North Shore Adventure

We are back from 3 days on the gorgeous Minnesota North Shore. We covered a lot of ground in a short time; there is so much to see and do! We were lucky in many respects; for one, the weather was gorgeous. Although rain was predicted, we didn't see a drop until Friday afternoon on our way home. It seemed luck followed us on our daily journeys too - for example, a bald eagle hovering directly overhead as we pulled into a beach; a man offering ice cream coupons as we headed to a boat tour where we were planning to get ice cream.

Overall we had a really good time, and I think Brandon enjoyed the trip. He had never been to the North Shore before, and none of us had been as far north as we ended up going. It was an adventure and I was happy to see that Brandon was up for the challenge. He even did a little exploring on his own, around the campground and the beach in the mornings.

We definitely wore ourselves out; lots of walking and hiking. We ended up leaving a little earlier than planned on Friday due to the weather, but we had packed a lot in to the time we were there. When we arrived home we continued the "vacation" by going to see the new Batman movie (more on that later), and then I went to pick up our beloved Buddy from boarding at our vet. We missed him, and I think he missed us too...although he made quite a few new friends at the vet! All of the techs had to come and tell me what fun he was and what a pleasure it was having him there.

Today, despite the busy week we've had, we're not relaxing much. There is yard work to be done, and we're having people over for Brandon's birthday tomorrow, so there's plenty of cleaning going on too! Though tonight we are taking it easy.

Below is a summary of the things we did on our trip. Photos are also available here. Enjoy!

Wednesday
Duluth:
-Walking around Canal Park
-lunch at Hell's Kitchen
-Maritime Museum and watching the Lee A. Tregurtha go through the aerial lift bridge
-Tour of the S.S. William A. Irvin, followed by ice cream
Checked into Burlington Bay Campground in Two Harbors
Roadside stop near French River to check out the beach
Hiking and exploring the beaches and waterfalls of Gooseberry Falls State Park
Dinner in Two Harbors
Campfire time!

Thursday
Headed north on Highway 61, North Shore Scenic Drive
Split Rock Lighthouse
Hiking at Tettegouche State Park
Grand Marais - Sven and Ole's Pizza, Trading Post, explored coast/beach
Grand Portage National Monument
Canadian border
Hiking in Cascade River State Park
Silver City tunnel and trail (saw peregrine falcon)
Back to the campground, with brats over the campfire

Friday
Souvenir shopping in Two Harbors
Skyline Drive and Enger Park and Tower in Duluth
Homeward bound!