Grand Marais for a Grand Stay

There was a recent long weekend here in Canada so we took a short trip into the States and stayed at a little lakeside town called Grand Marais. The town is in Minnesota and has some very beautiful surrounds to visit.

We 'camped' at the Aspen Lodge in a family suite that had connecting rooms with 2 queen beds in one room and a king bed in the other. With a TV in each room and a door that could be closed between the rooms- everyone was happy.
On the first night after a meal at My Sisters Place across the road, we geared up for a swim in the hotel pool (having being disappointed to find no working spa. What we didn't realise was that we needed drysuits to go swimming! The water was FREEZING. Thankfully, the sauna was hot and just what Ian needed as he was feeling unwell. The kids swam for short periods and then heated up in the sauna.

Lake Superior bright sunny day with thick fog!

On Saturday we made a late start to the day (which became a habit)by going for a walk along the shore front to Artists point, a small peninsula out from the township.
Along the way, we had to remove a bush tick from Megan's scalp - ugh! and met a Travel writer - wow!
Of course there were the normal toilet scares that we always seem to get with a 3 year old in tow.I need to go...no I don't now that we can actually SEE a toilet, then I have to go NOW mum - well of course you do we are as far away from a toilet as we can be!
Artists point is aptly named, with gorgeous vistas of the coastline, textured rock formations and fairy garden grotto's amongst the trees. We didn't make it any further as the whole area was a child magnet for adventure and imagination.



Jill surveys ampsites                                                                  

After an extended lunch and slow afternoon we headed out along the Gunflint trail to see what we could see. Twin Islands Lake was one of the things that we saw - and it was well worth the effort. With the sun low over the horizon and sending long softly warm rays across the water to be filtered by leafy green trees, we decided that camping there is a must for us in the near future. Deciding which camping site is best was a different matter - the kids want site 10 but dad thinks site 34 is best. We will have to see who has the best memory when we return.
Dinner at the Blue Water cafe was a filling ad casual affair - good meals for kids made this place a good family choice. It amazes me how many condiments the Americans put on the table for their diners to select from. There were 3 kinds of steak sauce, mustard, Tabasco, salt & pepper and even more.
The night ended with staged goings to bed for the kids. I played Monopoly with Megan and Ash while mum put Paige to sleep first, then Megan while Ash and I played Skipbo. We played in the lobby which left the room quiet.
Sunday was meant to be cycling, but the day looked too cold so we opted for short walks instead. The hotel had a book that listed and described short walks close to the highway between Duluth and the Canadian Border - perfect for families.

Superior walking trail section

So, armed with notes from the book we drove along the lake shore towards Lutsen and pulled over for short walks along the way. This was just perfect as we had wanted to see the countryside away from the lake.  Many of the walks connected to, or followed part of, the Superior walking trail which runs through the state. There was such variation on the theme of beautiful that you would have to take a thesaurus opened at that word to try and explain each walk. There was a distinct change in temperatures too. Away from the shoreline of Lake Superior and the climate is dramatically changed. We started with plenty of warm clothing and ended up sweating and hot, trying to peel off excess layers. Back to the shoreline ad ALL the layers were needed again! It really highlighted how much the lake influences the climate.       



                                                    

                                                     Mountain Tramway Lutsen

We eventually made Lutsen with the intention of one last walk and then a loop drive along the Caribou Trail back to Grand Marais. During the walk the sun emerged from behind clouds and we couldn't resist the cable cars called The Mountain Tramway.
The kids absolutely loved the ride and so did the adults. The view from the top of Moose Mountain (I'm not making that name up!) was stunning and worth the trip. A great way to end the days exertions.
We drove back to Grand Marais for a spa at Super 8 motel (owned by same company as Aspen lodge) and then diner at The Angry Trout cafe right on the waterfront of the marina. The highlight apart from the most delicious food in yonks, (Jill ate fresh Lake Trout and loved it!!)were the wild otters that came onto the rocks a couple of metres away to be fed. For the first time I was able to appreciate why overseas people get excited at seeing a kangaroo in the wild in Australia. The kids and I did our total tourist bit and goggled excitedly at the otters for ages.

                          The Angry Trout Cafe with special guests