The Aerial Life Bridge in Duluth, MN.
Mid-week, after the Iowa hurricane came through, we had finished the yard work, I couldn't re-open daycare because we didn't have power, we were informed we wouldn't have power back until that weekend, our house was a sauna, all of the smells were coming out of the walls, and I was lost as to what to do. My first thought was to do day trips around Iowa, but many parts of Iowa were dealing with the storm aftermath and I was unsure of where we could or couldn't go (because, keep in mind, we had limited cell reception, so I couldn't easily look these things up). I had planned to take significant time off in September when the minis started at-home learning, but here I was with an unexpected week off and that surely impacts what time I can take off later on. With all of that in mind, I decided my best bet, especially for my own sanity, was to skip town.
So, we did. I packed us up Thursday morning, ran a few needed errands, and headed north to Duluth, Minnesota. I had actually been thinking of taking this trip on a weekend in September, so it didn't really take a lot of planning on my part. The hardest part of the entire trip was that it was just me. Matt had to stay behind and work, so it was me, the minis, and the dog. Honestly, the minis were WONDERFUL and make traveling an enjoyable piece of cake. Zeus on the other hand, well, it was apparent this was his first road trip. The first night was rough (when he gets stressed he gets "stress poops," so he was up a lot all night), but after that, he realized we were doing everything he loved and was good to go.
Yard work done meant hit the road time.
When you've been in the car for five hours and you just want mom and to get out. Luckily, we were pulling into the hotel at this time.
By dinner time we were checked into our hotel and then out the door on our first adventure: to the Aerial Life Bridge, the lighthouse, and area around the bridge.
We drove over the bridge and I had hoped to walk over it, but Zeus was scared so we skipped that. Even though it was chilly, they kept their shorts and tank tops on, then complained about being cold once the cold waves hit them. It was one of those nights that will forever be etched in my mind.
Zeus likes to chase after the kids and then bite their bottoms. Eye roll.
I was so very impressed with our hotel's new procedures during Covid. Masks are required in all communal areas, only one person or family in the elevator at a time, and everything was extremely clean. They also had a breakfast "buffet." We couldn't serve ourselves, but they had the food, served it for you, and had many pre-packaged choices as well. Food was to be taken back to the hotel rooms to eat.
As for traveling with the dog, this folding kennel was a miracle! He went in easily, slept well, and it is VERY compact for an XL size. It fit perfectly, tucked away in part of the room. I am so happy I made that purchase the day we left because it will definitely be used in the future!
Since I was in a room full of early risers, we got an early start to our day. We made a stop at a nearby Caribou Coffee, that happened to be in an old car wash! The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. Once the caffeine in take was sufficient, we set out on our adventure for the day: the North Shore Scenic Drive.
While I had done some reading on the North Shore drive, all of our stops for the day were if we felt like stopping someplace. I highly recommend buying a Minnesota State Park pass, rather than pay park by park (I will share, I failed to pay at two parks before I realized I was supposed to). It's a self pay/honor system pay at each park because visitor centers and stations are currently closed. I knew this ahead of time, but I was very disappointed because we didn't buy any souviners since those places were closed.
Our stops included Pebble Beach, a few lookout areas, Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park (we didn't see the Lighthouse), and Tettegouche State Park. We got out at lookout points and walked around Grand Marquis when we made it. While Grand Marquis itself was very busy, the further North we traveled, the less busy the parks and trails were. Also, earlier in the day is much less busy than later in the day.
Gooseberry Falls State Park was BUSY. We had to wear our masks on the trails down to the Falls, but there was plenty of room to move around once at the Falls. I would definitely do this stop early (before 9 a.m.) or on the off season. The Falls were a short hike from the main parking lots and visitors center (bathrooms were open, shop, and interactive area were closed). We chose not to hike all the way around the Falls because it would require a lot of climbing out of Zeus, so we played in the water and hiked the Middle and Lower Falls area.
After a long day sight seeing and being in the car, we decided to get treats and go back to the hotel to relax since the night was stormy. Good news: no one was scared of the storm (I was concerned about this because of the derecho).
Now, there's plenty to do in northern Minnesota that we could have stayed one more night and found plenty to do. I wouldn't have minded another Voyageurs National Park visit. However, we got word late Friday night that our power was back on AND our air conditioner was working. I knew I had a busy week of work ahead, so we decided to come home Saturday night. But late Saturday night because I had one more adventure in mind.
Check out mornings are usually hectic because we have to pack up, get ourselves ready, and pack up the car again. This check out went smoothly (mostly because we were up really early again) and we got on the road for Bayfield, WI to visit the Apostle Island National Seashore. Visiting the Apostle Islands has long been on my bucket list (particularly the sea caves), so when I looked up the distance from Duluth and discovered it was only an hour and a half drive, I couldn't pass it up.
I also knew, since I was going with kids and a dog, that this visit would be drastically different than what I had envisioned for my first visit. I saw my sea caves after a beautiful and (a bit) challenging hike and Zeus had playdates along the way with fellow dog hikers. We didn't go to any of the islands (because the ferries don't allow dogs), but we saw them from the mainland/seashore. By far not a full visit, but I can say we came, we saw, we conquered Zeus' hardest and longest trail to date, and then we left for home.
Harrison is my 'let's see how close I can get to the edge' kid.
The drive to and from Duluth is easy. I decided that once we hit Clear Lake, Ia (about 1 1/2 hours from home) that we'd stop for a late dinner and head to Clear Lake State Park (a favorite of our's). Naturally, the kids ran to the beach right away, but it wasn't dog friendly. Instead, Zeus sat on the shore and cried until we went to the dog beach area. He hopped right into the water and started swimming in the tame, warm water!
Howling at the kids. He does not like to be left out.
Out of everything we could have been doing last week, I am soooo happy we decided to do this. Traveling solo with kids (+ dog) isn't easy, but our short getaway worked out perfectly! For those worried about traveling during Covid, rest assured that there are many precautions you can take. We had a hefty supply of clean masks (all reusable, so we washed them all when we returned home), hand sanitizer, and even our own cleaning products. Most places are (and should be) cleaning more and it definitely showed in the places we visited (hotels, rest areas, bathrooms, etc.). I'm not quite ready to hop on a plane anytime soon, but road trips are good right now. Overall, I can't believe we haven't been to Duluth area before. The drive is extremely easy and enjoyable, plus there's sooo many outdoor activities to enjoy. I definitely see us returning to this area soon!
Exhausted from all of our fun.