Lutsen Lodge

We're spending the week at Lutsen Lodge on the North Shore of Lake Superior, and the weather has conspired to sock us in with white fog. It's mysterious and romantic and sort of cold (about 65 degrees at its warmest) -- a very different experience than it would have been in hot, sunny weather.


The Lodge has a special spirit all its own, having opened more than 100 years ago and having hosted such infamous guests as Al Capone, who oversaw the importation of alcohol from this spot during Prohibition. The Swedish-style main building was built in 1952 and has stone fireplaces and heavy hewn pine timbers, reminiscent of a ski lodge. The food is excellent (walleye and lake trout with wild rice being the local favorites), and is served in a dining room that overlooks the beach and lake (the bottom windows in the above photo). Our room is situated in a modern condo on a hill above the main lodge. It's very spacious with a great view of the treetops, and nice amenities, like a mini-kitchen, hot tub and internet access. You can see the rooftops of the condos in the bottom photo below.

What have we been up to in all this fog? Reading and writing, of course. Plus, the weather didn't stop us from taking a guided shore tour by sea kayak. We also hiked the Temperance River and visited Grand Marais harbor, where we had a lovely lakeside dinner at the Angry Trout. Who says you have to be married to have a honeymoon?