Annual Fall Trip to the North Shore (sans donuts)

Due to post-stem cell transplant issues, we've stuck pretty close to home this summer, but with our beautiful fall weather and the other half having a few extra days off from work, we decided to head North.  The colors are getting close to peak, so we were looking forward to a colorful drive.

It was a pretty day and being able to leave on a Sunday meant we were driving against the traffic.  Road construction wasn't a problem.

Even though we're not fortunate enough to live on Minnesota's North Shore, we are lucky to live close by so that we can visit often, and it's amazing how the lake can change from one visit to the next.  Strikingly blue and calm one day and steely grey and forbidding the next.  We've seen it locked in ice one day and free flowing by morning.  What a Great Lake!  Ha, ha.

This year, we happened to hit the colors and the weather just right.  Mostly brilliant blue skies and enough of a wind change to make each day a different experience.

While we were in Duluth it was calm and warm for the season.  We even saw one brave couple go in for a swim.  I can't even imagine what that was like.  I know that can be painful in the middle of August!  We were content to stick to shore.  We did tough out the chills of sharing a malted milk--brave souls that we are.

By the time we got up to Grand Marais, the waves were incredible.  We couldn't even walk out to the lighthouse because they were crashing and spraying over the pier.  Overnight things calmed down and by the next morning it was t-shirt weather and we were able to walk out to the point.

Tragedy did strike at one point, however, when we realized that the World's Greatest Donuts shop had gone to fall hours and would not be open while we were in town.  We could have cried.  Honestly, it's one of the reasons we go to that town.  My plan was to press our faces to the glass and look as pitiful as we possibly could, but the place looked deserted and I don't think it would have made much difference.  Even though it wasn't a freshly made sugar donut, we were soothed by walking down to The Angry Trout for dinner.