Gooseberry Falls

Woke up around 5:30 this morning(no I didn’t set an alarm! 🙂 ) and went out on the rocky shore just down the road from where we were camping to capture the sunrise. Peaceful and very rewarding.

After packing up camp, munching on the left over wine bread and grabbing a coffee from the local gas station, we started to make our way up the shoreline. Our destination was Gooseberry Falls State Park! We arrived before the main offices opened and before all the people got there so we had prime parking and really the whole park to ourselves.

Hiking (I say “hiking” but really it was walking up a paved path that was 8ft wide…) up the path until we came to the falls, we soon realized that we were in for a treat. Not only were the falls really cool, but you could wander all throughout the falls and climb wherever you wanted!! This made my day. I mean how many times have you ever been to a park – let alone waterfalls – where you could go off the beaten path and climb the rocks. SO COOL! Anyhow, enough with climbing and all that stuff… 🙂 The falls themselves were split up into three sections; upper, middle and lower, and if you didn’t mind risking a couple wet feet, you could climb on top of all the falls for a closer look. Truly a lasting experience.

Next stop, Split Rock. 1905 a storm contributed to the destruction of 29 vessels prompting the construction of the Split Rock Lighthouse. High atop the rock cliff, it guided many lives to safety.

The boulders, agates, and cliffs offer a completely different landscape of Lake Superior’s shoreline worth the adventure.

As we traveled across state we realized a fall color tour would be exceptional. Miles and miles of stately pines, birch and hardwoods blanketing mountains and valleys not to mention all the lakes Minnesota is so well known for.

Water does breed mosquitoes, needless to say, as I journal in the enclosed suburban.  I will bed down in the hammock, though, and I hope to wake without any visitors as I understand they have a problem with raccoons in Maplecreek State Campground.