And the winner is . . .

. . . no one, unfortunately. (Although props go out to rural vegan, who made the closest guess!) I'll have to save the mystery prize for another time, because we went to

GRAND MARAIS!!!

We've been there before, but there's so much to do up on the north shore, we had to go back. We were hoping for pleasant weather, but were still met with cooler temperatures than we'd wanted, plus rain off and on over the course of the weekend.

The strangest thing? We've had such a cold spring in MN this year, there were NO leaves on any of the deciduous trees up north! How strange. Things were still pretty green, though, thanks to the coniferous trees.

We had a blast, and I took a gazillion pictures. Enjoy!

(P.S. I posted in reverse order, so things should read chronologically as you scroll down.)

SAT 24 MAY: Cloquet, Eagle Mountain

We began our vacation early Saturday morning -- we were on the road by 8:30 AM! We chose not to leave Friday night to save money on hotel, and also save ourselves the stress of having to drive in Memorial Day weekend traffic -- and it worked! We practically flew up north, with few complications. Our first stop of the trip was in Cloquet, MN for gas . . . at the only gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright!

After a quick stop, we packed back into the car and continued north towards our first hiking destination: Eagle Mountain! Eagle Mountain is the highest point in Minnesota at 2,301 feet, and the trail to the top was about 7 miles round-trip, mostly on rocky, root-covered trails. Difficult climbing, but worth it!
The mountain is actually located a couple miles in from the parking area, so the large majority of the hike is actually getting to and from the mountain. The trail passes Whale Lake, then continues to gain in elevation. Photos from the climb:
An "easy" section of the trail:

It's official -- we've entered the Boundary Waters!

(Dan was much more excited than this picture demonstrates, I promise.)
We thought this might have been a beaver dam:



Whale lake:

Another shot of the trail:

This hike had the potential for some major ankle-twisting -- thankfully, we both wore our hiking boots.


We made it!



After hiking back down the mountain and back to the car, we decided we were well-deserving of a fantastic, delicious dinner. After checking in to the hotel, we headed in to downtown Grand Marais with the perfect restaurant in mind!

SAT 24 MAY: Angry Trout Cafe

Half the reason we decided to come to Grand Marais for Memorial Day Weekend was to revisit the Angry Trout Cafe -- we first discovered this restaurant last fall, and were thrilled to return and gorge ourselves on more local, organic, sustainable food.


Angry Trout has to be one of the happiest places on earth -- the food is incredible and healthy, they use 100% wind power for the restaurant, and they feature as many local, sustainable foods and products as they can. Examples include all of the dinnerware, which is made by a local potter. Here's how my tea was served:

And my dinner, a large plate of homemade spinach pasta tossed with pesto, and a side salad with buttermilk bleu cheese dressing. YUUUUUUMMMMM!

I was too full for dessert, which was really disappointing -- they had some delicious-sounding selections. After supper, we headed to the hotel before we passed out from fatigue -- we had two more days ahead, and needed our rest for more fun to come!

SUN 25 MAY: Blue Water Cafe

We woke this morning sore from yesterday's hike, but well-rested and ready for more adventure. We breakfasted at the Blue Water Cafe in Grand Marais:

Basic, quality diner food. I had a veggie omelet, and Dan ordered a piece of breaded walleye with a side of loaded hashbrowns. (He shared some of his hasbrowns with me.) Breakfast was good, but expensive -- over thirty bucks for two breakfasts, two cups of coffee, and a glass of juice for me. Sheesh! We thought we'd try someplace different next time, just because the price and the "wow" factor, or lack thereof, didn't match up.
Regardless, we were full and well-caffeinated, so it was time to hike!

SUN 25 MAY: Grand Portage National Monument

After a short drive north from Grand Marais, we decided to stop at Grand Portage National Monument, located in the Grand Portage Indian Reservation.

We paid the $3 admission apiece, and decided to look around. We watched a short video about Grand Portage, and learned that it used to be a meeting place for Canadian merchants and fur traders, "way back in the day." We toyed with the idea of hiking the 8-mile portage, but decided against it -- the weather was cloudy and a bit drizzly, and we weren't really prepared for an 8-mile muddy hike. So, we looked around the monument instead.
I enjoyed poking around the kitchen building. The guide noted that the kitchen was considered to be extremely well-equipped for its day!

