Noteworthy North Shore Wonders

Ahh, the noteworthy North Shore. With its many wonders and pleasures.

We journeyed north for another round of shore expeditions. This time, we basically stayed right on the shore, which was absolutely thrilling.  🙂

But, we’ll get to that soon enough.

First, we’ll make the trip to Colorado to meet our newest treasure,

celebrate Easter, and

receive a visit from our Colorado family.

After that, we’ll take off to investigate the Noteworthy North Shore Wonders.

Buckle up!

Okay, time to catch up. I’m going to provide a synopsis since my last post, complete with plenty of pictures, of course.  😉

January 2025 started with a trip to Loveland to meet our newest grandson, Isaac Matthew. Chelsea, Jacob, Charlie, and Liam went, too.

Change of plans–sickness strikes

We rented a vrbo with a hot tub near Luke and Melissa’s home.

It should have worked out great.

However, Chelsea’s whole family plus Rick got sick so we didn’t get to meet Isaac or see anyone, except for standing outside briefly!  

(In the COLD!)

As I didn’t succumb to the sickness, I was able to go to Luke and Melissa’s for a bit and hold Isaac (and Jamesy). ♥ 

Chelsea, Jacob, and the boys went back home earlier than planned.  🙁

Later, as he was feeling better, Rick and I went to hang out at Scheels with Melissa and the boys.

The stuffed and mounted animals were awesome to see!

Certainly not the trip we had envisioned, though!

Our first glimpse of baby Isaac ♥

Very inviting in January

Jamesy all bundled up

Baba and Jamesy at Scheel’s

 Scheel’s was fun!

Gigi and Isaac

It was amazing to see so many different creatures!

I loved this baby deer

A nice lady took our pic ON Bear Lake

 Rick felt up to it, so we went to Estes Park for a day.

It was the first time we’d been there in January.

We’d walked around Bear Lake many times before, but never ON the lake!

It was frozen solid and covered in snow. Kind of scary to be out in the middle!

The cold Rocky Mountains

Barricades! Couldn’t get any farther up Trail Ridge Road

Definitely snow!

February and March surprised us with quite a bit of snow, and Charlie had fun driving his truck in it. Our neighbors lost some trees.

Charlie loves his truck, and he’s a real good driver!

Trees down!

Our deck with the neighbor’s tree leaning against it

April photo shoot… Pretty good  😉

Many Blessings

April was busy!

It included a nice Easter, and then Luke, Melissa, James, and Isaac coming to visit. That meant many fun meals together, a trip to the zoo, and family pictures.

Not easy with a 5-year-old, two 2-year old’s, and a 4-month old! (Gigi’s Treasures)

As I’m writing this, I’m thinking of the blessings of family.

Like Psalm 127:3, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.”

And Proverbs 17:6a,”Grandchildren are the crown of the aged…”

(Hopefully, I’m not aged yet!)

We had a second Easter at Great Grandma Jordan’s. She has an Easter egg hunt each year for all the great-grandchildren.

She’s 87!!

‘Twas a joy to see the cousins together. ♥

Easter Sunday after celebrating Jesus’ resurrection at church

A dinner at Chels and Jacob’s

→Fun at Grandma’s house←

Here’s Grandma Jordan (Rick’s mom) Looking good!

Liam holding Isaac

Cousins together at last

They are only 5 weeks apart!

Luke, Melissa, and James

Finding

the

eggs

Opening the eggs

Time for some flowers

Calla lilies in Chelsea’s yard

Stunning orange callas

A spring tree in bloom

He cracks me up!

He always wears sunglasses  😎

Luke and Melissa take the boys for a daily walk, so we walked with them while they were here.

Jamesy was so cute, squatting to get a better look at something!

We shared beautiful spring days together.

Checking out the tulips

Beautiful blooming trees

A Trip to the Famous Henry Doorly Zoo

I love to let pictures tell the story.

So, I’m including plenty of photos in this section.

The playful sea lions kept us fascinated for a long time!

Charlie is a planner, so when he got ahold of a zoo map,

he took control of when and where we went!  😀

Unique! Mr. Grumpy

Big fish!

