More Choices in Android Tablets

by Dakota Noel

This afternoon I swung by Best Buy for some hands-on with Android tablets new and old. I'm still waiting for the  tablets which will be coming out later this year with the Tegra 3 quad-core processor and  Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android. The current generation typically has the Tegra 2 dual core and the Honeycomb version of Android. Screens are 10.1" with 1280 x 800 resolution.

There is some differentiation amongst the current generation: The Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy, Acer Iconia, and the new Toshiba Thrive. The Galaxy is the lightest and has the most vivid screen, rivaling the iPad 2. Like the iPad 2, the lightness, about 1.3 lbs,  is achieved at the expense of having few built in ports. On the other end of the spectrum, the Thrive weighs in at 1.6 lbs, but comes with a full sized HDMI port, a full sized and a mini USB, and an SD card slot for memory expansion.

At this point in time, the Toshiba Thrive would be my preference given the number of connections. The Acer Iconia second for the same reason.

A while back I had been wanting a higher resolution screen as well, but with my two hands-on session with the tablets, I don't think it buys me much with a 10.1" screen. A tablet with a 12" screen, 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 1.3 lb weight, and lots of ports would be sweet. 1280 x 800 on 10.1" doesn't do eBooks quite right for side-by-side book pages.

ALSV Days 7&8 (7/7-8/11) : Reading Day by the Lake & The Trip Home

By Dakota Noel

Sister-in-law Irene and her husband Alan were on the road back to South Dakota by 9:45 AM on Thursday the 7th. We hung out at the cabin, primarily reading. Lunch was refrigerator review as we paired down what we need to take home the next day. Supper was at Culvers followed by a stop at Flood Bay to search for seaglass. Ilene and I wrapped up the evening with wine and cheese eaten in steamer chairs overlooking the lake.

Friday morning featured the traditional cleaning, packing, and loading for the trip home as well as a few final moments sitting by the lake. We were on the road by 10:30 AM and stopped in Duluth for coffee and treats at Great Harvest. Past the construction and a mis-taken detour into Wisconsin, we were headed west, back to Fargo. The trip was uneventful except for having to stop for a momma duck and her chicks crossing the road at two locations. It was pretty cute, but happened too fast to get pictures. Lunch was at the Subway in Walker, MN. We were home by 5:00 PM.

The consensus was that it was a good vacation. I could have easily spent several more days reading and relaxing and chatting with Ilene, but I had an church elder board meeting Saturday morning. It’s also nice to have time to get unpacked and hang out before resuming the regular schedule. Hopefully we will be back to Lake Superior before another year passes.

Book Recap

Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff

Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
Strengths-based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
Living Your Strengths by Albert L Winseman, Donald O Clifton, and Curt Liesveld

Growing an Engaged Church by Albert Winseman
Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods by Rick Warren

ALSV Day 6 (7/6/11) : The Closed Minnesota State Parks + Camp Fire

By Dakota Noel

Minnesota State Parks are a part of the general Minnesota state government shut down which began July 1 due to a budget impass between republicans and democrats. It seems “closed” is a loose term since day-use is still seemingly permitted, but without benefit of in-park parking or restrooms/outhouses. We decided to venture out and see what we could see.

We drove out to Tettegouchie State Park, about an hour beyond the cabin and worked our way back after assessing the roadside situations at the places we wanted to visit. Tettegouchie encompasses Pallisade Head, a 350 foot cliff rising from the lake. The entrance was gated and we didn’t want to hike the road to the top, so we passed on. Picnic lunch was at the marina and park at Silver Bay. Since it isn’t state operated, running water and bathrooms were available.

Our next stop was at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. There is a major road construction project along most of the distance of the park along the highway which prevented parking near the preferred entry points. With a previously printed map (the state park website is down as part of the state closures), I picked a spot on the east end of the park and east of the construction for us to park along the road. This resulted in a 1.25 mile walk each way to the photo op versus a 2.5 mile walk each way from parking at the Split Rock River.

We thought we might get a good view from the shore at the end of short train used by divers who visit the 1905 wreck the Mediera near Gold Point. All we could see was the top of the light house.

Walking along the bike trail which parallels the highway and then turning into the park, we passed a couple who were also wandering day-users. Besides notices at the park entrance that it was closed, notices were also posted inside the park on buildings and other items. The notices pictured below, well inside the park, not only announce that the park is closed, but on the right, points the way anyone in the park might want to go. It was very eerie to be in the park with virtually no one else.

