Entry tags:
The Land of Ice and Snow
So this weekend we went up north to the middle of nowhere to celebrate ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wolfie74’s birthday. In the past, she has done such things as gone winter camping in blizzards and record lows so, as a possible saner compromise, I rented us a small cabin at a little lodge half way between Lutsen and Grand Marais.
The ride up was a bit snowy and a bit sleety at times, but still beautiful to see all the trees just lightly frosted with a fresh coating of white. We got there and signed in and dropped our stuff off at a cabin a bit smaller than it looked on the web site, but quite cozy and comfy. We had lunch at the nearby diner, then got all our winter gear on and went out snow shoeing for a bit. We may have, possibly, gotten a bit off the trail (we were some of the very few people in the area, so the trails were a little hard to discern with the fresh snow), but eventually circled around and got back to the cabin. I decided to nap and she decided to go out again to see what else she could find.
She got back with tales of dead animals and wolf tracks that led to a wolf hidden in the trees (her moniker is “wolfie” – oddly enough, she was not afraid) but to discover that something was seriously wrong with the bathroom in our cabin (hint: sewage should not come up through the tub). A maintenance call later, and we went back to the diner for dinner while the poor guy tried to work on it. It was a no-go, and they upgraded us to a different cabin that was fricken huge with a walkway over the creek and little porch outside and a sofa and fireplace inside.
The next morning, we went out again after breakfast. My snow shoes had a bad strap that was tearing some more, so I went down to boots and she kept hers for the most part. We hiked along the creek and then up a trail and over to the main river and some truly gorgeous frozen waterfalls. Several hours later, we made our way back to the cabin and ate a fine meal of box food, meat and cheese, and the champagne I had gotten as a surprise for her while watching bad movies on the tv. The temp was dropping, so we did not do the sleigh ride, but stopped by the bonfire briefly and messed around in the lodge for a bit.
The following morning, I wanted to sleep and she did not, so she went out in the stupidly cold temps while I slept a bit more and then wrote and drew until she returned. She was starving, so we went up to Grand Marais, which was only a few miles from where we were and even fewer from the Canadian border. Excellent food at The Raven and some gorgeous pictures later, we returned to the cabin to veg.
The final morning of our stay, we woke up to a blizzard. We hit the road before it got too bad and stopped at the Blue Fin Café for a huge breakfast before the rest of the long, and thankfully safe, drive home.
Cascade Falls
Further down Cascade Creek
I climbed this, sans snow shoes, and consider this an accomplishment. *g* Yes, those are power lines for size comparison at the top.
Too good to pass up.
Our romantic dinner. *g*
Parting shot of Grand Marais.
So, that was my extended weekend. Fun and relaxing, andwolfie74 seemed to enjoy her present as well, so there's not much more you can ask for (except the house to be cleaned when we returned, but we have two tween boys, so that was not to be).
wolfie74’s birthday. In the past, she has done such things as gone winter camping in blizzards and record lows so, as a possible The ride up was a bit snowy and a bit sleety at times, but still beautiful to see all the trees just lightly frosted with a fresh coating of white. We got there and signed in and dropped our stuff off at a cabin a bit smaller than it looked on the web site, but quite cozy and comfy. We had lunch at the nearby diner, then got all our winter gear on and went out snow shoeing for a bit. We may have, possibly, gotten a bit off the trail (we were some of the very few people in the area, so the trails were a little hard to discern with the fresh snow), but eventually circled around and got back to the cabin. I decided to nap and she decided to go out again to see what else she could find.
She got back with tales of dead animals and wolf tracks that led to a wolf hidden in the trees (her moniker is “wolfie” – oddly enough, she was not afraid) but to discover that something was seriously wrong with the bathroom in our cabin (hint: sewage should not come up through the tub). A maintenance call later, and we went back to the diner for dinner while the poor guy tried to work on it. It was a no-go, and they upgraded us to a different cabin that was fricken huge with a walkway over the creek and little porch outside and a sofa and fireplace inside.
The next morning, we went out again after breakfast. My snow shoes had a bad strap that was tearing some more, so I went down to boots and she kept hers for the most part. We hiked along the creek and then up a trail and over to the main river and some truly gorgeous frozen waterfalls. Several hours later, we made our way back to the cabin and ate a fine meal of box food, meat and cheese, and the champagne I had gotten as a surprise for her while watching bad movies on the tv. The temp was dropping, so we did not do the sleigh ride, but stopped by the bonfire briefly and messed around in the lodge for a bit.
The following morning, I wanted to sleep and she did not, so she went out in the stupidly cold temps while I slept a bit more and then wrote and drew until she returned. She was starving, so we went up to Grand Marais, which was only a few miles from where we were and even fewer from the Canadian border. Excellent food at The Raven and some gorgeous pictures later, we returned to the cabin to veg.
The final morning of our stay, we woke up to a blizzard. We hit the road before it got too bad and stopped at the Blue Fin Café for a huge breakfast before the rest of the long, and thankfully safe, drive home.
Cascade Falls
Further down Cascade Creek
I climbed this, sans snow shoes, and consider this an accomplishment. *g* Yes, those are power lines for size comparison at the top.
Too good to pass up.
Our romantic dinner. *g*
Parting shot of Grand Marais.
So, that was my extended weekend. Fun and relaxing, and
wolfie74 seemed to enjoy her present as well, so there's not much more you can ask for (except the house to be cleaned when we returned, but we have two tween boys, so that was not to be).