​Want to hear about my favorite moments from our vacation this week? Stick around until the end—I promise it’s worth it!

​Roxie and I have taken the trip to Duluth and the Minnesota North Shore many times, and we always find ourselves wanting to go back. It started with a long, eight-hour drive from Madison up to Grand Marais. We absolutely love this little town nestled right on Lake Superior.

I follow Sarah, the owner of the famous Java Moose coffee shop in Grand Marais, on Instagram. Every morning, she posts short videos taking a quick walk along the shore. Honestly, her reels make me want to pack up and move there! Since she has quite a following on social media I really wanted to meet her. I’m a morning person, so I headed down to Java Moose right when they opened at 6:00 AM. There was already a line! Sarah was taking orders, so I got to chat with her and thank her for her videos. I also mentioned that my friend Laurel Stratmoen says hi. Sarah immediately smiled and shared what a great athlete Laurel was at Cook County High School back when she graduated alongside Sarah’s sister. With my fresh coffee in hand, I walked across the street to the beach, sat on a bench for a couple of hours, and just enjoyed the quiet morning while watching the seagulls.

​The evening before, we had dinner at a local spot called My Sister’s Place. Our hostess was Laurel’s mom, Jennie! You can read all about that fun experience on my Facebook page.

​Another highlight was spending time in Grand Portage near the Canadian border. We visited with some missionary friends at their church up there—Jake, his wife April, and their friend Victoria. We gathered around the fireplace for a wonderful visit, listening to what God is doing in their lives as they minister to the Ojibwe Tribe.

​Earlier that afternoon, Roxie and I hiked out to see High Falls, Minnesota’s highest waterfall, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. It was a long trek, but we made it! Passing people along the trail, I turned to Roxie and said, “Have you noticed almost everyone out here is way younger than us? We must be the only senior citizens on this trail!” I was pretty proud of us when we made it back to the car. It was definitely a challenge, but the “old people” did it!

​One quick tip: if you have Verizon, be prepared to lose cell service just outside of Grand Marais. The entire time we were in Grand Portage, we had no GPS and couldn’t use our phones. It was a little scary being completely disconnected from the world! That is a joke, actually it was quite refreshing.

​While in Duluth, we attended the City on the Hill Christian Music Festival for the first time. We absolutely loved the beautiful outdoor venue and getting to see some of our favorite Christian artists live. LeAnna Crawford was my absolute favorite—she is such a talented songwriter.

​Roxie and I love going out to eat, though deciding where to go is always a bit of a debate. It’s been an ongoing thing in our marriage! I like trying new places, while she prefers familiar spots like Perkins or Subway. But we always make it work. Some of my favorite bites this trip were the pizza at Old Chicago, corn dogs at the festival, and a great Walleye sandwich in Two Harbors. I also tried a donut from World’s Best Donuts. (Though to be honest, I think Kennedy Bakery and Korner Stone Kravings have them beat!)

​On the drive home, I asked Roxie what her favorite moment of the trip was. She told me she loved staying in two really nice motels with stunning lakefront views and balcony space. But then she added that her absolute favorite moment was when I got up early to get coffee, leaving her with the entire bed to herself so she could sleep in!

​I didn’t expect to hear that! “What? So the best part of the trip was when I wasn’t with you?” I asked.

​”Yes!” she said, and we both burst out laughing.

​After thinking about it for a minute, I realized my own favorite moment was sitting on the beach alone early in the morning with my coffee! I shared that with her, and we laughed all over again. Married 50 years, and the best parts of our vacation were when we were by ourselves! Now that’s funny. But in all seriousness, we truly love each other.

​Two final observations from the road: I’m amazed by how many people bring their dogs on vacation, and how many people are out running early in the morning. Two things you won’t catch me doing!

​Vacations look a little different now than they did when we were younger, but Vacation 2026 was a total success. Now, back to work!