It was easy to forget about it, at least for the summer, we had all kinds of things planned. I can honestly say it was one of the best summers of my life.
There was trip that Leo, Blake and I made to the Komo Zoo...(I love flamingos)
..."Christmas in July" with my family back home...
...the night that me and a friend went to the premier of "Paper Heart" in Minneapolis and met Charlene Yi and Jake Johnson...
...gay day at the Twins game...
...my cousin's wedding...
...the state fair...
...and FINALLY the most amazing mini vacation with my besties!
Leo, Blake, and I decided to get out of town for a while and drive to Duluth and up the North Shore. Anyone that knows me knows that the North Shore is one of my favorite places in the world. It's so peaceful and beautiful and some areas just seem so untouched.
We left for our trip in the middle of the night because Leo and I had to work until 11pm. We ended up getting to Duluth around 4am. We were tired we weren't ready to go to bed yet so we convinced the night person at the front desk to let us sit in the hot tub. It was just what I needed to start of the relaxing weekend. We ended up going to sleep around 6am so we got off to kind of a late start the next day.
When we woke up I wanted to stay in bed, but it was beautiful outside and the shores of Lake Superior were calling my name. We drove out to the Glensheen Mansion and paid for the walkthrough tour. I had been a few times before so it wasn't anything new to me, but Leo and Blake had never been so I took it upon myself to tell them about the murder that happened there (this is something the tour guides won't talk about). After the tour we walked around the mansion's gardens and down to the shore to watch the small waves crash on the rocks.
We drove back into Duluth and went for a walk around the pier and walked out to the lighthouse. We had dinner at a quaint, family owned Italian restaurant on a hill overlooking the lake. After dinner we did what any gay boys and fag hag would do, find the only gay bar in Superior and take over the dance floor. (In hindsight I think I may have been a little over dressed in my zebra print mini dress.)
We woke up a decent time for our second day adventure up the North Shore. We decided to drive all the way up to Grand Marais and eat at Sven and Ole's pizza. For years I had wondered why every other car in Minnesota had a Sven and Ole's pizza bumper sticker, what was so great about a pizza place in the middle of no where? Could Scandinavians be any good at making pizza?
We took our time getting up there because I love to get out of the car at random places on the old highway and climb around on the rocks and look at all of the waterfalls. Blake was totally with me but Leo seemed to be in some kind of hurry or maybe he was just annoyed because he couldn't find the simple pleasure in hopping on rocks.
Before getting to Grand Marais we stopped at Lutsen Mountains, a ski resort. During the off season they set up cement tracks on which you have to ride a specially designed sled. We paid for our sleds and rode the ski lift up to the top of the hill. From the top of the hill we could see for miles. Leo and Blake decided I should go first. I jumped on my sled and took off down the hill. Before we got on the ski lift they told us the sleds had hand breaks, you just had to pull up and you would slow down. I wanted to go as fast as I could and feel the cool breeze in my hair so no breaks for me. I was going so fast that I almost flew off when I leaned to far one way after seeing a racoon just hanging out less than a foot from the track. Before I knew it my ride was over. I jumped up and threw my sled off the track because I wanted to see Leo and Blake fly down the hill. I tried to get some photos, but just like me they were too fast.
We contimplated paying for another ride, but it was getting late in the afternoon and we were hungry. We drove into Grand Marais and found Sven and Ole's right away, it wasn't too hard considering there's really only one street that runs through town. We got up to the counter and order a couple pizzas and breadsticks. Our food took forever to get to the table, I didn't mind so much because I was busy looking at all of the crazy stuff on the walls. When the pizza arrived we inhaled it. I still don't understand what all the hype is about, I mean I thought the pizza was OK. I think people just go there for the ambiance, whatever that might be.
We decided before we left town to walk down by the shore. It was a lot more peaceful than in Duluth and the sun was starting to set. There was a little ice cream shop on the corner, and even though our bellies were full of pizza, we each got ice cream and walked through the rocks to the shore. We tried skipping a few and stacking them in ornate designs. Once the ice cream was gone we started the long drive back to Duluth. We stopped a couple more times on the way back, but kept a decent pace because I was ready for a nap.
We forced ourselves out of the car and up to our hotel room. I closed my eyes and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow. We took just a short nap and then walked down the street to the small casino in downtown Duluth. I gambled what remaining money I had away and decided to make it an early night. I left the boys at their slot machines and wished them luck. As I was closing my eyes that night I hoped that when I woke up I could do it all over again, I wasn't ready for the weekend to be over.
The next morning I found out that Leo and Blake didn't win the jackpot, or anything for that matter. We packed up our things and headed back to Minneapolis. Our vacation was short, but one of the best in my lifetime.
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