Family Phase One
After our out west road trip alone, we began the family phase of our time pre-departure. The first family we were able to spend a chunk of time with was my mom and step-dad, Mike.
We took them up north to Aaron’s parents cottage in Lutsen, MN. Most of the days had rain, but we enjoyed the time anyways. There was a lot of reading, sleeping, relaxing, hiking, and EATING!
We spent a lot of time in the car, driving up and around the North Shore. Much of the time in the car was spent sleeping. Aaron and Mike are champion sleepers.
The day that they spent sleeping in the car we were heading out to Ely, Minnesota. In Ely, we visited Jim Brandenburg’s gallery and the International Wolf Center. When we arrived at the Wolf Center it was just beginning to rain, and as we were watching the wolf habitat, it started to downpour. The wolves knew that there was a dry spot near the windows and they sat right there, where we had an awesome view.
At the Lutsen house, the nearest small city is in Grand Marais, MN. We spent a lot of time there enjoying some of the restaurants, the cooperative grocery store, and doing one of my favorite hikes out on Artist Point. Artist Point is a short hike, but it is always one of my favorite places because you can walk around this entire small peninsula on the rocky shore. You can climb around the rocks, play in the water, sit and listen to the water crash against the shore. It was great!
We also made our annual pilgrimage to the World’s Best Donut Shop. The sure do make tasty donuts. And, you can sign there list of names and if you remember which number you signed up under the previous year, you get free donuts!
This is what a donut from the World’s Best Donuts will do to you. I think this picture happened once my mom had a bit of a sugar high going on.
We did survive Family Phase One, and now we are onto Family Phase Two with the Reiners. Good times!
Perhaps you should let people know how you wouldn’t let me have the camera if there was a chance that you were sleeping. I, also, like how you don’t mention that you were perhaps one of the best sleepers of us all. Or the two hours I spent in the car surrounded by the three of you sleeping away.
Alright, if Aaron is going to call me out, I suppose I have to clear my name.
No, I wouldn’t let Aaron have the camera when we were driving back to the Twin cities and I was sleeping, he was driving after all.
Yes, I am one of the best sleepers of all. Especially car sleeping. I will always relish in that fact.
And yes, from Duluth to the Twin Cities Aaron was a trooper. He did drive the full two hours while my mom, Mike, and I snoozed away.
Why couldn’t we have had gale-force winds? Remember Gordon Lightfoot!
And the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Thank you very much for the very flattering photo. Sometime you must get one when I don’t look like a dork.
I have lots of photos of you where you don’t look like a dork, it just isn’t as much fun to post those!
Mike and Aaron don’t hold a candle to Joyce for car sleeping (although, they do hold a close second). You all know that her jaw would be down to her belly button! And amazingly, her head never falls over, even when you go around corners.