We reached our photo op spot and took our pictures. It was another beautiful day with clear skies and temps in the 70s. Hiking back out, we swung by the lighthouse itself and came across a man with a dog INSIDE the historic site security fence. He was working on a project in a garage and was presumably a security/maintenance person who was considered an essential  person. He acknowledged us with a wave and then returned to his task.

Our final closed state park stop was at Gooseberry Falls. Since the falls is very close to the highway, there were many more people here than at our prior stops. The amount of truck and other traffic on MN-61 raised a concern in my mind about visitor safety. How long will it be before we hear of a child being hit and severely injured or killed outside a state park?

We made our third visit to Clearwater Grill for supper and I reprised the great cheese tortellini for my entree. The women in our group then went back to Flood Bay to look for sea glass while Alan and I hung out at the cabin. About 8:30, I was able to start our one-match campfire which we used until about 10:30.

ALSV Day 5 (7/5/11) : Dragon Fly Day + Duluth

By Dakota Noel

One way our ALSV’s can be categorized is by the dominant insects. By coming in early in July instead of August, I think we avoid the main mosquito and biting gnat hatches. There was also a stretch of years when army worms were everywhere. Occasionally one would drop into a book from a tree providing shade. This year will be remembered for dragonflies. There had been a high number, but this day seemed to be the peak with many squadrons of the fliers at the cabin and all the way from Duluth to Two Harbors. In following days, the numbers dropped off significantly.

The morning started with reading at the cabin. About 11:00 AM, we saw the Mesabi Miner pass the cabin en route to Duluth. Our group of six got ready, into the minivan, and transported to Duluth to watch its arrival through the ship canal. We then headed to the deck at Little Angie’s Cantina for lunch.

After lunch, my sister-in-law’s husband Alan and I returned to the museum run by the Coast Guard at the ship canal while the others went shopping in Canal Park. We were also able to watch the departure of the Herbert C Jackson before rejoining the group for some Duluth sight seeing.

Our first stop was the recently remodeled Enger Tower. It was nice a clear day with good views of the Mesabi Miner, now docked to load coal; canal park, and some nice clouds over the harbor.

Our second stop was at Whole Foods, which doesn’t have locations in Fargo or Sioux Falls. Our primary reason for the stop was to pick up some fresh-ground peanut better. It seems we always find other things such as Crapola granola from Ely, MN. It was cute, expensive, and not outstanding. We also got some other cereals, granola, and juices (organic raw Kombucha).

Our final Duluth stop as the gardens at Lief Erickson Park where more peonies were in bloom than in 

previous days.

Supper was at the classic Betty’s Pies where several of us had pasties. A raspberry rhubarb pie was purchased for consumption back at the cabin. We made a stop at Flood Bay state wayside where most of the group engaged in sea glass hunting. Daughter T and Uncle Alan also spent some time discussing rock skipping technique as the sun set.

ALSV Day 4 (7/4/11) : Reading and Celebrating

By Dakota Noel

Right after my breakfast, I headed up to the Mocha Moose for a good wi-fi connection to wrap up some church email which hadn’t gotten done during my previous visit. Upon entry, I succumbed to the temptation of the fresh, warm cinnamon rolls in addition to my premeditated mocha.

Back at the cabin, we spent the afternoon reading, interrupted by a salad for lunch. I started Growing an Engaged Church by Albert Winseman. About 3:30, I watched a ship arrive at Two Harbors to load iron ore.

About 6:00 PM, my wife’s twin sister and her husband arrived from South Dakota for a two day/three night stay with us. Given the tight timing, we grabbed a quick supper at Culvers in Two Harbors en route to the 4^th of July Two Harbors Community Band concert which ran from 7:30-8:30.

Following the band concert, we moved our chairs from Bandshell Park to our traditional spot at the railroad depot for fireworks viewing at the harbor. In the 90 minutes between the concert and the fireworks display, we took advantage of the pie available at the community center as a fund raiser for the Social Active Seniors group. We also conversed, watched people, and watched ore dock operations.

The fireworks display itself lasted a brief 15 minutes, but the pace was fast and there really isn’t a need to stretch it out to half an hour. We had also been watching sparklers and fireworks set off by others during the wait. About an hour after getting back to the cabin, there was a thundershower. It was certainly more convenient than the storm which moved through Fargo at 9:30 PM, causing people to run for cover as sirens went off and the postponing the fireworks display for a day.