We also walked out on to the dock into Lake Superior, and explored several other buildings.
The fact I found most interesting about Grand Portage was that it was used for years by Canadians, and then one day, someone decided to hire a surveyor and figure out whether the Portage was on Canadian soil or not. It wasn't, so they tore everything down, threw all the materials on rafts, and moved the Portage upriver onto Canadian soil. Ha! (Now, the Portage has been moved back to its original location, on US soil. Well, I guess technically, on the Indian Reservation.)

After poking around the monument, we were itching to do some "real" hiking -- northward bound, we decided.

SUN 25 MAY: Grand Portage State Park

After deciding we didn't feel the need to hike the 8-mile "grand portage" at the National Monument, we decided to head north, (very north,) to Grand Portage State Park.

Yes indeed, that is the US/Canada border. We started to think we had missed the entrance to the state park when we started approaching the border, but wait! There was one last, little turn-off into the state park. We parked, bought a state parks sticker for $25

(which allows the car it's attached to unlimited access to any Minnesota state park for one full calendar year -- what a deal!) and started our hike. Grand Portage State Park follows the Pigeon River, which defines the border between the US and Canada.
The Pigeon River is also home of the tallest waterfall in Minnesota, called creatively, the "High Falls."

Despite the less-than-exciting name, the falls were pretty awesome.
We chose to hike the 3.6-mile loop along the river to the Middle Falls. 3.6 miles doesn't sound like a lot . . . but it is, when the trail is steep and covered with roots. We were a little impulsive with this hike -- we left our packs in the car earlier, so we had no water or snacks with us during this 2-hour hike. Whoops! We still managed to have a good time, though.
We saw this nest along the trail, and forgot to stop in the ranger's station and ask about it. It was about halfway up a pine tree, and made mostly of pine branches. Squirrel? Eagle? Hawk? Something else? Any bird nerds out there care to weigh in on this issue?

There's fungus among us:

After much toiling and complaints from both of us about being thirsty, we finally made it to the Middle Falls:

While less impressive than the High Falls, they were still, definitely, worth the hike. Self-portrait:

And, the thing I found most interesting about the Middle Falls was the very top -- see how glassy and still the water is at the top of the river? Then, it suddenly hits the falls, turns all "melty" looking, and kapow! I could have stood there and watched the water like that for hours. (Plus, you could climb out on to the rocks right next to the falls, which was an added bonus.)

After we looped back to the High Falls, we were STARVING! Fortunately, we had packed a picnic lunch, which we decided to stop and eat right there, at the picnic area overlooking the Pigeon River.

There were about ten hawks circling around above our heads while we were eating -- they were quite mesmerizing to watch. I never managed a picture of the hawks, but these birch trees were quite striking.


After lunch, we decided to head back south, (especially since we had both forgotten our passports,) with at least two more stops planned before dinner.

SUN MAY 25: Judge C.R. Magney State Park

With our newly-purchased MN state parks sticker, we decided to check out Brule River and the "Devil's Kettle" at Judge C.R. Magney State Park. (Who is C.R. Magney? He is a former mayor of Duluth who worked for years helping to create lots of state parks and preserve the environment in many ways. Worthy of state park-nameage, I think!)

The Upper Falls and Devil's Kettle are a short hike from the parking area, but it was another hike of altitude -- lots, and lots, and lots of steps, up and down both ways, to see the sights. But sights worth seeing, for sure!
Brule River:

On our way to the Upper Falls:

Upper Falls:


Devil's Kettle:


After all those stairs, I'm surprised we both didn't drop from fatigue -- but our last planned stop kept us motivated, I think!

SUN 25 MAY: Mystery BWCAW Lake

Dan had hoped we could cruise through the Boundary Waters and visit a few lakes, just to sit quietly with nature and look at the water for a while. I drove so Dan could navigate, and we desperately tried to find "Bogus Lake." Bogus Lake Road veered off Trout Lake Road, (which was the third stop in our tour-de-lakes plan,) and eventually turned into No Lake Road. (I'm kidding -- the road just stopped.) So, Bogus Lake turned out to be kind of bogus after all! We tried for the second lake in the plan, which we can't for the life of us remember what it's called. But it was pretty:



After communing with nature at the mystery lake, we decided we were too tired and hungry to visit Trout Lake -- back to Grand Marais to eat some DINNER!

