Grand Marais, MN

Just in case anyone may be wondering why we don't want to come home yet....

45 degrees here...

It's COLD up here in Northern Minnesota!
We have the flannel shirts, sweaters, jackets and socks out again.

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Meet our new best friend - Samantha. the Nuvi GPS. She's a great addition to my navigating tools. But what I really want you to notice is the number of lakes up here! More than 11,800 of them... Look at all the blue on the screen & that's only showing a small area.

Recognize this picture??? It is the Quintessential travel icon, on the cover of my Great American Road Trip book, the mascot of the American Road, on the National Register of Historic Places, 72 years old. I am so happy to have finally made it here! Bemidji, MN where the Mississippi River begins its long, long course dividing the US into east and west.

So many towns do something to get into the glossy travel information. Virginia, MN has an open pit iron mine overlook with this HUGE piece of mining equipment in the parking lot. Named "King of the Load". Fun for pictures...

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We liked this Black duck in, where else? ... Blackduck, MN.

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I loved the kayak/canoe display in Walker, MN. So colorful!! The entire side of their huge building was covered with watercraft.

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Today we made our way over to Northeastern MN - to Grand Marais. We are in a campground right on the beautiful Lake Superior, within walking distance of the harbor, the gift shops and restaurants of this tiny touristy town. Happy campers...now if it would just warm up a little!

Lake time...

Paul Bunyon and his ox, Babe, are everywhere up here in northern Minnesota. They say that the 10,000 lakes here were formed by their footsteps.

We biked 36 miles today, working off some of the calories of all the cook-outs and beers and margaritas over the last several days.

Gregg's brother Gary & sister-in-law Judy joined us up here for some time with their twin sons and kids, cousins and an aunt. We've been in Crosslake and near Longville at Woman Lake.

Here's a bunch of random pictures of the family & the lakefronts, our pontoon tour, a Little League game...everything it takes for a great place to visit.

Also, click here for a video of The Schindel Follies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tiYDEXojLw