ALSV Day 3 (7/3/11) : Hunting and Gathering

by Dakota Noel

The day was about as perfect as it gets weather-wise: calm wind, calm lake, high in the 70s. We spent the morning reading at the cabin. I started another book related to StrengthFinder ™ called Living Your Strengths. I finished it late afternoon and need to do some more work with its contents.

For lunch we decided to try a a chef-owned restraurant which has been open several years, but at which we hadn’t eaten yet : Nokomis. As we arrived, the Cason J Calloway was passing by empty en route to Two Harbors, having unloaded the limestone it delivered to Duluth the previous night.

The menu had a nice variety of the standard and the more exotic. That is something we have missed at the New Scenic Café for a number of years as their menu went pretty much over to the exotic. We shared a number of items off the Nokomis menu : butternut squash ravioli, beet salad, ahi tuna sandwich with fries, and a pulled pork sandwich with fries. Portions could have been a bit bigger, but the food was good. We’ll probably be back some time again for lunch when the entrees are less expensive.

On the way back to the cabin, we made several stops. The first, and it was a first time we had ever stopped, was at the Great Lakes Candy Kitchen in Knife River. We got a variety of chocolates, a carmelled apple, a carmelled marshmallow, and some other confectionary treats. Our second stop was a meat and cheese store which we had visited shortly after it opened last year. Inventory was still poor and prices high, resulting in no purchases. Our final stop was a silversmith and Scandinavian gift shop. Ilene bought a few things.

After some more reading, supper time arrived and we headed back to Clearwater Grill on Lake Superior for their Sunday night specials. Ilene and I had spaghetti with meatball along with a half price bottle of Oregon Riesling while the girls had walleye egg rolls and sweet potato fries.

Since Ilene and I hadn’t finished our bottle of wine, we re-corked it but then needed to get cheese and crackers to go with it. As long as we were going to Two Harbors, we could stop at Culvers to see if they had any S’mores custard left over from the previous day in a pint container. Finally, the Presque Isle, a family favorite ship, was due to arrive at the harbor between 7:00 and 8:00 PM.

We got to the harbor about 7:30 to see the Presque Isle slip into the ore dock as the Cason J Calloway was pulling out. It is the first time we had seen simultaneous arrival and departure. It turned out that it wasn’t a departure, just a repositioning to a different position on the dock.

At the Super One grocery store, we saw two deer as we turned into the parking lot. It seems we’ll see 4-6 deer driving between places in the evening and tonight we saw a total of 4. We picked up our cheese and crackers before heading to Culvers where we got a party pack of 4 pints of frozen custard. Once back at the cabin, we took the custard down to the shore to enjoy. The ample leftovers were put in the freezer for another day. Ilene and the girls then searched for frogs on the rocks, but they were elusive. Then it was back to the cabin where I’m blogging and the rest are doing nails and/or conversing. There may be a little wine and cheese yet before bed…make that a Mike’s hard cranberry lemonade with Triscuts.

ALSV Day 2 (7/2/11) : Getting into the ALSV Routine

By Dakota Noel

We awoke around 7:30 AM to a warm, sunny day. After breakfast, Ilene and I took our coffee, Alakef North Shore Morning Blend, to the porch with our reading. She is working through a book set in 1950s Barcelona, Spain called Shadow of the Wind. I’m working with Gallop’s StrengthFinder™ to reflect on my personal strengths, how I am using them, and how I might be able to better develop and use them better. (BTW, my strengths are Analytic, Ideation, Learner, Responsibility, and Strategic). 

When taking a break, I sat on a nearby swing with daughter T. I was noting some things I feel when I’m at Lake Superior and she came up with a good summarizing word : “humbling”. Sitting by the very ancient volcanic rocks cradling an ice age lake which stretches for hundreds of miles, one’s minute longevity and influence is brought sharply into focus. What is too frequently forgotten in the presence of the Creator is recalled in the presence of this small piece of creation.

I wasn’t able to get all my loose ends from church wrapped up before leaving, so I headed a mile up the road to the Mocha Moose for a mocha and free wi-fi. I was there about 90 minutes, but didn’t get all the ends tied up. I did download a few things and will try to wrap them up no later than tomorrow so I can have them out-of-mind like my work stuff.

