Sunrise over Thunder Bay.
Slept in a little. Had a good breakfast in the hotel restaurant. They were severely understaffed so it took forever to get coffee and service. It was also Canadian Independence Day weekend so the hotel was full of spectators and participants in the weekend’s festivities including a large number of indigenous people.
After breakfast we headed out. We crossed the border at Grand Portage and headed down Highway 61. Our first stop was Judge C.R. Magney State Park, a favorite of mine and a great example of the beauty along the North Shore. We hiked up to the famous Devil’s Kettle. It was a beautiful day and there was almost nobody on the trail.
After the walk, the boys were getting hangry so we set our sights first on Grand Marais. We drove the main drag. It was swamped with tourists so we decided to head down the road and try the Rustic Inn - a must stop for good food and amazing pie. At the Rustic Inn, there tends to be long wait times but I was determined to at least get a piece of their pie. True enough, the parking lot was packed but thankfully they now have a pie-only food truck outside in the lot. The minute that we arrived, a thunderstorm opened up and dumped on us. We didn’t get lunch but I did get my pie. We were still in need of food so we recalibrated and set our sights on Sir Benedict’s, a favorite pub and restaurant of mine in Duluth. It's a very relaxed, funky bar and restaurant with good sandwiches and a good selection of beers. Thankfully it was not crowded and the food was still terrific and the beer still tasty.
Sir Benedict's is a great stop for food and beer.
After dinner, we blasted home down I-35 and pulled into the house about 8 pm. Showers, beers and food made us all feel better.
(Mark) On the road 8:45.
Quickly through US border crossing, stopped at Naniboujou Lodge (closed to the public now), hiked the Brule River trail, quick cruise through Grand Marais—lovely day, sorry we couldn’t spend some time on the lakeshore.
Right foot very painful now—plantar fasciitis.
Stopped at Russ Kendall’s fish house. We are driving through thunderstorms that we left Quetico a day early to avoid.
Tasty sandwiches at Sir Benedict’s in Duluth.
Great dinner and get together at Nicci & Tyler’s with Jim & Susan and Katie, Matt & Jack (just 1 year old). Nate & Kos stayed after and played pool with Nicci & Tyler.
Your moment of Zen