(P.S. There are so many lakes in the Boundary Waters, we think people gave up trying to name them all. There are four funny lakes, one each named, "My Lake," "Your Lake," "His Lake," and "Her Lake." Ha!)

SUN 25 MAY: The Angry Trout (returns!)

When we returned to Grand Marais tonight, we found several restaurant options packed to the gills . . . and although the Angry Trout was busy, it was warm, and there was a place to sit and wait for our table. Is it wrong to eat at the same restaurant two nights in a row? If it's wrong, I don't want to be right!! The food really is that amazing, and they brought us blackberry herbal tea while we were waiting.

Tonight, we scored a window table, which offered us a beautiful view of the slowly-darkening lake and the blinking lighthouses. We spent less time pouring over the menu tonight, since Dan was so darn excited they had the soup he remembered from our visit last fall:

With his (local and fresh) fish chowder, he ordered the smoked trout salad, which he devoured with great enthusiasm.
I ordered a plate of their wild rice pilaf and a side salad:

And strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert!

(I was very excited they still had a supply of this pie tonight -- I had desperately wanted a piece the night before, but was WAY too full to even consider dessert.)

With full bellies and overtired bodies, we barely made it back to the hotel before dropping off to sleep. One more day of fun left, and we wanted to be well-rested for it!

MON 26 MAY: World's Best Donuts

We woke this morning to rain, cold (low 40s!), and wind. Ugh! After two days of reasonably beautiful weather, it was almost like a slap in the face. Phooey! As we packed up and checked out of our hotel, we hemmed and hawed over our plans for the day, realizing we were going to have to make some changes because of the weather.

Breakfast, however, was a no-brainer this morning -- how can one NOT try someplace claiming to make the "World's Best Donuts?"

Dan ordered a jelly-filled, and I ordered two cake donuts, plus a coffee apiece.

First, the coffee was delicious, especially considering it was served in a foam cup. The ambiance was spectacular -- the back room, or "coffee room," as it was referred to, was packed full of people, photos, trinkets, and other odds and ends. The booth we chose was decked out with photos of people with their "World's Best Donuts" mugs, travelling all over the world. So much to see and hear.

And the donuts? Definitely the best donuts I've ever tasted. Rich, moist, sugary, and downright delicious. (I could only eat one and a half, though -- I'm not used to rich food like that first thing in the morning. Dan helped out with my remaining uneaten half, though.) Once we finished our donuts and second cups of coffee, we decided to venture out into the weather and spend some time hanging out in Grand Marais.

(P.S. I wasn't a very good vegetarian -- I didn't ask about lard. Sometimes I get really excited and become a temporary "visual vegetarian." Oops.)

MON 26 MAY: Artist's Point

After breakfast, Dan and I decided to walk out to Artist's Point, Grand Marais's natural harbor extending out into Lake Superior. We've visited these rocks, woods, and lighthouse before, but were thrilled to return. (Despite the icy winds and drizzle, obviously.) Even though it was a damp, grey morning, we found plenty to discover. The wooded area:

Areas of the woods were nearly completely covered with lichen, which gave a frosty, almost errie feel to the place.


Rocks and waves:



Check out the clouds, mist, and fog in the distance:

Finding rock "sculptures," for lack of a better thing to call them, in the wilderness around the North Shore is quite common. I understand that it is either a Cree or Inuit tradition, building these -- they confuse and distract caribou, which make them easier to hunt. Dan wasn't planning on hunting any caribou, but he tried his hand at constructing a rock sculpture.

And then he used more rocks to make a face, described as unintentionally "like a John Lennon album cover."

This sculpture was, by far, the coolest one we'd found that morning, however.

Although we wanted to revisit the lighthouse, we decided to head inland instead -- the wind was SO cold and strong, and it had started to rain harder. We needed to thaw out!