Lunch was a salad with meat and cheese preceded by watching, from the shore near our cabin, a ship arriving at Two Harbors shortly after another ship departed. The afternoon was a leisurely combination of reading, walking, and resting. About 5:30 we got in the minivan and headed to supper on the deck at Little Angie’s Cantina in Canal Park. We had a brief wait at the parking lot and then about a 15 minute wait at Little Angie’s for four table. During the wait and our meal, we enjoyed a busking string quartet about 25 feet from our table.

Supper was done and the bill paid just in time to watch the Cason J Calloway arrive.

From the ship canal we went to Lief Erickson Park to check out the flowers. There were a few peonies in bloom and the last tulips. Based on the lady slippers near our cabin, it seems horticultural summer is running a bit late. From the park we walked to the Portland Malt Shop for ice cream cones and then headed back to our cabin.or 

ALSV Day 1 (7/1/11) : It’s Cooler By the Lake

By Dakota Noel

We were on the road shortly after 9:00 AM, slightly delayed by the need to get cat food for our cat who was staying behind. The trip was uneventful with a lunch stop at the McDonalds in Park Rapids, MN and a gas stop at Floodwood, MN. During the drive, most of us enjoyed the audio book Nory Ryan’s Song about a 12 year old girl in Ireland at the start of the mid-19^th century potato famine. It was interesting to hear her historical fiction perspectives on the realization of the famine, the English nobility who exported food during the famine, etc. Recommended as a family audio book..

We arrived at Bob’s Cabins shortly after 4:00 PM. The previous day in Fargo, it had been 97 F with a 106 F heat index. When we got to the shore, a jacket felt good and fog hung over Lake Superior itself. It turns out that while it was in the upper 50s near the lake in Duluth, it was 91 F on top of the hills near the Duluth airport. It was the first time Duluth had recorded a high in the 90s in five years.

We drove into Two Harbors to stock up on groceries and then headed to a new restaurant, Clearwater Grille on Lake Superior, which is in the old Lakeview Castle building. Of the things we had, the three cheese tortellini was the best. Others had a baked pene and wild rice soup. Portions and prices were in line for the North Shore. Recommended.

As we drove from the cabin to the restaurant, we noticed storm clouds gathering over the lake and rain started falling while we ate. Varying intensities of rain, thunder, and lightening continued into the evening. We watched the light show from our cabin with a dessert of pumpkin bars and then went to bed before 10:00 PM.

Father's Day Weekend Road Trip

by Dakota Noel

[Note to my employer and co-workers: travel described here did not incur added expense for the company.]

Two of my family members were in Europe and the third in South Dakota, so things were ripe for a road trip over Father's Day weekend and it dovetailed with business travel to Moline. I stayed with / stopped at my mom's apartment coming and going. My departure from the normal route was at Alexandria, MN where instead of staying on I-94, I turned off to MN-29 towards Glenwood. There is a fantastic view of Lake Minnewaska (not my video) as one comes over a hill and into the town.

From there, I got onto MN-104 towards Willmar, MN. MN-104 is one of the shorter state highways in Minnesota and a road less traveled. Along with MN-29, it is part of the Glacial Ridge Trail Scenic Byway through the Alexandria Glacial Morain featuring ridges left by glaciers an estimated 30,000 years ago and kettle lakes. I enjoyed it.

The rest of the drive was US-71 and MN-30 through the usual corn and soybean fields of southwestern Minnesota. There was heavy rain just before I got to my gas stop in Willmar, MN. While fueling, I got treated to a very intense full rainbow with an accompanying secondary rainbow. I thought it a bit ironic that the rainbow ended at a Caterpillar service center given my employment with John Deere.

Saturday afternoon I went with my mom to visit an uncle and aunt as well as their daughter who was in town. We had a very nice afternoon and evening together.
 
On Father's Day, I set out from my mom's for Moline. The most direct path largely follows the four lane Avenue of the Saints between Albert Lea MN to Iowa City, IA with the 2 of the remaining 2.5 hours on I-90 and I-80. This route takes about six hours, but is four lane highway through corn and soybeans. Not much to blog about.

