Merry MidWest Roadtrip Part I - North Shore of Lake Superior

But first…a succinct summer summary: After our spectacular Euro-biking adventure, Tyler and I spent Jun-Aug back in Denver to help care for my father and enjoy time with family. My father passed away on July 30th after a 4-year battle with cancer. I was immensely grateful for the ability to spend his last few months enjoying hours of patio time and even a few scotches, while caring for him in the comfort of my grandparents home. After his passing we made the plan to embark upon a US mid west roadtrip to see friends and family with whom we can never get enough time.

Now…Merry Midwest Roadtrip Part I: North Shore of Lake Superior

Our roadtrip began with a 12-hour drive to my old grad school stomping grounds: Mankato, Minnesota. We met with the famed melon-farmer, Andy Johnson, and the crossword Queen, Jen. After a short stint in Mankato to enjoy some wine and grilled eggplants, the four of us headed to the renowned Lake Superior Northern Shore. Through the next week we became amateur waterfall seekers (including Devils Kettle in Grand Marais and Kakabeka Falls, the second-highest waterfall in Ontario), as well as a Sleeping Giant exploration crew (Sleeping Giant is a Provincial Park in Canada). It was delightful to get a whole week with Andy Johnson and Jen. We enjoyed numerous hikes across Northern MN and southwest Ontario. We even trekked to the top of MN highest peak!! Eagle Mountain is 2,301 ft in elevation…not exactly a 14er…but a fun and novel hike nonetheless. As a bonus, they introduced us to a wonderful new deck-building game, Plantopia, which we played nearly every night. However, we did have one major disappointment: the melons at said melon farm were not yet ripe enough to enjoy during our brief stayfor shame.

After a spectacular week, we bid farewell to our MN friends and continued east along the North Shore to Sault St. Marie, Canada.

\ Here are the pics of our North Shore of Lake Superior adventuring: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZNE3FVA15iJkYrEa9