After returning from Canada, we spent our Sunday night along the Lake Superior shore and the North Country Trail in Duluth. The lake front view from our hotel was amazing, but I appreciated just as much that every potty walk I took with the girls counted toward our 100 miles on the NCT this year.
I also found this door hanger pretty funny. I loved this hotel!
On Monday morning, I had a little time to spend with the girls before we had to hit the road to head toward Minneapolis where I would be attending a work conference for the next few days.
Our quick morning potty walk turned into 3.25 miles on the North Country Trail before breakfast. Lake views and freighters on our potty walk?!? I really love Duluth!
After breakfast, the girls made themselves comfy on the bed to watch all of the goings on outside our room while I did a little work.
I think they really loved this room. I know I did!
We got out for one more walk along the trail before we had to check out of our room and start our drive South. Of course I found somewhere quirky to stop along our driving route too.
I dropped the girls off at a boarding facility just outside of Minneapolis in Wisconsin and then made the drive to the conference center for our Monday evening welcome event. Vacation had officially come to an end.
I was up bright and early Tuesday to start the day. It was a long day of meetings followed by a special dinner event.
Here is a big part of our team all ready for our Kentucky Derby themed evening with our long-time leader, Barry, whose retirement we were celebrating that night.
We also recognized my good friend Kim who will be retiring later this month. Both Kim and Barry have worked with Ameriprise for over 30 years.
The recognition dinner lasted until after 10pm and we had another early morning Wednesday...although I was happy that the morning started off with an optional Jazzercize session led by my friend, Angela. It felt good to get in some steps before sitting again all day.
I was pretty excited to see the girls after three days away from them, and they seemed pretty happy to see me too. All was right in the world again and we were off for some more adventures.
We had a great visit at the Willow River Falls State Park, but the heat of the day finally got the best of us and we headed back to the car so we could get out of the heat and check into the Airbnb in St.. Paul where we'd be staying the next couple of nights
This was a cute little Airbnb with a small living room and kitchen area on the first floor and a loft bedroom. The Airbnb was separate from the main house, but attached to the garage and had a private entrance with a small fenced in outdoor area which worked perfectly for us.
It was also walking distance from Hidden Falls park and the Mississippi River. What a gem!
I worked part of the day Friday and we spent some time exploring nearby. The girls loved our morning walk along the Mississippi.
After a good walk, they happily napped while I worked. I had to play some catch-up after being out of the office for the better part of two weeks between my vacation and the conference.
After work, we walked the Summit Hill area of St. Paul to check out the historic mansions there and also visited some of the parks around downtown. St. Paul has really become one of my favorite larger Capitol cities. I really enjoyed learning about some of the history of the area.
We slept in on Saturday and the girls had a lazy morning while I packed the car. They really have a rough life.
We also enjoyed some time out in our little yard before leaving. What a great dog-friendly place to stay. I'm definitely keeping this on my list of places to stay again if we're ever in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Of course before leaving St. Paul, we had to take a walk around the Capitol grounds. We also explored a little more of the St. Paul area before we started the next leg of our road trip which would start our journey eastward toward home. We really enjoyed our time in St. Paul and I'm really glad I decided to stay there for a couple of days.
Peaches was a very happy traveler as we headed East...maybe she suspected where we were going next.
After spending the afternoon driving through Wisconsin and part of the UP, we arrived at out final destination for our trip, Copper Harbor. We checked into our little cabin and headed out for a walk around town. Boy was it good to be back.
Even though the tooth pain got worse on Sunday, we didn't let it deter us from enjoying a lovely afternoon at Great Sand Bay. We avoided the public beach by visiting our friend Bryce's beach, even though he wasn't there to keep us company. But I knew Peaches would enjoy the freedom to run and explore and she is very familiar with this spot since we've visited here often.
Mina had several rounds of fetch and continued to work on her skills in swimming after sticks that went into the deeper water, but for the most part the water here is shallow for a long way out and she didn't have to swim much.
