Last year we spent about four days at Maplelag, a cross country ski resort in northern Minnesota. We had such a great time that we decided we were going to make it a yearly trip. The resort is family-run and you can tell that they really have built up a loyal clientele over the years. Every meal is served family style so we had ample opportunities to visit and exchange stories with people. Many of the people we spoke to had been coming to Maplelag for over 30 years!
On our drive up we stopped in Minneapolis and had lunch with some friends from high school. The drive takes between 7 and 8 hours, so it was nice to have a bit of a break halfway through.
Fabi had never cross country skied before, so we were a little worried that there would be a frustrating learning curve. Fortunately he was very proficient after a very short period of time. Oh to be 17 again.
Another highlight of the trip was taking the "polar plunge". Basically it amounted to jumping into the lake through a hole cut in the ice and then getting out and running into a sauna. I had never taken a plunge, and it was quite the sensory experience. Fabian did it three different times. There are videos farther down of us doing the plunge, so make sure you click on the video to start it.
Another highlight of the trip was taking the "polar plunge". Basically it amounted to jumping into the lake through a hole cut in the ice and then getting out and running into a sauna. I had never taken a plunge, and it was quite the sensory experience. Fabian did it three different times. There are videos farther down of us doing the plunge, so make sure you click on the video to start it.
This is the only non-Maplelag photo. We got a few board games for Christmas. The one we're playing is Memoir '44. It's very fun and tactical.
The view into downtown Minneapolis. Fabian took this photo.
This is the lodge where we stayed. We had a room on the upper floor. It was a nice layout as it had two separate bedrooms with a shared bathroom. The nice thing about the resort is they have a lot of different room configurations that work well for groups of all sizes. As you can see we were one of the only groups there after the weekend crowd left.
Fabian wore his GoPro camera for a little while
The trails had just enough snow to make for good skiing. There was about 4 to 6 inches of snow in the woods. The temperature when we went last year was about -20 degrees fahrenheit. This year the temperature was around 30-35 degrees the entire time. The last day the trails were getting a little icy, but it was still a great time.
This looks like he's going to make a crash landing into a tree, but he's going pretty slow here. Looks a lot more dangerous than it really is, I promise.
The aftermath. Krissy decided to walk down the hill rather than push her luck. This particular trial is pretty narrow and hadn't been groomed so it had more of a backcountry feel to it.
This is the largest hill in the trail system and is named "suicide hill". It's really not too bad though. Fabi and Seth both made it down in one piece.
Fabi at the bottom of suicide hill. His experience downhill skiing served him well when it came to controlling his speed on the downhill sections, if needed.
Some of the open areas didn't have enough snow so we had to take off our skis and walk.
It was really nice to not have to wear as many layers as we did last year. I was able to wear what amounts to a sweatshirt in January in northern Minnesota. Can't say that would happen that often.
Fabian making his way through the cattails
Fabian before he took the "polar plunge". The key is getting nice and warm in the lakeside sauna before taking the plunge. This ensures that your head feels like it will explode the second you hit the water.
This is the outer room of the sauna where you feed the stove.
Getting the ladder ready to go.
This pretty much sums up how I was feeling
After a long day of skiing Krissy and I played board games and had some Crispin. Fabi messed around on his Ipad and ate as many cookies as humanly possible
A master tactician at work.
The last couple of nights we had the table to ourselves.
A delicious cream puff
The aftermath of too much food.
Enjoying some ping pong
Such focus.
Signs cover pretty much every inch of wall in the lodge. There are many old German signs throughout the lodge. The owner said that only Germans over 40 would have any idea what this sign meant. It is maybe a German dialect and not even real German?
Another German sign. The owner had a lot of interesting stories about the signs in the lodge.
This was my favorite breakfast. Norwegian pancakes with lingonberry jam and sausages.
The owner of the resort, Jim, telling Fabi stories about the signs. I'm pretty sure Jim doesn't sleep. Krissy and I would go to the lodge pretty early to drink coffee and would stay pretty late at night and Jim would be there the whole time. It's really evident that they love running the resort and have built great relationships with their guests throughout the years.
The dogs didn't get to come inside very often, but when they did they got their bellies rubbed like nobody's business.
Krissy making it up a hill
Victory
The skis after a fun day on the trails
Krissy plotting her plan to take over the world--or at least to attempt to beat me in a game.
A pretty common sight after being tired from skiing and full from too much food.
A view of the dining room. All of the windows overlook the lake. It's really pretty.
Don't forget to eat!
A view down the main area of the lodge
And, of course, the bottomless cookie jars
1 comment:
I whish we would have endless cockies :-)
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