I had planned to take MN-30 east from where my mom lives, but ran into road construction and dropped down to I-90 and then MN-16 which I took into Lanesboro, MN for my first stop. MN-16 is also the Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway and after crossing some prairies, follows the Root River. Lanesboro is a 19th century town which could have easily disappeared as farming decreased in the area US-16 was abandoned with the completion of I-90 to the north. However it was re-invented as a tourist destination and in fact an art-in-the-park event was going on. The old rail line is now a bike trail and the Root River is popular for canoeing. Besides outfitters, the town has restaurants, antique stores, B&Bs, and Amish Country tours.

I walked the town and then found a place to get a coffee and a scone (gotta love a town with "Coffee Street"). Just afterwards, as I was near the river, I got a phone call from my daughter in Spain with Father's Day greetings. Sweet.

From Lanesboro, I headed east and then south to the college town of Decorah, IA on the Upper Iowa River. I walked the downtown area and settled on the deli at the Oneota Food Coop for lunch. It was very similar to a Whole Foods store. I had two types of quiche, some potatoes, and a sparkling juice. I refueled on the way out of town.

From Decorah, I got onto US-52 headed towards Dubuque. I like this road because of the vistas of farm valleys from the tops of ridges. There also gets to be some winding, wooded stretches closer to Dubuque. There is also a swoosh down to the Mississippi River in the town of Guttenberg, IA where Lock & Dan #10 is located. The light comma on the hill in the distance is US-52 coming from the north. The portion of the river shown is a fraction of the width. The land on the right is an island.

I like stopping in Guttenberg and strolling the park along the river and lock and dam right along the river. The other side of River Park Drive has many quaint buildings dating from the mid-19th century. I found a place to get an ice cream cone for my walk back to my car following a Father's Day chat with my other daughter who was visiting her aunt in South Dakota. On the way into town I passed the "bee lady" who keeps hives and processes honey. As I expected on the way out of town, there was a stand set up on US-52 at a scenic overlook where her honey was being sold. I didn't stop to buy any this time.

From Dubuque, I continued along the river to Bellevue, IA where Lock and Dam #12 is located. It is a very similar situation to Guttenberg with a park between main street and the river. I was in luck to be there when a barge was going through the lock. I had heard that it took an hour for long barges to get through because only half could go through at a time. This is correct. Also in town is a new Subway which has a deck overlooking the lock and I had supper there.

I crossed the Mississippi on the Savanna-Sebula bridge on US-52. It is a really grand, old, narrow bridge (not my video). From there, I picked up IL-84 and followed the Mississippi into Moline, passing through several Quad City area towns I had not previously visited. My total time was 12 hours or twice normal. However, my trip met expectations for the leisure and the scenery on a beautiful Father's Day.

Record Flooding in North Dakota

While the Red River in Fargo crested at the #4 historic position a couple months ago, it took it's sweet time dropping. It finally dropped below flood level after a record 77 days, breaking the 2009 record of 71 days. It didn't stay below flood stage long due to heavy rains and the second flood of 2011 crested at about 5 feet above flood stage yesterday and is on its way down. This is considered minor flooding, so no impact other than one street and a bunch of bike paths being under water. Out of the last three months, the Red River has been below flood stage maybe a handful of days.

After the flooding on the Red in Fargo, there was near record crest (can't remember which side) in Valley City on the Sheyenne River. And then due to record snow melt and heavy rains and flood control dams at capacity, there was record flooding in Bismarck and Mandan on the Missouri River. And then due to heavy snow melt and heavy rains and flood control dams at capacity over the last few weeks, there is a new historic record flood on the Souris River in Minot.

Due to the rapid river rise from the rains, there wasn't time to build up dikes. More sadly, because of the rapid rise, most people don't have flood insurance. There are about 000 homes in water and roughly 1/4 of the population of Minot, a city of about 40,000, have been evacuated. Shelters are lightly used, so most are presumably staying with friends and family.

Minot is a 6 hour drive from Fargo. While I don't know anyone personally impacted by the flood, North Dakota is a low population state and I know a fair number of people with immediate family impacted (ie homeless) from the flood. Minot live flood coverage is broadcast on one of Fargo's cable TV channels and at night on one of the broadcast channels. The governor, the ND National Guard commander, are familiar faces  on Minot TV from the Fargo flooding of two months ago. But by the grace of God, it could have been my home in water and my family evacuated in 2009, 2010, or 2011.

