LAKE SUPERIOR'S NORTH SHORE: A Great Minnesota Fall Getaway

The Hjordis--a 50 foot traditionally rigged schooner, sailing on Lake Superior near Grand Marais.

Want great food in the far north?  The place to go is northern Minnesota along the north shore of Lake Superior.  My friend recently sent me a link to an article in the Minneapolis StarTribune featuring some of the top places to stop for a bite to eat. Four years ago on Labor Day Weekend I went to many of the same places with a group of friends and the article stirred some very pleasant, and delicious, memories.  Besides eating we did some hiking, canoeing, shopping, and viewed an art show.  Some of us went out on a sailing cruise and others tried the aerial tramway.  And all of us enjoyed relaxing in our beautiful lakeside house with its view across the water.  We stayed in Tofte, about 56 miles north of Two Harbors.

The Crooked Spoon Cafe in Grand Marais, where he had a delicious lunch.

About 27 miles from Tofte, is the lovely vacation town of Grand Marais. In Grand Marais we took a tour of the North House Folk School, where they have classes year-round in traditional arts ranging from boat building to basketry, wood carving and knitting.  We watched a group in a flint knapping class, struggling to carve stone knives out of flint.  It made us realize that the prehistoric people who depended on such tools for survival were much more skilled than we had previously appreciated.  Our visit to Grand Marais also included a visit to the Sivertson Gallery featuring photos, woodcuts and paintings inspired by the North Shore landscape, as well as Inuit carvings from Canada and Alaska.
Here are a few photos from our trip:

Our guide, Derek, who led us in our 10-passenger Voyageur canoe on our early morning exploration the Poplar River at Lutsen.

Waterfalls on the Temperance River along the Superior Hiking Trail in Temperance River State Park, just west of Tofte. A mile long loop took us into the river gorge, to Hidden Falls, providing vertiginous views of the cauldrons below.

View of the North Shore of Lake Superior from the rocks in front of our rented house in Tofte.

The Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen on North Shore Drive from Duluth, where all the candy is made "the old fashioned way in their copper kettle kitchen."

We had a relaxing weekend with beautiful weather.  It brought back many memories of childhood trips to the North Shore with my family when I was growing up in Minnesota.

My Paddle (Canoe Song)

(from the Girl Guide Songbook, Vol. 1)

My paddle's keen and bright

Flashing with silver

Follow the wild goose flight

Dip, dip and swing.

Dip, dip and swing her back

Flashing with silver

Swift as the wild goose flies

Dip, dip and swing.