Gunflint Trail (N. Shore Lake Superior area) riding and hiking!

My dad is the reason I ride - I grew up on the back of his Goldwing and we rode everywhere that the weather would allow us. I remember being on the back of the bike and waking up because my helmet whacked into the back of his when I dozed off from being so relaxed. Fast forward 10-12 years and the bug bit me hard... I look forward to going on adventures with my dad on the bikes - sometimes we camp, sometimes we stay in hotels. It depends on where the road takes us.  This year we headed north, riding the North Shore of Lake Superior up to Grand Portage and then down the Gunflint Trail. Nature and scenery are top notch up there!!  We tented this time around, staying at Grand Portage Casino Camp Ground. We wake up to an incredibly thick layer of fog.. so thick we cannot see Lake Superior.. which we are camping on the shores of! We were going to ride up to the border and walk the water falls, but considering we could not see 25' down to the lake, we likely couldn't see the waterfall either. We look at the forecast and see rain creeping in. We packed up the tents and camp gear and headed to the casino for breakfast.  Cool spider web on display!

We checked radar again.. still rain incoming. So we detour and decide to head back south a little ways and ride the Gunflint Trail. Another of my north shore favorite places!!!  Foggy ride south on 61 from Grand Portage to the Gunflint Trail 



Along the Gunflint are several cool stops - one of which is the scenic overlook at the Laurentian Divide. This is where when it rains, water flows north instead of south. Oddity at its finest. There is a super cool hiking trail down through the woods to a beautiful lake which is rarely touched by humans. Got to the bottom of the relatively steep trail and were greeted by a turtle!

Several winters in a row I have come to this specific place and taken pics of this staircase. It fascinates me for some reason. Especially in the winter when there is a foot of snow on the stairs and I am the only soul to make footprints through the snow in the dead of winter. Peaceful and photogenic!

 The stairs lead down a rugged hill and to a lake

This lil guy was hanging lakeside and didn't have a care in the world that I showed up. My dad was walking down behind me and he realized his space was being invaded and he 'turtle hurried' away and into the brush/foliage

Cool Lake along the Gunflint Trail. Peaceful, serene, and barely used

We continue up the Gunflint - this part was destroyed by fire years ago and is finally coming back to life after all of those years!

Near the end of the Gunflint Trail is a payphone.... a definite Rare sighting these days!

The end of the Gunflint Trail - Café.

At the end of the Gunflint is a quaint campground on the lake - its a gorgeous place to stay if you ever get the chance! There is no cell service, no wifi, nothing but peaceful nature!

More gravel!

 

Side detour on a cool looking gravel road. This is where my gravel adventures come from!

This place is called the Ugly Baby Bait shop... cracks me up

This is the view as you come back off of the Gunflint Trail... LOVE LOVE LOVE

Gunflint water tower

   
                   Homeward bound - well, back to the parents anyways
          via County Rd 1 from the North Shore of Lake Superior to Ely, MN

                                               More curves and sunshine!

                               
            and more gravel of course!

   Nearly 500 miles in 36 hours - camping, nature, entertainment, great riding, and quality time with one of my favorite humans.... An amazing couple of days
!