My husband says it a jet vapor trail, I say it’s a cloud, but whatever it is, it made for beautiful sky art this morning over Lake Superior.
Lake Superior.
Sky Art
Lake Superior.
Tag: Lake Superior
Lake Superior.
A Weekend Away
We had a great weekend up in northern Minnesota with only one disappointment…but there could have been more.
We could have been disappointed when our camping reservations, made long before Covid was on the scene, had to be changed… because of Covid. A Jay Cooke State Park ranger called and told us they had to cancel one night of our stay in the camper cabins to let the cleaned cabin “rest” between renters.
But that led us to making reservations at the Two Harbors Lighthouse B&B which usually requires a two-night stay but the innkeeper let us stay for just one night. So the cancellation of a night’s stay at a camping cabin turned into an exciting addition of staying in a historic lighthouse!
We could have been disappointed with the unusual cold weather spell for late October… the highs were only in the 20’s, but the sun was out and we had warm clothes.
Photo by gb
With warm places to sleep – the lighthouse was cozy and our camping cabins were toasty warm – we went with the mantra: “no bad weather, just bad clothing.” We brought sufficient jackets, boots, hat, scarfs and mittens and stayed warm while hiking and enjoying the great outdoors.
We hiked at Gooseberry State Park and Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, and in Two Harbors itself.
Our first night, from the Two Harbors Lighthouse B&B, we saw a ship in the night right off shore. It had left the harbor and was all lit up, sailing under an almost full moon.
Our camping cabin was in Jay Cooke State Park where there are a lot of wonderful views of vast wilderness areas and of the rocky and rugged St. Louis River. We had great meals and campfires and hiked over seventeen miles in four days.
What, then, was our disappointment?
Our exciting lighthouse reservation was at the Two Harbors Lighthouse B&B overlooking Lake Superior’s Agate Bay.
The lighthouse was charming and beautifully appointed with antiques and we loved the idea of staying in this historic home.
The website says it is the oldest operating lighthouse in Minnesota. It began operation in 1892.
However, there was no light illuminating its special code out over the dark waters from the tower that night. Why? We didn’t know, and we were disappointed.
The next day we talked with the innkeeper and she said they are waiting on a new LED bulb for the lighthouse so the lighthouse is not operating at this time.
According to the website “the Two Harbors Light Station is designated as an active aid to navigation and is on navigational charts, as well as being a museum.” Apparently it’s not crucial for a light to be shining 24/7 these days, although usually it is on.
We had been all excited to be “Keepers of the Lighthouse” but alas, it was not to be. We had a wonderful time anyway, and we wouldn’t change a thing – except the light bulb!
God’s Glory
Lingering thoughts from the glorious, snowless, time up on the north shore…
Sparkles, like dazzling diamonds, are twinkling in a wide swath on the waters of Lake Superior, reflecting the sun. It is one precious view that money can’t buy.
The white foam waves clap against the rocky shoreline, producing a lovely sound and creating dancing droplets in the air. The blue water mirrors the blue sky and the temperatures are above normal for October.
Gold leaves, like coins, carpet the hiking trail that leads up the Minnesota mountain through leafless trees to the top. Once on top the views are stunning. The yellow birches and dark evergreens create the gorgeous contrast for this time of year.
All along the shore, there are only a few maple trees with colors of red and orange but it is the yellow leaves mixed with the evergreens that create the new and different pattern for us along the shore of Lake Superior.
This wondrous place always takes my breath away and is always hard to describe…my soul feels at home in this holy place and I’m so grateful to be in the moments that pass too quickly up here on the north shore… a reflection of God’s glory.
I often try to describe how spectacular it is through words and photos but they do not do it justice. But then, who can describe the Lord?
Exodus 15:11 Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
Themed Hike
The Oberg Mountain trail is one of our favorite hikes on the north shore. It’s a fairly easy 2.2 mile hike…climbing up and circling around the summit. There are eight fantastic overlooks along the loop trail. Some places look out over Lake Superior….
…other areas view the inland forest and Oberg Lake. It’s a hike that never disappoints and is always enjoyable.
This year as we approached the top I saw a sign posted that looked like it could be another Story Walk – like the one we discovered at Forestville State Park a few weeks ago.
However, the sign project on top of Oberg was not a storybook walk. It was referred to as a themed hike.
Along the trail several signs were posted near trees to identify them and talk about their characteristics, or tell stories about their species. The United States Department of Agriculture logo was listed on each sign so I assume it was their project, in collaboration with the Forest Service.
I’ve often thought, while hiking through the forest, that it would be helpful if all the trees and flowers and bushes and plants in the forest could all have little signs identifying themselves – so I liked the concept of this themed hike.
Although I can identify a lot of the common trees there are many more trees I do not know.
I was happy to learn about these precious, little pine trees I have seen lining the hiking trails. Sign number 10 identified them as Princess Pine…a fitting title I think.
Over all there were eleven trees highlighted on this trail: White Cedar, Mountain Maple, Quaking Aspen, Beaked Hazelnut, Sugar Maple, Red Pine, Black Ash, Balsam Fir, White Spruce, Princess Pine and Paper Birch.
According to the last sign they plan to create another themed hike about a different topic…hopefully next year.
I’m thankful for these intentional ways different organizations are helping the public learn about nature, out in nature.
Snapshots from the North Shore
Here are some photos from our time up on the north shore of Lake Superior. Some stories (and more photos) will follow later, but for now I want to share some pictures of the various sunrises and some of the spectacular colors we enjoyed while up north. The beauty is indescribable.
At the Cabin
I’m delighted to be up on the north shore of Lake Superior. We are in our happy place. I’ve been anxiously waiting for our time to check in, relax and be renewed in this very special place.