These Japanese Giant Spider Crabs were amazing!!

They have a 12-ft leg span, weigh 44 lbs, and can live 100 years!

Charlie is Treasure #1

Treasure #2 is Liam

 Mommy is with James, Treasure #3

The newest Treasure, #4, is Isaac

Perfect day for the zoo!

Liam watched the fish

The “squatter” strikes again  😛

Beautiful specimen of a starfish

Charlie’s face! 😆

A fun place to explore

How far does this go?

Zoo flowers say hello!

If case you haven’t been to the zoo in a while, here’s a glimpse of more.

Click on the first picture to see a closeup. 

😉

At this time, we are ready for some noteworthy North Shore wonders.

We embarked upon two dazzling trips this year…time for the first.

What will we find that’s noteworthy?

(A post in the near future will share the second excursion.)

On the road again  😉

Adventure time!

A great destination

Nothing but blue skies (and water) do I see

The staple of the shipping industry

 It’s so nice to be right on the shore!

Our first expedition of 2025 was back to the North Shore near Duluth, MN. You may have seen the post when we made our initial journey there in 2022.

Bonus: Because we traveled on the 4th of July, we were there in time to see some fireworks over the lake. 

Seemingly infinite, Lake Superior is captivating in its vast beauty, color, and exhilaration!

This time, we stayed in a little cottage just off the lake’s shore. Consequently, we easily enjoyed each sunrise and sunset.   

Built in the 30’s

We cooked in the little kitchen and ate on the deck watching the lake.

Gathering wood, we made a campfire on the shore and feasted our eyes on the ever-changing water and sunset.

Sometimes we spied ships, boats, ducks and other birds as well as varying cloud shapes.

The cabin was original from the 1930’s. It was quaint and cozy. I loved the tongue-and-groove walls and ceiling.

 This is going to be fun!  🙂

 Ours for the week

 The living area

 Comfortable, cozy bedroom

 Our cottage was up the stairs and to the right

 We saw a few fireworks

 Time for bed!

Peaceful sounds on our shore…ahhh

One of the noteworthy North Shore wonders for sure: a view of Lake Superior from Silver Creek Cliff

Pretty interesting

Did you know?

Lake Superior is the largest of North America’s five Great Lakes.

It covers 31,700 square miles and contains 10% of the world’s fresh water.

Today, more than 1,000 cargo ships enter the Duluth-Superior port annually,

making it one of the busiest inland ports in the world.  Wow!

Visiting the port is really fun! 

😀

Fun facts

The clouds poured rain the next day, 

still, exploring the cute town of Two Harbors

seemed a good idea.

We had visited it in 2022,

but there was more to check out.

Like the Two Harbors Lighthouse

(it was closed the last time),

the oldest working lighthouse on

 the North Shore, definitely noteworthy.  😉 ⇒⇒

It was foggy at the breakwater, which made it eerily interesting.  😉

Me at the Two Harbors Lighthouse

Rick walking the foggy pier at Two Harbors

I love these rocks! They are called “riprap”

Mysterious fog  😎

A mixture of fog and clear day

View from a window in the lighthouse

Kids, birds, and fog=fun!

A real beauty

A sprinkle of color

I’m not sure what this is, but it was large!

See the heart shape?

8:22 pm at our shore

The very noteworthy Grand Marais, MN

A welcoming shot of Grand Marais with Lake Superior beckoning ♥

This day was full of driving, hiking, waterfalls, and new experiences.

Breakwater walking, waterfall exploring, taco eating

One new experience was eating delectable tacos on the shore!

My tracker said we did 17,400 steps. 

We LOVE walking the breakwater at the Grand Marais harbor.

Vibrant blue skies, boats serenely sailing, green-blue water.

A red and white Coast Guard Station House, built in 1928, with birds gliding on the air currents above.

Grand Marais was our first destination, with its bay and harbor.

Bird’s eye view of Grand Marais with the bay on the left, harbor on the right

“Grand Marais is known as a charming harbor town on Lake Superior, famous for its arts & culture, outdoor recreation (hiking, kayaking), scenic beauty (lighthouses, beaches like 12-Mile Beach), and unique local spots like the World’s Best Donuts.” 

