Mount Josephine and the Susie Islands

At the Border of Canada and Minnesota is a scenic pullout over looking Mount Josephine and the Susie Islands. A fantastic spot to stop and take the view and if clear you can see Isle Royale in the distance. For location and more information at the links below:

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/restareas/locations/rasitepages/mtjosephine/mtjosephine.html

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/minnesota/preserves/art6957.html

Edwin Lundie

Edwin Lundie architect of the North Shore of Minnesota.

Edwin Lundie loved to use heavy, visible timbers in his designs of country houses and cabins. He loved to use warm, earthy color tones, custom-made hardware and rough-hewn, rustic fireplaces and chimneys. A fifty year career in St. Paul, architect Edwin H. Lundie (1886-1972) designed more than three hundred projects, predominantly residences and cabins. If you visit the Lutsen Resort on Lake Superior it is very distinct and visible to see the Lundie design.

http://www.lutsenresort.com/history.htm

I prefer the old North shore with the classic cabins, lodges and resorts. It gives a sense of history and makes you feel as if you are in the great north woods of the past.

Girls Gone Kayaking

Not quite as wild as the videos for sale on the TV late at night but more rewarding and fun. The launch point was the Sioux River and then a paddle down the coast of Chequamegon Bay in fall like July weather.The water was flat calm and clear all the way to the bottom. Lake Superior has to be the most pristine Great Lake of them all. A Otter was spotted on shore with a small fish for lunch. The coast is very interesting with small sea caves and rocky cliffs at points along the shore.

Lake Superior Days

The third Sunday in July each year is set aside to celebrate and honor the world’s largest body of fresh water. Communities across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario are hosting events starting Thursday through Sunday:

Thursday through Sunday
Experts on Lake Superior from several agencies and organizations will be on hand with activities and information at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitors Center in Duluth’s Canal Park, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Local libraries will hold special displays about Lake Superior, including Cloquet, Duluth, Grand Marais, Silver Bay and Two Harbors.
Great Lakes Aquarium holds extra Lake Superior activities and events. Free for GLA members. Others bringing a food item to donate will receive discounted admission.
Thursday
Lake Superior magazine 30th Anniversary Open House, 310 East Superior St. in Duluth, 3–7 p.m.
Special showing of the documentary movie “Flow," 7 p.m., Inn on Lake Superior, 350 Canal Park Dr. in Duluth. The movie highlights a looming global water crisis.
Friday
Opening reception for the Water Works artist’s expressions exhibit, 5 p.m., Lake Superior Maritime Center in Canal Park in Duluth. Artwork by 17 artists, all of it inspired by Lake Superior, will be on display through Aug. 4.
Lake Superior Gallery hop, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at various Duluth art galleries and the Duluth Art Institute.
Book signing by Mark Munger, author of "The Willard Munger Story," 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Northern Lights Book Store, 307 Canal Park Dr. in Duluth.
Where the Spirit Resides in Our Sacred Waters, a talk by Red Cliff tribal member Penny Charette, 7:30 p.m., Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. No admission fee.
Saturday
Rock Pickers Road Show, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. Regional stones and minerals will be evaluated by expert staff. Admission required.
Sunday
One Great Lake, Lake Superior Day program, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sugarloaf Cove Nature Area, Mile Marker 73.3 along the North Shore’s Highway 61. Hikes, presentations by naturalists, invasive species issues and activities all day.
Several local churches will be holding Lake Superior-themed sermons and events.
Water is Life Walk and Rally, 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A 2.2-mile walk along the Lakewalk starts at the Maritime Center in Canal Park and ends with a rally at Endion Beach near the Lakewalk. Focused on the barrels of military waste dumped into Lake Superior in the 1950s and 1960s.
Lake Superior Day Celebration, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Barker’s Island Festival Park in Superior, includes Native American drum circle, raffles, kite flying and children’s events, environmental displays and presentations.
Gooseberry Fall State Park will hold several activities including a Lake Superior Geology Hike from 9:30-10:30 a.m.; an “Enviroscape" diorama on Watersheds from 10:00- 11:30 a.m.; "Moods of Lake Superior" Photography Slide Show at 11:30 am and at 1:00 pm; Kids kite making and kite flying, 12:30 to 3 p.m.; Nature Cart on Lake Superior Water from 1:30- 2:45 pm; Incredible Journey Water Cycle Activity from 3:30- 4:00 p.m.; and Lake Superior Magazine will have a table set up all day displaying photo contest entries.
Tettagouche & Temperance River State Parks will also participate in Lake Superior Day with displays and activities on Lake Superior Geology, Fish, Birds, and Water. For more information contact Gooseberry Falls State Park at (218) 834-3855, ext. 227.

For more information on all events, go to
www.superiorforum.org

Pincushion Mountain

North of Grand Marais Minnesota is Pincushion Mountain trail system. Excellent for hiking and X-Country skiing. The Superior Hiking trail passes thru this area on it's way north to the border of Canada. After a nice dinner in Grand Marais you have to drive up to the parking area and watch the sun go down on the North shore. The area is just a few short miles up the Gunflint trail from Grand Marais. Just above town, it's marked nicely with a sign.

http://www.pincushiontrails.org/

Pictured Rocks National Shoreline, Munising Michigan.

For a week early in September last year we spent a wonderful time in the Pictured Rocks National Shoreline. We were lucky as the weather was fantastic. We explored the beaches and hiking trails. Took the Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise and enjoyed the scenery which is outstanding.
Below is Miners Beach,Miners Falls and Munising Bay with Grand Island in the background.

http://www.picturedrocks.com/Home.php

http://www.nps.gov/piro/

http://www.munising.com/

Minnesota North shore's famous Palisades

North of Duluth Minnesota at mile marker 54 is a small sign that says Palisade Head. It's easy to miss so it's easier to look for the Palisade Church and then you know your right in the area. Or just north of Silver Bay Minnesota three miles or so. You will find a small road that seems to climb into a woods. Follow the road up the hill carefully as it's very narrow. As you reach the top you will find a parking lot and the view of the Palisades of the North shore. These cliffs extend quite a distance north. In the distance in the picture is Shovel Point that can be accessed from Tettegouche State Park.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/tettegouche/index.html

Be careful as there are no railings and the fall is about 350 feet. I have to stop on each trip north as it's just a wonderful view.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palisade_Head

Copper Peak Michigan

Looking for a thrill on a weekend trip to Upper Michigan? Something that will make the kids and family talk for a few days afterwards? Go to Copper Peak Michigan to the highest ski jump in the Midwest. You take a chair lift to the top of the hill followed by a elevator ride to the top. The view is outstanding and you can feel the ski jump sway slightly in the wind. It's certainly not for the folks that are afraid of heights. The top of the tower is 600 feet up! Located just north of Ironwood Michigan. http://www.copperpeak.org/Adventure.htm