There was definitely a strong focus on food in our day today, which is never a bad thing, as we made our way across the Minnesota- Wisconsin border and caught our first glimpse of Lake Superior.

Shortly after our morning departure, we stopped at a roadside gas station, thinking we could find yet more gas station “food” for breakfast. Happily, this was a gas station plus bar/grill– not a convenience store– so we sat at the counter alongside Leroy, the local, 80 year-old blueberry farmer, and tried to blend in. Settling, myself, on a huge omelet, and my mom on pancakes, we sat and waited and soaked in the scene. I don’t actually like omelets, but this one was particularly delicious. It had everything you could think of in it and was slimy with grease, delectable. It was so interesting to talk to the Leroy and the cook/waitress about the local history, including, centrally, moose hunting and walleye fishing laws and restrictions.

From there, we had a pretty straightforward ride to Duluth, where we passed a restaurant and were literally drawn in by the smell. Once inside, we realized it had been on the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives! It was pretty exciting and extremely worthy of its title. We had pizza, pasta and the best tiramisu in the world. We also picked up sandwiches for dinner– savouring the flavours!

Upon arrival in Poplar, we had to find our warm showers host for the night. He had an adorable, old dog and an extensive dead, stuffed animal collection (taxidermy?). I slept on the couch as my mom had already called the deer pelt on the ground. The dog, who’s name we never found out (we named her sunshine), slept on me, it was very cute.

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