Jewel of the Northwoods indeed!
Last weekend, with a rare string of days off in a row, Ross suggested we take a lengthy drive to a state park for our now regular hiking adventures. Itasca was the place in mind...about four hours north.
Well, with his brilliant idea came a dip in the temperatures. Camping was out of the question. And with a four hour drive up, it seemed far more sensible to drive up Friday night to allow us the earliest and freshest start possible on the trails. So began our hunt for an inexpensive hostel, hotel or couch for two evenings.
The down side to that region...despite it's huge draw as the Mississippi headwaters...is the lack of civilization. Even campgrounds and RV parks seemed few and far between as I began the hunt for evening accommodations. And even now that we were no longer looking in season, many places I checked with were already booked.
Trusting to google, I tried yet another search, slowly inching my way along our proposed route, hoping some little unknown with just a phone number would crop up with it's little red pip. A little bed and breakfast popped up, a bit out of the way...in town so small Google wouldn't even acknowledge it's small population with a name on the map. A little mom and pop place with a simple website and a phone number. Several calls went unanswered. We were about to give in and book with one of the overpriced and overly stripped down franchises when I shot off an email in a last ditch effort.
I was called back within ten minutes.
Jewel of the Northwoods was indeed a jewel. And a steal of a price...almost half of what the AmericInn and Super 8 (their only corporate competition) were offering.
And the food! I would have been done with the yogurt parfait! Pecan crusted french toast, bacon and a play on eggs florentine the first morning (we left well fortified for our day on the trails), raspberry muffin, roasted vegetable fritata, and two types of sausages...finished off with homemade strawberry granita the next. I'm kicking myself for not taking my camera down to breakfast wither day.
Their attention to the details was astounding. I'm still unsure if it was a typical gesture of welcome on their behalf, or if they spied our bottle of Asti, but an ice bucket with glasses and bottled water awaited our return from Itasca.
Ross and I finally got our romantic weekend away at a bed and breakfast. And after such an amazing weekend, we certainly intend to patronize the Jewel again!
Well, with his brilliant idea came a dip in the temperatures. Camping was out of the question. And with a four hour drive up, it seemed far more sensible to drive up Friday night to allow us the earliest and freshest start possible on the trails. So began our hunt for an inexpensive hostel, hotel or couch for two evenings.
The down side to that region...despite it's huge draw as the Mississippi headwaters...is the lack of civilization. Even campgrounds and RV parks seemed few and far between as I began the hunt for evening accommodations. And even now that we were no longer looking in season, many places I checked with were already booked.
Trusting to google, I tried yet another search, slowly inching my way along our proposed route, hoping some little unknown with just a phone number would crop up with it's little red pip. A little bed and breakfast popped up, a bit out of the way...in town so small Google wouldn't even acknowledge it's small population with a name on the map. A little mom and pop place with a simple website and a phone number. Several calls went unanswered. We were about to give in and book with one of the overpriced and overly stripped down franchises when I shot off an email in a last ditch effort.
I was called back within ten minutes.
Jewel of the Northwoods was indeed a jewel. And a steal of a price...almost half of what the AmericInn and Super 8 (their only corporate competition) were offering.
And the food! I would have been done with the yogurt parfait! Pecan crusted french toast, bacon and a play on eggs florentine the first morning (we left well fortified for our day on the trails), raspberry muffin, roasted vegetable fritata, and two types of sausages...finished off with homemade strawberry granita the next. I'm kicking myself for not taking my camera down to breakfast wither day.
Their attention to the details was astounding. I'm still unsure if it was a typical gesture of welcome on their behalf, or if they spied our bottle of Asti, but an ice bucket with glasses and bottled water awaited our return from Itasca.
Ross and I finally got our romantic weekend away at a bed and breakfast. And after such an amazing weekend, we certainly intend to patronize the Jewel again!
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4:01 PM
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