Cascade Vacation Rentals

A Perfect Day in Duluth

kates — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:10:51 +0000

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

A Class at North House Folk School

kates — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:30:50 +0000

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

A Quick Trip for a Fantastic View – Britton Peak

kates — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:26:57 +0000

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

Fun with Baby Goats

kates — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:46:36 +0000

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

Grand Portage State Park

kates — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:13:51 +0000

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

Steve the Tour Guide

kates — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:05:09 +0000

Kate, the kids and I recently had a wonderful visit from my Norwegian host sister, her husband, and their kids. Even though I often think there are great similarities between Norway and Minnesota’s North Shore (which is a big part of why we settled here) Kristin, Eystein, and the kids found plenty of small differences to be interested in and contrast with their home. The cedar trees look similar, the pines look similar (but have longer needles), our deer are bigger, and we have bald eagles- that we saw on a regular basis. I still speak a bit of Norwegian, but as I get older that is fading a bit. Their kids speak pretty decent English and communication proved to not be very troublesome for the kids. It was nice to see that lack of a common language did not interfere with having a good time. It was nice to take such an active roll in being a bit of a tour guide on our home turf. Too often, we merely talk to people in the office or on the phone about what this beautiful place this has to offer. -Steve

Steve and Kate's Kids and Their New Norwegian Friends!

Living the Dream in a Vacation Rental

kates — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:52:43 +0000

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in your favorite vacation rental? This winter, my husband and I were lucky enough to experience exactly that. Having just moved from Chicago, we were looking for something to get us started in the area. We saw a posting for a vacation home that was available to rent for the winter, A Superior Retreat, in Grand Marais. After my husband toured the house with Tala, his response was a certain “I don’t want to leave.”

This rental brought me to my current job with Cascade Vacation Rentals and it has been a great way to experience our rentals firsthand. Over the past few months, we’ve tried to take advantage of the many activities that our vacation rental and the area provide. We’ve gone hiking and snowshoeing, built a fire on the beach, barbequed, listened to live music, played games and built puzzles (check out the completed Minnesota puzzle below!), bought maple syrup at the source, walked to town for Dairy Queen, watch a movie, and countless other activities. I’m consistently amazed at how no matter what the weather or our mood, there is something to do and see.

I hope that you will join us sometime soon and enjoy one of the many joys of the North Shore. And to future guests at A Superior Retreat: you are in for a real treat.

- Maren

Lake Agnes Picnic April 2012

kates — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:04:44 +0000

Yesterday I had the chance to take the afternoon off with my son. What better to do on a nice sunny day than take a hike to Lake Agnes and go on a picnic. We packed our lunch and headed to the trail head on South Caribou Drive in Lutsen. You actually hike the back side of the Cathedral of the Pines property and see some of their team building platforms. Once you cross the Caribou Trail you are in a land of maples and birch. The trail, as I have mentioned before, is about 1 mile long to the lake and is fairly flat. There were some muddy areas, but nothing you couldn’t get around. We did notice some trees that had been freshly disturbed by beavers.

We made our way to Lake Agnes and followed the trail to a point in the lake. There is a nice spot for a campfire with wooden benches. There is also a wonderful rock that sticks out into the lake which would be perfect for a picnic, but our yellow lab Kendall jumped in and got it all wet! We sat at the campfire ring and ate our lunch, occasionally throwing a stick into the lake between bites. There was a little bit of chill in the air from the wind, but otherwise it was a fairly nice early spring day. There was not a cloud in the sky and the lake is so quiet. A perfect lunch and great time spent with my son. -Kris

New Addition to the Cascade Family

kates — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:20:54 +0000

We are excited to introduce the newest addition to our team, Maren Webb. You may have already seen her pop up in our blog or spoken with her while making a reservation during the past few months. In February, Maren joined Cascade Vacation Rentals as the Operations and Office Manager, expanding our office staff.

Originally from Two Harbors, in recent years Maren has lived in Chicago, Minneapolis, and the Bay Area, CA. She is excited to be back on the North Shore and is enjoying her new commute. In Chicago she bike commuted, so while she misses her daily ride, she loves having Lake Superior as her constant companion during her drive. Maren and her husband are avid hikers and campers, so expect accounts of their adventures on the North Shore in the future.

Be sure to say hi to Maren the next time you make a reservation or during your next stay with us.

First Spring Hike

kates — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:25:37 +0000

I took my first spring hike of the year last night after work. Mt. Oberg has been calling my name ever since the weather has warmed up. I was surprised to see all of the snow was gone, when about a month before I had been cross country skiing there. There was an interesting new sign at the entrance of the trail asking hikers to clean their boots before and after hiking the trail to stop invasive species from making their way onto the trail. It was a little muddy in some areas, but I expected that. The bright green moss and small plants on the ground and trees were awesome to see. They were so brilliant against the golden brown leaves that had fallen during the fall. I encountered a small bit of freezing rain. It was funny because I could hear it falling through the woods before it got to me. As Steve told me the day before, a little rain never hurt anyone! Buds were starting to come out on the trees and grass was starting to grow in the sunny areas. The pond on the back side of the trail still had a small patch of ice on it. I saw one couple on the trail when I started, but after that had the trail to myself. The early spring this year will be great for hiking. I can recall two years ago being able to hike in March, but that is pretty rare for North Shore. I heard on the radio there is a 70% chance for snow tonight, but I am sure it will all melt the next day. Happy Spring!! -Kris

New Sign at the Beginning of the Trail

Mossy Tree

Waiting for Trees to Bud

Mt. Oberg Looking Toward Lutsen/Grand Marais

A Little Ice on the Pond