We took a Hike

Yesterday we threw off the burden of housework and house projects and decided to bask in what may very well be one of the last nice days of the year. We took a 2 hour drive to Ely, Minnesota which is, in all aspects of the idea, in the middle of nowhere. It's a charming town filled with little storefronts on the two main streets offering mostly outfitters wares and a few assorted cafes and bars. It is on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness so business is brisk in the summer but slows considerably in the winter. The grocery stores (there are two) close at 4pm on Sundays. There is one movie theatre which plays one movie. There is no mall. The closest thing to a discount department store is a Pamida combined with a Hardware Hank across the street. I love it. It reminds me of Northern Exposure to a degree and I have romantic ideas about living there.

However, in reality I need Target. I need Cub. I need to see plays and movies. I need to have options when I eat and I need to be closer to the world than 2 hours on a windy road. So, it's a great place to visit. Steve already has lived there. He went to school there for 2 years and was more than ready to move away. So now we visit. Actually yesterday was my first "official" visit.

We hiked around Dry Lake in the Superior National Forest - just off the Echo Trail. There is also a Bass Lake trail that I'm sure we'll tackle some day. 4+ miles, a picnic on the rock, awesome glacial rocks with gouges in them from the sheer force of nature, beautiful scenery, agressive ground squirrels and a lovely hiking companion. It was a fabulous autumn day.

Comments

Constance Squared said…
Sounds amazing!

And I agree, those little towns are great in theory but the minute you need tampons at 10 p.m. on Sunday, you'd be cursing the heck out of the place!
8:23 AM
Anonymous said…
putting to waste some good money that could have been used in other areas of development for the business involved.
8:53 PM
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