Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Vacationing "up North!"

In the last several weeks, I have discovered some of Minnesota's best kept secrets.  They may not even be secrets, but having traveled all over the country with my family while growing up, somehow we missed the beautiful country in Northern Minnesota! The upper Midwest has some gorgeous country in the North Woods, especially along the North Shore of Lake Superior and in the Boundary Waters between Minnesota and Canada.  Having made connections with all the right people, we have been able to experience and enjoy some of this beautiful country over the past month!

I got to know a couple, Carol and Dave, from our church Holy Trinity, and they invited my housemates and I to join them for a weekend at their cabin in the Boundary Waters.  We packed snacks and a good music playlist for the road, and drove 5 hours up the North Shore and down the Gunflint Trail to find their place. We enjoyed playing around Duluth for a few minutes on the way up.
Their cabin was a beautiful piece of art, as it was covered in rosemaling--a Norwegian art.  These patterns covered the ceiling, every piece of furniture, the clocks, toasters, trash cans, you name it.  It was a nice tribute to Norway.
We spent the weekend canoeing and portaging through many of the lakes, hiking scenic vistas, and taking in all the beauty: with no humidity and no bugs. I realize what a special treat that was!

 We even caught 10 rainbow trout for lunch and dinner. First time fishing for me, which was great!
 The rest and relaxation was much needed.  It was such a treat to spend the weekend with people who love the Boundary Waters so much, and loved playing tour guide. They drove us all around, so we got a good sense of this place that I have only heard about.  On our drive home, we took our time driving down Lake Superior, stopping at Split Rock Lighthouse, Gooseberry Falls and Duluth again.  I was lucky enough to drive along the North Shore with fall colors in October with the Ward Family and with snow in November with my landlords, but it was fun to see it in the spring! It is almost like being at the ocean, so for being a landlocked state, they have some gorgeous coastline!

 2 weekends later, I went camping with a few friends in Taylor's Falls, MN right on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin on the St. Croix River.  I recently read a book about the Swedish Emigrants that came through this very part of Minnesota (thanks Mom for the recommendation!), so I really enjoyed touring a place I had read all about! While this weekend was slightly less relaxing (lots of rain, heat, bugs, and a few other camping mishaps) we shared many laughs.
Next weekend, I am heading up to another friends' cabin in north central Minnesota with a group of friends from LVC.  I feel very lucky to have a) so many free weekends, b) so many adventurous friends willing to go all over to explore with me and c) the connections to all these great places. I am so happy that warm summer weather is here and that I continually have the excuse to get out of the city a bit to enjoy more of this great state!

1 comment:

  1. So many adventures! I'm jealous! Sounds like such a great time!

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