Taken about a month ago just northeast of Grand Marais MN.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN

Following after @manton, @maique, and others. Reminds me a bit of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFRpa81MUAY. Countries Lived United States Countries Visited (in order) Canada Cayman Islands Jamaica Sweden Switzerland Netherlands Belgium Mexico Germany Czech Republic Portugal UK (Scotland, Northern Ireland) Ireland Next Countries (sort of in order) Italy Hungary Austria Poland Spain Morocco Greece Norway Finland Iceland Denmark UK (England) France Fiji New Zealand Australia Argentina Chile States Lived (3) Michigan - 12 years Wisconsin - 11 years Minnesota - 46 years States Visited (40) Several weeks (8) Arizona California Colorado Florida New Hampshire New York North Carolina Washington A few days (25) Alabama Alaska Arkansas Connecticut Georgia Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Mississippi Missouri Nebraska New Jersey New Mexico Oklahoma Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington DC (not a state) Wyoming Overnight (4) Indiana Maine Ohio West Virginia Transited by train (3) Idaho Montana North Dakota States missed (8) Delaware Hawaii Maryland Nevada Oregon Rhode Island Utah Vermont Canadian provinces Quebec New Brunswick Prince Edward Island Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia

At DeBine brewery in Palm Harbor next to the Pinellas Trail. Informal survey seems to be Half e-bike to regular bike. E-bikes have exploded in popularity over the past two years.

Lattés from 9th Bar coffee in Palm Harbor. Pretty dang good and a much shorter line than the Starbucks down the block.

Still on the road. Central Illinois is flatter than North Dakota.

A bit of falconry at Ashford Castle!

Doonagore castle. View from our vacation rental in Doolin Ireland.

The Ross-Errilly Friary outside of Headford Ireland.

A nice lunch stop in Maynooth on the way to our B&B in Kilbeggan.

Arriving in Ireland on Wednesday. Hope to post from there over the next two weeks.

Ireland in 18 days. COVID stay away.

Ann and I walked in Frontenac State Park. This is on the northern side of Lake Pepin – a widening in the Mississippi River below Red Wing, Minnesota. It was over 70˚F today, almost unheard of in this area for November 8. It will likely be the last warm day until March and we made the most of it.

Another view of Maiden Rock.

Ann and I are back to hiking in MN State Parks. Great River Bluffs was the last. We’ll revisit in autumn. The colors should be awesome!

Dunsverick Castle. North (Atlantic) coast of Northern Ireland. Near Giant’s Causeway.

Entering Belfast harbor.

Had dinner last night at Badger & Co., the restaurant in the home of Kenneth Grahame in Edinburgh. Very pleasant. www.badgerandco.com

Devil’s Kettle in Judge C. R. Magny State Park on Minnesota’s North Shore. The Brule river splits in two and half disappears underground.

Two angles. North shore of Lake Superior.

Saw “Glensheen” at the Minnesota History Theatre in St. Paul this evening. I liked the play and the venue. First time there.

I have one year to get in good enough shape to tackle Isle Royale for the third time. I was significantly younger the first two times. This is going to take some effort.

Mike’s Sushi in Palm Harbor FL. 👍👍

Flat white at fabrica in Lisbon.

By the way, that John Gorka concert at Crossings in Zumbrota was great. If you don’t know his music, you should check him out. I love the slightly quirky style of his shows. Crossings was the perfect venue, slightly larger than a house concert. He’s played there many times. You folks in Minnesota should check it out as well.

At Crossings in Zumbrota getting ready to hear John Gorka.

Bee on echinacea. Glensheen.

Ann and I had lunch today in the magnificent dining room at Naniboujou Lodge on Minnesota’s North Shore. The designs and colors were used by the Cree Indians. You can find some history here.

Plein air in Grand Marais. This guy was doing a street painting of the front of the Ben Franklin store. One of two left in the state.

At the end of the Gunflint Trail. Gull Lake. Canada is just a wee bit from here.

At Gooseberry Falls on Minnesota’s North Shore.

Interesting coffee cup At Sarah’s Table Chester Creek Cafe. “Democracy must be something more …”

“Death Before DECAF” at the New London Cafe, Duluth MN.

Lake Superior at Glensheen.

Canal Park Lake Walk. Ann with “the determined mariner” and a lighthouse for sale.

It was a beautiful day in Duluth. A welcome change from the rain yesterday in Rochester. Here is a picture of the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge open for sailboats.

Just made a quick stop at the Higher Grounds Café in North Branch for a “Minty Moose” on the way to Duluth.