Danny spotted this wonderful example of a Great Lakes Mackinaw boat at the end of a small dock. Upon further inspection he discovered that it was the Paul La Plante ... a collaboration between Grand Portage National Monument and the North House Fold School in Grand Marais.

The new Heritage Center at Grand Portage just opened a few months before our visit. Here we viewed videos depicting the lives of the French Canadian voyageurs. After watching the brute strength required to paddle up to 15 hours and carry 180 lbs while portaging around obstacles, we had to laugh at the fact that we sometimes become exhausted just visiting the gift shop.

The main exhibit featured both contemporary and historical art work of the Grand Portage area. We especially loved the superb pencil, charcoal and chalk portraits of the Ojibwe people by Eastman Johnson. We felt ignorant when faced with the fact that we were unfamiliar with this artist … he was, after all, known as the “American Rembrandt”.

Just north of the monument is Grand Portage State Park. Located on the U.S. - Canadian boarder, this park protects the rugged terrain that gave birth to the ancient 9 mile trail that became known as the "Grand Portage" … French for great carrying place.

Danny climbed the short trail to the highest waterfall in Minnesota, High Falls. Looking at the 120 foot drop of the falls, the thundering rapids of the Pigeon River, the cliffs and the rocky terrain, its easy to understand why the Chippewa Indians and French fur traders decided to bypass these obstacles.

Since we were just yards away from the Canadian Border, we thought the Minnesota Welcome sign made a suitable finale for our tour of the North Shore Scenic Drive.

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