Babymoon

So this past weekend we went on a Babymoon! We wanted one last weekend away before our lives are flipped upside down (in a good way!) by our little girl. We had such a nice time taking in the scenic North Shore of Minnesota. For me, it was so fun to go back to all of the places I loved when I was a little girl (and a few new places) and for Jesse there was more new than old.

Our first stop, of course, was Betty's Pies for breakfast on Saturday morning before taking off to Split Rock Lighthouse. It was delish! A great way to get energy for, what turned out to be a more adventurous day than we had planned!

Next, Split Rock. Yes, the movie they play there is STILL the exact same movie as they played 20 years ago, but it was fun to watch and it was great to walk around and take in the beautiful views.

The light inside the top of the lighthouse.

Jesse and the lighthouse.

Next, we took a pit stop at Palisade Head for another view of the lake. Jesse freaked me out a little when he walked fearlessly right up to the edge, while I watched him from a distance. However, it was totally worth going up there.

The view of Shovel Point from Palisade Head.

Then, we drove up Highway 61 a little further to Tettegouche State Park, where the real adventure began. It seems we have a habit of hiking in the pouring rain. A few years ago we were hiking on a sheer cliff in Glacier National Park when we were caught in a hail storm. While this wasn't nearly as treacherous, there were A LOT of hills and stairs and at 35 weeks pregnant I am super proud that I a) made it through the day and b) didn't complain one bit. It was actually pretty refreshing! 

There aren't as many pictures from that part of our day as I would've liked, but it was still great. We hiked about 3 miles, which does not sound like a lot, but you have to remember that in Northern Minnesota that meant 3 miles of straight up and straight down, slippery dirt, rock and tree root paths, combined with literally HUNDREDS of wooden stairs. Of course, what goes up, must come down and vice versa, so hiking to the bottom of 2 waterfalls also meant hiking back up them. By the end, we were soaked, tired, hungry, but still smiling!

We were planning on heading to Shovel Point for one more hike, but at that point we didn't see an end to the rain so we went to our resort to check in. We stayed at Cove Point Lodge and got a really good deal through Crowd Cut (why pay full price, right) that included dinner, breakfast, our room, chocolate and champagne. When Jesse checked us in he refused the champagne and the actually had a bottle of alcohol free champagne for us to share instead...so nice!

We went down to the hot tub for a while before dinner (I sat on the edge, but it still felt GREAT on my tired legs) and then enjoyed a view of the lake, Norwegian chicken, steak and walleye. Yum! The resort was on a cove (hence, the name) and we were able to take another (very) short hike out onto the other side of the cove, which was a very cool, rocky point and get some great photos of the sun reflecting off the clouds.

You'd never know there was a resort right behind me!

View from the cove.

Our resort from the other side of the cove.

North shore rocks!

The storm was still there...heading north.

Then we found some nice chairs and shared our "champagne" outside before the bugs chased us away.

The next morning, we were able to make one more stop for a (very easy) 1-mile hike on the Silver Creek Cliff trail that runs along the old Highway 61 next to the Silver Cliff Tunnel. I remember driving along that exact spot when I was little, so it was weird to be walking on it now. Next year, we are planning on bringing our little girl up for a bike ride (or several) on the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. We can hardly wait to share a place we love so much with her!

It was a wonderful weekend...hard to be back in the car going back to chores, work and dishes, but we are so thankful for the great time we had to spend together!