A Perfect Day in Duluth
Duluth. A wonderful city on the shores of Lake Superior. A place for the people of the North Shore to run errands or drive through on their way to the cities. This past weekend we decided to enjoy all Duluth has to offer. We started our day at the Great Lakes Aquarium. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. The GLA focuses on the great lakes, mostly Lake Superior, and the habitats in and around the lakes, and also includes a small salt water aquarium section. There is a giant fresh water tank with some giant fish in it! We were there to see the divers feeding the fish and taking care of the tank. One of the favorite kid activities was a large water table in the shape of the Great Lakes where kids could move boats through the locks of the lakes. The upper level has a nice Lake Superior history area. Even though the GLA is huge, there is still lot to see and do.
Next we walked over to my favorite sandwich place in Duluth – Northern Waters Smokehaus. This small restaurant is located in the Dewitt-Seitz Marketplace. It was featured a few years back on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I do believe it has the best sandwiches in Duluth. My favorite is the Pastrami Mommy. They also have some wonderful homemade salami, smoked fish and a small cheese section. There is a small section of bar seating, but since the weather was so beautiful we sat outside on some picnic tables. The staff is always friendly and if you can find a spot, parking in the back lot is free.
After a fulfilling lunch we took a walk to the Duluth pier to see the lift bridge. We missed seeing a big laker drive through, but did see the bridge lift for a smaller sailboat. The walk down to the end of the pier was a good people watching experience and provides a nice view of the city of Duluth and the Lake Superior shoreline.
We walked back to the GLA parking lot – taking the path under the lift bridge – a sort of different perspective seeing cars drive above you! Directly next to the GLA is a large playground. We spent some time there before heading home. I believe you do have to pay a five dollar parking fee if you park next to the playground or in the GLA parking lot.
Next time you are on your way up to the North Shore – take a break in Duluth and enjoy it! You will not regret the time spent in a great city by the shore.-Kris
- Duluth Pier
Duluth Lift Bridge
Tags: Duluth, Great Lakes Aquarium, Lake Superior, Minnesota
Posted on May 17th, 2012 in Outdoor Activities, Stories and Pictures, Travel, Uncategorized |
A Class at North House Folk School
This past weekend I took my first class at the North House Folk School. For those who may not know a lot about North House, I think the mission statement says a lot about their program: “The mission of the North House Folk School is to enrich lives and build community by teaching traditional northern crafts in a student-centered learning environment that inspires the hands, the heart, and the mind.” The school offers a wide range of classes that include jewelry making, foods, outdoor skills and woodcarving to name a few and is open all year.
The morning of the class there was a welcome address for all the students participating in classes from the executive director of the school, Greg Wright. After the warm welcome we went on our separate ways to our classes. The class I took was called Graft your own Apple Orchard taught by Lindsay and Lee Zieke Lee from Decorah, Iowa. There were about 10 students in the class of which half were locals and half were from out of area. We had an introduction of grafting via pictures, then a live demonstration, then we practiced grafting on some brush before having to do it with actual apple tree pieces! It was nice to have such a small class because you really got one-on-one attention when you needed it.
I made four different grafted apple trees – with three different kinds of apple species. I can’t wait to see what they look like in a few weeks when I take them out of my fridge. Hopefully the trees will have a sunny summer for many days of growth. After taking this class I would highly recommend North House classes to any and all who are willing to learn! It is an awesome gem on the North Shore!-Kris
For more information about North House Folk School you can view their website for course information http://northhouse.org/ or call 1-888-387-9762.
Pieces of Apple Branch Used for Grafting
Apple Grafting - Work in Progress
Grafted Apple Trees
Tags: Apple Grafting, north house folk school
Posted on May 10th, 2012 in Stories and Pictures |
A Quick Trip for a Fantastic View – Britton Peak
About two to three miles up the Sawbill Trail is a quick, but steep hike to Britton Peak. I hiked up last week and really enjoyed the early spring view. There is a large parking area for both Britton and Carlton Peak. The hike is 0.6 round trip. It is a fairly steep hike with some stairs and a rather large drop off on one side of the trail. Once you are on top of the peak it is simply beautiful. There is a great view of Lake Superior, Carlton Peak and the Temperance River Valley. There is plenty of room at the top to spread out a blanket and read a book or have a picnic. The hike itself is not for the faint of heart, but if you can make it up – it is 100% worth the effort! I also hiked a little of the Superior Hiking Trail just off the Britton Peak trail and really enjoyed that as well. – Kris
Tags: Britton Peak, Lake Superior, Sawbill Trail, Superior Hiking Trail, Tofte
Posted on May 1st, 2012 in Outdoor Activities |
Fun with Baby Goats
Recently the Surbaugh family has had a few new additions…6 baby goats! We went out to visit the first three that were born last week, three boys. While I’m not ready to give up my dreams of a dog to have a pet goat, it was sure fun to meet the less than a day old kids. They didn’t seem to mind us holding them, but they definitely also enjoyed investigating life outside the pen. They especially enjoyed taking a nibble on our pants and letting out a little mew every so often. Three more babies, three girls, joined the crew this week. Life can be exciting on the North Shore, in new and different ways.
-Maren
Posted on April 27th, 2012 in Uncategorized |
Grand Portage State Park
While the North Shore is known for its state parks, we often only think of the largest and most centrally located ones like Gooseberry Falls, Cascade River, and others. This weekend my husband, in-laws (visiting from Arizona), and I took a drive up to Grand Portage State Park, near the Canadian border. It’s only about 36 miles from Grand Marais, and both the views during the drive and the park itself made it well worth the trip. It is a unique state park in that it was established through a partnership and is located on tribal land. The main attraction of this park is the High Falls on the Pigeon River. The High Falls are the highest falls in the state (120 feet!). They also were the main reason that the 9-mile Grand Portage was established by Native Americans (later used by the voyageurs).
It is an easy half-mile hike into the falls, with a paved path and boardwalks. I was amazed that the water was running pretty well for our visit and a rainbow also made an appearance. There are two platforms that provide great views of the falls and don’t forget to take a look over into Canada. My Arizonan in-laws were excited to catch a glimpse of our neighbor to the North.
In addition to the falls, be sure to check out the visitor center. They have new displays that opened in January 2012, introducing guests to the culture and traditions of the Grand Portage Ojibwe people. Also be sure to push the button on the welcome sign, to hear many different welcomes and to learn a few words of Ojibwe.
Next time you are up on the North Shore, check out Grand Portage State Park for its beautiful views and to learn more about the Grand Portage Ojibwe people.
- Maren
Posted on April 24th, 2012 in Uncategorized |