The Coast Guard Station House stands guard over the harbor

Small lighthouses with mountains in the distance

So fun to explore! See the sailboat?

We saw this sailboat stop to get supplies

A perfect day  😎

Mama and baby ducks were having a good day, too

Lovely lilacs basking in the sun

One of my favorite shots in the harbor

Continuing down the notable North Shore, we happened upon the scenic Cutface Creek wayside rest* along our route.

Rick and I stopped to eat lunch there and were kept company by many ducks!

We consumed delightful tacos and some of those World’s Best Donuts.  😉

I discovered an addiction: scavenging for rocks, agates, anything unique. It was hard to stop!

Tacos on the beach are pretty nice

Ahh, this is the life

I could barely catch the wave

A rock-rainbow of color

A fun sight!

Keeping on with noteworthy North Shore wonders, we persisted in racking up my step count by visiting 2 state parks and another wayside rest,*

which included 2 waterfalls and a LOT of stairs!

The state parks were: Cascade River and Temperance River

*A wayside rest is a parking lot off highway 61, where, when you stop to explore you never know what you will find!

The Cascades, with only a short jaunt, offered up a mesmerizing waterfall

This double waterfall was quite spectacular to view

Golden potpourri

Temperance River State Park and the Caribou Falls Wayside Rest

are noteworthy wonders of the North Shore

A stunning place

The Temperance River emptying into Lake Superior

A stunning place

Now here come all the steps!

Heading down to Caribou Falls

Almost there

It was a beautiful and peaceful day

Now, back up!

A side note:

“Caribou Falls is one of the most picturesque waterfalls on the shore,

in part because of the approach.

The trail climbs about 100-feet in a half mile before making a 90-degree turn to multiple flights of stairs (~150 in all). A right hand turn after the first few flights opens to a cedar- and pine-framed view of the falls.

It becomes more and more impressive as you get closer, and the gray basalt outcroppings are a striking frame to this 35-foot falls.”

When I ask him to take a photo, this is often what I get

And it was morning and it was evening–Day 2 was done.

We started and ended the day on our portion of shore, but in between was full of fun sights.

A colorful day on the North Shore

With Black Beach, yellow “egg” mushrooms, and Iona’s pink beach, it was a very colorful day!

Before breakfast, we took our coffee down to the beach. A baby seagull came by to entertain us.  🙂

Stranded on the North Shore…!

 A path in tall, thin trees opens up to Iona’s beach, which is stunning, especially if you like pink.  😉 It’s a large beach with big, fun rocks to climb on and explore.

Nearby is another beach with some abandoned buildings, which was once part of some scientific research.

My imagination kicked in, and I easily envisioned being stranded and needing shelter.

The area reminded me of Gilligan’s island! How fun!  😎

Before we left, we saw this freighter from our deck

This way ⇒⇒

Wait for it…

A pink(ish) surprise!

Alluring Iona’s Beach

Time for exploring!

The rocks are extraordinary!

I wanted to go in!

Someone took the time to sort the colors

Next, we drove to Silver Bay Marina, a pretty place with some shipwreck history.

“On May 3, 1905, the Hesper was caught in a late spring snowstorm. The 60-mile-an-hour northeaster drove the steamship well off its intended course and hurled the vessel onto a reef, at what is now Silver Bay Harbor. After enduring a pounding for some time, the Hesper was lifted over the reef by a giant wave, only to founder and break up in 42 feet of water. The wreck has remained well preserved in the waters of Silver Bay Harbor.”

We were inside that pilot house!

“On Thanksgiving night, November 22, 1979, the 604-foot taconite carrier Frontenac crashed into the Pellet Island reef as she was entering Silver Bay harbor on the Minnesota North Shore.  The beacon on Pellet Island had gone out. The 56-year old vessel was damaged beyond economical repair. Hence, the company decided to retire the Frontenac and sell her for scrap.”

