Also, first new photo frames from Camera+ in years – huzzah!

A little food and drink before Christmas tree shopping

Good sandwich, OK 🐔 wings, pizza was too long a wait

Comfort food, indeed. Great to catch up with Cheryl and Josh in Eagan

Sometimes a cold day in Minnesota just needs some nugs

This food court has a lot of character(s)

If you know anything about Minnesotans, don’t mess with their walleye…

Candyland Saint Paul

Still miss the “old” quarter pounder, though 🍔

Nice job, Fortune Bay Marketing Departing

Forgot to post this yesterday – thanks, Stacey!

What time is it?

Dinette should have these on the permanent menu

Thank you, Riverview 🍿

Pepperoni *and* sausage @ Carbone’s

Fish tacos 🐟 🌮

I just can’t quit you, Kraft spirals, you da cheesiest 🧀

Much less crowded this time of year (and no caramel apples)

Easy to make at work and the sale price was good, but the flavor just isn’t quite there

A rainy visit to Randolph

OMC Smokehouse as good as ever 💯

And now Glensheen Gold 🍏

Positively 3rd Street Bakery, Duluth

Steak & eggs = delicious

Lots of capital investment is a good sign

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/11/04/myriel-restaurant-karyn-tomlinson/

Weren’t on my list because they were closed for a bit, but back open again (no Mondays or Sundays). Solid club house sammy and good fries…

Sorry, White Castle

Followed by Bears vs. Patriots on MNF

Kraft is my jam

Guess I need to check the Lowertown calendar more often

I’ll have to save up to return to Five Guys again

Great to see Armon (and have some “overrated lake fish”)

Damn, I already love this place 🧁

Their pizza is so quick and salty – yum

Eagan BWW

Six buck click from Byerly’s too

Woodbury, Minnesota

This is a streak I can fully get behind: four full years of bonus time as of today (read about year one, year two and year three). As the memories of that day fade farther and farther out, I love having this extra “birthday” to reflect on how lucky I am to have more time with family and friends before moving in to my forever home (pictured above).

My overall health remains good, but wear and tear issues are starting to be felt more and more. Heading to see a foot specialist in a few weeks to have my left foot looked at – not sure if it’s a broken bone, arthritis or something else, but it’s not been the same since running the Garry Bjorklund Half in June. That was my first race longer than a 10K during bonus time, but I’m not sure I want to do anything longer than that again (but we’ll see what the doctor says). Rode 500+ miles on the bike this year and have the watch move streak at 905 days and counting, but played a lot less golf this season. Should drop 25 pounds, but that’s been a challenge.

My periodic MRI and subsequent talk with Dr. Tummala was very positive, so I don’t need another one of those for three years. That’s really great news, as I feel ultra-claustrophobic in that machine now. Had a visit with the dentist this week and everything on that front is still coming up Milhouse. I have a love/hate relationship with my glasses – the prism prescription is now probably the best it will get, so I still need to generally wear them for driving and golf. I can get by the rest of the time without them, so that’s an OK compromise.

At the end of the year three bonus time update, I mentioned there was a big change coming soon. That was me leaving U.S. Bank Stadium and joining the pre-opening team for the new Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis. I haven’t written much about my time there, but it was a great learning experience. We opened the hotel on time on June 1 and my last day was June 24. For the first time in my professional career, I voluntarily took a few months off during the summer to recharge and figure out what’s next. I’ll have more to write about that next week, but I have to say the Europeans that get to do this every year are really on to something…

Colleen and I have had a very eventful last 12 months. We went to Kauai for our 30th wedding anniversary, built a new “retirement special” home south of Saint Paul and became pretty big baseball fans, attending lots of Saints and Twins game (hoping we can go to spring training next year too, if Fort Myers recovers). We’ve slowed down a bit with concerts, but still love a good live show. Since the last bonus post, I saw The Rolling Stones at U.S. Bank Stadium, Elvis Costello at First Avenue, Richard Thompson at the Fitzgerald, Diana Ross at the Minnesota State Fair, Florence + the Machine at Xcel Energy Center and another amazing Tenacious D show at Surly. Too bad Duran Duran got rained out at Treasure Island.

Today Colleen and I went to brunch at The Copperfield in Mendota Heights, we drove by my grandparent’s old street nearby (which has a completely different house on that lot now), stopped by Acacia Cemetery and admired the giant blaze maple and will head down to Xcel Energy Center for some pre-season hockey before wrapping up the night checking out the hot new Woodbury restaurant Hazelwood.

Still super, super grateful for the wonderful health professionals who helped me on this journey, along with the amazing support of family and friends – you all rock. Lots of big changes coming up in the next year of bonus time – stayed tuned!

