We tried out two state parks in one week—both were new to me and much closer than the north shore.
The first was Afton State Park, where we hiked in a couple miles to our camping site. We lugged in a ridiculous amount of stuff for just one night and were completely secluded from other humans which was quite magical. We sawed our own wood, were harassed by raccoons, serenaded all night long by wild turkeys, whip-poor-wills, and woodpeckers——don't know if a full moon means active animals??? next morning we hiked to our own private beach on the St. Croix river for some good swimming.
The second trip was e a s y camping (don't know if camping is even the right word). We drove up north——the moment before you reach Superior) to Jay Cooke State Park situated on the big and broad St. Louis river. There we stayed in an amazing log cabin which was fairly new and well crafted. I had a bit of cabin envy as there was a really great one (Slate cabin) which butted up against a huge rock wall and was a bit more private. Next day, we drove to Duluth, swam in the mighty Lake and ate at one of our favorite restaurants called the New Scenic Cafe. Yum, the tempeh reuben is crazy good.
Lucky us, no mosquitoes on both ventures!