Interestingly, Rick and I were inside the Frontenac’s pilot house which is now on the grounds of the Two Harbors Lighthouse.  😎

Aerial view of the Two Harbors Lighthouse grounds including the pilot house (circled in red) from the 1923 ore ship Frontenac.

Fascinating reading about some shipwrecks

Lilacs at the marina

An ore ship being loaded

The ore-loading dock in the distance

The next noteworthy stop was Black Beach.

The white seagulls made a nice contrast against the black sand and orange rock of Turtle Island.

This was a busy as well as colorful day.

Transparent water

It’s a pretty big beach

I caught a seagull on takeoff

This colorful hunk of rock is called Turtle Island

Noteworthy stops

Palisade Head, only to be noted by a small marker off of Highway 61, and found only after a steep, narrow drive to the top,

is a dramatic 300-ft cliff with a sweeping, stunning panoply of views!

Simply Breathtaking

The cliffs are undeveloped, have no railings, and feature severe, dangerous drops—

and is breathtaking.

Sweet Shovel Point

We drove to Tettegouche (the end “e” is silent) State Park and eagerly explored Shovel Point.

Shovel Point is a scenic hiking goal within Tettegouche State Park on the noteworthy North Shore.

The roughly 2-mile round-trip trail features dramatic 200-foot rhyolite cliffs, panoramic lake views, and numerous, often steep, staircases…fun!

It is known for its breathtaking, rocky, and often sunny vistas. 

Rick on colossal Palisade Head looking toward Shovel Point

We will be there soon

This was kind of scary to walk by/across

Crazy cliff climbers on Palisade Head!

On the way to the goal–Shovel Point

On Shovel Point Trail looking to where we just came from

It was a pleasant environment

Tiny bright flowers say hello

See my toes? It was a long way down!

There had just been a big storm

I liked how the tree was draped over the rock

Next stop…a colorful surprise!

This was the goal–the end of Shovel Point

The ensuing stop, as mentioned previously, was what I called the Easter egg beach. A colorful surprise!

We saw it from above while hiking to Shovel Point; and I knew, without a doubt, I wanted to go explore it.

The blue and pink rocks were HUGE!

Looking down on “Easter Egg Beach,” (actually named Lake Superior Beach) with Palisade Head in the distance

GIANT Easter egg rocks

 “Easter Egg Beach” and surrounding view

I never cease to be amazed by the water

Our last noteworthy stop for the day was Illgen Falls, a short, easy hike with a gorgeous reward!

Here we saw the yellow egg mushrooms and quite a large waterfall, which was not expected.  😎

Illgen Falls

Fun “egg mushrooms”

Cool waterfall on a hot day

Nice shot of the whole waterfall

Last photo to end the traveling for today

Lounging on the shore

Back at our cozy cottage after a long day, we grilled dinner and consumed it on the deck.

Later, we made a small campfire on shore, drank decaf, and watched the rough waves roll and swirl.

A peaceful end to a lovely day. ♥

 We started and ended the day at the shore  🙂

Mesmerizing fire and lake

Do you see the face?!

Up at 4:40 the next morning to revel in the glorious sunrise

I will leave you with the peaceful beauty of a sunrise.

A recap of the wonders we’ve seen on the Noteworthy North Shore:

1. A foggy, but fun day at Two Harbors lighthouse and breakwater
2. Captivating Grand Marais with its many delights
3. Tacos and donuts on the beach at the Cutface Creek wayside rest
4. Easily accessible golden double falls at Cascade State Park
5. The dazzling Temperance River Gorge
6. Many steps down to Caribou Falls
7. Pink and black beaches, “egg” mushrooms
8. The mammoth Palisade Head and stunning Shovel Point
9. Easter Egg Beach and Illgen Falls

A full itinerary for sure! Come back as we finish this trip: look forward to exploration of more waterfalls and the Tall Ships Festival in Duluth Harbor.

As I’m writing this, Easter is just past. I hope you had the most blessed day celebrating God’s greatest gift–

Jesus resurrected. Hallelujah!!

 He is not here, He has risen! ~Luke 24:6 

Thank for reading Contagious Joy. Spread it around!  🙂

With Easter blessing and bouquets,

Pam