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Camping with Grandkids

This is different from the typical road trips in this blog but it’s still travel and pictures of different parts of the country. I believe you will learn more about Lake Superior from this post.

Starting out

Been planning this for a year. While the kids had every intention of going, (started with eight of them attending). When final count came in, down to five. But Camping with Grandkids will still be fun! When they get to be teenagers, there are a lot of distractions so, “their loss!”. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park here we come!

Checking in Day 1

Made it, forgot the rain fly on one tent. Improvised with two tarps and did get wet when it rained overnight! Cold and wet overnight and into Saturday. Some of the same grandkids from the Family Golf Outing.

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Camping with Grandkids — **“Peek a boo” of Lake Superior thru the trees and cliff. If the water looks cold, it is! Always!**

Lake Superior Map — **We are approximately at the circle looking out following the arrow to Canada on the other side of the lake. Approximately 300 miles.**

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This is the second day. Foggy and raining. But need to include at least one picture of the lighthouse. (Or Light Station as they were formerly called.) Split Rock Lighthouse is one of the most photographed places in Minnesota.

**Obligatory picture of Split Rock Lighthouse. Today, it’s raining and foggy, different look. We have spent many days here since 1992. It’s a special place.**

Grand Marais

On the way! Best Fudge in the World, here we come! Beth’s Fudge. It’s what we do on a rainy day! While there, had pizza at Sydney’s Frozen Custard. While the custard is good, we were all filled with pizza and didn’t want to ruin our visit to Beth’s Fudge!

Back at the campsite

Great, it’s stopped raining in time to have a campfire which always seems to be the highlight of the trip. The next day, visited Gooseberry Falls and the kids built a “monument” to our stay.

Lake Superior monument — **This is a monument I found in a fully deserted area that hasn’t been seen by anyone in years. (Actually, my grandkids built this about an hour before I took the picture.)**

Kids always have a good time walking around the waterfalls, going into the water when the flow isn’t strong. That’s usually only during snowmelt runoff.

**Gooseberry Falls about 35 miles northeast of Duluth on the North Shore. This is the middle falls.**

Lake Superior geographic information. — **About the land around Lake Superior**

Gooseberry Upper Falls — Upper Falls. The water is that color because there is iron ore in the hills. The Mesabi Iron Range is about 60 miles west which contains a low-grade iron ore called Taconite. After the higher grade iron ore was mined, the area declined. Over the years, a cost-effective process was developed to process Taconite into usable iron ore. Hibbing MN is in the center of the Mesabi Range. That’s Bob Dylan’s home-town. If you are a basketball fan, you’ll also know Kevin McHale who “hails” from Hibbing!

Here is a link to iron ore mining and processing in Minnesota

This river is a different color than the Mississippi further south which is muddy. Link to River in Natchez Mississippi

The picture below isn’t as good as I’d like it to be but it shows the iron ore colored water going into the blue water of Superior. Superior stays blue in spite of many of the rivers flowing into it having the iron ore color.

Videos of the trip

Here is a video of the waterfall taken during Camping with Grandkids

And here is a video of the campfire on our last night! That’s all folks!!!

The Driveby Tourist