If you decide to visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the route takes you through Grand Marais and down the Gunflint Trail, it won't be long before you lose cell phone service. You might find yourself wondering where a phone call can be made if necessary. There are two phone booths on the Gunflint that I know of. One is at the very end of the trail.
©2013 Lisa Bond Photography, if you are wondering whether I made a call or not, please read the footnote at the very end.
The other phone is at the half way point, about 25 or so miles down the road, and conveniently located at the Trail Center bar and grill.
©2014 Lisa Bond Photography
This phone is even cheaper, however the connection cuts in and out, but mostly out.
©2014 Lisa Bond Photography, "Hello, is the Jolly Green Giant there?"
©2014 Lisa Bond Photography, this ain't no joke pardner!
Another option is to head up to the top of a high bluff somewhere and see if you can pick up a Canadian tower signal.
©2014 Lisa Bond Photography, checking for a signal
I actually got a phone call while I was standing up there last fall and several texts from someone in Canada saying "Welcome to Canada". Roaming rates do apply! My teens were not so lucky. Encouraged by my story from the previous fall, they were willing to do a little cross country skiing and a hike just to see if their phones would work. I think they would portage for days if they thought there was internet service at the end of it! I'm certain they found it some sort of teenage torture being off the grid for almost 4 days. Their mother, on the other hand, loved every minute of it. Spending quality, unwired time with them was one of the best Valentine's presents a mom could ask for. It sure beat last year's Valentine's Day!
As always, thanks for stopping by and until next time, if you're from around here I hope you can get out there and enjoy all that delicious snow we have!
FN:
I thought about calling somebody for novelty since it was only 50 cents, but it would have been one of those dumb phone calls where it's like "yeah, guess where I am?" and then it gets awkward. You either don't know what to say after that, or worse, they start telling you some random story about whatever and you're like "ah, I gotta go cause I'm in the Boundary Waters, k?" as if they were bothering you, or "Hello? did you really think I wanted to talk cause my canoe's about to leave". Like when airplanes used to have phones and you'd call someone just to say you did it. So I didn't do it. But if there was an emergency, you'd be glad it was there.
As always, thanks for stopping by and until next time, if you're from around here I hope you can get out there and enjoy all that delicious snow we have!
FN:
I thought about calling somebody for novelty since it was only 50 cents, but it would have been one of those dumb phone calls where it's like "yeah, guess where I am?" and then it gets awkward. You either don't know what to say after that, or worse, they start telling you some random story about whatever and you're like "ah, I gotta go cause I'm in the Boundary Waters, k?" as if they were bothering you, or "Hello? did you really think I wanted to talk cause my canoe's about to leave". Like when airplanes used to have phones and you'd call someone just to say you did it. So I didn't do it. But if there was an emergency, you'd be glad it was there.
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