After double and triple checking that I had everything, I was on the road by about 4:15. I usually have the road to myself in the morning, but this morning was to the extreme. Between leaving camp and getting to the US border, I could count the other cars that I saw on the road on one hand.
I took another route from my usual route given that I've had issues getting my bear across from Ontario before. Going through the Warroad, Minnesota crossing was a good way to go, but the route did require about 30 miles of gravel road driving.
I was surprised at the amount of skunks I saw while it was still dark. They had said in camp that there were a lot of them, but I think I actually saw more skunks than other cars. I was able to avoid all of them and so remained stank free.
Crossing the border into the US was the easiest I had experienced since first hunting in Canada. The bored-looking border guard asked me a few questions and then had me come inside to fill out a "dec form" for my bear. I was back moving again in no time.
I listened to the book Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad. It was a really gripping tale but much of the book seemed just bulk and the end of the story was filled with adolescent machismo and blindness. This would be OK if it were tempered by adult hindsight awareness, but it wasn't. It was a good way to pass a few hours, but I won't be keeping this book. It is probably a case where less would have been more.
Crossing into the US farther west than I have before meant most of my time was spent on 2-lane roads. This made driving a little more time consuming with more difficult passes and there were a few caravans of trundling motorhomes. Holy shit those things are awful - how do people live with themselves in those things?
The scenery was interesting. Much of the first few hours in the US was Northern Minnesota muskeg and other swampy forests. I know I've motorcycled through this area before, but I don't remember it being so moosey.
The drive got a little easier and more boring once on the interstate. I started a few text conversations at a gas stop with my sister and taxidermist. As I continued south and east the weather turned crazy nice with bright sunshine and tolerable temperatures. I was a bit worried the sunshine would help thaw the meat and hide though.
Eventually I made it down to Madison and met my sister for dinner at a sushi place. The food was good and even though I saw her a few weeks previous, it was good to catch up without the cacophony of the larger family. After dinner we went to her place where we watched a few episodes of Ozark. I had seen the first episode after the eclipse last year, and I was wondering if it would be as good as that first episode - it was... Sometimes I do miss pay TV just a little bit.
Crossing the border into the US was the easiest I had experienced since first hunting in Canada. The bored-looking border guard asked me a few questions and then had me come inside to fill out a "dec form" for my bear. I was back moving again in no time.
I listened to the book Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad. It was a really gripping tale but much of the book seemed just bulk and the end of the story was filled with adolescent machismo and blindness. This would be OK if it were tempered by adult hindsight awareness, but it wasn't. It was a good way to pass a few hours, but I won't be keeping this book. It is probably a case where less would have been more.
Crossing into the US farther west than I have before meant most of my time was spent on 2-lane roads. This made driving a little more time consuming with more difficult passes and there were a few caravans of trundling motorhomes. Holy shit those things are awful - how do people live with themselves in those things?
The scenery was interesting. Much of the first few hours in the US was Northern Minnesota muskeg and other swampy forests. I know I've motorcycled through this area before, but I don't remember it being so moosey.
The drive got a little easier and more boring once on the interstate. I started a few text conversations at a gas stop with my sister and taxidermist. As I continued south and east the weather turned crazy nice with bright sunshine and tolerable temperatures. I was a bit worried the sunshine would help thaw the meat and hide though.
Eventually I made it down to Madison and met my sister for dinner at a sushi place. The food was good and even though I saw her a few weeks previous, it was good to catch up without the cacophony of the larger family. After dinner we went to her place where we watched a few episodes of Ozark. I had seen the first episode after the eclipse last year, and I was wondering if it would be as good as that first episode - it was... Sometimes I do miss pay TV just a little bit.
After a surprisingly good night's sleep and a scrumptious breakfast made by Sister's SO, I was back on the road for the final drive home. The timing of the drive meant that I missed the heavy traffic through most of the cities I drove near. There were a few heavy spots, but I know the route very well so it was easy to get through it.
I was home near 3:00 at which time the heavy work started. The rest of the day was a flurry of unpacking, cleaning, cutting up bear meat, grinding up bear meat, running to the taxidermist, and thinking about all the other things which needed to get done.
And it will get done. I'll have a list a mile long, but there isn't anything on the agenda for several weeks so there will be lots of time to get caught up.
This was my fourth bear hunt. I know I'm fortunate to have gone on one bear hunt - let alone four, and all have been great experiences. I'll do some mental cataloging over the next few weeks as I readjust to the day-to-day routine. I was up close and personal with several bears in only a few days of hunting; had some poor fishing and some great fishing; and I met some new and interesting people. If the anticipation of the adventure is one of the best parts, the memories will be there to play their role for years to come.
I was home near 3:00 at which time the heavy work started. The rest of the day was a flurry of unpacking, cleaning, cutting up bear meat, grinding up bear meat, running to the taxidermist, and thinking about all the other things which needed to get done.
And it will get done. I'll have a list a mile long, but there isn't anything on the agenda for several weeks so there will be lots of time to get caught up.
This was my fourth bear hunt. I know I'm fortunate to have gone on one bear hunt - let alone four, and all have been great experiences. I'll do some mental cataloging over the next few weeks as I readjust to the day-to-day routine. I was up close and personal with several bears in only a few days of hunting; had some poor fishing and some great fishing; and I met some new and interesting people. If the anticipation of the adventure is one of the best parts, the memories will be there to play their role for years to come.
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