Grizzer

Grizzer, one of the wolves at the
IWC in Ely

I'm back from my roadtrip with my mom up to Northern Minnesota. Mom drove, and we kept the exercise to a moderate amount to balance heatlhy moving around and seeing sights with avoiding triggering my fatigue/lymphedema more than necessary. We had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. It rained on the drive up, but the weather was sunny and mild for the rest of our visit.

Critter count for the trip:
Deer: 4 live, 2 dead, and a foreleg on it's own being gnawed on by wolf pups. Also one fox, tons of ravens, red and gray squirrels, chipmunks, a loon, assorted squished small mammals by the roadside, a coop full of chickens, and the wolves at the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN.

We stayed at the Cove Point Lodge in Beaver Bay, located right on Lake Superior. We had dinner there both nights and spent some quiet time moseying up and down their path along the water. We also visited the Two Harbors Lighthouse and the Splitrock Lighthouse, both of which were lovely. The Splitrock Lighthouse is especially beautiful, and has been restored - along with its keeper's house - so you can go inside and see what they'd've been like back in their operating days. (Photos of both will be posted eventually.)

Even though we took it easy I've spent the last two days at home bone-tired, groggy and achy. But I'm very glad we took the trip. The wolves alone were worth it, and gettting to see them with my mom, who hadn't had a chance to visit MN since my surgery, was a rare treat.