I have been itching to get in my car and venture out since my move back from California. It is one of the things I miss about the L.A area.... one of the few... Of course, the options there seemed endless... Here, I struggle a bit to find destinations. But who cares! Travel calls! And the desire to be somewhere I've never been before brought me to Duluth last Sunday.

I guess we showed up too early in the morning - crazy thick fog everywhere. It was an eerie start... perfect for a tour of the haunted Glenshen Mansion. Of course the tour guides aren't allowed to speak of the hauntings...

Next stop, Betty's Pies. Apparently world famous. After eating there, I didn't need anything else to eat the rest of the day. Talk about stick to your ribs...

I'd heard St. Paul was going to be in the mid-90's that day, so it was great to be in a cooler city and enjoy the lake's breeze. And it was this reason we decided we had to stay outdoors and avoid shops and A.C.

We spent most of our day walking Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock. Mandy had been there before and we hiked in to visit a beautiful pebble beach with a dramatic view of the lighthouse above. And we hiked some more... and some more... I can't tell you how great it was just to get out of town and back to nature... no one seemed to exist... and every turn of the hike presented another lakeside beach with a view to soak in.

Highlight of the day? Laying on the pebble beach listening to the rhythmic purr of the waves pulling back across the smoothed rocks. You could just close your eyes and soak in the sun...