Peace and love, DK

The Copperfield Neighborhood Diner & Bar 👍

Vermilion Club wings with homemade blue

Sunset Steakhouse, Fortune Bay Resort Casino, Tower, Minnesota

ICE CIDER MADE FROM WINESAP AND NORTHERN SPY APPLES. AGED 7 MONTHS IN BOURBON BARRELS. SHARP WITH A BALANCED SWEETNESS. RICH CANDY APPLE CHARACTER IS COMPLIMENTED BY CARAMEL AND VANILLA.
-DEM

SK, Nive Man and the whole crew at the bar

Carbone’s on Randolph celebratory pizza night

Nice work, Banquet

Thanks for another fun Saints season ⚾️

Had the can on the pantry shelf, so there you go

Taberna Tacos, Lake Street, Minneapolis

YOLO, Cecil

Been a minute, Cane’s

Thanks to my aunt for lunch (and great to see my sister too)

Hehehe, Sascratch

Steak and eggs @ Weggy’s on Campus

Unfortunately, that’s one container, not one chip

Great to visit with Garrett Gill @ The Kitchen Table

Today the Star Tribune ran a story on the 25 foods that should be in a Minnesota State Fair food hall of fame. I really enjoy reading and admire Joy Summers and Sharyn Jackson, but having an inaugural class of 25 seems too large to me. Here would be my ballot choices for the founding class (in my preferred order):

• Pronto Pup
• Fresh French Fries
• Corn Roast
• Danielson’s and Daughters Onion Rings
• Dairy Goodness Malts
• Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar
• Tom Thumb Mini-Donuts

Let’s start with seven and see where we go from here…

Our family has been going “up North” for as long as I can remember. The Minnesota portion of the North Shore of Lake Superior is a special place: starting in Duluth and stretching roughly 150 miles to Grand Portage and the Canadian border. Each spot along Highway 61 holds special memories for us, but I realized after talking to people new to the area that I’ve never really written about this part of the state (and what to see and do).

My parents started renting cabins on Croftville Road outside of Grand Marais when I was very young. While there are still several different options on that road that we stayed at over the years, Elsie’s Lakeview Cabins eventually became our primary home away from home for two weeks every summer. My grandfather and uncle would often rent the cabin next door (#8) while we were there and my sister has continued the cabin #9 tradition to this day.

So let’s start with some basics. It takes roughly two hours to get from the Twin Cities to Duluth (with a convenient halfway pit stop at Tobies in Hinckley for caramel rolls and donuts), then an additional two hours to get to Grand Marais. During the summer season, we always stop at Gordy’s Hi-Hat in Cloquet for burgers (they are closed in the winter) and love breakfast and/or lunch at the Duluth Grill (they are only open from 8:00am until 3:00pm daily).

Since my sister lives in Duluth and MK has been a student at UMD, we’ve spent a lot of time recently in Duluth. I’ve also run Grandma’s Marathon nine times, which is always a multi-day party for the city. The namesake Grandma’s Saloon & Grill in Canal Park (near the finish line of the race) is a bit touristy, but I still like eating there from time to time. The whole area near the aerial lift bridge is fun and ever changing: new(ish) faves include Northern Waters Smokehaus and Love Creamery. Always fun to just watch the big ships come in and out of the harbor (webcam) and the little maritime museum is great too.

Other things we do in Duluth from time to time include crossing Kingsbury Creek at the Duluth Zoo, skiing at Spirit Mountain, visit the UMD Land Lab farm and attend shows at the NorShor Theatre (RIP Duluth Electric Fetus). The people that own Duluth Grill also own OMC Smokehouse, which we love even when there is a long wait (and there is always a long wait). Some other Duluth favorites include Duluth Cider (get a Gitch), Positively 3rd Street Bakery (try the ginger cookies) and At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Cafe (everything there is good). A tour of the Glensheen Mansion is a must.

Heading northeast out of Duluth, take the “Scenic Route” along old 61 to trace the marathon course back to the starting line adjacent to Sonju Two Harbors. Along the way, you will find the New Scenic Café and my sister’s stomping ground, Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen. The Scenic Route reconnects with the expressway just before Two Harbors, which has the last non-DQ fast food chain options until you get to Canada. Skip those, though, and stop at Betty’s Pies (good) or Rustic Inn Café (better).

The next big landmark heading up the shore is Gooseberry Falls State Park. Honestly, I think this is one of my favorite parks to hike around, even though I’ve been here a million times. The multiple falls are beautiful all times of the year and you can get quite a workout looping up and down the river to the big lake and back. The “new” visitor center is excellent and has a great gift shop and interpretive center. I do miss the old Civilian Conservation Corps visitor center of my youth, but the current one is really better in almost every way.

Iconic Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is next up, which may be the most photographed spot in Minnesota. The lighthouse itself is managed by the Minnesota Historical Society, whose tours are worth the cost. The hike down to the beach is a bit strenuous, but worth it for the photo opportunities that await. I wish the Split Rock Trading Post gift shop with the lookout tower, black bears and anchor from the Madeira shipwreck was still standing, but it appears it burned to the ground in 1999.

