IOU Skiing in Northern Minnesota...
By, Sara Hollerich
March 11 - 16, 2005 Grand Rapids and Lutsen, Minnesota
Day 1
Julie and I hit the road in the early afternoon. It sort of stinks when you have to work on one of your vacation days but that’s life. We had a long drive ahead of us but we were prepared. We had a gameboy, books on tape, CD’s, and snacks, everything that makes a long driver easier to bare. Eight hours on the road is a long time but after we reached the north end of the Twin Cities the scenery began to change. Forests sprung up along side the highways and meadows were intersperses here and there. Snow was the only thing visible in these virtually treeless pockets scattered throughout the trees. Lakes also pocked the landscape. It is so beautiful in Minnesota. We reached our destination just a little after dark and were greeted by my Aunt and Uncle who live just north of Grand Rapids, MN. We were going to spend a couple of days visiting them before we went over to Lutsen. Since before I as born my Aunt and Uncle have owned a cabin on a small lake near a town called Talmoon. Upon their retirement they built a house and I love to go up there for to visit them. This was my first winter visit and I am looking forward to going back.
We arrived in time to relax by the fire for a while and turn in.
Day 2
Cross-country skiing and snowmobiling was on the plate for today. After sleeping in a bit later than we meant Julie and I bundled up and took the snowmobiles out for a spin. I had never driven one before and they were actually pretty fun. Last time I rode on one my little brother was driving on the side of a ditch. I kept thinking I was going to fall off and contemplated the best way to do so. I swore at that time I would never be a passenger again. I liked driving much better.
We only tooled around on the frozen lake but that was fun. There was one area that had been plowed so people could drive out to their ice fishing houses that was pretty fun because the show was piled up on either side of the track. We took the snowmobiles over there and jumped the ruts for a while. Racing around the lake was a bit chilly but fun.
After lunch we went skiing. It was Julies first time and she really struggled with it. We didn’t get very far because she wiped out so many times. After a rough start we managed to make it a little ways before turning around and heading back. It was a beautiful day and the Chippewa National Forest is a great place to be.
After supper we played games for a while, a family tradition. We played games most of the evening, until it got so late that we couldn’t keep our eyes open any more.
Day 3
More skiing and snowmobiling… We made it further skiing, Julie was really starting to get the hang of it. We went much further and saw many more things. One thing I thought was really cool was that we found wolf tracks, scat and urine markers. They seemed like they were pretty fresh and I was really excited. It would have been cool to see one. About the time we saw them we decided that we had gone far enough and decided to head back. Before we did I looked down the trail to see if I could see anything. I have no clue what animal passed into the woods up ahead. I only saw the back end of the animal from the corner of my eye. Wishful thinking it was a wolf but in reality it was most likely a deer.
When we returned to the house my aunt was waiting for us. She had our afternoon all planned out, a tour of the area. We went to some gift shops and she showed us some historic sites. Probably our favorite was the oldest bar in Minnesota. It opened just after the prohibition was lifted. It is called Hay Slips Corner and is located in Talmoon, MN. It isn’t much to look at – the floors are slanted, it smells of old smoke, and the bathroom walls have been written on by everyone and their brother, including me. It took me a while to locate the places I have placed my name and messages but I found them as well as messages from many of my relatives. Pretty soon they will have to repaint so people have room to write again.
I think that night was my favorite night of our entire trip. After my aunt and uncle went to bed I shut off the security lights and walked out onto the lake to see if I could see the northern lights. Sure enough, they were there. A large green looking cloud glowing just to the north. I had just walked out onto the lake when I heard the wolves begin to howl. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. To think we almost hunted them to extinction at one time. My heart stopped for a moment then all I could think about was getting inside and getting Julie out there to hear them. I tried to run back to the house but there was about 3 feet of snow covering the lake and every step I took I feel through the snow up to my thigh. I was so out of breath by the time I made it back to the house I could barely speak to tell Julie to hurry to the wolves were howling. By the time we got back outside we were only able to hear the tail end of their conversation. So we went back out on the lake for 10 or 15 minutes and watched the northern lights and stars. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I wish I could live up there somedays.
Day 4
Time to head to Lutsen. The trip took about 4 hours, we reached Lutsen around dusk, checked into the hotel and wandered around the town for the evening. The drive up there was beautiful. We followed the scenic drive along Lake Superiors shore. If you have never been up there in the winter it is breathtaking.
Day 5
Hitting the slopes at Lutsen. This was Julies first time downhill skiing in several years and I had only been two time in the lasts eight years as well. So we took it easy. I taught her how to steer and snowplow and we hit the bunny slopes and attempted to shake the rust off myself.
I had a wipeout or two but my favorite wipeout of the day was when Julie fell that the top of a hill and slid all the way to the bottom of the hill. It was almost like slow motion. She fell and didn’t move right away but the second she made a move to stand up she started to slide down the hill very slowly. She kept trying to stop herself but it didn’t help. She just kept going.
We managed to do at least one run on each of the mountains (Lutsen has 4) before Julie announced that she was done skiing for the day. I decided to go for a couple of more runs by myself, then we called it a day and headed back to the hotel.
We were going to ski the next morning before we headed back to Iowa but Julie was pretty beat up from the day before. So we decided to take it easy the next day.
Day 6
After a relaxing morning and sitting the in hot tub we packed up our things and hit the road heading home. It was a nice adventure but time to go back to work. If only every day was a vacation.
