Kitschy Grand Marais

Only a hop, skip and a jump from the Canadian border lies kitschy, whimsical Grand Marais, a small, historical town in northeastern Minnesota along a double harbor on Lake Superior. Over the years the town has been used for many things yet recently has become a destination in itself with shopping, art, a few fancy restaurants and hotels and of course, as the jumping off point to the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Canoe area (a remote 1,090,000 acre/4400 km2 wilderness area within the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota).

One of many kitchy shops that can be easily found in Grand Marais.

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Grand View Flowers

Nostalgic view of historic Grand View Lodge which was built in 1919 along lovely Gull Lake in Nisswa, MN.

It is our last morning at historic Grand View Lodge and it is time to pack up and leave for home. It has been another stellar vacation here and I feel so relaxed that I’ve moved on to my restless nature. It is time to leave.

Last night, we had perhaps the most beautiful, colorful sunset of our trip here. The heavy storm clouds that had been tormenting us for the last three nights finally began to lift while the setting sun cast hues of pinks, purples and oranges across the pastel blue lake. In the distance, I heard the calling wail of a loon, the Minnesota State bird. It was utterly unbelievable and quite a send off. I will be sharing those photos soon.

In the meantime, I thought I’d send some pictures of the beautiful summer flowers that dot the landscape around the Grand View Lodge. This year they are spectacular and the best I’ve seen since coming here three years ago. Enjoy!

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Grand View Lodge: Friday

Photo above of storm rolling in over Roy Lake, 9 am.

Today is our last day of vacation here at our cottage on Roy Lake. The weather has been perfectly hot, gorgeous and stormy at night. Except for today. Another wave of thunderstorms swept in during the middle of the night bringing dark clouds, loud rumblings and lots of rain. Our last day will be cool, thunderous and rainy. But overall, we couldn’t have asked for better weather.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our week away. Most of my vacations are rather busy and intense. However, our week on the lake is always relaxing. There are no mountains to climb. No sights to see. Just the lovely water waiting for us to enjoy and the beach. It is a great week to spend together as a family, enjoying each others company and creating lifelong memories. But by the end of it, I am always ready to go home.

I will sure miss the gorgeous sunsets and the call of the loons. But it will be here waiting for me, next summer, when we come back.

Here are some photos of my favorite sunsets during the week.
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A small town celebration of the Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July all fellow Americans! Today is a day of celebration, family, watermelon, picnics, brats on the grill, parades and fireworks. Nothing could be better than spending it in small town America located in the heart of Minnesota’s northern lakes. My husband and kids even saw a bald eagle fly right over their head this morning as they were walking to our car. I can’t think of a more symbolic way to start off the day.

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Grand View Lodge: Tuesday

Yesterday was the first day I could finally ease into that Adirondack chair and relax. The kids were off playing games in the morning and I indulged into one of my favorite pastimes. Reading. I completed a beautiful book that I need to add to my Worth a Read page called “The Memory of Love” written by a Sierra Leone woman named Aminatta Forna. As you can probably guess by now, I don’t read anything too light and fluffy.

Yet the book truly made me think deeply about so many things in life. How fast time goes. How much we take for granted. How love is everlasting. The cruelty of war, rape and death. How hope and resilience rises above it all. The beauty and power of the human spirit.


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Vacation. Relaxation. Eat. Drink. Be Merry.

View from the beach.

Today is the start of our official week long family vacation! This is our third year that we have come to stay at a cabin on Roy Lake in Nisswa, Minnesota. I can hardly wait to relax. Life has been too busy and it is time to sit back, relax, spend time with my family and chill. I haven’t decided yet whether or not I will be blogging. I may take an entire week off as a blog vacation. Or I may do shorter posts with a photo of the day from this beautiful part of the country. We’ll see.

In any event, my response to reading your posts or comments will be delayed. Have a great week! thirdeyemom

Leave no trace behind except your footprints and your memories

Jacksprinter’s Sunday post is valuable. Something we find and hold near and dear to our hearts.  It could be money. It could be land. It could be freedom. Or it could be memories. For me, there is nothing more valuable than my childhood memories of our annual fall trip to climb Eagle Mountain. A tradition that started a lifelong love of nature, togetherness, family, and hiking.  

Eagle Mountain, the highest point in Minnesota, will always hold a special place in my heart. Located in the northeastern part of Minnesota at the start of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Wilderness, it is one of the best kept secrets in the Midwest. Pristine forests, magical untouched lakes and impressive wildlife are all the wonderful things you will find along the trail.

Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons

As a child, I hiked this trail every single fall with my family, until I moved away to college. It was a family tradition that I will never forget and is held deep within my most precious, sacred memories of childhood. The fall colors once we reached the top were an artistic tapestry of brilliant hues of pumpkin orange, golden yellow and crimson red. If I close my eyes, I can almost see it now.  Almost.

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Hiking around Cascade River Falls

Author’s note: I’m back to my series on our long weekend at the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. To read recent posts in this series, click here.

One of the most popular State Parks along Lake Superior’s North Shore is Cascade River State Park. Located about 10 miles southwest of Grand Marais, Minnesota this park offers spectacular waterfall views and rushing rapids of root beer-colored Cascade River.  There are over 18 miles of trails within the park and it also meets up with the 286-mile long Superior Hiking Trail.  There is a wide variety of flora and fauna to be discovered but what I enjoyed most was the sounds and sights of the roaring river and multiple waterfalls.

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Second attempt at Carlton Peak

Author’s note:  This is the second post on our hike up Carlton Peak in Northeastern Minnesota. In case you haven’t heard, the most devasting, damaging floods in history have recently struck this part of Minnesota.  Over 100 million dollars of damage is estimated.  Roads are closed, homes and universities are flooded.  Even the zoo was impacted with a dozen animals drown and the dramatic rescue of a seal and a polar bear who escaped the escalating flood waters.  Let’s keep our thoughts and prayers in mind for the people impacted by this devastation.  To read full updated article, click here

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A touch of nature along Lake Superior’s North Shore

Our first morning along Lake Superior’s North Shore wasn’t looking too promising.  Dark clouds had rolled in over the lake and we could hear the low rumble of distant thunder all the way across to Wisconsin. I sat out on the oversized verandah, sipping my morning juce (mi gasolina, as it was nicknamed during my recent trip to Guatemala) and listening to the dramatic, haunting call of the loons.

If you have never heard a loon before, then you probably don’t know what their song is like.  One you hear it, you will never forget.  It is perhaps one of the most beautiful, melodic sounds I’ve ever heard. To prove it, see for yourself.   Click below, close your eyes and listen.  It is a cry you will never forget. A beautiful mourning wail…

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