Though MPLS seems a lifetime ago, there are only about 6 weekends left for us up here. And a couple of them are already planned out (Kirsten’s Parents visiting, Duluth Anniversary trip, etc.). So with that in mind we wanted to hit up some different places while we are up here. Sorry BWCA(W), but we won’t be hangin’ with you for a few weeks; but we won’t miss letting the bugs thin out. While Isle Royale (thanks for the spelling, Hun) and kayaking the world’s 3rd biggest lake (Superior) didn’t happen, many other adventures were had on Minnesota’s Northshore.
Thanks to some incredible trip planning and weather watching (Rick Steves and Al Roker better watch out for Kirsten) we raced to Judge C.R. Magney State Park just in time to get the tent set up before the thunderstorms rolled through. With the rain fly on, we decided to head into town (Grand Portage) to wait out the rain and see where the next day would take us. When we returned to our site, the power was out and the firewood was soaked, but we were too tired from a long week of work at the lodge to care.
Let’s just call the next day waterfall Thursday. Magney park is home to two great falls: Upper and Devil’s Kettle. The trail was busy with families of all ages, and it contains over 200 stairs…it is definitely on the beaten path, but worth the traffic. The falls were impressive, especially Devil’s Kettle. Though it’s been a bad year for bugs up here, all of the area falls are at high levels of flow. That is, most of the tourist guide pictures show much less water going over the falls than what is actually currently happening. In addition to the rushing water, the Kettle is an intriguing feature. It is a hole that the water flows into, and experts have not been able to track the water path or determine how deep the kettle goes.
After the hike we grabbed a quick bite back at camp, and then hit the road. Even further up the northshore we drove around the inlets of Grand Portage. We came across a fox with a meal in its mouth. It ran alongside our car for about a quarter mile and just starred at us. Eventually we made it to our next destination: Grand Portage State Park. This park had two more hiking trails and two more waterfalls. The first one, High falls (creative name) is the tallest falls in MN. It is on the border river (Pigeon River). This is what made the river impassable for the fur trading Voyagers, forcing them to make a 9 mile! portage, which thus gives us the reservation’s name of Grand Portage. High falls was much more impressive than its name. The splash mist was far reaching and rather refreshing.
Kirsten and I decided to take the additional trail to Middle Falls. It was longer, and more dangerous (I cut my toe pretty good on a stick) than we thought but the end result was perfect. Middle turned out to be a pretty falls that we were able to walk out to and relax on the rocks. But once we caught our breath, it was fun to push logs into the rapids and watch them bob through the rapids.
Tired, bloody, and muddy we decided to venture to the fanciest restaurant we’ve visited yet. The Naniboujou lodge, a depression era club for the nation’s elite, is a fascinating stop just outside of Hovland and literally across the street from our campsite. Kirsten is going to review it for the CW lodge blog, but in the mean time I will quickly give you an overview. It rests right on the shore of Superior and it is a well kept, colorful lodge that takes you back to an earlier time. After a tasty meal we headed to the shore to skip some rocks, loon watch, and snap a few dusk photos.
Friday was not as eventful as planned, but was relaxing. We had hoped to kayak the big lake. But with a high chance of storms (which never came), pretty cold (49*) June temperatures, and a decent wind churning up the waves we decided to take the relaxing plan. Instead we made our first ’08 stop at World’s Best donuts, perused the shops (where I scored a $10 ($42 orig.) at Joynes Ben Franklin’s), made some (rare) cellphone calls, and hit up the Blue Water Café (again). That place does not disappoint. From Kirsten’s Eggs Benedict to my Hot Turkey sandwich, the meals were excellent. Not only that, but the service was on the money and we (I) discovered (finally listened to Kirsten) that there was an upper level with even better views for the harbor. I’m not sure what was a better way to end the weekend, Blue Water or our $28 weekly grocery bill…but either way another nice weekend up north.
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