The second stop on our trip was Duluth, about a 2.5 hour drive north of Minneapolis. Our nephew, Nathan just started college here in August. It’s a smaller town of maybe 80,000 + and the school has about 4,000 students which seems to suit Nathan well. 

Nathan gave us a tour of his dorm, which brought back many happy memories from our college years, and he showed us around campus. I hope he is really happy there. College was such a great time for me and I hope he has a great experience too. 

B’s sister and brother-in-law drove from Ashland, which is about 1 1/2 hours away, to meet us for dinner. We spent the evening catching up and then we surprised the girls with a stay at a local indoor water park. The hotel was similar to Great Wolf Lodge, but perhaps a bit more shabby. The girls didn’t mind at all though. They had a blast swimming their little hearts out.

She’s just the silliest: 

Annabelle’s swim suit tore right up the back. We caught it with one last thread to spare and had to head to the gift shop to get a new suit. Disaster averted. 

The girls woke up early the next morning and they had the pools all to themselves. B and I took turns getting ready and packing up the car while they played. 

And then off we went to Ashland. 

So long Duluth, you are quite pretty right there on the lake!