The Minot flood has also raised interest in the Fargo flood of 1975 which is the record summer flood. It occurred due to heavy rains on otherwise normal to dry conditions and crested in the low 30s (flood stage = 18 feet). With our current full marshes and reservoirs along with saturated soils, a similar rainfall or a heavier one could push Red River levels above the 40 foot levels without time to build dikes. Sobering. It also gives pause to consider that the Sheyenne, Missouri, and Souris River flooding is on rivers with dams which were supposed to prevent or at least significantly mitigate flooding. The 19th and 20th century hydrological assumptions which went into these dams are being invalidated in the first decade of the 21st century.

North Shore Get-Away (May 30 - June 3, 2011)

by Dakota Noel

Our official Annual Lake Superior Vacation is still a few weeks off. However, we couldn't let our exchange student, Thien, head home without experiencing one of our favorite places. School was out, so we did a quick four night trip. The day-by-day specifics are listed below, but I do want to spend some more focus on the general timing of this trip as it is the earliest we have been to Lake Superior.

Our rule of thumb is that during a week at the North Shore, one will have a few days of poorer weather and th rest will be better weather. On this shorter trip, we hit the poorer weather which could be characterized as cool, cloudy, showery and breezy. Other than Wednesday afternoon and evening, it was very good weather for sitting outside. With our good planning, the rain in particular was a non-issue. The forecast for this weekend was very pleasant, but we are enjoying the good weather at home in Fargo.

Rather than staying at our traditional location, Bob's Cabins, we stayed down the road at Larsmont Cottages which provided better sleeping, TV, and bathroom arrangements for our larger group. It worked out well and we would stay there again for a non-summer visit. In fact, Ilene and the girls had stayed there a few years ago for a November get-away.

It seems like a number of places we visited were just ramping up for the summer season. Staff were new and took a few minutes to get answers to questions we had about history or menus. Since Minnesota schools were in session, there were very few (ie out of state only) families with school age kids. That made for less crowded conditions.

There were some new sight-seeing opportunities with the earlier timing. Trees were not fully leafed out which provided additional views of the lake. Streams were fuller which gave the waterfalls more thunder and even the lake seemed higher by a foot or two. On the down side, a favorite flower, lupin, was just barely starting to bloom and the lady slipper orchids were not even close.

We also altered our route to the North Shore by heading first to the Twin Cities where we spent Monday afternoon. It added about 90 minutes to drive time, but did give us half a day in the Cities for a 90 minute drive. We retraced out steps from a previous trip to the Chipotle grill on the south end of the Nicolet Mall for lunch and then took a short drive to the Minneapolis sculpture garden. Then we hopped on the freeway to St Paul and time at the King Tut exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. One of my biggest takeaways was that if your country is geographically isolated and has lots of slaves, there is little incentive for technical innovation. Artifacts spannned 2500 BC to 1000 BC.

Driving from St Paul to Duluth, we pulled off the freeway at Pine City and drove into town where we found an A&W drive in with true drive in service. We shared this bit of Americana with Thien: ordering by intercom, having the food rest on a tray hooked to the care window, and then flipping a switch to have the tray removed. Pretty fun.

Tuesday had a good chance of showers, so we decided to stay in the Duluth area. After a leisurely start to the day, we toured the 105 year old Glensheen mansion and grounds. Lunch was at Little Angie's Cantina in Canal Park. We stopped at Whole Foods in Duluth to get freshly ground peanut butter and Super One in Two Harbors for general groceries.

Wednesday was our North Shore day. We drove up the shore to the Canadian border and hiked to the High Falls of the Pigeon River. Canada is on the right of the falls and the US to the left.

The we drove a few miles down to the Grand Portage National Monument and toured the visitors center and reconstructed fur trading fort which had a number of costumed docents on duty.

For lunch, we tried a new-to-us restaurant in Grand Marais, the Angry Trout Cafe. We were not disappointed with the fare. We also spent some time shopping (including Drury Lane Books) as well as walking along the harbor shore and an adjacent bay looking for stones. We finished up with custard at Syndey's Custard which we at at the shore. We returned to Larsmont cottages and had a light supper at the on-site Ledgerock Grill and some smores over a fire. We lounged outside on a beautiful evening.

Thursday we headed a brief distance up the shore to take in Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock lighthouse. We did the falls circle hike and then went up to Fifth Falls. Lunch was at the historic Betty's Pies outside of Two Harbors followed by sea glass hunting at Flood Bay state wayside.We returned to Larsmont Cottages to hang out for the evening with a quick run into Two Harbors for salads at Culvers.

