Weekend in Duluth

Just over 6 years ago, Dan and I got engaged on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior at Tettegouche State Park. Since then, the North Shore has always held a special place in our hearts. Before the boys were born, we'd take weekend visits to Duluth, stay in our favorite bed and breakfast there, and casually wander around, taking our time at shops, parks, and other area attractions.

Dan and I visiting Duluth  pre-kids, circa 2009!

When the boys were born, our plans for travel came to a screeching halt. There is not much time or energy left for vacations when you become a parent. Just when you make plans, someone ends up getting sick, the weather doesn't pan out quite right, or you become too exhausted to even sit down and make plans, let alone pack a suitcase or 4, let alone carry out the plans of the trip you had in mind (does anyone remember our trip to California when O and A were just 18 months old?!). Traveling with kids is not really a vacation, amiright parents?!

But that little hankering for a weekend road trip in peak Minnesota Fall Colors season has never left our minds. Last year we booked a hotel in Duluth during October, but as the week came closer, the weather report forecasted a high in the 30's for the weekend we had planned. Ummmm, no. Cancel that reservation. Last summer we booked a beautiful cabin on the shores of Lake Superior and I was pumped, only to have the cabin's owner email me a few weeks later apologizing, but he had accidentally double-booked that weekend and was giving priority to the honeymooners who actually reserved it first. Shucks. 

And then there was this year. We booked a hotel in Duluth way back in July with high hopes that the third time would be a charm, as they say.

And it was.  A perfect weekend in Duluth, complete with our two little threenagers.

Perfect in all the ways that traveling with twin 3 year olds can be. Listening to Humpty Dumpty on repeat for the duration of the car ride, stopping for potty breaks along side the road, meltdowns during the mid-day hours as we try to squeeze in extra time at the State Parks even though it is nap time, sleeping on an uncomfortable pull-out couch with the boys even though we booked a suite, and oh ya, cleaning up puke in our hotel room on not just one night, but both nights. 

Yes, perfect.

You see, those types of things are our normal. But we got to experience our normal, with the MOST perfect fall weather and most picturesque Minnesota backdrop that is the North Shore. We ordered our berry pie and ice cream with 4 spoons instead of 2 like we used to do. We got to not just see Gooseberry Falls again, but see its splendor for the first time from the eyes of a child. We got to hike at a pace that was much slower than we were used to and hunt for the perfect walking stick as most of the other tourists passed us by. We got to visit Split Rock Lighthouse again, but for the first time with 4 extra little legs trying to walk back up all those stairs after visiting the shoreline. We got to go to bed each night listening to each child recall all their favorite things that they did that day with their family. 

Yes, perfect.

"Listening" to hear the waterfall

Just in case you forgot they are 3. Proof.