I've been out of town for a few days and am just catching up, and was so sorry to hear about the loss of the Bohemian Bed and Breakfast in New Ulm to fire--and the loss of six lives, including the owner and her two children.
I never met owner Bobbi McCrea, but news accounts quote several people who have an awful lot of good things to say about her. My heart goes out to her friends and family, and the community of New Ulm for this loss.
Last summer, while researching the book, I spent a great deal of time alone in my car. That's not a bad thing. I like to drive, listen to music, think. One particularly notable day started in Cook, MN, bright and early; the day's route edged eastward around the Boundary Waters area, past the Soudan Underground Mine, and through Ely. At that point, I turned south on Highway 1, planning to follow that until I reached Scenic Highway 61, then head north to Grand Marais. I had a room booked at a B&B on the Gunflint Trail. It was an ambitious plan, but through Ely, it was going very well.
However, the old joke about road construction being Minnesota's fifth season soon reared its ugly head. Just a few miles from Highway 61, I ran into a road closed/detour scenario. The detour took traffic off Highway 1, which was paved, and onto a rutted gravel road.
Thirty-five miles of rutted gravel road, to be specific.
In my VW Beetle.
There was no speeding. There was no going fast. There was considerable longing for a bigger, sturdier vehicle, even if it did guzzle gas.
And there began to be considerable concern over how much longer the drive was taking than I'd planned. I don't have particularly good night vision, and it occurred to me that the Gunflint Trail was probably not a well-lit roadway.
I was more than right about that. The charm of the Gunflint Trail, of course, is its natural beauty, unmarred by things like unsightly streetlights.
I arrived in Grand Marais just as the sun was starting to set, and I still had 29 miles to go until I reached my evening's resting place. I hurried as quickly as I dared along the Trail, noticing only how quickly the sun seemed to be setting. Around one corner, an animal appeared and paused at the edge of the road. I slowed down--I'm not completely stupid, I know animals dart out in front of cars--and thought, wow, there's a dog that really needs a trip to the groomer. Then another animal appeared, and I realized my mistake. These weren't dogs, at least not the domesticated variety; these were wolves.
And just like that, they turned around and went back into the woods.
I did not want to get lost on the Gunflint Trail.
Just as the last bits of daylight faded completely, I found the turnoff for the B&B and hurried my exhausted, jangled-nerve self inside.
Lucky for me, there was a reward waiting at the end of this long day. I had a room at the Poplar Creek Guesthouse, owned and operated by Barbara and Ted Young. It didn't necessarily look like much on the outside (picture taken the next morning):
The Guesthouse is tucked deep into the woods, very peaceful. It has two guestrooms and a suite, and down the road there's a cabin; deeper into the Boundary Waters, the Youngs also have a yurt for rent.
That's all very interesting, but what I really wanted was a nice, quiet room to relax and unwind. The Guesthouse more than delivered.
Cozy indeed, and comfortable, and oh-so-relaxing. This room, Ollie's Room, also had a whirlpool bath, which you can bet I used.
The sitting area was simple, but attractive and comfortable.
The guest rooms are on the second floor, and they share a common area with a kitchenette.
Couldn't you just move in there and never leave? Especially with this view from the second-floor deck:
The first floor, where the suite is located, is also a commons area and where breakfast is served daily.
What a delightful way to start the next day. Certainly my three-course breakfast, served by the attentive and friendly hosts (and no, they didn't know at first that I was writing a book; I only told them that after I'd already availed myself of their exemplary service), got my day off to a wonderful start.
I would stay there again in a heartbeat.
