We drove all the way from Colorado to the North Shore of Lake Superior! And, well,...let's not do that again. Plus...$hit, we still have to go back home. In the meantime, we might as well enjoy the adventure in this new, unique place.
First off, we chose to stay in beautiful Lutsen which is almost to Canada, eh, and cell service was frustratingly hit and miss. BUT, this is the view of Lake Superior from our expensive, rustic cabin (which was also an easy hike to Cascade Falls).
AND... this is what it looks like if you walk fifteen feet across Highway 61.
Secondly, quiet and quaint Grand Marais is just up the street.
 |
| Looking from the Harbor toward the East Bay |
We rode bikes around the blissfully empty town while we waited for laundry.
 |
| The Harbor |
The trade-off for quiet and empty? The World's Best Donut shop was closed!
 |
| oh my heart...no donuts |
So we played games and sipped the seasonal IPA at Voyager Brewery (root beer for the kids).
The Voyager Taphouse was comfy, warm, and low-key. We could have spent every evening here. In fact, I wish I was at the Voyager Taphouse with a brew and a picnic board right now.
We camped for a few nights at Temperance River State Park with yet another spectacular view.
Almost every place that we went had a waterfall dumping "root beer" colored water from 10,000 swampy inland lakes and bogs into immense Lake Superior which keeps 10% of the world's fresh water. Unlike Mille Lacs, the North Shore is rocky with trees, grass and sandy soil (and bugs)...a little like some parts of the Rockies.
Walking, biking and skiing trails criss-cross the North Shore, taking you from State Park to State Park. We rode up and down the Gitchi-Gami State Trail but the Superior Hiking Trail can take you all three hundred miles between Duluth and the Canadian Border.
Add a three hundred mile hike to our bucket list of future adventures!
Finally, of our many adventures around the United States and Canada, we found some of the best coffee and treats at Fika Coffee. Clearly they are roaster first, coffee shop second (so this is not a place to hang out and work) but, well, the picture says it all...
Endless miles of trails, quaint towns, great coffee, craft brews, many, many waterfalls...so maybe the long haul from Colorado was worth it.
We camped for a few nights at Temperance River State Park with yet another spectacular view.
Almost every place that we went had a waterfall dumping "root beer" colored water from 10,000 swampy inland lakes and bogs into immense Lake Superior which keeps 10% of the world's fresh water. Unlike Mille Lacs, the North Shore is rocky with trees, grass and sandy soil (and bugs)...a little like some parts of the Rockies.
Walking, biking and skiing trails criss-cross the North Shore, taking you from State Park to State Park. We rode up and down the Gitchi-Gami State Trail but the Superior Hiking Trail can take you all three hundred miles between Duluth and the Canadian Border.
Add a three hundred mile hike to our bucket list of future adventures!
Finally, of our many adventures around the United States and Canada, we found some of the best coffee and treats at Fika Coffee. Clearly they are roaster first, coffee shop second (so this is not a place to hang out and work) but, well, the picture says it all...
Endless miles of trails, quaint towns, great coffee, craft brews, many, many waterfalls...so maybe the long haul from Colorado was worth it.