We had the privilege of taking a group of our sports car customers on a rally to north eastern Minnesota from June 12-14. On Saturday at 7:30 a.m. Ken and Yvonne were the first to show up at West Park. Yvonne said she arrived the first because she was the most excited to go. Four cars left from Altona, an orange Camaro, silver Camaro, yellow Corvette convertible and a silver Corvette convertible. The other 2, a yellow Corvette convertible and a yellow SSR, met up with us in Warroad, Minnesota. Erv's car saw rain for the first time which we think almost did him in, but Lorraine was still allowed to ride inside the car rather than sit on the roof with an umbrella! People were introduced to each other at the gas station in Warroad, grabbed their coffee and then we began our cruise as a group of 6 cars.
Little Sienna was a passenger in the silver Camaro for this trip. Her parents hoped she would be seen and not heard, so as not to cause any disruptions to this getaway. She ended up being some of the entertainment on our trip, was a sports car fanatic and met all the criteria of an excellent baby!
Our lunch stop on Saturday was at Rosalie's Restaurant in Baudette, MN. This was the only restaurant we hadn't visited before but it was recommended by the local chamber and we were not disappointed. The food was delicious and the portions generous. This was the start to a weekend filled with good food, great roads and entertainment. This was also the first place where we treated ourselves to a warm bowl of Chicken Wild Rice soup, perfect for our not-so-perfect weather.
We drove a little farther and then took our next coffee break at Lake Kabetogama. Instead of a "tail-gate parties" we had "trunk parties" where juice, pop, water and snacks were served.
We toured an iron ore mine in Sudan, MN. Our tour guide was great and the mine is pretty amazing. The ride down the mine shaft was quite exhilarating. We packed about 17 people into a 6-foot square metal box and then plunged down 2400 feet, rattling and shaking in the dark to the excavation site. Although the elevator travels at 10 mph, it felt a lot faster!
Our first night was spent at the Ely Lodge in Ely, Minnesota. This is where we had our dinner and breakfast on Sunday. And guess what they had on their menu? That's right, Chicken and Wild Rice soup!
One of our memories of Ely Lodge will unfortunately be the game of Chess that Natasha volunteered to play against Len in the foyer before leaving that morning. All bystanders were nearly choking, trying to hold in their laughter and refrain from giving advice as Natasha's red pieces were nabbed off the board one after another. It was painful!
This is the perfect road to take if you are ever looking for a twisting, smooth, scenic drive. It is Hwy 1 from Ely to Lake Superior. Then we took Hwy 61 which follows the north shore of Lake Superior.
Our lunch stop on Sunday was at Betty's Pies on Hwy 61, just north of Two Harbors, a place you cannot drive past without stopping. They have a large menu, a fun retro atmosphere and a million pies to choose from. You can even have your pie blended into a pie milkshake as Lorne and Jeremy did.
A little farther northeast up the road is Split Rock Light House. Our group took the tour which normally would give you a great view of Lake Superior but unfortunately our view from the top of the light house was thick fog. After touring the lighthouse, some people also went for a hike at Gooseberry Falls.
Sunday evening we arrived at Grand Superior Lodge. This is where we had dinner and spent the night. We rented a log home to hang out as a group before retiring to our own rooms. Oh, and we shouldn't forget to mention that this restaurant also served Chicken and Wild Rice soup! This became a bit of a group joke on our trip. EVERYBODY in Minnesota seems to have "Soup du Jour... Chicken and Wild Rice"!
This was the gorgeous view of Lake Superior from our log home window at the Grand Superior Lodge.
On Monday morning we ate breakfast on the deck of Grand Superior Lodge, over-looking the lake. It was a cool and fresh morning that started looking promising with the sun shining on the lake but once again the fog rolled in.
This is a scenic rest area near the tunnels on Hwy 61, just north of Two Harbors.
Our next stop was Duluth, Minnesota. We spent time doing our own activities around Canal Park and then met for lunch at Grandma's.
Jer and Sienna were brave souls as they posed for a picture with the seagulls nearly landing on their heads. The birds had a bit of popcorn as their bribe.
Walter and Eunice bracing themselves in the wind as they watch the bridge lift for the boats.
Lorraine asked if they had a Chicken and Wild Rice soup. Not only did they have Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, it turned out their soup was FAMOUS Chicken and Wild Rice soup. She actually ordered it and we burst out laughing!
Other than wishing for different weather, our trip was excellent. We were with a great group of people and enjoyed riding with so many awesome Chevy sports cars! This is something we would like to try again in the future and we plan to do more 1-day rallies, as we have in the past. We would love to have you join us next time! All you need is a sports car you have purchased from West Park Motors in Altona! It's that easy!
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