Where has the summer gone?

I cannot believe that one week from today I will be back in school! This was the fastest summer ever!

I haven't posted in over a month, so I have a lot to catch up on. I'll start with today and work backwards. The guys from Jim Perrault Construction (http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/living/ask_expert_front.htm?forumId=2010) started working on my porch yesterday. Within hours they had it demolished (you would not believe the amount of mouse stuff in the insulation... yuck!) and the framework is up as of now. I ran to Home Depot and picked up my new screen door. It had gone on sale since I last looked at it... yippee for me!

Brandon started football practice today... 5-7 everyday.

I picked up my books from St Scholastica.... I am now $543 poorer.

Last weekend I found myself on my own so I went on an awesome 4 hour hike... about 7 miles. I started at the Trail Center at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and headed up Day Hill and across the highway to the Superior Hiking Trail. It was incredible!

This of course is the infamous lighthouse. I have hundreds of photos like this, but yet I cannot resist taking more shots when I visit. I wonder if it might be the most photographed landmark in Minnesota?








I hiked up this huge hill (more like a mountain) called Day Hill. At the top is this fireplace built on a rock. Apparently a man in the late 1800's named Frank Day owned this hill. He proposed to the love of his life, she said yes, and he began building their dream home on this hill. She then left him for someone else... this fireplace is what remains. How sad.














This is the breathtaking view from the top of Day Hill... well worth the sweat and feeling of exhaustion from climbing it! Plus, what a great place to relax and catch my breath!










This is my day pack and the book detailing the hike that I went on. This book is great because the hikes are all in a circuit; therefore no repeats. And he goes into great detail every step of the way. I highly recommend it. http://www.amazon.com/50-Circuit-Hikes-A/dp/0816641994/sr=8-1/qid=1156894958/ref=sr_1_1/002-9921608-4011241?ie=UTF8

Me, on the hike, on top of Day Hill.










This is scat (aka wild animal poop) on the trail. I took the photo so I could figure out what animal did it when I got home. My conclusion? Timberwolf. I took other photos of other scat, but I won't make you go through that! ;-)









Do you see that tiny white dot in the distance? That's the lighthouse. I have now hiked across the highway and am up on a ridge overlooking the lake. It's awesome!










This is the remnants of an old mine from like 1905. You can find it within Split Rock State Park.











That's all for today... I gotta go pick up Brandon from Football. Later!