I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
what shall —
what should I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice:
Excuse me, I have work to do.
— Mary Oliver, “I Go Down to the Shore”
As an evangelist for the southeastern, driftless region of Minnesota, along with the western prairies, I have a confession: I'd never been past Two Harbors, at least not since we took a 6th-grade class trip to Ely, but I'm pretty sure we didn't go along the lake. I've seen the plunging shoreline photos, had friends rave about Grand Marais, but just nodded politely, assuming THEY were the ones missing out.
So, to back-up my claims that SE is where it's really at, I knew I had to give the other regions a fair shake. About a year in advance, we booked the best pack-in site at Cascade River State Park, the one where you're literally camped on the shores of Lake Superior. The park is just between Lutsen and Grand Marais.
Rock climbers preparing to climb Palisade Head
It took all J’s love and strength to take this photo. I’m learning more about his fear of heights…
It was a gorgeous drive up. We stopped on the way at Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen and got some amazing pecan and cashew turtles. The next pitstop was Palisade Head. It was a perfect day, Lake Superior was calm, and amazingly, there were rock climbers preparing to climb down the plummeting cliffs. It was a formidable coast, even on a perfect day, but stunning.
From there, we got to Cascade River State Park and hiked through some pretty soggy trails to get to our campsite. There were natural springs all over the place trying to make their way to the Big Lake. We set up camp. I was giddy about our good find: there was a lean-to, a food chest to keep the bears at bay, an open toilet in the woods so you could relieve yourself while staring off into the horizon, and our own private beach covered with smooth stones.
J packing it in to our campsite at Cascade River State Park
The best camping model I could ask for, eating our lunch of Ramen on our “eating rock.”
Our hike from our site to the place where the river meets the lake. Not too bad.
It was our first time using our water filter, so we "milked" the lake, made some Ramen, and explore Cascade River. It's one of the best state parks I've been to, and "Cascade River" is a very apt name. Without my tripod, this is the best photo I could get, but walking along the river, it was one waterfall after another.
My non-tripod attempt to cover some of the majesty of this quite literal cascading river
From the waterfalls, we climbed to Lookout Mountain. You could see the lake in the distance, past striated lines of bright aspens/cottonwoods and dark pines. Knowing that it was likely going to rain the next day, we made sure we were back to our site in time for a fire.
Lookout Mountain, Cascade River State Park
On Saturday, woke up early, got in a hike on the Superior Hiking Trail just outside of Grand Marais, and after earning our breakfast, went into town to get in line at World's Best Donuts. The wind was fierce right off the lake, the day cold and overcast, but nevertheless, both the pick-up window and counter had lines. After taste-testing 7 donuts, the consensus: for once "world's best" didn't feel overstated.
Crossing some bogs on the Superior Hiking Trail
The line(s) for the aptly-named World’s Best Donuts in Grand Marais
I’m a Long John girl. These cinnamon cake donuts were phenomenal, too. Also, you can’t beat vintage family photos.
Right next door to the bakery is Drury Lane Books, which felt like such a maritime little shop perched right on the shore, painted a clean nautical white and filled with cozy nooks for reading. From there, we checked out the North House Folk School, where many people will make a pilgrimage to take a class on everything from basketweaving to timber-framing. We ate our body weight in fresh trout and fish-n-chips from The Angry Trout, right on the lake, knowing just mac-n-cheese waited for us back at our camp. We poked into some antique stores downtown and of course, into Ben Franklin's, where J found our new camping pillow. Unfortunately, Up North wasn't open yet for the season.
Drury Lane Books, Grand Marais
Grand Marais antique shop
In case you were wondering if Ben Franklin’s do still exist. Yes, in Grand Marais.
“Honey, I found us a new camping pillow!”
North House Folk School + shop
As an amateur spoon carver, North House Folk School’s carving knife selection was very exciting.
Fresh trout at The Angry Trout, Grand Marais
A highlight of Grand Marais (population 13,50) was walking out to the double harbor, with Artist's Point to the left and a path out to one of the lighthouses on the right with the National Guard Station sitting in the middle. Artist's Point is a small peninsula jutting out into East Harbor, but the rawness of it made it feel bigger and other-worldly. On a small outshoot, there was forest (with kids hanging in hammocks), and then incredibly hard rocks that had not been weathered down, so their hard angles still rose up from the shore.
Artist’s Point, Grand Marais
Lovely lichen rocks on Artist’s Point
Even though it was a cloudy, cold day, it was still really beautiful. It also never rained on us, despite the forecast (although we did encounter a May snowstorm heading back home through Duluth). In a short trip, I feel I filled up enough surprising views and experiences to make the trip feel a week long. So now, a confession: yes, I still love the driftless, but I understand why the North Shore calls so many. There was something about never being out of sight of this huge ocean lake that was gripping. It's how folks raised on a coast must feel when untethered from an ocean - what does that do to one's orientation and wayfinding through the world?
There was also a sense of self-sufficiently coursing through Cook County. Expectant mothers are in a tight spot when it comes to finding delivery services, the closest major airport if 4.5 hours away, and winter weather can make other amenities even more challenging to access. I imagine for many who call it home, that isolation and awayness is a big part of the appeal. It was indeed an adjustment to be plopped back into Minneapolis. I look forward to the next trip back.
Grand Marais
The harbor, Grand Marais
Poetry time at Cascade River State Park
Sunrise from our campsite at Cascade River State Park
Our view for the weekend
Camping coffee
A new project underway at North House Folk School
Path to the lighthouse, Grand Marais
Lighthouse
Artist’s Point