Why Did it Take 8 Hours for a 3 Hour Trip?

I have been waiting for this camping trip for a couple of months. With a long anticipated wait I am finally here. It is the camping trip I planned for just my husband and me. Our parents agreed to watch the kids while we took a much needed break from parenting. The children love to spend time with their Grandpas and Grandmas. It isn’t often when we can step away from all five kids for more than a few hours.

Go – Go Before They Change Their Minds!

I chose Gooseberry Falls along the North Shore because I heard a handful of friends talking about how beautiful the scenery is and I really wanted to see the waterfalls. The forecast was like the last couple weekends…rain with a chance of more rain. However, Ryan and I decided we would enjoy the getaway no matter what kind of weather we would have hanging around.

A 3 Hour Tour Turned into 8!?

It may surprise you, but with all the kids gone we really slow down. While we were picking up the camper at the place we store it I realized our campsite had no electricity, anywhere! My husband had a thought to contact Coates RV to see if they could help us out. Within minutes the crew at Coates lined us up with a generator. We headed up only to find ourselves being hit with a hail storm. Lucky for us it didn’t last long and it didn’t do any damage to the truck or camping trailer.

Ryan, Isaiah and I took a quick peek around the showroom at Coates. They added a few new beauties! After picking up the generator we moved along Hwy 65 to Ryan’s sister’s farm. His parents were staying with her and her family for the weekend. Isaiah was going to join their party!

RSVP One –

We spent an hour or so visiting with family. My sister-in-law just had a baby boy, so it was nice to hold him for awhile. We didn’t want to stay too long because we still had many miles to go before arriving to our campground. Saying goodbye to my baby wasn’t easy. I haven’t been away from him much since he has been born. I left him with a big goodbye buddy hug and loads of Mommy kisses.

Traveling Without Kids –

My husband isn’t a fan of taking photos of the landscape. He likes to see faces more than places! I on the other hand enjoy the classic sunset and the bright blue skyline photos I take along the way.

The View From My Seat –

The clouds were still rolling across the sky as though they were going to dump everything they had right on top of us, but we were blessed to only have a little sprinkle here and there. Nothing could stop us from enjoying our time with just each other.

With the following stops – picking up the camper, a hello visit to Coates and the drop off of the little guy we were already looking at 3 hours into our vacation travel time. It was time for a break.

Disc Golf in Pine City

We recently had a wonderful conversation with the owner of Gotta Go Gotta Throw. He gave Ryan and me some how to’s and tips for our disc golf game. I am a newbie and really needed the help!

In the Woods Again!

With all the rain we have had so far this season the course was wet, muddy and buggy! One guy was searching for discs in the pond as a couple waited for him to retrieve their lucky disc in the water. I could never see myself going to get my disc in a lake or pond. I would rather buy a new one! The bugs really started attacking Ryan, so we skipped the rest of the baskets and continued our journey north.

10 Bites in 10 Minutes!

On The Road Again –

I love the drive up North. The trees are beautiful and it is so realaxing with the two of us listening to the radio. After lunch, gas and our short game of Disc Golf we figured we would arrive at Gooseberry Falls campground around 9:30pm. No more messing around we needed to drive the rest of the way without stopping.

The lakes and trees of MN are one reason

why I love it here.

Heading into Duluth –

I have never gone past Duluth in my adult life before. I wasn’t sure what to expect because Duluth always seems so industrial to me. Just outside of the bridge I was pleased to see a sign for Two Harbors.

Almost There…

There are a handful of pretty little houses to look at as you drive towards Gooseberry Falls, but my favorite view from the truck was definitely the entrance to the tunnels.

Almost Too Dark For a Photo!

Ryan nailed it as far as what time we would be pulling into the campground. Unfortunately, I forgot to print off the confirmation letter telling us which campsite we would be staying at for the weekend. It also didn’t help that the campground was closed and we didn’t get many bars for Internet on our phones! Ryan is a touch of a computer nerd and was able to get us decent internet onto our laptop through the phone on it’s Hotspot.

It wouldn’t be until morning when we could really judge our campsite because it was pitch black outside when we figured out where we were going to be camping for the weekend. I would also like to point out my husband did an amazing job backing our camper into it’s location in the dark! I don’t even think I could place it in the daylight!!

Good Morning Campers Welcome to Your Site!

Not Too Shabby!

It may have taken us 8 hours to get to Gooseberry Falls but it also was fun every second along the way. Check back to get my thoughts of our campground and the sights.

Happy Camping, Kelly