By the end of our afternoon at the beach, my tooth pain was worse, so before we headed back to the cabin, we had stopped to get some things that I hoped would help-salt(for salt water rinse), peroxide, ibuprofen, and Tylenol, and the Genny in Copper Harbor had clove oil, which I learned helps reduce tooth pain. I also grabbed some yogurt because soft foods were best for me to eat at this point. Armed with this arsenal, we headed back to the cabin where we relaxed and napped away the evening. The tooth pain was tolerable for now, although it was making me very tired, so we had a quiet evening in for our Sunday night.
Eventually we headed out to the South side of the peninsula to enjoy some time at the Bete Gris beach. It was busier than I like, but we were able to find a spot where we had some space and the girls could play and explore.
We also visited Haven Falls and Mina tried to get me to climb up the hill beside the falls to explore more, however, I wasn't prepared for that adventure on that day. I think someday we'll climb up there so we can get a better view of the additional falls further up stream though.
Wednesday night, after two long days in meetings, it was nice to be able to relax and have a little fun with the people who have put up with me day in and day out for years.
I have made so many friends in my 26 years with this company and I can't imagine my life without them.
Our meeting wrapped up late Thursday morning, and after saying my goodbyes, I packed up the car and headed out to pick up my girls. I couldn't wait to see them!
I had noticed a Wisconsin state park just a few miles from the boarding facility, so I decided that would be our first stop once I got the girls. I was even more excited to make the stop when I realized there was a waterfall and some really nice trails at the park.
Sadly, at this point I started experiencing some tooth pain in one of my teeth, but I was determined it wasn't going to stop me from enjoying our time in Copper Harbor! We were nicely settled in to our cabin for the night and looking forward to some Sunday fun.
She and Peaches played some rounds of chase, they sniffed to their heart's content, and splashed around with me in the water, and then they enjoyed some time just sitting on the beach watching the stand-up paddle boarders as the fog rolled in across the lake. It was a perfect day at the beach.
Monday would be our last full day on the road and in Copper Harbor, so I wanted to make the most of it. We had a lazy Monday morning, took our morning walk around town, stopped at Jamsen's for a turnover, and just enjoyed being there in that wonderful little town.
We spent our evening back in town and, of course, we had to take our sunset walk along the harbor to soak in the views. We even had a first for me and saw otters frolicking on the dock nearby. It was quite the sight to see. What a perfect end to our last day in town.
When we woke up on the 4th of July, I knew we had a long day of travel ahead of us, but I never like to rush our final morning. We took our walk around town, I packed the car, and then I sat down to enjoy a book while the girls watched the world out of our door until we had to leave.
With everything ready to go, we walked from our cabin to the main street
and found ourselves the perfect spot to watch the Copper Harbor 4th of July parade. The girls enjoyed all of the excitement and Mina really wanted to join the kids chasing after the candy being thrown into the street. Such a fun little parade!
After the parade had finished, we made one last stop at the Genny to pick up a yogurt and a drink, and then we headed out of town down M-26 to enjoy all the beautiful views of Lake Superior along the way.
Somehow I was able to make a stop at the Jampot without another soul in line or in the building...but by the time I paid for my thimbleberry jam and walked out the door, a line had formed. Whew! I missed out on a long wait. And with that stop, we started our journey South toward home.
We couldn't drive through Hancock at lunchtime without making a stop at Four Suns for a Whitefish dinner. The food there is so good and I always share a little fish and the peas from my risotto with the girls. They also ate their lunch while we sat there. The weather was perfect to enjoy our lunch and prepare for our long drive home.
We made one last stop for a Mountain Dew, to fill-up the gas tank, and to take a potty break in Baraga before leaving the Keweenaw.
This picture shows perfectly why I travel home on the 4th of July. We had a quiet trip with only a few spots with some traffic. We didn't stop again until we were South of the Mackinac Bridge when we made a stop for dinner at Gobbler's of Waters. I sat outside at a picnic table so the girls could potty, eat dinner, and stretch their legs for the final leg of our trip. As we got back into the car to leave, it began to rain. I thought it was a fitting end to our amazing two weeks on the road.
Before we knew it, we were home...and the crazy whirlwind of life started right back up again!
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