Last week I took a couple of vacation days for the first time in three years and spent a nice long weekend up at the North Shore. I have been to Duluth many times over the years and my family used to camp up on the North Shore way back in the day, but to my recollection, I had never been any further than Little Marais. (Here is a MN map for reference)
Here is a map of Lake Superior
The first night we stayed in Duluth at the Holiday Inn. I had earned four free-night-stays during a promotion they had going this past summer when I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Austin, TX and decided to cash a few of them in for this trip. It rained all day Thursday and we were off to a late start so we didn't get to Duluth until late in the evening. Here is a view of Canal Park from our hotel room.
Early Friday morning we left rainy Duluth and started our drive northeast along the North Shore Scenic Drive. The rain prevented us from stopping at many of the scenic overlooks, but we stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse for about .32 seconds until we realized you had to pay $8 admission. Forget about it!
It had stopped raining at Silver Bay so we stopped at a scenic overlook. It was sooooo crazy windy that day, like 40-50 mph. The swells of the lake were 8-12', it was like being at the Ocean the waves were so big. I have video footage that I will post sometime soon.
It was nearly impossible to catch a clear photo of the berries, it was so windy
We got back on the road and continued the drive to Grand Marais. The weather got better the further we drove north along the lake. We stopped at another scenic lookout somewhere between Lutsen and Grand Marais. It is so incredibly beautiful! Being at Lake Superior is almost like having the ocean in Minnesota, especially on windy days that bring big waves.
We had lunch at the Gun Flint Tavern (which has an awesome Cuban sandwich that I will be reviewing on the Twin Cities Restaurant Blog soon) and then sent some time walking around the town and browsing the shops.
Cool little scene in the Grand Marais Harbor
Later in the afternoon we drove back south to our new hotel in Tofte and then out for a fancy late dinner at the Blue Fin Grille (which I will also be reviewing soon). Took a couple photos on their beach as the waves kept crashing in.
The hotel we stayed at was overlooking the lake and our room was literally less than 20 ft from the waves that were crashing all night long. I was so tired that I slept peacefully anyway. We got up early the next day before heading the Lutsen Mountain, which I will be blogging about next!
I LOVE the north shore! Too bad the weather was sucky because it is beautiful. My husband is from Silver Bay!! And Blue Finn is awesome!! Love the picture of Canel park..great editing.
Posted by: denise | October 08, 2009 at 09:04 AM
I love looking at your pics from up there. The North Shore is one of my favorite places to be. I rarely go past Silver Bay anymore (for lack of time always) but I love Lutsen and Grand Marais. Grand Marias is such a cute little town. You should have eaten at Sven & Ole's! Can't wait for the 2nd post. Alpine Slide and Gondola maybe?! I hope you hit up there perfect for the fall colors.
Posted by: Dana Leigh | October 08, 2009 at 01:01 PM
Great pics!!!
Posted by: Adrienne | October 08, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Beautiful! The pictures are great despite the crummy weather. Glad you were able to get out of town for a few days!
Posted by: Nicole | October 08, 2009 at 02:40 PM
We will have to hit up Sven & Ole's next time.... we had eaten pizza the night before we left so we weren't in the mood for it again. I will be posting about the Gondola at Lutsen and all the fall colors soon... maybe even tonight??!!
Posted by: Kristi S (sweetsauer) | October 08, 2009 at 03:50 PM
Ohhh I sooo need to get away. What a great little get-away for you!
Posted by: Becky Schmitz | October 08, 2009 at 08:34 PM
It looks like you had a great time, although we missed you at the party.
Posted by: Kim | October 12, 2009 at 08:14 AM
Kristi, I am behind on your blog! I scrolled down to this post, as it's where I left off. What a cool getaway! Good for you for doing this for yourself. It's so good for the soul to go on little adventures and reset yourself. What a beautiful part of the world you live in. Isn't it great to explore natural beauty like that? The fall colors are gorgeous -- something I miss so much from home. So, thanks for sharing! The lake is amazing. I haven't ever been to Superior -- just Lake Michigan actually. The photo you captured of the Grand Marais Harbor is gallery worthy!
Posted by: Samara Link | October 13, 2009 at 09:27 AM
Lake Superior is very cool and it always surprises me how FEW Minnesotans have been there. I am glad erick and I got to explore areas we had never been before...very exciting! We want to make it an annual thing to go up there, we are now hooked!
Posted by: Kristi S (sweetsauer) | October 13, 2009 at 11:49 AM