Friday it was time to head back to Fargo. After packing up and checking out, we made a number of stops at Duluth grocery stores in search of Alakef-roasted highlander grog decaf coffee beans. We were unsuccessful, so will need to order online from Alakef. Lunch was at the Subway in Floodwood and a snack at McDonald's in Park Rapids. We also stopped in Ackley for a celebrity photo opportunity.

Upon arrival to our home in Fargo, we discovered our house didn't have water due to water main replacement on the cross street half a block to the south. It came back on by 6:00 PM, but it is our custom that my wife not cook upon return from vacation. We ended up getting our first-ever Vietnamese carry-out from Jade Dragon in Fargo. It was a nice meal eaten on the patio on a very nice evening.

iPad 2 vs Android Tablet : Still Undecided

by Dakota Noel

Last night I got a call from a friend who is in the market and I had to report that I'm still undecided/uncommitted in making a tablet choice. There have been some developments which have added to my "wait" status in addition to things which I've written about earlier.

* Current tablets have dual core processors, but the Tegra 3 quad core is coming with even better performance.

* Samsung has announced 300 dpi 10.1" displays with 2560 x 1600 resolution. Since eBooks are one of my driving apps for owning a tablet, a print quality color display is significant.

* Android has announced the next version of Android, Ice cream Sandwich. It is due out in Q4 2011.

Also notable is the new Samsung 10.1" Android Galaxy tablet, but I want the above.

So

Dear Santa,

    Please send me an Android tablet with a Tegra 3 processor, a 2560 x 1600 display, and Ice Cream Sandwich.

Noel

Four Weeks Past Fargo Crest

by Dakota Noel

The Red River in Fargo has continued its slow fall from 38.75 feet four weeks ago to under 28 feet today. It has another 10 feet to go before it drops below flood stage. The bike path on the east side of El Zagal was above water as the clay dikes were coming down in the neighborhood today. The dike on 2nd Street in downtown was removed this week, creating a lot of truck traffic between the dike and the borrow pit on North University Drive. Nice to see the clay going back.

It was also nice to see John Deere equipment in the neighborhood like this excavator on 14th Ave N. Note the green grass on El Zagal golf course behind it. The bowl is nearly pumped out and with a good wash down, the course should be ready for play shortly.

The four wheel loader is dumping clay from the Trefoil Park road into a truck on Elm Street.

A week ago, I got to fly into Fargo from Moline. North of town the rivers will still 3-7 miles wide and the Sheyenne River in the West Fargo diversion has been slow to fall. That Friday was also our first 70 degree day, but it came with 30-55 mph winds that created wave action which was hard on the dikes. Quick response teams had to shore up some dikes around rural homes. We've had 70 degree days again yesterday and today with much less wind. Tonight was perfect for making rounds to check on the dikes.

Besides the El Zagal bike path being above water, the toll bridge on 12the Ave N was too. The baseball diamonds in Mickelson Park where no longer flooded, but covered in river muck. It will take a few weeks to get them playable. I didn't peak at Jack Williams Field. The Fargo Marathon is coming up in two weeks and organizers were wondering if the route would have to be altered due to dikes, underwater roads, and the like. Travel and recreation is slowly returning to normal.

Two Weeks Past The Fargo Crest

The Red River at Fargo is at 32.25 feet today, down 6.5 feet from the crest, but still 14 feet above flood stage and still in the major flood category. Not much excitement the last two weeks in Fargo itself. I took a walk today, since the sun finally came out. The Aquafence on the south side of El Zagal was gone, the flood wall across Elm Street at 15th was gone, and the dike at the east end of El Zagal was above water. A couple of large pumps were emptying the bowl in an attempt to get the golf course ready for play ASAP.

While the Red in Fargo gets recorded as the fourth highest historic flood, the Sheyenne River to the west, has been challenging the record 2009 levels. This includes the area just north (downstream) of Fargo where the Sheyenne joins the Red. Due to high levels of some tributaries in that area, there was major overland flooding. I-29 was closed for several days after the video below was taken.

