little community that was Finland. Most vehicles she encountered were 4X4 pickup trucks.
It wasn't much more than an hour since she left Hwy 61 and got onto Hwy1 that she came upon the gathering of buildings that represented Isabella.
Isabella was pretty much like most of the other small towns scattered about the vast expanse of grass and trees and the frequent small rivers and streams that flanked the road. Often, through the trees, she was able to spot a small lake here and there.
She drove slowly, making a circuit around the small town. She had intended to make Isabella her command center, so to speak, and from this central point make her jaunts out into the countryside.
It only took a few minutes of driving until she came upon the place she was looking for, The Antler Inn.
For such a small town, The Antler Inn might be considered a rather large operation. It was a large log building with half the space being rooms to rent, and the other half was a significant restaurant. The size of the establishment seemed incongruent with the size of the surrounding community, but it was testament to the seasonal tourism the area could generate.
Becks pulled in the parking area and made her way to the motel half of the building.
She got a room on the second floor that shared a large deck that faced the woodlands close by. She dragged her stuff up to her room, and gave it the once over.
Satisfied she'd be comfortable with only one bed in the room, she decided to go down and check out the restaurant since it was close to lunch time.
The open log construction carried throughout the building both out and in. The raw wooden log motif was prevalent in the restaurant's dining area also.
There were a few people in the restaurant as she grabbed a seat at a nearby empty table. Becks had barely time to glance at the menu when a middle-aged woman with a genuine smile came over.
"Welcome, and what would you like to drink, dear?"
Becks gave her a smile. "Coffee, and a glass of water please."
That waitress, smiled. "The lunch special is meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy. It also comes with mixed vegetables. I'll be right back with your drinks."
Becks scanned the two page menu then set it down on the corner of the table. The waitress came back with a mug of coffee and a glass of water.
"Have you had enough time to decide, dear?" Becks noticed her name tag and smiled.
"Yes Ruth, I have. I think I'll go with the lunch special. It's been a while since I've had some good meatloaf."
Ruth chuckled. "You picked well, dear. It's one of our chef's specialties." She scribbled on her pad and left.
Becks, as any former cop would, found herself scanning the room and assessing the few customers scattered around the room. It seemed like it was a mix of a few locals who had come in for chef's meatloaf. And a few others who had more the look of those who might be staying here like herself. Or just travelers passing through.
There was one couple that seemed a bit out of place. The man was good looking, had a dark complexion with thick black hair with slivers of silver. Also a moustache and goatee of the same color. He was wearing a pair of black designer jeans and a plain black button down shirt. He was quite fit looking.
The woman he was with was completely different. She was slim, with ash blonde hair that broke over her shoulders. She was smiling at the man as she spoke. She was dressed casually in jeans and a flannel shirt. Becks thought for some reason she looked familiar.
The woman laughed at something the man said then turned away from him. Her gaze suddenly locked onto Becks. There seemed to be a flash of recognition on her face.
A big smile pulled on her lips as she stood and began to come toward Becks' table.
"Oh my goodness." She gushed. "Who would ever think I'd run into Kate Beckett in the wilds of Minnesota!"
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A/N: The travelogue I subjected the gentle readers to was all from places I've been and the sights I've experienced from personal trips I've experienced over the years. It's all real places. Even Isabella is a real small community in North Central Minnesota, but The Antler Inn isn't. I made that place up.
My band has also played at Grandmas a couple of times back in the eighties. As far as current music goes: Blue Liars have just released Blue Liars Greatest Hits Vol. 5. It's available on all the main streaming services. It's not yet up in YouTube but will probably appear soon.
All Readers are Appreciated, Review if you wish