JAMs Jams. Pure. Real. Fresh.

We have been traveling for 4 weeks tomorrow and are on stop #9 of the journey. Decided we needed a little break from lake cabins so staying in hotels or chalets this week. Tonight we are in Lutsen MN at a ski condo. Time for the doggos to learn some manners for civilization! We are off to Canada tomorrow, for stops 10-13 and will be back in the US Friday for a weekend watching ships in Sault Ste Marie. By now I can write a literal book on what an Airbnb listing says/shows vs what it is - and I now understand why ours was booked all the time😂 This was the “full bathroom” at our last place. I mean they didn’t lie. It was a full bathroom. In the damn utility closet🤦‍♀️ That little cabin had more pipes than our 6000sf house! To be fair the water here is like from another planet because there are so many minerals in the earth and we did appreciate the treated water. Yesterday we did a boat tour of Voyageurs NP (the only way to see it we learned), and had dinner on the deck of Thunderbird ...

Today we stumbled on the most awesome wildlife sanctuary- the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary . This guy (Vince) was a logger who had a camp for his workers in the woods. He would make them blueberry sourdough pancakes & sausage for breakfast every day & the bears were always trying to break in & steal his food - so they shot them. This was in the 50’s. One day he got tired of killing them & realized they weren’t mean, just hungry. So he started feeding them & befriending them ( Jane Goodall style). Eventually his peers formed a trust & when he died created this sanctuary. It’s a viewing platform in the middle of the woods where they feed the bears in the evening in the summer. Really rustic. The interns who work there (think cute college girls wanting to be bear biologists) live in cabins with no power or bathrooms. We loved it there. Sharing some pics (you know I love wildlife so bear with me). No pun planned! And a couple sunset shots from our way home.

I’ve mentioned we are traveling this summer with our pups. We have 3 standard poodles who just love adventure! I’ve captured tons of funny pics of them so far. Thought I’d share. I got this new Navigator before the trip, and it has a cool self driving capability called Blue Cruise. We don’t need it though because Mazzy is a great driver, and Jagger is a good navigator. Elvis demands to ride behind the driver, and Mazzy demands to sit or lie wherever she wants - which results in some “curious” configurations! Their first trip to the beach on Lake Michigan. Hard to believe this was 3 weeks ago and they have improved so much! We took them (accidentally) to the parade at the Cherry Festival- worried they would freak but figured it would be good socialization for them. They acted like they go to a parade every day! We walked/hiked to a few waterfalls in the UP. Always seeking treats!! Stealing my s’more even after I made them each their own chocolate-free one. Then this happened! Jagger go...

If you’re from the north, these are nothing new to you. Well maybe the Testicle Festival. Still scratching my … head about that one. For the un-initiated, they have a whole different language in Minnesota. Skol is a Viking battle cry. Not quite sure when or how it is uttered in modern day life. Pull tabs are like lottery tickets but apparently have an 80% win rate The store posts these posters so you can see which of The prizes have already been won (they mark them out on the poster). Meat raffles? WTAF. Apparently people gather at a bar, buy a ticket, and as the evening progresses, literal bundles of meat are awarded to winners. If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t believe it. The next one is not something I cared to research. I mean, really Minnesota? This the best you can do with regards to naming things? Finally, “pop” is a Diet Coke. Weird. In other updates, as we left Madeline Island Sunday, we traveled part of the “Fruit Loop” in Bayfield WI. The loop is a bunch of fruit farms in th...

Today we took a small boat (with one other couple) from where we are in LaPointe to the northernmost Apostle Island called Devil’s Island to visit the caves. Keep in mind I’m a Floridian - but when I tell your our boat partners are from MSP and were also cold, you should give me a little street cred. Getting on a boat wearing leggings and a sweatshirt and carrying a bag with my down Patagonia and a RUMPL blanket feels as foreign as boating and not getting salty. Regardless, we rode out there and proceeded to launch off the back of the small craft into these inflatable double kayaks. Just use your imagination for how graceful that was! We did it though, and it was so worth it. These caves and rock formations are just stunning. I’ll post some pics - sorry if it’s overload but every new rock formation was more glorious than the last. K was particularly fascinated with the rippled ceilings. Here's a video of us in the caves. Volume up. Crazy right. Luckily I didn’t need to paddle at al...

Today on Madeline Island is 180 degrees opposite of the last two days. Beautiful sunshine. 70 degrees. Can’t make this up. This morning we took the doggos on a walk to the beach - a flat mile each way on shaded dirt roads and through the woods. We came out on a beautiful sand beach in a bay. And we were the only people there. We ventured into “town” and found the “Food Truck” (truck is used liberally as this thing hasn’t moved in a minute). So damn good though.   You know me, I also had to get my Amazon packages which is an adventure here. They come over on the ferry and then get taken to a little building where they can be retrieved between 11&4. When you go in & tell them your last name, they say “Oh I have 2 for you.” The post office was closed on Tuesday because of a labor shortage. Not lying. This afternoon we went back to Town Bay Beach which we visited yesterday when it was completely deserted, 50degrees and windy. Totally different today. It was crowded with familie...

Yesterday we made it to Madeline Island, Wisconsin - part of the Apostle Islands. Never heard of it? Neither had I (and I truthfully don't remember how I chose this as a stop on our trip).  Madeline Island (and it's bustling town of LaPointe) are accessed via a ferry from Bayfield, Wisconsin. We drove about 6 hours yesterday from our previous stop in the UP to reach Bayfield. On the way we stopped in a Michigan state park to see Lake of the Clouds. Gorgeous and totally worth it! I don't venture too close to the edge so had to peek around a corner to take this pic. SO windy up there - better shot of the Lake of the Clouds behind us in this obligatory selfie. Aren't they perfect? Elvis, Jagger, Mazzy (L to R) Me & my best doggie girl Anyway after this little detour we headed for Bayfield - such a sweet little lakefront town. We took the ferry over to M.I. - the first boat trip for Mazzy and for Jagger. I don't think they had a clue they were on a boat. It's a ...