North Shore Weekend!

I mentioned on Thursday that we were off to Lutsen this weekend for a little R&R with the family. We had a great time!

We arrived around 5 on Friday after leaving work early, packing the car up, and driving up to the North Shore. Our villa was right on the lake, and we had great views:

Taken from inside our living room.

It's amazing to think of how big Lake Superior really is. Although there was a lot of ice built up on the coast line, most of the lake is still open water.


Our villa had 2 bedrooms, one of which was more like a "bunk room" with a loft. That's where we slept, along with both sister-in-law's, a boyfriend, and the kiddo.

It was definitely cozy. But thankfully there were two full bathrooms, so we all didn't have to share one. This only child did not grow up sharing a bathroom. Call me spoiled, but it is what it is. 

After going out to dinner on Friday night at the main lodge and staying up way too late, Emily decided that 7 am was an acceptable time to wake up Saturday morning. I mean, who wants to miss a minute of vacation!? But who can complain when you get this kind of view?

Sunrise over Lake Superior

After breakfast, we left Emily with the grandparents and all the "kids" went cross-country skiing. It was so much fun! It was also a good work out, which I think we all needed. Fresh air, sweat out some toxins, you know.

Before we set off

I wasn't sure how to dress, because I anticipated falling down a lot. Surprisingly I was actually able to keep my balance and only fell to a knee once going up a steep hill. I actually held the lead for awhile and was able to truck along pretty well for my first time. But I was definitely over dressed. At one point I took my jacket off. I would have taken my snow pants off too, except then I would have had to carry them back anyway.

Looking good! That's Stefanie and Travis behind me. 

We did a 5K trail, which was plenty long enough for all of us. Once we got back, we ate a quick lunch, then Emily, Travis, and I went off to the pool. Mom started fading fast, so we ended up going back to the villa for naps. I think Emily and I slept for nearly 2 hours. Vacation is hard work!

For dinner, we drove up to Grand Marais to visit My Sister's Place for dinner. Apparently it's been on Andrew Zimmern's Weird Food TV show for their "Goober Burger", which has peanut butter and mayo. I opted for the Granny Burger: bacon, BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, and Granny Smith apple slices. Oh boy was it good!

We headed home Sunday morning, but not without making a stop at the infamous Betty's Pies. Because who can pass up world famous pie? Who cares that it's 10am? 

This little restaurant is a North Shore legend. Besides their pie, they have pretty darn good food too. So we had a late breakfast before our pie. 

YUM

I had the Great Lakes pie, which has apple, blueberry, rhubarb, strawberry, and raspberry along with a crumble topping. Trav and Emily split a slice of Banana Cream. Not my thing, but they sure enjoyed it! After pie, we rolled ourselves out to the car for the 2 hour drive home. 

It really was a great weekend with great company, good weather, and lots of good food. I think I could probably skip eating for a week. Yea right, but it feels that way! 

Did you have a good weekend? What's your favorite kind of pie?