Further west in Valley City, the heavier snows and rains led to Bald Hill dam being challenged. The US Corps of Engineers had to release large amounts of water to prevent the dam from being topped. The river at Valley City has been at high levels and for a while and it is supposed to have its second crest about now. Some scenes of Valley City and overland flooding elsewhere in the Sheyenne River watershed are seen in the video below.

The above video is by Lee Hoedl who has done some excellent work documenting the floods of the last three years. His work can be seen on his channel on Youtube including this year's 12 installments.

Crest Day?

by Dakota Noel

By 5:00 PM on Friday (yesterday), Fargo and Moorhead were announcing that flood preparations were pretty much done. The dump trucks with clay were absent from the streets on the drive home. The only flood prep I saw was the unloading of some contingency sandbags at El Zagal. 

I got my photos of Elm Street over the completed dike. The structure was about 3 feet high and the width of 14th Street. Signs reminded people to keep off the dikes. The police are very strict about enforcing dike laws. The water was up against the base on the river side.

The rate of the Red River's rise slowed on Friday and today hovered just above 38.7 feet, just a few inches short of the 1897 level. The 1897 flood (39.1 feet) held the record for 100 years, being surpassed in 1997 (39.7 feet) and again in 2009 (40.8 feet). Due to lack of flood forecasting and earth moving equipment in the 19th century, the flood was unmitigated and covered much of downtown.

Closer to home, two blocks west of Elm Street, the water was still about a foot below and several feet horizontal from the Aqufence. This confirmed the sidewalk as being at about 40 feet. On my walk home from El Zagal, I pondered the 41 foot level which would result in water the full 1200 feet between the golf course and my driveway if there was no barrier.

With no rain in the forecast, today would be Crest Day and the river would begin its slow decline. We do have rain in the forecast, up to 1.5 inches total in the area over the next 36 hours. The flood forecast in light of the weather forecast is that the river may go up slightly and then would stay at crest longer. Current preparations should easily handle the forecast rain, but the actual when and where and how much could combine to significantly change things. Hence the prepositioning of contingency sandbags to raise those dikes another foot. Other defenses such as clay dikes and the Aquafence are mostly at a height that could be handled by all but a freakish amount of rain.

Water and Water Barriers

by Dakota Noel

It was hard to get my river picture looking north on Elm Street today due to the on-going dike construction. Perhaps the best bench mark is that the water is now in front of the "Road Closed" sign. The gap being closed   is 14th Ave on the left and the entrance to Treefoil Park on the left. The river level is about 36 feet with 3-4 more feet go to crest this weekend. It looks like heavy weekend rains may go to the south, so that is good news.

With all the clay needed for the dikes, dump trucks are making up a significant amount of traffic. Sitting at a stoplight tonight on my way home, there were five also stopped or passing through the intersection while I waited. Red Cross and Salvation Army vehicles are also common as they bring food and water to sandbaggers.

There was a surprise at the end of the street tonight. Instead of a clay dike, there was an Aquafence which is made by a Norwegian company. A rep from the company, who was a native of Norway, was on site. While he was there to assist with installation by a local company, he fielded a lot of questions from neighborhood folks making their post-supper rounds. The system was tested locally in last year's flood in the Moorhead Center Mall parking lot.

The Aquafence is a series of braced panels which is clamped to the sidewalk. Also today, the east El Zagal dike was topped and the golf course has filled with water which can be seen in the upper right of the picture. The Aquafences shouldn't get too much of a workout since the projected crest is now 39-40 feet and the sidewalk is at 40. It's standard practice to protect to 2 feet above projected crest in case of prediction errors, ice jams, or heavy rains.

This picture is about the same view as one I posted yesterday with the new Aquafence in the foreground and the flooded golf course in the middle. The sandbagging in Fargo is pretty much done with the help of Fargo high school students and other volunteers. Based on outside sounds tonight, clay dike construction is still underway. The goal was to have everything done tomorrow for the weekend crest.

by Dakota Noel

The river was up to 33 feet today...a beautiful day which was out first above 50 F in 2011 and since November. This is another Elm Street shot looking north along the El Zagal golf course.

The top white line in the photo below is a line of sandbags, topping off a permanent dike on the west end of the golf course. The dike on the east end of the golf course should be topped tomorrow by the river  and the area in the foreground of the picture will fill in with river water.

Today they also started the clay dike on 14th Ave North. Based on the stakes, it looks like they are building it to 42 feet river gage. In this picture, it is about 3 feet high.