Duluth (July 2-3) - The Minnesota state sign is right off the bridge from Superior so it was a challenge, but we got it! It was really busy, assuming so because it was Fourth of July weekend, but we managed to find a parking spot at their movie theater. The electrical in the camper was not working which put a damper in our moods but we figured we`ll take care of it later. We met Sam`s sister Ali, her husband Chris, and their three kids at Sister Cities Beach along Lake Superior and ate PB & J`s while skipping rocks and throwing sticks for Nelly. Then we walked along the boardwalk and explored a bit more of Duluth. They came up from Minneapolis to meet us so we got an ice cream and they hit the road. That night we parked outside a family friends house, which was just 10 minutes from the city. Jesse, and his roommate Maggie, had just moved in so we decided to go out for some drinks. Back over to Wisconsin we went, into Superior. The Anchor Bar & Grill, as featured on Food Network, was no disappointment! Their burgers are amazing! Boundary Waters (July 3-6) - We weren`t quite sure where the best place to go was but figured anywhere up in this area would be beautiful, so we stopped at an outfitter in Ely and asked for a permit and some direction. It was slim pickings but we ended up leaving out of Entry Point 24 and camping on Mile Island, which was on Fall Lake. What a perfect spot we got! This was the first canoe trip with the Green Bean :) We packed her up with all of our stuff and started paddling. We had one adventure day and one chill day. On the Fourth of July, we ventured off to see Newton Falls and had to pass through a portage to get there....never again. To top it off, the way home was against the current and the wind... we were exhausted by the time we got back. But lets think positively...we saw 8 bald eagles and 3 loons! We were canoeing down a creek when we spotted one eagle up in a tree and as we were getting closer for a picture, we spooked one that was on the ground enjoying a meal. It flew right in front of us - wow are they big! How`d Nelly like all of this? Oh she LOVED it, minus the flies, but she found her ways to avoid them (hiding in the woods). We just fell in love with the area. We had 2 beautiful sunsets and 2 HUGE storms. If you know Nelly, you know she HATES storms. The first was at night, we woke up to the wind blowing and quickly ran out to tuck away some loose items around the campground and attach the rain top to our tent. Nelly was so pooped from the days adventure that she did not seem fazed by it at all ... we jinxed ourselves though because then came the panting. We got to experience this all over again when we tried leaving the morning of the 6th. We were hoping to beat the storm, packing up everything but leaving the tent for last just in case. Good thing, because the storm showed up fast and we made a run for the tent. Sleeping bags and pads were put away so it was a cold floor and long wait. Luckily the sun came out and we made our way back to the car, dried everything out and hit the road. International Falls (July 6-7) - We ventured up here thinking we would be crossing the border into Canada. After the drive though it was pretty clear, the Tacoma was not going to work for our trip. If it can`t handle the midwest, it surely would struggle in the mountains out west. We slept at a Menard`s this night and made the decision to head to Minneapolis in the morning to stay with family and see friends while dealing with trading in the truck for a new one. We couldn`t just show up to a dealer with the camper and canoe...we`d look a bit desperate. So we needed somewhere where we could unhitch and leave all of that behind while shopping. Minneapolis (July 7-14) - Our mission was to find a new truck for the trip. We visited multiple dealers and ultimately decided on an F150. We love it, there is so much more room! Although it was not in the budget, we are happy we made this decision. Throughout the week we were able to spend time with family and friends in the area which was great. It set us back a week, but was much needed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
September 2017
Categories |