Duluth--Day 2

We woke up after a good night's rest and had some breakfast

Saying Good Morning to Mary before heading in for Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea

 Mass with a view!

After Mass we headed toward Two Harbors to visit Split Rock Light House.  Emma got a great little nap in the car to prep for all of the sights

Waiting for the quick informational movie to start we did a quick photo...Emma sure knows how to play the part of the dog...

Thankfully, I knew what is OK to skip and what is a must, since I used to take my 6th graders on a field trip here.  In my opinion the 15 minute video is a MUST.  Most barely blinked during it....others were in "beast mode" ;)

 Can you spot "beast mode"?

 At the tip top of the light house

 Beautiful Sights

 They love to explore!

 Finding rocks to bring home as keep sakes

 Sally, in her happy place!

 Worth the drive, if you've never been!

 Finding the perfect rock for C-Mile 4.0

And then we headed to the famous Betty's Pie.  It was quite the wait, so we got it to go and ate it in the parking lot of Gooseberry Falls.

Sally chose Raspberry Peach Pie and C-Mile 4.0 chose Butterfinger :) It did not disappoint! LJ decided on a giant chocolate chip cookie.  Daddy and Emma had bites of all!

 They're so good at going with the flow!

 Chocolate Chip Lover

And then we hiked the Falls, as well as the trail that leads to the lake.  By hike, I mean I carried Emma the whole way...thankful for the Chiropractor this week!

 My sidekick

 Love this shot that Reid took!

 Checking out the Falls from a distance

 Reid crushing the selfie game!

 We made it to the lake!

 Excited to take socks and shoes off and dip toes in the water and learn to skip rocks

 It isn't always perfection as the pictures show.  During the hike, Emma had 2 poopy diapers and walked right in to a metal pole.  Libby had to go to the bathroom in the middle of nowhere and was a champ about getting the job done.  Emma wouldn't let Daddy hold her for any part of the hike, and by the end of it she was so upset to be leaving because she just wanted to see more WATER!!! But, 95% of the time the girls were absolutely amazing.  The other 5% just adds to the great memories!

 They could have spent hours here!

 Heading back toward the Falls. I think this was moments after Emma recovered from walking right in to a metal pole

 Super Hikers!

 Picking out Keychains as keep sakes

 To our surprise, Libby knew/read all of the paw/hoove prints correctly!

 Pretending to be Wolves

 "Puppy, roof roof roof!"

Then we got some more naps in the car on the way back to Duluth.  We decided to head straight to dinner at Fitgers.  We were told it would be a 20 minute wait, which turned in to a 45/50 minute wait, but once again the girls rose to the occasion.  Especially considering it was 7pm by the time they ordered their food.

Daddy trying to order one of their homemade rootbeers from the Happy Hour Bar, only to be told, they're only available in the restaurant side

Which, we were quite to order once we were seated. Yum Yum Yum!!

We got a fun booth in the corner, raised up with a window.  Sally liked to pretend she was a statue for those eating at the patio below.

 Emma was in a hilarious mood...again, it was 7:15pm by this time. Trying to take a family selfie and she just giggles to her self while we all shout "Emma, Emma, turn around, look at the camera, smile, Emma."  More giggles with a huge grin and looking out of the corner of her eye

More Spunk behavior from #3 as we headed to the car, but stopped for a quick picture outside the Brewery.

And then we finally headed to check in at our awesome hotel right in the middle of Canal Park, that daddy earned for us with his Hilton Rewards when he was away in California for work a while back.

We all crashed hard and fast and had another successful night of 11 uninterrupted hours of sleep!

Next up, our last day in Duluth where Reid found the best deli sandwiches ever!

Last Minute Surprise Trip to Duluth--Day 1

Last Friday at 2pm I text Reid:

J::Are you ready for a crazy curveball questions?
R::Uh-oh, yeah, what is it?
J::Should we go to Duluth this weekend?

Fast-forward 2 hours and we had our hotels booked and we were ready to head out first thing the next morning.  We kept the whole thing a surprise from the girls, even the packing.

It was totally last minute, but it wasn't completely out of the blue.  Reid and I had talked about a possible trip to Duluth....ahemm the Mister has never been!!! I know, right?!

So, when we realized we had no plans for the Labor Day Weekend and the weather was supposed to be nice, we made the most of it.  When else can you book hotels for Duluth and know for certain the weather will be great for all of the outdoor activities?

My favorite view of the Twin Cities on our way out of town

Coming in to Duluth

We had lunch at Coney Island, we like to eat at non-chain places when we're traveling and love to find the places the locals eat...as well as the tourists.

 And there just happened to be a candy shop right next door :)

 Quick walk around Canal park before heading to the Zephyr Train

The girls were such a great travelers!

Quick little cat nap in the car on the way to the Depot

I was more excited for the train than I should have been.  I wouldn't say it was terrible, but you definitely aren't missing anything if you skip this tourist activity.  Maybe the museum portion is better, but we didn't do that part.

Of course, we still had fun

 Emma looking for Eagles

 Love this one! Totally sums up their unconditional love for one another

 Lots of snuggles and goofies since she only had a cat nap in the car

 Venturing to the upper deck for better views

 View of Duloon as Libby sometimes mistakenly called it :)

With our last minute booking, there weren't many options available, especially for Saturday night.  We knew we wanted 2 nights, so not to rush the travel and the experiences and wear the girls thin.  So we took a chance on a cheaper hotel.  My list included, 2 queen beds a pool and a continental breakfast.  We ended up finding on in Superior, minutes from Duluth.  It was a little sketch, but if I had to stay again, I think I would.

Daddy has the girls a little brainwashed.  As we were crossing the Bridge to Wisconsin Libby said, "Make me wanna puke, puke!"  and I caught it on video :)

Daddy swam with the girls while Mommy went to pick up take out from the Thirsty Pagan, best pizza ever!!

 Night Cap in the Hot Tub

And then we all slept in one room and we got at least 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep with everyone waking at or after 7am.  Yahooooooooo!

Stay tuned for Days 2 and 3 in Duluth!