One of my favorite camping experiences was my first camping trip to Minnesota’s North Shore. I loved it so much, that I decided my husband and I needed a repeat to explore all the areas we didn’t get to the first time. We took our camper, but sadly, left the dogs at the puppy hotel because along with the outdoors, since we also wanted to take in local restaurants and shops.
We stayed at the same quiet, primitive campground we were at the first time. I am all for trying new places, but this campground happened to be central to all the waterfalls I wanted us to see. The weather and the fall foliage were magnificent…red maples, mountain ash, aspens, and birch…we will be planting our own next spring!
The main objective of the trip was to hunt down and hike to several waterfalls. Big or small – I truly love them ALL. Some waterfalls were just a short trek from the truck, others required some scrambling and climbing. Which, I actually prefer. Bonus – it usually means less people! Tyler discovered another waterfall that wasn’t on our list, so we made an impromptu trip to see the tallest waterfall in Minnesota! How was this not on the list?! It was a beautiful are to explore. The trail must have looped into Canada because I received a notification from my phone, welcoming me to Canada. Who knew!
On the drive to the big waterfall, we went though a quaint little town, Grand Marais. The decision was made to eat lunch there on our way back to our campsite. Even in October, we got to enjoy our lunch outside with a fantastic view of Lake Superior. Afterward, we walked around and checked out the shops. At one point, we both ended up saying, “I could live here.” It just really has great energy.
I was reluctant to end our time there, so I started searching for ice cream shops. There were a few local ones, so choosing the best one seemed to be a crap shoot. I randomly chose Superior Creamery. And, man, am I glad I did. I ordered a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of pumpkin. No lie – that pumpkin ice cream was the very BEST ice cream I’ve ever had!! I was so sad that my bottom scoop was vanilla and not pumpkin, too!
The next day, a friend from Minnesota arrived at our campsite to stay with us. We did a few small hikes together and surprise…went back to Grand Marais for that pumpkin ice cream!!! Kind of. I mean, we also had amazing tacos and browsed through more shops. I basically interviewed an employee at one of the shops – grilling him about the town and the people while Tyler and Joe looked at knives.
We got back on the road, but made a quick pit stop at a lookout. The views of Lake Superior were stunning.
Made it back to the car just in time…the rain started. It didn’t stop. The next day, in the down pour, we packed up and said our goodbyes to Joe and headed back to North Dakota.
Aside from the rain shower the last evening and next morning, it was a fabulous trip. During our drive home, we continued to talk about the possibility of doing life on the North Shore. Maybe someday… but until then, I think we’ll be back for more visits. And, more ice cream!!
I’ve always thought I’d make my forever home in the mountains, but while on this trip, I realized something. I don’t think it’s the mountains that pulls me. It’s the trees. I long to be in the forest, among the trees. To hike and explore. To discover what’s around the next bend in the trail.
What speaks to your heart in nature? The ocean? Mountains? Desert?
