The north shore (updated)

Oooh.  Way more pristine and unspoiled than Door County.  Very nice.



Finally got my affairs in order for the beginning of the month, and can now attend to the pictorial record of Labor Day weekend.  :)

For only being gone a day and a half, we sure saw a lot!  

Waterfalls...


























Lighthouses...

























Quirky local businesses...





Just drove up Sunday afternoon, came back Monday night.  Stayed with a couple from EnCompass who annually rent a condo on the North Shore.  This was a new place for them, and pretty typical, I guess.  Right on the water, though the view from the house was a little obscured by trees.  





Even so, you could sure hear the surf hitting shore.  I love that sound - so rhythmic and "white".  Yawnnnn... relaxes you right away.  :)



It really is remote up there. The night was clear Sunday night, and the stars were gorgeous. I love it when you can see the Milky Way. I had been envious of my niece, E, for her trip to the Sierras, for the stars she would be seeing, but... now I know that there are places within driving distance where I *can* see them!



Took a hike right after we got there, and from the heights (where the Superior Hiking Trail snakes along into Canada), you can't even see the road going along the lake, nor any buildings of any kind.



Just like in the Sierras, there are creeks where water runs off. More gurgle and splash!



And all streams lead to the lake, of course.



So, having had a taste of remoteness, Monday we decided to see what civilization held for us. It was pretty colorful. One particular restaurant was especially so:




Although it didn't look like much from the outside - just a hunting lodge circa 1929.



On the way back, we stopped at the lighthouse that was built after the shipwrecks of 1905. It was pretty neat-o, really.




You could go up in the tower, too, and see the lens and the 22-mile view. Nice.





Finally, a stop for a malted in Duluth.



They have a pretty picturesque view from the bluff there, too...



And there was their version of the various riverwalks found in Milwaukee, Chicago, Twin Cities, San Antonio, etc.



Except there it's a "lake walk". Whatever you call it, there was more to Duluth than I thought.



So, a nice little getaway to some nearby scenery. It was a good way to spend a bit of the long weekend. :)