Day Trippin'
When the international best-selling children’s book Paddle-to-the-Sea was first published in 1941, it is unlikely the book’s Michigan-born author and illustrator Holling C. Holling imagined it would someday launch a $4.3 million destination theme park in the small town of Nipigon (pop. 1,752) on Lake Superior. But it did. Ten years in the making, the Paddle-to-the-Sea Park was officially opened this spring.
The 70-foot High Falls of the Baptism River has the distinction of being the tallest waterfall in Minnesota. (High Falls of the Pigeon River is higher, but half of it is in Ontario.) The Baptism’s High Falls Trail rises sharply at first and soon intersects the Superior Hiking Trail.
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Silver Bay’s Hidden Outdoors
North Shore visitors may think of Silver Bay as a “drive through” community, but a recent conference shed light on the many outdoor activities available there. Three of Minnesota’s most popular state parks—Gooseberry, Split Rock and Tettegouche—are within a stone’s throw of Silver Bay. Phil Leversedge of Tettegouche gave a presentation about park amenities.
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North Shore visitors may think of Silver Bay as a “drive through” community, but a recent conference shed light on the many outdoor activities available there. Three of Minnesota’s most popular state parks—Gooseberry, Split Rock and Tettegouche—are within a stone’s throw of Silver Bay. Phil Leversedge of Tettegouche gave a presentation about park amenities.
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The Finland Cooperative and General Store in Finland, Minn., is a friendly place. Founded in 1913 to serve loggers and farmers, many of whom were from Finland, the co-op has a long tradition of cheerfully provisioning people with whatever they might need.
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North Americans are discovering the ancient practice of labyrinth walking for contemplation, meditation, spiritual renewal, and healing. Labyrinth walking is a walking tradition that goes back thousands of years. In Thunder Bay, as part of its 100th anniversary centennial celebration, St. Paul’s Anglican Church has constructed a classic, 11-circuit labyrinth on the northeast corner of its gardens.
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Some people like to get away from it all for a weekend. Brian and Dayna Gallagher are there all of the time. After living on the Gunflint Trail and spending a few years in Alaska, the couple moved to the North Shore woods north of Hovland and started building a dog team.
"We drove back from Alaska with two puppies and a pregnant female, explains Dayna. "In three years we had 21 dogs."
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Thunder Bay, Founders Museum, Pioneer Village
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When I chat with Thunder Bay visitors about their favourite day trips, one spot consistently ranks high–the impressive Terry Fox Scenic Lookout at the northeast entrance to the city.
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If you are looking for an interesting walk that will take you back in history, drive to the end of Duluth’s Park Point and hike about two miles to the site of the old Minnesota Point Lighthouse. It doesn’t look like much today, but the dilapidated tower was the first high-powered lighthouse on Lake Superior.
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Grand Marais pilot Dan Anderson offers scenic tours of the Gunflint country where he guarantees you will see a moose. On a recent flight, he made good on that guarantee within minutes of getting into the air.
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Kakabeka Falls: Historic Wilderness Jewel
If you can’t get to Niagara Falls this summer, come and visit another of the world’s best natural waterfalls, Northwestern Ontario’s spectacular Kakabeka Falls, only a 20-minute drive west from Thunder Bay on Highway 11-17. Known as the Niagara of the North (it’s the second largest waterfall in Ontario), it has a distinctive landscape that is steeped in legends and history.
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If you can’t get to Niagara Falls this summer, come and visit another of the world’s best natural waterfalls, Northwestern Ontario’s spectacular Kakabeka Falls, only a 20-minute drive west from Thunder Bay on Highway 11-17. Known as the Niagara of the North (it’s the second largest waterfall in Ontario), it has a distinctive landscape that is steeped in legends and history.
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