Countless lakes. So many of them. I've never seen so much water in my life. That’s life in Northern Minnesota—destination FAMILY. We stayed with Dave's sister and brother-in-law on Thirty Lake in Bovey, Minnesota, just down the road from Dave’s hometown of Grand Rapids.
Thirty Lake
Dave and I had a great time—an epic fire pit, pontoon ride, sauna, a surprise bear visit, and lots of catching up filled our evenings. It was time well spent.
I'm happy to report that the kayaks did make their way off the Jeep—and into Lake One of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Lake One, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
A thick veil of smoke from the Canadian wildfires gave an eerie quality to our surroundings. Luci never settled, opting to hold her place on the boat like a masthead.
Leave the steering to us.
A separate day trip took us to the Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area, a designated old-growth pine forest, located in Old Fork State Forest.
Lost 40.
Back in 1882, loggers missed this area due to a surveyor’s glitch— they mistakenly mapped it as Coddington Lake. The site was resurveyed in 1960 and became part of Big Fork State Forest. The ancient pines endure. Thankfully, the logger's loss was our gain.
Massive 230-240-year-old red pines towered over us as we followed the well-marked trail. Sadly, we also had to dodge plenty of old-growth mosquitoes.
Our visit to Minnesota ended with lunch with our niece, Carly, in Minneapolis. This brave young woman is fighting ALS, which is quite rare for someone in their s spirit and incredible strength are qualities from which we can all learn. She is truly inspiring.
The journey home was marked by torrential rain and heavy traffic. Chicago and Indianapolis expressways were anything but.
Our last night in Kentucky sparked a crazy thought—did we have time to visit a distillery? After all, we were in the land of whiskey and bourbon. Hmmm, maybe it was the bourbon we were sipping that gave us the idea. We decided to visit Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort the next morning.
Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky
Just another day at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Barrel preparation
Oooh, the line. So many bourbon enthusiasts. Undeterred, we checked online for tour times and found an opening within fifteen minutes of our arrival—what a way to get to the front. The free tour was both historically informative and educational. Well worth the slight detour from home.
Two thousand plus miles in ten days. Looking back, Dave and I found the trip to be a test of adaptation and flexibility. Not so easy for those who like to stick to a plan. Would we do this kind of trip again? Ya, sure, you betcha.