Heading Up North

Cranberry Bog

Monday morning, Terry & Janet and I headed North in the red sled. First stop was a cranberry bog just North of Rice Lake. I am hoping to get back to the bog during the harvest, which I think must be going to be soon. It's interesting how they grow. I didn't realize that Wisconsin produces the most cranberries of any of the 50 states. http://www.wiscran.org/index.php

Cranberries on the vine

From the bog, we headed to The Sand Castle. Terry and Janet liked it there and later on that same day....we had wished we had just stayed overnight there. As we headed North from the Sand Castle, we happened on a couple of eagles just off the road, one of them gave us a nice fly by, this is when I wish I had the mongo zoom lens.

Douglas County Eagle

Next up, Lake Superior, Superior, Duluth and then north. We ate lunch in Duluth in the Canal Park area. Tried to eat at Grandma's, but the line was very long, so opted for another cafe close by. The wind was starting to pick up and also a little rain was starting to fall. I was glad that I had grabbed gloves for all of us and also we all brought warm coats. It looked like we would need them.

Loading dock at Two Harbors

From Duluth, we hopped on Hwy 61 and headed North along Lake Superior. Our destination was Blue Fin Bay Inn, located in Tofte, MN. The weather was continuing to be windy and cool, but the rain stopped.

In Two Harbors, we walked out to the end of the breakwater. It was windy, I thought we might be crazy to be out there, Terry looked like he was really enjoying it, ha!


Two Harbors Breakwater to Lighthouse

I am not sure why Janet thought she should climb up this ladder!? Just above her head is a sign that reads:

DANGER: Intense sound signal may sound without warning. Keep 50 feet away when horn sounds.


Terry and Janet Walmer

Breakwater at Two Harbors

From Two Harbors, we headed towards Split Rock Lighthouse. The weather continued to be windy but as least it wasn't raining hard. I took these pictures as we came out of one of the many tunnels along Hwy 61 along the North Shore Drive.

At first I thought 8 bucks was plenty to pay to see a lighthouse. But this place is awesome and I can't wait to go back. It is fabulous how the Minnesota Historical Society has restored the lighthouse, keeper's house and other out buildings.

Split Rock Light House

The original lens.

Terry spotted these two crazy people coming across the lake / bay. They were stand up surfboard paddling. I can't imagine...the water had to be very cold and it was windy and raining off and on. I won't be trying this sport, not in this lifetime anyway.

stand up surfboard paddlers

I think they were resting...got on their knees. But...how did they get up on their feet again without ending up in the water?

Poplar trees add a different dimension to the fall colors.

Views from Split Rock Lighthouse.

Janet & Terry

Okay, this is where the story gets nutz! We left Split Rock, headed for Tofte. The weather started getting worse, with wind gusts that wanted to practically blow the red sled right off the road. We saw trees down on the highway and it was raining pretty hard too. I was looking forward to getting checked into our snazzy hotel, the Blue Fin Bay Inn. We pulled up in front of the office, and Terry went in to check us all in. When he came out he gave us the news that there was no power in the whole town of Tofte.

http://www.bluefinbay.com/index.php

Well, to make a long story short, we had no power, water, or heat all night long. We had not eaten before getting to Blue Fin Bay, so after dropping our bags in the room, we headed back South to see if we could find a restaurant that had power. After stopping at a campground office, who had no food other than the supplies for S'mores, we went in search of Satellite's Country Inn because the woman in the office thought that Satellite was open.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=9436+Hwy+61+W+55613&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=9436+W+Hwy-61,+Cook,+Minnesota+55613&ll=47.525084,-90.908432&spn=0.21607,0.615921&z=11

The weather continued to be insanely windy, I pulled up in the parking lot of the little Satellite Inn. It looked dark, but as I was turning around, I saw the glow of a computer monitor and could see a woman was in front of the screen. I went to the door and managed to talk her into opening for us and we enjoyed delicious hamburgers and salads. I think her name is Marie, she was very benevolent to open her doors to us...I don't think I would have taken no for an answer.

After dinner, we made our way back to the Blue Fin Bay Inn to settle in for a chilly night. Amazingly, our suite stayed pretty warm, 63 degrees. And thankfully, the glass in the windows held. The gust of wind were pretty amazing and I worried until I finally fell asleep. The wind finally let up about midnight and then it poured rain well into the night.