My girls had the entire week off for MEA (Minnesota Educators Association) so we decided to try our luck and go camping on the North Shore for a week. This can be a bit tricky with the weather in October on the North Shore, it could be snowing, raining, or it could be warm. We had a few different adventures in mind for the week and Split Rock was the first of them.
The 4 of us went 3 separate ways in the beginning of the week….Brad to Germany, Hanna and I to the cabin, and Gretchen stayed in town for her soccer tournament’s championship game. Tuesday our friends who had Gretchen, and I agreed to meet at Split Rock State Park. I woke up early and decided to check if the infamous campsite #13 was available and it was…for one night. That’s all we needed it for. This campsite was on my bucket list since I’ve read a couple of different articles written on it in Minnesota Monthly magazine. What makes it so special is the gorgeous view of the lighthouse across the bay. It is also a little bit bigger than the other sites which was perfect because we needed to have 3 tents up.
Hanna and I arrived early afternoon and started carting our supplies in. It took two cartloads. We set up the tents and the camp stove, put our food in the bear proof locker, and got our campfire wood all set up.
The site was absolutely beautiful. We had a little walkway down to the beach that was covered in the familiar black basalt rocks of the beaches of the North Shore. It was a little precarious walking on these, but that didn’t stop us. The view of the lighthouse was stunning in the fall colors.
My aunt and uncle are spontaneous travelers and decided on a trip up to Duluth and Bayfield. They surprised Hanna and I by visiting us at our campsite since they were visiting the lighthouse. This was a very welcomed surprise. They are very good about making you feel loved.
Hanna and I watched the sunset from the top of this cliff at the campsite. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I cut up some veggies and humus and poured a glass of wine.
After the sunset, I made an easy dinner for us of prepackaged Indian food. We also lit the fire and enjoyed that. Gretchen and our friends arrived about 8:30. We carted their stuff in and the girls made s’mores. It was a beautiful night about 35/40 degrees and we all stayed warm. We fell asleep to the sound of waves hitting the rocks.
We all woke up just before sunrise and had a gorgeous view of the moon and Venus in the early dawn sky. We watched the sun come up over Lake Superior. It was a bit frosty.
Photo by Ryan Hahler
Photo by Ryan Hahler
We made a breakfast of hard boiled eggs and oatmeal, also tea and hot chocolate.
Photo by Ryan Hahler
We set off to explore the shoreline. There were cliffs mixed with pine trees, birch trees, and maple trees. There is something so magestic and mystic about Lake Superior. The views are magical.
After our easy morning, we took down camp and headed out to our next adventure…hiking part of the Superior Hiking Trail.
Mama With Wanderlust 