Our Trip, Part 2

During our time up north at Jake's parents, we took a brief overnight trip, just the two of us, to a small town on the northern tip of the state, on the coast of Lake Superior. It's only about a 2-hour drive from Jake's parents' house, so it was a perfect quick destination. This is the first time we've ever left the kids alone with his parents. Milo wasn't too thrilled about the idea of us leaving, and as we prepared to go out the door Nora also started to get a little clingy, and just as Jake's dad was coming in off the deck I said, "Hey, you want Grandpa to show you something cool outside?" They immediately cheered up and said, "Yeah!" Jake's dad caught on pretty quickly and said, "Hey, let's go look at the eagle!" Because yes, of course they have eagles flying around all the time like it's no big deal. So the kids happily raced outside with him, and we left.

On the way up we stopped at the side of the road and hiked for like a quarter of a mile to this waterfall.

The town we visited has a year-round population of 611 people. I think they have a larger population in the summer, as it's something of a summer destination. I'm not sure why this town is a destination town, but it might have to do with the fact that there is a well-known tent show just outside of town. The tent show has local and national bands and acts, and pretty big ones have been there, like A Prairie Home Companion, The BoDeans, Dar Williams, etc. The tent show is broadcast on our public radio station.

We stayed at this amazing inn. It has two buildings and ours was built in 1907. Here is our inn:

Here's the view of Lake Superior from the inn:

The grounds were extensive, too.

I loved the porch on this inn. It is gorgeous as are the views. When we checked in, the innkeeper remarked that we could sit out on the porch before dinner and he'd bring us a martini or a margarita -- just right for a warm summer evening!

This is the entryway:

Here is the music room. In the tile on the fireplace is the word "harmony".

The living room. This would be a great place to host a reunion. Everybody could stay in their own separate rooms (all have their own bathrooms), but then you could all hang out as a group in the living room, eat your dinner in the enormous dining room, or enjoy an evening of music in the music room.

Our room was on the top floor and we had a lovely view of the lake. It was quiet and relaxing, which we enjoyed a lot after a day of hiking and exploring the town. Our meal at the inn was one of the best I've had in the past year.

That evening we called to talk to the kids, and they were having a great time. The only mishap was when they were making s'mores by the campfire after dinner, and Milo fell out of his chair and banged his head on a rock. He cried a bit for Daddy, but seemed to be over it by the time we talked to him. Somehow it's always Milo who ends up in these accidents and mishaps; I think he takes after me in that way. Nora, like Jake, is more careful.