… A little tangent before I get started here: One of my favorite things about being a Minnesotan is being able to really say that word. Minn-e-sooooo-tan. Only a true Minnesotan can do it justice. And getting the long ‘O’ right gets easier and easier the more North you go. Another aspect of Minnesota I love.

A little over a month ago Mur and I took a much needed {quick!} vacation beyond Duluth to the amazing hills of Northern Minnesota and shores of Lake Superior. The trip was amazing and amazingly beautiful which is why I feel the need to share just a handful of the hundreds of photos I took…

We couldn’t have timed the trip any better to see the fall colors. When we left on Friday morning {nice and early!!} we were a bit bummed by the weather forecast – it was to be overcast with a chance of rain for Friday and Saturday and then clearing off a bit on Sunday. We packed rain gear with the hopes that would ward it off. The rain crept in and cluttered our drive to Duluth. We stopped at Caren’s for an amazing breakfast {well, brunch by the time we got there} and then we headed out for our hiking and photo taking excursion.

Our first stop was at a little overlook between Duluth to Two Harbors …

When we stopped, the sky was gloomy and the air was cool. We wandered around on a rocky peninsula and Mur watched the waves on the water while I played with my camera. Soon the sun started to break through the clouds and all the gloom started to burn away. I instantly wished I didn’t have my sweatshirt and I had brought my sunglasses. And all the stress of work disappeared so I just relaxed and continued snapping photos. When all was said and done at the end of our trip I had taken just shy of 500 photos. In 3 days. How awesome is that.

We got back to the car and continued Northbound towards our camp for the night. The destination? George Crosby Manitou State Park. Neither of us had been there before but when Mur was planning our camping spots he said he picked this one because it looked remote and would be fun to pack into. He was so right on both accounts. We got there by way of Finland, MN via a dirt road. The hiking was tough and a bit tiring, especially when you are wearing a full pack on your back and you have a desk job…

Once back at our site, we dropped our packs and set up camp. Then Mur chopped fire wood while I cat-napped on the ground. Mur started a fire while I took a handful of photos. Mur kicked back while I made dinner. Mur hung his bear bag while I had my wine. All in all, it was a great night full of all things we both love.

The next morning we enjoyed coffee and oatmeal before packing up and heading out. To get back to the parking area {and then onward to our next site} we took an alternate route back. We had seen amazing color on all of the Maples as we drove in the day before and we were hoping and hoping we might see a grove up close and personal.  … We hit the jackpot.

Once back to the car we packed up the car and headed out going South back down the shore to our next destination of Tettegouche State Park.

We got to the park and checked in and cruised over to the campsite. Mur got us a walk in site amidst the hustle and bustle of this campground. Even though the camp was filled with families and big ‘ol campers, we felt tucked away in our own little walk in site with oaks, beer and corned beef hash.

The day was still young so we went down to the mouth of the Baptism River where it joined the lake.

Gorgeous.

…  And as a preface to the next smattering of pics, I really had a great time taking photos upon photos of Mur and I. I mean really, can we ever have enough photos? ha – those words – ‘enough’ and ‘photos’ simply don’t belong together…

After basking in the sun and watching the waves softly come into the shore, we packed up and headed down the trail.

We got to Lake Superior Beach and Mur went left and I went right. Mur scaled some rocks and got out a little ways into the lake. I stuck my camera right in the face of waves to get some fun photos of splashes … Sometimes I can really tell I’m a kid at heart who happens to have a camera in her hand…

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Back at camp, we settled in for the night. We got set up, dinner started and began a game of Phase 10. I totally won.

I made friends with this little guy {ie: fed him cashews} and snapped a few night pics before crawling into my bag for bed.

On the trip we concluded TJs has great camping food, and for breakfast on day 2 we made corned beef hash + fried eggs. And when on vacation camping, it is totally appropriate to have beer with breakfast, so don’t judge.

And the last part of our trip prior to driving back to the real world was a little hike to a waterfall near our campsite. It was lovely and a perfect way to end our weekend in the Northwoods!

… phew … that’s all for now