It had been many years since our ULLR Club planned a trip to Giant’s Ridge, but this year we did it again.  On February 23-25, eight ULLRs traveled to Giant’s Ridge for two days of winter fun.  On the first day, seven ULLRs braved the cloudy cold day to ski on a few inches of new snow.  Another ULLR strapped on his snowshoes to explore the area.

 

On the second day, we woke to bright blue skies with no clouds.  Some ULLRs left early to travel home, but three ULLRs could not resist the beautiful skies and the opportunity to ski on perfect corduroy groomed ski runs.  Because it was another bitter cold day with few skiers, it seemed like we were skiing first tracks on all the runs.  It was hard to stop that day to head back home.

 

Of course, we stopped at Tobie’s in Hinkley for lunch on the way to Giant’s Ridge.  While at Giant’s Ridge the group stayed at a hotel in Virginia and had group meals at a restaurant near the hotel and at another restaurant in Eveleth.  We gathered in the pool area or lobby to talk about our day and reminisce about other ULLR ski trip experiences.  We were grateful for being able to drive on dry roads from Minneapolis to Giant’s Ridge and back home on dry roads.

 

On the way back home, Kathy Lucas and trip host Nancy Sand became regular tourists when they stopped in Cloquet to see the Frank Lloyd Wright’s only designed and built gas station.  The service station was built in Cloquet, Minnesota in 1956 for Mr. R.W. Lindholm.  The structure still operates today as a gas station. 

 

It was a fun trip!