Superior to Ashland

Here's a flower which grows in wetter spots along the road. I think it is some type of Iris. Right now it can grow just about everywhere.

I slipped away quietly early this morning, not wanting to awaken my host family. I thought I would get an early start and get a few miles before the weather turned bad but this is what the city of Superior looked like. The temp was about 50 F. Close to the lake it is cooler because it stays at a fairly constant temp of 40 F. I could see my breath but that's probably because the humidity was 99%. The morning was spent crawling up out of the St. Louis river valley into a constant headwind.

By afternoon the weather had improved to this so I was optimistic that it could not get much worse. The land has changed dramatically from a couple hundred miles back. There it was the Chippawa National Forest. The trees were mainly hardwood deciduous with a few conifers thrown in. Quite a varied selection. Here the land looks very much like Northern Alberta. Mostly poplars, birch and a few scruffy spruce trees.

Eventually I dropped down to lake level again at Ashland which is a port. This is the Great Gichi Gummi. (Superior) which was visible for the first time. Slow wet slog today - took nine hours to go 100 Kms. Some of my gear is starting to smell mouldy (hat,gloves,runners,shorts,tent etc.)so I have treated myself to a room in the Super 8 here where they have a laundromat to dry things out.