The 15-hour drive to Grand Portage, Minnesota did not feel any shorter, but after traveling the same route several times over the years, at least many of the sights had become familiar. We arrived at the Voyageur II parking lot at 1:45 a.m. after only a couple quick stops for gas and food and a minor 40-minute detour after I missed a street sign three-quarters of the way through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. After claiming one of the empty parking spaces on the hill we stepped out of the car to stretch our legs and infuse our lungs with some brisk, northern night air. The temperature was quite cold and the wind was fairly strong. In my estimate the wind chill probably made the temperature feel like it was in the mid to upper 30's. The tar-black sky provided great contrast to the million or so pin pricks shimmering overhead and to the pale band of the Milky Way which stretched across the horizon like a river of light meandering through the vast expanse of space. We walked down to the shore and found the Voyager II resting peacefully next to the dock in the glass-like water. After several minutes of exposure the cold had become too much to handle with only a lite jacket so we retreated to the warmth of the car to sleep and wait out the rest of the night.