#38- Drive to Northern Minnesota to Look at Leaves

This was actually one of the "firsts" on my list-- and probably one of the ones I was the most excited about.

It definitely isn't the first time I've been to Northern Minnesota. In fact, Duluth is probably one of my favorite places in the world. My mom always loved Duluth-- I'm sure it's mostly because she enjoys cozy cabins with fireplaces, the country landscape and the Scandinavian-influenced culture. But she and my Dad also used to live there while he was in medical school, which is when they were newlyweds and I was born. So I assume there were plenty of good memories. But, regardless, my family didn't vacation much when I was growing up, except to Duluth and Chicago (where my mom is from), so it was always somewhere I looked forward to visiting when I was growing up. Even after I moved out, I made the three-hour drive up to Duluth a handful weekends when I needed to "escape" from it all.

Even though it wasn't the first time I've been to Duluth, it was the first time I've gone to look at the leaves. The majority of the time I go during the summer, because the weather is always ridiculously beautiful: slightly cool but still warm enough to spend a lot of time on Lake Superior. But Northern Minnesota is incredibly popular to visit during the fall, when the forests of trees change colors. This year in particular was supposed to be one of the best displays they've had in a while, due to last summer's weather.


Needless to say, it was a perfect year to go. And apparently plenty of other people agreed: the hotels in Duluth that I normally try to stay in were all booked the weekend we were planning to go, so I had to reserve a room in Two Harbors, which is about a half hour north of Duluth.

Everything fell into place perfectly. Brian had been asked to play at a CD release show in Duluth Saturday October 8th and, knowing I had put this on my bucket list, suggested we book a hotel for the weekend and spend Sunday exploring the area. Peak season to look at leaves in Duluth is usually the last week of September and the first week of October, so we were just catching the tail end of it. In addition, Minnesota had been experiencing an Indian Summer at the time, so the temperature was in the upper 60s, rather than the 40s or 50s, which Duluth normally experiences in October. It was absolutely gorgeous.


Brian was asked to load his band gear at the venue around 6 on Saturday, so we decided to leave first thing in the morning and spend the day wandering around downtown Duluth before the show. One of the highlights of Duluth is the lift bridge, which lifts a section of a highway when big boats are passing through. We actually got to see an enormous one, which was another "first" for me. There's a couple of light houses you can walk to and plenty of small shops (including Rocky Mountain chocolate store, a souvenir shop and an art gallery) that we wandered in and out of. And of course, there is plenty of Lake Superior's rocky shore to explore. We ended up checking in to our hotel later that afternoon and taking advantage of the hot tub and mini golf course accommodations which were... decent. :) And we met Francis and Youa for dinner before he played an acoustic show at a local bar. The show was acoustic, since Carp (his drummer) was in Las Vegas at the time, so Brian decided to be sweet and learn to play my favorite song-- Stay Young Go Dancing, by Death Cab for Cutie-- and play it to me at the concert. :) It was a good day.

The next day we drove around Two Harbors, which is a much smaller town just north of Duluth off the shore of Lake Superior. We drove to Gooseberry Falls-- another first for me-- and then stopped at the Rustic Inn which, according to my coworker who grew up in Two Harbors, serves the best pies in the city. Apparently Betty's Pies, which is much more well-known, is over-rated. So that was my word of advice from a local. I tried the caramel apple pecan pie, and it was pretty incredible.


Aside from taking a necessary break to watch the Vikings game at a local bar (which they won!), we spent the majority of the rest of the day driving down random roads and along the shore and stopping to fish or take pictures or just take in the beauty. I can only say in so many words how beautiful it was, so I'll post a few of my pictures. Again, we caught the tail end of peak season, so there was very little orange and red, but plenty of golden yellow. I understand why so many people are drawn to Northern Minnesota in the fall-- it is one of the most beautiful fall landscapes I have ever experienced. I would (and probably will) go again... many times. :)