Lake Superior For Three

Originally published on www.clearasmud.com on August 15, 2022.

Summer looked different for us this year. For the past five years, I spent five to six weeks in Texas with the kids, while Chaim Shaul held down the fort at home.

Do you ever find yourself constantly reevaluating and adjusting how you do things? I do! It’s like something works for a few years, a few months, a few weeks, and then—nope! It doesn’t work anymore, and you have to come up with a new plan.

As my kids started reaching school age and attending local schools, I started to feel like it was important that during the summer they go to a Jewish camp and be surrounded by a beautiful Jewish environment. So, my husband and I thought outside the box and came up with a plan. I’d go with the kids to San Antonio, Texas, where I grew up, for a big chunk of the summer, and he would stay in Bozeman, making sure our community was well taken care of and that the tourists passing through had a place for Shabbos. We both had to sacrifice. I was alone for weeks with four—sometimes five—young kids, and he had to cook for Shabbos and entertain many tens of people each week on his own. We’re not going to say who had the better end of the deal :). There were moments that felt very stressful, making each of us question our existence, but for the most part, it worked well.

Five years later, the kids are getting bigger, Texas isn’t filling the need for most of them, and it was time to reevaluate once again. This is why our summer looked so different this year.

Bozeman was back to being our summer home base. Chaya, Zeesy, and Menny all enjoyed overnight camp (for varying amounts of time), and we even had ten days with just Chana Laya at home.

It was an adjustment for me not to be spending the summer with my family, but it was the right choice. I realize that every time things change—when we don’t get to do something we’re used to doing, or something we wish we could do—expect some feelings around that :). Every situation we’re in does provide opportunity for something new, a new adventure or experience we wouldn’t have accessed otherwise, and that was true in this situation as well.

So during the ten days that Chana Laya was enjoying all the attention, we decided to take a little trip—just the three of us. Of course, we had to manage our expectations around that as well. Chaim and I have been wanting to get away, just the two of us, and it hasn't been possible. So this seemed like the closest we would get for the foreseeable future. Only one kid: sweet.

Let’s just say it didn’t at all feel like a trip for the two of us. It was very much centered around our strong-minded almost five-year-old. Yet it turned out to be such a special experience, and I am so grateful we did it!

Wow, this was a long intro to a travel post! I’m a big believer in context, in case you couldn’t tell.

Okay, so getting down to it. We had five days including travel (had to be home to host Shabbos), and we wanted to get the most out of our time. We love exploring areas that we’ve never been to before, so we landed on Lake Superior. We took a direct flight to Minneapolis (can’t fly to many places direct from Bozeman), picked up some food, and drove up to the shore.

Here’s our itinerary, and hopefully some inspo for your next getaway:

Sunday – Landed in MSP, picked up some food, and started our drive to Duluth. We went to the aquarium—quite nice for a small city. Our hotel room wasn’t ready, so we drove over the Wisconsin border to Little Manitou Falls. Nothing spectacular, but a great pastime. By then, we were able to check into our hotel. We stayed at Pier B, right on the lake. It was awesome. We ate our little makeshift dinner right on the water, and it was great.

Monday – Packed up and continued north along the lake. Did you know Lake Superior is the biggest lake in the world? First stop of the day was Gooseberry Falls. It was so cool. Hard to explain, but it was this layered rock/waterfall situation. Chana Laya got into her bathing suit and was able to explore and play in a G-d-designed waterpark. A unique experience! Split Rock Lighthouse was our next stop. Gorgeous views, amazing history—we enjoyed it very much.

On to our lodging for the night. We stayed in Tofte, MN at www.liveklarhet.com. It’s the coolest place. They created these dome structures on this beautiful property in the wilderness. When we arrived, the dome was extremely hot. It happened to be the hottest day of the summer, and the dome has no AC, but usually it isn’t a problem. Sure enough, as the sun set and we opened all the flaps, it was beautiful, and the rest of our stay was awesome.

Tuesday – We drove further along the shore all the way to the Canadian border. We spent time enjoying Grand Marais, this adorable artsy town. The town is right on the lake. It was a rainy day, and the weather system over the lake was so cool. It had this enchanted, spooky-like feel. Chana Laya had so much fun coloring on the floor of an adorable art store. We enjoyed browsing the shops, getting coffee from a little hut right on the lake, and taking it easy with no specific plans. On the way back to our cute little dome, we went up to Lutsen Mountain Resort, a small ski hill, and took a beautiful gondola ride to the top of the mountain, followed by dinner and bed.

Wednesday – We said goodbye to our dome and our chicken friends, and we headed toward Tettegouche State Park, where we did an amazing hike to Shovel Point. It was a little long for Chana Laya, but we made it—and it was spectacular. Next stop: Palisade Head, a gorgeous lookout that you access by climbing these big boulders. We had a little picnic lunch there and headed on our way.

Before we got to our lodging location, which was a tiny house at Getaway Kettle River, we stopped and did some biking (you know, the super touristy kind) around Duluth. Right after that, we called it a day and headed to our tiny house, which was such a cool experience. Loved it. Perfect for the three of us. Would have never been able to do it with the whole family.

Thursday – Packed up by 9 AM and we were on our way—a two-hour drive to the airport. We were in Bozeman by 3 PM.

It was a short, sweet trip, which has gifted us very fond memories.

I love to travel the world and land in exotic locations or explore the glorious cities of Europe. But I also value and appreciate adventuring in the state next door or the underrated location that nobody deems worthy. If you get discouraged watching people’s foreign travels and it’s not in the cards for you now, don’t forget the experience you can have just a short plane ride—or car ride—away.

Catch you later,

Chavie