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But this was a perfect weekend to have a big ‘ol rest with a tiny splash of hiking.
We drove up from Minneapolis to Duluth, stopping first at Canal Park. The gales of Lake Superior had 20 ft waves crashing into that section a couple of weeks ago and we were able to see where “The Lady” had left her mark on the shore, scattering rocks, trees and boardwalks. Sadly, the new lake walk was destroyed, but there’s something so mysterious and wonderful about witnessing the power of nature, reclaiming what is hers.
Every dang time!
Dinner was just down the road at Camp 61 in Beaver Bay. We ate there on our way up to our Superior Hiking Trail Thru Hike last month. I looked at the menu and immediately wanted their brisket street tacos and a Voyager Boundary Waters Brunette Ale again. Bob had a delicious brisket sandwich that was way too big for the bun! The food and service are so great, we almost ate there again on our second night!
The house was designed and built in the Spring of 2018 in Wisconsin and moved into its current location in June. Through the power of Instagram, we were able to watch the progress and grow in our excitement. We had hoped to be the first to stay in the tiny house, but pushed things out to work with schedules.
We found the driveway… a winding hill easy that would be easy to miss if it weren’t for the nice markers the tiny house folks put up.
When we entered the house, we found a swag bag! Each guest gets this little bag of goodies upon arrival and some handy welcome instructions in the guest book. We felt like VIPs and really appreciated the gesture. And then… we discovered that a 6 pack of Lakes and Legends craft beer is included as part of our stay. What? Ok, maybe that was just for us. We thought it was so sweet.
We took off our shoes and ran around the cute little abode like happy little mice for a few minutes before hauling our stuff in. It was so clean and still had the smell of fresh lumber. The high flat ceiling and enormous windows made the house feel a lot more expansive than we were expecting. It felt like we were in a giant tree house!
Their partnership and support of other local Minnesota businesses was also one of the things that drew us to this place. I might be missing a couple, but the home was decorated with elements from ‘Sota Clothing, Duluth Pack, and a kitchen stocked with local beer, organic eggs and locally roasted coffee.
The weekend was cloudy and raining but we never felt cramped or trapped inside. The interior was so warm and relaxing. I read almost and entire book and we enjoyed the close proximity to Palisade Head, Tettegouche, and Gooseberry State Parks.
We explored shorter, more scenic hikes to Shovel Point and High Falls on Saturday with a lunch of warm beef pasties (that stayed warm wrapped in foil)!
We joke that he’s as indoorsy as I am outdoorsy, and we still had an amazing time together. It was especially cool to be on the Superior Hiking Trail, even if it was just for a couple of miles.
The weather was starting to turn cold and look like rain, so we decided to head to Split Rock Lighthouse and enjoy the indoor displays along with the face blasting wind that comes up the rock the lighthouse is on. Just when I thought I had worn him out, he suggested we go down the 100+ stairs down to the lake. Of course! As you can see, this was pretty much a dream date for me.
It was so great to share these parks that I love dearly with Bob for the first time. Dinner, after a day in the bone chilling damp was another belly full of comfort food at the Northwoods Family Grille in Silver Bay. We had the most delicious Teriyaki Mushroom and Hawaiian Burgers and looked forward to heading back to the warm tiny house.
It was time to leave our tiny house.
We were glad for the late check out time and left not a minute sooner. We said goodbye to this little gem, thankful for the memories we had here, and can’t wait to come back in the summer with the kids!
Our final stop on the North Shore was Gooseberry Falls State Park. This Park is the most visited State Park in MN and is quite wonderful for either a quick stop for a view of the falls or a whole weekend of hiking and camping. We opted for a quick little jaunt to the upper and lower falls. There were very few people in the park due to the cold drizzly weather, but we still ran in to Rod Johnson, the founder of Midwest Mountaineering. How cool is that?
Have you ever stayed in a tiny house or dreamed of living in one? Tell me about it in the comments below.
What’s next? Working on a post about my solo hiking trip in 3 beautiful West Central MN State Parks and an upcoming article about Snowshoeing! Hit the subscribe button if you don’t want to miss out.
~WP