Last year we made a trip up to the Gunflint Trail and Voyageur Canoe Outfitters for Brooke's birthday. Due to a faulty pump the VCO folks provided us with a complimentary stay in 2026. So with the kids off in mid-January we took them up on that.
Blake's winter project this year is working on his library.
When we arrived, Daniel was working on wallpapering the vestibule.
I didn't know you could wallpaper with fabric.
I think this was the wallpaper.
We decided to get breakfast at Uncle Loui's in Downtown Duluth.
This place is still great.
Meadow approves.
Theo needed to use the bathroom just as we were driving by Gooseberry Falls. Was a good excuse to also check out the falls. Getting down to the falls was an adventure on its own.
I can promise you that the North Shore was beautiful and that Grand Marais is still charming, but we only stopped for groceries and beer. Just before dusk we made it to the Angler lodge unit.
Frozen pizza would do for our first night. We used our roof box for this trip which also doubles as a cooler in the winter. More like a freezer, to be honest.
We picked up cinnamon bread from Tobie's along the way to Duluth. This is so great for french toast.
Yes, I do still exist and that's my favorite hoodie. I'm really bad at acting natural, ironically.
I made us a reservation for dinner at the Gunflint Lodge. We thought we would play around Voyaguer first before heading over there to ice skate.
Just like last year we trudged across the frozen Seagull River to sled across the way. Only a few months earlier we'd journeyed out from here into the depths of the BWCA.
We tried the steeper hill right next to their Moose Ridge cabin.
Sledding is intense on this hill. 
Theo got a few facefulls of snow.
I promise you, it was actually fun.
At least until Theo got mad about all the snow in his face.
In the later afternoon we headed over to the Gunflint Lodge to skate the longest ice loop in the United States.
It was a little disappointing to see the trail hadn't been cleared.
They brush off the ice trail every morning, but it had snowed since then just enough to make it a challenge.
Eventually it got not great so we turned around.
We made due with the imperfect conditions.
We found a better trail heading the opposite direction. It was really good at least for a while.
Oh, and it was in the single digits, obviously.
I don't know if I'd center a whole winter trip around skating the Gunflint Lake ice trail, but it was still a beautiful and unique place to skate.
Last year when we were here the ice wasn't good, this year it was too snowy. We tried.
We still had a half hour before our reservation. We thought we'd go in early to have drinks while we waited. 
Being that it was Sunday night, they weren't busy at all and sat us early.
A bowl of chili sounded good to me.
Mac and Cheese and a burger for the kids. Theo's extra picky about, well everything. Can't remember if this mac and cheese got his approval.
Back at the lodge Theo and I checked out the jacuzzi and only lasted a full 10 minutes.
I think they spent more time filling it then being in it.
We ended the night watching My Neighbor Totoro.
We woke up early and drove back down the Gunflint and the North Shore. It's a healthy drive to do in one day.
We stopped for lunch at Corktown Eatery & Bar. I'd been to their old location in the heart of Lincoln Park years ago.
Blake had off for MLK Jr day and met up with us.
After being away from the ICE surge back in Minneapolis for a few days, I'm sure I was dreading being back in the cities. Fuck Trump.
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