The drive up was gorgeous…many golds and yellows leaves along the highway, interspersed with evergreens. The beautiful sunny sky and warm October day added to our pleasure.
We made our usual stops along the way: Canal Park in Duluth…
…Gooseberry Falls State Park for a picnic lunch, Black Beach and then Tettegouche State Park for a quick hike before arriving at our beloved rental cabin on the shores of Lake Superior.
Once we unpacked and settled in we were looking through the books at the cabin and one stood out in particular… we laughed that this book was in our cabin. The title? Outwitting Squirrels. This adds to our reading pleasure during this 2020 squirrel capturing season.
Stone Apron
We always enjoy our trips to Lake Superior. We never grow tired of sitting on the rocks, watching the waves roll in. Or crash in…depending on the weather.
And I seem to always get caught up in looking at the rocks…large and small, that roll onto shore with the waves. I love how the rocks feel so smooth after years and years of tumbling in the water. I like their colors too.
For years we had a great spot, near a cabin we rented, where we could collect fairly large stones and brought them home; a few each year. We used them to line our back garden.
I also have accumulated smaller rocks that I pocketed here and there. They were adding up so I started to place them around our front flowers, but due to some work we had done recently we had to remove them. I took the smooth stones and created a new apron for our shed.
The original shed apron was a conglomeration of pieces of limestone and other rocks I’ve found in the area. Over the years I just started putting them by the door of the shed and it eventually formed an apron. I liked the idea and decided to pull out all the old mismatched rocks and remake the apron with our pretty Lake Superior Rocks.
It was a fun project and I was pleased with the result.
The Stars Aligned
When we planned our mini-trip up north to visit my uncle in Brainerd we decided to swing by the “Lake” on the way home…Lake Superior that is. Yes, it was two hours away but it sounded like a good idea so we did it, and I’m glad.
I knew of a resort on the lake not too far north of Duluth. We’ve thought about staying there before but it never worked, besides they had a two night minimum stay. But I called last minute to see if they would accept a one night stay and he said yes. And, he included an early check-in and a late check-out time. How nice is that?
There was a full moon that night, but the forecast was for cloudy skies. On our drive over from Brainerd to Duluth we kept seeing peaks of sun through those clouds. I tried not to get too excited. Eventually the sky mostly cleared and we had a beautiful afternoon and saw a stunning moonrise over Lake Superior that night. I was excited!
Our cabin was right on the water. The cabins were originally built in 1932 so there were no zoning restrictions at that time. It was a cozy, one room log cabin with a wood burning fireplace and a bundle of wood included in the price.
The patio door led to the deck overlooking the lake.
One of my favorite moments was walking into the cabin and seeing a stuffed black bear sitting at the kitchen table, welcoming us. That whimsical touch warms my heart. I love it when people do things like that.
The cloudy morning turned into a beautiful afternoon and we were in a lovely cabin right on the water… I was in my happy place. I brought soup for supper, and after dinner we lit a fire and watched the moon rise over Lake Superior.
When we crawled into bed (all in one room) we moved the sofa so we could see the fire embers fade away as we fell asleep.
I wondered if it would be clear in the morning to see a sunrise. That would be too good to be true. I didn’t set my alarm, although the sunrise was at 7:30. We were up in time and we did see a glorious sunrise over the lake.
We definitely got our “Lake Superior” fix….with everything falling into place and I’m grateful!
Moon Cathedral
A Moon Cathedral
by Valerie Bollinger
Looking out over the expansive dark lake, at night
Gazing at the full moon rising
Reflecting a sparkling path on the water
Streaming it’s light directly towards shore
Guiding my eyes upward
Resembling a cathedral between the trees.
Behold, A moon cathedral,
God-made, inviting praise for His beautiful creation.
A Second Look
We were blessed to have an opportunity to travel to the north shore a second time this fall, within two weeks of our first trip up to Lake Superior.
The first week up on the north shore we had a great time with family and saw abundant fall colors. Our second trip to the north shore we enjoyed showing off one of our favorite places to our visiting friends from New Hampshire.
The forecast was dismal…rain was predicted for every day we were to be up north. And, on our first day – the drive up – it was misty rain all day.
But, even so, we stopped at the New Scenic Café for a delicious lunch, and then toured the impressive, historic, and iconic Split Rock Lighthouse, which opened in 1910 and was deactivated in 1969.
Looking out over the railing we could not see the big lake. It was fogged in and clouded over, but inside we climbed up the spiral staircase to the top to see the special lens. Click here to read more on this fascinating lens.
We also toured one of the lightkeeper houses. An antique oven was lit while bread dough was rising so it was very cozy in the house as we warmed up in the kitchen on a cold blistery day.
Even in the rain we stopped a few more places along the way to Tofte, where our friends had rented a condo.
Much to our surprise we saw the sun rise over Lake Superior the next two mornings. What a treat – what a delight! We were grateful!
For two days it did not rain, and was partly sunny…to mostly sunny.
We took a another look on Oberg Mountain by hiking the trail for a second time in two weeks. The colors were fuller and even more vibrant than on our first hike two weeks prior.
We meandered a long time at the top of Oberg, to enjoy God’s spectacular creation and amazing colors.
We showed our friends a taste of the wonderful north shore: Temperance River, Grand Marais, Naniboujou Lodge, and we spent time on the rocks, had a bonfire, and drove one of the fall color tours on the back roads.
It brought us much joy to show off the beauty of Lake Superior. Time went by too quickly.
Early in the morning, on the last day, our friends headed north – they were driving back home through Canada. We headed south – back to Northfield, once again basking in the glory of the north shore and grateful for a second look at it this year
