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Minnesota North Shore Ropes in Thousands for Labor Day Weekend

Aug 31, 2019 08:49AM ● By Editor

Image:  WDIO-TV


By Viktoria Capek of Fox 21 News - August 30, 2019


Labor Day weekend is a final Summer hurrah for a lot of people, many of them with the same thing in mind: soaking in the beautiful weather up the North Shore while it lasts.

“My favorite thing to do in the Summer is just going up the North Shore and visiting the state parks– Split Rock, Gooseberry, Cascade. I just love them all,” Aaron Fregard said.

It’s nearing the end of another busy season and travel destinations up Highway 61 are going out with a bang.

“For this weekend, we’ll probably be running into 16 hundred people over the Saturday–Sunday,” Split Rock Light House program manager Nick Jensen said.

Split Rock Light House and Gooseberry Falls invites people from all over the country to see their views along Lake Superior.

People like Robin Brandt and his wife.

“We didn’t really know about gooseberry until we drove up and seen the sign and said let’s look at this,” Brandt said.

The couple are from Milwaukee.

“We pull into this place, gooseberry, never heard of it, don’t know anything about it, and here it’s this spectacular park,” Brandt said.

They’re spending Labor Day weekend with their two best friends and the wind in their hair.

“Once you commit to the motorcycle ride, you’re at the mercy of mother nature, so first thing it, you’re just hoping to have nice weather no matter what time of year it is,” Brandt said.

The group has gone to a new place on their bikes during the holiday weekend more than 20 years.

“The first thing on a motorcycle obviously is the skies. We want clear skies and they’re so wonderfully blue. The contrast with the lake on the side and the greenery, even though it’s not Fall, and Fall gets all the pub, right? But it’s just as spectacular a toss on the bike,” Brandt said.

It’s their way of saying goodbye to Summer.

“Some of the colder weather has kicked in a little bit, so we’ve just got to enjoy the warmer weather while we can,” Fregard said.

For some, the North Shore get–away is even closer to home.

Aaron Fregard is a born and raised Duluthian who spends as much time out doors as possible.

“There’s something special about being outside, especially in this area that we live in,” Fregard said. “You can’t enjoy it every day of the year, and you can enjoy a movie every day of the year.”

That includes mini vacations to Gooseberry Falls with his family and dog, Kiwi.

“To be healthy and have the means to do these trips, we’re very blessed that way, so we don’t take anything for granted,” Brandt said.


To read the original story, view a video report and see related articles, follow this link to the Fox 21 website.  https://www.fox21online.com/2019/08/30/minnesota-north-shore-ropes-in-thousands-for-labor-day-weeken...

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