Scenes From Gitchi-Gami

July 5, 2024

Scenes From Gitchi-Gami

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

Confucius

I cannot begin to express how deeply I love the North Shore of Lake Superior. I first traveled here July of 1979 and after having grown up in Arizona, it was almost like going to another planet. I knew the desert like the back of my hand and could hardly fathom a world with so much water and green plant life.

While the lake is magnificent, the surrounding country is just as special. Whether it’s the volcanic shoreline, or the vast pine, cedar, and deciduous forests, it never ceases to take my breath away.

Linda and I started coming here together when our now 37-year-old son was a baby. We stumbled onto small family run resort called Cobblestone Cabins and immediately turned it into our go-to North Shore retreat. While we always come here for the Fourth of July week, there have been a number of years when we double and triple dipped with fall and winter trips. Now that I am officially retired, we are looking at ways to spend even more time up here. Renting a cabin for a month would make me very happy.

The scenery and outdoor activities are enough to keep us coming back for more, but I also need to mention the people. Linda and I have met so many amazing people up here that we now call friends. Some are locals and some are fellow travelers we see year after year. All have become special to us.

Point and Click

These photos were all taken over the last 9 days. Most are self-explanatory, but a few aren’t so obvious.

The muddy trail photo is from the Lutsen 99er mountain bike race. It was so muddy this year they had to cut out 17 miles due to segments of the course being impassible. The racers were not happy, but most dug in and got it done.

The man with the lake trout is my friend, Jan (pronounced yawn). Fishing from the shore is one of the highlights of the trip. This fish was a pound and a half and I’ve caught trout up to 5.5 pounds. Sadly, I didn’t catch anything this year.

The dining photo was taken at The Angry Trout in Grand Marais. It is our favorite restaurant up here.

Those are pink lady’s slipper orchids that we found in Cascade River State Park.

The tiny town of Tofte, Minnesota puts on the most amazing fireworks display. You sit on the rocky shoreline and watch the colors explode over the lake.

The big gaggle of people is the extended Horak clan. Jan and Kathy Horak own Cobblestone Cabins. These folks have been a part of our family for nearly 40 years. We dine, hike, fish, sing, and sit around and talk together.

Be sure to also check out my article about this year’s Tofte Trek for more of my North Shore thoughts.