The much anticipated summer vacation has come and gone. We decided we wanted to go somewhere nobody thinks about going… up north. We drove up to Lake Superior – only after finding out two other of our friends went there this summer, and my parents also planned to be there for their vacation too. Ha. So much for that! We had fun anyway!
Stopped in at The Playground for Kids in Ankeny, IA to stretch our legs! 
Evie was super in to caves – this is Gooseberry Falls 
My girl at Gooseberry! 
Yep, that’s right. We went at the exact same time as my parents. So – we met up for a few hours! This is in Bayfield, WI. 
A lighthouse! 
Our AirBnb – Gokotta in Two Harbors, MN – a beautiful and remote place with a distant overlook of the Lake. 
Gokotta – in the wilderness! We had to get a “running start” to climb the hill in the car. 
In front of the SS Meteor! 
Touring the inside of a whale back ship – the SS Meteor 
Olan tried his hand in the kitchen of the ship! 
The water was unusually cold for this time of year, but kids are pretty tough. Mostly we built sand castles! This was a really pretty beach that you could walk out a long ways and it wasn’t very deep. Also that made the water not quite as insanely cold. 
Sand castling! 
Bayfield, WI is known for their orchards! We picked raspberries and strawberries! Sooo yummy. 
Another meet up! 
Strawberry shortcake for breakfast! 
Olan had such a fun time at the Children’s Museum in St. Paul – we stayed at the mail delivery station for a looooong time. 
And a fireman he was too. 
The nationally known Betty’s Pies! 
Back in Two Harbors – a pretty pier and an even prettier evening. The weather was in the 80s every day. 
Contemplation. 
Steer it, dude! 
Black beach – where all the sand is blackened from days of dumping iron ore millings on the beach. This was the water from the arctic… we had contests to see who could stay in the water the longest – mind you – just to our ankles – and Olan won! It only took about 20 seconds before it was painfully cold. 
Another beautiful day! 
Went on a hike at Tettagouche State Park to see a waterfall! 
High Falls! We played in the trickling river downstream a bit – the kids loved seeing the little lobster-like creatures swimming around! 
Lighthouses everywhere! We had fun walking and jumping on the rocks out to this one at Wisconsin Point! 
Our AirBnB in Ashland, WI! Historic home built in the 1800s – very neat! 
When the hotel has a hot tub, you know you’ve chosen wisely. 
Our last stop on the trip was to Runza for lunch! And free ice cream cones!
Shauna's Window 