Up North

The moon converging with Venus, over the dock.
Since I was a kid, my family took our infrequent summer vacations Up North, that is to the northern forests of Minnesota. Sometimes, we'd visit Grand Marais over on Superior, other times we'd visit Duluth. There were several trips to the boundary waters, in the Ely area, in my late teens. But the one spot we'd vacation the most was the Chippewa National Forest, just north of Grand Rapids, MN.

Since having kids, my wife and I have taken just a few trips Up North. Lately, we've been vacationing in Maine, which is my favorite place and the only spot in North America that I have seriously considered moving to. But, with an infant in tow, the 2 day drive was out of the question, so we returned to the north woods.

Mostly, you sit on the deck, watching your kids fish and swim from the dock.

A week on Turtle Lake. Fishing, hiking, boating and relaxing.

We filleted and fried these fish up in a pan, coated with Shore Lunch. You must use Shore Lunch, don't get fancy!

It was a week of firsts for my kids- their first major catch, plus learning to clean and fry the fruits of their labor. The first time seeing a fox in the wild. The first exposure to horseflies in significant numbers.

Red pine, aspen, birch, white pine.

The rhythm of the day is very different from southern Maine. There is no "sight seeing" to speak of- no historic buildings, no quaint seaside towns, no shopping. There are lakes to fish, and woods to walk through, and that's about it. If sitting in a small, rustic cabin on the shore of a quiet lake doesn't sound like fun, this isn't the vacation spot for you. Cell service is spotty at best; the water is very hard and tastes bad.

But if you think your kids want to learn how to tie a lure on a line, and then spend hours each day pulling panfish out of the water, and maybe swimming a little bit when you can brave the biting flies and mosquitos- you've come to the right place, friend.

Being back in this part of the country filled me with nostalgia- how long the car trip seemed (in the un-airconditioned station wagon, of course), the smell of the pine trees, the shimmer of the lake. I thought especially about my dad and how much I miss him. Hopefully, I'll live long enough to see my kids bring their kids Up North, and so carry the love for this place along to the next generation.

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