Anyway, after checking the weather while we were on vacation we decided to go to the Lutsen Mountain Summit Express Gondola on Tuesday. When I was looking into it on the internet I was trying to buy advanced tickets. Every time I tried it the site would switch the date to the day I was ordering the tickets. Yet, it said I needed to order tickets at least 48 hours in advance. But.... I tried.... I was confused. The more I messed with it the more frustrated I became. Since I was doing this at 3:00 am, I couldn't just call them. Finally, I gave up, and decided to call them the next day.
After almost forgetting to call, I did finally call right before I had to go to work. The man on the other end said we didn't need to buy advanced tickets at all. He said we could just come to the resort and buy tickets on site. That made me feel better. Although, I was worried about long lines. Willie is not a fan of long lines, and an almost ten year old, (though she several times reminded me "I'm ONLY NINE!") I was just hoping for the best. However, that way we could just pick a good day to be outside. He also suggested coming around 11:00 am instead of at 10:00. The restaurant on top of the mountain would be open and it had great views of Lake Superior.
So, Tuesday we got up early. HAHAHAHA, anyone who knows me knows getting up early is not something I do and I was readjusting to real people time. Besides, the resort was only about a 20 minute drive from our campsite. Anyway, we got up had a light breakfast and headed out.
Going on a Tuesday was a great idea. There was only one family in line before us. I would guess there is probably quite a crowd on the weekend. We got our tickets and went right to the gondola. The man taking tickets had a little trouble getting the tickets to scan, that was the only wait we had the whole time. When the tickets finally scanned, we got on the still moving gondola.
The views from the gondola were spectacular. The only thing that was a little disappointing was that the windows on the gondola weren't as clean as they could be. Otherwise the ride was smooth and slow enough that you could enjoy the scenery. Willie, who has a fear of heights, felt secure and enjoyed the ride.
Kahlen was thrilled with the ride. "This is so cool!" She took in the sites and took photos with her camera. She smiled the whole ride.
At the top the view was as advertised. We could see for miles, except for over the lake. It was foggy over the lake that day. It looked like a cloud on the horizon. Kahlen looked through the tourist binoculars and peered over the rail.
After having our lunch on the deck of the restaurant we got back on the gondola for the return trip over the mountain. We went through the gift shop, where Kahlen found a necklace she really liked. It was silver with mountains and a moose. I figure it was a token that she wouldn't outgrow, like a t-shirt, so we got it for her.
On the way back to the state park we stopped at an overlook. From that overlook we found a trail to the falls. We had worn our hiking shoes just in case, and were glad we did. The hike was an easy one, some hills and steps but nothing overwhelming. The falls were beautiful, of course. Not in a grand showy way, but like a scrappy little artist looking for its first big showing. The strength of the falls couldn't be denied, its thunderous sound echoed along the path even before we could see it. The root beer colored pools glistening and foaming with each splash of water that entered.
Other than the fog the weather was perfect. The temperature was 70. The whole week was perfect. Yes, it rained a day or two, but we found things to do inside. The natural air-conditioning provided by the lake was glorious.
When we got back home, and stepped out of the car into the hot humid Iowa air. As I started sweating for the first time in a week, all I could think was, why do I live in a place where my face melts.
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