Ixtapa, Mexico (February 2012)

Just realized I never put anything in here about our trip to Ixtapa Mexico back in February.  This was our 2nd trip there.  We went with 3 other couples for one week.  We stayed at the Barcelo which is an all inclusive resort.  We mostly laid around and soaked in the sun, but we did do a bit of biking and shopping too!  :)

airport

 hotel

 view from our room

 hotel pool

 view of hotel/pool from beach

 beach

 alligator at Ixtapa Island

 Iguana

 bike trail

 Another iguana

 Baby turtles coming out of their eggs



St. Croix State Park - Memorial Weekend 2012

Finally got out this year for the first time over Memorial Weekend.  We headed to St. Croix State Park located on the St. Croix river between Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

Last July 1st they had a terrible storm come through and do damage to over 11,000 acres of the park.  This was the same day that the state shut down all state parks due to a budget shortage and is probably the only good thing to come of the shut down.  The park was empty so there weren't any injuries or fatalities.  There was so much damage to the park that they didn't open until last September.  This was our first time back since the storm damage.  You can see very clearly where all of the trees went down.  Most of the bike path area was affected and you no longer bike through the woods - it's more like biking through a prairie.  I'm sure in a few years the park will look much different.

We finally got to see our first bear in the wild.  He came right through the campground and helped himself to the food in one campers cooler.  It was very exciting to see.  We also saw a baby cub scurry up a tree and the rangers shooed him back into the woods. 

Camp Store & office to rent canoes

 start of the bike path from the campground to the beach (5.3 miles)

 campground where you can see storm damage

Lodge and visitor center

 inside the lodge

 View to Riverview campground - this used to be full of trees

 Another view of the lodge

 View from our campsite - good thing we weren't there during the storm - that big tree would've landed on us.

 beach

 picnic area

 bike path

 first view of the bear

 The bear walked right next to our campsite!

Lutsen, MN (December 16-18, 2011) Jay Cooke State Park, Gooseberry Falls, State Park, Split Rock LIghthouse State Park, Cascase River State Park, Temperance River State Park, Tettegouche State Park

We went up to Lutsen for a long weekend.  We've been up on the North Shore of Minnesota many times in the summer, but never in the winter.  On the way there, we stopped at Jay Cooke State Park just south of Duluth.  We saw 4 deer and there was snow on the ground.  There was even someone camping in a tent!  Here's the swinging bridge and the river at the park.

We then headed further north to Gooseberry Falls State Park.  It was very quiet here as well.  We saw a few other hikers.  We hiked around the falls a bit.

We stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse as well.  The construction is all done on highway 61 and the visitor's center is super nice (we hadn't been there in a while).  The lighthouse wasn't open, but we went into the visitor's center and checked everything out.

Then it was on to Lutsen Resort.  Below is the sign just off Hwy 61.  You can see they didn't have much snow.

Here's the resort taken from the lake.  The resort is the oldest one on the North Shore.  They opened in 1885.  It burned down twice and the current structure was built in the early 50's.  It felt like the resort from "Dirty Dancing."

 This is the lobby.  Beautiful views of Lake Superior and many people hang out here playing cards, reading, etc. 

 Here's the beach.  You can have a bonfire anytime you want.  They'll come out and start the fire. 

 There is a covered bridge over the river that heads into Lake Superior.  Many people get married outside here during the year.  There was a wedding on the Saturday we were there (outside too!)

 Our second day we drove the Gunflint Trail.  We didn't see any moose, but we did see alot of snow.  This is the lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail.  It was really snowing when we drove up and back.

 On the way back from the Gunflint Trail we stopped at Cascade River State Park and did a short hike around the falls.  It was beautiful with all of the snow. 

 We did a group walk on the Superior Hiking Trail to Lake Agnes.  It was a 3 mile hike through the woods - very pretty. 

 On the way home we stopped at Temperance River State Park.  It sure looks different in the winter.

 We also stopped at Tettegouche State Park and did a short hike.  Took this photo - it looks like it's evening, but it was around 12:00 noon. 

Gull Lake COE Park - October 13-16, 2011

We headed up to Gull Lake COE park on Thursday, October 13th.  This park is located 3 miles off of highway 371 just north of Brainerd and a few miles south of Nisswa.  It's a great location.  The campground itself is located in the woods and just a short walk is Gull Lake.  There is a swimming beach and a boat launch.  They also have a small hiking trail.  This campground is very busy during the summer months and after October 1st the rates are half price (only $13/night).  The bathrooms were closed, but they do have biffy's and the electricity is still on so we were set.

Here's the start of the hiking trail.  You can see it's mostly one big loop, but it does provide a great view of the lake.

Entrance to the campground.

Our site

You can see how empty the campground was.  These are empty sites.  12 sites were filled over the weekend.  They have a total of 39.

If you look very close, you can see a deer in the woods. 

The inside of our camper.  The view was great - very private.