March 11 - 16, 2005 Grand Rapids and Lutsen, Minnesota
Day 1
Julie and I hit the road in the early afternoon. It sort of stinks when you have to work on one of your vacation days but that’s life. We had a long drive ahead of us but we were prepared. We had a gameboy, books on tape, CD’s, and snacks, everything that makes a long driver easier to bare. Eight hours on the road is a long time but after we reached the north end of the Twin Cities the scenery began to change. Forests sprung up along side the highways and meadows were intersperses here and there. Snow was the only thing visible in these virtually treeless pockets scattered throughout the trees. Lakes also pocked the landscape. It is so beautiful in Minnesota. We reached our destination just a little after dark and were greeted by my Aunt and Uncle who live just north of Grand Rapids, MN. We were going to spend a couple of days visiting them before we went over to Lutsen. Since before I as born my Aunt and Uncle have owned a cabin on a small lake near a town called Talmoon. Upon their retirement they built a house and I love to go up there for to visit them. This was my first winter visit and I am looking forward to going back.
We arrived in time to relax by the fire for a while and turn in.
Day 2
Cross-country skiing and snowmobiling was on the plate for today. After sleeping in a bit later than we meant Julie and I bundled up and took the snowmobiles out for a spin. I had never driven one before and they were actually pretty fun. Last time I rode on one my little brother was driving on the side of a ditch. I kept thinking I was going to fall off and contemplated the best way to do so. I swore at that time I would never be a passenger again. I liked driving much better.
We only tooled around on the frozen lake but that was fun. There was one area that had been plowed so people could drive out to their ice fishing houses that was pretty fun because the show was piled up on either side of the track. We took the snowmobiles over there and jumped the ruts for a while. Racing around the lake was a bit chilly but fun.
After lunch we went skiing. It was Julies first time and she really struggled with it. We didn’t get very far because she wiped out so many times. After a rough start we managed to make it a little ways before turning around and heading back. It was a beautiful day and the Chippewa National Forest is a great place to be.
After supper we played games for a while, a family tradition. We played games most of the evening, until it got so late that we couldn’t keep our eyes open any more.
Day 3
More skiing and snowmobiling… We made it further skiing, Julie was really starting to get the hang of it. We went much further and saw many more things. One thing I thought was really cool was that we found wolf tracks, scat and urine markers. They seemed like they were pretty fresh and I was really excited. It would have been cool to see one. About the time we saw them we decided that we had gone far enough and decided to head back. Before we did I looked down the trail to see if I could see anything. I have no clue what animal passed into the woods up ahead. I only saw the back end of the animal from the corner of my eye. Wishful thinking it was a wolf but in reality it was most likely a deer.
When we returned to the house my aunt was waiting for us. She had our afternoon all planned out, a tour of the area. We went to some gift shops and she showed us some historic sites. Probably our favorite was the oldest bar in Minnesota. It opened just after the prohibition was lifted. It is called Hay Slips Corner and is located in Talmoon, MN. It isn’t much to look at – the floors are slanted, it smells of old smoke, and the bathroom walls have been written on by everyone and their brother, including me. It took me a while to locate the places I have placed my name and messages but I found them as well as messages from many of my relatives. Pretty soon they will have to repaint so people have room to write again.
I think that night was my favorite night of our entire trip. After my aunt and uncle went to bed I shut off the security lights and walked out onto the lake to see if I could see the northern lights. Sure enough, they were there. A large green looking cloud glowing just to the north. I had just walked out onto the lake when I heard the wolves begin to howl. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. To think we almost hunted them to extinction at one time. My heart stopped for a moment then all I could think about was getting inside and getting Julie out there to hear them. I tried to run back to the house but there was about 3 feet of snow covering the lake and every step I took I feel through the snow up to my thigh. I was so out of breath by the time I made it back to the house I could barely speak to tell Julie to hurry to the wolves were howling. By the time we got back outside we were only able to hear the tail end of their conversation. So we went back out on the lake for 10 or 15 minutes and watched the northern lights and stars. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I wish I could live up there somedays.
Day 4
Time to head to Lutsen. The trip took about 4 hours, we reached Lutsen around dusk, checked into the hotel and wandered around the town for the evening. The drive up there was beautiful. We followed the scenic drive along Lake Superiors shore. If you have never been up there in the winter it is breathtaking.
Day 5
Hitting the slopes at Lutsen. This was Julies first time downhill skiing in several years and I had only been two time in the lasts eight years as well. So we took it easy. I taught her how to steer and snowplow and we hit the bunny slopes and attempted to shake the rust off myself.
I had a wipeout or two but my favorite wipeout of the day was when Julie fell that the top of a hill and slid all the way to the bottom of the hill. It was almost like slow motion. She fell and didn’t move right away but the second she made a move to stand up she started to slide down the hill very slowly. She kept trying to stop herself but it didn’t help. She just kept going.
We managed to do at least one run on each of the mountains (Lutsen has 4) before Julie announced that she was done skiing for the day. I decided to go for a couple of more runs by myself, then we called it a day and headed back to the hotel.
We were going to ski the next morning before we headed back to Iowa but Julie was pretty beat up from the day before. So we decided to take it easy the next day.
Day 6
After a relaxing morning and sitting the in hot tub we packed up our things and hit the road heading home. It was a nice adventure but time to go back to work. If only every day was a vacation.
posted by IOU... | 7:07 PM
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