Next up is Beaver Bay, followed by Silver Bay, Palisade Head and Tettegouche State Park. We usually haven’t stopped much along this stretch, but I would like to hike around Palisade Head at some point (it is technically part of Tettegouche, but not contiguous with the rest of that park). The visitor center at Tettegouche is huge and is located just before and across the turn for Highway 1 to Ely. That road is super twisty and was a lot of fun in the old Mini Cooper that I drove between Lake Vermilion and the North Shore.

Don’t blink or you will miss Little Marais, which I always thought was funny (and really not very close to Grand Marais). The wayside rest at Schroeder has the infamous “Lives Have Been Lost Here” Cross River Falls, which is just before the turnoff for Father Baraga’s Cross Historical Marker. We stopped once at Temperance River State Park, but I vaguely remember someone throwing lit firecrackers at the parked cars and I don’t think we ever went back.

Tofte and Lutsen come next and we’ve spent significant time in both. The Holiday gas station in Tofte has always been a favorite (they sometimes have donuts from Grand Marais), we stayed at the AmericInn when I went to see Richard Thompson at Papa Charlie’s in 2008 and last year we finally stayed at Bluefin Bay, which I believe was originally owned by neighbors of my grandparents. The Bluefin Grille has solid food and we enjoyed the views from our upper-level room.

Our friend Megan got married on the beach at Lutsen Resort back in 2010 and I always thought it was a cool property. We tried staying there one hot summer, though, and it was not cool at all (literally – none of the rooms in the lodge had air conditioning). The fall colors there are the most incredible I’ve seen anywhere and the skiing at Lutsen Mountains is easily the best in Minnesota. I love the golf at Superior National, the Alpine Slide was a childhood adventure and Moguls Grille & Tap Room is an old favorite. The Superior Hiking Trail passes through here and is home to the Superior Trail Races and the Lutsen 99er mountain bike race.

There used to be an annual Lutsen Art Fair in the field next to the Lutsen Town Hall that mom would take us to every year, but I can’t seem to find much on the history of that event (and it doesn’t look like it’s happened for a while). We also used to eat quite often at Cascade Lodge, but that tradition never really passed on to our kids because of the taxidermy. They do like to camp at Cascade River State Park though. I always wanted to stay at the Thomsonite Inn, but I think we only visited the lobby a few times to look at the rocks for sale. The wayside rest just past there gives you the first glimpse of Grand Marais (at least on the non-foggy days).

Grand Marais was once voted “Coolest Small Town in America” and it’s always been a Kingsbury/Smith family favorite. Classics include Sven and Ole’s Pizza, World’s Best Donuts, Blue Water Café, Angry Trout Cafe, the DQ, Joynes Ben Franklin, Lake Superior Trading Post, Sivertson Gallery and Drury Lane Books. Our kids really like the Putt n Pets Mini Golf, which has grown over time to include goats and only once caused a trip to the emergency room (hello, SK). “Newer” additions to our regulars list include Superior Creamery, Joy & Co., Voyageur Brewing Company, Hungry Hippie Tacos (which now has a second location in Duluth) and My Sister’s Place (which mom boycotted for many, many years). RIP: Leng’s Fountain, Chez Jude and Northern Lights Jewelry. Make sure to walk out to the lighthouse and around Artist Point – it’s right up there with skipping rocks on a calm day for classic North Shore experiences.

Grand Marais has a nine hole golf course up the hill (Gunflint Hills), a nice radio station in WTIP and the annual Fisherman’s Picnic (that mom and dad usually wanted to avoid because of the extra crowds). The iconic Gunflint Trail sign marks the start of the road due north to the Gunflint Lodge, which we stayed at once (and enjoyed). Keep an eye out for Ugly Baby Bait & Boats – how may they help you? The trails at Pincushion are great for trail running and nordic skiing. They claim you can view moose at the Moose Viewing Trail, but we’ve had no such luck. Haven’t spent much time there, but the North House Folk School area next to the Angry Trout is charming and could serve as a coastal New England movie set.

Heading out of Grand Marais, you hit Croftville Road pretty quickly (County Road 87). Beyond that is the Devil Track River (which I always thought sounded sweet), Five Mile Rock, Judge C.R. Magney State Park with the astounding Devil’s Kettle that you really need to hike up and see, Naniboujou Lodge & Restaurant with it’s fascinating history and colorful dining room, then Hovland (former home to Natasha’s Crafts) and on to Grand Portage (both the casino and the National Monument). The hiking trail to the Mount Rose Overlook is memorable, the High Falls on the Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park is the tallest waterfall in Minnesota and Ryden’s Border Store is the last business you can visit before crossing over into Ontario.

Tip of the Arrowhead, indeed…

The North Pole (Newport)

Rainout and future reschedule

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/interactive/2022/best-airport-restaurants-in-the-us/

Nice patio, much longer wait

Thanks to Yagya and Atomic Data for the invite

Her work is bearing fruit 🍅

I probably should try more of the menu sometime

The chicken wild soup @ Minnehaha Cafe

Pizza on Randolph before a movie at the Riverview

The old DQ standby (with Texas toast and gravy)

Skipped the sandwich and went right to the good stuff @ Portillo’s

Ellsworth curds + bacon + hot honey