Gunflint Weekend Part 1: Getting There
Ice on Lake Superior near Duluth. This aerial photo has been enhanced to within an inch of its life to bring out the details of the ice.
She Who Puts Up With Me had hinted very strongly that for her birthday she wanted a weekend for the two of us at our favorite resort, Gunflint Lodge. Her birthday was two weeks ago, but this was the earliest I could make all the pieces come together. Just as well, since they would have likely been mobbed for Valentine's Day.
So, yesterday morning, we dropped the kids off at preschool, and headed immediately to the airport. Gunflint Lodge is right on the Canadian border in Northern Minnesota, and getting there involves a two or three hour flight in our plane to Grand Marais (the closest airport), followed by an hour drive from Grand Marais up the Gunflint Trail to the resort. Since we own some land near Grand Marais, we keep a pickup truck stationed at the airport for our convenience in flying up there.
Our trusty steed, parked for the weekend at Grand Marais Airport.
The flight was smooth and relatively quick, thanks to a 20-30 knot tailwind the whole way. The air traffic controller was quizzing planes leaving Cloquet, Minnesota about whether the Cloquet high school hockey team had won its Thursday game, and we spent much of the flight marveling at how fast the snow-covered scenery was passing below us.
This is one of those trips which proves the usefulness of a pilot's license. By noon, we had arrived in Grand Marais, and headed to the South of the Border Cafe for lunch. Had we driven, we would be eating lunch in Duluth, only about halfway to Grand Marais.
Another airplane parked at Grand Marais airport. This airplane won't be going anywhere for a couple months.
South of the Border does not serve Mexican food, since the border they are referring to is the Canadian border. I had a hamburger, and She Who Puts Up With Me had pancakes. I teased her mercilessly about eating breakfast for lunch.
This left us with about an hour to kill in Grand Marais, since check-in time at the resort is 3 PM. Grand Marais has become something of an artist's colony, not unlike other small towns which serve tourists in areas of great natural beauty. We spent some time browsing in art galleries (didn't buy anything, but was tempted), then drove to Gunflint Lodge, arriving right at 3 PM.
The southerly winds which gave us the nice tailwinds for our flight also promise to give us a beautiful weekend of warm weather and only a few clouds in the sky. We're keeping a close eye on Sunday, however, when we have to fly home. A brewing storm could cause us some problems, if it hits at the wrong time.